Friday6:58 PM
"Hi Max, come in…", Liz welcomed Max when she opened the door of her apartment.
He came in with a big smile on his face, hands full of Asian carryout, and a bouquet of red roses under his armpit.
28 minutes ago…
Max had a dinner reservation for 7:00 PM at one of the luxurious restaurants in Seattle.
He rang the doorbell of the Elizabeth"s apartment, and he was disappointed to see her wearing home wear and a worn-out expression.
"Sorry Max, I can"t go out today. I"m exhausted…" She felt guilty seeing him all dressed up and dashing, ready for a night out.
"Oh, don"t worry about it…", he said while doing his best not to show that his $200 deposit for reserving a VIP table will be forfeited. "You have to eat something, so I will just swing by and bring food. I will be back in half an hour. Pick a movie in the meantime and don"t sleep off."
Max called the restaurant to place an order for food, changed into more casual clothes (to match what Liz was wearing) and dashed down. He went to pick up food from the restaurant himself because it"s much faster than to wait for it to be delivered and bought flowers in the flower shop.
Back to present…
Max is pleased to see that Liz already set up two wine gla.s.ses and a chilled wine bottle on the coffee table in front of the television and she picked a movie as well.
Her bright smile when she accepted the flowers lit up the whole room.
This is the fifth day in a row how the two of them are having dinner in Liz"s apartment. They take turns who gets the food and who gets the drinks (Max started with food on Monday), and the two of them talk over dinner while watching television.
Max learned a lot about Liz, and he confirmed over and over again that she is amazing. And he is confident that he would make her fall head over heels for him if not for the small detail of her seeing him as gay. But he is patient, there is no rush. He will find the right moment to show her that he is straight. Until then, he will pretend to be this best-guy-friend person and uncover more secrets which Liz is hiding.
"How was your day?", Max asked when commercials started.
They would usually talk while commercials are on through the movie.
"Very busy.", Liz responded with a full mouth. She swallowed and continued: "There was a big accident on I-5 this morning and the urgent care was packed. I remember that last week I was bored, and today I got what I asked for… with interest. I examined more than fifty patients and performed seventeen minor surgeries. If Dr. Snow didn"t stop by to bring me a sandwich and a coffee I would not eat for the whole day." Liz ended her response with a smile and stuffed her mouth with fried rice.
Max frowned at the mention of Dr. Snow. Liz talks about him often. Max looked him up online and it seems that they guy is some big shot in medicine, a young prodigy of some kind. He has a smug face and Max does not like that the guy is appearing so often in Liz"s stories about her workday.
Sound of the doorbell interrupted Max"s thoughts.
Liz kept her utensils down and went to answer the door. Why is there someone at her door who was not announced by Joshua (the receptionist)?
Liz paused when she saw Quentin. She realized that Joshua didn"t call her because Max gave his permission for Quentin to come to the penthouse level unannounced.
"Hi, is Max here?", Quentin asked with a charming smile.
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Liz moved to make way to him and gestured toward the living room.
"Why are you here?", Max asked with a frown.
He told Quentin to stay away from him, especially when Liz is around. Max wants to use the fact that Liz thinks he is gay to get closer to her, but he does not want to reinforce that idea because his end plan is that she realizes he is straight.
"M, I called you, you didn"t answer. I was worried.", Quentin responded with a smirk.
Max narrowed his eyes at Quentin. He can tell that the b.a.s.t.a.r.d is ambiguous on purpose! "What do you want?"
Quentin glanced at Liz who was observing them (not so) secretly while pretending to watch the movie. "Can we talk in private?"
Max was sure that he is about to punch Quentin and erase that smirk. What privacy?
"You can use one of the bedrooms.", Liz said while gesturing toward the hallway on the right.
Max stood up.
"I will pause the movie when commercials end.", she told Max.
"No need. We will not take long.", Max told her. "Let me know when they end if I"m not back by then."
Max was making a point to Quentin that he needs to scram as soon as possible.
…
"Q, what are you up to?", Max squeezed through his teeth as soon as he closed the door behind them.
Quentin snorted. "Do you think I came to check on you playing house with Liz? I want your VIP card for the Forge."
Forge is a private luxury members-only club which provides unique services besides exquisite food and beverage options. VIP members get special privileges which include access to themed suites with breathtaking views of the Seattle at night. It"s perfect for charming ladies.
"Dream on.", Max rejected Quentin. "Last time I gave you my card you messed up the room and I paid more than a thousand dollars for cleaning. And they warned me that there will be no next time. I don"t want to risk losing my VIP status because of you."
"That was a one-time thing.", Quentin persisted. "I have a great girl for tonight, and I told her that I"m a VIP member. Come on, M. Do this for me."
"No.", Max turned around and was heading for the door.
"M… Don"t make me expose you in front of Liz."
Max paused his steps and turned to Quentin. "Oh, and how are you going to do that?"
Quentin smiled smugly and got his phone. "Let me see…", he scrolled through photos and videos. "So many choices… which one will I use as an evidence to show Liz what a disgusting lecher of a man her kind neighbor is?"
Max"s face darkened. "Delete those."
Quentin smirked. "Make me."
"Q, I"m warning you…", Max growled.
"M, I only want the VIP card and I will not show her anything… and I will leave immediately."
Max paused for a moment considering agreeing to the offer, but then he realized that even if Quentin follows on his promise now, there is no guarantee that he will not blackmail him in the same way again. He needs to get rid of that damaging evidence!
Max rushed toward Quentin and tackled him while trying to reach for his phone.
They fell on the bed with Quentin on the bottom.
"Give it to me!", Max growled while struggling to reach the phone which fell out of Quentin"s hand on the bed. It was only few inches away from Max"s fingers.
Quentin hugged Max around his torso while holding him down so that he can"t reach the phone.
They tugged each other while panting and they both froze at the sound of Liz clearing her throat.
"The commercials ended.", she flatly said before walking out and closing the door behind her.
Max directed a murderous gaze at Quentin, and he forgot about the phone as his hands landed on Quentin"s neck.
"I"m going to kill you!", Max squeezed through his teeth.
Quentin rolled on the side and used hands and legs to get out of Max"s grip and to push him away.
"You are insane!", Quentin said while rubbing his neck.
Quentin got his phone and glanced at Max. "About that VIP card…", he was not willing to give up on that.
"Get lost! What do you have in there that is more damaging than what she just saw?"
Max rubbed his temples while thinking, how is he going to explain this to Liz?
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