YAAAAAY! An update! I'm SO sorry this took so long....It really shouldn't have. I finished classes this semester, I'm working, I moved....Shit, I've been busy!!! Thank you for the encouraging reviews, I'm SO sorry this took so long. I'm going to try to keep it better updated over the next month or so - cause THANKFULLY I have some time off. Whoo hoo!!
-7-
After seeing each other a few more times, Maggie and Arthur started to date exclusively. Something that Maggie hadn't really done since high school. She couldn't get over how sweet the guy was. He could roll with the punches, give and take shit from anyone, he was tough without being overly macho, and still at the core he was just a nice guy.
All the boys, except Taylor of course, allowed Arthur into their circle. They were viciously protective of Maggie, serving Arthur with veiled threats about twice every half hour, but he took it with grace and understanding. He was simply good-natured and even tried to be kind to Taylor despite his obviously aggressive behavior.
Maggie didn't like the fact that Taylor had estranged himself from almost everyone except Matty - especially her. He spent most of his nights drinking, fighting, and fucking - even more so than usual. She was concerned and tried to talk to Matty about it but he blew her off, saying that Taylor just got his ass kicked by life and that he'd figure it out.
Maggie didn't like Taylor's usual resolution to his problems: booze, violence, or sex. She was afraid that he may hurt himself, something she felt guilty about, because she worried about Arthur's safety second. However, Arthur seemed a bit more balanced and able to cope with stress. She didn't understand how such a nice guy fell into her lap. Maybe it was Karma.
About a month or two had passed with Arthur and the new job in her life, and Maggie was thrilled. Things were starting to get back on track and she felt slightly more in control of things. Her relationship with Arthur was developing well - even though they still had not had sex, something neither he nor she could explain why not. The job was fantastic. She had free reign over a beautiful and flourishing hotel in the heart of the city, and was enjoying every minute of it.
She was just closing out on another day when Benny came through her office door. He was one of the few people who had keys.
She looked up from some menial paper work and smiled. He returned her smile brightly. "How's it going kid?"
"Just fine. Finishing up some expense reports. The hotel is flourishing - as if you didn't know - and the staff is happy. For someone so devious this is a really well rounded place, Benny." She smiled.
Benny chuckled, "How's the boy?"
"He's good. We're actually a functional couple. It's a little strange, but nice at the same time." She chuckled.
He sat down across from her desk, "That's great kid, you deserve it."
She shrugged, "I just wish everyone thought so."
"Is Matty giving him shit? I'll whap that boy aside the fuckin he-,"
Maggie put up her hand, "No, not Matty. Everyone has taken to him actually. I mean, he's really sociable and funny so it's easy to like him. Its just Taylor." As if that explained it all.
"Ah," Benny sighed. He pulled out a cigar and lit it up, not bothering to ask permission, cause hell, he was fuckin' Benny Chains. No one said no to him. "He'll figure it out."
She sighed, "I'm getting real tired of hearing that." She put down her pen and closed the folder. I'm not sure why I'm talking to Benny about this.
Benny chuckled silently, the kind of laugh that just wheezes out and shakes your shoulders, "Yeah. But one day it might be true." Maggie laughed. "Say, we're having a get together at Scarpa's tonight. Will you be there?"
She thought about it. She wanted to go and see everyone, maybe bring Arthur and give him a chance to meet her family. But she also didn't want him to have to deal with a drunk Taylor. For that matter, she didn't want to deal with a drunk Taylor. "I don't know. I have a lot of work to get done." She said lamely.
Benny rose an eyebrow and just stared at her, smoking his cigar, "You give me that shit and I'll fire you for being a tight ass." He said seriously. The grim look on his face faded and he smiled, "You're dad will be there. He needs to meet Arthur. All of your dads do." He laughed.
She smiled weakly, "Ok, what time?"
"Eight. It's a black tie sort of thing. So buy yourself something pretty, on me." He handed her the AmEx Black card.
Now in all of Maggie's life she had never been remotely vain or materialistic, but holding this limitless expense in the palm of her hand made her girlish instincts tremble. She looked up at Benny with shock on her face and he smiled. She looked back down at the card and realized it had her name on it.
"No way!" She squealed.
"You work for me, you gotta live in style sweetie." He laughed. "Now you can use that for normal expenses and such like groceries and gas and shit, but I want you to have a few nights of fun on me." He winked.
"I cant -,"
"Shut it." He said, standing up. "Get a nice dress, get your hair done, be girly." And he left.
Maggie was still holding the credit card in her hand as if it would disappear if she grasped it any tighter. She gave herself a few moments to jump around like a twelve year old and then she grabbed her phone.
She didn't know who she could call. She didn't have any girlfriends to speak of and none that she went shopping with and to the beauty parlor. So she called Marbles.
"What's up chicken butt?" He said into her ear.
"Wanna do something completely emasculating?" She said squeakily.
He sighed, "Do I have to get naked?"
She laughed, "No but I'll unintentionally on purpose let you see me in my underwear."
"I'm listening." He said soberly.
"I need to go shopping and I have no girlfriends. You love me enough to tell me if my ass looks fat, right?"
Marbles laughed, "Yes. And if it looks great can I squeeze it?"
She smiled, "For shopping with me, of course!"
Another sigh, "I'll pick you up in an hour." And he hung up.
She giggled excitedly and then dialed Arthur's number.
"And what do I owe this pleasure gorgeous?"
"I'm positively giddy right now."
He chuckled, "Yeah, I have that affect on women."
She smiled, "I just got an AmEx Black card from Benny."
"The one made out of titanium or some shit?" He said breathily.
"Yes!"
"Well sugar momma, where are you taking me for dinner?" He laughed.
Maggie giggled, "Well I'll reserve that for another night, tonight, we have a party to go to. You have a suit?"
He sighed, "Of course I have a suit."
"Ok, you want a new one?"
He laughed, "I'm sure one of my suits will be fine."
She smiled, "Damn. Ok, well I'm going shopping for a dress to wear tonight. I'm also gonna get my hair and nails did and be positively girly."
He chuckled, "Who with?"
"Marbles." She smiled, "I promised him I'd let him see me in my underwear. Now that you're around he doesn't get to sleep with me anymore."
"Ugh, I'm such a cock block!"
Maggie laughed, "I'll swing by around 6:45? I don't think we can take the Ducati tonight."
"Awe! I thought it would be the epitome of class to hike up your gown in order to straddle the motorcycle!"
"You would." She chuckled.
A dramatic sigh, "Alright. We can take my BMW then."
"You have a Beemer?" She asked.
"This is New York, doesn't everyone?"
She laughed, "I don't."
He made a reproachful clicking sound with his tongue, "We'll have to change that then. I'll pick you up, ok?"
"Sounds good. Say, what kind of Beemer?"
"M6 of course."
"Oh, I think I just had a small orgasm." She said sweetly.
He laughed, "I'm glad I've at least accomplished something in this relationship. Other than you being head over heels for me, of course."
"Of course." Her stomach had butterflies in it.
"See you tonight."
"Later." And she hung up.
She ran about the office for the next forty-five minutes, finishing up any random tid-bits that needed to be taken care of before the weekend. She was successfully caught up when Marbles called her cell phone and told her to get her sweet ass downstairs.
When she jumped into his car, he was laughing, "Excited much?"
She laughed, "You have no idea!"
"Where to?"
"Madison Avenue first!" She yelled excitedly.
"God help us all." Marbles mumbled as he revved his engine and tore off into the streets of New York.
They returned to Maggie's condo at 6:30 pm. Maggie was wearing a simple button down white shirt and jeans, but she had her hair and makeup done at the spa her and Marbles went to - and swore she'd never speak of it again.
She ran inside her condo, waving haphazardly over her shoulder to Marbles disappearing car and threw down the bags that contained inconsequentials. She ran into her room, stripping out off her clothes and skidded to a stop.
Taylor was sitting on her bed, dressed in a suit. Maggie stopped breathing.
"Oh shit."
"Hey Maggs." He said, rather normally, considering she was wearing only underwear, with her hair and makeup done.
"Uh, hi Tay. What's up?" She said. She slowly looked around the room for something to slip on, but wasn't having any luck.
He chuckled softly, "You wanna get dressed first?"
She laughed nervously, "Well I have to be ready in fifteen minutes for the dinner." She said softly, continuing the rest of the sentence in a soft, quick, mumble, "Causearthurscomingtopickmeup."
Taylor looked slightly defeated but his face hardened quickly, "You still seeing him?"
Maggie glared at Taylor, perching her hands on her naked hips, "Yeah. I am." She almost growled.
"Right." He spat and left without another word.
Maggie was absolutely dumbfounded. She had no idea what the fuck just happened nor did she have the time to really think about it. She ran into her bathroom added a coat of deodorant, a few sprays of her favorite perfume, ran a brush through her pin straightened hair, and retouched her smoky makeup just a bit. She ran into her front room and grabbed her bags and sprinted back into the bedroom, tossing the lot of it on her bed, except of course for the dress, which she was treating with the utmost care. She grabbed the package that contained what was guaranteed as the highest quality straightener known to human kind and unwrapped it as she tore into her bathroom and plugged it in. Her hair-dresser managed to tame even Maggie's wild curls, promising that this contraption could make straight even Clay Aiken. It heated up instantly and she ran it through her hair a few times, spraying some sort of serum into it that her hair-dresser said was necessary.
Once finished with that she ran back into her room, grabbed the bag containing her shoes and slid them on. After almost breaking her ankle a few times, trying to sprint in four-inch stilettos, she finally had everything under control and slid on her dress, just in time for her doorbell to ring. She shoved every bit of trash into a bag and threw it into the corner of her room, trying to maintain some sort of cleanliness.
She hobbled to her front door and then smoothed out any wrinkles in her dress. She took a deep breath, feeling like she was going to the prom, and opened the door.
When Maggie and Arthur saw each other, they simultaneously let out a deep whoosh of air - demonstrating what it really looked and felt like to have your breath taken away. His eyes roamed her body appreciatively, while hers did the same to his. Arthur was wearing a white dress shirt and a silvery tie, with a charcoal vest and pants made of tweed. It fit his body perfectly, accentuating his wide shoulders and trim waist. The color of the suit made his eyes bounce vibrantly and made his smile much brighter. He looked very much like a 1950s movie star, with his usually unruly hair fashioned into a slight and somehow attractive comb over. Though her eyes were trained on him, she could feel his roving over her body and assessing the damage. Maggie was wearing a beautiful dress with a nude colored silk beneath black chiffon. The front of the dress had a v-cut to her breastbone falling from an armour neckline, covered with intricate beading. The armour neckline fell delicately over her shoulders and convened in a high Y on her back, with the back material cowling to just above the base of her spine. The material rouched beneath her breastbone and cascaded down, with a natural slit in the front that exposed just a bit above her knee. The contrasting material made her movement shimmer without looking too showy while the dress flowed around her like the robes of an angel. When their eyes met, they smiled shyly and Arthur walked in and closed the door behind him.
"Hello Maggie." He said sweetly, kissing her cheek and resting his warm hand on her neck.
"Hi Arthur." She said into his ear. "You look fabulous."
He blushed and smiled, "I only wish I could think of something wonderful to say. Would you believe me if I said that the way you look right now is making me speechless. ME. SPEECHLESS. This never happens." He chuckled. Maggie blushed vividly. "I love what you did with your hair. Very few people can pull off bangs like you."
Maggie laughed. Her hair, which was straight, hung in a loose ponytail at the side of her neck. She had wanted something new to her look so she went for bangs. They cut them to be just about even with her eyebrows and they were more whispy than a blunt cut. It added more angles to her face and did something magical to her eyes. "I like the comb over. Very Newsies."
Arthur laughed, "Do I look like a douche? Cause I wasn't sure how to handle it."
Maggie smiled and put a hand to his chest, "You look great. Its...respectable."
Arthur smiled, taking her hand in his and stepping closer to her, he kissed her gently, "You have no idea what you do to me." He said softly into her lips.
She smiled against his mouth, "I may have a slight clue."
He chuckled, "Can we get out of here? I'm afraid I'll lose all sense of gentleman-like conduct if we are anywhere close to a bed. And I've been so good."
Maggie laughed, "Yes, you have. If you behave, maybe I'll give you a treat tonight?" She winked, grabbing her handbag and coat and opening the front door.
Arthur followed after her, smiling mischeviously, "What kind of treat? Like, an ass-grab treat? Maybe an'accidental' brushing of your breast with my hand? A full palmed squeeze?"
Maggie laughed as he caught up to her and opened the door to his fabulous 2007 BMW M6 NM series. "Maybe a slight tush squeeze and a finger poke." She said with a finger in his face. He just smiled as she climbed in and he shut her door.
He made his way around to his side and climbed in, "All of my boyhood dreams could come true tonight." He sighed wistfully.
Maggie laughed as he turned on the car, blasting one of her favorite songs, and they drove off towards Scarpa's for the beginning of their evening.
They reached Scarpa's and it was extremely done up for the evening. When they entered, the roomed seemed to quiet down. Maggie smiled at the few people she knew as Arthur came behind her and helped her remove her ankle length jacket. He handed it off to a server as room started to regain its liveliness. The inside was decorated beautifully, with elegant grape vines and empty Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling. Maggie smiled as Benny approached her, his wife on his arm, smiling widely. He opened his arms and she wrapped her arms around him and he kissed her cheek loudly.
"My God Maggie! Aren't you a vision? I shouldn't have bothered with hiring any girls tonight, you certainly take the show!" Benny laughed.
"Thanks Benny, you old coot." She smiled, jabbing him softly in the side. Arthur came up to her side and she slid her hand into his. She motioned towards Benny, "This is Benny, my boss and lifelong friend. Benny this is Arthur."
Benny reached out and took Arthur's hand, shaking it warmly, "Pleasure to meet you Arthur. You sure got lucky with this one."
Arthur smiled, "Absolutely sir."
Benny laughed and clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder, "Hell, call me Benny, if she thinks you're worthy enough to bring around, you're practically family." Arthur smiled warmly and gave a happy look to Maggie who was smiling brightly. "Well don't let me keep you! Get a drink! The boys are outside."
Maggie nodded and dragged Arthur towards the bar. Arthur ordered a VO and water and Maggie got a glass of Pinot Grigio from her former winery.
"He's not too bad." Arthur smiled. "For an ex-Mafia Don."
Maggie chuckled and squeezed his hand, "He's harmless as long as you don't look him in the eye for too long."
"Good to know." Arthur chuckled and sipped his drink. "So am I allowed to get properly snockered tonight and you get to drive me home and hopefully keep me from drowning in my own vomit?"
Maggie did an exaggerated shiver, "I love when you talk all romantic-like."
He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her ear to his lips, "If you get lucky you might even get to clean up after my disgraces."
"Ooh, promise?" He simply winked and they went outside.
The back patio of Scarpa's was rather large. It was somewhat encased with semi-windows and an awning to keep its patrons safe from the harsh New York weather while still allowing them to smoke outside. The awning was covered with beautiful lights, which glittered and gave the atmosphere a warm glow. Once they were outside, she saw her father, sitting with Chris's father, Chris, Marbles, Matty, and Taylor. She walked up to the group, with Arthur holding her hand and cleared her throat.
Her father looked up and had to take a second look, "Oh my God! Maggie?" He shouted and practically jumped out of his chair and hugged his only daughter with fierceness. "Oh you look so beautiful!"
She smiled and kissed his cheek, "Thank you daddy. I've missed you."
"I missed you too Maggs." He said, holding her tightly. "So this must be the infamous Arthur." He reached out a hand and Arthur shook it.
"That's correct sir." He smiled. "Its really a pleasure to meet you."
"Please, call me Alonso." He smiled.
"Of course." Arthur said. "I'm really glad I have the opportunity to see Maggie with all of you. She talks about you guys all the time."
"Its good to know I haven't been forgotten, the old bag of wind that I am." Alonso chuckled.
Maggie slapped him on the shoulder, "Daddy, shut it!" She laughed, "I'd never forget you."
"Nor I you, my dear." He said, grabbing the hand she swung with and kissing it. "You have drinks? Alright then, please sit and have a cigar. We were all just sitting around, shooting the shit."
"Thanks Daddy." She smiled. She walked around the table and the boys all stood to greet her. "How are you doing Matty?"
"Great honey, you look fucking gorgeous." Matty smiled, kissing her cheek.
She was passed on to Chris, "You look wonderful as always Chris. I'm definitely not the best looking one here." She chuckled.
He kissed her on the cheek as well, "Ah, shut it. You look fabulous, babe."
"Marbles, long time no see." She laughed.
He pulled her into a great big hug and kissed her soundly on the mouth. He put his lips to her ear, "I told you that dress was fuckin' hot. I fuckin' told you." He laughed.
"Thanks Marbles." She smiled.
Taylor stood, his face and eyes empty, a look Maggie had never seen on him before, especially directed at her. He hugged her coldly and kissed her neck, on the soft spot, just below her ear, and whispered, "You are amazing." and then, let her go.
Her heart beat quickly for a few seconds, hurt by his cold reception and wondering desperately what she did wrong. Arthur came up a few moments later, after shaking hands with everyone else and reached a hand out to Taylor.
"Nice seeing you again Taylor. How are you?" He smiled.
Taylor reached up and shook his hand a little lamely, "Fine Arthur. How are you?"
Arthur smiled, a little happy that Taylor hadn't punched him or tried to castrate him with a look, "Great thanks. This sure is a wonderful party. You guys sure know how to have a good time."
Taylor simply nodded and sat down. Marbles chimed in, "Yeah, you should see us when Maggie doesn't look so much like a girl. Then she gets really wild." He laughed. They all sat and Taylor watched, boiling on the inside, as Arthur pulled out a chair for Maggie and she sat in it, giving him her brightest smile as a way of thanks. Alonso pulled out two more cigars and offered one to Maggie and Arthur. They both accepted and lit up. The atmosphere cooled slightly, but Taylor did not like the way that Maggie reached out and touched Arthur's hand gently nor the blazingly admiring looks that Arthur was giving Maggie that made her blush. He simply drank a little more, hoping to dull his senses so he wouldn't notice their happiness.
They continued the animated conversation with Alonso telling old stories about himself and Chris's father. The men continued the conversation, revisiting stories about the boys and Maggie growing up. Most of the dialogue was meant to embarrass the hell out of Maggie, which was hard to do.
"I swear that girl got sent home for getting in fights more than Mr. Reese over there." Alonso laughed. The group joined in, "Most of the time it was for beating up one of these punks. The little squealers."
Matty chuckled, "We wouldn't have told on her if she didn't fight so dirty."
Maggie choked on her wine a little, but recovered, "Well if I didn't have four guys who were at least a foot taller than me and out weighed me by 80 pounds picking on me all the time, I wouldn't've had to fight so much, would I?"
"You were an easy target." Chris chuckled.
Maggie took a long hit from her cigar, "Which is why, pretty boy, I busted your nose an you had to go get it surgically fixed! I remember that because I basically worked off the payment as a bus girl when I was about twelve!!" She screeched.
All the men laughed raucously at that and Chris scowled at Maggie, "If only I could be mad at you for more than fifteen seconds. We might actually have taught you a lesson."
"Yeah, it doesn't help when you bat your eyelashes like a little girl and act all cute." Matty groused.
"What?" Maggie said with the cigar in her mouth, "You mean like this?" She batted her eyelashes dramatically and everyone chuckled.
"I'm gonna grab some more drinks, everyone want another round?" Arthur smiled.
Maggie looked up at him, concerned, but he smiled warmly back, reassuring her. All the men grunted their assent and then continued their detailed descriptions of life in the old days.
"So Maggie," Alonso said sweetly, "You really like this guy?"
Maggie blushed furiously, "Why?"
Alonso laughed, "I just want to know how much I'll have to pay Matty to have him killed if he hurts you."
Maggie laughed, "No, I do like him. A lot. He's very genuine and sweet. He's funny and can take shit. He's got a legitimite job-,"
"I resent that comment." Matty interjected.
"Fuck off," Maggie chuckled, "He's strong and he genuinely seems to care about me." Without really knowing, she directed this last comment towards Taylor, who was looking at her until she said it. His eyes dropped and Maggie felt a little guilty. "He's fun to hang out with and hasn't ran screaming for the hills after meeting all you stronzos so I think if he can handle that, he can handle just about anything."
Alonso laughed, puffing on his cigar, "That's good to hear. I'm glad you finally have a steady man in your life." Everyone caught the sly dig that Alonso made. Despite how much he loved Taylor like his own child, he was not happy with the way he had treated his one and only daughter.
"Drinks all around!" Arthur smiled as he brought in a tray holding up all their drinks.
"Careful Arthur, someone might think you're the help." Matty laughed.
Arthur placed the tray on the table, taking up the nearest napkin and hanging it on his arm, he spouted in a horrible French accent, "Anysing else I may help vou wif?"
The men all laughed and Marbles took out a twenty and threw it at Arthur who took his seat, pocketing the twenty, "Alright, tips!" he smiled.
Everyone laughed heartily at that and continued their conversation from before.
A few moments later, Maggie abandoned her cigar, grabbed her purse and made her way into the restaurant using the bathroom as an excuse. She ran to the restroom, tinkled quickly - or at least as quickly as possible in a dress that fancy - and retreated to the front of the bar for a real smoke.
She opened the door with a cigarette clenched in her teeth and the lighter at the ready when she saw Taylor standing outside the door to the side. She gave an inward sigh and walked over to him with her cigarette dangling from her lips.
"How's it going big guy?" She smiled, puffing on her cigarette.
He looked her up and down trying to hide the pained look from how wonderful she looked, "It's going. Trying to keep my head up. The business sucks, but hopefully, Matty will find someone younger than me to kick asses soon and I can take up something serious."
Maggie nodded, "That sounds about right. I mean, who the fuck knew? Taylor Reese, gettin' old." She smiled.
Taylor chuckled lightly, "Yeah. Who knew?"
"How's everything else?" She smiled. Never in her life had it ever been awkward between her and Taylor. At this point it was exceedingly awkward and it was pissing her off.
"Same ol' same ol'." He said without elaborating.
"Ok." Maggie said, slightly miffed. She threw down her barely smoked cigarette and stomped it out with the toe of her fabulous shoes. "Well, ok then Mr. Reese. See you around." She said lamely and went inside before she could start yelling at him.
It was beyond unfair that she suffered for years while Taylor Reese sowed his wild oats with just about every woman in a 50 mile radius. However the first moment where Maggie actually found someone who is decent to her, who she wants to be around for more than a fuck, and he gets all pissy about it. She was seething at the bar when Marbles strolled up to her and smiled and then, it was gone.
"Uh oh." He said.
"Yeah." She grumbled, "Uh oh. Taylor's an outright bitch!" She growled.
Marbles tried to shush her, but was having a hard time not laughing, "I know he is." Marbles said after he stifled the laughter. "He's just dumb. Doesn't know how to give a shit about anyone but himself. Finally, when he's got it, it's the wrong time. He's as dense as a lead box of bricks."
Maggie chuckled, "Yeah. It just pisses me off. I'm really happy you know. Good job, great boyfriend. My life is finally stabilizing after too many years of uncertainty and he gets all pissy. He's the one who didn't want me and I took it, like a great fucking soldier and waited for him. But I cant anymore. I was lonely. I wanted a real companion. And I found it. I don't know if Arthur will last for a few years or a few more days, but he's good to me and we have fun. I'm fucking sick of Taylor's shit."
"Thanks for the update on the melodrama. I'll be sure to blog it tonight." Maggie chuckled bitterly. "Exaclty though. You are happy. You are stable. Fuck it. Have fun and live your life. You don't need to wait around for Taylor to wake up anymore. He's seen what it could have been and he denied it. That's his fault. Not yours. So fuck it. You like this guy?" She nodded, "Then give him half the chance you gave Taylor and he'll make you happy. I've seen the way he looks at you. Its nauseating."
Maggie laughed. "Thanks Marbles."
"Go home. Spend the night with your dude. I know you haven't yet."
She stared at him speculatively, "Haven't what yet?"
He wiggled his eyebrows, "You know."
She scoffed, "Sick Marbles. And how do you know I haven't? Maybe we boned on the way here, maybe I climbed right over the stick shift of his M6 and did him as we entered the parking lot."
Marbles laughed, "Honey, everyone was watching when you two entered the parking lot, like 85 year old gossiping grandmothers. You didn't have time."
Maggie laughed and jabbed Marbles in the gut, "You're a prick, you know that?"
He winked and kissed her, "From the day I was born!"
He pushed her off and slapped her on the ass, she yelped as she made her way outside to find Arthur or her father.
She found both of them, engaged in a conversation on the edge of the patio. They were smiling and talking and she didn't necessarily want to interrupt it, but her father saw her and stopped talking, smiling at her. Arthur turned around and smiled at her sweetly. Maggie felt as the breath in her lungs was forced out of her body to make room for the butterflies in her stomach.
"Hello bella." Her father smiled.
"I think we're gonna take off. I've had a long day daddy." Maggie smiled.
Alonso smiled as well and pulled his daughter in for a tight hug. When they were close he whispered in her ear, "I like him. He seems like a really nice man. I love you and just want you to be happy."
Maggie felt tears well up in her eyes and she kissed her father wetly on the cheek. He smiled and nodded at her and then turned to Arthur to say their goodbyes.
They made rounds and said goodnight to everyone, despite many people begging them to stay. They said they regretted leaving, but Arthur took the blame, saying he had some project meeting tomorrow morning, when really, he had jack shit to do.
When they got in the car, Arthur looked over at Maggie. She seemed slightly deflated. "You alright?"
"There's something I need to tell you." Maggie said softly.
Arthur nodded, "Lets get back to your place, get into something comfortable and we can talk. I don't want you to cry off your fabulous makeup."
Despite how shitty she felt, Arthur always seemed to make her smile.
They got back to her place and Maggie went to the bathroom and washed off all of her makeup. She slid on a pair of mini boxers and her favorite white tank top to sleep in and made her way out into the front room where Arthur brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses.
She smiled weakly at him as he poured out the glasses, "You just want the bottle?"
She laughed, "Douche bag."
"Fuck I knew the hair was no good!" And Maggie laughed again. She circled the couch and sat next to him. He was still in his suit, but his jacket was off, his tie was loosened, and his sleeves were rolled.
"Ok, spill." He smiled.
Maggie grimaced and grabbed her glass of wine. She took a small sip and sighed, "It's shitty."
"The wine or the situation?" He chuckled lightly.
She smiled, "The situation. I never have shitty wine." They both smiled and she continued. "I've been in love with Taylor Reese as long as I can remember." She watched for his reaction, but he kept his features neutral. "Everyone has said he's had a thing for me too and we hooked up once, but nothing came out of it. The problem is I've been sitting and waiting for him to wake up and realize I'm here, but he never did. He just kept acting like I'd be around forever. Then I found you," She smiled and caressed her hand across his smooth face, "And I'm really happy. I like you. A lot. You're nice to be around and I have a lot of fun with you. I'm insanely attracted to you and you make me smile and he hates it and I actually feel guilty. I fucking feel guilty for being happy. The fact is, I care about you. You're here and he's not. Even if he was here I'm not sure if I could be satisfied. He's had countless women and I mean countless. It makes me feel insecure and I fucking hate it. With you, I'm comfortable, I'm satisfied. I feel like you're attention is on me. Him and I have a lifetime of a relationship but it's more dysfunctional that yours and mine could possibly ever be. I love him and I might always love him and I wanted to tell you that before we got too involved. I didn't want you to be around if you knew that I cared for someone else. Its not like you're replacing him or you're a rebound, it's simply that my heart just got bigger in order to fit a space for you in there. I'm not sure who has the bigger slice at the moment, but my heart is broken for him, but so happy because of you."
He was silent for a moment, sipped on his wine and then put it down. He scooted closer to her, grabbed her wine and placed it on the table and pulled her closer, so her legs were in his lap. He grabbed her face and kissed her with a ferocity she didn't know he had. "I don't care." He said simply and then chuckled at her confused expression. "I'll be honest. I'm not down for competing with him. I wont battle for your affection. But I care about you. If you want me around, I'll be here and there's not a damn thing he can do about it." He sighed, almost as if he were frustrated, "Maggie you are an amazing girl. If he fucked around with you then that's his fault, not yours. He was stupid enough to let you go for a moment and since I'm lucky enough to capitalize on that moment, I'll take it." He chuckled. "As long as you want me here I'm here. I don't care how many insults are flung at me or how many times he threatens me, if you want me, I'll stick around. I don't really give a flying fuck about anyone but you."
Maggie stared at him in disbelief, her mouth moving wordlessly. He smiled at her expression and kissed her again. The ferocity wasn't the same, it was more timid, more of a testing kiss than anything else.
In that moment, with Arthur's hands caressing her face and neck and his lips against hers, Maggie pushed aside all feelings for Taylor. He wasn't there with her. He wasn't the one kissing her and consoling her. He just wasn't and Maggie finally got that. She knew that she'd never give up on loving Taylor, it was a part of her just like her liver or spleen, but in kissing Arthur she found that she was able to drown out the frequency of Taylor oriented thoughts and focus only on Arthur - she was never able to do that before.
His hands moved down her sides slowly and his kiss was still soft, but Maggie deepened it with her new found enlightenment. She dove head first into the kiss and Arthur picked up on her tenacity. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap so that she was straddling him. Her hands her moving through his hair now and touching his face gently, while his skimmed her sides and her thighs.
Her body was buzzing with need for Arthur and she found that for once she wasn't scared. She let her fingers dip down to her neck line where she began unbuttoning his shirt, letting her fingers splay all over his muscular chest and abs.
"Maggie," He said breathily into her kisses, "I want you. So badly."
She smiled into his lips, "I want you too." She said softly.
In that moment, Arthur scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom with her legs still wrapped around his waist. They fell onto the bed, a mess of heated bodies and tangled limbs and began to deepen their kisses and expand the amount of skin graced by them.
Arthur stood abruptly and kicked off his shoes. He pulled off his shirt and threw it on the floor, leaving him with nothing but his dress pants on. Maggie watched as he lowered himself on the bed and kissed at her thighs, working his way slowly up her body. His body was amazing. His chest and arms were muscular and his stomach was incredible, with rippled abs and a drastic V that lead to his nether regions.
His fingertips played along her abdomen while he kissed at her hips, nipping lightly and sending chills up her spine. His hand sneaked up her shirt and dug into her stomach, her sides, and finally found their way to her breasts. In a moment, he had her shirt off and thrown on the floor, his fingers playing softly with her nipples, causing her to moan lightly.
His mouth descended on the pink bud, taking the whole nipple into his mouth, sucking on it and teasing the tip with his tongue and teeth. Maggie was feeling every inch of him pressing up against her and she tried desperately to get her hands on some of it. He moved back up to her mouth and kissed her deeply, while a hand still played with her breast. She reached down between them and worked on undoing his pants. She slid her hand inside his pants and boxers and took him into her hand, caressing the soft skin and letting his heat radiate through her. He was bigger than she originally thought. Bigger than any other man she'd been with, other than him, but she wasn't going to think about that now, especially as his mouth descended upon her breasts once more and her mind was jettosined out into oblivion.
Without much more delay, Arthur had pulled off his pants and hers as well. He was kneeling before her, staring at her as she laid on her back, squirming beneath his touch.
"You are so beautiful." He said.
Maggie looked up at him, seeing his entire body for the first time and positively needing him. She beckoned him forward with her finger and when he moved to lay on top of her, she pulled at his hand and flipped him on his back.
He laughed as she climbed up his body, kissing just about every inch, "Don't think you get to have all the fun." She smiled. She slowly moved lower and lower until she was at his groin. She took him in her hand and licked up his entire length, keeping her eyes on his heavy lidded ones. He was biting his lip lightly and licking his lips as he watched Maggie lick him all over and suck gently on the tip, causing him to shudder.
"Please don't do that too much." Arthur chuckled and so did Maggie.
"What? This?" She smiled and then took him entirely into her mouth, relaxing her throat and allowing some of him to go deep.
"Jesus. Fuck." He said and she pulled back, smiling devilishly. "You'll pay for that." He smiled, looking down on her, his brown eyes smoldering.
"Oh yeah?" She smiled, but before she could descend on him again, he grabbed her and pulled her back up to his lips so he could kiss her, wildly. His immense erection pressed into her and she wanted him so badly that she could barely stand it. That's when he rolled her over, forcing her to comply with the weight advantage he had and letting his hands play all over her body. He slipped a finger inside of her and moved it in and out slowly but with a lot of friction as he pulled a nipple into his mouth and began to roll it around between his teeth.
Maggie moaned louder at that, his fingers and his mouth playing on her most sensitive flesh. She whined slightly as he detached from her breast, but he just chuckled as he sunk lower and lower until his mouth was at her clit. His tongue snaked out expertly and danced among the folds of skin while his finger pressed into one of the most sensitive spots inside of her.
She was tormented by the amount of pleasure he was eliciting from her. She was desperately trying to hold back the mounting pleasure in her body. She felt his lips close around her clit as sucked on it gently, letting the tip of his tongue graze the most sensitive spot sending shock waves of pleasure through her entire body.
"Holy shit, Arthur!" She said. Her hands fell to his face and she gently nudged him away. He smiled and kissed her gently, another shiver wracking her body. "Please?" She said softly.
He kissed up her body again and their mouths clashed with ferocity. "You have condoms?"
"Yes. You don't?" She smiled, he nipped at her lower lip.
"Of course I do. They're in my car." He chuckled, "I'm not sure going outside like this would make your neighbors happy."
"You'd be surprised. My neighborhood is predominantly female." She chucked and then rolled to her bedside table and pulled out a condom. He sat up and put up his hand but Maggie shook her head, "Let me." He simply nodded as she unwrapped the tiny little package and rolled it slowly over the head of his penis and down the shaft. She saw him shudder slightly and smiled up at him.
He laid back down on top of her and kissed her soundly, "You ready?"
She smiled, "I'll punch you if you don't hurry up."
He chuckled as he placed the head at her entrance, "Oh you like it rough?"
"On occasion." She smiled, "Think you can hang?"
He nodded kissing her softly on the lips. He kissed down her neck and licked her earlobe, pressing himself gently against her opening, "You tell me what you want and I'll do whatever you need." He said and then promptly pushed himself entirely inside of her.
Maggie was amazed by the way he fit inside her just perfectly. He started moving slowly and it was agonizingly pleasing. His hands and lips were still all over her face, neck and breasts, while he kept up a slow steady rhythm that was driving her insane.
Maggie tried desperately to push her hips up faster, but he quashed that by simply putting one of his large hands around her hip and thigh and holding her in place as he moved inside of her.
"Tell me what you want." He said softly, kissing her jaw.
"Harder." She said. He increased the intensity of his thrusts, but kept the same pace. She whined slightly in his ear and she heard him chuckle. "Faster" She finally said.
"Yes ma'am." He smiled. He claimed her lips again and began to thrust into her with such intensity and speed that she felt her climax nearing in about four seconds. She was trying to hold off, to keep the feeling lasting just a little longer, but Arthur picked up on it quickly. His fingers reached down between them and found her clit. He began rubbing it in synch with his thrusts.
Maggie was breathing harder, trying to stay in control, trying to keep from screaming out his name.
"Let it go baby," He smiled into her ear, "I wont stop." He said and then his mouth descended on her nipple and began sucking it again.
Maggie's entire body revolted against her state of mind and an orgasm came crashing over her. She screamed his name and her nails scraped down his back, but he didn't miss a beat. He felt her tensing around him and he allowed his mouth to move back up to hers while his fingers rubbed a little softer at her clit, knowing she was extremely sensitive.
But rather than ask him to stop, Maggie begged for more. He continued his speed and intensity all while his fingers elicited about three more orgasms from her before his finally crashed over him.
They lay there for a few moments, regaining their cognitive functions and just kissed softly. He finally pulled out, still very hard after his intense orgasm, and retreated to the bathroom to clean up.
When he came back out, he climbed into the bed and pulled Maggie as close to him as possible with her facing him, something she wasn't used to.
His hands skimmed her cheeks and jaw and he kissed her lightly. "That was amazing."
She smiled sleepily at him and kissed him on the lips, "Yes. Yes it was."
"We should definitely do that more often." He chuckled.
Maggie smiled. "Sleep. Food. Then sex."
He kissed her sleepy eyelids and then her lips, "Hopefully two hours is enough. I'll make you a sandwich and you can eat on the go."
Maggie laughed and curled into his body. He kissed her forehead and they fell asleep, wound around each other and in a serene cataclysm.