Max sat in his desk chair in the office reading through paperwork as C.C. paced back and forth in front of the French doors with papers in her hands. She had been ignoring him and brushing him off for quite some time, and he was beginning to question why she was even there. He could understand if she was doing it because of her bender the night before- if she still wasn't feeling well. But if she was really ill, he thought she should just stay home.
"C.C.? Is this how you're going to be all day? Or all week, even? I know you must not be feeling your best, but that was a decision you made yourself. If you aren't well, why don't you just go home?" He asked. She stopped pacing and looked away from the papers to glare at him.
"I'm fine. And we have work to do."
"Not that much. We're ahead of schedule as far as paperwork goes. Very far ahead. There may not be much for you to do next week, except for checking on things at the theater. If you aren't in the mood to be here, it's fine with me if you'd rather work from home."
"What do you mean, not in the mood? I'm fine."
"C.C., no you're not. And I know why, so stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about, or more specifically, who. I know how you feel about myself and Fran, but none of that is any of your concern. Really. This adversarial relationship with her that you've constructed is completely unnecessary, and just severely irritating at best. Not to mention unprofessional. You are in my home, Fran is my girlfriend, and she takes care of my children. You are going to see her probably every day that you are here, just like always. And I don't want her avoiding coming in here because she doesn't want to get you started. I expect you to be decent to her, C.C., every day. Do you understand?" C.C. huffed and turned around to look outside. "I asked you a question. Are you going to be professional, and be decent to my girlfriend?"
"Oh, why do you even call her that? You just felt needy and started some fling with her, and it'll be over before you even realize it. I mean, really! What were you thinking?!" She snapped, glaring back at him, then crossing her arms and looking back outside. Max began feeling his face turning red with anger.
"That's enough, C.C. I think you need to take the day off. Maybe the rest of the week, come to think of it. Fran is my girlfriend and she means a lot to me. She means everything. She's not going anywhere because we love each other. And not that it's any of your business, but she's moved in with me and we'll be staying together from now on. We're going away together next week, and I need you to get a hold of yourself and stop this nonsense so I can trust that you'll be able to handle things while I'm gone. This is my home, and you are my business associate. If you want to keep working in this office, you need to respect that. Or I may be forced to have you work from some other location. Do you understand?" Max stood up from his chair and stared her down, as seriously as he could muster without completely losing his temper.
"Fine! Whatever. I just think you're fooling yourself if-"
"That's enough! Go home C.C. Leave that paperwork here, I'll deal with it myself. I can't work with you like this and I expect you can't get much done while you're in this kind of a state. Maybe you need to make a call to your therapist and go deal with some of this. I want you to go home and stay home the rest of the week. If I have work for you to do, I'll send it to you by courier. And when you come back monday morning, I expect an apology and much better behavior out of you. Now go." C.C. had a shocked expression on her face, then got angry again. She turned around and dropped the paperwork onto the couch and grabbed her bag, then flew out of the office, across the living room, and grabbed her overcoat out of the closet and ran out the front door, without putting the coat on. Max grumbled and flopped back down in his chair, then rubbed his hands over his face. Niles heard the commotion and came running towards the office from the back hallway. He carefully looked in the office and saw Max shaking his head as he sat at his desk.
"Sir? Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do?" He stepped into the office, looking back over his shoulder towards the front door.
"Oh, sorry about that Niles. We just- we had words again. I sent her home for the rest of the week. It's not just because of her hangover, she was being incredibly rude, and I can't work in those conditions."
"Oh, yes, sir. I'm sorry sir. I'd hoped she would get better after she ate, and just let it all go. I just don't understand why she's reacting so strongly to things. This is all good news- it's wonderful news. Everyone is overjoyed for you and Ms. Fine, and she doesn't need to be trying to ruin the mood."
"No. No she doesn't. I don't want Fran feeling like she has to avoid coming in here, or avoid C.C. And I told her that. I told C.C. that I expect an apology on Monday morning. If she can't control herself, I may have to have her work from somewhere else and not come over here. I'd rather not do that, but I can't work when she behaves that way, and I know she can't work either. Did she say anything when she was with you in the kitchen this morning?"
"No. She didn't want to talk at all. I'm sure she's feeling sorry for herself, but she has no right to. I'm concerned about her drinking, too. Drinking that much in the middle of the week- it's just ridiculous."
"Yes. It's not professional at all, and I mentioned to her she might call her therapist. She's acting like she has some very serious things going on with her, and I can't have that in the workplace, or around my family. I don't think I can be any more direct with her, but she still doesn't want to hear it. I can't fix her issues, but I don't know what else to do."
"I think you did all you could. I'd be happy to help if I can. I don't want her problems putting a damper on things with you and Ms. Fine, either. I can take any phone calls from her if you need me to, or if you need me to call her, or whatever. I just want you to focus on your new relationship, and having a wonderful trip next week. I think Ms. Babcock's problems are beyond you being able to do anything about them, so maybe it was a good idea to have her take a break for a while. I just hope she doesn't use that time to drink."
"Oh, yes, well…"
"Oh, no sir! Don't you worry about that! I'll try to keep an eye on that situation, maybe see if I can get her to get some help. There's a reason she has a therapist, you know. She's not a well woman." Niles was wringing his hands, not sure what to do next. Max sat back in his chair and rocked slightly, thinking about the situation.
"Niles, would it be an imposition to ask you to keep an eye on her? I mean, I'm still angry with her, but, like you said, I know she can't be well mentally with her current behavior. I don't want her doing anything stupid that might cause real harm."
"It's not an imposition, sir. I'm sure it was just a bit of a shock to her, and she's still trying to cope with things. I'm sure she'll be better next week. But yes, I'll check on her and make sure she isn't going further down the rabbit hole. And sir, I feel like I should apologize a bit for her behavior. It isn't fair for you to have to deal with someone like that, when you have such wonderful things to be looking forward to."
"You don't need to apologize, Niles. I was talking to Fran earlier, and we both agreed that maybe we shouldn't have teased her the way we did. But usually when we've done things like that, she just fires right back. She doesn't react like this."
"Well, maybe she is realizing that this time it really matters. Maybe it just made it hit that much harder."
"Maybe. You could be right. And hopefully she'll start dealing with it. But I don't want you to feel responsible for her issues, Niles. But maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for us all to start treating her differently. Maybe stop teasing her, or feeding into her negativity. Like you said, I would like to enjoy all the positive things we have to look forward to with Fran."
"Yes, sir! That'll be very nice! I'm just so happy for you two- I really am. Everyone's very happy. So let's focus on that, shall we? Don't worry about Ms. Babcock at all. I'll keep an eye on her, and just let me know if you need me to communicate anything to her, or get anything to her, alright? Whatever you need."
"Thank you, Niles. That would be a huge help. Really, it would. Oh- could you grab me those papers on the couch there, please? I'll need to tend to those myself, I guess." Niles reached down for the pile of papers C.C. tossed on the couch, neatened the stack, then handed them across the desk to Max. "Thank you."
"So, you'll be taking Ms. Fine out to lunch today?"
"Yes- I just need to get through all this and then I'll come find her. I'm taking her to a new Thai place. I've heard good things about it, so I thought it might be fun to give that a try."
"Oh, very good, sir! Very good! Well, I'll let you get back to it. I've got some things to do to prepare for dinner tonight. Just let me know if you need me for anything."
"I will, Niles. And thank you again."
Niles nodded, and shut the office door behind him as he left. Max sorted the papers on his desk and tried to settle himself down a little, then began to think about Fran again. Then he suddenly remembered that he hadn't come up with plans for their big date on saturday night. He rubbed his chin for a few moments, then got up from the chair and started pacing. An idea entered his mind and he smiled, then he hurried over to the cabinet and pulled out the big phone book and brought it back to the desk with him.
Fran came down the back stairs with her coat and purse and greeted Niles.
"Hiya again! Have you seen Max yet? I can't wait to go out to lunch with him! Did he tell you where he's taking me?"
"He did indeed! A new Thai place. That sounds like fun."
"It does. And I'm getting hungry, so I might have to order extra! Are they still working?" Fran asked. Niles wasn't sure what to say, but then decided he should just be honest.
"Well, um- Mr. Sheffield is finishing up some things, then he should be ready to go."
"What? What's that look for?"
"Well, Ms. Babcock left. Or, I guess I should say, she was sent home. For the rest of the week."
"Uh oh! What happened?"
"I don't want you to worry about it, Ms. Fine. They just- well, they had words. Or something to that effect. He didn't like her behavior, and coming in with a hangover, that's never good. I think he just told her what he expected of her, and she may have been a bit rude, so he told her to leave. He didn't want to have to try to work with her being that way, and I can't say I blame him. But I don't want him worrying about that situation at all. I told him I'd check on her, and if he needed me to relay anything to her. Just keep him at a distance from all of that for a while, and hopefully she'll be better come monday."
"Oh no. I hope she didn't get him all upset. Oh, geez! What is her deal, anyway?"
"Don't worry about her, Ms. Fine! And I'm sure Mr. Sheffield is much better now that she's gone. Just focus on your date and having a nice time, alright? You can't do anything about her problems. I'll look out for her- you just focus on your boyfriend, alright?"
"Hmm. Okay, okay. But how was he? Is he angry? Or upset?"
"He'll be fine. I think he mostly needed a break from her. She was in a real funk this morning. But you just get him in a good mood again, and maybe don't bring her up in conversation."
"Aw, now that you said that, I won't be able to think about anything else! I probably will accidentally bring her up. Dammit, Niles, you had to put it in my head…"
"No, no- you'll be fine. Just focus on your date. You don't need to talk about work at all, Ms. Fine. Make it your job to make him feel good, and have some fun, okay?"
"Well, I guess I can do that. I want him to be happy, and have fun. Yeah, I'll take care of him!" She smiled as she thought about seeing him again, and going out on another date with him. She couldn't wait. "But Niles- do you think- I mean, do you think there's something really wrong with C.C.? I mean, it was okay for Maggie to get upset like that because of what Peter did, but C.C.'s acting like Max did something like that to her. It's really creepy."
"Yes. Yes, it is. I'll keep an eye on things, though. Oh, and apparently Mr. Sheffield mentioned to her that she should call her therapist. I don't know that she will, but if necessary, I might bring it up to her again. But we shouldn't expect her back here until monday, so things should calm down quite a bit by then. And you're free to visit him in the office whenever you want to. He doesn't want you feeling like you shouldn't go visit him while he's working. He really does like it when you stop by."
"Aw! I like seeing him, too. I miss him a lot during the day. But yeah, maybe it was the best thing to have Ms. Babcock leave and go cool off a while. Maybe one night wasn't enough."
"Oh, clearly. Mr. Sheffield's just concerned she may hit the bottle again, so I told him I'd keep an eye on things. I think she'll be fine. I think she's just realizing that he's serious about you, and he doesn't want her treating you poorly or being rude. He really cares for you."
"I care about him, too. And he shouldn't have to be dealing with that sort of thing, you know? It's not right. It makes me feel bad if he feels like he has to defend me."
"Ms. Fine- does anyone really need to defend you?" Niles asked, and she thought for a second.
"I dunno. Maybe not. I mean, it feels nice that he did, but still. I guess it just kind of makes me feel like I caused a problem, you know?"
"Oh, Ms. Fine! You are not the problem, she is. Please understand that. You are the best thing that has happened for us in all these years, and you are the best thing that could have happened to Mr. Sheffield. He adores you. We all do." Niles almost got choked up as he made his point, and Fran hurried over to hug him.
"Niles! You're just the best! I hope you know that! Just promise me you don't spend all of your energy on her, too. Okay? We can try to get her some help if we have to, but remember- it's her problem. It's her issues she needs to deal with. If you consider her a friend, then talk to her. If she won't be anything but unreasonable, then don't let her take you down, too. I think Max has hit that point where nothing he says will make things better, so it's good he's separating himself from her. If she does the same thing to you, then make sure you know your limits."
"Yes, absolutely. I will," Niles agreed, as Fran let go of him. "Now, let's change the subject to something else! Like your upcoming getaway! Have you decided what to pack yet?" Fran grinned and clutched her hands together.
"Yeah, some of it. But I'm not sure if I should take a swimsuit with me or not. I'm pretty sure I'm not going in the water, but if it's warm enough for a bikini, or even a one-piece…"
"Well, Ms. Fine- it's not like either one would take up much room in your suitcase, you know." Fran chuckled.
"I know. I guess I just don't want to bring anything I won't even wear."
"So you'll be packing light?" Niles smiled. It took Fran a second to catch his meaning, then she laughed and wadded up a napkin and threw it at him.
"Hey, now! That subject is off limits, okay?! That's none of your business. I know we're going away together, but that doesn't have to mean what you think it means. The trip is about having time together, without interruptions. And celebrating our first Valentine's Day together."
"Mmm hmm…" Niles continued to smile, and nodded his head.
"Stop! We don't need any pressure, Niles. He's my boyfriend, I'm his girlfriend, and we're working on our relationship, okay? 'Nuff said."
"Oh, alright. I don't mean to tease. Well, maybe I do. But not in a bad way. I'm just thrilled that you two are finally an item. I thought this was going to take forever, or that it may never happen at all. And the fact that it did, and the way it did- so suddenly- I don't think I could have even planned it out that way."
"What do you mean, 'planned it out that way'?" Fran asked.
"Oh, come on. Like you don't know." Fran scrunched her eyebrows.
"Like I don't know what, Niles?"
"You can't tell me you haven't known that I've been trying to push you two together for ages now- ever since I realized you two had feelings for each other. Did all of my hints and nudgings fall on deaf ears?" He put his hands on his hips in disbelief.
"Hints and nudgings? What do you mean? Max and I've known we had a thing for each other for a long time. We just didn't talk about it out loud, or to each other. I mean, shoot, seeing him in the shower, and then kissing him multiple times- how could I not have a huge crush on him? He's gorgeous, and the kisses… How could I ignore those?" She reached for the counter to steady herself, thinking back to all the wonderful kisses they shared.
"How many kisses were there? Am I missing some? If you were so hooked on him, why didn't you do something about it, especially when I tried to set you up with a bottle of champagne and dimming the lights? On more than one occasion, I might add." Fran looked at him, still confused. Then she began to remember.
"Oh… the champagne… Well, Niles, if you wanted me to realize what you were doing, you shouldn't have brought out champagne! You know I only drink that for big celebrations. I probably thought you were trying to get us to celebrate something he did with the theater. And he didn't seem to pick up on it, either. You should have turned on the fireplace, maybe bring out a bottle of wine, put on a good black and white movie. A romantic one. Then we would have picked up on it." Niles rolled his eyes.
"Do I have to do everything around here?" Fran laughed.
"It's okay, Niles. what's important is that we got together finally, right? And now you can help us plan all the other fun stuff we can do now. Within reason, of course." Niles chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose there is that. Well, I won't pack your suitcase for you, but I can help pack Mr. Sheffield's if you want. What do you want me to make sure he packs in his suitcase?"
"Hmmm…" Fran thought. "His swim trunks… definitely his cologne and aftershave… Oh- if he wants to take me out to a restaurant there, what do we wear? I don't want us to look out of place, and I don't want us to look like tourists, either."
"Well, it'll be warm, so he may not want a suit. I'm sure he could get away with jeans, unless you want to upgrade him to a pair of slacks. And if that's the case, I'd skip the tie, too. I can pack him a couple of pairs of slacks, and some dress shirts if you'd like."
"Yes- that would be great. Unless he wants to pack things himself. Maybe he has a better idea of what he wants to do there. But yeah, slacks and a dress shirt sounds nice. And the shoes. And I suppose I can go look for a couple of summer dresses. And maybe some shorts and jeans. Maybe a skirt… how many days are we going to be there again?" She counted in her head. "I guess I can pack some extra things, in case things are different there than we expect."
"Very good. Well, just let me know if you need to retrieve anything, or if he needs my help getting his things packed."
"Okay. I think I might like to help him, though. And he might like to help me…" she smiled.
"And how!" Niles teased, and they both laughed.
Max pushed through the door from the dining room and smiled when he saw Fran. She hurried over to him, arms outstretched. They wrapped their arms around each other and hugged tightly, then he looked down into her face and kissed her lightly on the lips. She looked into his eyes, looking for a sign of upset or concern, but could find none.
"How are you doing, sweetie? You about ready for lunch?" She asked softly.
"I am. I'm very ready. I think I've wrapped up what I needed to do in the office until this afternoon. And I made some other plans, too." He grinned as he looked into her eyes and rested his forehead against hers.
"You made plans? What kind of plans?" Fran asked.
"I made the plans for our big date saturday night. Reservations, the works. I hope you like it all. I think you will."
"Saturday night?! Oh, I know I'll like it! Is it a surprise? What should I wear?" Fran asked, excitedly.
"It doesn't have to be, unless you want it to be a surprise. But it's a bit formal. I mean, I can wear a suit, unless you want me to wear a tux. And if you have a nice gown you'd like to wear…"
"A gown? For a date with you? Oh, Max! You're gonna sweep me off my feet, aren't you? Oh, I can't wait! I wanna know where you're taking me, but I want it to be a surprise, too! Oh, let me think about that a while. Don't tell me yet! I might like a surprise better. Oh, did you hear that, Niles? It's formal!"
"I did hear, and that sounds wonderful, Ms. Fine! It sounds like Mr. Sheffield has a very special night planned. That's wonderful!"
"It sure is! Max, I can't wait!" She kissed him again, and made his eyes twinkle. He'd forgotten about the mess with C.C. already.
"Well, then… about lunch- you ready to go on our date?" He asked.
"You know it, baby!"
"Shall I call for the car, sir?" Niles asked.
"Yes, Niles, thank you." Niles sped from the kitchen to retrieve the cordless phone and make the phone call, and Max wrapped his arms tighter around Fran. She didn't want to bring up the nonsense with C.C., but she wanted to give him some kind of reassurance that everything would be fine soon enough. The only drama he would have to deal with would be on the stage at the theater.
"I love you, Max," she whispered.
"I love you, too, Fran." He rubbed her back as she rubbed his. "Here, let's get your coat on, and then we can fetch mine, and we'll get out of here, alright?"
"Yeah…" She smiled. They loosened their grip on each other and Fran went over to the chair to get her coat. Max helped her put it on, then she grabbed her purse and they headed out of the kitchen to get Max's coat.
Fran and Max finished their meal at the Thai restaurant and sat back in their chairs to let it settle. They both ate more than their usual- they were both hungry and a bit wound up over what was going on with C.C., even though neither of them had brought it up over lunch. The slight tension in the air seemed to make both of them unconsciously fill their mouths again and again.
"Oh, boy, I knew I was hungry, but I think I may have eaten too much! That was really good, Max! Thank you for suggesting this place!" Fran said, dabbing her napkin at the corners of her mouth.
"You're welcome, darling. I'm glad you liked it. It did turn out to be pretty good, didn't it? Maybe we can come here again sometime," he smiled, as he reached for her hand. She squeezed his hand in hers, just loving how he attended to her.
"Anytime you want, I'll be up for it. This is a nice place. The food is amazing. And yeah, there's probably quite a few more things I want to try, so maybe you will have to bring me back!" She patted his hand.
"Duly noted! So what shall we do now? You want to go walk off the meal a bit? There's that indoor mall just down the block from here, if you don't want to walk around out in the cold."
"A mall? You don't have to twist my arm, mister! Sure, I wouldn't mind that. But if you still have work to do, I don't want to keep you out all afternoon."
"I have a little bit of work to do. Maybe a couple of hours or so. We can still spend some time together before I need to get back. Do you want anything else? Any more tea?"
"No, no. I'm gonna pop if I stuff anything else into me. I'm ready to go if you are."
"Alright. Let me just get the check sorted and we'll get out of here."
Max caught the waiter's attention and waved him over, then got the bill and set down some cash. They both got up and put on their coats, then headed out of the restaurant into the cold air. Fran wrapped her arm around his and they walked together down the block until they reached the doors of the building where the mall was, and they walked through the turnstile doors together- Max scooting in quickly behind her. She laughed as she pulled him out the other side, and he took her hand as they walked through the long hallway, with shops on either side.
They window shopped through most of the stores, glancing around at the clothing and other items, not seeing much of anything they wanted a closer look at, until they came upon a jewelry store. Max looked over at Fran and raised his eyebrows.
"You want to have a look?" He asked. Fran beamed.
"You know I do! Can we? Do we have time?"
"Sure. We can head back out after we have a good look around here."
"Thank you sweetie!" She clutched his hand with both of hers and Max let her lead the way into the jewelry store. They slowly made their way around as Fran oohed and ahhed at all the silver and gold, and at all the glittering gemstones. Max smiled as he watched the expression on her face as she looked over everything. He almost wished he could buy it all for her, but then it wouldn't be special. He watched her eyes to see which pieces she liked the most- the necklaces, the rings, the bracelets.
"There are a lot of nice pieces here, don't you think?" He asked.
"Yes! A lot. They're really beautiful! But hey- we don't have to just look at the things I like. We should look at things you like, too. Come on- come over here. They have men's rings here, and oh! Look at the watches! Do you have any like these?" She pointed into a display case of gorgeous high-end men's watches, and Max finally turned his attention away from Fran and looked to where she was pointing.
"Oh- well, yes, those are quite nice, aren't they?" He put his arm around her waist and leaned over to have a look at the watches on display.
"Do you collect watches, or is it just that you've gotten them here and there?"
"Well, I suppose you could call it a collection now. I don't think I intended to have a collection, but if I had seen one I liked, I wanted to make sure it was very good quality, and maybe something that might increase in value in time."
"Oh. Well, you do have nice taste in watches."
"Thank you. And you have nice taste in jewelry, yourself." He gave her waist a squeeze and she gave him a little kiss, then they looked back into the display case. Max smiled as he looked over the watches across the center row, and Fran noticed.
"Which ones do you like the most? Is it the brand, or just the way they look?" She asked.
"Well, it's a bit of both, I suppose. Not all of my watches are Rolexes. And I have a couple that were passed down to me from my grandfather, along with pocket watches. I don't wear those, though. These are quite nice, and they aren't Rolex. I like the faces on those. Very sleek, and modern. See how different they look from the ones over here? These are a little more traditional. I have quite a few like those. But I don't have anything like these."
"How do you decide between gold or silver? Or even something else?"
"Oh, I don't know. It might be my mood, or if I just really like the way it looks. I don't really like a flashy gold. Even a brushed finish can be really nice. See the difference between these here- these have a softer finish, but even the polished ones are nice. Maybe it's the face on it- sort of minimalist. But they still have a lot of features. I imagine they're all self-winding, and two of those have those extra faces on them- off to the side."
"Do you want to look at one of them?" Fran asked.
"Oh, no. We don't need to shop for watches right now. But it's fun to look. Let's keep looking around, then we should probably get going." Fran checked the time on the watch on Max's wrist.
"Oh, yeah. We probably should, shouldn't we. Okay, let's see what else they have here." She took his hand in hers and they wandered around the rest of the counters and displays, pointing out the nice pieces. They worked their way back to the front of the store, then headed back out into the mall and and towards the exit to the street.
"So, were there any pieces in there that you really liked? I mean, besides all of them?" Max asked, and Fran laughed.
"I did like a lot of them, yeah. There were some bracelets that were really nice. Even those cute charm bracelets. Maybe a necklace or two. Or three." She bumped Max with her hip and he chuckled.
"I thought so." They made it back to the turnstile doors and squeezed in together again, making each other laugh, then Max put his arm around her shoulders as they made it back out into the cold winter air. He noticed something down on the corner and turned her with him. "Here, darling- come with me a minute before we head back to the house." They walked down the street a short ways, and Fran was intrigued. Where was he taking her, and why? When they approached the corner, he turned with her and led her into he door of a florist. She looked up at him.
"Flowers?" She asked.
"Yes, my dear. I'd like to get you some flowers, if that's alright with you?"
"Of course it is, baby! Flowers from my boyfriend!" She grinned, and hugged him around the waist. He held the door for her as they went inside, and Fran took a deep breath through her nose. "Oh, Max! It smells so nice! Look at all these beautiful flowers!"
"It is nice, isn't it?" He smiled. He reached for her hand and they laced their fingers together. She squeezed his hand in hers.
"What kind of flowers did you want to get?" She asked. "Roses?"
"Well, roses are nice, but I was thinking of something a little different. Save the roses for Valentine's Day. I was kind of thinking of more blues, and whites… maybe yellow? A happy looking bouquet, to celebrate us."
"Aw, sweetie! That's so nice! I like that idea- celebrating us. Here- come look over here. Aren't these pretty?" Fran pointed to a display of lilies and irises. "I really like these white lilies, don't you?"
"Yes, they're very pretty. Is there something blue that would look good with them?" They both looked around the shop. "Here- oh! Look at all of those, darling! All different sizes, too." He led her to the other side of the shop and she browsed through the large bundles of blue flowers, smelling each one and smiling.
"Aren't they all so pretty! It's hard to decide! But I do like those white lilies, so maybe something a little smaller than that?"
"Sure. That's a good idea." They narrowed down the options until Fran settled on one she liked. They wandered through the shop a bit more and found some yellow daffodils and decided they would be a nice addition. Max went to the counter and they placed their order, and the florist got to work, quickly creating a beautiful bouquet of the flowers they chose, along with scattered Baby's Breath, gathered them all up, and carefully wrapped them. Fran insisted on carrying them home in her arms, occasionally inhaling the beautiful scent as they waited for the car to come pick them up.
"Thank you for my flowers, Max! They're so pretty! And they smell so good!"
"Just like you…" he said softly, and leaned down to give her a soft kiss. She caressed his cheek and blushed.
"You're such a sweetie!"
The car pulled up just then, and they hopped in and headed back to the house so Max could get back to work. Niles helped find a beautiful vase to put the flowers in, and Fran brought them to the entry table. Max grinned as Fran and Niles looked them over, smiling from ear to ear.
"What a wonderful display, you two! It sure perks this place up!" Niles said.
"Doesn't it?!" Fran agreed.
"Well, I'm glad you like them. But now- I'm afraid I need to get back to work, my darling. I'll try to get everything out of the way long before dinner, so we can have some more time together. How does that sound to you?" Max asked her, as he reached for her hands and pulled her to him.
"That sounds fantastic!" She gave him a kiss, and Niles tried not to intrude on their intimacy. "Hey, sweetie- I'm gonna run up to the shops for a little bit to see what new magazines are out, so I can get some for our trip. Do you want me to look for anything for you?"
"Oh, I don't know. Nothing comes to mind, but if you see something you think I might like, you're welcome to go ahead and get it. Do you need any cash?" He asked.
"No, I'm good. I'll see if I can find something for you. I shouldn't be gone too long."
"Alright darling. Be careful, and stay warm," He hugged her and kissed her again.
"I'll try, but you can always warm me up later…" she teased.
"I'll keep that in mind!" He smiled. "See you later."
"Okay." Max turned and headed for the office, and Fran headed for the closet to get her coat again. Niles helped her put it on, and she fastened herself up.
"You want anything, Niles?"
"I don't think so, unless you want to grab me a couple of lotto tickets?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Sure, I suppose I can do that much." Niles grabbed for his wallet in his back pocket and pulled out some cash, then gave it to her.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Fine!"
"No prob! I'll be back in a little while!" She said, then headed out the door, and Niles shut it behind her.
Fran hurried up the steps of the bank to use the ATM inside. She wanted to get out some extra cash and check her balance before their trip to Texas. She removed her cash from the slot, then grabbed her receipt and checked it, and stopped in her tracks.
"What in the world?" She said under her breath. She looked over her receipt again, confused. The line for the ATM was growing long, so she headed over to the line for the tellers so she could talk to someone about what was goin on with her bank balance. When she got to the head of the line, a teller waved her over and she hurried up to the window.
"May I help you?" The woman asked.
"Yes, um, I wanted to see if I could check my balance. I think there might have been a mistake. A big mistake."
"Oh! Absolutely! Can I see your ID and bank card?" She asked, and Fran hurriedly got them from her wallet and handed them over. The woman entered everything into the computer and printed a receipt for her. Fran looked it over.
"There shouldn't be this much money in there. I mean, it's nice if it was mine, but I'm worried they deposited somebody's check into the wrong account. Can you look up the deposits that were made recently?"
"Sure I can, just give me one second." She typed a bit more, then printed off another sheet and handed it to Fran. "These are the deposits for the last month, not too many to look through. Is it this larger one you are concerned about?" Fran looked at the last entry the woman pointed out. Five thousand dollars had been deposited into her account just that morning.
"Yes! My gosh. Can we find out where that came from? Is it possible to do that? I wasn't expecting anything like that. I don't know what it could be."
"Yes, let me have a look here and see- let me see if I can pull it up for you." The woman typed some more, and clicked with the mouse. "Yes, we've got that as a file here, would you like me to print it for you? It might be easier to read than on this computer screen."
"Oh, yes, please! Thank you!" Fran said. She waited as the woman sent it to a separate printer and printed off whatever she was looking at on the screen, then she handed it over to Fran. Fran's eyes went wide as she read over the image of the check that was deposited into her account. It was from Max. She saw his handwriting, his signature, and then the note at the bottom of the check- Consultant's Fee. Consultant's fee? What was he talking about? "Consultant's fee?" She accidentally said out loud.
"Does that give you the information you need?" The teller asked her.
"Oh, yes. Yes I guess it does. I know who to talk to now. I just don't know why-" Fran shook her head. "I'm sorry, I won't take up any more of your time. But thank you very much. My boss deposited that, I just wasn't expecting it. I need to go ask him exactly what it's for."
"Oh, alright. Good. It sounds like he paid you a consultant's fee for something, if you don't mind my being nosey. Did you help him with something recently? Something that he might normally hire somebody to do?"
"Well, um, yes, actually. I did. But I thought it was just a favor, I didn't expect him to pay me. I helped him organize some work in his office. He said it really helped him a lot, but I wasn't expecting to be paid for it."
"Oh, honey, I would take it and run. A lot of corporate types pay out consultant fees all the time. A lot of people make a killing off of consulting work. Maybe you have a new calling?"
"Oh, I don't know about that. But it was really nice of him to do this. I'll talk to him, and make sure he meant to pay me that much. It's really nice of him! My gosh! Well, I better go- thank you so much for your help!"
"You're very welcome! Have a nice day!"
"Oh, I will!" Fran said, smiling. She folded up the receipts and papers and put everything into her purse, and almost skipped out of the bank. Her heart was racing, and she was gushing over what Max did. Did he really mean to pay her for the help she gave him? Was it really that big of a deal? She couldn't wait to ask him. She hurried as quickly as she could over to the newsstand to have a look at the magazines, then gave up and rushed over to the bookstore. She found a number of magazines there, and after she paid for them, she hurried to the drugstore to see if they had her beauty magazines. In her frenzy of trying to find things to read on the airplane, an idea was brewing in her mind. She checked her watch. She should have just enough time. She gathered the things she wanted at the drugstore and paid for everything, including the lottery tickets for Niles, then hurried back out into the cold. She grabbed the first taxi she saw and hopped in, and headed back to the jewelry store she had gone to with Max.
Fran got back to the house the same time as the children. Her cab pulled up right behind the town car as it stopped, and they all got out and joined each other in front of the house.
"Hey, kids! I made it back just in time!" Fran said, wrapping her arm over Gracie's shoulders.
"Where'd you go, Fran?" Gracie asked.
"I went to find some magazines for our trip- so we have something to read on the airplane."
"Oh, did you get the new Cosmo?" Maggie asked.
"Maybe, but I get to read it first! And I don't want to look at anything until we're on the plane."
"Aw!" Maggie stuck her lip out, then laughed. Brighton opened the front door and they all pushed through, then set their bags down so they could take off their coats. Niles came in to help, and took the coats as they were handed to him. Fran reached into her purse and gave Niles his lottery tickets.
"Oh, thank you, Ms. Fine!" He grinned, then tucked the tickets into his jacket pocket.
"Kids- look at the flowers your father got for me! Aren't they pretty?" Fran exclaimed. The children all looked over to the entry table at the beautiful display of white, and blue and yellow.
"Daddy got you those?" Maggie asked, and Fran nodded. "That's so sweet!"
"I wish I had a boyfriend that would give me flowers!" Gracie said.
"You will someday, angel. But don't rush it. It's not all flowers and candy, you have to be ready to work in a relationship. It's not easy," Fran warned.
"But what about you and daddy? Is it a lot of work?"
"Well, it was, but now I think we get a bit of a break from all that work. But we did the work, that's what's important. Now we get the benefits!" Fran grinned, and the children smiled with her. Max came rushing out of his office when he heard the commotion and joined them at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hello, everyone!" He said, and reached for Fran's hand. "How was everyone's day?" The children all mumbled that their days were good and fine and okay.
"Well, why don't you guys go get changed and get your homework ready. Gracie, do you have any today?" Fran asked.
"I have some science, but that's it. It shouldn't take me long. Then I can get back to my book!" She said. Fran stroked her hair and patted her shoulder.
"What about you two?"
"Algebra Two, barf! Then some reading that I can do tonight," Maggie said.
"The usual, I finished my other stuff at school, but still need to work on my report. I think I have a thesis paragraph, but can you look at it, Fran?" Brighton asked.
"Sure, sweetie. Why don't you bring your stuff to the kitchen, we can go through it in there. And if you girls want to work in there, too, while you have your snacks- we can meet in there in a little bit."
"Okay, sure." The kids picked up their bags and headed up the stairs as Niles shut the closet and left Fran and Max alone. Max wrapped his hands around Fran's waist and gave her a kiss, then she leaned away from him.
"I've got a bone to pick with you, mister!" She smiled.
"You do? What is it?" Max was genuinely concerned, but then saw her smile and relaxed.
"I just happened to stop at the bank, and I checked my balance." Max thought a moment, then remembered.
"Oh, you did?" He looked into her eyes, trying to figure out what she might be thinking. He cracked a smile, too.
"I was freaking out, seeing that much money in there. I had to go to the teller to find out why. Did you really mean to pay me a consultant's fee? And why so much?"
"Yes, I did think you should be paid. You helped me that much. And I just paid you the going rate for a consultant. I want you to see the value you have in the things you do for people. Not just as friends, or family, but since what you did for me was separate from your nanny job, and since it had to to with my work- it's perfectly normal to pay you for your help. You really streamlined things in there, and I know I'll be doing things that way for the foreseeable future. I should have asked for your help ages ago. I guess it just didn't occur to me that you would be able to help the way you did. But I'm very grateful you did. You got us way ahead, and you helped make our trip possible. I won't have any work hanging over me while we're gone, so I can spend all that time focusing on you."
"On me?"
"Mmm hmm…"
"I like the sound of that…" She kissed him softly several times. "You finished with your work yet?"
"No, but I'm nearly there. Maybe I can join you all in the kitchen in a little while?"
"Okay. We can both help the kids with their homework then. Well, I'll let you get back to work, and I'll go put these magazines away for the trip."
"You found some?"
"Yeah. I think we've got a good supply of reading material. I found you some things, too."
"Oh, good. Thank you. Well, I'll let you go get the children sorted out, and I'll see you in there in a little while."
"Okay, sweetie." They kissed again, and Max let go of her, then headed back to the office as she grabbed her bags and headed up to her old room where the suitcases were. She set the bags on the bed, then pulled out her suitcase from under the bed and set it down, then went to the closet to dig around and find a bag she could use as a carry-on. When she found one, she came back out into the room and set it on the bed, then pulled out all of the magazines and stuck them in it. But there was one last thing she bought she needed to take care of, and it wasn't going in her carry-on bag. She removed the box from the drugstore bag, then opened her suitcase and unzipped an inner pocket and tucked the box inside, and zipped it back up. She wasn't sure how to bring it up in conversation with Max yet, and she didn't want the children finding it either, so she was careful to keep it hidden away. She closed the suitcase and set the carry-on on top of it, then hurried out of her room to meet up with the kids in the kitchen.
Fran sat next to Brighton at the kitchen table and read through what he had for his paper so far. The girls sat on either end of the table and were busy with their own homework.
"This isn't bad, B. How far have you read into that first book?" Fran asked.
"Two, I think. But I have a lot to read, it feels like I'll never have time for all of it."
"Well, don't read too in depth right now, you need to be skimming more than anything. And mark the pages where there's something you might be able to use as a quote. Maybe move on to another book if this one is bogging you down, then come back to it."
"Okay, yeah. Maybe that will help. I think I picked the heaviest book to start with. I figured it would give me the most information."
"It might, but you need a lot of sources, so see if it helps to try to get through the others first. And when you finish a book- or maybe even each chapter, if you have something to use for a quote, right it down exactly on a piece of paper. Keep the quotes from each book separate, okay? Make sure you write the page number down, too."
"Okay."
Max came in through the door to find everyone busy at the table, and Niles prepping dinner at the counter. Fran turned to smile at him and he walked over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"How's everything going?" He asked.
"Good!" Gracie said.
"Pretty good, Fran gave me some good ideas on what to do next," Brighton said. Max looked over at Maggie, who made a grumpy face.
"What's the matter Maggie?"
"I'm just frustrated with this. I don't think I'm doing it right."
"What are you working on?" Max stepped over to have a look at her book. "Oh, your algebra?"
"Yeah. Algebra Two."
"Oh, yikes!" Max made a face. He looked over the paper she was writing on, then at the book, then back at her paper. "Do you have any notes from class? I don't know that I'd be much help with that, I haven't done that sort of math since I was about your age."
"I have notes, but the example problems don't look like these in the book. I feel so stupid, like I missed a class and have to catch up but nobody showed me how to do anything!"
"Aw, poor Mags!" Fran said, looking over at her. "Wait a minute- Gracie, you're doing algebra with your tutor at school, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Algebra One and geometry. I don't know if I know how to do what Maggie's doing, though."
"Could you take a look at it? Just to see if anything looks familiar?"
"I suppose. But one thing my tutor always says is to make sure you're doing your order of operations right first. She says that's how most people mess up their work." Gracie wiggled her pencil in her hand and turned the page of her science book.
"Order of operations?" Maggie asked, confused.
"Yeah, you know- the order you have to solve the equation, like when you have a lot of parentheses or things that have to be multiplied, or added, all of that. You look over it to see what you do first, then do that on the next line, one thing at a time so the teacher can see what you're doing and see where you make a mistake."
"Order of operations… uh, I don't know if we went over that…" Maggie looked confused.
"I'm sure you did before, but it helps to keep reminding yourself, especially if it's a big problem. Check your index, see if it says if there's anything about the order of operations in there." Maggie held her place and flipped to the back of the book and searched in the O's until she found it.
"Here! It's in here… page twelve…" She flipped back to the front of the book and found the page, then began to read. Fran looked from her up to Max and they both smiled, then looked over at Gracie, who was still casually writing down answers to questions for her own homework. "Oh my god, thank you Gracie! I don't think I was doing it this way! I didn't think it mattered! But now I might have to go back and redo the other problems, too. But hey, I guess that's better than flunking my homework."
"It sure is!" Fran said. "Thank you for helping her, Gracie! That was a really good suggestion."
"Well, thank my teacher, that's who I learned it from!" Fran smiled and patted Gracie's arm.
"Yes, that is really wonderful, Gracie. And I'm so glad you're learning so much with that tutoring. I'm glad we put you in that class," Max said, as he walked back to Fran and put his hands on her shoulders again. Fran reached up and clutched one of his hands.
"Yeah, I like that class. There's only two other kids and I've passed one of them already. He's still just doing algebra."
"Well, all three of you are very smart," Max added.
"I guess. The other boy I think is doing what Maggie is, but he said something about trigonometry, too, so I guess he's also doing that. He wants to be a physicist like his dad, but I think an astrophysicist. He has NASA patches all over his book bag."
"Wow, that's impressive!" Fran said. "Maybe you should take a look at what he's working on and see if any of it looks interesting to you, too."
"Maybe. Maybe I will. He's kind of quiet, though. I wouldn't want to scare him."
"Aw, sweetie, you could never scare anyone. He might appreciate having another student talk to him. Just keep it to the point, so he doesn't have to talk too much."
"Okay. Maybe I will." Gracie went back to her work, and Fran patted Max's hand. Max was so proud of the kids, and proud of how Fran handled them. They really were a great bunch.
"Oh, B, you know something I forgot that might help- after your write down the quotes you might want to use, you should transfer them to some index cards. That way you can move them around and put them in the order that you'll need them, so when you rewrite your outline, you can have them numbered and you'll know exactly where to add them when you write the paper. Do you have any index cards?"
"Uh, no, I don't."
"Oh, I've got some in the office!" Max said. "Let me go run and grab them for you!" Max patted Fran's shoulders and hurried out of the kitchen. Gracie finished her work and closed her book.
"I'm done! Can I read my book now? And is it okay if I read it in my room?"
"You're sure you're done?" Fran asked.
"Yep, just had to read my science and answer the questions at the end. It was easy."
"Well, okay then. Just remember the rules. Be back down here at 5:30 to help Niles, and the same thing for after dinner, alright?"
"Okay! And can I read upstairs after that, too?"
"Sure, as long as you bring the book back by eight o'clock."
"Okay! Awesome! Where is my book?"
"It's on the coffee table in the living room. And if you really are finished, get your book bag ready for tomorrow, too, okay?"
"Okay, I will!" Gracie grabbed her homework and her bottle of soda and ran from the kitchen, almost running into her father on the way out.
"Whoa! Careful! Where are you running off so fast to?" Max asked.
"I finished my homework! I get to read my book now!"
"Oh, alright, then," Max smiled. Gracie took off again, and Max walked over to Brighton and handed him a package of index cards, then went to sit in Gracie's now-empty seat.
"Thanks, dad." Brighton took out a piece of notebook paper and put it in the book he was reading for his report, then gathered his things together. "I think I'm gonna go upstairs and pick out a different source to start reading through. I'll try to skim it faster and see how far I get tonight."
"Alright, B. Maybe spread your things on your desk, and you can start making a basic outline on your computer, too. Just make sure you have different versions to turn in to your teacher."
"Oh yeah, okay, I can do that. Thanks, Fran, and dad. I think I'm getting a handle on this stuff now."
"Wonderful! But don't hesitate to ask if you need a little more help, or even just another pair of eyes, alright?" Max said.
"I will. I'll be down for dinner."
"Okay, sweetie." Brighton grabbed his book and papers and soda, and the rest of his snack and hurried up the back stairs. Now it was just Max, Fran, Maggie, and Niles in the kitchen.
"Oh, dangit! I don't want to erase all of this stuff, I just need to start over!" Maggie said, and tore her messed-up homework out of her notebook. She wadded it up and turned around and tossed it into the recycling behind her.
"Hey- two points!" Fran cheered, and Maggie laughed.
"I think I'm gonna go upstairs, too, and try to finish this before dinner. Today was a long day and I think I just wanna flop on my bed." She began gathering her things up, too. "Oh, daddy, I love those flowers you got Fran. They're really pretty, and it was really sweet of you to do that."
"Aw!" Fran said, and turned to look at Max.
"Well, Fran is really sweet, too, so I wanted to get them for her. She helped pick them out."
"Well, she picked right, because they're really nice. Well, I'm heading upstairs, and I'll be down for dinner, too. I'll try to watch the clock and make sure Gracie stops reading at five-thirty."
"Thank you, Mags. We'll see you in a while," Fran said.
Maggie hurried up the back stairs with her arms full, and Fran and Max looked each other.
"We didn't scare them off, did we?" Max asked.
"No, I don't think so. If they know what they're doing, they usually finish their homework in their bedrooms. Well, except for Gracie. I think she likes the company. But I'm glad Brighton feels better about this paper he has to do, and I was really surprised that Gracie sorted Maggie out, because if you don't know how to do that math, then I absolutely wasn't gonna know how to do it! What about you, Niles? Do you know how to do Algebra Two?"
"Oh, I barely knew how to do the first algebra. The second I realized I would never have to use it again, it all went out of my head!" They all laughed.
"So, Max… how are things going in the office? Do you have a lot of work to do tomorrow?" Fran asked, reaching for his hand and holding it with both of hers.
"Well, actually it shouldn't be too bad, but may still take most of the day. I think I'm going to get all of the phone calls out of the way in the morning, then I can take you to lunch, and then after that I may have the driver drop me off at the theater and bring you back home, and I have at least a couple of hours at the theater. But Friday's looking to be a light day, so that'll be nice."
"Oh, it sure will! We'll have to think of something to do together…" she bumped his knee with hers and he grinned, then turned to see if Niles saw. He didn't. "You have anything else you need to do today?"
"No." They looked at each other fondly, trying to think of what they should do next.
"Well, we could go watch something in the living room, or… if you want to, we can go look through our clothes and see what we want to pack for the trip…" She gave his hand a squeeze and glanced back at Niles, who didn't appear to be eavesdropping on their conversation, but Fran and Max both knew that he was.
"Sure. We can do that, then we won't have to rush next week if things get busy."
"Okay, then, let's go do that. I want to see what swim trunks you have!" Fran jumped up from the table and took Max's hand, and he got up after her and they squeezed past Niles to head up the back stairs.
"We'll be down for dinner, Niles," Max said, as they headed up the stairs.
"Very good. Six o'clock!" Niles watched them hurry up the stairs, holding hands. He smiled from ear to ear and sighed. He was so happy they were an item!
Later that night, after Fran and Max got the children sorted out for the night, and got Gracie's book back from her, they locked themselves away in their bedroom and got ready for bed. Max pulled the covers down and sat on his side of the bed, waiting for Fran to come out of the bathroom. He couldn't wait to see what pajamas she would be wearing this time. He turned his head when he heard the bathroom door open, and watched her as she walked towards him- wiping lotion over her arms. He smiled and held out his hands to her, and she took them and stepped in front of him at the side of the bed. Her belly was exposed between her low waistband and cropped shirt, and he couldn't help but stare. He let go of her hands and draped his arms around the sides of her legs and sighed. Fran rested a hand on one of his shoulders, and began running her fingers through his hair with the other. He pressed his lips to her belly and kissed her softly there.
"Mmmm… you're so beautiful, Fran…" He whispered against her skin.
"Thank you. You're pretty gorgeous yourself, Max." She caressed his cheek with her thumb, then he kissed her belly several more times, making her close her eyes. It felt wonderful. His fingers gently stroked the backs of her lower thighs, and she could feel his soft, warm breath against the skin of her belly. She didn't know how she was going to make it to their vacation- she was ready to be with him already. But she wanted to experience everything- to have time for everything.
"Fran?"
"Mmm hmm?"
"Do you always put that lotion on every night? It smells lovely."
"Hmm, most nights, and mornings."
"Do you put it on all over?" He kissed her belly again, giving her goosebumps.
"Yes. Well, except for my back. I can't reach my back." She stroked his hair again, and he clutched the backs of her legs.
"I could help you with that… if you want…" He kissed her belly again, then tilted his head to look up at her.
"You want to put my lotion on my back?"
"If you'd like me to." He was so cute when he tried to make a move! Fran cracked a little smile, imagining the feel of his hands on her back.
"Sure. If you're sure. That would be nice."
"Alright."
"Let me go grab it real quick." They let go of each other and Fran went to get her bottle of lotion from the bathroom, then came back out to Max. He shifted back on the side of the bed, making room for her to sit between his knees. She was wondering where this night was going to end up.
"You can sit here, if that's okay, so I can reach your back," he said, a little nervously.
"Okay." Fran handed him the lotion and sat down on the edge of the bed. As Max got some lotion on his hands, she reached over her shoulder and began pulling up the back of her shirt, then clutched the front of her shirt over her breasts, and pulled the back up even more. Max gulped as he looked at her exposed back in front of him. She was so lovely! Carefully, he put one hand on her lower back and began to spread the lotion over her, then put his other hand on her, and let them both work their way across her back. Fran was thoroughly enjoying it. She leaned her head down a bit and closed her eyes, feeling his fingers and palms as they moved back and forth across her skin. He got a little more lotion on his hands, and worked towards her shoulders, moving up into her shirt at the top of her back. He pressed his thumbs into her muscles, massaging them, then up to her shoulders, working out some of the tension. She sighed.
"Is this alright?" He asked.
"It's wonderful! Thank you…"
"You're welcome. Is it alright if I tell you that your back is incredible, Fran? You have more muscle than I realized." He let his hands work their way down the sides of her spine, massaging all the way.
"Mmm… thank you. You haven't seen me in a bikini since last summer, I changed up my workout a little since then."
"Well, whatever you're doing, it works." He massaged her back a bit more, then she let go of her shirt and let it fall. She turned back towards him and leaned to him to give him a kiss.
"Your turn…" she whispered.
"You want to put lotion on my back?" He asked.
"Yes, if that's alright with you."
"Ah, sure, yes. That would be alright," he stumbled over his words. Fran stood up and got onto the bed.
"Let me sit behind you. And would you be okay with getting rid of this?" She tugged on his shirt.
"My shirt? You want me to take it off?"
"It would make it easier. If you want." He thought a moment.
"Alright." He pulled his shirt off over his head, and tossed it to the end of the bed, then ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it out.
Fran got comfortable behind him and looked him over. Wow! She thought. She picked up the bottle of lotion and put some on her hands, then looked him over again, and decided to start at his shoulders. His skin was warm, and tight. She loved the feel of his muscles, and began to press into them with her thumbs like he had done to her, massaging them. Max was a little nervous at first, but then relaxed. He had to keep reminding himself that he was with his girlfriend- his best friend- and it was perfectly acceptable for them to be touching each other this way. Sure, it was new, but it was wonderful. He desperately needed to be touching her this way, and for her to be touching him. He was so crazy about her. He rested his elbows on his knees and let his head hang as Fran squeezed and massaged his shoulders, then got more lotion and worked her way down over the middle of his back and ribs, then down to his lower back.
"Do you ever put lotion on?" Fran asked.
"Lotion? Well, usually just on my arms. My neck. And I use those things you gave me for shaving. They work pretty well."
"Good." She put more lotion on her hands and then rubbed them together. "Maybe from now on we can help each other get the places we miss…" she said softly, then put her hands on Max's sides and slowly slid them around to the front of his abdomen. He tried to act like he wasn't startled, but he was. He looked down at her hands around him as they rubbed the lotion over his belly, and then disappeared around his sides again. She was really turning him on and it was all he could do to keep control of himself. She got more lotion, then let her hands work over his ribs and around to his front, then over his pecs. He almost gasped, then sighed as her hands slid over him, rubbing the lotion in. Her hands worked their way back over his ribs to his back again, then up and down the sides of his spine. She set the lotion on the bedside table. "Max, come here," she whispered. She crawled back on the bed and got under the covers as Max turned to look at her. He followed her lead and got in the covers with her, lying down on top of her. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and stroked the hair on the back of his head. He looked over her face, then grazed the tip of her nose with his and kissed her.
"Mmm…" he sighed. "That was wonderful, darling. Feeling your hands on me, touching you that way. You drive me crazy, you know…" He kissed her again.
"You drive me crazy, Max! I'm so in love with you, I just want to touch you all the time… hold you… kiss you…" She kissed him passionately, and he returned the kiss. Their tongues found each other and Fran pulled his shoulders closer. She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his upper arms as they kissed, then Max let his lips make their way across her cheek to her neck. It felt like he was devouring her, and she loved it. She turned her head to the side and wrapped her legs around him. He kissed her lips again, and she slid her hands down his chest and around his sides, feeling as much of his bare skin as she could get her hands on. He groaned as he pressed himself against her, then shifted his weight to the bed next to her. He reached for her bare waist and rested his hand there, then stroked her skin with his thumb. As his lips made their way back to her neck, his hand slid over her belly and around her side. Fran moaned and dug her fingers into him. She kissed his shoulder and sucked at his skin, and kept a leg wrapped around his.
Max came up for a breath, then kissed her throat and worked his way down the middle of her chest to her shirt, and shifted himself further down her body. He rested over her middle, and watched his fingers graze over her skin, then he clutched her sides and kissed her belly. He pulled her hips to him, and she arched her back, loving the feel of his lips and tongue pressing into her, sucking on her.
"Oh god, Max!" She gasped. "That feels so good!" She grasped his shoulders in her hands and dug her fingers in as she moaned again. Max let his fingers work their way up into her shirt, grazing the sides of her breasts. Fran arched her back again, then moved him on top of her and wrapped both of her legs around him again. He was turning her on so much, she didn't want it to stop.
"I love you so much, Fran! I don't want to stop…" he kissed her ribs and gently ran his tongue over her skin.
"I don't want to stop, either, Max. But we can take our time. We don't have to rush. Let's slow down a bit. Enjoy each other. I don't want you to stop. I don't want to stop…" Max kissed her belly again, then crawled back up on top of her to kiss her lips. She wrapped her arms around his back and scratched her nails softly over him. "I love you Max, I really love you."
"I love you, Fran. I wish we were on our trip already, so I could kiss every inch of you. Touch every inch of you…"
"Mmmm… me too!" Fran rolled him over on the bed and laid on top of him. She kissed him hard, intensely. She was falling for him so hard she thought her heart might burst. She straddled his waist with her legs, and Max clutched her close to him, his arms wrapped tightly around her middle. He let her kiss his neck as he stroked her back with his hands, letting them wander up the back of her shirt. Fran slowed her kisses to match his strokes, and worked her way down his chest and belly like he had done to her. Max sucked in his breath, and tried not to get too turned on, but it wasn't helping. Fran ran her hands down his chest, then his belly, and let her lips follow, and her tongue. Max groaned and grasped the sheets beside them in his hands. He took a deep breath and sighed, and tried to relax into her touch, tried to feel everything she was doing to him. It was wonderful.
Fran slowly let her lips work their way up his body, over his hips, around his belly, across his ribs to his chest. She couldn't help herself, and ran her hand over his pecs and his nipples, then let her lips take over. Max lay there with his eyes closed, smiling. He was in ecstasy. She kissed and sucked her way up his neck, and back to his lips, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"You make me feel wonderful!" He whispered.
"I'm glad. You turn me on so much I can barely take it! I'll never get enough of you, Max! Never!"
"Good!" They kissed each other's lips again, slowing down and taking each other in. Max rested his hands on her hips, then couldn't help but let them wander over her skin again. He grazed the backs of his fingers over her sides, then rested his hands on her ribs. Little by little, as they kissed, his thumbs moved up into her shirt to the sides of her breasts. Fran paused a moment, realizing where his hands were, then smiled and kissed him some more. She let him wander where he wanted. His thumbs stroked the soft skin of the sides of her breasts as she lay on top of him, then he moved his palms over to touch them. She felt so good! Their lips parted and Fran rested her forehead against his, and looked through her eyelashes into his eyes. She grazed his nose with hers and they smiled at each other.
"I don't mean to get you too worked up, baby. I guess I can't help myself," she said.
"Don't worry about that. I love every second of it. You make me feel so good!"
"Really? Because you've got me awfully worked up, too! It's gonna be hard to wait until we're really alone, until we can spend the whole day, and night, together. And hopefully in bed…"
"Mmmm… Yes, that'll be wonderful. It's just a week away. I know it sounds like forever… it does sound like forever. But we'll get there. And we can still have plenty of time like this together… Kissing, messing around, moisturizing…" Max said, grinning, and Fran laughed.
"We're definitely doing more of that! And the other stuff…" she kissed him softly, then gently sucked at each of his lips, and kissed him again. He began stroking her back some more, dragging the tips of his fingers over her as they kissed. He ran the backs of his fingers along her sides, then into her shirt to find her breasts again. His thumbs caressed the sides of her breasts, and Fran clenched his hips between her thighs. They rolled over together again, and Max lay beside her. She wrapped an arm around his neck and they kissed, and he let his hand wander over her body some more. He reached up to caress her cheek and her neck, then moved his hand down to her chest over her shirt, letting it come to rest on her breast. Fran gasped for a moment, then held onto his shoulder as she let him continue. He clutched her breast in his hand, then let his thumb roam around, rubbing it and squeezing it, then grazed her nipple through the fabric of her shirt. She moaned briefly, then took his hand, directing it under her shirt- letting him know she wanted more. He found her breast and cupped it, then let his thumb stroke over her nipple.
"Oh…" he gasped, then shifted himself down to her middle. He kissed her belly as his hand cupped at her breast, then he reached his other hand under her shirt to hold onto her other breast. Fran arched her back as he teased at her nipples and kissed her belly. He ran his tongue over her skin, driving her crazy. He continued for several minutes, then groaned. He let go of her breasts and crawled back up to her lips and kissed her. "I want you so bad, Fran! But I've got to be careful. I feel like I can't stop myself."
"It's okay, Max! It's okay! I know what you mean. Yeah, maybe we should take a break for a while. It would be so easy to just let things happen. I know I want to be with you, when the time is right. We're just getting used to each other. Come here, rest with me for a while. Just hold me." They pulled the covers up, and Max rested on top of her, with his head on her chest. They held each other tightly, closed their eyes, and caught their breath. Fran kissed the top of his head and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Hmmm…" he sighed. "I really like it when you do that, with my hair. It's really comforting."
"It is? Good. I'll remember that. I like your hair. And you smell so good, all the time. I just want to pull you to me, squeeze you so close…" They both sighed and tightened their grip on each other, then worked on trying to calm down their desire for each other. They would be together soon enough, they had to keep reminding themselves of that.
Soon, their breathing began to match. The tension began to slip away, and they both relaxed. Max reached over to shut off the bedside light, then rested back down on Fran. He liked the feel of her, the way she held him. He could hear her heart beating in her chest, and it made him feel so close to her.
"I love you, Fran," he whispered against her chest.
"I love you more," she whispered back, and smiled.
"Mmmm," Max sighed into her, as he listened to her heart beat. Fran clutched his shoulders and stroked him gently with her thumbs, sending him drifting off to sleep. As she yawned herself, she felt his weight sink into her and she knew he must be out. She felt a tear run from the corner of her eye as she thought about him, and about how she knew with absolute certainty that this was going to be her life from then on- the two of them falling asleep together every night. She smiled and stroked his shoulder, then pulled the covers up over him, and listened to his soft breathing until she fell asleep, too.