The Food Critic's Temp Wife {closed}

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie looked into his eyes as he held onto the back of her neck more firmly. Her breathing coming out in short panting breaths, she blushed even more at his words, she hadn't been intentionally teasing him. She shivered again as his fingers kept drawing the circles on her inner thigh, it felt like he was moving them higher.

"I wasn't....."

Her words were cut off by his lips against hers, his lips tasted like the tea from their lunch date, a slight sweetness to them. She heard his soft moan and couldn't help but reach her hand up to the back of his neck, her fingers moving lightly though his hair as the kiss deepened she parted her lips slightly, letting her tongue flick over his lips in a gentle motion.

She wanted the kiss to go on for as long as possible before they let the fact that this was a business deal catch up with them. Yes it was going through her mind but she was more then happy letting it proceed and if he really wanted to get to know her the way a 'husband' should, well that was part of their arrangement wasn't it?

 

[Inspirinious]

Kissing Maggie's lips felt like heaven to Max. Then he felt her tongue on his tongue. He was lost in the ecstasy, reality no longer part of his consciousness.

Suddenly his mind was jolted by the delayed processing of her last words before he initiated their kiss. "I wasn't....." she had said.

"OH MY GOD!!!" His body jerked back from her, his lips, his hands, his whole body moved away from Maggie.

"Oh! I am so very sorry!" he said with the utmost sincerity. "What did I think I was doing? I was so caught up in my emotions, I didn't realize that I misunderstood your actions. And you were about to tell me 'No'."

Max sat back away from Maggie, a look of horror on his face for what he had done.

"Please forgive me for my inappropriate actions. We have a business arrangement and I must always treat you with the proper respect and courtesy of such."

He sat and waited, expecting her to slap him, or at least to gather her things and leave.

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie was confused as she looked at Max, who was obviously shaken. She tried to process all that he had said but that kiss was the only thing she could think about. She listened to him but didn't hear what he was actually saying to her.

When her mind was finally clear and the tingling feeling and pressure of his lips on hers had finally dissipated the only thing that she heard was him say

"Please forgive me for my inappropriate actions. We have a business arrangement and I must always treat you with the proper respect and courtesy of such"

She sunk back into his couch for a moment and bit the corner of her kiss swollen lips. It felt like he was feeling the same things that she was but obviously she had been mistaken. She felt so foolish, like this man would actually want more from her then the business arrangement they had made? Not likely. She sat upright and grabbed her shoe from the floor then stood up and gathered her coat and purse, slipping into the coat after fixing her dress and then clutching her bag to her body.

"Thank you for lunch Mr. Goodfellow..you have the agency's number to schedule another date and time with me if you choose to."

Maggie had gone back to her professional attitude and was doing her best not to break down into tears. This man had her completely turned upside down in one afternoon. She let herself out of his condo, stopping at the door "Have a good night"

She gave him a small smile and headed home determined to take a shower and rid herself of the feeling of failure. She seriously doubted he would want to see her again after that.

She had completely forgotten about telling him he could come to her photo shoot until after she had showered and sat down on her favorite chair with a glass of ice tea. It hit her suddenly and she couldn't remember if she had left the address for it or not. On the one hand, she hoped she did...on the other......

 

[Inspirinious]

Max felt that his heart had been ripped apart, and by his own hands. Professionally he thought he did the right thing. Emotionally his heart, or what was left of it, insisted strongly that he just let the most perfect woman walk out of his life.

He paced the floor of his condo while trying to figure out how he could undo what he had just done. Could he somehow start again with Maggie? Would she consider working with him? Could they possibly ever be just more than business acquaintances? How could he contact her and ask her to come back?

He remembered that Fred, his limo driver, had great connections everywhere; restaurants, clubs, hotels, and even the modeling agency. Fred had given Max the name and number of Jill, a person at the agency who set up the connection with Maggie. He still had Jill's name and number in his contact list on his cell phone.

He called Jill at the agency and was thrilled that she answered her phone. Max told her that indeed Maggie Coopertin was the perfect person for his job, he enjoyed meeting her, but she had gotten away without them setting the arrangements for their next engagement. He asked for Maggie's number. Jill hesitated, knowing that their company policy was to never give out such contact information about their models. But she also knew that this contract was a big deal for all of them. So she gave Max the phone number for Maggie.

Max couldn't dial Maggie's number fast enough. Unfortunately, the call immediately rolled to voice mail. Thinking quickly he left a message, hoping that she would hear it and reply.

"Maggie, I have made the biggest mistake. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I must see you as soon as possible. Please call me."

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie was still sitting in her chair flipping through the channels on her tv when her phone rang. She grabbed it off the coffee table and saw that is was Jill from the agency. When she picked up the call and answered Jill started talking a mile a minute "Mags, sweetie, I've been calling you for the last hour....where have you been? Did Mr Goodfellow get in touch with you? I know I shouldn't have given out your number but he said that he really needed to talk to you...it didn't sound like it could wait. I'm so proud of you sweetie!."

Maggie sat listening to Jill go on and on with apology after apology and then praising her on such a good interview when she couldn't listen to it anymore.

"No Jill I haven't spoken to Mr Goodfellow since our interview earlier today. Its fine that you gave him my number, I know what this account means to the agency. You know I don't have a problem with you giving the cell number out. I will talk to you in the morning. Night Jill" she heard Jill say goodnight then hung up the phone only to see 5 notifications of missed calls and voicemails.

The first 3 were from Jill all apologizing and asking her not to be mad, the 4th was from her Dad just checking in and when the 5th started her pulse quickened from the sound of HIS voice. She listened to his message 3 times before deciding to call him back.

When the phone started to ring tho she hung up. What was she doing? She couldn't let her feelings get in the way of her job as a professional. She had to think this through before calling him back. Could she really work for this man feeling the way she did? He made it clear in the interview that it was a business arrangement and then when he pulled away from their kiss....that kiss...she put her finger to her lips and could still feel his against them..she shook her head...No This had to stop, the agency eeded this account. She would do what she needed to and keep her feelings....no matter what they were...out of it.

She took a deep breath and hit redial on her phone,after the first ring Max picked up... "Mr Goodfellow, this is Margaret Coopertin returning your call."

 

[Inspirinious]

Max nearly lept for joy when he heard Maggie's voice on the line.

"Thank you Maggie for calling me back." His voice quivered with excitement. He wasn't sure where to start.

"I have several things I must share with you. First, I really want you to be my temp wife. You are exactly the person I need for my work.

"Second, I feel we had a misunderstanding. No, I had a misunderstanding. I thought you were falling for me, as I was falling for you. I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to find a way that we could be more than just pretend husband and wife for dinner twice a week.

"When you told me that you weren't flirting with me, I then presumed that my advances were actually unwelcome. I had to stop to save our professional relationship. But I must admit that I have feelings for you. I want to be honest about that and ask that we discuss how we can work together, and what sort of personal relationship we may, or may not have.

"Will you return? Will you work with me? Can we discuss how we feel about each other and make this work, for both of us?"

"Please?"

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie had planned out exactly what she was going to say to Max in her head and then he started talking. She bit her lip as she listened, her finger subconsciously twirling around one of her wet curls. She looked at the clock on the mantel and saw that it was still early, should she agree to go back to his place and talk to him tonight or let it wait another day or so?

She already knew that she would work with him, the money was good and the agency needed this account, but as far as anything personal between them, maybe it was best that she keep things strictly professional with the two of them. Now that she had the time to think about everything she realized that falling for this guy could be a very bad thing, after all they had just met.

That's what her brain was saying at least, but her heart? well that was another story, it was pounding so loudly as he spoke that it was drowning out the rational thoughts that she was trying so hard to hold on to. She let out a soft sigh when he had finally finished his little speech and stayed silent for a minute before she spoke in a soft voice. "Mr. Goodfellow, as I told Jill, I will work with you. As far as the rest of what you said, we can discuss it. When would you like to see me again?"

She was proud of herself at the moment for not letting on how she really felt, of course this was all over the phone not face to face, she had no idea how she was going to respond when she saw him again. She waited quietly for his response to what she had said, biting into her lip so hard that she tasted the tiny iron flavor of blood from her lip. She stood up from her chair and walked into the Kitchen, putting her glass into the sink as she listened to the sound of his breath in her ear. She could still feel his breath on her lips and that kiss....

"Mr.Goodfellow?"

 

[Inspirinious]

Max was disheartened that Maggie would not come back over for them to discuss their future. He sensed that she was holding back, but what? On the other hand, he was pleased that they would still be working together, and she left the door open for further discussions.

"I would like to see you for dinner this Friday evening. Fred will be driving the limo and we will pick you up at your place at 8 PM." Max disliked that this sounded so businesslike, but he would accept whatever Maggie was willing to do within their business arrangement.

"We will be dining at The Capital Grille, one of Houston's finest restaurants. And we will be celebrating my birthday. I very much look forward to having you accompanying me."

Max wanted to say more, so much more, but that discussion would have to wait.

He waited for her response.

 

[MidnightBliss]

Friday....that was 3 days away and with the way she was feeling right now she knew she would have to play the part of a loving wife celebrating her husband's birthday. How could she play the part when right now she wanted to both smack him and kiss him? But if he didn't want to see her until then, it was his choice.
Maggie had her photo shoot on Thursday and with the one photographer that made her work so hard she was exhausted by the time she got home, but at least that would mean one good night of rest in her future. She let out a soft sigh as she flipped through the pages on her counter that had her days outlined detail by detail for each week and saw that between now and Friday the shoot was the only thing she had. She quickly penned in the 8 PM 'meeting' and then dropped the pen and walked back to the living room the entire time silent over the phone. When she sat in her chair and grabbed the remote for the TV she started to speak again, her soft tone of voice had a slight hint of the anger and disappointment she was feeling at the moment.

"That's Fine Mr. Goodfellow. I will see you Friday then"

She put an emphasis on 'Friday' and then clicked the TV off deciding she was going to go for a run to clear her head after getting off the phone. "Have a good evening Mr. Goodfellow"

Maggie hung up the phone and went into her room, she grabbed a pair of grey yoga pants and a green tank top and slipped into them. Grabbing her iPhone she strapped it to her arm, slipped the ear buds in to her ears and grabbed the single key from the bowl next to the door, slipping it in the arm band that also held her iPhone.

She headed out of her apartment and down to the lobby, waving at the security guard as she left and started her run down to the park on 5th street which was about 2 miles from her building and the opposite direction of Max's place.

 

[Inspirinious]

The way she said his name, "Mr. Goodfellow" stung his ears. He so desperately wanted her to call him by the less formal "Max". And he was determined to restore their relationship back to the moment before he caused it all to blow up.

Apparently he had to wait until Friday to see her. He supposed that he having to wait was also his own fault. He could have planned a dinner sooner, but the reservations for Friday had already been made.

After some thought, he realized that he could still reach out to her in thoughtful ways. First thing the next morning he called a florist, one that Fred suggested, and ordered a dozen red roses to be delivered to her place later that afternoon. When asked what the message should read on the card, he paused a moment and then told them "Best wishes on you photo shoot. Love Max".

There, he would say it on a card with flowers. He would say "Love". He hoped that would break the ice before they met Friday night. He also requested from the florist that they deliver a wrist corsage for her to his place sometime on Friday before their date.

"A date." he thought. Yes, it felt like a date. He was most occupied with repairing his relationship with Maggie, that she had become more important than his restaurant review. He worried that he might not do the best for each; his relationship with Maggie, and his work assignment for F&D. He would have to be on the top of his game, both ways. There was little room for any more mistakes.

Those few days passed so slowly, but finally Friday arrived. That evening he showered, shaved, added a touch of aftershave, and dressed to the "T's". He wore his finest new suit with a freshly pressed shirt, and the best tie in his collection. His shoes were shined, and a fresh haircut made his appearance the best he could be. Gathering the corsage for Maggie, he met Fred at the door of his building at 7:45. Just before 8:00 he stood at Maggie's building. The guard buzzed him in and he took the elevator to Maggie's condo.

Eight o'clock sharp he stood before her door. He was as nervous as a grade-school kid on his first date. This really meant a lot to Max.

He knocked twice.

 

[MidnightBliss]

After her run, which Maggie ended up going the 5 miles to the marina and then back, she turned the water on in her bath tub added lavender oil and laid there in silence until the water turned cold. The Next day she met with Jill to discuss the photo shoot for the next day and the one that was on the following Monday then went and met with her personal trainer, Kevin, he worked her so hard that every muscle in her body was sore and she slept easily.

Then Thursday morning when she went to leave for the photo shoot the security guard for the building stopped her to give her the roses that came the day before. She opened the card and a smile immediately brightened her lips. The guard chuckled and joked with her "So, someone is finally getting your attention again Mags?" She blushed and asked him to take them up to her place and put them in water then headed out to her photo shoot. As expected the photographer was being his normal perfectionist self and took about 500 pictures before he finally let her go home.

She spent Friday out shopping for a new outfit and at 4:30 she started to get ready, she showered, sprayed her favorite perfume 'Fire and Ice' on her skin and then went into her room and sat on the bed in her towel. She grabbed the silk nude thigh high stockings and slid them over her long toned legs then grabbed the light blue lace thong and slipped it on then the matching garter and strapless bra.

Once she had all that on she went back into the bathroom and dried her hair, and proceeded to style it, partially up with long red curls framing her face. She smiled at herself in the mirror and then went back into the bedroom grabbing the knee length royal blue dress from the garment bag and slipping into it.http://www.xplussize.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/royal_blue_plus_size_bridesmaid_dresses_under_50.jpg

She went over and sat on the chair before her mirror, slipping into the strappy silver stiletto heels and did her make-up, which consisted of clear mascara and black eyeliner that emphasized her eyes. As she was putting things in her matching purse she heard a knock on the door. She took a deep breath, smiled and opened the door...

"Good Evening Mr. Goodfellow"

 

[Inspirinious]

Max caught his breath. She looked stunning. But then again, why wouldn't she? She was a well paid model. "You look stunning." he told her, giving her the complement she deserved.

He held the wrist corsage for her as if offering to slide in over her hand and onto her wrist. Maggie held out her hand to accept his gift. As he slid the corsage up to her wrist, he held her hand up while he bent over and places a tender kiss on the back of her hand.

"Hello Maggie, I am so pleased to see you. If you are ready to go, Fred has the limo downstairs ready to take us to dinner." He offered her his elbow which she accepted. They stepped out her door, which she turned to lock and then they continued on to the limo.

As they approached the vehicle, Fred held the door open for them and greeted them "Good evening Mr and Mrs Harrison" using their role names for their evening out on the town. Maggie slipped into the car first and moved over to the far side. Max noticed that she created quite a bit of space between them, a sign to Max that their relationship was still frosty.

Max tried to start some conversation as they rode. "How did your photo shoot go? And did you receive my flowers?"

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie turned towards Max and offered him a smile as she crossed her legs in the limo and placed her bag on the seat between them. She made sure that her dress stayed right where it was supposed to be, just above her knee.

She flicked her tongue across her lips to moisten them having forgotten to put her lip gloss on. She grabbed her small purse again and opened it, taking out the clear lip gloss and apply it to her lips, making them have a bit of a shine to them. She placed it back in her bag and put the bag back.

"My Shoot went fine thank you for asking Mr. Goodfellow. And thank you for the roses, they are very pretty" She turned away and looked out the window waiting to get to their destination.

She knew that she was coming across as cold but that was the only way she could think of to keep things professional between them.

 

[Inspirinious]

Max was becoming irritated by Maggie's cold behavior. She was supposed to be acting as his wife, and he didn't expect such a cold wife. She had done everything he could have hoped to make herself look beautiful, she looked more than beautiful. But her demeanor told a very different story. For Max, this was unacceptable. They needed to have "the talk" and it needed to be done now.

Max rolled down the partition between the passenger compartment and the driver's seat. "Fred, please pull over and call the restaurant. Delay our reservation for an hour. Then I want you to drive us around while Ms Coopertin and I settle some issues. I will let you know when we are ready to proceed to the restaurant."

Fred acknowledged the requests and rolled the privacy partition back up.

Turning back to Maggie Max spoke to her.

"We need to talk, and we need to talk right now. I messed up the other day and apparently destroyed our personal relationship. Yes, I know that I said I wanted to avoid a personal relationship, keep it all business. But I was wrong, very wrong. I am quickly developing feelings for you and I want to explore the possibilities of a deep, personal relationship. I think I am falling in love with you."

He paused and let that sentence hang in the air. Then he continued.

"After lunch, I though that we were clicking, on the same wavelength about becoming romantic. Yes, I said romantic. I interpreted some of your actions as flirting with me, as if you were interested in developing a deeper relationship. Then I heard you say "I wasn't" and I took that for a "No". As a gentleman, I know that when a woman says 'No', I must respect that."

"We need to be clear in our feelings. Were you telling me 'No'? Do you, or do you not have feelings for me?"

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie turned towards him as he spoke to Fred, She knew delaying his reservation was not a very good thing to do, he had a job to do and right now he wasn't focusing on that. He was focusing on her and what was going on between them. She sighed softly and listened to him in silence when he started to speak. She started to twirl one of the curls that was framing her face with one finger and bit her lip gently at the corner and then he said IT.

She thought the card on the roses was sweet but actually hearing him say that he was falling in L.....she couldn't even bring herself to think that word. Her eyes were locked on his and her breathing had changed at some point, coming out in quick panting breaths. She let him finish what he was saying and the slid over the seat a little closer to him. She reached a hand out and gently touched his leg, she took a breath, her chest heaving up slightly and then let it go speaking in a soft, loving tone.

"Max, I wasn't saying 'No' I was saying that I wasn't intentionally teasing you or flirting with you. Yes, I like you, a lot, but I don't mix business and pleasure. And you made it clear that you didn't want that either. I thought for sure when I returned your kiss and you deepened it that you knew what I wanted. That I wanted YOU. And when you suddenly pulled away, completely, I.....well. I felt rejected and that's why I left. Then Jill called me saying you asked her for my number and she gave it to you.

That's a big issue with the agency, she broke a major rule, but the truth is I was glad she did it. And then you didn't show to the photo shoot and well I figured you wanted things to stay professional. So I was trying to keep it that way. I know how cold I came across but, I didn't know what else to do. Yes I can play the part of your 'wife' the loving type, but I didn't want to mix my feelings. I didn't want the real ones to combine with the part I need to play."

She stopped speaking and waited for what she said to this point sink in. Then took another deep breath and took her hand off him and folded her hands in her lap. Then continued speaking.

"I do have feelings for you Max, and it scares me that I do."

She didn't want to go into any more detail then that. She reached into her bag and pulled out the a piece of paper with a number on it.

"This is the number of another model that I know, I've already asked her if it was ok to give you her number. If you want to replace me with someone else, I understand and Kathy is a great choice. I hope that this won't be needed but it gives you the option to do so."

She handed him the number and looked down into her lap waiting for him to speak again.

 

[Inspirinious]

Max placed his hand upon her hand and just held it there, enjoying the personal touch between the two of them. He looked into those amazing blue eyes and spoke from his heart.

"This scares me a bit also. But what scares me the most is that I may lose you, either in our business joint venture, or as a personal friend that I am developing feelings for.

"I want us to try and make this work on both levels. Maybe having real feelings for one another with make Mr and Mrs Harrison more believable. And maybe we will enjoy our dinners more.

"Thank you for Kathy's name and number. I know you offered this to help me. I don't intend to call her, although I am sure she is very lovely."

He took a deep breath and sat upright in a more formal posture.

"Mrs Harrison, may I take you to dinner and celebrate my birthday with you?"

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie smiled at Max, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs. He had the greatest eyes and then way he looked at her...it was like he was constantly wondering what she was wearing under her dress. She leaned in close and gave him a soft kiss then whispered against his lips

"I would really like to try and work things out between us. And Actually, Kathy is a bitch, she would have done the job but she would have also gotten on your nerves. "

She moved back to her side of the car and gave him a sweet smile again, fixing her dress once more. "Mr. Harrison I would love to join you for dinner to celebrate your birthday."

She grabbed her purse and pulled out her lip gloss again, reapplying it then putting it into her bag.

 

[Inspirinious]

Max felt that with Maggie's agreement to stay and work on a relationship, he had been given the best birthday gift, and he also got a kiss from her tender lips as a bonus.

He rolled down the partition window and told Fred "Call the restaurant and tell them we are coming."

Fred replied "Right boss. We will be there in 10." and he rolled the partition back up.

Sure enough, ten minutes later they arrived. Fred opened the door and Mark and Margaret Harrison stepped out of the limo and entered the restaurant. A booth, tucked away in a corner to give them privacy, was waiting their arrival. And the flowers Max had ordered for the table were in place, as was a bottle of wine courtesy of Fred.

Max thought how good life is when you have good people around you.

They sat in the booth, close enough together that they occasionally touched knees. She one time laid her hand on his thigh, but only for a moment. And he touched her hand on more than one occasion.

They laughed, they drank, they told stories, and they ate. They tried something from each course; appetizers, soups, salad, entree, and dessert. For his main entree, Max had the seared tenderloin with butter poached lobster tails, a special for the evening. Maggie had the Chilean sea bass with mushroom soy broth.

Max was on the top of his game, paying attention to Maggie, and paying attention to all the details of their meal and service.

As their dinner plates were cleared from the table, Max turned to Maggie and spoke. "I am having a wonderful time. It could not have been the same without you. Thank you for being my 'Wife'." He raised his wine glass in a toast. "To many more fabulous times."

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie winked at Max when he thanked her for being his 'Wife', The dinner was amazing and she knew that her trainer would make her pay for all she ate but it would definitely be worth it. Max seemed to be happy and he was paying attention to what he needed to do as well as to her. There were a few times that she had noticed people looking over at them and she would give a polite smile and then turn her attention back to him. At one point during the meal she had felt his hand on her thigh but she pretended not to notice it.

After they had finished their meal and Max had paid for it she excused herself to the bathroom, the wine making her a little light headed. She went into one of the stalls and locked it behind her a few minutes later hearing a couple of women walk in talking about the young couple that was hidden away in the corner and how they wished they had 'Love' like that. Maggie blushed brightly and waited to hear them leave before exiting the bathroom.

She walked back over to Max and slipped back into the booth, as close to him as she could get and gently pressed her lips to his. "Happy Birthday my Darling Husband." She winked at him as she pulled back and leaned against the booth. She was definitely ready to leave the restaurant but she wasn't really ready for their night to end. She reached over and took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

"Are you ready to go?"

 

[Inspirinious]

Max was ecstatic about their dinner together at The Capital Grille. The food, wine, service, and presentation had been fabulous. He knew he only had good things to say about the restaurant in the review he would write.

In addition, he had a fantastic time with Maggie. He had fought to win her back, and it was all worth the effort and more. He believed that she had as good a time with him as he had with her. It was business, AND it was pleasure. The two could mix and were not necessarily exclusive. It was a good start to rebuilding their relationship. Where their relationship went was still to be decided.

As the couple approached the waiting limo, Max realized that Mark and Margaret Harrison would enter the limo, and Max and Maggie would exit the Limo. But where would they exit? Would he be dropping her off at her place, or would she come to his place so they could extend their evening?

"Mrs Harrison, I have a question for you. Should Fred drop Maggie off at her place? Or would she like to continue our joyful evening at my place? If I may be allowed to speak my opinion, I would very much like for you to come to my place. I have wrapped a birthday gift for myself and would like to open it in your presence. You actually had some input into this gift."

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie looked at Max curiously, a gift that she had input on? What in the world was he talking about? She knew for sure that she didn't want the night to end yet so she gave him a sweet smile and whispered softly.

"I would love to come back to your place for a bit and celebrate your birthday as 'us'. "

She slipped into the limo and when Max got in and Fred had shut the door she moved in close and gave Max another kiss, this one from Maggie and not his so called 'wife'.

 

[Inspirinious]

"Fred, please take us back to my place." Max gave instructions to Fred and then closed the privacy partition inside the limo.

Maggie moved in very close to Max, a world of difference from their earlier ride going to the restaurant. And she initiated another kiss with those buttery soft lips of hers. 'A gorgeous woman, and a fabulous kisser.' Max thought to himself. And he was so happy that they were rebuilding their personal relationship.

He was overjoyed that she agreed to return to his place. He felt a little guilt for baiting her with the idea of a birthday gift that she 'had some input into', but it was the truth. He hoped that she would be pleasantly surprised. And Max looked forward to them having some very private time together.

Fred helped them out of the limo in front of Max's building. On the side, Max quietly told Fred that they would not need him the rest of the evening. Fred winked at Max while Max was slipping a $100 tip into Fred's hand.

Max offered his arm to Maggie which she eagerly took and they entered the building, took the elevator up, and then entered his condo. He really enjoyed walking with her on his arm. He didn't like the phrase "trophy wife" as he felt that was saying the woman was only a wife for her beauty. But he could understand that Maggie would make some lucky husband very happy some day to walk on his arm.

Upon entering his condo, he led her over to the sofa and she quickly took a seat and immediately removed her shoes. "Wearing heels like this for too long may damage my feet. I love the look, but hate the feel. I assume it is OK to remove them now." It wasn't so much a question as a statement.

"I fully understand." replied Max and he removed his coat, then his tie, and finally the links on his cuffs, placing all of these on the side chair.

"May I offer you a nightcap, one final glass of wine? I have an excellent Zinfandel which is wonderful to have at the end of the day." He didn't really wait for her answer as he was going to have some with, or without her. He set out two glasses on the counter, poured one glass for himself then held out the bottle towards Maggie, asking in an unspoken way if she would join him. She nodded an affirmation and he poured the second glass of wine.

Taking the two wine glasses, he returned to the sofa, handed her a glass, and offered a toast. "To a fabulous dinner, with a fabulous wife. May there be many more such joyous occasions in our future together." They clinked their glasses and each took a sip of the bold dark wine. He then set his glass down on the coffee table, turned back to Maggie, wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the lips. He held the kiss for a few seconds, then slowly backed away to judge her reaction. It all appeared good.

Then suddenly remembering, he reached under the sofa and pulled out a wrapped gift box, the size of a shirt box. "I almost forgot my birthday gift." He could see that Maggie was staring at the box with some excitement and some amount of curiousity.

He unwrapped the gift, opened the box and pulled out a magazine, The fashion magazine that featured Maggie's series of photos in the leopard print bikini. She was wide-eyed in surprise.

"I just had to have this. And I would be most honored if you would autograph it for me." He reached back into the box and pulled out a black Sharpie marker and handed it to her.

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie got over the shock of his 'gift' to himself and took the sharpie from his hand. She looked at him and bit the corner of her lip as she giggled at the thought that ran through her mind, sliding her tongue softly across her lips to moisten them she then spoke softly, her voice low and seductive, with a slight hint of a joke "Do you want me to sign this to my 'husband' or to You?" She winked at him and then signed her name with the added bonus of 'ALL MY LOVE XOXO'. She handed the magazine back to him along with the sharpie and then took another sip of the wine he had given her.

After setting the glass back on the table she moved in close to him again reaching up to run her fingers through his hair and then caressing his cheek with the back of her hand gently.

" It's a shame you changed your mind about going to the photo shoot yesterday, I really think you would have enjoyed it. Granted Ivan was his normal self and kept me working for almost 10 hours, how that man can make something as simple as a new lingerie add with 4 pieces take that long is beyond me. I'm sure when I get home I will have one hell of a file in my email with the proofs and a nice little note asking me to pick my favorites. I hate when he does that and he knows it."

A sudden thought made Maggie smile brightly as she looked into Max's eyes. She had just thought of the perfect gift for him for his birthday. She grabbed her purse and pulled out a flash drive, one of two that she always carried with her. She handed it over to him and couldn't help but giggle at the look on his face when he took it. "My Birthday gift, well one of my birthday gifts, to you"


She watched with a smile as Max got up from the couch and walked over to the table that his laptop was sitting on. He plugged the flash drive into the computer once he got it out of sleep mode and pulled up the file on it. Maggie laughed as his eyes widened when the first picture popped up on the screen, tasteful pics yes, but scantly clad bikini and lingerie shots, 1 after another were clicked open. Each time his eyes widened further. Max adjusted himself in his seat a number of times before Maggie got up from the couch and walked over to him.

She gently grabbed his hands off the computer and pushed him back in the chair before sitting in his lap blocking his view of the pictures on the screen. She brought her hand up to his face again and moved in to place her lips on his, her tongue darted out of her parted lips and gently ran along his.

She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and then he deepened the gentle kiss that she started, holding her body tightly to his. Before she knew it he had started to unzip her dress and then pulled away from the kiss. He looked at her as if asking her permission and she whispered a soft "Yes".

 

[Inspirinious]

Max stared at the photos on his computer screen, one by one he studied each one intently. She was so beautiful, in whatever she wore, from a formal gown to the sexiest piece of lingerie. The bikini and lingerie photos were hot, erotic even, but in a tasteful way. Obviously she and her photographer knew how to create magic in their photos. The lingerie photos caught his attention the most, to the point of making his body tingle and his cock twitch in his pants. On several occasions he tried to adjust his position without being obvious about how her photos aroused him.

He was so focused on her photos on the screen that he wasn't aware of Maggie's location. She startled him by pushing his back from the computer and sitting in his lap. The way she would lick her lips, running her tongue over the soft flesh, drove him wild. Then she got close, very close and ran her tongue over his lips and then kissed him. A powerful jolt went directly from his lips to his groin. His cock was throbbing, on high alert, eager for him to free it from the confines of his slacks.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her, possessing her, as their kiss became more passionate. Before he was consciously aware, he was unzipping her dress. He paused, staring into those crystal blue eyes, and she said "Yes".

"Maybe we should take this to the bedroom." He whispered to her.

She raised herself off his lap, and he quickly stood up next to her. Their lips met again, locked in a deeply emotional kiss as he led her to his bedroom, their lips never parting.

In the bedroom, he finished unzipping her dress. She slid it off her shoulders, slowly lowering it to the floor as if unwrapping a gift, and then she stepped out of it.

To Max, she looked like a goddess, standing before him in the matching, light blue lingerie. He loved how she looked, especially with the thigh high stockings and garter belt. He had just been viewing her photos, but seeing her in person, doing this for him, made the love swell up inside.

She watched as it was his turn. He quickly shed his shoes and socks, unfastened his belt and slacks and slid them down and off. Then standing before her, their eyes locked upon each other, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the pile of clothing forming on the floor.

Now dressed only in his boxer briefs with a very visible bulge as his cock swelled, he embraced her again and they kissed.

He could never get enough of her heavenly kisses.

 

[MidnightBliss]

Maggie bit into her lip as Max undressed, rather quickly, and then he started to unbutton his shirt and her heart leaped into her throat. When he stood before her in only those boxer briefs her tongue moved over her lips again and she was suddenly back in his arms, his lips pressed tightly to hers. She could feel his bulge pressing against her lower abdomen as the kiss deepened further.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, their tongues moving is a seductive dance against each other. Before she realized it the back of her knees were against his bed and he was lowering her onto it, their kiss never once being broken. As she laid back against the bed she let out a soft moan into his mouth as his hand moved up the side of her body to the firm rounded mound of her right breast. He rubbed his thumb over the lace fabric that covered her nipple, making it harden from the attention. She gasped softly, her body arching off the bed underneath them. She finally broke their kiss and looked up into his eyes.

"I believe you have a body to get better acquainted with. Feel free to explore every inch of me because when you are done I expect to be given the same free reign of your body"

She winked at him and bit her lip as he smiled and moved away, just enough to unclip the clasp in the front of her bra and push it aside. Max looked at her bare breasts and took a deep breath, He admired the view of those firm, perky globes that showed no tan line what so ever and then his mouth was back on hers. She moaned softly into the kiss, her hands moving over his shoulders as his fingers traced, then pinched each nipple.