Big on Education

by Laurie Ames

  The next few minutes were filled with silence, but to Liza’s surprise it didn’t feel awkward. It felt…almost homey, Maddox bustling around the kitchen while she sipped her coffee. She was startled out of her musings by Maddox setting plates on the island with a clatter. “Thanks,” she murmured, trying not to be too obvious as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.

  “I’m not going to disappear,” Maddox commented with a hint of amusement as he took a bite of egg, “if that’s what you’re worried about.” Liza blushed at being caught and shook her head. “Sorry. I’m just trying to take it all in, I guess.”

  Maddox nodded understandingly, but she caught the worried glint in his eyes. “Was last night…okay?” he asked hesitantly. “Oh, it was more than okay!” Liza hastily reassured him, her voice softening as she added, “I had a really amazing time.”

  “I did too,” He said, relief evident in his tone, “I just wanted to check. Sometimes people get weird about…well, about me, when they’re not drunk or in the moment.” Words didn’t seem enough to assure him that she wouldn’t run away, so she crossed the floor and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.

  “Sounds like we both might have been worried about someone disappearing,” she said gently. “I’m not going anywhere Maddox. Your being younger is just another appealing part of you, and if I’m being honest, after last night I’m not going anywhere.” She let her lips curve into a smirk at the end of her sentence to try to inject some levity into the situation and was rewarded with a wink from Maddox.

  Going back to her stool, Liza took a quick bite of egg to ease the moment of quiet between them. She couldn’t help but moan at how unexpectedly delicious they were, and immediately took a second bite. Liza watched her with interest and a hint of arousal, his eyebrow quirked at her response.

  “It should be illegal for eggs to be this good,” Liza mumbled around a mouthful, “You didn’t tell me you were a chef!”

  It was Maddox’s turn to blush as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “I’m not, really, they’re just eggs. With some seasoning. And stuff.” Liza giggled thinking about how different this man in front of her was from the cocky, flirty man she met at the bar last night. It was endearing to see such a different side of him, and she felt herself swoon a little.

  “I was thinking about that, actually,” Harper said.

  “What? Being a chef?” Talia asked.

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No, that we don’t really know anything about each other. I don’t want to seem like I’m pushing for anything, but I had a really great time last night, and I’d like to see you again. And, you know, maybe in a context where we actually talk and get to know each other.”

  Liza couldn’t resist teasing him. “What, there wasn’t enough talking for you last night?”

  Maddox’s eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. “No! That’s not what I meant! I just-“

  “I would love to,” Liza softly said, deciding to put him out of his misery.

  “You would?” His voice was hopeful, and Liza nodded to confirm her answer. “How about a late dinner on Monday?”

  “That would be perfect,” Liza replied with a smile, “I get off work at 5:00, so maybe meet at 7:00?”

  Maddox nodded enthusiastically. “Where do you want to go? I was thinking maybe Gigi’s, but I don’t know how far that is for you.”

  “It’s actually pretty close to me,” Liza said, “So that would be no problem.”

  “Great! It’s a date then,” Maddox replied, and Liza felt her heart melt a little at the sincere excitement in his voice. She glanced at her watch and saw it was nearly noon. Looking up at Maddox apologetically, she said, “I actually should probably go, I promised to meet a friend in a little bit.”

  Maddox waved her off as she started clearing her plate and said, “Of course. Don’t worry about picking up, I’ve got it. I’ll see you Monday?”

  Liza nodded and started to walk to the door before hesitating and turning back. She crossed the kitchen then leaned up on her toes to plant a soft kiss on the corner of Maddox’s mouth. “Thank you for last night and this morning.” Maddox pulled her in for a proper kiss that started out sweet but quickly became heated. By the time he pulled back, Liza felt lightheaded and could feel herself getting turned on all over again.

  “Any time,” Maddox said, a trace of his self-assured attitude from the night before coming through. Giving him a final kiss, Liza tore herself away and said, “I’ll see you Monday night.”

  She could feel his gaze following her as she walked back to the door, and it took all her willpower not to turn around and let him take her up against the island. Checking her watch again she almost swore when she saw the time. Cheryl would probably be at her place already, but her phone had died sometime overnight and she had no way of telling her she was going to be very late.

  Looking around to get her bearings, she sent a quick prayer of thanks to whatever gods were watching out for her when she realized she was only a twenty-minute bus ride from her apartment. By the time she got to her stop she was nearly half an hour late, but she figured that Cheryl would forgive her.

  She almost laughed when she saw her waiting outside her building, playing on her phone and looking very put out. When she saw her walking towards her, she started to say something snarky before pausing and looking her up and down. “Same clothes as last night, huh?” she asked with a smirk. “Shut up,” Liza said, “Or I’m not going to feed you.”

  She raised her hands in playful surrender and followed her up to her flat. She managed not to say anything until Liza had made them mimosas before casually saying, “So, how was the rest of your night?”

  Liza groaned and swatted at her, but truth be told she was actually happy to have someone to talk with about Maddox. She gave Cheryl an abbreviated version of her night and morning, and then waited for her response. She looked to be deep in thought, and right when Liza was starting to get worried, Cheryl finally looked at her and said, “Well, I suppose that’s an acceptable reason to be late to brunch.”

  Liza burst out laughing at the unexpected comment, and Cheryl grinned at her. “Seriously, though, he sounds like a catch. I’ve seen him at the Docks before when he performs, but he’s never been one for socializing. Frankie and I actually kind of wondered if he might be gay, because there has definitely not been a shortage of women throwing themselves at him but turns out he was just waiting for our resident tough femme to make an appearance!”

  Liza rolled her eyes at the teasing, but she couldn’t deny that it put her a bit more at ease to know that Maddox didn't do this type of thing often. Performers are free to live their lives, and if that includes partying with groupies on a regular basis that was fine. It just wasn’t her thing; she liked commitment and monogamy and stability, and it was refreshing to know that Maddox might be interested in those same things.

  Her good humor quickly evaporated, however, when Cheryl hesitated and then asked, “And it doesn’t bother you that he’s, you know…” She trailed off, but her meaning was perfectly clear. “No, Cheryl,” she replied sharply, “If you’re referring to him being an exotic dancer, then it is definitely not an issue.” She paused for a moment to try to gather herself and contain her thoughts. Exhaling loudly through her nose, Liza shook her head in frustration. “Honestly, I’m more concerned about our age difference. I mean, you’ve known me for how long? Do you think that I’m wrong to be attracted to someone twenty years younger?”

  Cheryl winced and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said apologetically, “The exotic dancer thing, well that’s so hot. It’s the age difference that I was hinting about.”

  “I really like him, Cheryl,” she sighed. “He’s sweet and caring and funny, and also absolutely mind blowing in bed. He just seems…I don’t know, it’s so hard to explain it. I’ve never clicked with somebody like that, it’s almost as if we’ve known each other for ages instead of only one night. I almost wish we were getting
dinner tomorrow instead of Monday.”

  Cheryl feigned gagging and said, “Oh no, don’t you dare become one of those lovesick puppies that can’t stand to be away from their lover for more than an hour!”

  “Hey! Like you’re one to talk- I don’t think I could have pulled you away from that bouncer last night if I tried,” Liza shot back.

  Their banter turned to the topic of Cheryl’s love life- or, as he put it, her lack thereof, for the next hour, until she finally stood. “I’ve got to go,” she said begrudgingly, “I promised Frankie I would help them move later tonight and I need a shower before I head over.”

  “Why would you shower before doing manual labor?” Liza wrinkled her nose in confusion.

  Cheryl opened her mouth, closed it, then shrugged. “Because I want to, that’s why!”

  She gave her a quick hug and then paused, staring her down. “I better get updates on everything as it happens with Maddox!”

  Liza laughed. “I’m not going to real-time-text you about our dinner date!”

  Cheryl grumbled and said, “Fine, fine, just make sure you keep me in the loop! I want all the juicy details about your new beau!”

  Liza shooed her out the door, promising to keep her updated, before collapsing onto the couch. Her mind wandered over the events of the previous 24 hours, and she shook her head at how quickly things had changed. She certainly had been looking for a possible relationship and was genuinely excited about seeing Maddox to explore whether there was potential for more than a one-night stand.

  Heaving herself off the couch, she walked over to her closet and began perusing her clothes. She had the rest of the weekend to kill, and she intended to use the time to make sure that her outfit for their date would be enough to make him swoon all over again.

  Chapter 4

  “Earth to Liza! The new contractor is going to be here any second!”

  Liza jolted out of her daydream and smiled apologetically at Luna. “Sorry, I know. I’ve got everything ready to give them a tour when they get here.”

  Luna looked at her appraisingly and shook her head. “I don’t know where you just went, but it sure looked like it was somewhere nice.”

  Liza laughed and nodded. The rest of the weekend had dragged on, and she spent most of it trying not to obsess over Maddox. Despite her best efforts, her overactive imagination had gotten the best of her as she replayed that night and thought about what could happen their next night together.

  The front office door chimed as it opened, and Luna hurried out to greet the contractor. Liza heard her talking to them and gathered her promotional materials about the work the Bridge was doing. They had been trying to get someone who was a musician or a producer to come in and work with fundraising for the charities. Luna was convinced she had found the perfect person, and it was Liza’s job to show them the center and get them up to speed on things.

  Liza tried to mentally banish all thoughts of Maddox from her mind so she could focus on her work before leaving her office to meet the new contractor. When she walked into the front office, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. There was Luna talking to none other than Maddox himself. Blinking hard to make sure her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her; Liza felt her stomach sink when it was still Maddox standing there. Part of her was screaming to turn around and go hide in the lady’s washroom.

  Schooling her expression into a neutral mask, Liza stepped up to the chatting pair. “Oh! This is the case manager I was telling you about! Maddox, this is Liza. Liza, Maddox.”

  Maddox’s eyes had widened like saucers when he saw Liza, but his face was otherwise the picture of cool professionalism. “It’s a pleasure to be here,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” she replied, wincing internally as she registered that the words were a nearly verbatim re-enactment of their first meeting.

  Maddox cleared his throat and looked at the ground before redirecting his gaze to Luna. “So, you said Liza will be showing me around today?”

  Luna didn’t answer for a second, her eyes flitting shrewdly back and forth between Liza and Maddox. Mercifully, she didn’t say anything and instead nodded and focused back on Maddox. “Yep, I’ve just got a little bit of paperwork to go over with you first. Liza, want to meet us at the Sylvia Rivera room in twenty?”

  Liza nodded and forced a smile. “Sounds good.” She watched them go down the hallway towards Luna’s office and waited until the door shut behind them before sagging against the wall. Twenty minutes didn’t feel like nearly long enough to figure out how she was going to handle this.

  She went out one of the side doors to get some fresh air and sent a quick SOS text to Cheryl. Breathing deeply to try to calm herself, she cursed Cheryl for not checking her phone. ‘Okay. I can do this. Just need to be the consummate professional and do my job, this doesn’t have to be a huge deal if I don’t let it be.’

  Internal pep talk done, she checked her phone one last time in the hopes that Cheryl would have responded in the last thirty seconds before she exhaled sharply and went back inside. Making her way to the Sylvia Rivera room, she only had to wait a minute before she heard Luna and Maddox approaching. They rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of Liza.

  “Okay, this is where I leave you,” Luna told Maddox. “I promise you’re in capable hands with Liza!”

  Heat rushed to Liza’s face as she saw Maddox avert his eyes, knowing he was undoubtedly thinking the same thing as her, and remembering just how capable her hands could be.

  “Just make sure you keep her in line, she’s a feisty one!” Luna teased before turning and heading in the direction of her office. Liza barely resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands, and she cursed her body for responding with excitement to the thought of all the different ways Maddox could keep her in line. She glared at Luna’s back, sure the other woman had been hoping for a reaction with her comments, before shaking her head and looking at Maddox.

  It made her feel a tiny bit better to see him looking equally torn between being embarrassed and being turned on, and she gave him a rueful smile. Deciding it would be the least painful for both if she just did what she would do with any other new contractor, she began giving him a tour of the Bridge. He followed along attentively as she showed him the door that led to the shelter, the computer and tech lab, the room where they had a free health clinic every other week, the community kitchen, and the lounge area.

  She fell into her standard spiel about what the Bridge did and could almost forget that this was anything but a standard tour. She had to restrain herself from reaching out to grab Maddox’s hand when she was leading him to a different area. To his credit, Maddox played along and did an effective job of acting as though they had just met and was simply another new person getting a tour. The only exceptions were the times that his eyes glazed over as he stared at her mouth, or the one instance when she caught him staring at her ass.

  Liza felt like a jumble of warring emotions as the tour went on. She was getting progressively more and more turned on just being around Maddox, but the knowledge that there was suddenly a professional dynamic to their budding relationship was also completely nerve wracking. She had just finished showing Maddox the different exterior entrances and exits that helped ensure abused women could access the center anonymously when he finally said something.

  “Liza.”

  They had just stepped outside and the door was shut behind him when the quiet sound of her name took her breath away. She glanced around nervously, looking for any signs of her coworkers, but when she didn’t see anyone, she turned to look at him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “I truly had no idea you worked here.”

  She waved the apology off quickly. “I know, Maddox. I mean, how could you have known? If anything, I’m the one who should have put two and two together since I knew we were hiring a musician, I just hadn’t taken the time to look into who exactly it was.”

  He looked away for
a second before saying, “I know this isn’t the best place to talk about much of anything, but- is there any chance you would still be willing to get dinner tonight? We can talk more then, try to figure out what we want to do.”

  Liza nodded in agreement. They weren’t going to sort anything out- about the relationship or about their professional work dilemma- while they were standing around the Bridge. At least dinner would happen on more neutral ground. “Same time?” he asked, and she nodded again. “Okay,” he said softly, “Thanks.”

  Liza resisted the urge to press a reassuring kiss to his cheek and instead led him back inside to finish the tour. They were done by 11:00, and he left for the day after thanking Luna again for giving him the chance to work with the Bridge. As soon as he was gone, Luna dragged Liza into her office.

  “Okay, spill,” she demanded, staring intently at Liza.

  Knowing she was caught out, Liza sighed and said, “I maybe met him over the weekend.”

  Luna’s eyes widened and she practically shrieked, “Ha! I knew it!” She stopped for a second and then leaned in conspiratorially. “He was totally who you were daydreaming about earlier, wasn’t he?”