"Thank you for stopping by!" Maggie called across the lobby to the couple that just finished up perusing the inventory of the gallery.
Business had been fairly slow for the day, not selling anything. She didn't mind though, her thoughts were fully consumed by the night before. James had made her feel a way she never had before— thoroughly and obscenely turned on. She wanted to invite him up to her apartment so badly, but she felt like he was trying to be a gentleman by cutting the kiss short before things got too out of hand. Although, she was thankful for that, she was left wanting more.
As she sat doodling on her sketch pad, the front door opened, cutting it short. An artist stopped by, dropping off their portfolio to be considered for the next showcase. She was kind and Maggie genuinely enjoyed her work, excited to show the binder to August.
Speaking of, the platinum haired jerk was prancing into the lobby shortly after she left, donning his classic black turtleneck and trousers. He had on dark shades, a Yves Saint Laurent purse slung over his shoulder, clutching a large iced coffee.
"Hi, August." Maggie said sweetly.
He spared her a quick peek, pulling down his glasses a smidge to look over her outfit, critically. Maggie was irritatingly positive and a little too wholesome for his taste. He truly disliked her, but she was the best employee he ever had, so he kept her around. She did everything for him without any complaints.
"Um so, I just had someone drop off their portfolio. She was hoping to be featured in the next showcase." She extended the binder out to him.
He walked over at a leisurely pace, ripping it from her hands. He flipped through the first two pages before he slammed it back shut. "Her work is nothing groundbreaking. Call her and tell her we'll pass." He turned and walked by, heading up to his office on the second floor, where he would most likely just sit on his phone for an hour or two before packing up and leaving again.
Maggie nodded, brows furrowing, feeling bad for the girl.
The next few hours were spent with the world's most difficult customer. The woman came in, nitpicking everything around her. Maggie swore, people just left the house some days to pick a fight. She tried her best to stay kind as always and smile through the backhanded comments.
The woman was obviously an extremely wealthy socialite, using her husband's credit card to fill her meaningless days, but Maggie would never dare think that. She tried to see the best in everyone. The woman was throwing a fit because of the fees for delivery and the fact that sales tax was applied to the art. Insults were hurled Maggie's way, fully disregarding any attempt at compromise. She simply wanted to accommodate her customer. No matter what she did though, the woman was harsh.
"You clearly aren't very competent, young lady." She spat.
Maggie stuttered, trying to hold back tears. "I— I'm so sorry, m'am. I can wave the delivery fees, but the sales tax—"
"Do you even know who I am? I could have you fired in a second."
Eyes widening, Maggie glanced around the room looking for help, despite the building being completely empty besides her and the woman. "I— I don't know who you are, I'm incredibly sorry. There's nothing I can do about the taxes though. Perhaps I can give you free expedited shipping?" She offered.
Huffing out an angry sigh, the woman agreed. Maggie rushed it though the system and waved the fees. After she finally settled on the most expensive piece in the studio, she left.
Emotions hitting her like a ton of bricks, Maggie ran to the bathroom to let herself break down. She slunk down the closed door, feeling tears streaming down her cheeks. Hiccuped breaths stuttering out of her pink lips.
A knock thudded through the door behind her. "Occupied." She called out, getting up to wipe away her tears, so she could greet the customer.
"Margaret? Is that you, darling?"
Loki?
She quickly wiped off her cheeks, tossing the tissue in the bin. When she pulled the door open, Loki stood before her wearing a look of concern. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit you." He said, matter-of-factly. She forgot she told him where she worked when they had lunch. His eyes traced over her puffy features. "Are you alright?"
She sighed. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just dealt with a really unkind woman. I know I shouldn't let things get to me, but she hurt my feelings."
He nodded. "Well, maybe this will lift your spirts." His hand came from around his back, puling out a bouquet of flowers, just like magic. The arrangement was beautiful. Lilac roses, amethyst sea lavenders, pink and white prairie gentian; accented with silver dollar eucalyptus. A full blooming handful, dripping with gorgeous pastel hues.
"Oh my goodness. They're stunning. Loki, you didn't have to do this."
"Oh, but I did. I haven't been able to get you off my mind since we had lunch."
She smiled at his confession, completely forgetting about her emotional breakdown in the bathroom. She was easily cheered up, due to her forgiving nature. She took the bouquet from his hands, shoving her nose deep into the bundle of flowers and inhaling the gorgeous scent.
Loki was satisfied with her reaction to the flowers. "I was hoping we could have dinner together tonight. A date, if you will."
As kind as the offer was, part of Maggie was confused at the sudden wave of attention she was getting. Both of the men, handsome and impressively successful. She had never experienced anything like this in her life. Another part of her, felt guilty for being on the receiving end of Loki's advances after her time with James.
Dinner felt like a bit much, so she offered coffee instead, since her shift was about to end anyways. He was displeased, but didn't let it show.
She took him to her favorite spot, just a few blocks over. It was a cozy little hole in the wall. Nothing special, but the thing was, they made the best coffee in the city. A family run business, giving the small space a homely feel. There were well worn-in couches tucked into the side of the main sitting area, short bookshelves housed a ragtag selection of books.
As they walked in, the baristas greeted Maggie by name, having her there frequently. Loki looked the cafe over in disgust. He despised anything that wasn't a high class, five star establishment. He desperately wanted to walk right back out the door, but the need to get into Maggie's pants kept him by her side for the time being.
She eagerly ordered her usual latte and blueberry muffin, while Loki settled for a piping hot espresso. They found a spot at one of the empty wooden tables, sitting across from each other.
He rested his arm on the table, then quickly lifted it back up, not trusting the cleanliness. His gaze wandered around the room. Artsy types were squished into their spots, hunched over their laptops. Slamming their fingers over their keys, probably writing shitty articles about the importance of oat milk. He cringed at the thought.
"Thanks for visiting me at work, Loki." Maggie said, catching him wearing a skeptical brow, hoping she could calm his unease. "I really needed this, after my day I had."
As he turned back to look at her, he pulled a forced smile. "Of course." He took a sip of his drink, not enjoying the notes in their espresso.
"Can I um— can I ask why you asked me out?"
Loki's expression pinched with confusion. "I desire your undivided attention." Saying it like it should've been obvious to her. "I wanted to get to know you better." A lie. He knew everything about her.
Since their lunch, he had been looking into everything he could find out about her online. There wasn't much to say about the girl. She was young and had minimal life experience in anything really. He was left thoroughly unimpressed with her status as an individual.
Maggie just smiled and nodded up at him.
"So, how has your work for James been going?" He pried, wanting to know what there was between the two of them.
"I haven't started working on my next piece yet, but I'm hoping I can later today. I still have two more to do for him."
"Seems like quite a bit of work for you. If I had it my way, you wouldn't be lifting a finger. You'd be doing nothing, but lounging around in my bed."
Maggie choked on her bite of muffin, coughing hard, she grasped for her latte and chugged to wash it down. Clearing her throat with the warm, creamy drink. Patting her chest, she apologized. His flirtatious words caught her completely off guard. "Sorry, um." She let out an uncomfortable laugh, tucking a ringlet of hair behind her ear, exposing more of her rosy cheeks. "You certainly have a way with words."
Loki languished at the sight of her pure innocence. She only solidified his present desire to corrupt her. "Silver tongue, pet." He winked.
"You definitely know how to make a girl feel special."
"One of my many talents." His statement was dripping with innuendo. He wanted to show her just how wicked his tongue could truly be. Pin her down, take her, make her regret wasting any of her time with James over him. He wondered if he had been able to bed her yet.
Regardless, he wanted her for himself. He needed to see what was lying underneath all that lumpy knit cotton she wore. Breaking down her modest disposition, he'd turn her into a disgusting, drooling mess.