Chapter 3: Hungry Eyes
The sound of furious typing pierced the silence of Crimson's office. Maxie Jones, former ne'er-do-well, was fast a work on a Friday night. Pausing from her work she glanced down at the clock at the bottom of her screen. It was 9:43. With a deep humph she sat up straight in her chair and returned to her article "Death to the LBD." Just seconds after she resumed writing she heard the ding of the elevator signifying that the elevator arrived at the Crimson floor. She didn't bother glancing behind her knowing exactly who would be stepping out of that elevator . . . the "Coincided One", as Spinelli had aptly deemed, Dr. Matt Hunter.
For the past three Fridays at around 9:45 he would exit the elevator and then proceed to annoy and pester her. Annoy: as in continue to ask her out. Pester: as in not give up. That man just couldn't take no for an answer! Maxie was sure if that damn arrogant conceited doctor would have said something to her other than "Try to be more careful" when they first met (after he ran into her) things would have been so different. For one thing she wouldn't be this . . . frustrated.
If Maxie was being truthful deep, deep, deep . . . (and one more) deep down, she still wanted him in the most primitive of ways. Of course, Maxie has a very good explanation why still wanted that Coincided One. He's healthy, attractive, and male. She happens to have a very healthy sexual appetite. Therefore, it was only natural that somewhere deep, deep, deep, deep down she would still be attracted to him even after finding out what an arrogant self-absorbed ass he was. A few months ago she would have gone out with him and/or slept with him in spite of his personality but that was B.S. (Before Spinelli).
She has Spinelli now. He is her essential person. Her essential person that just couldn't get her off! Not that he was bad he was just . . . lacking . . . something. No matter what she/they tried nothing worked. Maxie just refused to believe that her essential person couldn't get her off!
On the other hand, after being with Spinelli she could now beat Meg Ryan at a fake orgasm contest.
Why is it that males need a woman to rave about their bedroom skills afterwards? If the guy did it right he should know that their partner was satisfied.
That is one, of a few reasons, why late on a Friday night she was still at work. Another reason was that she was going to be the next Kate Howard. Except she will be way more hot and have a fashion empire- not just a magazine- like Kate does. Maxie relished the thought of having her own fashion empire with her own assistants to terrorize.
Maxie's dreams where interrupted by the uninvited Coincided One
"Hello Maxie. What you working on?"
Maxie debated on whether or not to even bother to answer him. But she had learned the longer that she ignored him the longer he remained. With a big deep pained sigh she replied, "An article."
"About what?"
"LBD."
Matt had a puzzled look on his face. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him mouthing the letter trying to figure out what LBD meant. She rolled her eyes.
Matt gave up and asked "LBD?"
"Little. Black. Dress."
"Why the abbreviation? Was little black dress to much of a mouth full?"
Maxie turned to look up at Matt who was hovering above her in his typical way, she stared right in to his eyes and snottily replied, "Yes."
Matt ignored her tone and pressed on. "I have been working on an article for the New England Journal of Medicine about how the blooding clotting-"
"That's nice" interrupted Maxie in a tone that made it clear that it was not nice.
Matt persisted "We have things in common."
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Snapped Maxie.
Shrugging his shoulders he replied. "No. Not really."
Maxie resumed her typing. Matt just stood there hovering. Maxie knew he wasn't going to leave until he asked her out. She would have to just give him a good lead-in to ask her out. The sooner he asked her out the sooner he would leave and then she could get back to her work. It's not like she likes to be pursued. "It is a Friday night. Isn't there some desperate insecure woman you could go hit on?"
"I'd miss your delightful company."
She frowned at him.
"You know you did point out that it is a Friday night. We could go somewhere together?" He was smiling at her as if that was all it would take to get her to agree.
"I have work."
"Another time?"
"I have Spinelli." Shot back Maxie
"Yes, the ever suave Jackal. Your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend" snapped out Maxie. She was really getting annoyed at people saying that.
"Right. Does he know that?" Questioned Matt.
Why did people keep asking her that stupid question?
"Spin and I don't need labels." Retorted Maxie.
"Everyone needs labels. That is how we, humans, operate."
"What are you psychologist as well as a surgeon now?"
"I took some classes" causally responded Matt. Maxie returned to her article hoping that would hint to Matt that he should stop hovering and leave.
She heard rustling of a plastic bag. She looked up expecting to see Matt but he wasn't standing over her but over at Lulu's desk. He was pulling out from a bag what looked to be to-go boxes. How did she miss the bag earlier?
"What are you doing?!" Exclaimed Maxie.
"I brought you dinner since you don't ever seem to want to go out. I thought that we could eat in."
"I'm not hungry."
"I am."
Matt then had the nerve of sitting down in Lulu's chair and open up a to-go box!
Maxie's eye just grew wide in shock of his behavior. She was just going to ignore him she told herself.
Maxie suddenly thought that she smelled Alfonzo's Chicken Parmesan. It must be her mind playing a trick on her because she was just talking to Mac today about going to Alfonzo's on Elm Street. She sniffed the air. It was definitely Alfonzo's Chicken Parmesan; her absolute favorite food in the world. She felt her mouth water at the thought of the Chicken Parmesan. She glanced over at Matt who was engrossed in the food he was eating. He looked up at her and asked "Do you want some? It's good."
He even wiggled his fork back and forth, as if she was a child that would give in to the mouth water scent of Alfonzo's Chicken Parmesan.
She bit her lip, debating on whether or not to say yes. She was so busy today that she only had a quick bite of a bagel, an orange, and three skim lattés. Maybe she was hungry after all.
"Come on Maxie. Everyone got to eat. Trust me I'm a Doctor."
Her treasonous stomach grumbled in hunger. Matt laughed and hand her a to-go box full of Alfonzo's Chicken Parmesan.
"If I eat this" Maxie motions with her index finger between the both of them "doesn't count as a date."
Matt just smiled at her and said "I wouldn't dare to presume."
Maybe Matt wasn't that much of an ass after all.
***
"You look happy today" stated Patrick to Matt as Patrick approached Matt at the nurse's station.
Matt was happy. He had a great Friday, Saturday was a breeze, and he was going to be done with his shift as soon as he dropped off his paperwork to the nurse's station.
Mac stopped by the hospital on Friday looking for Robin. Somehow Mac had forgot that she didn't work on Fridays, which was a bit odd considering that Robin hadn't worked a single Friday since Matt had arrived in Port Charles. But Matt shrugged it off. Everyone has their moments of forgetfulness.
Mac's arrival at General Hospital just happened to coincide at the same time Matt was supposed to take a break. The two of them ended talking over coffee in the cafeteria.
Ever since that breakfast when Mac kept him after Maxie had left "The Beat" all those weeks ago, the two had sort-of bonded. The two of them ended up talking about Maxie. To clarify Matt listened to Mac talk about Maxie. Mac wanted to talk to Matt about Maxie because Matt was "so close to Maxie age" and they were both so "career-focused and driven." It was during that conversation at "The Beat" that Matt learned a very interesting tidbit which he had used to try and wear down Maxie into agreeing to finally have a date with him. Mac was concerned at how much she was working. Especially how late she worked on Friday. . . EVERY FRIDAY. This Friday Mac reiterated that how he was still concerned about how much Maxie worked especially on Friday nights. Mac explained how she never has time to go with him to her favorite Italian place, "Alfonzo's", on Elm Street. Mac was going to try to bring her favorite, Chicken Parmesan, to her work that Friday evening but work came up, which was unfortunate because Maxie had "no self-control when it came to Alfonzo's Chicken Parmesan."
"I had a date on Friday. How's my niece doing?"
"Emma's is doing good. Nice deflect. But who was your mystery date?"
"Just a woman."
"Just a woman? Why the reluctance? You generally love to try to rub it into my happily-married-face the women you 'see'" teased Patrick.
"Fine. She is a blond, smoking hot, and workaholic."
"Are you going to see her again?" questioned Patrick.
"Maybe."
Patrick's interest was piqued. Matt loved to share details of the supposedly glorious life of a bachelor. Something was up. This woman had left Matt smiling days after the date. So Patrick pressed on with the teasing and inquiry.
"Maybe?"
Matt rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, a move that he only made when he was nervous. Matt repeated his previous statement of "Maybe.".
"Maybe you two should come over for dinner so Robin and I can meet her."
"I don't think so."
"What? Not the type you take home to meet the family. You don't think that Robin would like her."
"I'm pretty sure that Robin would love her."
"Really?" Patrick was definitely curious about this mystery lady now.
"Really" emphasized Matt "as nice as it was to have this brother bonding moment my shifts up and I'm going."
"You can stop by and see Emma if you want" offered Patrick.
"Na, I think all just stop by Jake's for a quick drink. It's late and I don't want to disturb Robin or Emma. I'll stop by tomorrow."
*****
Matt entered Jake's and was surprised to see a familiar blond sitting in a corner table with three empty shot glasses on the table and knocking back a fourth. He ordered a Beer and a shot before making his way over to Maxie.
"What brings you here?" He asked as he sat down across from her and slid the shot over to her as a peace offering.
"I got a promotion to Jr. Editor." She picked up the offered shot.
"Congratulations but shouldn't you be celebrating with your 'Essential One'?" Questioned Matt.
Maxie knocked the shot back and replied "He proposed today."
A look of surprise crossed Matt's face and he responded with an eloquent "Oh."
"Oh? What does that mean?" snapped Maxie.
"Well has he met you?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Maxie motioned to Jake to bring more shots over.
"Look. You and I are not that marring kind." Maxie started to interrupt but Matt pressed on.
"When you and I were at Robin and Patrick's wedding you made it clear to me that you were happy for them but you aren't the marring kind"
"That was then-"
"And this is now? Come on Maxie. A person just doesn't do a complete 360, especially with your family history of marriage, because they met 'The One.'I can promise you that Spinelli is not your' 'The One.'
She shot Matt a glare that screamed you-better-clarify-that-before-I-am-tempted-to-slap-you-again.
"You have goals and dreams. You want to have your own magazine and then a fashion empire. Spinelli . . . Spinelli is just not going to understand that. I know that, your friends know that, your family knows that, and you know that somewhere deep down you know that. You're just in denial."
"I happen to love him" stated Maxie just as her phone started ringing on the table. Matt and Maxie both looked to down to see who was calling. Spinelli's name flashed across the screen. Maxie reached for her phone and muted it. She looked up to find a smirking Matt Hunter who asked her "Are you sure about that?"
Matt was definitely an ass. A big ass concluded Maxie.
Maxie grabbed a shot and knocked it back. Then another . . .
*****
Maxie was drunk. . . really drunk . . . like Frat-Boy drunk.
Maxie once claimed that she could hold her liquor and maybe that is true to a point because Matt had never seen a petite woman like her drink that much in such a short period of time and not be passed out cold. Matt had tried to stop her after a point but well . . . Maxie has a mind of her own and Jake likes her. Eventually Jake cut her off and helped Matt get at least one bottle of water in her. Jake's assistance ended there.
Now Matt was trying to maneuver Maxie down her apartment building hallway to her door which was only another three feet away.
If only Maxie would use her feet.
He had his left arm hooked around her waist, lifting and guiding at the same time. His right hand was resting over Maxie right arm that was looped around his neck. Every few inches she would sag into him, start to giggle, and tell him in a somewhat sincere tone that "He wasn't a big ass."
When Matt finally got them to her door, he propped Maxie up against the door.
Matt slowly asked Maxie "Where are your keys?"
She fumbled through her purse finding them. She started to hand them to Matt but in the exchange the keys missed Matt's hand and keys dropped to floor.
Matt reached down to pick them up. As he stood up straight she started to sway into him as she lost her balance. He grabbed her arms to steady her.
She looked up at him and really looked at him. He felt like he was being sized-up. She muttered to him "You are so not a big ass."
Matt didn't know what to say so he started to say "Uh, thanks-" when he felt Maxie lips against his own. The kiss took Matt by surprise. It took him a second before he gave her the entrance she was demanding. His lips and tongue met hers as each battled for control of the kiss. Maxie ultimately pulled back and whispered against his lips "Come in."
Matt came to his sense. She was drunk. "You're drunk Maxie. Beyond wasted."
She leaned in again to kiss him and said "Come in."
"I-"
"I thought that you liked a woman who went after what she wants." He could believe that he was she just threw back his own words at him while he was trying to do the right thing! Matt shook his head. Only Maxie would do something like that.
She started to kiss up his neck.
"Maxie . . .no."
Maxie continued to work on his neck.
He shoved her away but still held onto her arms to steady her when the door to her apartment flew open and there stood Spinelli all dressed in a suit with a red rose in hand.
Spinelli start to speak to Maxie. "Fair Maximista! Diligently have I been waiting for your return to your hearth and home. I must humble request your answer for the most happiest of happiest questions that I have asked of the dearest one."
Apparently Maxie never gave him an answer.
Maxie looked between Spinelli's hopeful face to Matt's partially smirking face before saying "I think that I am going to be sick" before empting the content of her stomach in her door way.
Maybe he should have had her eat something too.
Next Chapter
Mac was single handily trying to ruin her life!
"The Throes of Passion" repeated Lulu.
How do you know I was talking about you?