Magic Man

by Ashley Hastings

  “Um, should I go on with my list?” I was confused as to why my dinner had disappeared. I was still hungry.

  “Fuck, no. You about made me come in my pants with that one statement.” Maxwell was firm when he delivered his blunt statement.

  I giggled. Okay, now I was hungry for more than food.

  He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the living room. Why did I get so wet when he was rough with me?

  Maxwell pushed me to my knees and wrenched his pants undone, pulling out his rock hard cock.

  “Open.”

  I opened my mouth without a word of protest, and he thrust himself inside.

  I gagged. Not such a great start, I guess.

  Maxwell grabbed my hair with one hand. “Keep that mouth open, and relax your throat.”

  His eyes were wild, shooting sparks through my whole body. This time I knew what to expect when he thrust, and I flattened my tongue against him.

  He tasted like warm sunshine, and I was so turned on. I thought blow jobs were all about the man’s pleasure, but this one was making me squirm for my own release.

  Maxwell used me, and I had to be content to be his passive vessel. A few times he let me suck and lick, and then he went right back to thrusting down my throat. The more I choked, the harder he got, and the wetter my pussy became.

  Oh, my goodness. This was hot in the most unexpected ways.

  I pushed a hand into my pants and played with my clit. Maxwell drew back abruptly, frowning.

  “Are you being bad, little girl?” His tone was harsh and disappointed.

  “No, Sir.” I continued rubbing.

  “Did I say you could do that?” He got louder, trying to get my attention, but I was preoccupied with my actions.

  “No, Sir. But you didn’t say I couldn’t.”

  Maxwell barked out a laugh, but he snatched me up off the floor. “I guess you are going to force me to go ahead with my plans for later, right now.”

  He stripped me naked and stretched me across his lap. He doubled up his leather belt, and I got very nervous, very fast.

  Squirming, I tried to twist to look up at him. “Maxwell, what...”

  Smack! The first blow of the belt lit me on fire. Scared, I tried to wiggle away.

  Smack! The second blow made me gasp, and I realized I wasn’t hurting. Not at all. Instead, my desire exploded like a wildfire. I pushed my ass towards the next blow, and I heard Maxwell cursing fluently.

  “You like this, kitten?” Smack! He rained down another blow and then another.

  I moaned and clutched his knees.

  “I asked you a question.” Smack! Smack!

  “Yes, Sir. I love this, Sir.” The burn on my bottom was a conduit for my desire. I wanted more.

  Smack!

  No way I could come from being smacked with a leather belt. No fucking way.

  My orgasm burst through my body, and I lost all control, bucking like the wildest horse that would never be tamed.

  Maxwell wrangled me onto the couch, and he fucked me violently from behind. I came again when he barely brushed my clit with one hand, and I tightened around his cock with an iron grip.

  Maxwell shouted, “Fuck!”

  I felt the warm surges of his cum filling my body, and I almost came again.

  Panting, I dropped my head to the couch cushion, trying to slow my breathing and make sense of this little scene. What just happened? One minute we were eating dinner, the next minute I was experiencing rapid-fire orgasms that almost separated my mind from my body.

  I could hear Maxwell breathing heavily behind me. Shivering, I protested when he withdrew from my body.

  “Millicent.” He sounded worried.

  I rolled over to look at him, trying to focus but still floating in a fog of pleasure. “What?”

  “I fucked up.” Maxwell frowned and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “No, that was spectacular, baby.” I smiled at him.

  “No, I fucked up. Big time.” Maxwell looked at me with stark worry in his eyes. “I forgot to wear a condom.”

  Oh, shit. We fucked up all right. Big time.

  Now, what were we going to do?

  Nineteen

  We dressed and went back to the table in a daze. Maxwell retrieved our plates, and we continued eating as if nothing had happened. Only this time I skipped the wine.

  Dead silence weighed us down. Occasionally, a fork would scrape against a plate, but other than that, we maintained the quiet.

  Finally, Maxwell placed his fork down. “There’s the morning after pill.”

  “That can be hard to get, especially in rural Mississippi. But I’m guessing.”

  “No, I’m sure you’re right.” He studied me. “I’ll fly to New York or somewhere.”

  I covered his hand with mine. “Let’s don’t freak out.” I paused to do some complicated math in my head. Why didn’t they teach this kind of math in school? I had never needed algebra in my adult life, but I sure needed to figure out the date of my last period quickly and when I might be ovulating. “I don’t think this is a particularly dangerous time of the month for me.”

  What did I know? I was just talking to say something. I was no doctor.

  Maxwell frowned. “Every day of the month is a dangerous time for an unplanned pregnancy.”

  Suddenly irritated, I stood up. Alarmed, Maxwell stood, too.

  Wasn’t he the man who hours earlier had been talking with yearning in his voice about wanting a family? I didn’t want to be pregnant because timing was everything, but his grumpy reaction was a little insulting.

  Maxwell ran his hands through his hair, sighing. “What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” I glared at him. “What’s wrong is you are freaking out like the world is ending. What’s wrong is I don’t want an unplanned pregnancy, either. I’ve had mine already, thank you very much. One per lifetime, please. Can’t it be somebody else’s turn?”

  He glared right back at me. “Would it be so damn terrible to be pregnant with my baby?”

  I put my hands on my hips. “I don’t know, Maxwell. You tell me. You are the one wanting to jump on an airplane to prevent that from happening.”

  We stood at an impasse, fuming. Then Maxwell grabbed me and kissed me, hard. “I fucking love you, Millicent. And Ivy. And this new baby.”

  “Slow your roll, champ.” I kissed him back just as hard. My heart skipped a beat hearing him declare his love for my daughter and me. “We don’t know if there is a new baby. We had sex like five minutes ago. I haven’t taken a biology class in a while, but I know it takes more than five minutes for a baby to happen.”

  “There fucking is a new baby.” His tone was grim, but there was also something new forming on his face, transforming the anger and panic. Like a growing sunrise, it took hold and grew.

  Hope. That’s what I was seeing.

  And then I remembered his ability to read my mind and know what was going on, and I got distracted.

  “I’m pregnant?” That was a dizzying thought, for sure.

  “Well, technically, my sperm is still traveling towards your egg, but yes. My gut says there is a new baby on the way.” He gave me an adorable half-smile.

  Wait. Maxwell shouldn’t be cute right now. I was officially pissed off, wasn’t I?

  “How often is your gut wrong?” I made air quotes as I spoke. What an insane conversation this had turned out to be. I didn’t believe in psychic ability, so I would just keep telling myself that. Repeatedly.

  “Never.” Maxwell’s voice was flat and definite, with no inflection or room for argument.

  “Fuck me,” I spoke with startling emphasis. Shit. Until now I didn’t really think I would be getting pregnant from this fiasco.

  “That’s what got us into this trouble.” That half-smile again, damn him.

  “Is this trouble?” Suddenly weary, I tugged on my hair and looked to the ceiling for answers.

  “No, Millicent. This is a
fucking gift from above. Really, it’s the best news possible.” And, his eyes softening, Maxwell kissed me again.

  He came up for air. “We need to make plans.”

  I backed away, hit by a sudden panic. Was my man psychic, or was I losing my mind?

  “No plans. I need to go. I need to...” I stumbled away. I loved Maxwell, but right now I needed to be anywhere but here.

  Please, God, let me get away.

  I grabbed my shoes and hit the door. I could hear Maxwell calling my name, frustration in his voice, but he didn’t chase me this time.

  Amen.

  Twenty

  I went home in a huff. Okay, so going home meant I had to walk around the duck pond, and then I was at my apartment, but whatever. I got out of there.

  I paced the length of my apartment several times, but I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. So I grabbed my car keys and headed to town. The bakery was closed, and I didn’t want to interrupt Lucy and Grayson’s time together, so I parked and walked idly down Main Street.

  I found myself in front of a bar called Maude’s. Casey had told me about this place. Once she realized Maxwell and I were dating, she said it was about the only entertainment in town, and she had recommended we give it a try. We never had.

  I opened the door and stepped inside. It was dim and dingy, and I started having second thoughts about walking into a bar by myself. This place seemed sketchy, and the last thing I needed tonight was to attract some creeper’s attention. Then I heard a delighted shout in the distance.

  “Millie!”

  Turning, I saw Casey and Cade sitting at a table in the back. I made my way over to them, trying to work up a smile of greeting. Cade took one look at my face and frowned.

  “Uh oh. I think it might be time for me to run over to the law office and check on some files.” Before I could protest, he had dropped a kiss on Casey’s forehead and took off, giving me a comforting squeeze on the shoulder before he left.

  I sat down, feeling like a jerk. “I’m sorry, Casey. I wasn’t trying to interrupt your date.” I dropped my head in my hands. “I’m a lousy friend, I guess.”

  Casey smiled. “No problem. We actually ate at my place tonight, but then I got a craving for fried pickles, so we came here.”

  She pushed a small plate towards me, and I picked up a pickle, not wanting to be rude. I didn’t have an appetite. “What’s wrong? You look so sad. Cade must have realized you needed some girl time.”

  “You had a craving? You aren’t pregnant, are you?” I munched on my pickle half-heartedly but was surprised at how good it tasted.

  “Very funny.” Casey rolled my eyes. “That’s the last thing I need at this point in my life.”

  I burst into tears.

  Alarmed, Casey jumped up. She grabbed some napkins from the bar area and brought them back to me. “Millie, what’s wrong?”

  I didn’t answer, embarrassed at my strong display of emotion and trying to focus on getting myself together.

  Deep breaths, Millie. Deep breaths.

  “Oh, my goodness. Are you pregnant?” Casey lowered her voice as she spoke, but she looked alarmed.

  “No. I don’t know. I shouldn’t be.” I rambled in confusion. “But Maxwell says he thinks he got me pregnant tonight.”

  I realized how crazy that sounded, and I shut up again. But to my dismay, Casey seemed to think that statement made perfect sense. I forgot she was on the “Maxwell is psychic” bandwagon.

  “If Maxwell says it, it’s probably true.” She smoothed her pleated skirt down and shrugged.

  Despite the insanity of this conversation, I agreed with her, and that made me start crying all over again.

  “Not to overshare, but we got a little carried away, skipped the condom in the process, and now he’s convinced there’s a baby Maxwell on the way.” I wiped at my face with a soggy napkin before giving it a disgusted look and dropping it back to the table.

  Casey grimaced. “Girl, I’ve been through something similar. I get it.” She blew out a breath with a concerned look on her face.

  I barely heard my friend speaking. I was struck by the thought of a baby Maxwell, and it took my breath away. A son. A little Maxwell, with dark hair and his father’s mysterious eyes.

  Damn.

  Casey snickered. “I don’t have to have magic Maxwell powers to guess what you are thinking. A miniature Maxwell, am I right? Girl, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

  I smiled despite my tears. “Yes, I guess I do.”

  “Do you love him?” Her smile grew even bigger.

  “Most definitely.” It might be crazy, considering how new our relationship was, but that was the one thing I understood about the whole situation. I was in love with Maxwell.

  “I don’t have to ask if he loves you, because I’ve seen the besotted look on the man’s face every time you are together.” Casey snorted, but I knew she thought the world of Maxwell and approved of our growing relationship.

  I laughed. “He told me he loved me tonight for the first time.” That was a sweet memory I would hold dear forever, no matter what happened next.

  “Before or after the baby making?” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, still grinning like a fool.

  I laughed again. “Before.”

  Casey surprised me with a warm hug. “Then no matter what, I think you guys can get through this. Just take it one day at a time.”

  I hugged her back, and then I stood up. “I think you are right. Thanks for talking me down off the ledge, Case. Should I drop by the law office and tell Cade it’s safe to return?”

  Casey stood up, too. “Nah. I’ll walk with you and find him myself. I’m ready to get out of here, too.”

  THE NEXT MORNING, DESPITE a restless night where I tossed and turned, I was up early, eager to pick up Ivy. I had missed her sweet face, and while I obviously couldn’t share the very adult details of what was happening with Maxwell, just having Ivy around had always been a source of comfort to me. She was my rock.

  She ran out to the car when I honked, dark red braids flying in the wind. I smiled to myself. Ivy had come from the most desperate of circumstances, and hadn’t I fallen in love with her before she was even born?

  I most certainly had, and I was sure I would love any new baby just as much as I loved her.

  Ivy jumped in the back seat, and I waited for her to buckle up. “Did you thank Jen’s parents for letting you spend the night?”

  “I sure did.” She pushed her overnight bag to the seat beside her.

  I waved to Jen’s mom before pulling out of the drive. “Let’s splurge and buy some breakfast in town, kid.”

  It was great having such a well-paying job, and not a lot of expenses to worry about, thanks to the provided housing.

  “Ooh, great! Can we get pancakes at the diner?” Ivy pumped her fist in the air with enthusiasm.

  “Sure. Whatever you want.” I turned on my blinker and headed toward Main Street.

  “Well, in that case, how about the finest steak and caviar, then?” Ivy grinned at me, ever the comedian.

  “Ha. Nice try! Like you want to eat fish eggs for breakfast.” I loved her quick wit.

  “Fish eggs? That’s what caviar is?” Ivy turned a distinct shade of green, and she made a face I could see in the mirror.

  “Yep.” I laughed at her dismay.

  “Gross.” I heard her make a fake gagging noise after she realized I was telling her the truth.

  I looked into the rear view mirror again in time to catch her shaking her head in disgust. “I’ve never had the pleasure, so I wouldn’t know, but I would rather have pancakes this morning if it’s all right with you.”

  “Pancakes, it is. We will tell the server to hold the fish eggs, or at least ask her to bring them on the side.” Ivy settled back in her seat, and we made the short drive to the diner.

  Soon we were giving our order to the harried server, and then we were alone at the table.

  “So, Ivy, there’s someth
ing I wanted to talk about with you.” I was a little nervous, which surprised me. I was never uncomfortable with my kid. We were almost always in perfect sync with each other with no need for awkwardness between us.

  “Is this the sex talk again?” Ivy gave me a wary glance.

  I laughed. A few months earlier, I had a very basic sex talk with Ivy, skipping over most of the details. I didn’t want her picking up misinformation at school, and I figured we would build on the story as she matured.

  “No, not the sex talk.” I sipped my water and watched her face. I didn’t want to miss a thing that happened with this girl.

  Ivy played with the salt shaker. “Good, ‘cause I don’t think I could take that talk so soon after learning about those fish egg thingies.” She scrunched up her nose. “Hmm. Would I rather eat fish eggs or get the sex talk again?” She shook her head. “Impossible to decide between two equally disgusting things.”

  “Focus, this is about Mr. Maxwell.” I spoke with confidence. Fake it until you make it, right?

  Ivy perked up. “Is he meeting us here?” She glanced toward the door with an eagerness she didn’t bother to cover.

  “No, not this time. But we have been spending a lot of time with him, haven’t we?” I waited until she nodded. “And it’s kind of cool having him around, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, I like Mr. Maxwell. He’s fun.” She turned her attention to building a tower with the artificial sweetener packets.

  “Well, turns out I like Maxwell a lot, too.” I paused, trying to feel my way forward.

  Ivy glanced up with a knowing look. “He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?”

  Surprised, I placed both hands flat on the table and leaned toward my daughter. “What?”

  Ivy rolled her eyes and then started using her fingers to count off a list. “One, Mr. Maxwell doesn’t smell like a tadpole. Two, he’s always around, wanting to take us places and be helpful and stuff. Three, sometimes he looks at you all goofy, and you look at him the same way. You get these crazy hearts in your eyes.”