PART THIRTEEN


Liz sat at a booth in the far corner of the Crashdown, totaling up receipts from the afternoon shift. Her parents had left town for the weekend, and her father had placed her in charge of the restaurant, so for once she was working as something other than a waitress, which meant she could wear normal civilian clothes. Which suited Liz perfectly, because despite what Max and Michael had both said about finding her uniform sexy, she felt a whole lot more desirable in the pair of low slung jeans she was wearing at the moment—pants that outlined her hips with deliberate snugness.

Even Kyle had given her a strange look as she’d breezed past him earlier in the afternoon, his eyes subtly wavering toward her waist. She’d smiled as she’d walked away, knowing that Kyle was the perfect acid test for her new pants—and her smile had only deepened when Michael had walked in the café a few hours later for his shift. His eyes had widened, and he’d made no effort to conceal his shock that little Lizzie Parker was wearing something so very…seductive. Nor had he concealed his open desire for what he saw, either.

She’d bought the pants three days before with the precise intention of alluring both of her men. Everything that had transpired between the three of them in the past week—and all the ways she’d opened herself for the first time—had changed her irrevocably. And somehow her old clothes just didn’t seem to suit anymore. She wasn’t ready for anything absurdly radical, but she found herself staring into the mirror for long periods of time, playing with her hair. Suddenly, her old look just wasn’t enough anymore.

She wanted to be sexier now, because Michael and Max had left her feeling that way. They’d left her wanting so much more of both of them.

"Chica," Maria called, interrupting her thoughts as she appeared beside the booth where Liz sat staring dreamily into space. Liz glanced up quickly, and was surprised to find her friend dressed in a revealing outfit of her own—a short black dress with high-cut boots.

"You like?" Maria laughed, turning a playful pirouette.

"You look fabulous!" Liz exclaimed, reaching a hand to touch the fabric. "What’s the occasion?"

"Date," Maria smiled coyly.

"A date?" Liz cried. "And you’re just now telling me this?"

"It was kind of a very last minute thing," Maria explained, plopping down on the seat across from Liz. "As in just a few hours ago."

"Hello?" Liz demanded, leaning close across the table. "I need to know everything. Now."

Maria grinned conspiratorially, obviously enjoying tantalizing her friend. "It’s nobody you know."

"Those are always famous last words."

"Seriously, Lizzie," Maria explained. "He’s been working for my mom, helping her with the t-shirts."

"Does he go to school with us?"

"No, he’s older." Maria drew the last word out, smiling devilishly. "He’s a freshman in college."

"Oh, I see," Liz laughed. "A college guy! And does he have a name?"

"Does who have a name?" Michael asked, appearing suddenly beside their booth. He was dressed in faded jeans and a soft t-shirt, and his hair was tied back loosely with a blue bandana. He’d barely communicated with Liz upon his arrival earlier—apart from his obvious approval of her new outfit—and this was the first time he’d even approached her.

"The guy I have a date with tonight," Maria announced, and Liz noticed a slight trace of bitterness in her voice. Liz’s chest instantly tightened with dread, as she watched Michael scowl. And she was surprised to feel something oddly akin to jealousy at his reaction.

"Um, Maria was just telling me about him…that he’s in college," Liz offered, and instantly regretted having supplied Michael with even more reason to react. His relationship with Maria had been over for months, yet she knew that emotions must still run deep between them both. For Maria, Liz knew they were now mostly feelings of bitterness and resentment, but she wasn’t sure where Michael stood on the matter.

"That’s great," he answered, the scowl vanishing, replaced by what appeared to be a genuine smile. "Hope you have a good time."

Maria stared at Michael with as much disbelief as Liz did, having seemingly expected more of an outburst from him. Or even some kind of negative reaction at all, but instead he turned toward Liz, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Listen, Liz, I need to talk to you in the kitchen," he hesitated a moment, fumbling absently with his bandana. "About the prep containers."

And just like that, he’d seemingly moved on past Maria’s revelation about the date. Liz couldn’t help staring at him for a full ten seconds in surprise, until he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"The prep containers?" Liz finally managed to stammer, unable to mask her confusion at what was obviously a flimsy excuse for having her visit him in the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah…the prep containers," he continued, and Liz would have sworn he blushed slightly. "I think something happened to the freezer."

"Okay, prep containers," she repeated with a firm nod of her head. "I’ll be right on it."

"Good," Michael said, glancing at Maria. "Have a good time tonight." And with that, he turned and quickly moved through the door to the kitchen.

"O-kay," Maria answered, raising her eyebrows. "Now you spill."

"What?" Liz cried a little too loudly, feeling panic instantly settle upon her. She loved Maria far too much to admit what had been happening with Michael. Well, between all three of them, for that matter…at least just yet.

"What? Well, what the hell you’ve done with the old Michael Guerin for starters."

Liz shook her head in confusion, playing nervously with a stray hair. "I don’t know what you mean, Maria."

"Lizzie, what I mean is this. Michael and Max have both been acting very…weird this week. And after watching the three of you at school, I’ve come to the conclusion that it has something to do with you, Liz."

"Maria…you’re imagining…"

"I’m not imagining the steaming kiss I saw Max Evans plant on you in the back parking lot at school today."

"You saw that?" Liz asked shyly, burying her face in her hands, hoping that Maria wouldn’t see how her cheeks were flaming at her questions.

"Yes, Lizzie, I saw that," Maria answered quietly and even though Liz wasn’t looking at her, she heard the trace of a smile in her voice.

Liz dropped her hands, stealing a brief look at her friend. "Well, uh, that had nothing to do with…"

"Michael treating me like a human being for the first time in months?" Maria supplied with a wry smile.

"No, not really."

"For some reason, I think it does," Maria laughed softly, rising to her feet. "But I also know you well enough, that when you’re ready to spill, you will."

"Maria, there’s nothing to spill," Liz protested with forced vehemence. "Really…except about Max."

Maria smiled down at her, stealing a sip from Liz’s Diet Coke. "But it doesn’t explain how the freezer could cause problems with the prep containers, when they’re kept in the refrigerator…or about a dozen other bizarre things I’ve seen between the three of you this week."

Liz felt her face redden even more deeply at Maria’s observation, but Maria only smiled, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Listen, I’ll call you in the morning with a date report." She leaned down and kissed Liz on the cheek, brushing her lips close to her ear. "You know I’m over him, don’t you?" she whispered. "And whatever is going on seems to be making him very happy…which, oddly enough, makes me happy. And where Max fits into it all, I really don’t care."

A thousand things rushed through Liz’s mind, but she didn’t manage to mutter any of them before Maria spun quickly on her heel to walk away. Liz could only stare after her in disbelief, and wonder what on earth they’d all done to betray their secret.



Liz entered the kitchen, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. Her face was still flushed from her conversation with Maria, but more than anything she was mystified by her comments. Maria did truly seem to have some kind of strange intuition about people, because certainly she and Michael had been completely secretive about their new relationship. And while she and Max had been openly affectionate, there was nothing suspicious about that—nor should it have led Maria to suspect something was happening with Michael.

Michael moved quickly, flipping several burgers on the grill, and Liz stood watching silently just inside the doorway. She studied his profile as he worked, thinking what a handsome face he really did have, a fact she’d never have admitted just a few weeks before. Well, truthfully, she could never have denied that he was a very sexy guy, but it was just that she’d never really focused on that until the past week. But now everything was different, and all it took was the slightest proximity between the two of them to fill her entire body with desire for him.

He turned toward her, jumping slightly when he saw her. "Damn, Liz, you could have told me you were standing there."

"Sorry," she mumbled, feeling ridiculous for having stood observing him. She fought the desire to simply slink away in embarrassment.

He moved quickly toward her, glancing out the order window. "Where’d Maria go?"

"Home, I think…she left."

He stood just in front of her, staring down at her, as he mopped his damp brow with a towel. The kitchen was steaming, and Liz was already growing very warm from her proximity to the grill.

"Nothing’s wrong with the prep containers," he offered quietly.

"Yeah, I kinda gathered that," Liz laughed.

"I just wanted to see you…I mean really see you," he said, shifting his gaze nervously around them. "Not just stare at you through the order window."

"You’ve been doing that?" Liz asked.

"For like the past two hours," he admitted shyly. "What’s up with these jeans, anyway?" He traced his hands down her hips softly, like the gentlest breeze, before letting them fall away again.

"They’re new," she explained, feeling her heart beat quicken.

"No kidding," he nodded appreciatively.

"They’re seduction pants," she admitted, meeting his gaze with determined boldness.

Michael stared at her, his mouth falling open slightly in obvious disbelief until finally he cleared his throat with a light cough. "So what are we going to do about that?" He asked, his voice thick with obvious desire. "I mean, Maxwell’s got the gig with his family tonight, so he’s out. But…I’d really like to see you." He dropped his gaze to the floor a moment, his eyebrows drawing together sharply before he spoke again, much more quietly. "Later, I mean."

Liz stared up at Michael and noticed how his eyes wavered slightly and realized that he’d essentially just asked her on their first date. She chewed on her lip, because somehow it took her by surprise. Seeing him with Max she expected…seeing him at work was something she was already accustomed to. But Michael Guerin asking to see her, just like she was his girlfriend was something entirely new.

"Yeah, that sounds great," she answered, nodding as she met his eager gaze. He visibly relaxed at her answer, and she couldn’t help but smile, wondering if he’d thought she might turn him down. "My parents are out of town, you know."

"I know, so maybe we could just…" He gestured with his hand, indicating the restaurant and Liz noticed that he blushed slightly.

"Hang out here," Liz finished and he nodded with a soft smile. "You, me…and my new pants."

"I like that idea," he agreed, running his fingers briefly down her hip again. "Max’s coming by in a bit…before his parents’ anniversary thing."

"Do you think he’ll mind?" Liz asked, feeling suddenly a little apprehensive about their plan. "I mean, our…well, you know."

"Why should he mind?" Michael asked, scratching his eyebrow, and Liz had to smile at his typical cluelessness. Despite how well Michael knew Max, he’d never been involved in a love relationship with him before—at least not in this lifetime--and clearly didn’t realize how sensitive Max could be.

"I just don’t want him to feel left out."

"Well, we won’t make a big thing out of it," Michael explained, his voice edged with slight impatience. "Because it isn’t really a big deal."

"No, no," Liz agreed, feeling vaguely disappointed. "Of course not."

She backed quickly toward the door, trying to deny that his words hadn’t hurt her. In the wake of his having made her feel special by asking to see her later, he’d immediately managed to minimize the entire event. "You know, I’ve got to get back out there," she said, waving briefly as she stepped out of the kitchen before Michael noticed her obvious disappointment.

"Yeah, see you…" Michael mumbled with a scowl, but his voice trailed off when he realized that Liz had already vanished, just that quickly.



Shit, Michael thought, staring at the empty doorway where Liz had stood just a moment before. He wasn’t sure what he’d said wrong, but he’d seen hurt flash in her dark eyes, even though she’d forced a smile. All he’d meant was that Max shouldn’t make a big deal out of their being alone together while he was off with his parents. Michael didn’t even get what the problem was. He and Max had been fooling around by themselves all week—so what if he and Liz had some fun while Max was out for the night? But somehow his words had hurt her, he was sure of it, and that had never been his intention.

He spied a quick look through the order window out into the restaurant and was pleased to see Liz smiling…and talking to Max. He’d obviously just entered and Michael sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of him. He was dressed for his parents’ anniversary party, wearing an impeccable suit…something new that Isabel had obviously found for him on one of her shopping forays, and he looked unbelievably handsome as he stood talking to Liz. His hair was combed back rakishly, a few stray locks curling along his nape. Michael had never understood why Max bothered to straighten out his naturally wavy hair, especially not when it looked so incredibly sexy.

Max bent down to where Liz sat, kissing her slowly on the lips. He’d made no secret of his reunion with Liz this week, and something about that left Michael feeling vaguely melancholy, all too aware that the relationship between Max and himself could never be public. For that matter, his love for Liz never could be either. It would be Max and Liz, front and center as a couple, with Michael cast in the lead role as best friend to them both. They’d all silently agreed upon it, because there was no other way it could be.

Behind closed doors, the three of them would love one another with all the wild abandon they truly felt. Yet it was Michael who would always be alone in the world’s eyes, and something about that left him feeling a keen sense of loss that he couldn’t deny—and one that he could never share with his two lovers.

Max stepped away from Liz, disappearing from view, and Michael wondered if he was heading back to see him—though he couldn’t imagine that Max would enter the kitchen with his suit on. Not if he didn’t want to leave the café smelling distinctly like burgers and fries. But Michael heard the door open to the back of the restaurant, and when he poked his head into the break area, immediately saw Max.

"Hey," Michael mumbled, even more aroused by how handsome Max looked in the charcoal-colored suit now that he was up close.

"Hey," Max smiled, moving closer. "I was wondering if you could…help me with something."

Michael frowned in confusion, as Max fiddled absently with his tie. He’d left his jacket in the booth, so that now he seemed even more like some ad straight out of GQ magazine.

"What’s the problem?" Michael asked.

"Well," Max explained, his quiet voice barely audible over the noise of the Crashdown. "Liz says my tie is a mess. I was wondering if you’d help me fix it."

Michael couldn’t suppress a laugh. Max Evans knew he was the last person on earth who could do a decent job with a tie—and besides, it looked perfect.

"If we could just step in the bathroom a moment," Max continued, his lips turning up in a soft smile. "Maybe you could help me get it straightened out."

Michael raised a questioning eyebrow, and Max cocked his own in return, gesturing toward the bathroom with a quick toss of his head. Michael followed silently, thankful that he’d taken all the burgers off the grill before stepping into the hallway.

Max closed the door behind them, turning to face Michael. "You know what I really wanted," he whispered softly, closing the small distance between them, and Michael’s breath hitched in his throat.

"That suit is just…dangerous," Michael answered hoarsely, as Max captured his face between his hands, drawing his mouth down for a hungry kiss.

"I wouldn’t have pegged you for a suit kind of guy," Max laughed softly, tugging on Michael’s lower lip with his mouth.

" That…suit," Michael mumbled, threading his fingers lightly through the soft hair along the nape of Max’s neck. "Anytime."

"I’ll remember that," Max laughed and then the kiss deepened. Michael was far too aware of how dirty he was, and how utterly pristine Max looked, so he kept his hands mostly off of him. Yet his body yearned to be much closer.

"Oh," Michael sighed softly, nuzzling Max’s cheek as he pressed soft kisses low on his jaw. "Damn, Maxwell, you’re a tease."

Michael felt his jeans straining painfully in response to Max’s brief kisses. Though they were swift, his attentions hadn’t been lacking in intensity by any means.

"Not…my intention," Max purred, capturing Michael’s lips again. "Just needed you."

"You had Liz out in the café,"

"I love Liz," Max agreed throatily. "But she’s not you, Michael…anymore than you’re her. I needed this…you."

Michael broke the kiss, gasping slightly as he stared down into Max’s intense amber eyes. Max gazed up at him as Michael nodded behind them both. "Only problem is that door," Michael explained. "That lock’s pretty damn unreliable."

Max stared up at him for a moment, then turned toward the door, passing his palm over the lock in a brief gesture that slightly illuminated his hand with a warm glowing light. Michael captured Max’s hand, and drew it swiftly to his lips, pressing a soft kiss into the center of his palm. The warmth of Max’s energy still radiated through his hand, flaming Michael’s lips instantly. Slowly, he released Max’s hand, as Max slipped his arm around Michael’s neck, pulling his mouth down toward his own again.

"We’ll miss you tonight, Maxwell," Michael complained, feeling Max’s fingers thread through the hair that fell freely from beneath his bandana.

"Umm…"Max moaned into Michael’s mouth, as their tongues flicked wildly together. Max’s erection throbbed already, despite the loose material of his pants. He cursed Isabel for planning the party for their parents, when he could have stayed in both his lovers’ arms for all the night. Instead, he’d be gathered with his family until early in the morning hours.

Michael trailed kisses down low onto Max’s neck, keeping a careful distance between their bodies. Max’s cheek was smooth from his recent shave, and he smelled fresh and intoxicating.

"Maybe…somehow…late," Max managed to murmur into Michael’s ear, laving it with his tongue to emphasize his point.

"Please," Michael nearly begged, as Max threw his head back, exposing his neck to Michael’s lips. "Please come to us… Liz’s parents are away."

"I know," Max groaned, pressing his eyes closed as Michael’s kisses grew more fiery against his skin. "Don’t remind me."

"God, I just want to touch you," Michael complained.

"You are touching me," Max answered with a soft sigh, all too aware of the way Michael’s lips felt as they grazed low on his neck.

"Maxwell," Michael murmured. "I want to take this suit off of you…that’s what I mean. I want my hands all over your body."

"No…can’t…do that." Max opened his eyes for a brief moment, staring over Michael’s shoulder at the closed door behind them. "But I can touch you." And with that, Max slipped his hands easily beneath Michael’s t-shirt, caressing the planes of his chest with his open palms, as he tilted his head upward again, capturing Michael’s lips in a searing kiss.

Max ran his thumbs roughly over Michael’s nipples, feeling them grow erect beneath his briefest touch. Michael’s chest rose in heavy pants beneath Max’s palms, and Max could feel his strong heartbeat as it pounded beneath his exploring fingertips.

Michael responded by cupping Max’s jaw with his hand, despite his concerns about touching, and thrust his tongue urgently inside Max’s mouth. Max could only moan quietly in reply, pressing his hips close against Michael’s, yearning for so much more.

"Maxwell," Michael warned, taking one step backwards. "You look too damn good in that suit to get this close to me right now."

Max answered by slipping his hands low on Michael’s hips, drawing Michael flush against his own body-- and he could feel the insistent bulge in Michael’s pants press hard against his own groin. "I can touch," Max murmured again, as he slipped his hand between them, and slowly stroked Michael’s erection.

Michael stifled a cry against Max’s cheek, longing to moan loudly at the sudden intimacy of Max’s touch.

Instead, a sharp knock interrupted their ecstasy, and they stepped immediately apart, Max’s heart pounding frantically until he heard Liz’s soft voice. "Max?" She called.

Max stared at Michael, who stood breathing raggedly after their brief encounter. Max traced his thumb across Michael’s lips, drying them, but knew there was nothing he could do about the way Michael’s face had flushed so quickly.

Max turned and again moved his open hand across the lock, then opened the door. Liz smiled, glancing quickly between them both. "Michael, the orders are backing up…and people are asking where you are."

"Yeah, yeah…I’m coming," Michael grumbled, smoothing out his disheveled clothes.

Liz laughed, smiling coyly as she glanced between them. "I don’t doubt that you’d like to come, but I think that has to wait."

"Tell him that," Michael argued with mock irritation, gesturing toward Max, but before Michael could step into the hallway, Max yanked him back into the bathroom.

Max drew his mouth close to Michael’s ear, yet his eyes never left Liz as he spoke loudly enough for her to hear. "If I can get over here later, I’ll make sure you both come all you want then."

And with those words, Max stepped past Michael, stopping to kiss Liz briefly where she stood waiting in the hallway.

If it doesn’t happen sooner than that, Michael thought as he watched their kiss deepen. And as he glanced down at Liz’s snuggly fitting "seduction pants", Michael had a strong feeling that she was going to give Max a serious run for the money tonight.