Sorry about the delay! Here's the new chapter I've got the rest of the story planned out so there should be about 5 or 6 more chapters! Hope you enjoy!
After Jason finished his sudden and cold shower he moved to the sink to shave while Maxie began to dress and prepare herself for her day in the fashion world. She was dressed to the nines in her short fashioned dress, no doubt a dress she had gotten from an up in coming designer trying to win points with Kate Howard. She was sitting across the mussed bed reading over the files Kate had sent with her of the people expected to show up at the casting. Maxie favored casting on photo spreads much more than she did runway castings. This was just a simple hand me your portfolio, the casting panel looks it over and gives a score, take a simple Polaroid and if we like what we see we'll give you a call. Short quick and to the point.
She would never admit to it, but she loved that Jason was coming to the casting. Just to be able to show someone what she did all the time. Honestly Jason would probably think whatever she was doing would be ridiculous standing for hours taking picture after picture; but he would support her regardless, and plus the added bonus she would get to spend more time with him, although she could almost guarantee he wouldn't make past 3:30.
Just as they were about to walk out the door Jason cell phone began to ringing, taking them away and out of their romantic world when it was just the two of them. "I'll try and make this quick."
Maxie sighed and waited by the front door while Jason disappeared back into the apartment so he could have his call in private, which meant it was business.
Glancing over at the clock on the wall she knew she was running late, and she couldn't wait around for Jason. Walking back towards the bedroom, the clicking of her heels making her presence known so Jason didn't think she was trying to eavesdrop.
"I really have to get going. I left the address on the table by the door." Maxie whispered not wanting to interrupt. "Just remember you don't have to come."
She quickly moved forward giving him a light kiss to his cheek before leaving the apartment to find a cab and travel up town. Get to work and wonder if Jason would actually show.
~*~
After confirming the shipment with Bernie, and calling Cody to make sure he knew what time to be in place. It was well into the casting when Jason finally showed up, like always dressed in a basic black tee and jeans, sliding off his leather coat when he entered. Maxie was in the middle of taking a Polaroid of a shirtless muscular guy when she noticed Jason standing just out of the cameras view.
"Oh my, now if that's not what Kate is looking for I don't know what else we can do." She heard one of the other casters say. Turning to smile at her comment, Maxie's smile widened when she noticed all the women, and some of the men staring at him as if he had already taken off his shirt. "Right over here sweetheart," the woman motioned with her finger so that Jason would come closer. "Where's your portfolio?"
"Um—I'm not—" Jason said quickly stumbled through trying to make his point clear. He looked over to Maxie who was just smiling behind the camera laughing and watching as Jason got hounded by the woman.
"Then I guess we'll just have to work with what we have." She smiled sending Jason over towards where Maxie was standing.
"Okay sir if I can just get you to take off your shirt and stand with your feet on the line." Maxie explained trying to keep from laughing.
"Uh—" Jason stammered. Maxie moved the camera in a ready position, knowing that he probably wouldn't go thru with it. Jason looked at Maxie's smirk hoping she would put a stop to it all, but when she held up the camera, Jason quickly removed his shirt. The jeans he wore were riding low on his hips exposing the waistband of the boxer brief's he was wearing.
"Okay just stand against that backdrop." Maxie said trying to put the words together, trying not to let on that this was her boyfriend. She knew that she wouldn't get in trouble, because after seeing Jason shirtless, no one would be complaining.
Maxie was holding the Polaroid picture in her hand waving it waiting for it to develop. "I'm sorry we didn't catch your name." Katherine said moving from behind the casting table. The women were fashionably dressed and were obviously hitting on Jason.
"I won't be able to do the photo shoot." Jason said clearly making his lack of interest clear. In both the photo shoot and the woman speaking to him.
"Are you sure about that." Katherine said approaching Jason, still shirtless, placing her well manicured hand on his bare shoulder.
"I'm sure." Jason said stepping away from Katherine pulling his shirt on as he moved; he stopped in front of Maxie quickly pulling her into his arms surprising her with a quick but passionate kiss, leaving everyone around stunned. "Bye ladies."
He finished before striding out of the building, leaving a stunned group of women behind him.
Number one being his girlfriend.
~*~
"You should have seen the look on Katherine's face after you walked out!" Maxie said loudly as soon as she walked in the apartment. "I mean I had to explain to her that my reckless but good looking boyfriend didn't like the idea of me hanging around shirtless male models all day and came to check up on me."
Jason just smiled while listening to her replay the afternoon, but he just listened while continuing to stir the sauce. "Well I hope you managed to steal the Polaroid's away before leaving." Jason said smiling to her. "Dinner should be ready in short while."
"Dinner?" Maxie asked surprised. Leaning against the kitchen counter Maxie made work of removing her stylish but painful shoes. "I thought I smelt something weird when I came in."
"My cooking smells weird?" He fringed hurt.
"No it smells amazing." She spoke while moving to stand behind him wrapping her arms around his middle. "It's just weird considering that we always eat out, I didn't even know you could cook."
"I have to keep some mystery about myself to keep you interested. And usually by the time you get home at seven or later and neither one of us has the energy to cook."
"Home huh? I really like the sound of that. And what are you talking about my crazy work schedule? You're hours are worse than mine, at least I'm consistent. Plus at the end of the day do we really want to spend that extra energy cooking, when we could use it in so many other amazing ways." She implied stepping back.
"Point duly noted."
"So what can I do to help?"
"Well I'd say you could help chop some of the vegetables for the sauce, but you with a knife probably not the best idea. So why don't you pick out some wine and get the table set?"
Maxie quickly got down to the business of setting the table. It was a small table for two set by the large bay window that overlooked the New York streets. "Red or white?" Maxie asked moving towards the wine carafe. "Or beer?"
"We're having pasta." Jason said as if she had commented a food no-no.
"So red it is." Maxie said pulling a merlot out of the carafe. "So what spurned this whole cooking dinner thing?"
"You've worked hard all day so I figured I would cook. Plus I didn't really feel like going out, we had a late night last night."
"That we did. I'd be up for another late night? I don't have anywhere to be early tomorrow morning." She said pulling two wine glasses out of the cabinet, filling them before taking them and the wine bottle over to the table.
"We'll see." He said finishing up the sauce and turning off the burner. "Bring those two plates over here would you?" Jason asked, and Maxie did so. Jason took each plate spooning some pasta and sauce onto each plate. "I think we're ready."
They moved back over towards the table and both ate in mostly comfortable silence, both in their own worlds of thought. Maxie filled Jason in on the reactions once she told them he was her boyfriend, how the women all gushed about what a fine specimen of man he was. Jason just laughed and smiled as they continued to eat before both moving towards the couch to relax.
Before getting too comfortable Jason took the plates into the kitchen and put away the leftovers while Maxie went to wash off all of her makeup and change into more comfortable clothing, which meant a pair of sweat pants and one of his older black shirts. Jason busied himself by moving the wine glasses to the coffee table in front of the television and setting up the DVD player with Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn.
Before meeting Maxie in the park last night he had gone and bought a few movies that he knew Maxie loved. It was very rare for them to have an evening in where they could just relax and not have to worry about the business or Kate or Spinelli. Most of their alone time had been spent at the boxcar, or hiding out in his room, trying to avoid Spinelli. They were finally alone and Jason planned to take every moment of that weekend to just be a normal couple; whatever that meant for them, and then they would be able to go home and continue their togetherness.
Jason knew that Maxie loved Audrey Hepburn movies. During one of their late night conversations in the boxcar; Maxie started a game of twenty questions; while they were still in the getting to know each other stage.
~*~
"Favorite food." She asked her ear rest against his chest her fingers drawing patterns across his chest.
"That's such a broad question."
"I don't care. If you want you can break it up by food types, but either way you're answering the question Jason Morgan."
"I love food fresh off the barbeque."
His answer caused Maxie to laugh, "I can't picture you standing behind a grill, even better if you were wearing a kiss the cook apron."
"Or a 'king of the grill' apron?"Jason suggested.
"Okay favorite movie." Maxie asked her elbows propped up on Jason chest her body cradled between his legs.
"I really don't have a lot of extra time to watch movies; you and work keep me pretty busy."
"Come on, you have to at least like a movie. There has got to be something." Maxie pleaded slowly crawling up his body until she was straddling his hips. "Tell me."
"Okay, if I have to pick a movie. I would pick some John Wayne movie."
"Thank God it wasn't something like the Godfather, or Scarface, because then I would have to hurt you. If you haven't seen it yet, you should see the Quiet Man. It's a classic and I think you'll relate really well to it."
Jason placed his hands on the top of Maxie's thighs, "Okay so what about you?"
"Anything by Katherine or Audrey Hepburn." Maxie said quickly. "Have you seen some of those movies, I mean they are amazing. I know they are really old films but it's like old Hollywood. After my heart transplant, when I would have to be at home recovering my mother would put on the old Hepburn movies and we would watch them all day."
~*~
It was in the middle of Desk Set that Maxie started to explain to Jason, more of why she was obsessed with the collection of movies.
"These movies remind me of Georgie and me." Maxie finally said. "Women with the same last name, but are completely different in personality."
"Not to ruin your lovely revelation about The Hepburn's but you do know that Katherine and Audrey weren't actually sisters right?" Jason said trying to keep from laughing.
"Yes, I know that." She said playfully hitting his chest. "But honestly Georgie and I might have had the same parent's but we are completely different. Katherine Hepburn was this amazing beautiful woman, who was ridicule d because she took smart roles over the popular romantic movies. And then you have Audrey, who is well known for being a hooker in several movies. The comparison's almost a perfect match to a T."
"You were never, and have never been a hooker Maxie." Jason said firmly. He hated it when Maxie spoke of herself in less than the wonderful woman she was.
"Maybe I didn't receive money for sex, but I definitely used to get what I wanted. With Lucky and Logan, I used Coop. Jason it might not have been a profession but I still did it."
Jason didn't have the right words to say to keep Maxie from continuing her self-loathing so he simple kissed her to shut her up. "That was then. You aren't currently using sex to get me here. I'm here because I want to be. And that's not going to change."
"I know but—"
Jason cut off her words with a kiss. Hoping to drive his point home and also because he hadn't kissed her in nearly an hour and it was something he wanted to do. The conversation and the movies forgotten Jason quickly carried Maxie down the hall into the bedroom and went about making her forget about the past.
~*~
"I have something for you." Jason said as he moved from the bed towards his discarded jacket. After taking Maxie into the bedroom and sufficiently making her forget…twice; Jason had pulled on his boxer briefs and gone into the kitchen for ice cream. After feeding each other for a while Jason decided it was time to give her the box that had been constantly in his mind since he purchased it.
Jason got back into bed and took the carton of ice cream from Maxie's hands and handed her the small black velvet box. "Jason what is this?" She said staring down at the small box dumb founded, tucking the sheet underneath her arms keeping herself covered.
"Why don't you open it and find out." Jason smiled, loving the shocked expression on the young blondes face.
She held the box in her hand staring at the black velvet as if she were mesmerized. "Jason I-I can't have this. I don't—I'm not ready for this." She rambled trying to hand him back the box.
"Just open the box before you freak out Maxie." Jason said knowing where her thought process was going, and for some reason he didn't want to verbally put her mind to ease. He was nowhere near ready for a proposal of that magnitude. He didn't know if their relationship would every head in that direction. But he liked seeing Maxie on edge with the idea of his proposal.
Maxie took a calming breath before opening the box to reveal a pair of 1 karat diamond earrings, not a ring like she had suspected. "They're beautiful Jason!" Maxie said gushing over them. The momentary thoughts of an engagement ring now the furthest thing from her mind. She took another minute to examine them before taking them out of the box and putting them on, raising up to her knees to get a glimpse of them in the mirror across the room.
"Good, I'm glad that you like them." He smiled down at her, thankful that he had done something right in the jewelry department; especially with Maxie's vast knowledge of fashion.
"What on earth did I do to get such an amazing sensitive man?" She asked before crawling towards him letting the sheet fall exposing her to him again. "They're beautiful. Thank you."
"Not half as beautiful as you."
"You say that to all the naked women in your bed." She teased, pulling him back down to the bed for round three.
~*~
Ice cream melted and television playing low in the background, Maxie and Jason were lying peacefully on the couch, laying side by side, sitting in comfortable silence occasionally kissing. Jason never being one to lounge around in his pajama's changed back into his previous clothing, and Maxie had done the same.
Their blissful moment was taken away by the shrill ringing of Jason's phone. "Don't answer that." Maxie said from her position underneath Jason. She moved the kisses along his jaw as he dug his hand into the front pocket of his jeans.
"They promised to only call if it was an emergency." Jason said leaning back on his knees to answer. Maxie also sat up resuming her kisses along his jaw moving slowly down his neck towards the shell of his ear; taking note of the time; 2:47 AM. "Yeah." Jason answered into the phone. "Sonny I'm a little busy right now,"
"Yeah, busy trying to get laid." Maxie whispered into his ear.
"Cody is taking care of the shipment this weekend." Jason said his free hand lightly smacking Maxie on the behind before grasping her through the thin material of her pants. "What do you mean Mac had the harbor shut down?" Mention of her father's name, finally caused Maxie to pull away. "I'll call you back." Jason said hanging up the phone before standing from the couch.
"Mac blocked your shipment? I thought he was starting to calm down."
"Apparently someone tipped him off that you no longer hold your lease at the apartment." Jason said through gritted teeth. "Guess he went off the rails a little bit."
"Jason I'm so sorry, I had no idea that Mac would—"
"It's fine—Maxie this isn't your fault. Just a complication." Jason sighed moving further into the apartment towards the bedroom.
"I wonder who could have told him; I bet it was Lucky. Lulu is his sister after all and maybe he found out Spinelli was moving in." Maxie guessed. "Seriously for a man who claims to want nothing to do with me he just has to keep butting in."
"I'm sure this is more about me, Lucky and I are never going to see eye to eye, between Elizabeth and Jake and our careers, and it's just the way things are."
"All that any of this means is that you need to go back to Port Charles, right?" Maxie spoke softly afraid to make eye contact.
"Yeah, Sonny's doing damage control and I need to be there to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Like shoot your father."
"Just give me 10 minutes I can be all packed up." Maxie said moving towards the bedroom grabbing her duffle bag next to the bed.
"Maxie—why don't you just stay the night? I'm going back on my bike, so we wouldn't be able to take your stuff. Stay the night, I don't want to pull you into all this drama after the amazing weekend we've had."
"It's not drama Jason, it's our life. Yours and mine together." Maxie smiled up at him.
"Just sleep here tonight. I'm going to go straight to Sonny's and I don't want you to spend your first official night at the penthouse alone. You're going to have to do that plenty of nights in the future and I don't want that to be tonight."Jason moved forward and kissing her forehead before pulling her into a tight hug.
Both knew the reality of their situation. Here in the comfort and safety of the Manhattan apartment they could pretend that they were a normal couple without a care in the world, but all the forces against them were still out there. And it was time to get back to the real world.
reviews always appreciated