There was a time, long, long ago, when we thought that M stood for mature and that we deemed it appropriate to cover all bases of our story. It wasn't until the creation of Mic that we learned how very wrong we were. M not longer stands for mature. M stands for Mic.

Ric couldn't remember being this tired when he had first become a doctor, but he had a lot on his mind; his illustrious wife had yet to leave town and that was not making his life any easier. She was covering her tracks and doing a damn good job of it. She was the first with the story since she had somehow found out about it before anyone else and managed to round up a few collaborating witnesses. It was possible that Maxie had given a statement to her, but it was just as likely that she hadn't. He had learned long ago that talking about his wife with the woman of the moment was never a good idea and he didn't want to give Maxie any more excuses to keep her distance from him.

Since their run-in at Kelly's, Ric couldn't stop wondering what it was Maxie wanted from him. She didn't like the idea of anyone knowing they were together which really didn't bother him because the last thing he wanted was more drama in the divorce proceedings. He had been a faithful husband for all it had mattered. She was the one who had betrayed him and, yes, perhaps his method of handling it had been rather childish but he was over it.

And then there was the matter of Maxie's cousin. The only conflict the young woman brought him now was that he knew something about her that he could never tell Maxie and he had a feeling it would come back and bite him in the ass sooner or later. He had heard rumors of Dr. Joanne Walker taking over the case and he was glad for it. He vaguely remembered Joanne from the first hospital he had worked at, Boston General. She had been second in their class only losing the first slot because of him. While he was thankful Robin had managed to find a doctor who was telling her the opposite of what he had recommended, he stuck by what he had said. His arrogance aside, maybe Joanne had discovered some novel approach to treating Robin's condition and therefore could offer her hope when he could not.

What issues he didn't bring to the table Maxie more than made up for. She had obviously been hurt many times in her short twenty-two years of life thus conditioning her to believe that every man from that point on had only one agenda in mind. He could argue until he was blue in the face, but there was a good chance she had memorized a similar speech and would block him out. This was why he didn't mind waiting around for her, not forever but for a little longer than he usually would. God knows he had been bitter and suspicious after his marriage disintegrated and he didn't consider himself a hypocrite.

It was as clear now as it had been from their first meeting that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. He supposed most guys would be turned off by her constant insistence that what they had was nothing, less than nothing, and that she couldn't handle anything more than casual if for no other reason than there was nothing definitive in her explanation. One false move and she would pin his ass to the wall. All he knew was that she was a lot of fun to be around when she let herself relax and even though there were about fourteen years between them he couldn't find fault in wanting her.

"It's about time." Maxie teased from his sofa. She smiled when his reaction was to lean heavily against the door. "I know we agreed you would wear your uniform too, but I found mine and couldn't resist." She gestured toward the blue and yellow cheerleading outfit she had come over in.

"How did you get in my house?" Ric asked closing the door behind him and locking it for good measure.

Maxie feigned innocence. "I found the spare?"

"I don't keep a spare." Ric argued.

Gnawing on her bottom lip, Maxie glanced up at him. "Okay so I kind of broke in but—"

"Kind of broke in?" Ric parroted back to her. "How exactly does one do that?"

"I jimmied the lock. It's not a big deal." Maxie assured him with a nod.

"What are you doing here?" Ric walked over to the side table nearest the door and poured himself a drink.

"Seducing you Dr. Lansing." Maxie explained with a devilish smile. "Interested?"

Ric gripped the dark blue tumbler and slowly placed it back on the table. "Is that a trick question?"

"We're in agreement about that at least. Do you like my uniform?" Maxie whispered closing the space between them. His hands moved to her hips and he swept her closer with a smooth maneuver.

Dipping his head he whispered against her ear, "Oh yes I do. Thank you for remembering." He blew out a breath when he felt her shiver beneath his fingertips, catching the tip of her ear between his teeth.

Maxie slid her hand under the knot of his tie and carefully unfastened it. His pulse quickened beneath her fingertips and she felt giddy at his reaction. The top two buttons of his purple and white cotton t-shirt were no match for her motivated fingers and soon she came in contact with bare skin. Tilting her head back, she giggled when his mouth settled on hers.

Her laugh was at once melodic and excited; he sipped hungrily at her mouth wanting more. He used his hold on her waist to steer her backwards and didn't stop walking until he had her pinned against the wall. Her legs twined around his hips and his body lurched forward on impulse.

She could feel his hands slipping under the skirt of her uniform and closed her eyes. His palms slid down her bottom and settled between her legs, his thumb boldly stroking her through her pink silk panties. If he hadn't been holding her in place, she knew she would be a puddle on the floor. She was breathing way too fast; her lungs bellowed in response. Her movements were uncoordinated as she yanked at the ends of his shirt and tried to pull it over his head. The half-buttoned shirt thwarted her and she ended up breaking the kiss rather abruptly. Ric laughed and tore the garment away, walking her into the opposite wall and kissing her again, his hand feeling quite nice against her bare bottom.

"Upstairs." She managed weakly knowing he would have to carry her there because her shaky legs would never support such an endeavor.

"In a minute," came his muffled reply as he reached for the zipper on the back of her uniform. Balancing her, he tugged it off and over her head so fast she barely registered what he had done. The kiss he gave her was rough and impatient, but he had enough consideration for her to rest his hands between her vulnerable back and the harsh wall behind her. She shivered again, this time from the chill at her back and the warm body at her front.

"I left the condom in my purse." Maxie told him.

"We'll come back for it." Ric promised kissing his way down her neck.

Maxie grabbed his head, locking eyes with him for a moment. "Kiss me." When he leaned in to oblige her, she put her fingers to his lips. "Not there." His gaze sharpened and he set her on her feet before pressing his lips to one full breast. Her head lolled back and she realized that it had been far too long since she had let a man kiss her, touch her, give her pleasure…far, far too long. He traced her nipple with his tongue and then closed his lips over it leaving her to grasp helplessly at his shoulders. The stubble on his chin was shabbier than she could ever remember it being and she started to ask him why he had neglected it. She could already feel the whiskey burns they were leaving on her skin, but even that couldn't make her push him away.

Ric watched her tug his belt free along with the top button of his fly and shove it down to his ankles. He hadn't realized how starved he had been for her, but he had no intention of stopping her. His breath rushed through his teeth when she clamped her fingers over his hardening shaft through his briefs. His eyes shut and he rested his forehead against hers as she explored him unabashedly.

"You don't want to go upstairs that's fine, but I don't think we should waste this one." Maxie declared brazenly. As he shook and shuddered against the pressure of her hand, she could feel her own body's responses and knew neither of them would last a lot longer if they didn't hurry this up.

Ric managed to keep his face passive for about a second before he burst out laughing. She would never stop surprising him. He had never met a woman quite like her and he doubted he would again. When she was right, she was right. Either they had sex standing up or they were going to have to find an alternative spot because even breathing was becoming a hassle. She shimmied out of her panties and kicked them away while he stepped out of his pants and underwear. He held his hand out to her and they barely made it upstairs. He was thankful he had stocked up on condoms the night before because there was no way he could stop now, not even with the daunting possibility of an unplanned pregnancy.

Maxie hurried ahead of him and turned back the sheets and comforter. The action seemed almost foreign to her. He wondered if she was as nervous as he was. Her back facing him, he closed the space between them and slid his hands over her breasts. A cry escaped her and he nudged her toward the bed. She crawled over to the other side of the mattress and lay down on her stomach. Having taken a moment to put on the condom, Ric hadn't been aware of the particular position she felt most comfortable with, at least for their first time. "Ric, come on. You want me don't you?"

Ric inched toward her and leaned back on his haunches. "Are you sure about this? I'd kind of like to see your face." He admitted quietly.

"Please. I want to feel you hard and hot for me. You make me feel so good." Maxie countered stubbornly.

He decided fighting with her wouldn't do a lot of good. Hadn't he just been thinking how much he loved her surprising him? Inching toward her, he pressed his hands to the mattress on either side of her waist and barely entered her, the position awkward for both of them.

Maxie purred as he reached in front of her and slipped his fingers up inside of her. The direct stimulation was only an added bonus because she had been more than ready for him downstairs. He worked his fingers and shaft in a frustratingly slow motion and she almost lost her balance a few times. He gripped her hips advancing on her and she let out a cry out struggling to grant him access while her body recoiled at the sharpness of his thrusts.

Ric's lips tumbled down the back of her neck grazing the tops of her shoulders as his hands crept up to cover her breasts. He took a few minutes to reshape them and find out just how she wanted to be touched having only whimpers and sighs to go on. When his mouth found her ear, he muttered, "If you turn over I'll make you come with my tongue."

Maxie obliged him and squeezed her eyes shut as his mouth dropped between her legs. His tongue glided across her clitoris ever briefly as he caressed the rest of her shuddering flesh. His fingers bit into the back of her thighs and he snaked his tongue inside of her. "Ric, God…Ric. Oh God…Ric—oh! Oh!" Maxie wailed shoving her fingers through his thick mess of dark hair.

"Relax Blondie." Ric muttered as he replaced his mouth with his fingers and brought her to an earth-shattering climax. Pushing her legs apart, he settled between them bringing him to the hilt in one sharp, satisfying thrust. He could feel her hands moving up his back and he buried his face in her hair, his body on the brink of collapse. She pushed him onto his back and rode him until he let out a hoarse cry.

"Jesus." She whispered. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck and she let him pull her into a sloppy kiss.

"Christ." He managed. "Maxie?" She was already asleep. "Sweet dreams Blondie."