Liz Parker smiled softly as she felt her boyfriend’s lips brush the sensitive juncture of her shoulder. She nuzzled her nose against his temple before closing her locker. “Hi, yourself,” she smiled, turning in his arms. Max Evans took the opportunity to slide tantalizing kisses up the column of her neck. She giggled, but reluctantly pushed him away. They were making a spectacle of themselves in the middle of the hallway. “Down boy,” she teased when he tried to move in on her again. She braced her hand against the solid wall of his chest. “You’re in a particularly amorous mood today. Not that I mind, Max, but what’s going on?”

“I have a class project I need you to help me with.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Is that all? You didn’t have to butter me up with kisses. You already knew I would help you.”

“First of all,” Max began, dipping his head to flick her mouth with his tongue, “I wasn’t buttering you up with kisses.” He paused to press a moist, heated kiss against her mouth. “I happen to like kissing you,” he told her when they finally came up for air. “But. . . .”

“What?” Liz was melting. If he’d asked her at that moment to strip naked she probably would have. The look in his eyes was way too sexy. She nudged her middle against his. “Wanna come over to my house this afternoon? My parents are out of town until tomorrow morning. I can help you with your project then.”

Max swallowed and nodded. At that moment he was incapable of speech, not with Liz undulating against him seductively. She nuzzled his chin. “Fine. I’ll see you at four o’clock?”

“Four o’clock,” he managed to croak.

“Ok, then,” Liz said, pulling out of his arms and grabbing up her backpack, “I’ll see you at four. I gotta go.” She walked backwards down the hallway, her reluctance to leave apparent on her beautiful features. “Trig calls.”

“Hey, wait! You didn’t even ask me what my class project was.”

“What is it?”

“I have to draw a woman,” he paused a beat before continuing, “Nude."

**********

Liz ran to the bathroom, for the sixth time in ten minutes, to check her hair. It looked great. Shiny, silky, draped around her shoulders, just how Max liked it. She was so excited. Her heart was pounding double-time. She hadn’t taken much time at school to reflect on what Max had told her, that basically she would be posing for him naked. Now she was in a complete panic. She and Max had fooled around plenty since they’d established themselves as a couple.

But other than seeing Max without his shirt on nothing more intimate had happened between them. It was as if they had some unspoken agreement between them not to go beyond a certain point. Liz wondered if Max was ready to go beyond that point now.

Liz splashed her face with cold water, willing herself to calm down. She was overreacting. Max was doing a class project and that was all. He had to draw a naked female. Of course he would choose Liz. She was his girlfriend after all, Liz thought rationally, who else would he draw? And yet she was still in a panic. What should she say, what should she do, oh god, what should she wear?

She debated just greeting him in a bathrobe since she would end up naked anyway, but that seemed too forward. Then she thought jeans and a sweatshirt, but then he might think she was uptight about the whole thing. And then she thought that maybe she should wear shorts and a tank top, but then decided if she were going to do that she might as well be naked. Finally, she decided on a light sundress, made of a flowery, chignon material. She decided to leave off the underwear. It felt a little weird walking around with no bra and panties, but she shrugged. Pretty soon she wouldn’t be wearing anything at all.

When the doorbell rang she nearly jumped out of her skin. She skidded to the door and tried not to portray the desperation she felt as she pulled it open. “You’re early.”

Max looked as flustered as she felt. “I-I know, uh, I. . . Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” Liz said, stepping aside. After she closed the door they stared at one another in uncomfortable silence.

“You don’t have to do this, Liz,” Max said finally, “Not if you don’t want to.”

Liz made her decision in that moment and swept her dress over her head. Max sucked in a breath. Oh god, he thought, she’s glorious.

“What do you need me to do, Max?” Max was watching her with a slackened expression. “Where do you need me to be?” Liz asked again, uttering her words precisely.

Underneath me. The reply sprang quickly to Max’s lips but he bit it back. “Why don’t you just lay on the sofa.”

“Oh, ok.”

Max busied himself with placing his books in precise order as if it were the most important task of his life. Anything to take his mind off a naked Liz behind him and the hardness filling the front of his jeans. When he finally turned around Liz was sitting upright on the sofa, looking confused. “What position do you want me in?”

Those seven words caused heated sexual fantasies to tumble through Max’s mind. He had several answers to her question, none of them being the one she was looking for. “Um. . . .um.” Max couldn’t do anything but stutter and stare. She sat there without inhibitions, allowing him to feast his eyes on her glorious nakedness.

“Why don’t you come over and show me,” she prompted softly.

He jerked his eyes from her breasts. “Show you,” he croaked.

“How you want me to lie down.”

He nodded spasmodically. “Ok.”

At first he was afraid to touch her. His grip on control was tenuous and he wasn’t sure if he could resist pushing her backwards and jumping her. His hands hovered just above her shoulders as he said, “Why. . .why don’t you just. . .you know, uh. . .recline. Yeah, recline.”

Liz bit her lip to keep from smiling. She laid back against the cushions of the sofa, pulling up her knees and parting her legs as she did. “You mean like this?” Max looked as if he were going to keel over. Liz swallowed a giggle. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

“Yeah,” he squeaked, “that’s good.” When he started to turn away she grabbed his hand and brought it between her legs. They both moaned at the sensation of their skin connecting. “Liz, what are you doing,” Max whispered, but even as he asked the question his finger slid into her moist softness of its own volition. He sank to his knees beside her, his mouth immediately finding her breast. Liz gasped softly as his tongue circled her sensitized nipple, her fingers sliding through his hair. His finger slid in and out of her in a sexy, slow, sensuous rhythm. Their moans of gratification began to mingle.

“Oh my God!”

They both ripped away from each other, Max reflexively using his own body to shield Liz’s bareness. Maria stood in the doorway, her expression horrified, her cheeks blazing with embarrassment.