Possessed - Bucky Barnes x OC

Part 10

Maggie's breath stuttered at the intimate skin on skin contact. His body temperature was unnaturally warm, which was welcomed, since she always ran cold. After the initial shock of his touch, she relaxed into it. Peeking up at him, he stood facing forward as the elevator raced up into the sky. He looked like a marble statue with how still he was. Strong chilled features, holding a dangerous glare as his resting face. His black, rich looking suit squaring off his already broad shoulders.

The loud ding pulled her attention away, and the grip on her neck made her march forward. He had to slow his stride a little, so she could keep up, but he didn't mind. He was happy to have her by his side. As they walked down the hallway, Steve appeared from around the corner, looking concerned.

He dropped his tense expression when he saw Maggie. "Hey, what's going on tiny? You finish your first piece?"

"One down, two more to go." She beamed.

"Thats great." He lost his smile as he glanced up at James, lowering his voice a smidge. "Buck, I'm sorry, but I need your attention for a bit. There was some kind of major discrepancy with one of the new investors."

James nearly snapped Steve's neck for trying to pull him away from his time with Maggie. He removed his hand from Maggie's neck so he could clench his fist. His eyes narrowed a microscopic amount, as the muscle in his jaw twitched.

Steve picked up on it, but didn't waver on his request. "Bucky, this is serious."

Taking a breath. "I'll be over in a minute."

Steve nodded, looking back down at the small girl listening nervously to their tense exchange. "Nice to see you, Mags."

"Nice to see you too, Stevie." She watched him hastily walk down the hall, then looked back up at James. "Is everything okay?"

"Mhm. Everything is fine, but I unfortunately do need to go help with an issue. Will you be okay to see that this is hung properly on your own?"

She chewed her lip, feeling let down that he wouldn't get the final say on the painting. She glanced over at the maintenance staff, waiting for her to follow "Yes, but I was hoping to get your approval before it's placed."

"I'm sure it'll be perfect." He stroked the side of her cheek. "I doubt I'll be done to see you out, but I'll call you once I'm finished, okay?"

With a nod, she turned to follow the men down the hall. James watched her quick, short steps carry her away. Just before she turned the corner, she peeked over her shoulder, flashing him the sweetest smile he had ever seen. As she disappeared from sight, he scrunched his eyes shut, letting his head fall back in frustration.

"You good, pal?"

James turned to see Steve standing with his arms crossed, disappointedly shaking his head at his pathetic friend. He had it bad for the girl. "I'm gonna kick your ass." James threatened. "Now show me what needs fixing."

Around the corner and down the hall, Maggie stood unwrapping the canvas as the two men were hammering the mounts into the wall. When the fabric fell to the ground, she realized how glad she was of her color choices. The muted blue hues looked perfect in the lighting of the area, just as she had thought.

Once the hooks were prepped, the guys lifted the canvas onto the wall and Maggie's heart filled with pride.

"Look okay, Miss? Should we move it more to either side?"

A smile spread across her face as she shook her head. "No. It's perfect. Thank you so much for your help."

The two men took off, lugging their tools in their hands. She stood leaning up against the opposite wall of her art, taking it in. She felt like a real artist for once in her life. Pulling her phone from her purse, she snapped a couple photos to capture the memory. A man walked through as she was taking the last one, marking it with a big black blur.