Roswell Fanatics

Title: "The Assistant"
Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.
Category: AU
Pairings: M/L, with M/M, A/I, and a bit of M/T.
Rating: Adult
Summary: The arrival of one of the most successful pharmaceutical corporations to Roswell offers Harvard Grad Liz Parker the chance to finally work in her field. But by taking on the job of personal assistant to the Executive Vice President Max Evans, she might be biting off more than she can chew.


Chapter One.

Evans-Harding was a pioneering firm in the field of genetic engineering. In 2010 alone they were responsible for generating nearly $50 billion dollars in sales in the field of consumer healthcare –nearly $10.5 billion alone coming from their experimental autism treatments. Based predominantly in Upstate New York, it was a surprise to all in the town of Roswell when Evans-Harding bought out the old Meta-Chem plant. For Liz Parker, a recent graduate of Harvard University’s biomedical engineering program, this news was a godsend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz had graduated in May up to her eyeballs in debt thanks to her student loans and had begrudgingly moved back in with her parents to make ends meet. If anyone told her eighteen year-old self that even if she did go to Harvard she’d still end up back in Roswell, she wouldn’t have believed them. As it was she was lucky to have a roof over her head and a guaranteed job to help stave off the loan companies even if for a little while.

The turquoise uniform had been waiting for her in her closet when she arrived, the embarrassing alien-antenna headband slug around the hanger. It was a little snugger than it had been when she was sixteen, her hips having filled out a little even if her bust didn’t quite measure up to par. Doing up the snaps she looked at herself in the mirror, ‘This dear, Liz, is as good as its going to get.’

She had easily fallen back into the pattern of waiting on tables, rushing orders out from Jose’ and blending milkshakes behind the bar. The monotony of the day however was broken when a sophisticated looking woman with golden colored hair wandered in. Her perfectly pressed dark suit and stiletto heels that clacked against the linoleum as she walked made all the heads in the Crashdown snap to attention.

Giving the locals a cursory glance, in what one could only assume to be mild distaste, she made her way over to Liz. When Liz did not give her immediate attention, the alien blast was giving her some trouble, she cleared her throat in annoyance.

“Welcome to the Crashdown, may I help you?” She offered with a smile.

“I don’t have much time, a medium half-caf caramel coffee with soy and two splendas.” The woman began fiddling with her blackberry and missed the shocked look on Liz’s face.

“Actually Ma’am, we just have plain old coffee. No caramel, or soy…sorry. We don’t really have much call for that sort of thing here in Roswell.”

“For the love of God, I swear this backwater town is going to kill me. Listen…” The woman’s eyes searched her uniform before falling on her nametag, “—Liz, I am late for a meeting with people more important than you can even imagine. If I don’t get the coffee the way I suggested, I will just have to take my business elsewhere.”

“The nearest Starbucks is in Ruidoso. Head west on 70, you’ll be there in about an hour and a half.”

The customers sitting at the bar choked into their coffees glad to see the young Parker girl putting this out of towner in her place.

The woman’s blue eyes narrowed in annoyance before she turned on her heel and marched out of the Crashdown, slamming the door as she went. The noise drew Jeff Parker out from the back where he had been doing inventory.

“Is there a problem out here Liz?”

“No, Dad, just one very confused tourist.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maria DeLuca was one of the most vibrant people Liz had ever met. She knew it from that first day in kindergarten when a young girl, dressed more like Cyndi Lauper than Cyndi Crawford, sat down next to her and asked if she wanted some oreos.

They were inseparable from that day forward, and their camaraderie hardly changed when Liz returned from college. Only now Maria’s style was more bohemian and her hair wasn’t teased out into insanity.

“Go ahead, start telling me how much you love me… go on, I promise I won’t blush.” Maria said over her beer at Cow Patty’s while smacking Liz lightly on the arm.

“Why am I professing my undying love for you?”

“Because, today while I was in the fitting room I overheard a woman complaining about never being able to find a qualified assistant for her brother in this town.”

“And?”

“And, her brother is none other than Max Evans, Executive V.P. of Evans-Harding. He’s coming here to Roswell to oversee the new plant. And I may have told this woman that my friend the Harvard graduate might be the perfect candidate.”

“Shut up! Maria are you serious?! This is amazing, I’m buying you the next round.”

“I am amazing.” Maria declared giving herself a pat on the back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maria had told Liz that the woman named Isabel would be giving her a call the next morning. As a result Liz had been staring anxiously at her cell phone since she woke up at 5am. Rationally she knew that no one would ever call that early, but all the same she couldn’t help it.

By 8am, her thumbnails were bitten down to the quick, and she was now working her way through the split ends she found in her long brown hair.

9am came and went and Liz had reorganized all her CD’s alphabetically and then chronologically.

At 10am, her bookshelf received the same treatment.

By 2pm, when she still hadn’t heard anything Liz was starting to feel dejected and her afternoon shift was rapidly approaching.

With a sigh, she finally shrugged out of her pajamas and begrudgingly got into the shower. She had just finished rinsing out her conditioner when she heard it, the unmistakable jingle of her cell phone. Hopping out of the shower, she slipped on the tiles sending her knee careening into the sink.

“Mother fuck, shit… oh god.” She wailed while hopping and trying to get to the phone before it went to voicemail.

She managed to close her fist around it and accept the call before falling on to her bed soaking the bedspread below.

“Hello?”

“Hello. May I speak with Elizabeth Parker?”

“This is she.”

“Ms. Parker, my name is Isabel Evans. I received your information from a Ms. Deluca. We are looking for someone to work directly for my brother at his home in a personal assistant capacity. Please understand Ms. Parker, that this is a 7 days a week job and you would be required to reside on site to assist Mr. Evans. He is an intensely private person, but his job demands his attention 24 hours a day. As a result you will need to keep similar hours."

“That’s fine, I have no problem with working long hours.”

“Wonderful, if you wouldn’t mind sending me your resume, I am hoping to schedule an interview with all qualified applicants on Monday. But to be perfectly honest, with a Harvard degree, I’m not sure we will find much better than you in this hell hole of a town.”

“…Thanks? That will be perfect, I will send my resume along directly.”

“Do. I will be in touch with you in regards to Monday.”

The phone clicked off.

Well that was unexpected. Before any more time could pass, Liz booted up her ancient mac book and emailed out her resume that she had painstakingly perfected when she first applied for jobs around graduation.

Now all there was to do was wait. Well, that and find some ice for the huge bruise developing on her knee.

A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed and read this so far. I was delighted to see your varying viewpoints about who the coffee shop customer was, and you will find out in this chapter. You may also get to meet a certain someone...

Chapter Two.

Liz had received an email promptly back from Isabel requiring her to meet at 10:30am on Monday for her interview. Unfortunately this conflicted with her scheduled shift at the Crashdown and only through much begging and promises of going to karaoke was Liz able to convince Maria to take her shift.

That morning she had taken extra care to straighten her hair and pull it away from her face with a professional looking clip. Her one business suit, a graduation present from her mother, had been steamed the night before and was waiting for her to don it like battle armor.

Liz truly loved it, it was sophisticated and a little sexy with its tailored charcoal grey pants and scalloped blazer. Underneath she wore a satiny cream shell that felt like heaven against her skin. A pair of sensible flats later, and she was off to her interview.

The address that Isabel had given her was to a downtown office building serving as the temporary headquarters for Evans-Harding while the Meta-Chem plant was being converted. Liz never had much reason to come to this area of Roswell before, had she been previously, she would have known that parking was a nightmare.

After circling the block nearly ten times trying to find an empty meter, she sucked it up and parked in the garage across the way. A $30.00 flat rate fee wasn’t ideal, but it beat having to park further away and being even later.

Juggling her purse, keys, and portfolio which housed several fresh copies of her resume, she rushed into the building only to be met with an inordinate amount of security. Her bag was x-rayed, her license scanned and a sticker proclaiming her as a visitor with all her information was printed out. Only then was she finally allowed to make her way to the elevators.

The doors were just about to shut when an arm blocked their way. Joining her was a disgruntled and brooding gentleman in a professional looking suit. His dark hair seemed to rebel the hair gel holding it in place, and his nostrils were flared in anger. When he realized that Liz was staring at him, he shot her a look so icy that she found herself physically shrinking against the elevator wall. His wrath was thankfully redirected to his cell phone, “Guerin.”

“Yes, I am heading into the office right now….No, this is your problem! I refuse to take part in it. He’s your brother…”

The doors opened and without a second glance in her direction he was off storming down the hallway.
If this was the way that the people here behaved Liz wasn’t sure if she was right about wanting to work here. Then again her passion was the science, and Evans-Harding had access to some of the most cutting edge technology in the world.

Taking a deep breath, Liz approached the woman sitting behind the reception desk.

“Hello, I am here for a 10am meeting with Ms. Evans.”

The woman gave her a small smile and after confirming this with the calendar on her computer, she gave Liz a clipboard to sign in, and directed her into the lounge until Ms. Evans was ready to meet with her.

Liz had prepared all morning for the potential questions she could be asked. Of course, she was organized due to her natural propensity for scheduling which led her to become vice president of the Science Society at Harvard. She was also ambitious, and her course load and internships had reflected that. Her social skills had been perfected dealing with crotchety old customers at the Crashdown her entire life. And of course, she was willing to do anything to achieve her goals.

Nothing, however, had prepared her for the sheer volume of perfect looking Barbie dolls that were also waiting in the lounge for their interviews. They all looked like they had stepped out of a magazine with their short skirts and stiletto heels that enhanced their extremely long legs. Half had a shocking amount of cleavage on display to boot.

‘Did I miss some memo about a requirement about being a model?’ Liz thought as she anxiously took a seat next to the least hostile looking woman out of the bunch.

Liz nervously began to tap her fingernails against the folder in her lap but that only drew harsh glares from her fellow occupants of the room.

Needing to keep herself occupied she reached for the in-house magazine sitting untouched on the table. A few minutes later Liz found herself engrossed in an article about the autism treatments that had been making waves in the news this past year.

“Elizabeth Parker.” A cool voice called from the doorway.

Liz stood up and made her way towards the meeting room.

Sitting across from her was none other than the entitled bitch from the Crashdown.

“Hello Elizabeth, I’m Isabel Evans. Or should I call you Liz?” It was hard to miss the venom beneath the polite words.

On the inside Liz was terrified, but outwardly she didn’t even flinch.

“Liz is what my friends call me, so I am sure you would feel more comfortable calling me Elizabeth.” Liz replied evenly.

“Very well, please take a seat.”

Liz sank down into the leather chair, purposefully refusing to break eye contact. Predators only strike when you back down and try to run, Liz didn’t want to give her the satisfaction. Placed off to the side of the room was a camcorder, its red light taunting her out of the corner of her eye.

“Ms. Parker, my brother is otherwise engaged this morning so he will be reviewing the tapes from today as soon as he is available. Then he will personally interview the final candidates.” Isabel explained by way of waving her hand at the recording device.

“Lets not waste anymore time here than necessary, please tell me why you want to work for Mr. Evans.”

She spent the next twenty minutes being grilled by the Ice Princess across from her. None of the questions came out of left field, and Liz was glad that she had taken the evening before to prepare for it.

At the end of the session, Isabel politely shook her hand, and directed her out of the room.

‘Think of it this way, if she never calls you, you never have to interact with her again.’ Liz comforted herself before heading back towards the elevators.

Lost in thought, she collided with a hard chest and stumbled backward.

“Excuse me, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Liz murmured.

She felt even more like an ass when she realized that she had knocked the man’s cup of Starbucks all over his perfectly pressed white shirt.

“Shit.” Slowly she raised her eyes up the chiseled coffee-stained torso to meet amber orbs of fire.

“I’m so very sorry..."

He didn’t spare her a second glance before he was shouting at the secretary to get him a fresh shirt and a new coffee.

“Yes, Mr. Evans of course.”

‘Oh my god… of course this happens to me.’

Liz couldn’t rush fast enough into the open elevator car and as a result her heel caught causing her to stumble into the wall. Her mortification complete she just wanted to crawl back into bed and never wake up.

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I'm glad that you are all enjoying it. I however have a dumb technical question that you might be able to help me out with. How do you edit the topic in the thread so you can display the most current update? I've not been able to figure that out.

Chapter Three

The smells of the diner wafted up to Liz’s room from the diner below. It was oddly fitting that her mortification be accompanied by the scent of burnt Foo-Fries, the stench of failure.

“How awful are we talking here? Drown our sorrows in Ben & Jerry? Or in tequila?” Maria asked as Liz attempted to smother herself with a throw pillow.

“Tequila…definitely tequila.” She groaned into the fabric.

“Senor Chow’s? Margaritas?”

“Yes, please!” Liz started, “But, only if we can make the margaritas come to me since I never want to show my face in public again.”

At that Maria, ripped the pillow from her hands and tossed it off the bed.

“Liz, now you are just being overly dramatic. Besides those uppity assholes over at Evans-Harding would never show their faces in our sort of places. We have nothing to worry about.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two margaritas each into happy hour both women were starting to feel the Patron work its magic on both their moods and their bladders. Maria excused herself to use the restroom leaving Liz happily munching on the complimentary tortilla chips at the bar.

A few minutes later Maria returned wearing one of her fake smiles. Never one for handling stressful situations calmly, Liz knew that something was up.

“Okay, don’t panic.”

“Nothing good ever came from a sentence that started in that manner.”

“Right, well I’m going to level with you here. We should probably leave.” Maria said wringing her hands.

“What? Why? Maria, you dragged me out of my apartment and my comfy pajamas for that manner. And now that I’m finally getting to a warm and fuzzy place you want to leave.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not moving one inch from this bar stool until you give me one good reason.”

“Isabel Evans is here.”

Liz’s head snapped to attention to where Maria was directing her gaze. Sure enough seated at a table in the back was the bitch herself alongside a tall, geeky, pleasant looking sort of fellow.

In that moment she seemed to look up in their direction. Liz panicked turning around so fast in her stool that she almost slid right off of it entirely.

“—Bartender, I’d like to pay my tab please!”

“Good woman.” Maria whispered in her ear.

Visa slip signed and card safely ensconced in her wallet, the two women made for the exit as fast as their feet could carry them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was Saturday morning and Liz had given up any pipe dream that she might be called back for a second round of interviews. It was almost freeing in a way to know that she could put her embarrassment behind her and move on.

‘After all, today was a new day. Carpe diem. The sun is shining bright in the clear blue sky…Oh who the hell am I kidding? This is horrible.’ Liz sighed.

The one upside of working the morning rush was that she didn’t have long to be distracted by her thoughts. The Crashdown was packed, and since Agnes was out on another one of her smoking breaks, Liz was forced to wait on almost every section there while her father, Jeff, manned the register and the bar.

She had just put in a new order with Jose, when she saw through the crowd that a new individual had taken over one of the window tables. Pulling out her notepad, she stopped in front of the customer without even really looking.

“Hi, welcome to the Crashdown. My name is Liz, what can I get you started with today?”

“I’ll have a coffee black. And one Space Oddity Omelet made with egg whites substitute ham for sausage, easy on the onions. And bring me a bottle of Tabasco if you have it.”

Liz blinked; she would recognize that voice anywhere. It had haunted and ridiculed her in her dreams for the past week.

“Of course Ms. Evans. I’ll put your order in right away and be right back with your coffee.”

Liz made her rounds with a few more of the tables, putting off bringing Isabel her coffee for as long as possible without pissing her off further. Finally, Liz mustered her courage and made her way over to Isabel’s table with the mug.

“Here you go. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“Take a seat, Ms. Parker.”

“I really can’t right now we’re busy,” Liz started to say but Isabel forcibly pulled her down into the opposing chair.

“I’m going to level with you here because I have a low tolerance for bullshit. I find you rather short and extremely annoying. My brother needs someone with a backbone to help keep him in line. Sadly, the closest thing that we can find in this town is you. Now don’t misunderstand me, I’d rather inject heroin into my eyeballs than spend more time with you than is absolutely necessary. We expect you to start promptly at 8am on Monday morning. A courier will bring you the necessary paperwork, this afternoon and I will email you the address, as we will be meeting at Mr. Evans’ private address. Oh and bring me a side of foo-fries—well done.”

Liz’s mouth opened and closed like a fish a few times before she stumbled from her seat and made her way back behind the counter to collect a few more orders. When she went to bring Isabel her food, she found the woman in the middle of a heated discussion on her blackberry. So as quickly as possible she put the plates down and fled.

It was all so sudden, she wasn’t quite sure if she was asleep right now or not. This had to be a dream, some bizarre dream. There was no way that she landed that job. She scalded the man with coffee for Christ’s sake. Maybe it was all just an elaborate prank to have her show up and then turn humiliate her again before they turned her away. That was a much more likely case.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
True to Isabel’s word around 3pm that afternoon a bike messenger arrived holding a large padded envelope addressed to Liz from Evans-Harding. When she accepted the delivery, the man unceremoniously dropped the item into her hands. Liz hadn’t expected the sudden weight and stumbled backward.

Carrying it up the stairs she shook it slightly wondering how much paperwork they had expected her to actually fill out. Carefully Liz used her scissors to cut through the packaging and was surprised to find a leather binder inside. The dark brown leather was embossed with the Evans-Harding logo in gold. Liz opened it and found a letter was waiting at the front.

Dear Ms. Elizabeth Parker,
Welcome to Evans-Harding. We are glad that you have decided to become a part of our cutting edge team. Evans-Harding has a proud tradition of hiring only the best and we have no doubts that you will meet these standards with the poise required of our employees.
Enclosed please find the following start paperwork forms which must be turned in to our Human Resources Department on the first day of your employment:
- Employee Contract
- W-9
- Emergency Contact Information
- Copies of Social Security Card & Driver’s License. And/or U.S. Passport.
- Harassment Code and Guidelines form
- General Non-Disclosure Agreement for Research at Evans-Harding
- Additonal Forms:
o Executive Non-Disclosure Form

Please feel free to contact the Human Resourced Department with any questions at 555-555-5867 ext. 734

Sincerely,
Kathleen Topolsky
Human Resources Coordinator
Evans-Harding NM

Liz finished reading the letter and set about filling out the required forms. Most were self-explanatory and she had no trouble signing her name to them. Liz briefly popped down to her father’s office to make the necessary copies of her ID’s and to inform him of her new job status. He was surprised, and happy for his daughter of course, but a little disappointed that he didn’t have more time to find a new waitress.

When Liz returned to her room she began to read her contract. She was surprised to see that she would be getting at starting salary of $60,000. A very welcome surprise, indeed, considering she was making $5.50 at the diner + any tips she could get.

The Executive Non-Disclosure Form was something she had never seen before. It dealt with things that she might see while working in the private employ of Maxwell Evans at his home. Essentially she was not allowed to discuss anything that went on within his home or anything of a personal nature. At first it didn’t seem to be that big of a deal. After all who really wants to know Maxwell Evans daily habits. But as soon as the thought popped into her head another immediately followed it: “Maria DeLuca.”

She loved her best friend to death, but the girl lived on gossip. And access to the Evans estate was considered pure gold. Taking a deep breath she signed the paper.

Liz went back through to make sure she hadn’t missed any lines where she was required to sign. Satisfied that the paperwork was complete, she then turned to the other section of the binder she had yet to touch.

It specifically dealt with the requirements for working for Mr. Evans, and what he expected on a daily basis, a cover your ass file if she ever saw one. Liz was thankful that they saw fit to include this in her packet. The last thing she wanted was for her employer to take an even greater dislike to her the first day.

With the focus she was famous for when studying at Harvard Liz cracked the final section and began to read:
Table of Contents:[
1.) Daily Schedule of Mr. Evans
2.) Mr. Evans’ Dietary Needs
3.) Pre-Approved list of Vendors
4.) Pre-Approved list of Restaurants
5.) Emergency Contact Information
6.) Rules of Cohabitation with Mr. Evans

1.)Daily Schedule of Mr. Evans

A.) The following is a rigid schedule that Mr. Evans follows on a weekday basis, any appointments that must be scheduled cannot conflict with the previous engagements.
5:00am…………………….…Mr. Evans wakes.
5:15am – 5:45am……..... Gym
6:00am………………….……Breakfast**
6:30am……………………….Daily Schedule Review
7:00am……………………….Arrives at Office
9:00am – 9:30am...………Conference Call with New York Office
10:00am – 11:00am….....Budget Meeting with Dept. Heads
12:00pm – 1:00pm………Lunch
2:00pm – 2:45pm ………. Research Meeting
3:00pm……………………….Personal Meeting (Do Not Disturb)
4:00pm – 5:00pm………...Final Daily Review
5:30pm………………………..Dinner**
10:00pm……………………..Mr. Evans retires for the Evening

** Please coordinate with household staff to ensure that his dietary needs are met. See Section 2A.

B.) At the end of the day Mr. Evans required his new schedule to be emailed to both his work and personal emails. As well as two hardcopies to be left on his desk at the office and his desk at home. One copy is to be slipped under his bedroom door.

I. In the event that a change occurs after the next day’s schedule has been sent out, Mr. Evans
requires an updated schedule to be sent to the locations mentioned previously in paragraph B.

II. Only in cases of extreme emergency as pertaining to the company are the previous engagements
allowed to be altered, this requires the express permission of Mr. Evans.

C.) When scheduling dinner engagements for Mr. Evans please refer to the Pre-Approved list of Restaurants. In no circumstances are you to make reservations outside of these establishments.

D.) You are required to work on the weekend with Mr. Evans.

I. Mr. Evans works from home on Saturdays unless otherwise scheduled by Mr. Evans. At this time you
are required to be available to him for the duration of his standard work day.

II. On Sundays, Mr. Evans will be out. You are not acquired to accompany him. He is available via
email, and in extreme circumstances on his cell.

2.) Mr. Evans’ Dietary Needs
A.) Mr. Evans is on a strict diet prescribed by his nutritionist. (See attached)You are required to ensure that his needs are met by coordinating with the household staff.

I. When Mr. Evans dines out, you are required to inform the restaurant ahead of time of his
requirements.

B.) Every morning Mr. Evans requires his protein shake to be waiting for him when he awakens. (Directions attached) You will be required to make the shake as the household staff does not arrive until 5:00am.


“What!?” Liz shouted to herself. To make his damn protein shake and still find time to complete her morning routine she’d have to wake up at 4:00am at least. Liz loved her sleep. She reveled in it. If it were legal, she’d marry sleep. Working an 18 hour day was not in her game plan.

‘You signed up for this, remember.’ A nagging voice chirped from somewhere in her head.

3.) Pre-Approved List of Vendors

Liz skimmed through this section, noting his preferred caterers, car services, etc. She snorted aloud when she read that Starbucks was his only approved coffee vendor. Of course it was.

4.) Pre-Approved List of Restaurants
This section only seemed to include the most posh restaurants in town. Half of which were only open for dinner service. Liz highlighted the ones that offered lunch in the event that he sent her out to get something.

4.) Emergency Contact Information
The following persons are to be contacted in the event of an emergency involving Mr. Evans:

Diane Evans, Mother………………………..555-555-3685
Isabel Evans, Sister ………………………...555-555-9897
Michael Guerin, Head of Security…….555-555-4646
Dr. River Nasedo, Physician…………....555-555-1000
Jesse Ramirez, Lawyer…………………….555-555-2490

Liz wondered why his father wasn’t listed. As far as she was aware Phillip Evans was alive and well. Perhaps they had a falling out? The next section’s title sent her stomach up into her throat.

5.) Rules of Cohabitation with Mr. Evans
A.) You are considered to be under Mr. Evans’ employ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As such you shall always regard Mr. Evans strictly as your employer and treat him as such. Please refer to the non-fraternization policy in your contract.

B.) You are required to be awake during the same hours as Mr. Evans. When he retires for the evening you are free to do also.

C.) You will be provided with your own suite within the estate. While in your suite you are free to do as you wish. These are your private rooms; no one will enter them save the cleaning staff.

D.) You are free to make use of the estate save Mr. Evan’s personal wing.

E.) You are granted Sunday as a personal day. Also, as noted in Section 1D, after Mr. Evans concludes his business on Saturday you are free to do as you wish.

F.) The grounds and home are protected by a security alarm. After 10pm at night this alarm becomes active. If you plan to stay out beyond this time, you will need to enter the security code at the front gate and then disarm the alarm at the front door. These codes will be provided to you by the head of security at the start of each week.

G.) Your wardrobe reflects back on the professionalism of the company. During the hours in which you are assisting Mr. Evans, you must dress as such. During your free hours outside the home you may dress as you like.

H.) Unless otherwise requested, you are to dine with Mr. Evans each weekday evening.
I. If Mr. Evans has a dinner engagement, you are to dine separately.

II. On Weekends, you are not required to dine with Mr. Evans. Dinner will be provided however by
household staff.

I.) You are to make use of one of Mr. Evans’ automobiles during the hours of which you are under his employ in the event you must run any errands. Gas cards are located within the glove compartment of the vehicle.

J.) Under no circumstances are you to initiate personal conversation with Mr. Evans. You will not invade his privacy, and in turn he will respect yours.

Shutting the binder, Liz rubbed at the beginnings of a headache that was forming on her temple. She could only imagine how strange the man must be if he required so much structure. Fighting back a yawn, she didn’t even bother to change her clothes before she passed out asleep atop her duvet.

Chapter Four

Liz awoke with drool on her face and the tell tale tingling of pins and needles in her arm from sleeping awkwardly on her side. The sun had already set, and one glance to her cell phone informed her it was half past midnight.

Unable to do much else, Liz fished out her old leather duffle bag from the back of the closet and began to pack some clothes for the coming week. Making selections from her lingerie drawer was simple. She also added a few of her staple casual clothes, jeans and lightweight sweaters. But when it came to her professional attire, she knew she was sorely lacking. All she had was her one suit, which she had already worn to her interview.

Digging through her closet further she found a black sheath dress that she had bought to wear to her great aunt’s funeral the summer after her senior year. It was plain and boring, but it would do in a pinch. That still only gave her two outfits. That was hardly a fitting wardrobe when she was working 24/7.

It was unavoidable; she’d have to spend some of her savings now in order to upgrade her wardrobe. Maria was always a savvy thrift store shopper; she’d be able to help.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I can’t believe she gave you the job—”

“Maria!”

“—I mean you completely botched it. You knocked his own coffee on to him for Pete’s sake—"

“MARIA!”

“What?”

“Can you please for one second stop reminding me of my previous failure and help me?”

“Right…sorry. It’s just that,” Maria paused mid-sentence when Liz sent her a patented death glare, “It’s just that... we need to make you look so hot that they don’t know what hit them.”

“You do realize that I am meant to look professional.”

“Exactly, professionally hot. Leave it to me, chica.”

Five hours later, Liz was fairly certain that they had gone to every thrift shop and boutique in the Roswell limits. Including the Goodwill, “There’s nothing wrong with finding some basic pieces to incorporate into your wardrobe.” Maria had stated.

Liz’s favorite number out of everything they had purchased was a fitted polka-dotted swing dress. It wasn’t 100% work place appropriate, but she looked amazing in it and it highlighted her toned legs. It was also completely out of character for the tame Liz Parker and was much more up Maria’s alley, but she loved it.

After everything was packed, Liz looked around at her mostly barren room. Amy DeLuca’s garment bag, two suitcases, and one duffle –that would now contain her life. Not wanting to be later than necessary in the morning, she had her father help load them down into her car.

In the morning all she would need to grab would be her messenger bag that held her computer, the Evans-Harding Dossier and a few other key personal items.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I’ll have my Sundays completely free to come visit, and I will visit. I promise. I love the both of you so much.” Liz assured her parents with a hug.

Breakfast with her parents had been a quiet affair. They were both glad to have had her home these past few months. Her mother especially had suffered from empty nest syndrome, and now feared the absence of her little girl again.

“Now, I know that you think that this job will open doors for you. But if you feel yourself getting trapped in it, we are always here for you. We’ll find another way to get you your dream.” Jeff said pressing a kiss into Liz’s hair.

Liz enjoyed the moment; it made her feel like she was six years old again. But all too soon she had to pull away.

“I’ll call you as soon as I can. I love you.”

“Goodbye, Lizzie!” Her mother said with a watery smile waving until her daughter’s silver car was no longer visible.

Liz followed the directions that Isabel had sent her, and saw Roswell disappearing from view behind her. The estate that her brother had leased was literally in the middle of nowhere, springing up at her like an oasis in the desert nearly 30min off Route 70 East.

At first all she could see was a monstrous iron gate before her, and it took a moment to locate the speaker to buzz for access. After she unbuckled herself in order to be able to press the button, Liz had to only wait a moment before she had a response.

“Name?”

“Hi, I am Liz Parker, I am supposed to be starting work today.”

“Good morning, Miss Parker. Please go ahead and continue up the drive. For now park your car in the circle, and someone will retrieve your bags.”

“Thank you!”

The gate slid open in front of her silently, revealing the glory of the house for what it really was. It was more of a mansion than house, in an impressive combination of pueblo revival and Spanish villa.

Liz felt her stomach begin to knot.

‘Oh no, not now! Of course I get nervous now. Breathe, Parker. Breathe!” She thought.

Parking her car as instructed, she grabbed her messenger bag and approached the front door. Shaking off her nerves she pressed the bell causing an ominous chime to sound beyond the door.

Then nothing happened. Liz checked her watch. It was ten minutes to eight, the address was correct. Why was no one here to greet her?

‘Should I press the bell again? Or wait? I should wait. This is a huge mansion it might take them a minute to walk all the way over here.’

7:55am.

‘This is ridiculous, I will just press it again.’ She adjusted the strap of her bag and once more touched her finger to the bell.

Loud annoying chime. Silence.

7:58am.

Liz was beginning to panic. ‘What if I was supposed to meet them at the office? Oh god, that was it. Isabel must have sent an email and I missed it. ‘

Now she felt like the world’s greatest fool. Perhaps Isabel would understand if she left now, she could make it to the office building by 8:30am. Not the best impression, surely but it was better than not showing up at all.

She had just begun to descend the front stairs when the door opened behind her.

“Miss Parker?”

Freezing, Liz slowly turned on her heel to face the person who spoke and was pleasantly surprised to find a smiling face.

“Yes, please call me Liz.” She said striding forwards and extending her hand.

“Kyle, Kyle Valenti. If you want to hand over your keys I can get your bags sorted out, and take your car down to the garage. Ms. Evans is waiting for you in the parlor.”

“Yes of course.” Liz fished her keys out from her bag and pressed them into his open palm.

As he began to walk past her, he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Just for my sake, Liz, please last more than a day. I could use with some sane company.” He whispered in her ear.

Liz nodded and swallowed roughly. With a new fire lit within her, she climbed back up the stairs and entered the grand foyer. It was beautiful; cathedral ceiling with exposed beams, but now was not the time to appreciate the architecture.

She turned to a room on her right and managed to find Isabel sitting calmly on a chaise lounge sipping a cup of tea. Her long blonde hair was pinned back, and she was wearing an impeccably tailored cream-colored dress that probably cost a fortune. Liz started to feel self-conscious about her black skirt and blouse that she had chosen for the day.

“Nice of you to join us, Miss Parker. Please take a seat.”

Liz took the comfortable armchair across from Isabel, and set her messenger bag down gently beside her.

“I trust you received all of the paperwork and have it completed?”

Liz dug through her bag and produced the dossier, carefully removing all of the forms she needed and handing them over to Isabel.

“Now, I hope that you have read the file I sent you, Miss Parker, because there is no learning curve here. We need you to hit the ground running. My brother does not do well with change, and opening up a new branch here while his primary assistant is stuck in New York… Well you can see how we need to play catch up.”

“If I may, Ms. Evans, where is your brother? I was under the impression that I would normally be with him at the office at this time.”

“Ah, good for you, you did read it. Yes, on a standard day my brother would be in the office. However, he is currently on a flight back to New Mexico as we speak. Mr. Guerin will be collecting him from the airport and he will be returning here this evening at 5:00pm. Are you going to interrupt me again? Or may I continue?”

Liz held her tongue.

“Now, I have arranged for our IT head to come by and set you up with a blackberry and company laptop. He’ll show you how to sync any changes you make to the calendar with Mr. Evans’ computer. Then Ms. Banks the housekeeper will give you a tour of the estate and escort you to your rooms. I expect you to have gotten all your question asking tendencies out of the way by the time my brother arrives tonight, understood?”

Liz nodded, nearly frightened to death of making any sudden movements in Isabel’s presence.

“Good. You will come to find that if you do your job well and stay out from underfoot that I can be kind. I will not be living here at the estate, but I do have eyes and ears everywhere. Do not step out of line. If you have any questions that cannot be answered by the dossier, please contact Laurie Dupree in the New York office. Her number should be programmed into the phone you will be given. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m running late for an appointment.”

And just like that Liz was left alone. It took her a few moments before she realized that Isabel was seriously not coming back and then she let out the breath she didn’t notice she had been holding. Rising to her feet she began to take in the room. It was naturally beautiful, but it felt cold, more like a museum than a place she’d want to relax in.

Isabel hadn’t said that Liz couldn’t explore in her absence, and she had always been naturally curious. Heading back into the main hall, she went across the way to find the formal dining room. An impressive wrought iron chandelier hung above a monster of a table. At the end of the room was a fieldstone fireplace, and built in china cabinets. A pair of French doors let out into a courtyard with an outdoor seating area and fireplace.

Liz let the sunshine warm her skin. With all the hours that she had been spending at the Crashdown, it had been a while since she properly enjoyed a good lie out in the sun. Time seemed to fly away from her when a light shuffling on the tile announced another's presence.

“I love it out here too. Nothing like the real New Mexico than being outside.”

Opening her eyes slowly she took in the nerdy looking man she had seen Isabel out to dinner with the other night.

“I’m Alex Whitman, and I’m sorry if I startled you.”

“Liz Parker, and you didn’t. So, you are going to give me shiny new toys to play with?”

“Shiny and new yes. Toys, however, they are not. Come on, I’m set up in the office and I’ll tech you how to use them correctly.” He offered her his arm with a good-natured smile, and Liz didn’t hesitate to take it.

Alex Whitman felt like an old friend, someone you could instantly be at ease with. Feeling her earlier anxiety fade to the back of her mind she let herself calmly learn how to properly operate her new computer and phone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex had said goodbye at lunchtime promising to email her and check in. Falling back into the comfortable leather armchair, which Alex assured her was hers, she began to spin around idly.

It was a lot to take in. A new place, a new job, a new life really. ‘What on Earth did you sign up for, Parker?’ She wondered with a sigh.

Her office, which was really just a buffer between the outside world and his office, was a cute round sort of room with lots of light and a light wood desk. Her new laptop sat open on it, surrounded by official stationary and a variety of organizational tools. Her desk drawers had been stocked with every color post-it note she could ever think of, tape, pens, pencils etc.

There was nothing really for her to do. Then she heard a ping from her laptop. Accessing the company email like Alex had told her to do she saw a new email sitting in her inbox from “A.Whitman”

If you are reading this, then Congratulations! Best of luck in getting through the day,
A. Whitman.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry.

She couldn’t contain her smile and sent back a quick reply thanking him for all his help and holding him to his promise to meet for lunch that Sunday. A knock on the doorframe caused Liz to look up and meet the gaze of a rather pretty blonde in an entirely all black uniform.

“Good Afternoon, Miss Parker. I’m Courtney Banks, the main housekeeper here. I know that I am supposed to show you around, but you can’t be expected to trapse up and down this place without some lunch in your stomach.”

Liz followed Courtney down a hallway that twisted and down a small set of stairs when she came upon the kitchen. It was a kitchengasm. Beautiful granite counter tops complemented the dark oak wood cabinets. The impressive Spanish tiling from the entry way was also carried on in this room. The open beamed ceiling here felt warm, and the entire room smelt of baking pie.

“Wow.”

“Impressive isn’t it? It’s much more rustic than the New York house. But I think it’s a bit more charming.”

“Have you worked for the Evans’ for long?”

“For the past five years or so. Trust me, I know what you are feeling right now.”

“Oh, and what am I feeling?”

“Overwhelmed, a little scared. You are thinking that you must be insane for taking this job and are contemplating how much time it will take you to run back to your car and drive back home. But you are also excited for the unknown. How am I doing so far?” As Courtney spoke she moved around the kitchen gathering ingredients on the island. Liz took note of where everything was, so she could make his royal highness his protein shake.

“Amazingly well.”

“Like I’ve said I’ve been there. But after a while, all the rules and the structure stops feeling like a cage and begins to make sense. Do you eat figs?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I think you will enjoy this. It’s a grilled fig and pear salad that I’ve been meaning to try out. You can be my guinea pig.”

The two women feasted on the salad while talking over easy topics such as where they were each from and where they went to school. Liz was surprised to know that Courtney had gone to Le Cordon Bleu, but found that she enjoyed working for the Evans’ more than running a restaurant.

Eventually the meal was put away and the two were off exploring the home. In addition to the offices, formal parlor and dining room, there was a more intimate family dining room where they normally took their meals. Towards the back of the house was a large great room with a massive fireplace and two bookcases that dominated the far wall. By contrast to the parlor, this was much more hospitable. The couches were over stuffed and picture windows overlooked a sprawling landscape outside including an outdoor pool and patio area.

Courtney explained that the home also boasted stables, and a guesthouse where Kyle resided. He looked after the day-to-day managing of the estate and the horses themselves. Liz tried to imagine Isabel on a horse, and couldn’t picture it.

Up the tiled staircase Liz found herself with the option of going in two directions. If she went to the left, Courtney informed her that she would end up in Mr. Evans’ private wing. To the right was her personal suite of rooms, the other guest rooms and small library.

Her suite was light and airy. The wainscoting on the walls contrasted with the warm adobe walls. Her sitting room offered her a small white couch and coffee table, with a desk for her to conduct her personal affairs. Hidden in a hutch was her television and cable boxes. Through a set of double doors was her bed. And what a bed it was! The wrought iron headboard was a work of art unto itself, and the red native American blanket strewn over the white comforter added a bright splash of color.

It took nearly all her willpower to prevent her from doing a running dive onto the bed. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Kyle had already brought up her luggage.

“This is magical.”

“I’m quite jealous. You haven’t even seen the bathroom yet.”

Liz skipped off in the direction of an open archway and spied a sunken Jacuzzi tub. She may have drooled. In the corner was a glass-doored shower, and tucked away behind another door was the toilet. Above the sink was a giant gilded mirror.

“The floor is wired to stay warm under you bare feet when it’s cold outside. Also the controls for the blinds are just this switch here. Flip it, and they will come down allowing you to still see out without being seen.”

“This bathroom alone is the size of my old bedroom.”

“Like I said, it takes getting used to. Unfortunately, I think they made this room this nice to allow you to unwind after the hell you get put through during the day.”

And just like that, the nagging fear that hid behind her excitement for the wonderful house came back with a vengeance.

“I’ll leave you to it, I need to get back to preparing dinner. Remember, you will eat with Mr. Evans in the family dining room," Courtney gave her a calculating glance, " And I recommend changing your outfit to something more formal before ten. Also keep your blackberry with you but silenced. I’ve noticed over the years that he tends to conduct business during dinner, never hurts to be prepared.”

“Thank you for everything, Courtney.”

Courtney smiled and headed out shutting the door behind her.

Liz figured that now was as good a time as any to unpack, so she began putting away her meager wardrobe in the dresser and large closet. Unzipping her garment bag she pulled out the black sheath dress. It was appropriate for dinner she thought.

A glance at her watch told her that it was only 3:30pm, plenty of time to try out that shower. With an excited squeal, she made her way under the jets trying to avoid getting her hair wet. A fluffy towel was waiting for her on the rack, and she wrapped it around herself as she walked into the next room.

She dressed carefully, trying to make herself look as elegant as Isabel seemed to do effortlessly. Once she wiggled herself into her dress, she realized that it was a much tighter fit than it had been when she was 18.

She checked herself over in the mirror to make sure that it wasn’t obscenely tight, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it gave her an understated elegance. Perfect.

A dusting of make up made her look fresh without trashy, and her dark hair was pulled back into a low chignon. Glancing at herself one more time, she put her game face on.

‘You have nothing to worry about. God, please let me get through this dinner unscathed.’

Liz walked back into the other room and picked up her blackberry, checking for any emails as she headed down to the foyer to await the arrival of Max Evans, he wouldn't know what hit him.

A/N: You are all wonderful and amazing. I know that everything seems scary now, but have faith. The road may be long and bumpy, but I do believe in happy endings.

Chapter Five

It was 4:50pm and at any moment the large oak door in front of her would open to reveal her boss. Her boss that was capable of making her life a living hell. Also, a boss that could ensure she never works in biomedical engineering in any capacity anywhere. Or, if she succeeded and managed to last, then perhaps a boss who could provide strong recommendation would finally allow her access into the top research labs in the country.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, all the while keeping her eyes trained on the front door. Then she heard it, a car door click along with deep musical laughter. It was show time.

Back straight. Girls pushed out (but not that out). Welcoming yet professional smile.

The door opened then, and revealed Mr. Guerin first, the remnants of a chuckle in his throat. His hair was much more wild than their last encounter in the elevator, and the lack of recognition on his face as he looked at her told her that he didn’t even remember it.

But the man following close behind him caused her to do a double take. He was a walking GQ ad, even after a nine-hour flight. No man should be allowed to wear a suit that well. Liz momentarily lost her focus, but quickly shook it off and returned to the situation at hand.

‘Work first, fantasy later.’

Maxwell Evans was almost kingly in nature and for a moment she wasn’t sure if she was even allowed to make eye contact. Her body seemed to react before she had a chance to correct it.

‘What the hell? Did I just curtsey? Recover the situation, Parker!’

“Hello Mr. Evans, I’m Elizabeth Parker your new administrative assistant.” Liz offered her hand for him to shake and then immediately started to regret it when he didn’t instantly take it.

He was almost hesitant to touch her. But when he finally did, she felt like she’d been shocked. He removed his hand equally as fast.

“I’m sorry there must be a build up of static in the room. “ Liz apologized.

He simply nodded and then continued past her up the stairs presumably to his own quarters. Liz watched the retreating view and what a view it was. Then she remembered that she wasn’t alone.
Mr. Guerin seemed amused at the situation, and folded his arms across his chest cocking his head as he observed her.

“Liz Parker, pleasure to meet you.” She said offering her hand to him but thinking better of it after last time, she let it drop back to her side.

“Michael Guerin, head of security for Mr. Evans. Check your email, I will be sending you the access codes for the week.”

“Duly noted. Will you be joining us for dinner, Mr. Guerin?”

“Please, call me Michael. And I am afraid that will not be possible. This last trip has set me back in my work. Enjoy the meal, Courtney is,” He paused and raised his brows, “talented.”

Liz didn’t want to think of the implications of his comment. She simply gave him a closed mouth smile and walked back towards the family dining room to wait for Mr. Evans.

She was beginning to learn that the man was absurdly punctual, so she knew that he would be arriving in that very hallway in precisely thirty seconds. Liz had not expected him to change for dinner. His previous suit had been so impeccable that she thought nothing could be better. She was wrong. The man that came striding down the hallway freshly showered in a pair of grey flannel pants and a black button down rolled up to reveal sinewy forearms took her breath away.

If you asked Liz her name in that moment, she would have not known it. She felt the static connection crackling between them. When his amber eyes met hers, the feeling intensified tenfold. He was the first to break their unintentional staring contest and gestured for Liz to go forwards into the room.

Two place settings were on the table, and it didn’t take a genius to know that he would sit at the head; she would be on his right. She was surprised when he pulled her chair out for her, and hesitated a moment before taking a seat and allowing him to push her back toward the table. His fingers gently brushed her shoulders as he moved away from the chair, and it felt as if her skin was on fire.

He moved with a powerful almost feline grace, and she marveled at how natural it seemed for him. As soon as he was seated, Courtney appeared and filled their glasses with lemon water.

“Thank you.” Liz whispered with a smile as her goblet was filled.

Moments later Courtney returned with a tureen of gazpacho, which she served expertly into their bowls before disappearing back to the kitchen.

Liz had to stop herself from starting any small talk as they ate their meal. He must have thought she had a facial tick with the amount of times her mouth began to form a question only for her to hold her tongue at the last possible second.

Two courses later and he still hadn’t spoken to her. Of all the scenarios she envisioned in her head, one where he barely acknowledged her was not among them. It was only when the dessert, freshly baked apple pie, was brought out with coffee that he seemed to acknowledge her.

“Tomorrow, Ms. Parker, schedule a meeting with my sister. Confirm with her, but I believe over lunch would be best. “

Liz nodded making a note of it in her blackberry.

“Also, I will not be dining at home for dinner tomorrow. I require reservations for two, tomorrow night at 8pm. Italian I think. Confirm with Mr. Guerin about a car.”

“Of course, Mr. Evans.”

The sound of her voice caused him to look at her over his raised forkful of pie. Slowly he placed his fork back down and stared at her as one might try to figure out an abstract painting. It made her feel uncomfortable.

“That will be all. My schedule as soon as you have it.”

He stood from the table and walked out into the hall. Courtney returned a minute later and began to clear the table. Unconsciously, Liz began to help her, stacking plates upon plates with ease.

“That is not necessary, Liz. I can clean up.”

“Nonsense, you made me dinner the least I can do is help clear dishes. Besides, this way you will be done faster and can get home sooner.”

“You’re a doll.”

Liz helped her carry everything back to the kitchen, and then excused herself to run to her desk to begin working on the schedule. Opening her email she saw that Laurie in the New York office had forwarded along his calendar with all upcoming appointments that she noted. She also sent along the template for how his schedule must be printed out. Thanking God for small favors, she reached for the dossier and began looking up acceptable restaurants of an Italian nature.

She found one called Portofino that was popular with business executives… perfect. One phone call, and a lot of begging later, Mr. Evans had reservations for dinner. The Maitre d’ had assured her that his boss and his date would be well taken care of.

‘A date…of course his dinner was a date.’ Some how this didn’t sit well in her stomach. Or perhaps that was the salmon.

Pressing onwards, Liz realized it was time to call the Wicked Witch of the West. Her finger hovered over the call button before she finally pressed it.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Ms. Evans. This is Elizabeth Parker calling from Maxwell Evans’ office.”

“Ah yes, Ms. Parker. Come to tender your resignation already?”

“Actually, Ms. Evans, your brother wishes to meet with you preferably over lunch. I was calling to confirm your schedule.”

Liz heard Isabel gasp in surprise.

“I am available. Email me the address of the restaurant. Is that all, Ms. Parker?”

“Yes, Ms. Evans. Goodnight.”

Flipping through the restaurant list once more, she found a cute bistro that was open for lunch and was not too far from the office. When she called she found it much easier to make a reservation, and she filled it into Max’s calendar.

As she typed into her laptop making the necessary adjustments to the template, she was simultaneously forwarding Isabel the restaurant information for tomorrow. While the schedule was printing, Liz slipped her feet out of her heels. She was used to being on her feet for hours at a time thanks to waitressing but that had been done in a pair of sneakers, not four-inch pumps.

She took her stack of schedules, and knocked on one of the double oak doors leading to Max’s office. When there was no reply, she opened it gently, setting the requested copies on his desk. The room was stylish like the rest of the home, but there was nothing there to tell her about the man himself. Shutting the door behind her, she went back to her desk and realized that he would also need two copies on his desk at the Evans-Harding building.

‘Fuck…fuck..shit…Don’t panic… just breathe. There has to be a way to get them there before tomorrow.’

Looking at her watch Liz saw that it was 7 pm, perhaps there was still a chance that Alex would be there. He’d help her out, she knew he would.

She dialed his number, while pacing back and forth as it rang.

‘Pick up, come on, Alex.’

“Hello?”

“Alex it’s Liz. Are you still at the office?”

“I am just heading out now, what’s up?”

“I need a favor.”

He sighed. She could hear him shuffling some materials on the other side of the line.

“What can I do for you?”

“I need to get two copies of Mr. Evans’ schedule on his desk tonight. If I email it to you, do you think you could print them off and drop them up there on your way out?”

“I can… but it will cost ya.” He said in a mock-serious tone.

“How much are we talking here?”

“I have an affinity for baked goods, fine wines and foot rubs.”

“You wouldn’t want to try my baking, I don’t know much about wine and I will not touch your feet. But I’ll figure out a way to repay you, I promise.”

“No worries little lady, just send it over and I’ll text you when they are sitting pretty on that desk.”

“You’re a God. I’ve got to run this up to his Royal Highness now.”

“Good luck!”

Earlier in the day when Courtney gave her the tour they had bypassed Mr. Evans’ wing. Walking down the hallway now, Liz felt a bit like Belle in Beauty & the Beast going into the forbidden wing, her painful heels clicking with every step.

She finally approached a small foyer with double doors leading into his rooms beyond. Silently as possible, she attempted to slip the crisp paper beneath them as the dossier had told her to do.

She had not expected the door to open when she was on her knees trying to force the schedule over the carpeting on the other side. And Maxwell Evans had not expected her to be there when he walked out, creating an unfortunate crotch to head scenario.

Liz couldn’t help but stare at the bulge hinted beneath his low slung pajama pants. She was unaware that her shallow breaths were teasing the flesh she was admiring. Max was clenching his fists, as if in pain.

“Oh balls… Shit! That’s not what I meant… I’m sorry, Mr. Evans.”

Liz humiliated tried to struggle to her feet quickly, but her dress was a little too restrictive. This caused her to careen face first into his bare chest. She may have inhaled. He may have smelled like fresh soap and pine trees.

Strong arms pulled her away from her awkward embrace, as Max stared down at her breathing hard. Her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, I was trying to put your schedule under your door.”

“It’s fine.” He choked out.

“I really didn’t mean to…”

“— Let us never mention this incident again.” His voice left no room for disagreement.

Without any further ado, he took the schedule from her hands, and turned retreating back into his chambers, the door shutting behind him.

A/N: I love that I made you all laugh. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Mary mary - I may do a Max POV as an outtake. But this story is going to stay strictly as a Liz POV. We'll see where my muse takes me.

Chapter Six.

A delicious weight settled above her; skin slicked with sweat slid along skin. Liz’s shallow breaths gave way to moans as his lips continued their downward exploration of her body. Teeth gently nipped at her hipbone while long fingers slid up her thighs. His voice commanded her to meet his gaze, chocolate brown to honeyed amber.

With a wicked smile he slowly began to descend again, when his lips parted and emitted a large, “BWANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN BWANNNNNNNNNNN BWANNNNNN.”

Her dream began to collapse and fade and soon all she was left with was her alarm clock screaming at her to get up and enough sexual frustration to power a steamboat. Her hand sought out the off button on the plastic device as it continued to scream. Finally when all she had was silence, she slid from her sweat soaked sheets and made her way to the bathroom.

‘Thank god for detached shower heads.’ Liz thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Liz had little difficulty finding all the necessary ingredients for Mr. Evans’ daily smoothie; Courtney kept the kitchen well organized. With everything laid out she stared at the last obstacle: The Granolith 5000.

‘Of course he has a blender that is as technologically advanced as a spaceship.’ Liz grumbled.

After much staring at the multitude of buttons, she decided to just give it a go. Fresh blueberries, protein powder, soymilk, banana… each ingredient added, she placed the lid on the top and pressed blend.

Nothing happened.

She hit the power button again, then pressed blend once more.

Nothing.

She tried this process three more times before she noticed that the cord was not attached to the outlet.

She plugged it in, and it whizzed to life. Liz had to use some ninja like reflexes to keep the top from flying off, but she managed it. When it was sufficiently blended, she found a tall glass from the cabinet and poured her mixture into it. Grabbing a spoon she sampled the smoothie and was surprised to find it quite refreshing.

With nothing else to do Liz began her long journey to Mr. Evans’ wing. After the dreaded, FTC (face-to-crotch) incident she didn’t think she could ever look him in the eyes again. Her dream of him going down on her cemented this.

Liz kept the smoothie in a death grip, and her eyes focused on the tile pattern on the floor. It was quite nice if you are into tiles. She could see the door open out of the corner of her eye.

‘You are a big girl Liz Parker, and not the first to have a FTC with her boss in the history of the world. Just smile give him his smoothie and continue on your way.’

She looked up and was surprised to find his eyes looking at her as intensely as they had in her dream. Liz wasn’t able to speak, but somehow she found the ability to move her arm forward to hold out the smoothie.

His eyes scanned her body before he grabbed the glass and continued past her on his way to his work out. She couldn’t help but wonder what he had been staring at.

When she got dressed this morning she thought she looked nice but now Liz was having doubts.

Rushing to the mirror she saw earlier in the hall she stopped to evaluate the situation.

Her long hair was down for once, but nothing was out of place. Her make-up was minimal and she didn’t look like a clown. Liz smoothed her hands down her dark red wrap dress that was tied appropriately and fell just above the knee. Continuing her appraisal she found nothing odd about her knee-high boots. But maybe Mr. Evans’ had something against them?

She had half an hour before she was supposed to eat breakfast with him, and decided to head down to her desk to check her email and prep for the day. Unsurprisingly she had an email from Michael with the security codes. Liz programmed these into her blackberry.

There was an email from Laurie forwarding messages left for Mr. Evans at the New York office. She also said that his mail should be arriving via FedEx today in the office.

Then she saw an email from Kathleen Topolsky in HR. Why would the head of HR be emailing her?

‘Unless Mr. Evans reported me for the FTC incident and she is going to reprimand me.’

Hesitantly she opened the email expecting the worst but was surprised to find that it was a request for her to come down to HR at her convenience to sign out her petty cash card.

Shutting down her laptop, she packed it up in her messenger bag along with the dossier and brought it with her to the kitchen. When she arrived Courtney was just finishing dicing up a cantaloupe and adding it to a fruit bowl.

“Morning Courtney.” Liz offered with a smile.

“Good Morning. I see you survived the night. Can I get you some coffee? Or tea?”

“Coffee would be amazing.”

With the caffeine in her system Liz started to feel more like a human being. She reached for the local paper in front of her to pass the time, assuming that Mr. Evans would want the copy of the New York Times.

She had just invested herself in the local police blotter: “Man was arrested for stealing case of Snapple,” when she caught a whiff of soap and pine.

‘Yum…Mr. Evans….’ Her lady parts perked up.

‘Wait, I should not be thinking yum and Mr. Evans in conjunction with each other, that’s all sorts of wrong.’ Liz chastised herself.

“Good Morning, Mr. Evans. Will you be having your usual today?”

“Yes. Thank you, Courtney.”

She heard his chair slide into place, but Liz was afraid to look up from the police blotter. Her hand held onto her coffee mug like a lifeline. If she kept her eyes solely on the paper and her mug she’d be fine. Fate of course had other plans.

“Are you not going to eat Ms. Parker?” He murmured to her.

Liz looked up reflexively to see that his plate was filled with fruit salad, egg whites doused in Tobasco sauce and whole-wheat toast. To appease him she took a piece of toast from the center of the table and placed it in front of her taking a small bite. This seemed to appease him, and he turned his attention back to the Times.

A quick glance at her blackberry let her know that Mr. Evans would want to go over the schedule in ten minutes, plenty of time to use the restroom.

“Excuse me,” Liz said pushing back her chair to stand.

She was surprised and somewhat confused to see Mr. Evans stand as well. Liz continued out of the room and to the half bath down the hall.

She took care of business and stared at herself in the mirror.

‘You will get through this day, Elizabeth Parker.’

Liz returned to the kitchen and once more Mr. Evans’ stood while she reseated herself. It was 6:35 and he hadn’t mentioned going over the schedule so perhaps it was her duty to bring it up.

“Mr. Evans’ shall we go over your schedule for the day now?”

He placed the newspaper down and nodded his assent. Bending down, Liz rifled through her messenger bag to pull out a hardcopy of his schedule for him to look at. She had no idea that at this angle he could see down the front of her dress.

“Here you are.” She said placing the paper in front of him.

“Your lunch with your sister will be at Le Petite Fleur. They are expecting you. Also, your reservations for dinner have been made at Portofino, eight o’clock.”

He nodded at her, his eyes staying trained directly on her face and nothing lower. Liz smiled then finished off the dregs of her coffee before gathering her plates and standing. Mr. Evans’ of course stood as well out of politeness. Liz leaned forwards stacking his empty plate with hers and she brought it all over to Courtney.

“Once again, Liz, this is entirely unnecessary.”

“I am happy to do it. Have a nice day, Courtney.”

Liz gathered up her messenger bag and followed Mr. Evans down the hall to the foyer where Michael was waiting for them.

“You will be riding with us today, Ms. Parker. There are still some complications with your company vehicle.”

Max’s eyes snapped to Michael’s at that in displeasure. Liz nearly huffed at how little effort he made to hide his clear disgust for her being within 3ft of him.

The black town car with tinted windows awaited them in the circle outside. Michael held the backdoor open and gestured for her to climb inside. She slid in across the leather seats, attempting to fuse herself to the far door. Mr. Evans slid in after her adjusting his suit jacket as he sat.

In the cramped quarters of the car, his scent was amplified and her lady parts were begging her to cross the small space and mount the man. Her lady parts however were over-ruled by her brain, which was telling her to flee.

Surreptitiously, she glanced up at Mr. Evans’ to make sure he was staying on his side of the car. She was surprised to find him staring at her. Or rather staring at her exposed thigh. With a sharp tug she managed to pull the fabric down low enough to cut off his line of sight. Caught, he didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed. Instead he simply turned his attention to the scenery flying by outside the window.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They arrived to the Evans-Harding building to find it in a flurry of activity. They were waved through security on the first floor and ensconced in an elevator to the top floor. At the third floor a group of older looking businessmen entered forcing Liz further back against the wall and coincidentally Mr. Evans.

He gave off a lot of body heat, her entire left side of her body burned with it. The lady parts were purring in content.

At the fifteenth floor the elevator stopped again, and a large woman waddled on. Liz couldn’t tell if she was pregnant or if she was simply overweight, but her addition to the elevator pushed the older gentlemen backwards and the nearly bowled her over.

A large hand slipped around her waist preventing her back from crashing painfully against the metal bar running around the perimeter of the elevator car. He pulled her in front of him, as he seemed to have a pocket of personal space the rest of the commoners were not granted.

She wasn’t sure what was worse, him being pressed alongside her, or feeling him pressed along the length of her back. At least this way she couldn’t see him at all. But boy could she feel the electric charge.

Michael seemed to be trying his best not to laugh, but when he made eye contact with her a half-strangled chuckle broke through his lips. Max glared at him.

“Sorry, something stuck in my throat.”

When the doors opened for their floor, Liz rushed out into the sanctity of the open hallway eager to be away from whatever sadistic force kept pushing her to Max Evans.

Everyone they passed as he made his way into his office greeted Mr. Evans politely. Liz went to her desk and began unpacking her bag while watching her boss out of the corner of her eye. He picked up the schedule sitting on his desk and looked at it curiously before setting it aside. His eyes snapped up to her, but Liz was a picture of nonchalance with her laptop in front of her.

She owed Alex big time.

Literally.

He left her a sticky note on her desk to remind her. He signed it with a smiley face.

The rest of the morning passed without incident. She managed to transfer Mr. Evans the New York call without any difficulty. Emails were answered and messages passed on. When he emerged from his office to head to his budget meeting in the boardroom, Mr. Evans didn’t even glance in her direction.

She took this time to head down to HR to collect her petty cash card. It was fairly straightforward, all purchases must have receipt back up and be approved at the end of each week. Liz slipped the card into her wallet, careful to not misplace it.

When Liz arrived back at her desk she noticed that a large FedEx package was sitting in her inbox. She tore it open and a large stack of mail held together by rubber band fell out along with a handwritten letter from Laurie on company letterhead.

Liz –

I’ve already removed the junk mail and handled the ones intended for the New York office. I’ve color coded the mail into sections.

Those with red tabs on them must go directly to Mr. Evans’ inbox. Do not open them, just leave them there.

Those with yellow tabs you are to open and relay the information to Mr. Evans.

If they have a blue tab that means they are invitations. Add them into Mr. Evans’ calendar after you’ve confirmed his wish to attend.

Feel free to contact me with any further questions,
Laurie Dupree.


Doing as Laurie instructed Liz deposited the red flagged letters and placed them in his inbox.

Returning to her desk she started going through the yellow tab letters. Most of them were just requested updates from international partners about current research projects. She read each a few times to ensure she did not miss anything, before writing a summary down on her notebook.

Then she began to open the invitations. The first three were invitations to company events in New York. One of which was the Samuel Turner Memorial Charity, a black tie event to raise money for Autism awareness. Knowing that autism was close to Mr. Evans’ heart she was fairly certain he would wish to attend.

The last envelope was made of delicate linen paper embossed with precise black script. The invitation card inside was as follows:
She placed this invitation with the charity dinner on the top of the pile and made a note to inform Mr. Evans when he returned from his meeting.

With little else to do she sent a text to Maria informing her about the FTC incident. Her response was immediate.

Maria: Just don’t let him stain your blue dress, Ms. Lewinsky.

Liz: Bitch

Maria: Drinks. Saturday. You will spill everything.

She found herself agreeing knowing that she could use another opinion on the mixed signals she was getting from her boss. Liz just needed to figure out what would technically count as violating the NDA and what wouldn’t.

When Mr. Evans’ returned from his budget meeting he was in a foul mood. He stormed back into his office slamming his door behind him as he went to make a phone call.

Liz could hear him shouting about projections and how the renovations were not up to par. The rage burning in his voice put her on edge.

Finally the shouting stopped. She was afraid to go in, but she needed to relay information on the letters. Maybe he would appreciate an email. Probably not.

After giving him another fifteen minutes to calm down she approached his door and knocked gently. He barked at her to come in.

“Mr. Evans’ we received word from London regarding the H4 vaccine. They claim that trials are going according to plan, and their findings will be ready at the end of the month as discussed. New York is on target to begin promotions of the newest—”

Liz trailed off as he was glaring at her.

“If now is not an opportune time, we can discuss this later.” She suggested.

“As you put it Ms. Parker, now is ‘not an opportune time.’” He growled.

“Very well, Sir. Whenever you decide it is an ‘opportune time’ you let me know” She bit back.
Liz retreated as fast as she could, shutting the door behind her. She talked back to her boss.

‘Why did I do that? Why can’t I ever keep my mouth shut? He’s just so ugghh!’ Liz kicked the bottom of her filing cabinet in frustration.

He did not acknowledge her as he left for lunch. As soon as he was gone she let her forehead drop down to her desk.

‘Scald him with coffee; get up close and personal with his junk, and talk back all in the first week. You are a champion amongst failures, Parker.’

“Now that’s the defeatist look we love around here.”

“Go away, Alex.”

“Is that anyway to speak to the man who was your savior?” He said leaning against her desk.

“I’m sorry, I’m just having an interesting day.”

“Well, I have the perfect solution come to lunch with me. It’s not illegal for you to leave your desk you know.”

“Alright.”

Liz bent down to remove he purse from the bottom drawer of her desk and when she stood up Alex was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“What?” She asked when they got into the elevator.

“You know when you bend down, I can see all the way down your dress.”

Several people turned to look at her.

“WHAT? Are you serious?”

Alex leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“Black lace… Victoria’s Secret? Or are you a Frederick’s sort of girl?”

“You are a pervert!”

“Yes, ma’am. Born and raised.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lunch with Alex had been good for her mental health. They went to a small food-cart that he swore by down the street. Two fish tacos later, she was all smiles. She even started to feel better about her previous slip up with Mr. Evans and settled back into her work.

She sent an email to Michael asking about a car for Mr. Evans (and guest) for tonight. He responded that it would be taken care of. That was one more thing she could cross of her list.

Her desk phone rang and she answered it quickly.

“Maxwell Evans’ office,”

“Hello, please put my son on.” A gentle woman’s voice requested.

“Mrs. Evans, I’m afraid that he is out to lunch with Isabel at the moment, do you wish me to transfer you to his cell?”

“What is your name dear?”

“Liz, well, Elizabeth Parker.”

“Liz you will get used to this pattern. You see I call my son often, and I am lucky if he returns them. But I keep trying…”

“Well, I will most certainly encourage him to call you back.”

“You are sweet. However, I think we both know that my son does only what he wants to do. Have a good afternoon, Liz.”

The line went dead. The phone call reminded her that she owed her folks a call. Since Mr. Evans’ was going out for dinner she’d hopefully get a chance to make it tonight.

His unwarranted anger towards her earlier made her reluctant to interact with him again. Taking advantage of his absence, she placed the invitations on his desk with a note asking him to select the ones he wished to attend so she could R.S.V.P. She also left a typed up summary of the correspondence that he refused to listen to earlier.

When he returned Liz was conveniently on the phone, granted she was only taking down the voicemail but he didn’t know that. He paused briefly by her desk, but when she did not look at him he continued into his office. Shutting the door once more, albeit more gently than earlier.

He stayed locked away until his research meeting on the floor below. When he reappeared at the elevator banks, a short older gentleman with glasses and a pageboy hat accompanied him.

“Ms. Parker, would you please get us a couple of waters with lemon.”

He didn’t wait to see if she agreed, he just continued past. Grumbling, Liz rose from her seat and made her way to the small break room on the floor. She pulled two mineral waters from the fridge, as well as a lemon, which painstakingly tried to cut with a dull knife. She grabbed two waiting glasses and filled each.

She was grateful that she had years of practice as a waitress otherwise carrying two full glasses and a bottle of water in her tiny hands would have been impossible. Mr. Evans was sitting calmly on the couch in his office, and the other man had taken the leather club chair.

Liz placed a glass in front of each man, and set the bottle of water in the middle.

“Well isn’t she just a breath of fresh air. You know, I am friends with quite a few people in the entertainment industry and they would go nuts over eyes like yours. Aren’t I right, Max?” Cal looked to the man on the couch for confirmation.

Liz’s face burned bright under the scrutiny.

“Langley, I only have an hour each day and I don’t pay you to sit around flirting with my staff,” His tone was final, “That will be all, Ms. Parker.”

She dragged the door shut behind her. The man called Langley made her uneasy. If he was going to be coming in everyday, she’d make the effort to stay away from him.

When Langley left, Mr. Evans’ called her into his office. He had returned to his position of power behind his desk, so she took one of the chairs in front of it.

“Ms. Parker…”

“Yes, Mr. Evans?”

“Ms. Parker I am sorry that I snapped earlier. It was not my intention to take my frustrations out on you.” He said this as if apologizing was causing him pain.

Liz nodded, not trusting herself with words at the moment.

“I received your notes. Please inform London that I would like the latest results emailed to me as soon as possible. Also, I will be attending the Samuel Turner benefit. Please give my regrets to the other events.”

She wondered why he wasn’t attending his father’s birthday party, but knew it wasn’t her place to ask.

“Very well, sir. Your mother called earlier. She seemed resigned to the fact that you wouldn’t bother calling her back anyway, but I promised her you would. Please don’t make a liar out of me.”

“That will be all, as soon as you have the schedule ready you are done for the day.” He turned his chair to face the window.

Liz rose and went back to her desk typing up the schedule. She emailed it to Mr. Evans, and herself. Then printed out two copies for his desk. Knocking softly, on his door she looked at the tormented man in front of her.

“Your schedule, sir. Michael is ready to go whenever you are ready to head out.”

She placed the papers down on the desk, then walked out to pack up her things. Through the open doorway his voice drifted out to her.

“Hello, Mom. I heard you called...”

Liz smiled.

A/N: No one kill me for this chapter. The little devil on my shoulder and three glasses of wine made me do it.


Chapter Seven

When they returned to the estate, Liz excused herself to go change out of her dress and boots. Ever since Alex’s comment before lunch all she could think of was the peep show she presented unwittingly over the course of the day. She had to have flashed Mr. Evans at least once. And he never said anything about it. Pervert.

Since he had given her the rest of the evening off, she decided that casual attire was in order. For all the fun that dressing up presented, at the end of the day Liz Parker was a jeans and t-shirts sort of girl.

The worn in denim was better than silk against her skin and the soft cotton baby doll t-shirt felt cool in the wake of the late afternoon heat. Her feet thanked her when she slipped on a pair of flip-flops as opposed to her heels. She could feel the tension of the day starting to slip away; a knot had been forming all day at the base of her spine.

Liz wandered down into the kitchen where Courtney was busy prepping dinner and nearly smacked herself for not informing her that Max was eating out. When she told her this, Courtney simply waved her off.

“You need to eat dinner too don’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m in no way this fussy. Besides it’s too much for one person.”

“Then if you’ll have me I’ll join you.”

“I’d love to be your dinner date.”

“Ooh, lesbianism. Me likey.” Kyle said coming in from outside.

“I bet you would, you are such a typical male.” Courtney chided, throwing a roll at him.

He took a large bite out of it and chewed it dramatically.

“I take great pride in being a typical male thank you very much.”

“Kyle, what are you doing tonight? Any interest in joining a couple of lesbians for dinner?” Liz offered throwing her arm around Courtney’s waist.

“I always have time for lesbians. Are you going to roll around in a pool of jello?”

“We haven’t put that much thought into it, but we’ll take it into consideration.” Liz said rolling her eyes.

That’s how the trio found themselves sitting out on the patio enjoying a feast of foods with a couple of empty bottles of wine between them.

“So, Ms. Liz, what’s your story?” Kyle said leaning towards her over the table.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how did you end up working for Mr. Evans?”

Taking a sip of wine Liz began to relay the story of her time at Harvard, her failure to find a lab job after, and the opportunity that this presented.

“Damn, a Harvard Grad. You just might be too smart for me.” Kyle said letting out a low whistle.

“Kyle, that rock over there is too smart for you.” Courtney supplied.

Liz laughed so hard that she snorted which only made her laugh harder.

“I’m outnumbered. I can’t win.” Kyle sighed dramatically throwing his napkin on to his empty plate.
At that Liz stood up and felt momentarily off balance.

“I think I drank a little too much wine, excuse me.” She said shaking it off as she grabbed her dirty dishes and brought them inside, yawning as she went.

She couldn’t stop the yawns from coming once they started and soon found herself stopping in the foyer to press her hand against her mouth, silencing her protesting body’s desire for sleep.

Sleep would need to wait as she still had to print out the schedule here for Mr. Evans’ and to contact London regarding the test results.

At a pace that a sloth would consider slow, Liz made her way back to her desk and booted up her laptop. She pulled out her notes and typed an email to the London office making sure that she requested everything that Mr. Evans’ mentioned.

Her last order of business was to get the schedule on his desk, and another copy under his door. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a repeat of last night’s events. But then Liz remembered that Mr. Evans would be out to dinner with his date and it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

As the printer worked its magic she decided to stretch the kink in her back that had been bothering her. Palms to the floor and ass in the air is how Mr. Evans found her when he came back downstairs to search for his misplaced cell phone.

“Ms. Parker, what on Earth are you doing?” He coughed.

Liz continued stretching moaning a little when she felt the muscles protest pleasurably.

“Good Evening, Mr. Evans. I’m just trying to stretch out my back, its been bothering me all day. Can I help you with something?”

“My Blackberry is missing. I need it.” His tone was bordering on desperate as he looked everywhere but at her.

‘Geez, technologically dependent much?’ Liz thought as she stood back up.

“Right, well you had it in the car on the way home so we at least know it’s not back at the office. Where have you checked so far?”

“The kitchen, my rooms, Michael is checking the car…”

“Alright, well take a seat and let me call it to see if we can find it.” He sat on the edge of his desk chair fists clenching and unclenching.

Liz took out her own phone and dialed listening for any sound of vibrating coming from the room. She heard a faint buzzing and followed it like a bloodhound.

“It almost sounds like it’s coming from underneath something…” Liz muttered.

Pushing Mr. Evans’ chair back she crawled under his desk and began feeling around in the dark space. Had she not downed several glasses of wine earlier she might have rethought crawling on her hands and knees under his desk.

“Ms. Parker, please come out from under there.” Max whispered noticing that Michael was approaching. He tried to discretely pull her back, but he could only find purchase on her hips, which he released as soon as he realized what he had grabbed on to.

“Mr. Evans, your car is ready.” Michael stated confused by the frazzled look on his boss’ face.
Liz ignored him, wiggling and stretching her arm as far as it could go until her hand enclosed the small piece of plastic. Victorious! Liz used the arms of his chair to help propel her out from under the desk, straightening her shirt and swiping at her hair that had gotten caught in her lip-gloss.

“Well it took some doing but never let it be said that Liz Parker doesn’t get the job done.”

Michael’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as he looked back and forth between Max and Liz. Max’s ear tips turned red at the scene that Michael just walked in on and without another word he grabbed the phone from Liz’s hand and walked out, his phone ringing on cue.

“Ah, yes I got a little held up but I am on my way now…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was shaping up to be a horrible day and it all started with an evil witch of a woman.

The bitch’s name was Vanessa. Vanessa ‘The Cougar’ Whitaker. She was in her 40s, and her mouth was too large. She was also a bit of a boozer. Not that Liz could really comment since she had been drunk herself the night before. She was a local congresswoman that sat on the House Committee of Science and Technology who was all too thrilled to have ‘Dear Maxwell’ in her neck of the woods.

The Cougar had arrived before noon unannounced claiming that she wanted to surprise Maxwell with lunch after their dinner had gone so well. Liz was fairly certain that Mr. Evans would not like the surprise judging by how strict he was with his schedule. She was also fairly certain that in the harsh light of day he would have no interest in the large mouthed booze-hound. It was these thoughts alone that gave her comfort as The Cougar drilled her about her love life.

“So, Lizzie… Are you seeing anyone?” She sat on the edge of Liz’s desk.

‘Do you not understand a personal space bubble?’ Liz’s eyes narrowed.

“I am focused solely on my work at the moment, Ms. Whitaker.”

“Nonsense, we are practically sisters now, you must call me Vanessa.”

‘If you are my sister I’m committing sorocide.’ Liz could picture it easily. Perhaps she had been watching too much Dexter and CSI but she felt like she could kill the witch and get away with it.

“Vanessa, we have a very comfortable lounge on this floor if you want to wait there for Mr. Evans. I will inform him the moment he returns that you are here.”

“I’m not sure.” She hesitated and looked towards the elevator banks.

‘Sweeten the pot, Liz. Time to go in for the kill.’

“Really? We even have a fully stocked wet bar.” The Cougar’s eyes widened slightly. Hook. Line. Sinker.

“Perhaps, I will get out of your hair then. Let him know the minute he gets back, I don’t want him disappearing on me.”

“No Houdini acts on my watch, scout’s honor.”

‘Yeah right Parker, you were never a girl scout.’

The minute her absurdly tall frame turned the corner Liz exhaled in relief. The over powering perfume, or was that vodka, was giving her a migraine. She reached into her desk and was in the process of taking a couple of Advil when Mr. Evans returned from his Budget meeting.

“Are you feeling alright, Ms. Parker?”

“Just a headache that seemed to pounce out of nowhere. By the way, Ms. Whitaker is here to take you to lunch. She is waiting in the visitor’s lounge.”

Liz watched his face for a sign of displeasure. Any sort of twitch would have reassured her that he was human and in full control of his faculties.

“I need to make a quick phone call, please show her into my office.” He walked away from her. She couldn’t get a read on the situation and Liz didn’t like it.

Rising from behind the desk, Liz walked into the lounge to find The Cougar holding a snifter of scotch while rearranging her ‘assets’ in the mirror.

“Ms. Whitaker, Mr. Evans will see you now.”

The Cougar drained the rest of the contents of her glass before slamming it down on the credenza.
The walk to his office was blissfully short. Checking to make sure he was off the phone, Liz announced Vanessa and fled. The Cougar had the audacity to shut the door behind her with a wink.

‘Please don’t let them be having sexy times in there. The amount of bleach my brain would need alone. Perhaps I should schedule a time for Mr. Evans to visit the clinic.’

Liz couldn’t hear any noises coming from inside. Not that she was eavesdropping. She didn’t care what her boss did. Or whom he did. She was just trying to look out for his health.

Her desk phone beeped to indicate that Mr. Evans was calling her.

‘What you are above opening the door and walking the three feet to talk to me face to face?’

“Yes, Mr. Evans?”

“Ms. Whitaker and I will be staying in my office for lunch. Have something delivered. I want the marketing reports after lunch.”

The phone clicked off. No please. No thank you. No indication whatsoever of what he wanted to eat. Asshole.

Liz flipped open the trusty dossier to the restaurants section hoping to find something easy. The only restaurant that was approved and open for delivery at this hour was the Jewish deli up the street.
She knew that Mr. Evans would want something light and healthy, a wrap with turkey extra vegetables, extra Tobasco. Probably a mineral water on the side. He’d sneak a cherry coke when he didn’t think she was looking.

She ordered a couple of extra options for The Cougar to choose from figuring she would eat whatever they didn’t want to. But if she were putting money on it the woman would choose the bloody roast beef.

The old man who took her order over the phone was charming and promised it would be delivered in twenty minutes. She gave him her petty cash card information and made sure that they came with a receipt.

Right on time a young man with pimples and a baseball cap wandered in with a large take-out bag. Liz greeted him and gave him a tip, taking the bag so she could go through it.

She grabbed a few plates and utensils out of the break room and a glass for his mineral water.
With everything in hand, balanced like the pro she was, she knocked on the door lightly with her foot.

A giggle.

“Come in,” Max called out.

The Cougar and his Highness were sitting way too close together on the couch for comfort. She’d discarded her blazer and her heels, but he seemed as buttoned up as ever.

“Oh Liz is such a sweet girl, so helpful. You can run along now.”

The Cougar’s condescending tone was not lost on Liz. Liz almost replied with something equally as mocking but Mr. Evans gave her a look saying to back off.

“That will be all, Ms. Parker.” Her returning gaze was hurt and confused.

She left the food out in front of them and scurried from the room like a dog with its tail between its legs.

‘Fuck! I left my sandwich in that room.’

There was no way that she was going back inside to grab it, so she’d have to suffer through missing lunch. To distract herself, she continued going through the pile of paperwork that had built up since The Cougar’s appearance. The marketing department had claimed that there was no way the reports would be ready on time. Liz had to go down there and talk sense into them. They grudgingly handed them over twenty minutes later.

Even after Whitaker left for the day, demanding that she and Mr. Evans get together soon, Liz was still on edge. She could handle comments from a vapid woman like Whitaker, but to be silenced by Mr. Evans stung. Being stuck here with him all day meant that she couldn’t go into a dark corner to lick her wounds.

By the time the afternoon review came, Liz’s stomach was growling uncontrollably. It was embarrassing. The first time it happened she was talking to one of the mailroom clerk’s, she claimed that it was a silly alarm she set on her phone. The second time it rumbled she was in the elevator returning from the marketing department after picking up the reports Mr. Evans had requested, there were enough people that she played it off being someone else.

But trapped across a desk from intensely observant eyes, she could not blame her phone or her peers.

“What was that noise?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Was that your stomach?” Her face flushed in embarrassment.

“Did you not eat lunch Ms. Parker?” He continued.

“No, I am afraid I didn’t.” Liz admitted.

“Why not?”

“Excuse me?” Was this man insane? Did he not understand what he put her through?

“I asked you a simple question. Why did you not eat lunch? Your stomach won’t stop rumbling and it’s distracting. I cannot understand that with the hour you are given, you didn’t manage to use it. What did you do instead I wonder?” He snapped.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you meant that lunch hour. I thought you were referring to the time I was insuring that YOU and your scotch loving friend were well fed at the last minute. Or when I had to harass the marketing department for a report that wasn’t supposed to be ready until Friday but YOU needed right away. Had I known that I got a different hour for lunch maybe I would have eaten,” Liz was fuming. She may have spat slightly when she yelled.

“Leave.” His voice was cold.

“Excuse me?” She had not been expecting that from him.

“You’re done here.” He pointed to the door.

“Fine!”

Liz got up and stormed out of the office muttering obscenities about amber-eyed devils under her breath. She went to her desk and began randomly throwing things into her messenger bag.

She left her company issued laptop and blackberry on her desk. She may have stolen post it notes. What? They were handy and rather expensive these days.

‘Fired on day 3, Parker. Well at least you gave it the old college try.’ She shook her head in defeat.

Liz pressed the down button for the elevator. Why was it taking so long? She pressed it again. And again and again. She pressed it with so much frustration looming over her that she felt like she sprained her index finger.

Finally the doors opened and she got inside. Hitting the button with entirely too much force. Everyone wisely avoided making eye contact with the tiny fireball. In the lobby, she pushed through people twice her size nearly knocking Michael over.

“Whoa there, Parker. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” He said grabbing hold of her arms to keep her in place.

“It doesn’t matter.” Her voice nearly broke.

“Hey look at me, what’s wrong?”

“Your asshole of a boss just fired me for doing my job. Can I trouble you for a ride back to the estate. I want to pack my things and get back to my life.” The words were said too quickly for him to understand.

“Do me a favor. Take a breath because you are turning red. Now what did you say about Max firing you?”

“Whitaker stopped by for lunch, so I was running around making arrangements for him. Then he wanted me to get a report from marketing that wasn’t even ready yet. I had to fight them tooth and nail over it so I missed my lunch break. Then he had the audacity to criticize me for a grumbling stomach and told me to leave.” Liz said more slowly but not any less calmly.

“Whitaker was here? That viper always sets him on edge. She controls the purse strings for Evans-Harding’s government contracts. Whitaker’s been trying to get Max to sleep with her for years, but he’s always refused.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t work for him. I can’t. So can you give me a ride or not?” Her eyes swam with frustrated tears that she was too stubborn to cry.

“Yeah, I’ll give you a ride. Come on.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guarded her towards the car park.

Liz felt like such a failure. She was fighting a battle she couldn’t win. She knew it was crazy when she took it on but she just thought maybe she could hack it. Three whole fucking days, whoopdeedoo.
If she was being honest with herself what bothered her the most wasn’t losing her job, it was losing the enigmatic Mr. Evans from her life before she had a chance to understand what he meant to her.

A/N: Love all of you so much, thanks for the kind reviews. My Mr.Evans is an asshole. But I like to think of him as a redeemable hot asshole. Enjoy the chapter, I'm going to go dig my house out of two feet of snow now.

Chapter Eight

As soon as the town car pulled into the driveway, Liz was out like a cannon rushing up the stairs and to her room to begin to pack. She was lucky that she had never settled in, it was much easier this way to just throw everything that had made it out of her bags back into it.

The stupid zipper was conspiring against her. She smacked the bag holding it down with her full weight, as she attempted to pull the metal up the expanse of teeth.

The zipper would not budge. Bastard.

She pulled at it and hit it until all her frustration finally came pouring out in the form of angry tears. Her hair dislodged itself from its careful bun as she reached up toward the roots, pulling at them to anchor herself.

‘Stupid, Liz… Stupid…stupid…stupid.’ She rocked herself briefly, letting her body console itself the only way how.

It was better this way in the long run. Had she gotten behind the wheel in her state, who knew what would have happened. She needed to calm down.

A door slammed. She could hear raised voices coming from the foyer. It was the motivation she needed to get the hell out of there.

“Come on you rat bastard, zip already!”

Liz tugged with all her might. Success.

She heaved her bags over her shoulder, it made her look a bit like a hunchback, but it was the only way she could get everything downstairs in one trip. Liz took one last look at her room then she made her way back into her sitting area where she was confronted with a deadly calm Mr. Evans sitting in her armchair.

If he meant to intimidate her, he succeeded. But he didn’t need to know that.

‘Keep walking Liz, you don’t owe him anything anymore.’

Gathering all her courage, she walked past him; his voice stopped her in the doorway.

“Ms. Parker…”

“Ms. Parker, please. I am willing to give you a trial period then you can have your job back.”

Liz scoffed, but she didn’t turn around. All of that and he couldn’t even apologize.

“That’s not good enough.” Her voice came out stronger than she thought.

Before she could lose her confidence she walked out the door. She didn’t look back. He didn’t give her chase.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Here you go two Will Smith’s, one Sigourney Weaver and a blood of alien smoothie. Enjoy guys.” Liz said as she deposited the plates down in front of the group of teenagers.

She had settled back into her life with relative ease. Her parents were disappointed that her job didn’t work out but took her in no questions asked.

Since she returned over a month ago, Liz was resigned to the Crashdown being her future life. In high school it seemed like getting into Harvard would solve everything. She never thought that she’d be a small fish in a big pond even with her 4.0. Everyone in the incoming class that wasn’t pure legacy was smart. Her free time was split between studying and waiting tables to make sure she was able to even pay for school.

Working didn’t allow her to be as competitive as she needed to be to get the internships that she needed to get her a lab position. Most grad schools wanted to see that you had some experience before they accepted you. What did Liz have? Three days working for Maxwell Evans.

That had been her last hope. She knew now that her degree was the most expensive piece of paper she ever purchased and it wasn’t even worth anything in the long run. It was just a pipe dream, a wasted—

“Or for the love of God, stop feeling sorry for yourself over there.”

‘Ah Maria, always blunt.’

Liz grabbed her order that Jose passed to her and took it out to a white haired old woman who was sitting at the bar.

‘That’s right, Liz. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. At least you aren’t Myrtle over here with no teeth, coke bottle glasses and a family that no longer wants to see you.’

“Anything else I can get for you today Ms. Myrtle?” Liz knew what the answer was before she asked the question.

“Do you have any of that…oh what is called, dear? That spicy sauce…”

Liz pulled a bottle of Tabasco from her apron and set it out on the counter.

‘He always liked Tabasco sauce. He said it was because of something sweet and spicy—‘ Liz’s thought process was interrupted by Maria grabbing hold of her arm and forcibly yanking her into the back room.

“Now listen up because I’m only going to say this one more time. Max Evans is an asshole. A raging asshole and you need to stop thinking about him. He couldn’t even apologize to you for yelling at you over what—a rumbling stomach? The man is clearly unhinged and I’m not going to allow you to beat yourself up over this. There will be other jobs, Liz. And other men.”

“I know. I know that. Its just there was something about him you know? He got under my skin.”

“Yeah like a bad rash.”

“Maria, I can’t explain it. I embarrassed myself more times than I could count in front of him. But there was this static, it pulled me to him like gravity…like his soul or something—"

“No! No there will be no talk of gravitational soul static pulling. You know what you need? You need a man. Go on a date, Liz. Get laid for Christ’s sake. Forget about Max Evans. We’ll go to The Factory tonight, get our drink and our dance on. And you will flirt with at least one guy tonight.”

Liz nodded. It was better to agree with Maria then fight with her when she was like this. And for what’s more, Maria was right. There were plenty of fish in the sea, she just needed a new fish. A new fish that didn’t smell of fresh soap and pine trees. A fish that didn’t have large hands that were perfect for—

Maria hit her in the face with a french fry. She deserved that.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Factory was a dance club in a converted warehouse in the old section of town. When she was a high school student it was called The Soap Factory because of the foam parties they used to have there. But when the foam parties got banned due to some health code violation, the owner simply shortened the name.

Liz thought the lack of foam made it less tacky. More bearable.

Maria had convinced her to dress up tonight. She needed to look ‘drool-worthy’ hot—Maria’s term not hers. And drool-worthy hot consisted of a red top cut so low she couldn’t wear a bra and a pair of jeans so tight that they appeared to be painted on.

Looking at Maria’s chosen outfit she felt like she was a nun. Her wild child friend had a mini-dress that stopped under her butt and had no back to speak of. And the men were definitely noticing. Maria kept getting pulled out onto the dance floor. Liz fled for the safety of the bar.

“Can I buy you a drink pretty lady?” A sweaty mouth-breather asked. He’d been hovering all night.

“I’m all set.” Liz said waving her prop beer bottle she’d been holding all night.

“Do a shot with me!” He took her response as a go-ahead.

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

“Come on one shot. You won’t regret it.” Oh god he licked his lips. Liz’s lady parts shriveled up inside herself. If her boobs were capable of becoming concave, they would have hidden themselves so far in her ribcage they would never be found.

She tried to get away but he grabbed hold of her hips.

“Let go of me right now.” Liz shouted trying to pry him off, but he was like an octopus he was suddenly everywhere.

“I believe the lady said hands off.”

The man was pulled unceremoniously off of her. And Liz looked up to thank her rescuer.

“Michael? What are you doing here?”

“Besides saving a lady in distress?” He laughed hesitantly and scratched behind his ear.

Liz froze. He was here. He had to be, that would be the only reason why Michael came out here on a Friday night. Liz’s eyes searched the room expecting to see Mr. Evans’ dark hair and fiery eyes glaring at her.

“He’s not here. I came with a few of the other guys on the security detail.” Michael said knowingly, calming her fears.

Maria had noticed her friend panicking at the hands of the octopus but had had to fight her way through the throngs of people to get back to her. When she finally made her way to the bar, she saw Liz being saved by Mr. Tall and Handsome. Maria hoped that this wasn’t Mr. Evans. It would be a shame to kill him.

“Hey Liz, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Maria sidled up against Liz.

Michael shamelessly checked her out. Maria ate it up like a cat that ate the canary.

“Maria, Michael. Michael, Maria.” Liz ground out obligatorily.

“Michael, do a lady a favor and take her for a spin on the dance floor?”

“I don’t really dance.”

Maria glared at him. He was playing hard to get. She knew it. Well fine she’ll just bust out the big guns. She turned around to face the dance floor revealing her bare back.

“Pity. Guess, I’ll have to go get hot and bothered on the dance floor all by my lonesome.”

Liz shook her head. Maria was a shameless drunk. She felt bad for Michael. Most men weren’t prepared to get hit by Hurricane DeLuca. He turned his attention to Liz, but she could tell he kept stealing glances at Maria who was shaking her ass feet away.

“Go, Michael. I don’t need a babysitter.”

He seemed to hesitate.

“Go!” She shoved him out towards the dance floor.

And then there was one. She watched Maria dance with Michael for a while; the poor man wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t dance. Maria didn’t seem to mind though. At least one good thing came out of the night.

Michael would make sure Maria got home. She highly doubted that she would be leaving alone anyway. Liz noted that this was her signal to leave. She took the final pull from her bottle; the acrid liquid really tasted like piss and set it down on the bar.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Even though she had called it a night hours before Maria, she was still a zombie with bags under her eyes. Maria by contrast had the undeniable glow of the freshly fucked.

“What time did you two leave your bed this morning?”

“Who said anything about a bed? On the other hand the kitchen table, couch and shower…” Maria winked.

Liz shook it off. She really didn’t need that much information about Michael and Maria. Liz wished them both the best but if she let Maria, she’d give her a play by play of the entire night and that just squicked her out.

She could remember clearly the first time Maria sat her down and forced her to watch porn. They were fourteen and just starting high school. Maria had said it was for research purposes so they didn’t go into sex unprepared. Liz couldn’t argue with that logic, so she had dutifully sat by her best friend with a bowl of popcorn.

It was only five minutes in, the filmmakers clearly had no sense of plot, and Liz’s eyes had bugged out of her head. Did all men like that sort of thing? And oh god where was she going to shove that?
Liz had spent the rest of the movie with her hands covering her eyes, occasionally peeking when the strange sounds peaked her curiosity.

Liz only learned two things that night.
1.) She was utterly turned off by porn.
2.) She would never let anyone shove anything up her butt. Exit only.

The morning had been mercifully slow, and Liz had decided to go on her break a little early. She fully intended to spend the next twenty minutes passed out on the couch in the break room. Say what you will, but never underestimate the power of power naps.

Her eyes had been shut for moments when Maria was shaking her awake and telling her she was needed out front.

“Go away, Maria. I’m sure you can handle the blue haired set that just popped in.”

“I really think that you want to go out front for this one.”

Liz put her hand out and allowed Maria to pull her to her feet. She smoothed out her dress and started to put her headband back on when Maria grabbed it from her. Her friend also reached out and undid a few of the snaps exposing more of her cleavage.

“Hey!” Liz started to do the buttons back up but Maria stilled her hands.

“Trust me.”

Liz stared at her friend in confusion as she pushed open the swinging doors and was met with a hallucination.

It had to be a hallucination because Maxwell Evans would never set foot in the Crashdown. He most certainly would not have stubble on his face and bags under his eyes. He wouldn’t be standing there looking sinfully good in a pair of blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt.

Hallucination. Clear as day. She’d been having them for days now. Seeing him in all her favorite spots. But he had disappeared after a few seconds there, so Liz would just have to wait the delusion out.

“I don’t expect you to want to talk to me. You don’t have to say anything. I just needed to tell you….You deserved to hear this.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as she chose his words.

Interesting, the hallucinations never talked to her before. Her psychosis must be progressing. He gestured to an empty booth and they both sat.

“I have never handled my emotions well. Langley suggested a more controlled environment would help me. It worked, there were few surprises so I just drifted day in day out sticking to routine. I had a meeting set up with Vanessa Whitaker for months. She’s the key vote you see to insure that we get the funds appropriated for our stem cell research.” He explained.

His nerves were wreaking havoc on him and he grabbed a bottle of tobasco, tearing at the label as they shook.

“I’m not oblivious. I knew that she wanted to sleep with me. She made it clear that if I scratched her back she’d scratch mine. I took her to dinner, and I went back with her to her hotel room. I planned to grin and bear it, get through the night and go back to the Estate sleeping easier because we still had our funding. But I couldn’t do you know why?”

Liz shook her head.

“Because of you, Ms. Parker. I don’t even know you but you are this annoying yet terribly endearing voice at the back of my head. You’d never sleep with someone whose blood alcohol level was always a steady 1.0 even to advance your cause.”

It was true she wouldn’t. She’d think she was a whore and want to shower to get the smell out of her nostrils.

“Your voice was screaming at me, saying I was a man-whore for even considering it. And I couldn’t. I physically couldn’t do it.”

‘Wow, his subconscious version of me is pretty accurate.’ Liz gave him a reassuring nod telling him to continue.

“I begged her off told her that I was still jet lagged and there would be other nights. When she came to lunch the next day I wanted to ignore you. You were the problem, you see? If I didn’t care about what you thought I could make it happen. So I turned you away. But it didn’t work. I couldn’t do what Whitaker wanted me to do. She walked and took the grant with her. I was so furious, so mad at you for doing this to me. Then you came in and you talked back. I didn’t know whether to strangle you or to throw you down –"

He cleared his throat not meaning to go down that train of thought.

“I told you to leave, Liz. I told you to leave.”

She had never heard him say her first name before. It sent a wave through her and she liked it. She liked the way it sounded coming from him. But she shouldn’t have liked it.

“You did. You were unreasonably frustrating and pig headed. ” She said finally finding her voice.

“I know. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. But if I never told you how completely and utterly devastated I was to make one with you, I’d never forgive myself. I’m sorry. You were by far the best assistant I’ve ever had and quite possibly the most honest person in my life. I don’t know a lot of honest people.

“I’ve put off hiring another assistant. I couldn’t even think about someone else sitting at your desk fiddling with sticky notes or it not being your scent that I smelled in the car first thing in the morning.”

Damn, so he had sniffed her too.

“I’m an angry bastard. But I was hoping you’d come back, Ms. Parker, and be my assistant again.”

Liz sucked in a deep breath. She knew that if she said yes too quickly she’d look desperate, and she didn’t want to make a mistake. The man was completely mental, working for him was the most masochistic thing she’d ever done.

But it was moments like this where she saw something in him. Liz had always inherently wanted to help others. Could she help Max Evans and still protect herself?

“I will work for you only if the following conditions are met.

1.) I will not be waking up at the crack of dawn to do battle with the Granolith anymore and make your smoothie. You will make that shit yourself. I love sleep. And i'm not losing an hour of it anymore because you think its the end of the world if you don't get protein first thing.

2.) I will not hold my tongue. If I feel compelled to talk to you about something as arbitrary as alien abductions you will allow me to. Obviously I will maintain a professional level with you in the workplace, but at the Estate, I am a free woman.

3.) You will treat me like a human being. You can start by calling me by my name. It’s Liz, not Ms. Parker. Not 'you there'. Liz.”

The smile that spread across his face was infectious. It did crazy things to her lady parts. Illegal things.

“If you come back to work for me, you can have whatever you want, Liz.” His voice dropped an octave caressing her name as it spilled forth from his lips.

‘Oh fuck me, did I just tell him to only call me Liz? Down girls, down ovaries, I say.’

A/N: Stop making me blush! All of you are way too sweet. Thank you again for reading and reviewing, it's because of all of you that I want to update daily. Cheers.



Chapter 9

“What on Earth did you do to my brother?” Isabel Evans had chosen to come harass Liz at the office when she knew Max was tied up at the construction site all afternoon. Crafty bitch.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Liz kept her focus on the office supply request form she needed to complete for the week. If she didn't get this slip in today, she wouldn't have more post its come Monday.

“Let me refresh your memory then,” Isabel leaned over the desk staring Liz down, “A month ago I hired you to work for my brother. I gave you a paint-by-numbers breakdown of how to do your job. Then surprise, surprise, he has to fire you for being incompetent. Now what I want to know is what you blackmailed him with to get him to hire you back?”

Liz put down her pen and looked at Isabel as if she were dealing with a small child.

“Ms. Evans, I do not work for you. I work for your brother. If you want to know why I’m here ask him his reasons. But if you have no other business here I’d appreciate it if you let me do my job, now why don’t you go do yours. Or do you not really have one and is your title only in name?”

‘Creative Consultant my ass.’ Liz smirked.

Isabel’s eyes narrowed even further. No one talked to her that way, least of all some mousy insignificant girl like Liz Parker. Isabel had called Max as soon as she heard that he hired back Liz Parker and told him insistently that he must be insane because there was no way he’d risk his own pride over her. Max had hung up. If Liz Parker ruined her plans there would be hell to pay.

“I’ll be seeing you, Ms. Parker.”

“I’m counting on it.” Liz bit back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

During the ride back to the Estate, Liz debated telling Max about his sister’s impromptu visit. However she realized that it would be effectively tattle-tailing to do so. She would just keep her eyes open for any retribution the elder Parker wanted to throw her way.

“Is something wrong, Liz?” Max asked when his assistant became uncharacteristically silent.

“No, I’m just trying to think of what I need to get done this weekend.”

“Do you have plans?”

“Just brunch with my parents on Sunday. What about you? Tell me something that you plan to do that I haven’t scheduled.” She turned in her seat to face him.

“No judging…”

“No judging.”

He hesitated.

“You’re going to laugh.”

“I promise. I will not laugh.” Liz gestured to her serious face.

“Fine. When I was younger, I had a phobia of aliens and now that I’m living in Roswell, Langley suggested that I start small and work my way up to overcome it.” Max spoke so quickly and quietly that Liz struggled to understand him.

“And by starting small you mean?”

“He gave me a copy of E.T. and told me to watch it.” His ears turned bright red.

Liz wished she hadn’t promised not to laugh. But his face, he looked so terrified. She was biting the inside of her cheek so hard to keep it in. But the irony of the situation, that he was afraid of aliens and living here was just too much.

She lost it.

Liz laughed so hard she cried and stopped making any sounds. Just when she thought she had regained control of her breathing, he looked at her. And it was just too pathetic.

“I’m glad you find my pain amusing.”

“So the other day when you came to talk to me in the Crashdown…”

“I tried to just focus on your face and not look at the decorations. Or your apron.”

Her stomach hurt with the force of each laugh. Finally Max couldn’t handle it anymore and he joined her.

When Michael opened the door to let them out, he found them leaning towards each other grasping their stomachs and erupting in laughter. He shut the door again. Maxwell Evans laughing a full bellied laugh was just too strange for his brain to take.

“Don’t you dare tell Michael about this.” He warned her.

“I promise.”

“Just like you promised not to laugh?” He raised a brow.

Liz without thinking grabbed hold of both his hands and looked directly into his eyes.

“I promise you with my life that I will not tell Michael about your phobia.”

“Or E.T.” He added.

“Or E.T.” Liz squeezed his hands once more then released them.

‘God his hands are perfect. I need to make an effort to touch them more.’ Liz thought.

They exited the car, and went inside towards their dinner, which Courtney decided to serve on the patio. Liz helped herself to a glass of wine, but she noticed that Max did not drink. In fact, she didn’t think she ever saw him drink any alcohol.

“What night do you plan to work on your phobia?”

“I think tomorrow in all likelihood. I’ve had enough stress today as it is.”

“If you want, I do not have anything planned for tomorrow, I could watch it with you and protect you from the big bad,” Liz saw Max’s panicked look and noticed that Courtney was returning with their dinner, “Czechoslovakians.”

Courtney seemed confused by their conversation topic but thankfully did not comment. She simply served them their antipasto and slipped away.

“Czechoslovakians? Really?”

“I panicked.” Liz mumbled into her wine glass.

Max reached for her free hand on the table, stroking her wrist gently just at the pulse point.

“If you really want to, I’d love for you to protect me, Liz.”

She was glad that she wasn’t drinking at that precise moment because that stunt would have made her choke.

‘Oh you bastard, you know exactly what you do to me. Two can play this game. Its on Mr. Evans.’

Liz behaved relatively tamely during dinner. She knew that he’d be expecting her to retaliate now with some food play. Perhaps suggestively eating a piece of asparagus, but half of winning the game was the element of surprise. So she waited.

After dinner, Max excused himself to go make a few phone calls from his room. Liz took this opportunity to print off his schedule. While she was waiting for her laptop to boot up, she saw that Maria was calling her cell phone.

“Hey lady,” Liz answered.

“Liz! Drinks tomorrow. I need a girl’s night.”

“I can’t.” Liz opened the schedule file and printed off three copies.

“Please don’t tell me that your boss is back to being a slave driver already.”

“No, nothing like that.” She cleared her throat which had gone dry all of a sudden.

“What are you hiding from me?” Maria had grown suspicious; this was never a good thing. Deflect!

“Who says I’m hiding anything?”

“I know you Liz Parker. And I know that there’s something you aren’t telling me and when I find out, you better believe that I will hold it against you.”

Liz Parker had never been very good at keeping things from Maria. But luckily Maria always knew that what Liz told her, stayed with her. Maria just loved gossip. She was also a master interrogator.

“Fine. I can’t come out tomorrow night because I’m spending time with Mr. Evans.”

“Liz, you are with that man 24 hours a day. I think if anything you can use time apart.”

“But that’s the thing Maria, I spend time with him as Mr. Evans. Tomorrow I am hanging out with Max. Do you get the difference?”

“You just want to try and bone him.”

Liz sighed. She did. It was true.

“Can you blame me?”

“No. Gah. Fine. I will let you out of girl’s night just this once. But when the cobwebs are finally gone from your hooha, I want you to think me for being the self-sacrificing friend that I am.”

“I love you, Maria.”

“Back at ya kid.”

She hung up the phone and collected the copies of the schedule from the printer.

Show time.

Max Evans had not been suspecting a knock on his bedroom door. He definitely had not expected to see Liz Parker standing on the other side nervously biting her lip and toying with her necklace that fell just above her cleavage. If he had he would have probably hung up the phone. He also would have put on less restrictive pants.

“Mom, I need to call you back.” He clicked his cell off and tilted his head to the side wondering what Liz needed.

Liz Parker was a woman of many talents. One of them was looking entirely innocent no matter what words were coming out of her mouth.

“I can’t get this paper under the door. No matter how hard I thrust, it’s just too tight a fit. And I remembered last time how flustered you got when I was kneeling down here, working at it, so I thought I’d just spare you the trouble and myself the sweat and hand it over directly.”

He blinked. Then he swallowed. All he heard was thrust, tight, kneeling, sweat, Liz! Oh, he remembered the picture of her on her knees all too well. The lack of room in his pants could attest to that.

“Aren’t you going to take the schedule, Mr. Evans?” Liz said with the hint of a smile.

She knew that she repaid him for his stunt at the dinner table. It took all of her strength not to rub it in his face.

“Right… the schedule.” He took the paper, trying to shake the glazed look out of his eyes and stumbled back into his room.

This round went to Liz Parker, and she embraced her victory with a spring in her step.

Chapter Ten

When Liz awoke she felt unnaturally hot. She had kicked her blankets off in the night, and apparently divested herself of her nightshirt while she slept. She reached up to feel her forehead. Outside of the gross amount of sweat, she herself didn’t feel warm.

She padded from her bed to the thermostat above the light-switch. 98 degrees.

That could do it.

Roswell had been experiencing a heat wave the past week. She had been spared thanks to the constantly 70 degree office and house with air conditioning. But something must have gone wrong because now she was melting.

She picked up her cell phone to call Kyle; he would know how to fix it.

“I know. It’s out down in the guesthouse as well. The fuse must have blown. I put a call into the company, but they are backed up thanks to the weather.” He informed her.

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“Michael sent one of his boys out to buy a few fans for the house. Until then I suggest you keep as cool as possible. Maybe test out the pool if you haven’t yet.”

“Let me know as soon as you have an ETA.”

“Will do.”

Liz had spent the past four years on the East Coast, so she knew what a bitch humid hot weather was. The dry desert of New Mexico wasn’t really an issue for her. That didn’t mean she had to like being overheated.

After taking a cold shower, she dressed in a lightweight sundress. She forwent a bra, she didn’t really need one and it was just an extra layer. She clipped her hair up on her head, leaving it wet so the strands continued to cool her scalp.

Max either wasn’t awake yet, or was hiding away somewhere since the kitchen was empty when she went down for breakfast. Courtney had left out a fruit bowl and some bagels. Liz remembered her having said that her cousin’s wedding was this weekend and she would be away.

Liz helped herself to some cold orange juice from the fridge and wandered out on to the patio. She would have loved to have dived right into the pool, but she didn’t know what Max needed from her today.

Then he was there, pulling himself out of the pool like in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High.’ He didn’t have a red bikini, but the blue board shorts he wore were equally as tempting.

The man was perfect. Completely and utterly perfect. She now understood the crazy nutrition and exercise plan. She worshiped at the feet of his crazy nutrition and exercise plan.

“Good morning, Liz. Mind handing me my towel?”

“Mr. Evans.” She reached for the fluffy white piece of cloth with shaking hands and held it aloft.
He took it with a whisper of ‘thanks’ and began to rub down his body before collapsing into one of the green striped loungers.

“I am guessing you know about our air conditioning problem.”

“Yes, I spoke with Kyle and he is going to let me know as soon as a technician will be available to take a look at it. Did you want to work from the office today?” She could talk about work, it was safe. It made her focus on things other than his chest.

“I considered it this morning, however I feel as though I have a good handle on things. Our new research is going well and the contractors are confident we will be able to open our doors here in two months.”

“And will you be returning to New York when the research center is operational?” Liz wrung her hands nervously.

Two months wasn’t much time. They had wasted a month as it was.

“The board hasn’t discussed it yet.”

‘Not a yes. But it wasn’t a no either.’ Liz thought.

“Feel free to get changed and go for a swim, the water is deliciously cool.” He threw a well-muscled forearm across his face to shield his eyes from the sun.

Liz took the chance to ogle his abs one last time before turning and going back into the house to change.

‘You want to see me in my swimsuit, Maxwell Evans. I’ll grant your wish, but I hope you realize what you are in for.’ Liz tore off her dress as soon as she got back to her room.

As far as she knew her swimsuit was still shoved in the front compartment of her duffle. It took her a minute to root through the items until her fist closed around stretchy black fabric.

Liz knew that she wasn’t the bustiest of women. That was why when she found a push up bikini at Victoria’s Secret; she didn’t hesitate to buy it. It was a black halter top with low-rise cheeky bottoms.

She looked fabulous in it, or so Maria had said in the dressing room, but it gave her the confidence she needed to be half-naked in front of a man like Max Evans.

Liz slipped on a pair of shorts since she didn’t feel entirely comfortable wandering around pantsless when she might run into Kyle.

With each step she took closer to the pool her nerves grew. Would Max like what he saw? She knew he enjoyed her legs and gave her cleavage the occasional glance, he was male, but would she measure up to the other women he’d been with?

The minute she stepped outside on to the patio her fears dissipated. The look Max gave her made her feel like an oasis and he was a man dying of water. Confidence restored, she shimmied out of her shorts, never breaking eye contact.

She stepped up alongside him, winked, then dived into the water. Liz held her breath for as long as she could before she resurfaced, pushing her hair back from her face. She turned looking for Max but she didn’t see him anywhere.

Then something pulled hard on her calf, and dragged her under. She came face to face with a smirking, Max. She hit his chest playfully then broke the surface once more.

“You jerk.” She splashed him.

He splashed back.

Soon they were engaged in a life or death battle with trying to dunk the other under water. Max was stronger, but Liz had locked her legs around his waist like a vice and was holding on to his back like a barnacle.

Liz hadn’t counted on Max simply falling backwards and taking her down with him. She ended up swallowing water and sputtering on the side of the pool for a few minutes. Max apologized and appropriately fearing her wrath, said that he was going to do some laps.

She pulled herself out of the pool and decided to lie down on the lounger without drying off. Laying flat on her stomach she undid the back tie of her bikini, what girl wants tan lines?

The sun was warm on her skin and soon lulled her into sleep. She came awake at the gentle shaking of Max’s hand on her shoulders. Not remembering that she had undone her ties, she started to sit up only to have her bikini come away from her body. She slapped her hand across her chest, and held it to herself. But by the way Max was blushing to the very tips of his ears, she’d just flashed him good and proper.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… uh… Kyle just rang down. The A.C.’s fixed.”

“Right… well I’m just going to,” She gestured to her bikini top and Max nodded.

He awkwardly waited a beat too long before getting up and going back inside the house. When she was sure he couldn’t see her, Liz hurriedly fixed her top then secured herself with a towel for good measure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Liz had pulled out some sandwich fixings from the fridge and was in the process of making her and Max turkey wraps when Kyle came in.

“Whatcha up to tonight, Lizzie-baby?”

“Don’t ever call me that again if you want to live.” Liz said holding her knife aloft that she had been using to dice tomatoes.

Kyle held his hands up in surrender.

“I’m going to head into town and hit up Cow Patty’s. You interested?”

“I’m going to pass, Kyle. I don’t really feel like nursing a hangover in the morning.”

“Come on my Uncle’s band the Kit-Shickers are playing.”

“Count me in next time,” She said with a small smile.

“Alright, but when you are sitting here home alone bored out of your mind, I want you to think of all the fun you could have had living it up with Mr. Kyle Valenti.” Kyle ran his hands down his body dramatically.

“I will be sure to cry myself to sleep tonight over it.”

“You better! Have a nice night, Liz.”

She rolled the wrap up and cut it on the diagonal.

“You could have gone with him you know…” Max said leaning against the island.

“I could have. But then who would protect you from the big bad scary monsters?” Liz winked and handed him his half of the sandwich.

They ate making idle chatter, a somewhat new concept for Max but he found that he didn’t hate it. Or maybe he didn’t hate idle chatter with Liz.

She took his empty plate from the table and loaded it up in the dishwasher.

“Are you ready to conquer your fears?” Liz asked him with a brow raised.

“Make some popcorn and come up to my suite. The couch in there is far more comfortable than down here. I’ll get the dvd loaded up.”

Liz tried not to take offense that he didn’t say please. He was trying to be better, but he’d never improve if she snapped at him at every turn.

She found some microwave popcorn in the pantry and threw it in for the allotted time. While it was popping she considered the fact that she was going into the belly of the beast for the first time.

Did he have an ultra sleek space? Or did he like it more comfortable? Would there be any photographs? Would it be messy or tidy? Did it smell like him?

The microwave beeped breaking her out of her reverie. She found a large bowl and dumped it inside, eating an errant kernel that fell on the counter.

‘Oh kettle corn, why are you so good?’

She carried the bowl of popcorn along with water and a cherry coke up the stairs. He’d left his door open and Liz tentatively stepped inside.

Similar to her room he had a private living area, where he was currently fiddling with the dvd player. A flat screen was mounted on one wall and opposite was a deep grey sectional. She could see a room off to the side which was a private study and a set of French doors that she assumed led to the holy land, aka his bedroom. The entire space was chic and looked like a photo from a catalog but there was nothing of Max in it.

The sound of Liz setting the bowl down alerted Max to her presence. He smiled when she held up the cherry coke.

‘Yes, I know what you want and need before you ask me for it. I know I’m amazing, no need to thank me Mr. Evans.’

“Are you ready to be terrified?” He said taking a seat next to her on the sectional.

He’d left about a foot of distance between them. Yet she could still feel his body heat and smell him acutely. Her thighs unconsciously rubbed against each other.

He managed to lower the lights and press play all with the same universal remote. Then they were bathed in darkness save for the light from the television screen. It had been years since Liz saw the movie, and she enjoyed re-watching it with the nostalgia for childhood.

Max on the other hand had grabbed a throw pillow at the first appearance of the adorable extra-terrestrial and had been squeezing it like a stress ball ever since. Liz took a moment to look at how anxious he was, and felt slightly guilty that she was enjoying the moment so much where as he seemed to be in pain.

Scooting closer, she released his left hand’s white knuckled grip on the throw pillow and instead placed it in her own. She stroked her thumb soothingly against his and watching his breathing even out.

“You alright there, Max?”

His eyes met hers and she gazed at him softly.

‘I’m here. It’s alright. I’m right here, you silly man.’

He gave her hand a slight squeeze, pulling her closer to his body, then turned his focus back to the screen.

Max made it to the end of the movie. He looked a little worse for wear, but Liz was proud of him for conquering his fear. Even if the alien in this movie was utterly harmless and completely adorable.

When the DVD ended, he’d switched the television over to ESPN claiming he wanted to check up on the score of the Yankees game. Liz could have cared less, so she simply nodded and laid her head on his shoulder.

The last thing Liz remembered was the softness of his t-shirt against her cheek and the smell of Irish Spring as she fell asleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She was so close. So very close. Her entire body knew it, even if she wasn’t entirely awake. Liz pressed her hips harder back into the object that was creating the delicious friction between her thighs. A jolt went through her. She pressed back again and was rewarded once more but this time with a guttural moan.

Liz’s eyes opened slowly. She was lying sideways but not in her bed. She was still on the couch in Max’s suite.

‘Holy fuck! I am sleep humping with my boss!’

Sure enough it was Max’s morning wood that she had been dry humping herself on. And it was also Max’s hand that was snaking its way under her tank top to grab hold of her breast. This time he was the one who thrust against her. Her cotton shorts were thin enough that she could feel almost everything and boy did her lady parts wish that that barrier wasn’t there at all.

The hand that wasn’t fondling her chest was now being used to more forcibly bring her hips against his arousal. Then he thrust for a final time, and she felt her body uncoil in the most sinfully delicious way.

Liz could feel him start to stir. She had to mentally chuckle at the thought that he came so hard he managed to orgasm himself into consciousness. His hand flexed squeezed her breast and his arm tensing, clearly not expecting to feel the flesh below.

Liz tried to still her breathing and pretend she was asleep. That way she wouldn’t have to explain why she allowed the humping to continue. When Liz didn’t react, his hand softly traced her nipple before extracting itself from her top.

She bit her cheek to hold back her mewl of pleasure. Liz could feel his breath skimming over her shoulder then to her neck. Her heart began to race even faster when Max barely brushed his lips over the skin of her back.

Then he didn’t move. And she didn’t dare turn around to meet his gaze. In the stillness she was once again claimed by dreams.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sun streaming through the window woke her. Liz was in her own bed. She couldn’t remember coming back to her room after the movie, but she must have done. That was the only logical explanation she had for the things she had done to Max and he to her, she had been dreaming.

Liz wasn’t above raping Max in her sleep, but she knew he was too controlled for that. Too controlled to be running his hands over her in that way.

‘Do not think about his hands Liz. Obsessing over him as what got you here in the first place.’

Her cell phone beeped reminding her about going to brunch with her parents.

She needed a cold shower and fast. She’d worry about her naughty dreams later.