|
|
|
Once Upon a Lifetime – By Kazza Part 26
The following week, the office became a buzz of excitement as Christmas and Thanksgiving grew closer. First thing on Monday morning, Liz and Maria proceeded to decorate the office with streamers, banners and tinsel to help everyone get into the Christmas spirit. Climbing on a chair, Maria proceeded to pin up one end of a large streamer, with Liz on the other side of the office with the other end. “Ahhh, I can ……… only ……… just ………. reach.” Maria said as she stretched to pin the streamer up. “Hmm, I sense a potential health and safety violation here. I hope neither of you will sue if you fall of those chairs!” Max commented, coming out of his office, seeing Maria precariously teetering on the edge of a chair and Liz standing on a tall filling cabinet. “Rest assured dear boss, we won’t sue.” Liz replied smiling at him. “You know, all you have to do is ask and I’ll help out.” Max offered, not wanting any injury to afflict his staff. “No chance! This is one of the few fun jobs around at the moment.” Maria replied, jumping down from the chair and moving its location. “Ok, just don’t break any bones. And you know where I am if you need me.” Max said, admitting defeat and heading back into his office. Somehow he knew it wouldn’t do his nerves any good to watch Liz and Maria teeter on the edge of chairs or filing cabinets in dangerous predicaments. “Ok, now this one will need to be a bit higher, or we’ll hang somebody on it!” Liz informed, watching Maria struggle to reach. For Liz it was much easier as she was standing on a higher object, but Maria had to make do with a chair. Realising there was no way she would reach, Maria got down and found another chair to load on top of the first chair. This gave her just enough height to stand on her tiptoes and reach up. As she pushed hard on the pin to sink it into the wall, Maria felt the chair below her wobble, and suddenly she lost her balance. Letting go of the streamer, Maria let out a cry as gravity took over and she tumbled towards the fast approaching ground. The hard floor she expected to meet at the end of the fall never materialised. For a few moments her mind was a blur, she wasn’t sure what had happened or why she felt no pain in her body. But then she became aware of a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist and a pair of dark brown piercing eyes staring down to her and she realised her fall had been broken. Staring up from her position in his arms, Maria felt her whole body melt. His hot eyes felt like they were burning holes in her head, his lips soft, his cheeks flushed with a red tinge. The rest of the office dissolved around them as Maria tried hard to remember how to breath. Her heart had stopped the moment he’d caught her, and she wasn’t sure if it would ever start again. “Erm ……… hi” She stumbled. “Hit to you too. Erm I’d ask what you were doing, but I think it was pretty obvious you were trying to break your neck ……… are you ok?” Michael asked as he helped her to stand up properly. “Oh, erm yeah …… I’m fine. Breaking my neck wasn’t supposed to be on the agenda, we were just putting up some decorations.” She replied, her face turning a scarlet shade of red that she’d fallen into him. “Oh
right, and creating an obstacle course is part of the ritual I guess?”
He joked. “I concur Michael, you’re not supposed to be here.” Max said, helping Liz down from her vantage point on top of the filing cabinet. He’d heard the commotion from inside his office and had come to investigate. “I got time off for good behaviour.” Michael whipped back, smiling at his friend. “What
do you mean?” “Sorry.” She mumbled feeling her face flush bright red once again. “Ok,
so you’ve been discharged from hospital, but still, why are you here?” “Ok,
I *need* to come back to work. Please
Max, I’m going stir crazy staring at walls all day.” “Sure.” She replied. Once all the decorations had been put up and Max and Michael had disappeared into their respective offices, Maria let out a groan that she’d been holding since being held in Michael’s arms. “Oh
god that was just *so* embarrassing.” She
said, sitting down in a chair. “Mmm!
But why did it have to be Michael?” “Ok
no I guess it would have been just as embarrassing, but, oh god he already
thinks I’m clumsy enough.” She
complained. “What
makes you think that?” “Yeah right, get real girl!” Maria chirped back, before grabbing a piece of tinsel and draping it across her computer screen. Maria knew if Liz continued her line of the conversation she’d blush with embarrassment. As they continued with their task, Maria couldn’t help but think about what Liz had said. Her friend had been right; it was a smouldering look he’d given her. At first she’d thought she was imagining things, but if Liz had seen it also then maybe it had happened. Shaking her head, Maria tried to rid her brain of the look, knowing there was no point in getting her hopes up, only for Michael to dash them once again. A little while later that morning, Alex headed over to Liz’s desk. “Here you go Liz, the list for the Christmas Party.” Alex said, handing her a computer disk. “Great, thanks Alex. How many people are there?” “Erm,
about 215 I think.” “So,
what are you doing with the invitations?” “Wow, that’s really cool!” Alex said enthusiastically. “Thanks, it was fun actually.” Liz replied smiling, proud of her achievement. Dropping the proof off on the way, Liz and Maria headed to their usual café for lunch. “So, have you got a date to take to the Christmas Party?” Maria asked after they had ordered their food. “Erm, well I guess I ……….. I have got someone in mind.” Liz replied slightly cagily. “Oooh! Who is he? Do I know him? Why haven’t I met him yet? Is he nice?” Maria asked excitedly. “Relax Maria! Things have been pretty manic around here over the last few weeks. I promise you’ll get to meet him in two weeks time at the party.” Liz replied calmly. “So ……… what’s he like? Come on Liz I need details!” Maria squealed. “He’s really kind and sweet, a perfect gentleman.” Liz replied, not giving too much away. The last thing she wanted was Maria to guess the identity of her ‘mystery man’ before the party. Liz had a feeling if Maria knew about her relationship with her boss, it wouldn’t be long before everyone would know. “And ……..?” “And
what?” “I’m not sure, I’ll have to consult my little black book. You know I’m having to fight them off right now!” Maria joked. “Yeah
right! What about Michael?” “Yeah well it doesn’t matter how I feel. I can’t kid myself any longer that Michael has feelings for me. I’m twenty two years old Liz, I have to think about finding a man who will appreciate me for who I am, instead of following my heart and getting it broken.” Maria said sadly. “Oh Maria, don’t talk like that. I know Michael cares for you. I saw the way he looked at you when he caught you. I know he might not show it, but I know he has feelings for you.” “Then why doesn’t he show it or tell me?” Maria challenged. “I
don’t know. He’s a man and men
are afraid to admit their true feelings.” “Erm
………… no actually, he’s been pretty honest with his feelings to me.” “Mmm, perhaps.” Liz replied, her mind quickly beginning to form a plan. “Oooh
Liz, you’ve got to introduce me!” As she tucked into her food, Liz’s mind went into hyper drive. She knew her assumptions about Michael’s feelings for Maria were right. Who was she to deny two people who obviously liked each other but just needed a push in the right direction? A little match making never hurt anyone!
Part 27
The week of Evan’s Associates annual Christmas party came round very quickly, and Liz couldn’t help but worry. She was afraid something was going to go horribly wrong, maybe the band wouldn’t turn up, or the hotel would double book or something. All attendees were important clients of the firm, and a good impression relayed to them was essential. All totally irrational thoughts but, having been the one to organise everything, she wanted the evening to be perfect. Max had tried to alleviate her fears, telling her that no matter what he was proud she’d done so well, and that after all it was only a party. It was late on Monday evening, the office was deserted except for Liz, Max and Michael. Although Max had tried to persuade his friend to take things easy on his return to work, Michael hadn’t heeded the advice. “Liz?
What are you still doing here, I thought you’d gone ages ago.” Max asked, stepping out of his office and shocked to see her
still busy working “Can’t
it wait until tomorrow? It’s nearly 7.30pm.”
Max offered. “What
is it you’re doing? Is it
something I can help with?” “You look really tired Liz, please, you should go home. It’s not important enough to keep you here all night.” He countered. “But I’ve still got thirty more guests to fit into the room. And they’re the ones that are awkward, that can’t be placed beside certain other clients.” She replied. “Really Liz, it can wait until tomorrow, those thirty guests will still be there, I promise! You’ve really got to stop worrying about this party, I am sure everything will be perfect and nothing will go wrong. But if it does it does, it’s not the end of the world.” He assured her. “But it would be to me. This is the first time I’ve organised anything like this on such a large scale and I want everything to be just right, including making sure people who don’t like each other are sat as far away as possible.” “Ok, then let me help.” He said, pulling the chair from Maria’s desk round and sitting down. If she was determined to stay late to finish it, the least he could do was help out. Stepping outside his office, Michael looked in the direction of the voices. He’d thought Max was still hard at work, but was surprised to see Liz there also. As he watched Max lean in towards his secretary to look at the computer screen, he saw the look in Liz’s eyes that were watching her boss. She had a shying expression on her face, a cute smile tugging at the edges of her mouth, and she was nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. “Hmmm.” He thought to himself, “I think my friend might have found himself a secret admirer. She’s cute and so obvious even though she’s trying to hide it. I bet Max hasn’t even noticed yet!” He though, watching Max point to something on the computer screen. Max’s face was obscured from Michael’s view, but had he been able to see it, Liz and Max’s secret would have been revealed in spectacular fashion. Although Max knew he had to keep his guard up, being so close to Liz was playing havoc with his self control. Her soft, shinny hair was just begging to be touched, her sparkling eyes dancing around, and her shy, cute smile he just loved so much. It took every ounce of his control not to pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately. Had the office been empty he certainly wouldn’t have hesitated, but the potential that Michael could catch them gnawed away inside his mind. Slipping quietly back inside his office, Michael returned to his desk and started packing away his things. Muttering to himself, Michael thought about if he should mention Liz’s potential crush on her boss. Deciding that it was perhaps best left, knowing either Liz would ‘grow out of it’ or Max would eventually ‘open his eyes’ and notice. Grabbing his jacket from the coat stand, Michael headed out of his office once more, this time making more noise so his friend and colleague would hear him. “You off Michael?” Max asked, looking up. “Yeah,
I’ve done my stint for today. Working
late?” “Well, see you tomorrow.” Michael said as he headed out the main door and down the stairs to the underground car park. “I thought he’d never leave.” Max mumbled, finally giving into temptation and pulling Liz into a passionate kiss. “Mmm, what about the seating plan?” Liz breathed against his lips. “Sit them on the floor if you have to, we’ve got more important things to do!” He replied, slipping his hands under her cream knitted top and running them up Liz’s bare side. “Perhaps ………. we should ……….. adjourn to your ……… office? More private?” Liz suggested in between kisses. “Hold that thought.” He said, breaking their clinch and heading over to the main doors of the office. Reaching up, he pulled across the bolt that had been installed after the incident. Safe in the knowledge there would be no more interruptions, Max took Liz by the hand, and lead them into his office. After closing the door, he leant in and kissed her, carrying on where they’d left off outside. His hands ran up the inside of her top, riding it up to reveal her bare flesh. Pulling the top up and over her head, Max placed light kisses along her shoulder blade and around her neck, before returning to her sensual lips. Her nimble fingers made light work of his tie and before long his white shirt was opened up to reveal his gloriously muscular chest. Tracing her fingers over his well-defined muscles, Liz looked at Max. Her eyes stared up at him, big, wide and full of surprisement. “What?” He whispered, nibbling at her ear. “I can’t believe you’re loosing control, here in your office.” She replied. “You make me loose control.” He breathed against her bare flesh. Slipping the button of her skirt undone and pushing it to the floor, Max lead them over to the black leather sofa and sat down. Pulling Liz down with him, she sat on his lap, her hips taking on a will of their own as she rocked against him. Placing his hands on her hips to slow her movements, Max kissed her aching breasts. Leaning into his touch, Liz felt like she was going to burn up from inside out. The windows in Max’s office started to steam up under the intense passion filling the room. Pure need drove them both on, as they craved more of the feelings flooding every fibre of their bodies. Joining as one, their emotions intensified, as they pushed towards their mutual goal. Finally tumbling over the edge together, they clung on tight to one another as they rode out wave after wave of amazing feelings that washed over them both. They stayed in their clinch for a few minutes, both trying to catch their breath after the onslaught of feelings to their brains. The sound of heaving chests desperately dragging in much needed air filled the atmosphere, neither wanting to say a word for fear of breaking the perfect moment. Finally knowing they had to break apart, Liz gently eased off Max’s lap and started to gather up her clothes that had been strewn across the floor of Max’s office. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to come into this office without thinking about you now.” Max said, buttoning up his shirt before encircling his arms around Liz’s waist. “Mmm,
I know that feeling. I’ll admit
it though, I thought keeping a professional distance at work would be easy, but
that isn’t so. I …… I can’t
think straight when you’re around. All
I need is a breeze of your cologne and my head starts spinning.”
Liz admitted. Melting into his arms once more, Liz couldn’t believe how quickly her own body reacted to his touch. It was just a simple kiss, but she felt ready for so much more. They’d just made love, but the hunger inside her raged once again as his body brushed against hers. She could feel his need heightening once more and she couldn’t help but smile against his lips, safe in the knowledge that it was she who cause the affect on him. “If we keep this up we’ll still be here tomorrow morning and that really will cause a scene.” Liz said as she reluctantly broke their kiss. “I know, you’re right, we should go. But soon we won’t have to worry about keeping our relationship a secret, soon we’ll be able to be open.” Max replied, as they started to walk out of his office. “We
need to keep a professional front up though, I don’t want anyone thinking I
get special treatment because of you.” “I should hope not! That’s just for private.” Liz replied as they headed down to the underground car park. “Hmm, we never did get to finish that table plan.” She announced as they climbed into Max’s car. ”I thought we’d agreed to sit them on the floor?” Max replied seriously. “Max!” Liz exasperated. “Joking! Don’t worry about it, we can sort it out tomorrow. Really Liz, you have to stop worrying about the party. There’s four more days to go yet, and you’ll make yourself ill if you keep this up. Nothing is going to go wrong, but if it does then so be it. I don’t expect it to be perfect, you can’t accommodate for human error. Did I tell you about the time a waiter poured red wine over the wife of Mr Brookes, the Managing Director of Anderson Associates?” “What? Oh my god, what happened?” Liz said, totally shocked. Anderson Associates was one of the firm’s biggest clients, and Mr Brookes was a notoriously hard businessman. “She
was horrified, and made the hotel pay for her dress to be dry-cleaned, but in
the end it was fine. It was human
error Liz, plain and simple. Now please stop worrying!” “Now, since you worked late, how about I make it up to you by taking you out to dinner?” Max offered. “That would be great.” She replied. “How about desert back at my place?” She added playfully. Over dinner, Liz broached the subject of Maria and Michael, and her ideas of ‘match-making’. “Normally
I wouldn’t partake in such ruthless pushing together of two people, but in
this case I’ll make an exception. I’ve
noticed for a while that Michael likes Maria, and his actions when that gun was
pointed at her only confirmed my suspicions.
The only problem is Michael is stubborn, he’s not gonna want to be set
up with someone easily.” “You know it’ll do them good to push them together. If we leave it to Michael and Maria they’ll be too stubborn to make the first move.” “I know you’re right, but I’m not sure if Michael will let me try and set him up with someone. He has nearly lynched Isabelle each time she’s tried it.” “Oh but you’re his best buddy, he won’t say no to you.” Liz said, batting her eyelids. “Mmm,
we’ll see. Look I can’t promise
anything, but I’m willing to give it a go.
In the end the worse he can do is say no.” As he sat across the restaurant table from her, Max felt the love he had for Liz flow freely through his veins. Her smile when he agreed to talk to Michael was practically radiant, her eyes danced with excitement as she planned her matchmaking. Right then, Max knew if Liz had asked him to walk to the ends of the earth and back, he would have done it. No matter what, if it made her happy and kept her smiling, he would fly to the moon and back without hesitation. Never before had he felt such strong feelings for someone. Yes he thought he’d loved Tess, but as soon as he met Liz, he knew it wasn’t love he felt for Tess, it wasn’t even close. With Liz it was definitely the real thing, she brightened his day, made him happy with a simple smile, made his heart skip a beat and pulse race with a simple touch, yes this was real love. Taking a mouthful of chilled white wine, Max thought about how great it would be stepping out to the Christmas Party with such a beauty on his arm. He knew that his friends and family would probably be shocked and surprised by his choice of partner, after all Liz was his secretary, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait for the day he proudly showed Liz off to everyone, giving her the rightful place as his girlfriend and not just his secretary. He was sure once everyone knew about them it would be a weight of both their shoulders, making them less jumpy when people surprised them. Not having to sneak around was something he longed for. “Only a couple more days.” He thought to himself.
TBC ……………………?
Click here to jump to Parts 28 to 29
Click here to return to the Story Index Page
|
