Chapter 4

Max's POV:







I blinked and bit back a yawn when I rolled over to stare at the clock. Funny thing is it looked like it read 9:30. Fuck. I had a meeting with Lizzy at 10am.


Over a month and a half had gone by since my agreement with Lizzy to meet once a week to go over any paperwork that I may have. So far I had managed to make every appointment on time and I think I was actually making progress in my attempt to befriend her. After a few meetings in her office, I finally convinced her to start meeting me at various coffee places instead. If I was late this morning to our designated Starbucks, all of my progress will have been a complete waste of time. One thing I had learned about her so far was that "stickler for time" was an understatement with her. She was the Genghis Khan of time and I even found myself feeling a little bit scared when I cut it close a couple of times.



As I rushed out of bed to try to find pants and a t-shirt, I knew that I partly wanted to be on time for a different reason. Despite her bossy demeanor and the fact that something was seriously bothering her and she obviously wasn't talking to anyone about it, our coffee meetings were fun. After all of the boring business stuff was out of the way, we usually just sat and talked for awhile before going our separate ways. So far I had learned that she ate Chinese food so frequently, she found it odd when it wasn't in her refrigerator, she compulsively cleaned when she needed to work things out in her mind, she was close with her mother, and had had many awkward moments growing up that to this day could make her blush.


I also noticed other little things about her. When she was in her own little world talking, her eyes always sort of wandered around the room picking up details and storing them for later. Then when I or anyone else was talking, her eyes never left yours and that should be intimidating but instead I found it comforting. Like I knew he could count on her to listen to what I was saying. She also bit her nails unless they were painted and while concentrating on work, could never really decide between having her hair up or down so she frequently changed it with the elastic band around her wrist.


I found that being friends with her was completely different than any other relationship I had. My relationships with women usually consisted of dating and sex, no long-lasting attachments and separate from that, I only had my mother, housekeeper and sister-in-laws who didn't count because they were family. I didn't quite know what to think of this except that I liked her and because she was new to Pittsburgh, she needed me around to make her enjoy it. Now if only I could get there on time for the meeting before she flipped out.

Eliza's POV:

I was in a good mood. That was the only reason I let him slide by on being 10 minutes late for our meeting. I also might have felt a little bit bad because the Pens lost 2-0 to the Caps the night before and Max in particular had his ass handed to him the whole night. Though he didn't know it, because obviously the man lived in a world where "on time" meant being 15 minutes late all of the time, I often overlooked this detail and let him think he was doing okay. He really needed to arrive soon though because she actually did have something they needed to discuss. He had been ticket free for 3 weeks but this morning she received notice that an auction site online had forged his autograph on a few items and were selling them for what appeared to be a fake charity. She figured he would find it amusing enough to let it slide but they still needed to draft a letter of legal warning and she needed his signature on a few contracts from the Pens.

I was digging around in my purse for chap stick when I felt the slight vibration of my blackberry ringing.

I answered and was immediately greeted in another language so that it took me a second to register who it was. After working for the Pens for a few months, I hadn't been using Spanish in normal situations except for the reading I still kept up on. My best friend was the only one who spoke Spanish as fluently as I did and we often only talked in Spanish when it was the two of us.

"Augh! I thought you would never answer your phone girl! What the hell are you doing in Pittsburgh that prevents you from answering my calls?!" It was my oldest and best friend calling and I suddenly felt like a bitch for not returning phone calls.

"I'm sorry, I'm so caught up in my job here and dealing with my family that I haven't called and I know that makes me a bitch, I'm sorry." I was relieved when we switched back to English because I was getting weird looks from the people around me trying to enjoy their coffee. I had a tendency to talk loudly and use more hand gestures when in Spanish mode.

"Well you better be. But I can't stay mad at you because I have news to tell you! I finally got Paul to ask me out and we've been dating for 3 weeks now!"

"Oh my god Mia! That's great. Last time we talked you were annoyed with him for not having the guts to just ask you out already." I couldn't believe that Mia was actually committing to someone and hadn't already broken it off. Ever since we had met and instantly bonded in 9th grade, she had been notorious for never wanting to date and when she did date, she would quickly become bored and dump them. She didn't mean it maliciously, it just happened with her and we always joked that one day she would have to be tricked into marriage because otherwise, no man would ever get her to the altar. We were opposites in that way. Men had always been drawn to her witty and loud personality. She was also gorgeous and blessed with her Vietnamese heritage whereas I was the more quiet and sarcastic one and had always been reserved with guys I wasn't close friends with. At least she sounded happy. She had met Paul in a coffeehouse and turned down his offer for a date but then kept bumping into him and decided that she did want to go out with him. For a few months they had remained friends but she was constantly agonizing over whether or not he would ever ask her out again. I guess that shows that no matter how old you are, girls never stop worrying about boys.

"So anyway, then he did the cutest thing, he tripped all over himself while trying to open the door for me. I couldn't stop laughing at how hard he was blushing and I think he was getting angry at me when I just did it. I just leaned in and planted one on him. I think he was sufficiently red the rest of the night." She was still talking about her date and she sounded so happy that it made me wish I could be there in person to listen to the story. We had gone to different undergrad schools (Me in Philly, she in Boston at Wellesley) but had remained close and took trains almost every month to visit one another. Grad school took us both to Georgetown where we roomed together and lately I had been taking her friendship for granted by not calling her back because she had always just been there for me. Come to think of it, I owed a lot of people some phone calls and resolved to do that this weekend.

"So anyway, I am going to be coming down from Boston this weekend to see my parents and I figured I would extend my trip to Pittsburgh to visit you. Paul is coming too so is it okay if we crash at your place? I decided that I am no longer letting you hole up in your apartment or go to any depressing family dinners. You need to get out Eliza. It's not healthy." All of the sudden the conversation had taken on a sad tone and I really didn't want it to ruin my day right now.

"Of course you guys can come. I'm meeting my Mom for dinner tonight so I'll tell her that I can't go to my aunt's with her."

Just then Max walked in the door looking a little worse for wear in sweat pants and a t-shirt looking panicked and really tired. He saw me though and grinned before making his way over to my table.

"Listen Mia, I have to go. A client just walked in for our meeting. I'll call you tonight when I know about plans okay? Tell Paul I said hi and anyone else that has been complaining about me!"

"Yeah, whatever. Go be a lawyer now and leave me. Just remember to call. People are getting really worried." Jeez Mia. Way to make me feel really guilty now.

She hung up and I didn't have to say anything else. Max was busying himself eating the muffin I hadn't touched yet and I'm pretty sure that he had stolen a drink of my coffee too.

"Did you take a sip of my drink?"

"Nope, so anyway, what do we need to discuss?" I don't understand how he could be so smiley and still look exhausted at the same time. I noticed that he also had some bruising around his eye and nose and was wearing his glasses which I hardly ever saw. But secretly liked. His eyes were a much brighter shade of dark blue behind the glasses and I had always been super attracted to men in glasses. However, it was still weird to see him wear them and he must really be tired to have those on. My muffin was now gone and it was time to get down to business. Not worry about his injuries. Or think about his sexy glasses.

"Okay, so first off, we don't have anything too important to deal with. I just need you to sign a few contracts from the management team. You know, all that mid-season stuff they just need copies of papers for." He nodded at me and signed dutifully where I pointed and I filed those away in my bag for safekeeping.

"Also, an auction company online forged your signature on a couple of items to raise money for a charity they basically invented. I talked to the whole legal team and they don't want to file legal action unless you absolutely insist."

"What's the big deal? Won't it cost the organization more to press charges and file a lawsuit than what we would actually win in the case?" I blinked surprised at him. He got it more than a bunch of stuffy, old lawyers?

"That's exactly what I told the team but they were still going to leave the decision up to you."

"Well I don't want to file charges. Can you just write them an angry letter or something, use some big words and all of that?" I laughed. I guess he was catching on to my legal style after all.

"Okay good. Now that that is settled, I'm going to go grab something real quick." I hope by 'grab something' he didn't mean 'escape' because I still had to go through my routine car check and he frequently tried to get out of that part of the deal. Lately he had been making more of an effort to keep it cleaned up though after the third time I found ladies lingerie in some part of the car. Really, that thing should be sprayed down for diseases.
Also, I desperately wanted to ask why he and the mystery ladies couldn't just wait until they got back to his place but kept my mouth shut every time. Although we were becoming friendlier, it still wasn't my place as his lawyer to intrude that far into his personal life. Besides, he would only laugh at me like he always did and make some kind of disgusting comment about it.

"Here, I bought you another muffin since I stole yours." He said putting a dish in front of me. It was chocolate chip this time and looked delicious. I thanked him before carefully unwrapping it and digging in with my fork.

"So who were you talking to when I walked in? You sounded excited." I frowned at him talking with his mouth full but ignored it.

"It was my best friend Mia. She's coming to visit me this weekend but I need to get out of some family stuff first. I haven't seen her since I moved here so it will be nice to actually see her."

"Oh that's cool. It's nice to hear you have plans for once besides your usual hot date with the Wok Garden."

"Oh ha ha. Mock all you want Max but there is no one hotter on a Friday night then the number 2 special from Wok Garden." He smiled and kept chewing but I noticed that he had gotten a bit of muffin on his glasses. I took an unused tissue out of my purse and stole his glasses so I could wipe it off. He didn't appear to mind and asked me a few more questions about my friendship with Mia.

"So what are you guys going to do this weekend in the 'burgh?" he asked taking the glasses back from me.

"I don't know, I have family from here and my uncle owns a boat so I might see if he'll take us out on the water so they can see the point and all of that. Other than that I think we'll just hang around my apartment and get caught up."

"Boring. The boat thing sounds cool but you should let me and the guys take you all out." Uh what? Go out with the hockey team? I don't think so.

"Don't make that face Lizzy. You already know all of the guys and they all like you but you never accept our invitations to do stuff." But isn't that inappropriate considering I'm a lawyer to most of the players?

He was still looking at me really excited and saying "please" while I thought it over. When I didn't say anything he continued his argument.

"Come on Lizzy I promise we don't do anything stupid. We have a game on Friday night but Saturday night is free and I'll even come and pick you guys up. I will be your designated driver!"
He seemed genuinely excited about this and if he was offering to be sober for me and my friends on a Saturday night, he must actually want us to come.

"If I say yes, will you promise to keep my friends safe?"

"Please, I'm pretty sure that you can take care of yourself and your friends just fine. I can also guarantee that the team will be on their best behavior. Mostly. But honestly, everyone really likes you they just don't know you completely yet because you never hang out with us!"

"Okay, okay fine. We'll go. Can we work out the details later though? It's 11 and I need to get back to the arena for a meeting." I was already up and picking up my bags while he shoved the rest of his food in his mouth and stood up with me.

He mumbled something in between chewing and looked at me expectantly. Did he just say car check? I can't believe that he was reminding me when he usually tried to get out of it.

"Oh yeah, come on let's do it real quick" I heard him mumble 'that's what she said' as I walked away and tried not to let him see me laugh.

Insufferable.



Max's POV:

I couldn't believe she agreed to let the team and I take her and her friends out on Saturday night. It was getting to the point where her and I talked normally more than she yelled at me anymore so it was about time she started letting me and the rest of us actually be her friend. I know the guys liked her and she was usually a lot nicer to them than she was to me. She even let Jordan put his arm around her in the locker room and flirt with her when she had papers he had to sign. Everyone else also liked her because she was tough and didn't flinch when she saw a naked butt go by every once in awhile. Of course the owners loved her because she kept the team out of trouble and hadn't lost a case for them yet. He of course still prided himself on being her favorite. She would never admit it but he could tell. Their meetings now included more than just signing papers and her going on and on about legal mumbo jumbo. Both just automatically assumed that once the business was out of the way, they would chat and share coffee. Sure she still grumbled about what she found in his car or the occasional unpaid parking ticket but besides that, they were becoming closer. He still didn't know what had happened in her home life that was bothering her so much but maybe he could drag it out of her this weekend when her friend was around.

He knew the guys would be excited when he told them about Saturday night but he also knew that he was bound to get a few nudges from some of the guys. Lately every time she came to see him and the guys were around, he caught their knowing smiles and winks as they pretended not to be eavesdropping on their conversations. They didn't listen of course when he said over and over again that nothing was going on and that they were just becoming better friends. She was still his lawyer after all. A very pretty lawyer who had a fine ass.

As he watched her lean into his car and start doing her routine once over he found himself staring at her butt, again. It was becoming one of his favorite parts of her because she wasn't like other girls who knew how to move their hips seductively or had that innate awareness of their body. She just moved and now with her leaning into his car he enjoyed the view since she obviously didn't know how she looked. Today she actually hadn't worn one of her little suits and had opted for khaki dress pants, a red sweater and flats instead of her normal heels. As she leaned in further to reach for something her sweater rode up a bit exposing her skin a bit before she started to back out of the car and close everything up.

"Okay, so everything looks good. I'm actually proud of you for not hiding anything from me after last weeks incident. I still don't know how you didn't think you had to pay that ticket. For the last time, tickets are not 'warnings' from police officers." She was out of the car and talking again while straightening her sweater and smoothing her hair back into place. She wore it down today and he noticed how long her blonde hair was getting. She looks good all ruffled up. He ignored this thought and handed her her bag which she had placed on the roof of his car. He was careful not to step too close to her as he did this and tried to ignore the fact that he could smell her perfume.

"I'll see you later okay? I need to get to the meeting on time. I'll find you later this week when I check up on the other players so we can talk about Saturday, okay?" Before I could even respond she was walking away to her car.

I didn't realize until I drove away that the car smelled like flowers and the perfume she wore. What the hell, is that a car-freshener?

The woman had snuck a car-freshener into his car and didn't think he would notice it sticking to the back of his seat. He laughed before shifting the car into gear and pulling out to head back to his house and fall back into bed. His back was killing him and he tried to remember if his housekeeper Mrs. Rollins was there today.

15 minutes later I pulled up to my house in Fox Chapel and sure enough, Mrs. Rollins was parked in the long driveway. I had only bought the house a year ago after realizing that my apartment had quickly become a disaster area and I would be better off with more space and a housekeeper like my Mom had been bugging me about ever since I moved to Pittsburgh. After one year and my mother's interference, the house was furnished comfortably but still looked like a guy's place. I hadn't wanted anything too big but went for a bigger yard with lots of trees and a pool for parties. Now as he looked at his two story brick home he realized that it was exactly that. A home. "Now all you have to do is find a woman, not those floozies you always bring home." Yes, he could actually hear his mother in his head reminding him to finally settle down and get serious.

So what if I wasn't settling down like everyone else? Practically everyone on the team was either dating seriously or married. Last year alone I had attended 3 of my friend's weddings. Now it was practically me and Sid who remained unattached and committed solely to hockey. As I walked in the house, I ignored all of the serious thoughts and concentrated on the woman in front of me wielding a duster and frowning.

"How many times have I told you to use coasters on your furniture Maxime?" She was the only woman besides his mother allowed to call him that. She was also the woman who kept his house in order and his underwear folded. I loved her for it.
"Mrs. Rollins you are a goddess at what you do. I will try to remember next time" I said breezing in the door and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "How's the hubby and kids?"

"Oh you know. Harold is planning on retiring soon and my oldest daughter and her husband will be visiting soon." She flushed and secretly loved that he always asked about her family. "Where were you this morning? I thought you would still be in bed after last nights game."

I smiled remembering Eliza and her car-freshener. "I had a meeting with my lawyer this morning and she would kill me if I didn't show up."
Mrs. Rollins noted that he frequently had meetings with this lawyer but tried to be casual about it. "Is this the lawyer who you complain about for yelling at you?"
"Yeah, but she's not so bad. A little stiff and prissy but the team likes her a lot and she keeps my ass out of trouble." And has a very fine ass herself. I grinned at her when she rolled her eyes and continued to wipe down the granite counters.
"Well I'm happy that you are staying out of trouble Maxime. Tell me, is she pretty? She must be smart if she's a lawyer." He hadn't detected yet that she was prying and if she found out anything juicy, she would be sure to call my mother and let her know right away. Lord knew the boy needed to start thinking about settling down.
"Yeah, she's pretty. She's kind of fancy with her suits and stuff but she's pretty. I'm sure that's part of the reason why the guys don't mind her bossing them around occassionally." He grinned, "It's better than being bossed around by the older guys and their bald spots."

All he got in response from Mrs. Rollins was a "hmmm" before she continued to clean and definitely planned on prying a bit more about this woman before she called his mother. He definitely wasn't going to be 25 forever.