"Relax Maggie. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want. If you want me to stop then say the word" Stephan said rubbing circles on her inner thigh using his thumb.

Now that they'd talked and solved the issues Maggie had, he really wanted her to have fun. At the back of his mind he thought it might be too soon for what he was planning on doing but she was the one who'd started it. When she had asked him to come in, he hadn't imagined he would see her like that. Red was truly her color. He had been ready to jump on her until she smiled. Then he'd known that something was definitely up.

Over the years he'd spent time watching her. When she was alone or out or even working. He'd been so curious about her that he knew when she was faking a smile. It was something he always hated, thinking that she was better off not smiling than pretending to do so. But today thanks to his observation, he'd stopped her from making a mistake. Stephan wasn't interested to know what she was planning on doing. She didn't have to say it out loud for him to know it was something bad.

Looking up at her he wondered if she knew how priceless she was. He would give away everything he had if it meant having her with him for the rest of his life. "What are you thinking about?" he asked

"I don't know"

"You don't know what you're thinking about or you don't know if you're ready to do this?"

"I just don't know"

Stephan smiled. The fact that she didn't push him away meant she was curious. That was Maggie alright. She wasn't scared of anything. Just curious. Kneeling in front of her, he slowly pulled off her underwear and dropped it beside him. Then he took her leg and placed the back of her knees on the arm rest. He repeated the action with her other leg so that she was spread out before him, like a feast, waiting to be devoured.

He looked for any signs of fear or resistance and was glad when he found none. Pressing a kiss on her inner thigh he said "Let's release some of that tension you have inside you. Shall we?" before she could reply, he latched his mouth on to her center and sucked. Maggie gasped but didn't try to stop him. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, she was trying to open her legs wider. Feeling encouraged, Stephan slid his hands under her ass, pulling her forward to the edge of the seat. Then he proceeded to feast on her like a starved man.

Prodding her open, he used his tongue and teeth to tease and pleasure her until she came apart in his mouth. Then he sat back on his heels, to gauge her reaction. With her eyes closed, he couldn't get anything. So he waited until she looked down at him then licked his lips asking "Feeling better? Or should I go again?"

"Again?"

"Yes. I can do this all night. Pleasure you in ways you couldn't imagine"

"I....."

"Need to think about it?" he asked standing up and leaning over her "Don't take too long. I've been waiting for five years and there's very little patience left in me" dropping a kiss on her forehead, he left.

Once he was outside, Stephan wondered why he was leaving. Even though her seduction had started off as a game, the evening had turned out better than he'd expected. He had her. He could have convinced her to forget everything and just think about the two of them. That was his chance to ask her if she wanted to start all over again with him. In a new place where no one knew them. But instead he was leaving, giving her time to think about it. Was he insane?

No. He decided that he was completely sane. Loving Maggie was one thing. Manipulating her to do what he wanted was another. He wasn't foolish enough to believe she loved him. Her heart was filled with anger, hurt and as much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't. He knew there was a part of her that still loved Brian. That was the thing about first loves, they were never truly forgotten. He could help her get over her pain but there was no guarantee she would fall in love with him.

And that's why he'd left. Because he didn't want her to be with him out of obligation. He was happy to give her anything she asked for but expected nothing in return. It wasn't the scratch my back and I'll scratch yours situation. When it came to her, he wanted honesty. Better to say nothing than lie to him. Shaking his head he went back to his house confident that he'd made the right decision. Until he bumped into Amy.

"You're in a hurry. Going somewhere?"

"To see your little girlfriend. I am done being nice to her" she said trying to walk past him but he blocked her path.

"What did I say about being understanding?"

"Fuck that. Daddy wants me to step aside and let Maggie have anything she wants. He already agreed to give her Jamie's hoping she would see his sincerity. Where does that leave me?"

"As the patient and understanding sister. I hope"

"Patience my ass. I told her she could have everything else but she didn't want that. She's targeting that store just to piss me off. Well, consider me royally pissed off!" before he could stop her, she side stepped him and dashed outside. Stephan followed her knowing that if he didn't stop her, they could end up fighting.

----------------

Maggie was upstairs when Amy barged into her house screaming for her to show her ugly face. She had just finished changing into a pair of pajama shorts and T-shirt. At first she was angry that Stephan had foiled her plans but then he'd turned on that Italian charm and made her forget everything. For a while there, she felt like she could go back to being her old self. The girl that had been curious about everything.

She was aware that she wasn't in love with him. That didn't necessarily mean she had no feelings for him. A part of her cared about him. It was almost impossible to harden her heart towards a man like him when all he did was take care of her. He had even moved next door just to be near her. How could she resist him? If he made her forget about her past, wasn't it worth it to give him a shot? Who knew? She could end up falling in love with him. Her thoughts were cut short when Amy showed up. Gathering her hair at the nape of her neck with a band, she went downstairs to confront the little witch.

"How can I help you, your highness?" Maggie asked sarcastically.

"I want you to go back to where you came from. I've decided I don't need a sister after all" she hissed clenching her fists. Clearly she'd found out that Jamie's would be transferred to her. It must have been a blow, one she wasn't ready to take. That's why she was there to fight.

"It must be nice. Isn't it? To snap your fingers and get whatever you want"

"Cut it out. I'm not going to buy your victim act. Not anymore"

"Do you know those men who attacked me almost raped me?" she asked aware that Stephan was standing at the door "I never told anyone about it because it wasn't anything new to me. The man my adoptive parents wanted me to marry had also tried to rape me while those people sat in the living room. Apparently they'd found out I was dating and he wanted to make sure I was still a virgin. Those other guys? I fought them like a wild animal. It was the reason they kicked me so hard that I had a miscarriage. I've always been fighting Amy. Do you know what it's like to fight off a person who's hell bent on abusing you?"

"I didn't come here for....."

"My life story? I know. But what I also want you to know is that when you were probably in highschool or on vacation, I was busy fighting off rapists. When you were partying with your friends, I was lying in a hospital bed, broken, because my boyfriend had just left me a few minutes before I got attacked by people I didn't even know"

"So what? That gives you the right to do whatever it is you want?"

"I want a lot of things Amy. I'd like to snap my fingers and change my past. I want to be like normal children who grew up with parents who loved them. I want to have memories of my mother and mementos I can hold on to because she gave them to me. But alas! I'm not you princess. I can't just snap my fingers and have anything I want"

"Too bad for you. I feel sorry for what happened to you but there's no way I'm going to sit back and watch you create a rift between me and my father"

"You said it right. Your father. Not mine but yours alone. So I suggest you pack your bags and go back home because I have no intention of coming in between your little family. If that's what you're afraid of then rest assured that your father is yours alone. As for Jamie's, well, let's see who will end up getting it. If there's nothing else I suggest you leave. You're not welcomed here"

"And to think I actually thought you deserved a chance"

"I haven't asked for anything from you because there's nothing you have that is of interest to me. Five years ago I would have done anything to be friends with you. Now? I don't even understand why you're still here"

"This isn't over Maggie. I'm not the kind of person that sits back and lets others walk all over me"

"Neither am I. And one last thing" she added when Amy was at the door "The next time you barge into my house yelling, I won't care who you are. I will drag your fucking ass out, mercilessly" grumbling, she left, with Stephan on her heels.

Maggie went about the house snuffing the candles out and throwing them in the box they'd come in. It was true that if that man had told her who he was back then, she would have been glad to have a family. She had been alone and hurting. A father would have made a great difference in her life. But that hadn't happened and she didn't need him now. It would be the best for everyone to go back to how their lives were before they'd met. Speaking of life, she needed to get back to hers. Grabbing her phone she called Saul, her agent.

"Now you remember to call me?" judging from his tone of voice he was pissed.

"Hey, I need to get back to work. Any jobs for me?"

"God, you're such a pain. You've been ignoring my calls and when you finally decide to call me all you want to know is if there are jobs for you?"

"Why else would I call you?" she retorted feeling her anger rising.

"Maggie....."

"Jesus, I didn't call you so we could have a heart to heart talk or hash out our differences. Email me the job offers and if there are none, you better find me something to do or I'll get myself a new agency" she hung up. It was as if everyone was determined to make her life miserable. She needed to get back to work or go insane.

An hour later she was looking through the emails Saul had sent her.  One was from L'Oreal Paris. They needed her to shoot a commercial for their new anti-aging cream. The other one was from Stephan. He had a show in a few weeks and wanted her to walk the runway for him. Trust the man to be professional and use proper channels to book her. She shook her head moving on to read the next one. It was from back home, there were no details. Just that a bank was celebrating their 10th anniversary and wanted her to shoot a commercial for them.

It was fishy because there were no details of what bank it was and when the shoot was supposed to take place. She called Saul again "Why did you send me the job from Kenya? You know that I don't want to work there"

"Precisely. Your people are wondering why you are ignoring them. Which is why I already replied to them and told them you'll go"

"Why the fuck would you do that without my permission?" she screeched like a maniac.

"I tried calling you but you weren't answering your phone. Remember?"

"Well, call them and tell them I can't make it"

"I can do that. But think about your reputation. What will happen when people learn that you turned down a job? From your own country at that?"

"You asshole! You did that on purpose"

Saul laughed "It's your choice Maggie. Whether you take the job or not. Goodnight pretty face" this time he was the one who hang up. Maggie threw her phone against the couch fuming. He was punishing her for not consulting him before tweeting about Abby. He hated when she did something without letting him know first and he always found a way to punish her. She growled thinking that if he was in front of her, he would be a dead man.

When she'd fist joined his agency, they had made an agreement. No jobs from Kenya. If they had anything to do with that place he was supposed to decline them immediately. So far he'd listened to her. Which was why it was so fishy that he'd already accepted that one before replying to the L'Oreal one. Whatever his reasons were, she was going to force him to talk tomorrow when she saw him or bury his stupid ass alive.

*****************************************

I've got answers but you won't like them Maggie.

I say Maggie's about to come face to face with more people from her past. Guess who? And don't think about the most obvious answer.

Another update will be on Monday so I can have the chance to write over the weekend and give you daily updates. Stay safe guys 😘