363 The conference in Portland 5

Her eyes sprang open and she bolted into a seated position. "What's the time?"

Max chuckled. "Don't worry, I will not let you oversleep. It's almost seven-thirty."

Liz exhaled in relief and looked at Max who was in his underwear, trashing the used filter from the coffee machine before walking to the bed with two cups of coffee in his hands.

His hair was neat, and his charming face was completely devoid of stubble, which told her that he woke up early, did his morning routine, and made coffee for them. He didn't wake her up so that she can rest as much as possible, but he made sure she has time to get ready for the day. Max is awesome like that.

Instead of accepting the cup Max was offering her, Liz hugged Max around his waist. "What would I do without you?"

Max kept the cups on the side table and patted her head.

"You are the most capable woman I ever met, and you would do just fine without me, but with less fun."

Liz stifled a laugh. It's true, she is having fun with Max.

"Thank you for being here, Max. I'm sorry that your work is impacted because of this."

"Don't worry about me. I came for the night. I will head back soon and work on the plane. The only thing I did was rearrange my morning meetings." Well, he rescheduled the last one from the previous day as well, but he will not mention that. It's not important. Everything pales in comparison to Elizabeth.

Liz was not sure if Max is telling the truth that his work is not impacted, or if he is only comforting her. But in any case, she will not question his decision to be by her side.

"Thank you for coming, Max."

Max ignored her 'thank you'. It's not needed because he would do much more for her. "The jet to bring you back will be ready by six o'clock in the afternoon. You can stay as long as you feel like it, but if you want it sooner, you need to let the pilot know."

"The last presentation ends at five o'clock, followed by a two hours-long social gathering. Even if I skip on the gathering, I will need time to pack and check out from the hotel, and considering that I will hit the afternoon traffic, I can't be at the airport before six."

"No matter how long you stay, keep in mind that I am waiting for you. Don't stay overnight."

Liz was surprised that Max didn't ask her to return right away, especially knowing that Dr. Snow is in attendance. Did Max tone down his possessive-clingy behavior? Liz decided to keep this question to herself.

"Thank you for letting me use your plane."

Max was amused with all the thanks he received in a span of one minute. Must be Liz's nerves acting up before her presentation.

"Stop thanking me with words. A kiss is much better."

While brushing her teeth, Liz remembered how considerate Max is. He is doing so much for her, even rearranging his work schedule so that he can be by her side.

Last night, Max indulged various surgeons in chatting, and he didn't cause problems when Dr. Snow joined the group. Sure, Dr. Snow didn't talk to Liz for long because other surgeons were there, and their attention was divided, but Dr. Snow's presence must have been unsettling for Max.

Dr. Kaviraj also spoke with Max and Liz was on the verge of reminding her mentor that not so long ago she insinuated that Max is an obstacle for Liz, but Liz kept that comment to herself.

Before the evening ended, Max and Dr. Snow greeted each other. The atmosphere was stiff and borderline hostile, but they were civil.

When Max and Liz returned to the room from the bar, Max didn't mention Dr. Snow. Instead, he helped Liz go one more time over her presentation.

By the time they got ready for bed, Liz was mentally exhausted. Max cradled Liz in his arms and whispered sweet nothings mixed with encouraging words until she slept off.

Liz never knew that she will find a man who can be so supportive. Max is amazing.

Back to the present…

Liz returned from the bathroom, fresh and with Max's t-shirt on top because she feels awkward to have coffee only in her panties, and it's too early to dress up for the conference.

Max knows that Liz does not usually have breakfast early in the morning, but once the conference starts, she will be busy until lunchtime and that is a long time away.

"Do you want to go down for breakfast or to order something to the room?"

"I can't eat. I am super nervous.", Liz admitted and sat on the bed next to Max.

"But you will starve until lunchtime.", Max reminded her.

Liz exhaled. "No matter what, I can't eat now. My stomach is full of knots. There is a vending machine in the hallway. I will grab a bag of chips during one of the breaks between presentations later."

Max didn't comment on this.

Liz took a sip of the coffee and looked at Max. "Aren't you going to tell me that it's going to be OK?"

"It will be OK.", Max said matter-of-factly.

"Aren't you going to tell me that I'm ready?"

Max thought that Liz is adorable. "You are ready."

Liz was not happy with Max's pacifying. He always has some magic to fix things, but this is not working, and it does not seem that he is trying much either.

She kept her coffee on the side table and looked at Max, desperately expecting him to fix her mental state. "Why is it not working? Why am I still nervous? You always fix things. Fix me now, Max, please."

Max caressed Liz's cheek and gazed into her dark eyes with his deep blue ones. "These are your nerves working, Liz. It will be OK, and you are ready, and it's all in your head. No matter what I say can't fix this. You are anxious because it's a long time since you presented in front of an audience, and that is normal. As soon as you stand in front of them, it will come out of you naturally and you will wonder why you panicked so much beforehand. And in order not to be nervous in advance, you need to do it enough times to confirm to yourself that you got it. Some people need a few tries to break through their stage fright, and some never get over it, but you will learn to accept it as part of the process."

"I hear you… But knowing that it's normal does not help." Liz lifted her hands in the air. "Look, my hands are shaking."

"You should look at it from the bright side. At least it's not a surgery."

Liz made a face. But he is right. Going to perform a surgery with shaky hands and a ball of nerves in the stomach would be much worse. At least here, if she messes up, no one will die (other than her reputation and confidence).

"Is there really nothing I could do? Max, don't you have some technique to get me to calm down?"

Max smiled slyly. "There is something we might try… But I don't know if you are willing."

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything.", Liz said earnestly.

"Anything? How much time do you have?"

Liz glanced at the clock. "I want to be down in forty-five minutes to set up my things and to make sure the slides are working…"

Liz's eyes widened when Max's lips covered hers and he pushed her down on the bed.

She felt his palm gliding toward the cradle of her thighs, and she realized what his anti-stress technique is. Well, she can't deny that no matter the situation, Max can make her get lost in flames of lust.

Max wondered if Liz would be fine with this, but then she gripped his back and returned his kisses passionately, telling him that it's OK to proceed.

Max slid lower and nosed her panties a few times before his teeth grazed over the silky fabric, sending shivers through her body. Liz's grove still didn't recover after the Brazilian waxing, making her extra-sensitive.

Max pushed the small piece of fabric on the side so that his tongue can explore her freely.

"Oh, Max…", Liz moaned loudly while fisting his hair.

It took only a few flicks of Max's tongue for Liz to completely forget about the conference and her upcoming presentation. Her mind and body were swept away in the rapids called Maximilian Anderson and she drowned in him willingly.

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