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Once
Upon a Lifetime – By Kazza
Part
2
“Right Liz, I know it’s your first day here and everything, but there are a couple of things I want to you know. Firstly I’d like you to adopt something that Anna hasn’t been able to master, that is calling me Max instead of Mr Evans. This is a relaxed office and to be honest I keep expecting to look over my shoulder and see my father behind me every time she says that!” “Certainly Mr Eva …. Sorry, Max.” Liz said correcting herself just in time. Mmm, calling him Max was going to be strange. Her previous boss always insisted on being called Mr Watson, a formality that didn’t necessarily bother Liz, but calling Mr Evans, Max, would take some getting used to. “Great, now secondly, I do like my coffee. I know it’s not good for me so please save the lecture. Anna had been trying now for over a year to make me change to herbal tea or something, but caffeine is a must for my job and concentration levels. So, putting a fresh pot of coffee on regularly throughout the day is essential.” “Sure, that’s no problem.” Liz replied scribbling the details down on her pad. “And the only other thing for now is I insist you take your allocated one hour lunch break. I don’t care what Michael or Isabelle say on the subject, we work long hours here and an hour’s break is an essential part of keeping a clear head and thinking straight. So, if anyone ever complains at you for taking it, send them to me and I’ll sort them out.” He said smiling warmly at her. “Ok, thank you.” She replied polity. Liz was certainly pleased about the 1hour lunch break. She had been supposed to have it at her previous job, but Mr Watson always seemed to have something urgent for her to do just before 1.00pm, so often she would only have time to eat a sandwich at her desk. “Ok, well I think that’s about it for now. Anna will show you around and help you learn the ropes this week, then after that it’s all yours.” He replied as she stood up. “Great, thank you.” She replied heading out of the office. As she headed back to her desk, she caught a glimpse of the young junior lawyer, Robin Ward, who smiled and winked at her before looking away. “Mmm, he’s quite hot.” She thought to herself. “Definite potential.” Another voice inside her head added. “Hi Liz. So, has Mr Evans given you the low down on his coffee ritual?” Anna asked smiling “Erm
yeah, he has actually.” Liz replied hesitantly. “Liz, have you typed those notes yet? My meeting is in 30 minutes, those notes are very important, and I need to check through them first.” Isabelle called over the intercom. “Oh Yes Miss Evans, I’ll bring them in right away.” Liz replied hastily, before grabbing the typed notes from the printer and hurrying to her office. “Good, now I’ll check through them and come back with any mistakes or alterations you need to do. I need six copies, stapled together, before my clients arrive.” Isabelle said, not looking up from reading the notes Liz had given her. “Oh and it’s Isabelle, not Miss Evans.” She added sharply before dismissing the girl. “Yes mam. “ Liz added before bolting quickly from the room. The coldness in Isabelle’s voice troubled Liz, she couldn’t decide whether Isabelle actually liked her or not. Max had been nothing but kind since the interview, but Isabelle was something else. She hadn’t had much to do with Michael yet, so she couldn’t pass judgement on him, but she really didn’t know how to handle Isabelle. Liz found herself feeling very nervous around her female boss, stumbling over words and involuntarily shaking slightly. Knowing she’d have to get a grip if she was going to do things right, Liz decided she’d have to win Isabelle round, no matter what it took. “Don’t take it personally Liz, Isabelle is like that with everyone.” Maria informed as they all sat down to lunch at the local cafe. Maria had taken it upon herself to take Liz under her wing, and make her aware of the real side of the people she worked with. That started with going out to lunch with the juniors and getting to know them better. “She isn’t that bad ‘ria.” Alex piped up before taking a large bite of his cheeseburger. “Oh
yeah Liz, one thing you should definitely know.
You can’t say anything even remotely bad about darling, sweet Isabelle
round Alex, ‘cause he has a major, major crush on her!”
Maria squealed as the two girls giggled. “Yeah thanks guys, I know where not to come for support!” Alex grumbled. “Oh Alex, don’t get in a tizzy over it! We’re not going to tell Princess Frosty are we?” Maria replied, trying to calm him down. “Princess Frosty?” Liz asked slightly confused. She’d heard Maria and Sally joke about ‘Princess Frosty’ at work, but she’d not been in a position to find out whom they were talking about, and certainly hadn’t associated it with Isabelle. “Yeah, that’s our nickname for Isabelle, because of her Icy and frosty personality. Then there’s Mr Spiky, that’s Michael ‘cause of his hair obviously, and his prickly personality. You really don’t wanna get too close to him in the mornings or he’ll bite your head off. Mr Spiky just isn’t a morning person.” Maria informed. “Oh, right, and what about Max, what’s his nickname?” She asked, intrigued as to what they called him. She found it hard to believe that Max had a ‘bad’ side, with her he always seemed to be happy, smiling and the perfect gentleman. “He’s Mr Control Freak. Max has to be in control of everything, otherwise he freaks out. You’ll know when he’s getting like that ‘cause he’ll start pacing around the office and hanging over your shoulder. Normally it’s when he’s waiting for something you’re typing and he thinks it’ll make you type faster if he hovers over you. Just a tip, when he gets like that, give him some coffee to calm him down, it works every time.” Maria replied, taking a mouthful of her coke as Liz giggled. “So Liz, what about you? What’s your personality trait?” Robin asked looking at the raven haired girl. “Mmm,
I’m not really sure, I don’t really have a personality trait.
I guess if I had to choose something, I’d say I’m quite shy, and
I’m not really comfortable around people I don’t really know.”
She replied softly. “I don’t really drink thanks.” She added quietly. “Mmm, I could have some fun here!” Robin thought to himself as he chuckled inwardly. “So Liz, what about your boyfriend, what does he do?” Robin probed. “Actually, I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment.” She replied shyly. Spilling personal information about herself was not something Liz liked doing, especially around practical strangers. The skeletons in her closet were not ones she wanted to divulge to potential new friends; no they were definitely best kept hidden deep inside that proverbial closet. Yet she could hardly brush off his questions; that would be very rude and would probably get them suspicious, and she certainly didn’t want them to get the wrong impression of her. “Really, that’s interesting, I don’t have a girlfriend either right now.” Robin replied smiling a sweet but sickly false smile that showed all his teeth. “Calm down Robin, control those raging male hormones already will you! Poor Liz has barely been here five minutes and already you’re hitting on her!” Maria complained feeling protective of her new friend. “Hey, I’m a guy ‘Ria, what can I say!” He replied defending himself. As she sat opposite him, Liz kept quiet. In truth she didn’t really mind him hitting on her, if she was honest, she actually found him quite cute. He was certainly the blue eyed, blond haired Californian beach guy, with a great personality, and a hot sense of humour, who wouldn’t fancy him? It wasn’t that she was looking for a guy in her life at that moment, that would complicate things. But, if the right person happened to come along and notice her, then Liz wasn’t about to turn him away. “Really, it’s ok Maria, I think I can just about handle myself.” Liz replied, touched by her new friend’s protectiveness but also wanting to show everyone she wasn’t a pushover. “Really? She can handle herself. Even better!” Robin chuckled inwardly to himself. By the end of the first week, Liz was slowly getting to grips with the job, and it was Anna’s last day. Maria decorated her desk with balloons and flowers, it being her way of saying goodbye, good luck and that she’d miss her. It was true, Maria would miss Anna, but Maria also liked her replacement very much. Liz and Maria had hit it off straight away, and Maria hoped they’d become really good friends. Since she’d moved from her small hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, leaving all her friends and family behind, Maria missed having a girlfriend to do girly things with. She missed going on all day shopping sessions, or having girly video feasts with ice cream and chocolate where they gossiped about the latest fashions or guys. Yes, she really hoped that her friendship with Liz would blossom into more than just office buddies. She knew she’d have to watch out for Liz as well though. Maria had caught the quick glances and lovey smiles Robin had been flashing at the new girl all week. It wasn’t that she had anything against Robin; he was certainly a good worker, but boyfriend material? That was a different matter. Maria was afraid he might eat Liz alive! She wasn’t sure, but Maria didn’t think Liz had had too much experience in the boyfriend department. Liz seemed to have a naïve quality about her, and naivety was something Robin could smell a mile away. He certainly wasn’t inexperienced, his reputation of being quite the jack-the-lad when it came to women was common knowledge amongst his friends, but Liz was new. Maria didn’t want to scare her away, after all it was purely a rumour about Robin and she had no basis to form a true judgement on, but all the same Maria felt she needed to protect her new friend. Unbeknown to Maria, someone else was also looking out and keeping an eye on the new girl in the office. He had observed her throughout the week from his office, carefully making sure she wasn’t aware of his presence or intense stare. He too had seen her interaction with the junior lawyer, and he too was concerned for the young girl. Robin had never been his favourite member of staff, he had been Michael’s choice since he worked mainly for Michael, but there was something about him, something Max couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he didn’t like him. He would never admit it, but part of his disliking for Robin was certainly fuelled by the pangs of jealously he felt every time he watched them disappear for lunch, or simply interact around the coffee machine. It was simple, innocuous movements, a slight touch of hands when reaching for a cup, a quick glance, or a shy smile, but it was enough to turn the calm, mild mannered lawyer green with envy. He had never felt it before, but he suddenly felt an overwhelming pull towards her. Each time she came to his office, the scent of her coconut hair shampoo mixed with her sweet flowery jasmine scented perfume filled the air and lingered there for what seemed like hours. Her beaming smile and bundles of enthusiasm for every job, no matter how trivial it was, made it a joy to work with her. Despite his attraction to the raven-haired beauty, Max knew he wasn’t about to act upon the impulse. He was her boss after all, she his secretary. It wouldn’t do to have an office relationship and become the centre of gossip; he was the boss and needed to keep a professional distance and maintain his self-control. No, he would just keep watching her from afar like he had been doing all week, making sure she didn’t get in too deep, and if she did, he’d be right there beside her ready to pull her out.
Part 3 “Ok, so we’ll meet you in the bar as soon as you’ve finished.” Maria said to Liz before leaving the office. They were all off to the local bar ‘Riccos’ for Anna’s farewell gathering. Liz had been meant to go with them, that was until Isabelle had given her something that needed to be typed that night, so she had to stay to finish it. “You still here Liz? Aren’t you supposed to be with the others?” Max asked, walking out of the office and surprised to still see her furiously typing away. “Oh, yes, Isabelle asked me to finish this first.” Liz replied as Max peered over her shoulder at the work on her screen. “Isabelle’s just being petty, this can wait till Monday.” He insisted. “No really, I don’t mind.” She countered, not wanting to upset her other boss. “Nonsense, start packing up, I’ll be back shortly.” He replied heading off to Isabelle’s office. “Is, you got a moment?” He asked peering round the corner of her door. “Of course Max, what is it?” She asked looking up from the pile of papers on her desk “I’ve told Liz to pack up and follow the others to the bar.” He said casually. “But she hasn’t finished my typing yet, I want that finished today. That’s not fair Max, you have no right to tell her it’s ok to leave!” She complained “Isabelle, this
is me you’re talking to, not Liz. Remember
I know that you’re going away for the whole weekend with Brad, and I’m sure
work will be the last thing on your mind.” “If you’re not going to look at it until Monday then why? Do you have something against Liz, is there some reason that you don’t like her? Because I can see no other reason why you’d make her stay behind while everyone is having fun, for some typing that can easily wait till Monday.” He said looking straight at his sister. “It’s nothing
against Liz, I just want it finished.” “Ok, ok, fine.” She huffed admitting defeat before pulling her jacket off the back of her chair. “Great.” He said disappearing out of her office. “You ready Liz? We’re going to walk with ……….. hey, I thought I told you to pack up.” He said walking back to still see her working away. “Sorry, but erm ……..” She stumbled, looking for a good enough reason why she’d ignored his orders to clear up. “No buts Liz, it’s Friday evening for goodness sake, go and enjoy yourself.” He insisted as Liz reluctantly closed down her computer. Inside ten minutes, the three of them plus Michael entered Riccos. It was quite a lively place, a bar area and a dance floor with music pumping out, crammed full of business people who had finished work for the week and needed to unwind. It wasn’t something Max usually did, socialising with his colleagues apart from Michael and Isabelle, he preferred to keep a professional distance since he was their boss. But this was a special occasion, Anna was his secretary, he couldn’t very well not attend. “Ok, drinks?” Max offered as they found the others. After obtaining everyone’s orders, he headed to the bar to order. “Walking in with
the bosses, girl? You’d better be careful or people will start getting the
wrong impression.” Maria joked. “So Liz, you up for a little dancing later?” Robin asked hopefully. “Mmm, I might be able to be persuaded.” She replied smiling warmly at him. “Guys, drinks.” Max said, getting everyone’s attention. Once the drinks had been issued out, everyone chatted away. Some talking with Anna about the baby, others about the forthcoming baseball match the following day, and some invariably discussing work. Although he tried his best not to, Max couldn’t help talking about a case he was to be trying the following week. Work was so much a part of his life, sometimes it felt like he didn’t own a social life away from the office. He didn’t expect anyone’s sympathy, it was his choice after all, but occasionally he did wish there was something or perhaps someone to take his mind off it. “Ok, who’s up for letting their hair down and dancing?” Maria asked. “Count me in!” Alex jumped “Oh yeah, as always. Liz?” Robin asked. “Sure, why not.” She replied as they all got up and headed to the dance floor. It wasn’t a particularly big dance floor, which meant everyone was fairly close together. “Right Max, I’ve shown my face, I’m off now.” Isabelle said as she placed her empty wine glass down on the table. “Yeah me too, I’ve done my stint.” Michael added. As she looked at her brother, Isabelle couldn’t help but notice the vacant look on his face. “Max? Are you listening?” She called shaking his arm. “Huh? What?” He replied vaguely. Isabelle had been right, he wasn’t listening to her, in fact her voice was the last thing in his mind. Instead, he had been staring intently at the others dancing. It was a fairly slow song, and Robin had eagerly partnered up with Liz. They weren’t too close, holding hands, but it was too much for Max. He could feel his blood begin to boil as the song came to an end and Robin leant over and kissed Liz’s cheek. She had giggled softly, her face lighting up, and Max couldn’t help the pangs of jealousy that ran hot through his veins. “Sorry Is, I was
miles away, you were saying?” He
said trying to cover up what he had been doing. “Yeah and I said I’m gonna shoot too.” Michael added. “Oh, well ok then, I guess I’ll just stay for a few more minutes to finish my drink. Hey Michael, stay for a bit longer won’t you? Keep me company, please?” He asked hopefully, looking at the half empty bottle of Bud in his hand. “Well ………. ok, I guess I could do a few more minutes.” His friend reluctantly replied. “Well I’ll see you on Sunday evening then. You might wanna remind mum I won’t be round for dinner on Sunday though.” Isabelle said, kissing her brother’s cheek. “Sure, no problem.” He replied before she disappeared through the crowd and out the front door of the bar. The dancing group returned a few minutes later, with both Liz and Maria in fits of giggles over something. Leaning in to pick up her drink from the table, Maria lost her balance as the giggles ravaged her body. Slipping, she fell towards the edge, and felt certain she was about to crash into the table. Suddenly she felt a pair of strong hands take hold of her tightly to break her fall. Unsure where the arms had come from, when she was eventually righted, Maria looked up. To her surprisement, Michael stared back down at her, his hands gripping her shoulders strongly to stop her toppling over. “Erm …….. thanks.” She stumbled, feeling the embarrassment from her toes to her head. “It’s no problem.” He mumbled, dropping his hands from her body, stuffing them in his trouser pocket and looking down at the floor. As she watched him, Maria couldn’t help but realise how sweet he was. It was obvious he was embarrassed about holding her, but then again he’d saved her from crashing right into the drinks table. Throwing a small smile towards him when he eventually lifted his head, Maria went back to concentrating on her friends, all the while remembering the feeling of his hands on her body. The following week was fairly quiet for Liz and the others in the office. Max and Isabelle were in court for most of the time, trying an important case, leaving only Michael around to give out work. It gave Liz time to get to grips with the filing system in the photocopier room. It was a fairly small room, with just the photocopier and cabinets that ran the length of the room full of various files. It took her time, but Liz knew it would be good to know where everything was, that way when Max or the others needed something she could find it without too much trouble. “So, this is where you’re hiding out.” Robin said cheekily as he entered the small room. “I’m not sure if hiding out is the right word. I’m just trying to familiarise myself with this huge filing system. There must be well over two thousand different cases in here, do they ever throw anything away?” “Nah, Max is a real hoarder, he says you never know when you might need to refer back to a case for information.” Robin replied, pulling open the large drawer beside him and flicking through some of the files. “Well I’m glad I didn’t have to set this system up then.” Liz added pulling out another file. “So Liz, I was just wondering, you know …………. if you’re doing anything tonight?” He asked not looking at her. ”Erm nothing I can think of. Are you asking me out Robin?” She asked directly. “Well Miss Parker, I think I might be.” He replied smoothly. “Ok then, why not.” She replied smiling. “Great.” He added before taking the file and disappearing out of the room. As she stood in the room Liz’s heart skipped a beat. She had been there barely a week and already one of the cutest guys in the office had asked her out. Smiling happily, she continued to busy herself with the filing system, while all the time her mind was occupied firmly on her date that evening. “Hello baby.” Liz said as she opened her front door and was greeted by her black tabby cat. “Oh I bet you’re hungry aren’t you Tabby? Come on let’s get you some food.” Liz said walking into the kitchen. After putting her cat down on the floor, Liz opened the cupboard door and took out a tin of cat food. Tabby darted around Liz’s feet as he waited patiently for his dinner to be served. Placing the dish on the floor, Liz stroked her pet’s head. “I’m sorry Tabby, but I won’t be able to cuddle up with you on the sofa in front of the TV tonight. I’ve got a date, yeah I know I can’t remember the last time I went out with a guy. I guess I’d better get ready.” She said, her cat blissfully unaware of Liz’s words as he tucked into the food. After a long hot shower, Liz delved into her closet to find something to wear. They were going out for a meal at a small local Italian restaurant, but Liz just couldn’t decide what to wear. She tried on various outfits, Her short black dress, smart charcoal grey trousers, short light blue skirt. Clothes went flying as she searched for ages, desperate to find just the right outfit. She didn’t want to give Robin the wrong impression, but then again she didn’t want him to think she was frumpy and boring. In the end she chose black trousers that finished just before her ankles, baby blue top with a v neck that accentuated her bust, and strappy black sandals. As she stood in front of the full length mirror in her room, Liz was pleased with her appearance. Her long brown hair had been curled slightly at the bottom to give it some body, and just a small amount of make up. “Yeap, I think this will do perfectly.” She said to herself as the doorbell went. Grabbing her jacket from the hall, Liz opened the door. “Hi.” She said as Tabby snaked around her feet. “Hi. You look really nice.” He replied kissing her cheek. “Thanks, you too.” She added, pushing Tabby back inside the house and closing the door. “Ready to eat now?” He asked, opening the door to his car for her. “Sounds good.” She replied getting inside and reaching for her seatbelt. Through out their meal, Liz and Robin talked about all sorts of things. Robin battered on about his obsession, American Football and the Super Bowl that was coming up the following month. “The Miami Dolphins are my favourite team, my dad used to take me to see them all the time when we lived in Miami. Gus Ornstein is a great acquisition for the team too, I mean we need some competition for our quarterback position and he’ll be perfect for the Super Bowl.” Robin prattled on. “Mmm, that’s nice.” Liz replied trying to keep a vacant look off her face. In truth, Liz didn’t know what the heck Robin was going on about. American Football was completely alien to her, as for Gus Ornstein and quarterbacks; well she didn’t have a clue. Sports were not something Liz followed at all, and having no one to introduce her to the so-called ‘joys’, she was happy with being ignorant. “So Liz, what about you, what do you get up to when they let you out of the office?” “Oh I’m pretty
boring I guess, I don’t follow any sports.
Just the usual stuff, shopping, painting my house, looking after Tabby.
Like I said nothing very exciting.”
She replied shifting in her seat. “My parents aren’t around anymore, and I’ve got no brothers or sisters. Just me actually, I don’t have any other family. So, how about you?” She replied feeling uncomfortable. The last thing she needed was to get into a conversation about her family. There were way too many skeletons hiding in her closet and there weren’t any she wanted to share with Robin just yet. “My parents live in New Jersey along with my younger bro Regan. My older brother, Ashton lives in San Francisco with his wife Yvonne. I used to be really close to Ash, but we’ve drifted apart ‘cause of the distance I guess.” He replied taking a sip of his cold beer. “So, how long have you worked at Evans Associates?” She asked trying to steer the conversation away from families. “About two years now. I got the job right after I finished Uni. It’s a good job but I know that I’ll never be able to fulfil my true potential there. I don’t think Max really likes me, and with him and Isabelle being Partners and Michael potentially waiting in the wings, I’ll never get that high up. No, I’ll stay for another year or something then move on. I’ll have the experience I need to be able to join one of the larger law firms.” He replied. Although he hadn’t harboured on it, Liz got the feeling Robin didn’t like Max. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but the way he almost spat out her boss’s name indicated some unrest there. As they walked up the path to Liz’s front door, Robin slipped his arm around her shoulders. It had been warm when they left earlier, but once the sun had gone down, the temperature had dropped quite considerably. “Do you want to come in for a coffee or something?” She asked. “Erm, no, I should get home, I’m in court with Princess Frosty tomorrow so I need to be alert, or at least look it.” “Sure no problem.” She replied smiling. “You’ve got a really pretty smile.” He complemented, lifting his finger and placing it on her lips. His intent stare made Liz feel slightly uncomfortable, she found herself not knowing where to look. Dipping her head, she allowed her long brown hair to slip across her face. Placing his hand under her chin, he lifted it up level with his and bent his head to gently kiss her glossy lips. The connection was only brief, but as Liz disappeared inside and shut the door, she could still feel his lips on hers. It had been a long time since she had been kissed, and she had forgotten what it felt like or how heady it made her head feel. Slipping under the silky covers of her bed, Liz shut her eyes and though of Robin as she fell into her sleepy dream world. Opening her eyes, the sun poured through her light curtains to greet the new day. Rubbing her eyes, Liz proceeded to remember her dream of the previous night. She had fallen asleep thinking of Robin and the kiss they had shared, but in her unconscious state, the dream had rapidly changed. Robin had faded quickly out of her mind, to be replaced by another man, dark brown hair, deep piercing brown eyes and a muscular body. The handsome man had scooped her into his arm, placing kisses all over her body, touching her where she had never been touched before. It had been a very intense dream and Liz just couldn’t get it out of her head. “Oh my god!” She exclaimed to herself as Tabby jumped up onto the bed. “That was Max I was dreaming about!” She added shocked by what her mind had conjured up in her dream. “Well Tabby, it’s a good job Max isn’t in today, I don’t think I could look at him today without blushing after that dream!” She replied stroking the purring cat. “So Liz, how was the date?” Maria quizzed as soon as Liz entered the office. “Very nice thank you.” She replied cagily. “No way Liz, you can’t do this to me. I want details, and I mean full colour details please!” Maria insisted. “There isn’t much to tell you really. We went out to Latinos for dinner and then Robin took me home. I invited him in for coffee but he declined spooning some coffee into the percolator. Even though Max wasn’t in, Liz had got into the habit of making it her first job of each day, so now it was subconscious for her to do. “Oh yeah, what no kisses?” Maria probed. “One ok, nothing spectacular, just a quick kiss. Ok? Is that enough details for you?” Liz asked as the intercom buzzed on her desk. “It’ll do.” Maria grumbled as Liz hit the button to answer it. “Liz, I need you
to take down some dictation please. Oh
and some black coffee would be great if it’s ready.”
Michael said “Be warned I don’t think Mr Spiky is in a good mood today. I think he obviously lacks someone in the sex department you know.” Maria rattled off, oblivious to Liz waving her arms around to try and stop her. “You won’t be in a good mood either if I fire you! Now I am sure you have a lot of work to do Maria, and if you don’t I have plenty of filing that needs to be done!” The voice on the intercom snapped back angrily. “Oh, I’m sorry Mr Guerin.” Maria apologised, horrified that he had heard what she had said. “When you and Ms DeLuca have quite finished Liz.” “Certainly, I’ll be right there.” Liz replied hastily breaking the connection. “Oh my god that was sooo embarrassing, I can’t believe he heard what I said.” Maria wined, placing her head in her hands. “Don’t worry ‘ria, he’ll get over it.” Liz replied rummaging in the cupboard to find Michael’s cup. Throughout the week, Liz and Robin went out twice more, each time getting to know each other even more. They brushed over the subject of Liz’s family, each time Robin brought it up Liz would quickly change the subject. He assumed she must have had a falling out and just didn’t want to talk about it, but in truth Liz didn’t trust him enough to explain what had happened. Each time he dropped her off at the end of the evening, Robin would kiss Liz, soft, gentle kisses but nothing too invading. He acted like the total gentleman. When Max came back into the office the following Friday morning, the first thing he noticed was how Liz and Robin were around each other. No one else was in the office, it was only just past 8.30 am, and he saw Liz perched on the edge of Robin’s desk, giggling softy at something he had said. Although he had no proof, Liz’s body language confirmed that there was definitely something going on with his two employees. As if he needed further proof, as Max walked into his office and turned to shut his door, he caught a glimpse of Robin standing up and leaning over to kiss Liz. Slamming the door shut so that they would know he had arrived, Max thumped his briefcase on his desk and fell down into his chair. Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of the image of Robin and Liz’s kiss, and was still doing that when there was a knock at the door. “Hi, I’ve got your coffee, is there anything else you need right now?” Liz asked breezily. “No, that’s all.” He said briskly before turning away to boot up his computer. As she headed out of his office, Liz didn’t know how to take Max’s attitude towards her. He had been brash, and in a hurry to dismiss her. Perhaps the case last week hadn’t gone well, or maybe he hadn’t had a good weekend. She didn’t know, but as Isabelle strode in with a pile of notes for Liz to type, she quickly forgot about her boss’s attitude that morning. No matter what he did to try and take his mind off it, he always seemed to drift back to that moment earlier in the morning. He couldn’t help but feel jealous as the ease of which Robin leant in to kiss Liz. Max knew it was hopeless, she was a pretty, intelligent girl, of course she’d want a boyfriend, but that didn’t help him. Each day he saw her seemed harder, he had hoped a week away concentrating on the case would dull his growing feels for her, but it was to no avail. If anything, his feelings had been heightened, he had missed her lifting him with her smile when he was down. Little things that she didn’t even realise he noticed or enjoyed. The phone ringing on Max’s desk shook him out of his daydream, and forcing him back down to earth. “Maria, I told you I needed ten copies of this document not two!” Michael snapped, throwing the offending document at the junior secretary. “No, I’m sure you said two.” She said quickly scouting back a couple of pages in her notebook. “Yeah, I clearly wrote down two.” She replied. “I don’t care what you wrote down, I know what I said! I have nine people attending this meeting, why on earth would I only want two?” He asked. “Ok, no problem, I’ll just do some more copies.” Maria replied admitting defeat. “Make it snappy!” He added before sulking off to his office. “God what’s his problem!” Maria exasperated as she stood up and started to remove a staple from one of the reports. “Don’t worry ‘ria, besides I think you like him really.” Liz joked. “Yeah right, don’t make me laugh! Me, like Mr Spiky, no chance, none at all. How could you even think that!” Maria said defensively. “Relax Maria, I was just joking.” Liz replied trying to pacify her friend. Underneath though Liz had seen how quickly Maria had jumped to assure Liz she didn’t like Michael. “Mmm, maybe there’s more going on there than I think. Maybe she really does like him.” She thought to herself as Maria headed off in the direction of the photocopier. Liz was snapped out of her thoughts by the shrill sound of Isabelle’s voice. “Alex, my computer isn’t working right, it keeps coming up with ‘connection failed’.” She said brassily. “No problem, I’ll look at it right away.” He said jumping up instantly and following her like a little puppy. “Definitely a major crush there!” Liz joked to herself as she continued typing. As she waited for Robin to come over that night, Liz revelled in the thought at how well she had fitted in at her new job. She had worried that it would take time, maybe she would struggle with her new colleagues, but in truth it was exactly the opposite. Maria was a wonderful friend, Alex great at making people smile, and of course Robin. It still amazed her how quickly they had got together, and how well their relationship was going. Although they shared very little of the same interests, Liz loved the attention Robin gave her. It had been too long since she had been loved unconditionally, since someone had pulled her into their arms and held her tight. She had often though it would never happen again, and now Robin had walked into her life and embraced her wholeheartedly. Her heart sped up each time she pictured him in her mind. He was amazingly handsome, his eyes always had a cheeky somewhat sexual sparkle that sometimes unnerved her slightly. She was inexperienced and wasn’t always sure how to read it. Yet she tried not to let it bother her, and just be allowed to get carried away with him. “You are really beautiful, you know that Liz?” Robin whispered as they sat on the sofa watching a video. She was lying back against his chest, her knees scooped up to her chest on the sofa. “Thanks.” She replied bashfully. “Don’t be shy.” He added, pushing away so she would turn to face him. “You really are.” He said placing his hand behind her head, pulling her towards him and kissing her. This time it was more passionate than before, wanting to deepen it, he placed a finger on her chin, and pulled it down slightly, persuading her to open her mouth. Pushing her backwards, Robin made Liz lie out on the sofa and he descended upon her. Things were getting heated, kisses were becoming more passionate, everything was rapidly starting to get out of hand. Although she wasn’t happy Liz wasn’t sure what to do, her head felt heady, her mind cloudy, all reasonable thoughts evaporated. She was suddenly brought back down to earth with a bump when she felt his raging need pushing insistently against her thigh. It scared her, it was all too new for her. Desperately needing to slow down, Liz managed to break the kiss and wriggle out from underneath his body, which was no mean feat as he was practically pinning her down. “I just need to take things a bit more slowly.” Liz said honestly before going into the kitchen to get a drink and catch her breath. Diving into the fridge, she took in huge lung fulls of air, needing and wanting to get her rapid breathing back under control. Robin was left sitting stunned in the lounge, never before had a girl spurned his advances. He felt uncomfortable and frustrated, the bulge in his jeans straining against the zip of his trousers. “Damm!” He insisted to himself as Liz returned with a cold larger for him and a can of diet coke for her. “Max, I thought maybe you’d like to come to a party with me and Brad on Friday night.” Isabelle said walking into her brother’s room. Both he and Isabelle had moved out of their parent’s home nearly two years previously, and into an apartment of their own. They had originally thought about buying separate places, but it had just made sense to share a place together as they had had no immediate plans to move in with their respective other halves. “Hum, let me think, work or play gooseberry for the evening with you and Brad? Attractive as it may seem, why on earth would I want to go to an extravagant but very fake party with you and Brad?” Max whipped back, looking up from the papers he was reading. He didn’t normally bring work home, but it was helping to get his mind of Liz. “Oh come on Max, don’t be so boring, you might actually enjoy yourself. Besides, My friend Alexia is going to be there.” Isabelle replied. “Oh I see Is, the real reason you’re inviting me is so that you can set me up with Barbie girl herself Alexia Freeman. No thanks sis, it just isn’t my scene.” Max replied. “Please Max, she really likes you. It’ll do you good to get out of the house and away from work for a change. Besides, Alexia is to besotted on you, you could very easily bring her back here with no struggle at all, and no strings attached. Catch my drift?” Isabelle said wiggling her eyebrows to accentuate her innuendo. “Thank, but I never have and never will participate in casual sex Isabelle, it isn’t my style. I know you don’t like the fact I don’t have someone special in my life, but I am happy. Please just accept I don’t have the spare time a new relationship entails; I have way too much going on at work.” He replied holding up a pile of papers as if to give weight to his argument. “Life doesn’t evolve around work Max. I manage to work hard and still have time for fun, why can’t you?” “Because I don’t want anyone right now Is, please just drop it.” He replied before she stormed out of his room. Placing his head back against the back of the chair, he closed his eyes for a few moments and took in a deep breath. “I don’t want anyone, I just want one special person. A long, dark haired amazingly stunning girl, who brightens up my day with her very existence.” He thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “God why am I torturing myself like this, I can’t have her whether I like it or not.” He added before the image of her drifted into his head once again. “There’s just no hope!” He exasperated as he desperately tried to regain his composure and get his mind back on the work he had to do. Unbeknown to him as he sat in his room, at that very moment, Liz wanted and needed Max’s help. She needed her knight in shinning armour, her silent protector, to ride in and save her from what she didn’t know and couldn’t see was coming her way.
TBC ...........................!
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