Written by: FJS )

Max took Fran by the hand and led her to the dance floor.

"Mr. Sheffield, what are you doing here?"

"Well, just after you left, Mr. Estrada's publicist called to confirm dinner reservations for after the show, so I thought you might have some room on your dance card."

"Oh, aren't you a doll?"

He stared deeply into her eyes. "You look lovely tonight."

She laughed. The motorcycle helmet she'd worn had deflated her poof, and her hair was flat. "Even with the hair?"

He smiled. "Oh, I like it. I can actually see over your head."

She looked lovingly at him. "Oh, Mr. Sheffield, I'll never forget that you did this for me tonight."

He returned her loving gaze. "Well, I know how much it meant to you."

He held her close and moved her fluidly around the dance floor. All of a sudden, his feelings for her were clear. He was falling in love with Fran Fine. He knew there had been attraction, and caring, but lately, it had been more pronounced. He'd kissed her while rehearsing Romeo and Juliet a few weeks before, a kiss that had left him weak in the knees. He'd admitted on national television that she was important to him. Then, just last week, as he accused her of leaking Cher's visit to the press, she'd found out it was actually him. After she'd confronted him, and given him a good dose of Jewish guilt, she teased him before letting him off the hook. She was absolutely adorable. Max held her a bit closer, checking to see how she responded. Her response was to gently run her fingers along his back. He wanted to impress her with the way he could move on the dance floor. He spun her around, and as he dipped her, they heard the sound of material tearing. Max looked down and could see her new dress had ripped the back seam halfway up the dress, revealing the tops of her hose, a black lace thong. He pulled her quickly to him, covering her exposed backside with his body. He hoped she couldn't feel how aroused he'd become by that quick glimpse of her bare bottom.

She felt him push up against her and was sure he'd back off. He didn't. She pushed back against him. "Well, I guess this is one dress I won't be taking back!" They side stepped out the front door, Max still holding her close. Once outside, he removed his jacket and helped her put it on. He looked down at the hem as he buttoned the coat.

"Be careful, Miss Fine, that jacket isn't much help. Let's get you to the Limo, and I'll let Val know what happened." He helped her into the car, and went inside to find Val. He was finding it hard to contain himself, he could still feel her in his arms, still smell her intoxicating perfume. He couldn't wait to get back to be near her. He found Val sitting at the table and explained that they were leaving. Val looked disappointed, but told him she'd call her friend tomorrow. There was something in his eyes that made her hopeful for her friend.

Fran sat in the limo and watched him go back inside. Was she imagining things? She'd danced with him before, but this time felt different. Was it just to impress Judy, or was what she felt from him real? Wait, Judy left before they started to dance. And as he led her out the door, pressed up against her, she KNEW she hadn't imagined that! Had things been changing between them? When she'd teased him about the Cher incident, he took that better than she'd expected. He'd even told Sally that she was important to him, on national television, no less! And when he'd helped her rehearse for Romeo and Juliet, oh, that kiss. She almost didn't make it down the stairs on her own power. He'd taken her breath away. And what was with his reaction to her almost marrying Danny? She knew the kids would miss her, but he looked like a lost puppy as he told her goodbye. Oy, was she glad she passed on THAT! She thought about the other times they'd shared "moments". It seemed to be happening more and more. She looked for reasons to be in the same room with him, to smell his cologne, to touch him. Was it her imagination, or had he been purposely leaving his tie knotted wrong, just so she'd fix it for him? Could it be that she was falling in love with him? She couldn't wait for him to come back to the limo, so she could sit close to him, maybe rest her head on his shoulder.

"Oy, here he comes!" She took out her compact and quickly checked her makeup and smoothed her straight hair. She couldn't believe he actually liked it like this.

Max climbed into the limo and took his seat next to her, then buzzed the driver to head for home. They sat quietly for several minutes, then Fran felt his fingers slowly intertwining with hers. "Val said she'd call you tomorrow."

She gently squeezed his hand. "I hope she's ok, she's probably going to be sitting there all alone the rest of the night, I hated leaving her".

"Well, you couldn't very well keep dancing with your dress in that condition" Max smiled at the memory of the dress splitting.

She reached over with her free hand and playfully slapped his arm. "It's not funny! I was going to return this dress tomorrow and get one that fit better!" She took this time to put her head on his shoulder and inhale his scent. He smelled so delicious!

"Tired?" He leaned over and put his cheek against her head.

"No, not really, just getting comfortable". She looked up, not expecting to be inches from his face. They stared into each others eyes for several seconds. Then they slowly leaned into each other for what started to be a gentle kiss between friends. Suddenly, the kiss deepened, as they both moaned in pleasure. Their hands started roaming, caressing each other. The limo hit a bump in the road, causing the kiss to break.

Max stared at the vision sitting next to him. "Fran...I..." his emotions were so strong he couldn't speak. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"M...Max...I know..." she saw everything in his eyes. The conflict, the pain, the love. She took his hand from her cheek and kissed it gently. He reached out and stroked her hair then pulled her in for another kiss. This time, she felt his tongue brush her lips, and she let hers dart out to meet it. She softly moaned, causing Max to become a bit braver. He deepened the kiss, and leaned her back on the seat. Their hands began slowly roaming each other's bodies, timidly at first, then, with more purpose.

Fran could feel how much he wanted her, she knew she wanted him, but was this something they were ready for? If she let this happen, would he be able to look at her in the morning? Would she still have a job? Her head started swimming, she couldn't think. All she could feel was how wonderful it felt being held by this man. The man she'd come to love.

Max felt himself being more and more turned on. How far should they take this? Will she feel like he's taking advantage of her? All he knew was that he loved being close to this woman, and he was sure, more sure than before, that he loved her.

He slipped his jacket off her shoulders and tossed it onto the other seat. With the rip in her dress, he was able to slip his hands into it and caress her bare stomach. She'd worn bare midriff tops around the house for the last year, but he'd never been able to feel her soft toned body. She slowly started working the buttons on his shirt. She wanted to feel his skin against hers. He unzipped the dress and slowly pulled it off, tossing it with his jacket. She'd pulled his shirt out, and it found it's place with the other clothes. Max pulled back to admire her beautiful body. He gazed into her eyes. She had to know, he had to tell her, he just couldn't make the words come out. She reached up and pulled him back down to her, running her hands through his thick hair. He kissed her neck, her chest, stopping at her bra, then moving back up to find her mouth.

They felt the car come to a stop, and the driver's voice came over the intercom. "Sir, we're home."

They looked into each others eyes, searching for answers to their unasked questions. Max retrieved his shirt, and then put his jacket back on Fran. They had just finished buttoning themselves up as the driver opened the door for them to exit. Most of the lights were off in the house. This was good, they wouldn't have to offer any explanations for Fran's state of undress. Or so they thought. As they crossed the threshold into the foyer, they were met by Niles, who stood staring, open mouthed.

"Good evening, Niles, you can turn in for the night, old man."

Niles stared at his boss, noting the red lipstick on his mouth, then moved his gaze to Fran, her hair mussed and lipstick smeared. "Can I get either of you anything before I head to bed?"

Fran fingered her lips, trying to correct her makeup. "No, not for me Niles. Goodnight!"

"No, I think we have everything we need. Good night."

Niles turned to leave, and stopped long enough to see Max put his arm around Fran and lead her up the stairs. He heard the definite sound of kissing in the hallway. This was great..better than if he'd planned it himself. He couldn't wait to talk to the driver tomorrow, as he was sure he wouldn't get the whole story out of Fran. He listened. More kissing, soft whispers, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Then a door closed, and silence. He headed for the kitchen and clicked on the intercom. He heard only 7 words before the intercom was switched off upstairs.

"I love you"

"I love you, too."