Magic Man Read online

  “What are you thinking?” He pushed the hair out of my eyes and gazed at me.

  “You tell me.” He was a mind reader most of the time, or so it seemed to me. I wanted him to have his wicked way with me.

  “It seems you are awaiting my pleasure.” Maxwell’s eyes darkened with desire, and he lifted me high in his arms.

  I squealed, partially because of the shock of his sudden movement, but also because that’s exactly what I had been thinking.

  “Not fair!” I protested as I landed on the bed again.

  “What’s not fair? That you are about to have at least three orgasms? Or that I’m going to make you breakfast afterward?” Maxwell dropped his head between my thighs. “Or that first I’m going to make a snack out of your delicious cunt?”

  My head fell back on the pillow, and I forgot what we had been talking about.

  Fifteen

  After breakfast was over, we showered and made love again in the process. I discovered that slow, soapy fingers can bring their own kind of pleasure, and I learned how to get him off with my very first hand job.

  “We’ve got to get out of this apartment,” Maxwell mumbled into his towel as we dried off afterward.

  “Okay?” I sent him a questioning look.

  “We are going to fuck each other to death if we don’t.” He rubbed his wet hair with vigor as I giggled. “Plus, I’m out of condoms. I thought I was optimistic to bring as many as I did. But I should have brought a whole damn case.”

  I dropped my towel with abruptness. “I’m a terrible mother.”

  “What?” He turned to me, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

  “I didn’t worry about Ivy all night. And last night was the first night ever we have spent apart. I should have been checking on her.” Horrified, I ran to find my phone.

  Maxwell followed after me, laughing. “That doesn’t make you a horrible mother. Isn’t your ringer on?”

  “Yes.” I checked my phone. No missed calls and only one text. It came from Casey, saying they had a great night, and now they had a whole day of baking planned. She urged me not to rush over to get Ivy, because later in the day she had promised to take her to the park in town.

  Deflated, I looked up. “They’ve made plans for the whole day. I don’t think Ivy missed me at all.”

  “You didn’t miss her, either.” Maxwell slung an arm around my shoulder. “And that’s perfectly normal. You can stand to be apart for a day or so. It’s good for both of you.”

  “I guess.” But tears filled my eyes.

  “Hey.” I looked up at him, and he wiped a stray tear before it could streak down my cheek. “I have plans for you, too. I need a new couch. Want to come help me pick it out? I’ll take you to lunch after we are done. We can drop by the bakery and check on Ivy before we head out to the furniture stores in Mathiston, okay?”

  I nodded. Sounded like a plan. And I appreciated that Maxwell didn’t laugh at my crazy, emotional mood swing.

  Soon we were walking in the front door of the bakery. I laughed to see Ivy wearing an apron with her dark red hair pulled back from her face. She was decorating cupcakes with her face screwed up in concentration.

  Ivy looked up as we approached. “Mom!” She dropped the icing bag as she ran to hug me.

  I immediately felt so much better. “Hey, kid. Are you having a good time?”

  Ivy nodded. “Yeah. I might have missed you a little last night, but Ms. Casey helped me draw a picture for you. She can’t draw worth a lick, but I thought it was a nice try.”

  I stifled a laugh. “I can’t wait to see it. I’m going to help Mr. Maxwell with some shopping, and then I’ll pick you up later today, okay?”

  I waited to make sure she was genuinely okay with staying at the bakery before turning to Casey with a grateful smile.

  “Have a nice night?” She smirked at Maxwell, who grinned right back at her.

  “We made good use of having a kid-free evening.” I was the one who answered her, blushing a little as I spoke.

  “Well, Ivy is a delight. She has a knack for baking. Obviously, she’s a better baker than I am an artist, but we’ve had a great time regardless. And I have three different wedding cakes to work on today. If you leave her with me, I’ll put her skinny little butt to work for a while, and then maybe later take her to the park once it cools off a bit, okay?” Casey paused to ring up an order.

  Maxwell tugged on my hand as I replied. “Okay, Casey. Thanks, but call me if you need me to pick her up sooner.”

  I waved goodbye to my daughter, who was back to focusing on the cupcakes.

  And Maxwell dragged me out of the door.

  We drove over to Mathiston and visited three different furniture stores, checking out all the sofas in town. Maxwell surprised me by how picky he was. Until I arrived in Peacock, all my furniture had been second hand, so I had never picked out something brand new before.

  Maxwell bounced on a couch, frowning.

  “What’s wrong with that one?” I put my hands on my hips. This was turning out to be complicated.

  “It’s kind of hard.” He pulled me down next to him. “See?” He looked around to make sure no one would overhear us. “Imagine being underneath me on this one.”

  “Hmm. I see what you mean. My sofa is down-filled. Maybe that’s what you need?” I loved the furniture in my apartment. It was super comfy.

  “Yes. That’s it.” He sprang up, and pulled me across the store, laughing, to a down-filled sofa. We plopped down on it together.

  “This is the one.” Maxwell picked up the book of fabric samples that rested on a coffee table in front of us.

  I groaned.

  “What?” He started flipping through the samples, focused on the task at hand.

  “It took two hours just to pick a frame. How long is it going to take you to pick an actual fabric?” Not that I cared. I was enjoying every minute I spent with this amazing man.

  Maxwell frowned at me. “About thirty seconds. I know I want leather. Now it’s just a question of which one.”

  We put our heads together, and sure enough, about thirty seconds later, we selected the right leather for him. I waited as he paid for his purchase and arranged a delivery date for after it was ready.

  It was still early for lunch, so Maxwell suggested we take a walk down the town’s tree-lined main street. Glad to be in the shade, I agreed. We strolled hand in hand enjoying our time together.

  I smiled up at him. “So I told you the down and dirty about my years growing up. What were things like for you, you know, back in the 1800s? Did you ride in a horse and buggy to school?”

  Maxwell made a playful grab at me, but he was smiling as much as I was. “The 1800s sucked, actually.”

  I spied a park bench beneath a large elm tree and pulled him over to sit with me. “What do you mean?” Wiping the hair out of my face, I waited for his reply.

  “My father was an alcoholic, and he was quick with his fists, both towards my mom and with me as well.” Maxwell rubbed my back as he spoke, but his face was distant, lost in a much darker time of his life. “My mother had been the victim of his abuse for so long that I think she had lost who she was as a person. She didn’t speak much, just did her best to keep my dad in a good mood, which was an impossible task. She was like a pale shadow haunting our house.”

  I frowned and rested my hand on his thigh to offer some shred of comfort. “I’m sorry you went through that.”

  Maxwell laid a hand over mine and smiled a little. “I spent as much time as possible away from our house. We lived in a trailer, actually, a few miles from Peacock Alley. Our property lines touched. Every chance I got, I slipped off to the estate and played with Nathan. Nobody really noticed where I was most of the time, so sometimes I even snuck into Nathan’s room late at night and slept on his floor. He kept me hidden from his mother, who is a bit of a difficult personality herself.”

  I imagined what a lonely childhood he must have had, and I was sad
for the little boy he once was.

  “My aunt and uncle were a bright shining spot. They took me with them to their beach house almost every weekend, and those were happy times.” Maxwell pulled me closer to his body, despite the thick heat that wrapped around the morning like a wool blanket.

  I was glad to be near him, and we sat in companionable silence, each thinking about difficult times in our pasts. After a while, we resumed our peaceful walk.

  We grabbed lunch at a busy little French café close by. Tired from my adventures from the night before and the long morning of shopping, I let him tuck my feet between his under the table while he traced a pattern on my arm with one finger.

  “What are you thinking, Millicent?” Maxwell pushed the remains of his lunch to one side and regarded me.

  “You tell me, mind reader.” Now that I was full, I was getting sleepy and relaxed.

  He rolled his eyes. “Save me the trouble.”

  I laughed. “I’m just thinking how nice this day is, hanging out doing normal things.”

  “Hmm. I was hoping you were thinking you wanted me to rent a hotel room for the afternoon and fuck your brains out.” His voice said he was dead serious.

  I caught my breath. I hadn’t been thinking anything even close to that, but now I was. Oh, boy, was I ever thinking about it now.

  He waved a hand for the server, but his eyes never left my face. “I think we are ready for the check.”

  And to my surprise, Maxwell hustled me down the street to a small hotel in the historical district. He paid for the room and sent me ahead with the key.

  “I have a quick errand to run. Meet you there, baby.” And with that, he was gone without any further explanation.

  I let myself into the room. It was lovely, and I checked out every inch. Nice closet space and a large TV. Plenty of clean towels. Then I started laughing. We were sneaking away for an afternoon of sex. All we needed to be concerned with was the bed.

  I turned back the covers and slipped off my shoes just as I heard a knock at the door. Opening it with an eager smile, I found Maxwell holding a small bag.

  “Where did you go?” I opened the door wider so he could enter the room.

  “The drugstore. I figured we needed at least three boxes.” And he turned the bag upside down over the bed, and sure enough, three large boxes of condoms fell out.

  I started giggling, and Maxwell shrugged. “We will use them sooner or later. Don’t worry. I don’t intend to use them all today.”

  He prowled toward me, giving me a delicious shiver of anticipation. It was hard to believe I had gone so long without being sexually active, and now I had a man buying condoms in bulk for me.

  I was such a lucky, lucky girl.

  Maxwell sat down on the bed next to me. As usual, he seemed to have some idea of the direction of my thoughts. How did he do that?

  “You must be tired and sore after last night, kitten.” He turned me on the bed so my back was to him, and he started rubbing my shoulders.

  I all but purred in response, living up to his favorite nickname for me.

  Maxwell raised my arms and removed my shirt and bra without any further ado. Then he pulled me to my feet and whisked the last of my clothing away.

  “Lie down on your front, baby.” His voice was tender, even though he continued giving me orders.

  I was happy to oblige him, although I didn’t know where this was going.

  Maxwell disappeared into the bathroom without further comment. He returned in a flash, and I heard the faint sound of a cap opening and his hands rubbing together.

  Then his strong hands descended onto my body, rubbing a cool, creamy lotion into my skin. The faint scent of cucumbers drifted my way, and I jumped at the slight chill on my skin.

  “Shh. Just relax and enjoy being pampered for a change.” Maxwell whispered these soothing words above me as he went to work on my body.

  He rubbed and massaged me for what seemed like hours, starting between my shoulders and slowly moving over my entire body. He loosened up my stiff neck muscles and found a sore spot on my lower back I didn’t even realize was there. He worked on that one area until the muscles relaxed, and then he moved on to my backside. He kneaded the soft globes, eliciting a deep moan from me, almost against my will.

  I heard Maxwell chuckle. He stopped to get more lotion, this time dribbling it directly on my skin from the small bottle. I jumped again, and then I relaxed as he rubbed it into my thighs. I breathed deeply and sent up a prayer.

  Please don’t let me drool on the pillow.

  Amen.

  Maxwell worked my leg muscles over for a while and then moved down to my feet. He paid attention to every inch. First, Maxwell massaged my heels and the soles of my feet, and then he manipulated each toe. When that was done, I thought my first-ever massage was over, but Maxwell turned his attention to my arms and gave them the same thorough treatment. Then it was my hands and fingers.

  Sighing with complete happiness, I think I drifted off for a time, distantly aware of his hands still working their magic. He let me float on the edges of sleep for a long time, keeping his touches light and soothing.

  I continued to drift, floating on fluffy clouds of simple pleasures.

  And then his hands slid under me with care and found my breasts. He tugged on each nipple, teasing me with his masterful fingers. I shifted underneath him, and he filled his palms with my breasts, slowly massaging and squeezing with a gentle touch.

  My breathing deepened, and Maxwell rolled me onto my back and tucked me into his side. His lips brushed my forehead, and he murmured, “Sleep, sweetheart. Get some rest.”

  I drifted away this time, entirely at peace and safe in his arms.

  I WOKE TO THE FEEL of his hands again, stroking me once more. This time one hand was wedged between my thighs and his thumb traced the seam of my most intimate place. Maxwell seemed almost lazy as if he was unaware of what he was doing, but I knew better.

  I rolled to lie face-to-face with him, careful not to dislodge that delightful thumb. I was already wet, so he must have been at his activity for some time.

  “Good afternoon.” Maxwell’s voice was sleep-roughened, so I knew he had dozed as well.

  “What time is it?” I blinked in the soft light, trying to wake up.

  “We have plenty of time before we go get, Ivy. I promise.” His voice soothing, Maxwell moved over my body, supporting his weight with one arm and pressing with more urgency with that thumb.

  Mmm.

  “You like that, kitten?” He brushed his nose over mine.

  “Yes, I like that a lot.” I opened my thighs and hooked one leg over his back to give him more access.

  Maxwell took full advantage, slipping one long finger inside me, hitting that spot I hadn’t even realized existed until the night before.

  This time I did purr and Maxwell kissed me. He broke the kiss long enough to pull his shirt off, and then he pressed his bare chest to mine with a soft growl. I reached between us to undo his pants, and he grabbed a condom, tugging it on in an impatient gesture.

  Then he pushed inside me, and the gentle lover left the room. Instead, I was held down and fucked by the masterful beast who was intent on getting us off as fast as possible.

  I was held down with no choice but to enjoy the ride. I was certainly okay with being the passenger on his thrill ride, a roller coaster of wild sensations that all blended together to create a heady cocktail of pleasure.

  Maxwell gave me orgasm after orgasm in that darkened hotel room, murmuring words of reassurance and affection after each one. He would give me a chance to catch my breath, and I would think that now it was his turn, and then he would start the ride all over again. We would climb each hill together with slow, anticipation building with deliberation, and then we would be at the crest of the hill for one heart-stopping moment, before plunging down the other side with a breathless scream of release.

  Finally, Maxwell spread my legs wide open beneath him, and
he started thrusting with the single-minded purpose that meant he was chasing his own release. I cupped his face with shaky hands and worshipped him with my eyes as he lost control. Somehow, in the midst of his own soul-shaking orgasm, his eyes managed to find mine, and I lost myself in the tenderness he held there for me.

  I don’t know how it happened so fast, but it wasn’t a question anymore of was I falling for my boss? I was already gone.

  Sixteen

  Afterward, Maxwell and I showered together and redressed in quiet contemplation. The room was a cathedral to our shared emotions. The soft light from the windows might as well have come from ancient stained glass, and the bed was a hushed altar to our blossoming relationship.

  I laughed at my fanciful thoughts. Was I crazy? I had no experience in matters of the heart. Was this just really great sex that I was assigning too much meaning to because of my lack of experience? Or did Maxwell even consider this great sex? Maybe every time was like this for him, no matter who his partner was for the evening.

  I had no way of knowing, nothing to compare it to.

  No matter. For now, I had no choice but to follow Maxwell's lead with blind devotion. My heart wouldn’t allow for anything less, and my body was not going to be parted from his masterful touches.

  Maxwell led us from the hotel and back to the reality of the harsh afternoon heat. I sighed as he opened my car door, and he paused before closing my door. He lifted my chin and studied my face with care, but he didn’t speak. Instead, Maxwell dropped a tender kiss to my lips before crossing over to the driver’s side and starting the engine.

  “Can I take my two favorite girls to dinner tonight?” He spoke softly, but I still jumped a bit, lost in my thoughts.

  I thought over his simple request.

  “Aren’t you getting tired of me yet?” I didn’t know how to flirt, how to use artifice to wrap a man around my little finger, so I spoke the truth and waited with bated breath for his reply.