A/N: *Blows dust off FF acct and this fic*, *Drops Chapter*, *Disappears again*

JK y'all, but it has been a MINUTE since I've updated this fic! It's my first and only fic so far, and I really want to complete it so I'm giving it another shot. It's been almost 2 years since my last update, so writing this chapter has been a bit of a struggle because I had to go back, read what I had already written, and try to keep the flow and continuity fairly the same which is hard because our writing evolves as we get older, and I had to remember the direction I wanted to go in for the story, but I ended up changing it completely anyway!

At any rate, if you're reading this and whether you're a day one or just lurking out of curiosity, thank you once again for reading this MCL AU! I've really enjoyed writing this and am interested in how it's going to end - your guess is as good as mine!

As always, please R&R because I'd love to improve my writing, and Fave & Follow for the hell of it! Thank you lovelies and Happy Holidays! 3

- 8 -

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Abruptly, Lysander awoke to the obnoxious alarm clock that rested on Candy's nightstand. The bleary man saw that it read 5:03am and searched for a way to stop the incessant noise.

Failing to find the off button, he hastily unplugged the contraption and released a sigh of relief as the sweet silence embraced him once again.

He checked over his shoulder to ensure that the racket hadn't awakened Candy. She, however, was dead asleep. Lysander turned and propped himself up on an elbow, gazing at the sleeping woman.

She had thrown the covers off of her during the night, so she lay with one arm hanging off the bed, the other flung over her eyes with her legs and torso crossed opposite ways. As Lysander chuckled to himself a soft, yet unmistakable, snort escaped Candy which made him laugh more. It amused him how her graceless sleeping position wildly opposed her typically prim and proper disposition.

Gently, he straightened her body and placed the covers back onto her. Subconsciously, Candy snuggled deeper into her cranberry duvet and let out a soft sigh.

Lysander couldn't take his eyes off the brown beauty. He recounted the incredible night they'd shared only hours before. He honestly could not believe what had transpired between the two of them.

And to think: he had that butcher to thank for it all.

If Lysander hadn't gotten lost in the right place at the right time, and if that Kentin fellow hadn't plucked up the courage to ask her out, he probably would not have even had the opportunity to kiss her yesterday.

The soft rays of light tickled his face as the sun rose behind the hills. He knew he had to get out of bed now if he wanted his plan to work, but the warmth of the bed and the gorgeous woman sleeping in it were drawing him back in! If he stayed even a minute more, he risked snuggling back up to her never letting her get out. He blushed a bit when he remembered how feverishly she called his name a few hours ago and how he wanted to hear her call him again and again…

Shaking his head wildly, he stood and willed the grogginess away.

Candy stirred slightly and let out a soft sigh. His ego swelled a bit as he let himself think that she could sense his absence in her sleep. When she stirred again, he took one of the body pillows from the headboard and placed her arms around it. She tightened her grip and his heart smiled as he watched her snuggle innocently into it.

He bent over her and stole a quick peck before creeping out of the room and closing the door soundlessly behind him.

Groggily, Candy rolled onto her back and blinked until the ceiling came into focus. Mind slowly unclouding, she recalled what happened the previous night.

It was another one of those dreams, she thought, wiping beads of sweat off her forehead. She had had them about her employer on a couple of other occasions, but none of them had been that vivid before…

All Lysander's touches were feather light and tortuously slow. It was as if he was trying to memorize every dip and curve in her body. His lips, however, felt like fire against her skin; each kiss a smoldering coal pressed to her flesh. The kind of burn she never wanted to forget. She felt herself grow warm just thinking about it.

Those kisses from yesterday must have set my imagination free, she silently concluded.

Vigorously, Candy shook her head and tried to bring herself back to the present. This was no time to be getting ahead of herself. They were just a few kisses, and nothing more, she told herself.

Determined to begin her day, she made a motion to stretch but immediately noticed two things: her nightclothes were no longer on her person, and she was feeling oddly sore.

It probably got hot last night, she mused and figured she probably removed them while half-asleep.

But that still did not explain the soreness she felt though, specifically between her thighs.

Recalling the hot dream, it was possible that she had touched herself to quell the feelings that had formed in the pit of her stomach last night as well…

Shaking her head vigorously again, she accepted those facts and quickly tossed them from her head. There was plenty of work that had to be done and she would throw herself into to get her mind back on track.

Candy glanced at the clock only to find that it had been unplugged. "Shit! Did I accidentally knock it out of the socket somehow?" She quickly untangled herself from the sheets and searched for the plug to reconnect it. She groaned as she realized that she would have to go out into the hall and look for another clock just to reset it.

Looking out the Victorian windows, Candy tried to gauge the time based on the sun's position. It was already above the house, so it had to be at least 10:00a. Relaxing a bit, she realized if it was about that time then she had about an hour to get herself dressed and prepare Lysander's breakfast.

Expelling a readying breath, she stood up tall, stretched despite the (delicious) soreness, and set about her usual morning routine. She hummed while making her bed as her mind helplessly wandered back to her sweet dreams of Lysander and the moments they had shared the day before.

In the previous day, he had teased her at breakfast, called her his girlfriend in front of a stranger, roughly stolen her first kiss, followed that one with an apologetic peck, and had declared his…lust for her? She concluded that all those uncharacteristic events must have triggered the dream. After all, it was clear that she was attracted to him, and now she knew he was too, so her brain must have taken those facts and run with them.

He had said he 'wanted' her, so that only meant for sex, right? Her mind believed it, but a hopeful little voice in her heart told her that his other actions indicated that maybe that wasn't the entire case…However, she also didn't want to be the fool that fell for him then end up feeling used.

Absentmindedly, she stepped on strips of soft fabric. Picking them up, she gasped realizing that those were the remains of her favorite chemise and underwear set. I must have been really frisky last night!

While examining the fragments in dismay, she also caught a glimpse of her reflection out of the corner of her eye. Doing a doubletake, she could see many dark spots all over her body.

"Oh God, please don't let this be a rash!" she exclaimed as she cut across the room, almost tripping over her blankets after jumping off her bed.

Turning her face, neck, and torso this way and that, she noticed that upon closer inspection the dark spots were bruises and some of them even looked like…bite marks?

As she scrutinized herself more and more, she started to believe that her dream really hadn't been just that.

But if it wasn't a dream then...her face burned as it became clearer to her and she realized all the embarrassing things she had-

Just then, she caught a whiff of something burning.

Immediately, she grabbed her silk robe and all but flew downstairs to the kitchen where she had pinpointed the smell – bracing herself for the worse.

Flustered, she came across a slightly panicked Lysander, in a dapper black suit with coattails, trying to put out a grease fire from a burning pan with water.

Hastily he tried to explain, "Candy I, the toast it-" but she cut him off with a stern, "Out of the way." Quickly, Candy reached for the small fire extinguisher from the adjacent wall and squeezed the foam onto the small flame.

After she was certain it was out, she threw the extinguisher down and flew to Lysander's side. She patted and felt him for any burns or wounds while she simultaneously asking, "Master, are you hurt in any way? Did you inhale some of the smoke? Are you feeling woozy? How many fingers am I-"

"Candy, please! I am perfectly fine. Thank you."

Feeling the bite in his words, Candy released him, took a couple shy steps away from him, and hung her head sheepishly.

Instantly regretting his tone, he gave her a look of apology and took a step closer to her. Expelling a sigh, he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, however, words came tumbling out of hers.

"Master, I truly apologize for this extreme inconvenience. You see, for some reason my alarm clock did not go off this morning, and I thought it was still early, so I was taking my time getting ready and I really shouldn't have because I see you took it upon yourself to make yourself something to eat. I am truly, very sorry." She bowed deeply, hoping that would add extra emphasis on how apologetic she was for the oversight.

"Candy, please raise your head, it is not your fault, I-"

Stubbornly, Candy remained prostrate and plugged on, "No, no it really is. I should have been more vigilant and-"

"Candy-"

"I should have made sure it was all set to ring like it normally does and-"

"Candy," he kneeled and tilted his head under hers so she could no longer avoid his gaze, "Please listen to me." Her heart stilled. That finally got her attention.

Slowly, she stood up straight, "Sorry, Master, I will stop talking now. But, I just have to wonder: if you were hungry why didn't you wake me? I could have made something for you like I always do."

Nervously, Lysander rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I was not trying to make breakfast for myself," he admitted. "Well I guess y-you could say I was in a way, but I was really trying to make something…for you."

"What?" she almost whispered.

"Baby," he grabbed both of her hands in his. There it was again, that four letter word. The one that had such a nice ring to it…

"Since today is a very special day, I wanted to spoil you for once."

Special day? Candy racked her brain for every possible occasion it could be until she finally arrived on the one it was.

She felt a small lump in her throat form as she asked, "Today's my birthday, isn't it?" He nodded solemnly and she stared back at him with her mouth slightly agape.

Contentedly toiling the days away, she had completely forgotten about it. It had never really been a big occasion in her previous life, so she usually let it pass by as any other day would. The fact that he had remembered, and even tried to do something for her, well, she was touched.

The slightly glassy eyes and bittersweet expression on Candy's face made Lysander a little uncomfortable because he immediately thought she was displeased by his efforts. However, the sweet smile that slowly spread across her face reassured him his fears were irrational.

"You did this for me?"

"Yes, I did. Well, I attempted to as you saw…" he blushed as she smiled back at the pan she extinguished only a couple minutes before.

A newfound bashfulness had him plug on, "Like I said, I-I wanted to indulge you like you do me. I was to be your butler and you my Mistress. I had plans to wait on you the entire day and I wanted to start with bringing you breakfast, but I had a bit of a…mishap if you will." Her smile became a giggle much to Lysander's dismay. "He-ey, don't laugh! I-I really tried," he pouted.

She gave his hands a light squeeze "You made a great effort, Master," her soft smile returned as she gently pulled him up.

Now eye-level once again their hands remained connected as neither of them said anything. His gaze penetrated hers as they simply took each other in. Candy kept on quietly smiling at him while Lysander was giving her an indecipherable look. It was almost indescribable, but Candy felt it was a happy one despite the bittersweet twinge she picked up.

After what felt like several moments, unknowingly they spoke at the same time "I-"

"Oh, you first Master,"

"No, no, Ladies first. And please, call me Lysander, if anything at least for today because I am at your service, Mistress." Candy blushed furiously remembering how he had called her that last night after she had practically ordered him to take her.

Shaking her head for the umpteenth time – you guessed it, vigorously – she cleared her throat, "What I intended to say was that I really appreciate such a grand gesture, but it truly is unnecessary. I am content to go about my day as normal, and of course I am more than happy to serve you."

"While that pleases me to hear that, Candy, if you truly are happy to serve me then allow me to do the things I have planned for you."

Planned for me? Candy gulped slightly and her face pinked a bit further.

The perceptive Lysander did not miss the opportunity to tease her. Flashing her that smirk that makes her weak, he circled his arms around her waist and lowered his voice to a whisper, "Such a naughty woman, Candy. That was not what I was referring to, but those sorts of plans can easily be worked into your schedule." Candy felt herself shiver as he blew lightly into the shell of her ear.

While Candy had made no immediate verbal response, Lysander took notice of what her body said. He could feel her pert nipples hardening against his chest, how stiff her back had become in anticipation, and she had not realized it but her face gave her away the most. She wore that cute, little pout she wore when she knew he was teasing her.

"If you keep looking at me like that~" he began in a sing-song voice, wandering hands traveling up and down her sides, "I'm going to have to kiss you and I will not hold back~"

"Then do it," she said breathlessly, challenging him with a now determined look on her face.

That was all he needed to hear before his lips crashed onto hers hungrily. She reciprocated with equal force as she circled her arms around his neck and threaded a hand into his hair. Taking initiative, this time Candy nipped his bottom lip asking for entry into his mouth. Eagerly he obliged and their tongues commenced their battle for dominance. Seeing how relentless she was this morning, Lysander decided to let her think she had the upper hand for a bit. He let her pull his hair this way and that, caress his forearms and torso, and even let her feel more dominant in kiss for a while before slowly dipping her downward, forcing her to entrust most of her body weight to him.

Eventually, Candy had to beat on his chest to demand air. As soon as he broke the kiss, they were panting for air in unison, gazes locked on each other. They took a couple moments to catch their breath, and when they did Candy asked, "What was it that you were going to say again, Lysander?"

"Right, how could I have forgotten? I was going to tell you how stunning you looked running into the kitchen coming to my rescue; how the passion marks I scattered across your skin make you look even more attractive, and how I want to take you right here in this kitchen. Right. Now." He punctuated the words 'right' and 'now' with the same dark, lusty stare he had given her the night before.

She lost herself to Lysander's spell and kissed him first this time, but she kissed with much more vigor than the last. He let out a sharp moan when Candy unabashedly reached for his swollen manhood. She massaged him tenderly through his butler uniform, coaxing it to grow to its full potential. His moans grew louder with her continued ministrations and she enjoyed feeling like she had the upper hand.

Wanting to feel her more, Lysander lifted Candy up with ease and placed her onto the countertop breaking their kiss again. Once he had her settled there, he yanked the ribbon that held her flimsy robe closed and attacked the bared flesh with his hands and mouth.

Candy allowed herself to enjoy the pleasure and watched with half-lidded eyes as he made a trail downward from her neck to her womanhood. Right as he was about to dip and swirl his tongue into her belly button, both Candy's and Lysander's stomachs made unmistakable growling noises one after the other.

They paused, both surprised at their bodies' sudden protest and simultaneously burst into laughter. "I guess that's my cue to make us breakfast," she chuckled as she hopped down from the counter and readjusted her robe.

"I'll make us something quick," she said, grabbing a new frying pan, eggs, toast, fruits to slice, and a jug of water. "Please, let me help," Lysander began, but Candy jokingly quipped "I think you've helped enough in this kitchen."

"Please, let me do something, this is your day after all. Let me slice the fruits! That does not involve using the stove or oven."

"Alright, alright," and together they quickly threw together their simple breakfast. The fruits looked like they were sliced by a 12-year-old, but the clumsy charm made them taste better to Candy.

As they were cleaning up after themselves, the doorbell rang.

Strange, she thought. We don't normally get visitors. Deciding to play along with Lysander's role reversal, Candy says, "Lysander, would you get the door?"

Genuinely happy that she had given in, he answered with, "As you wish, my dear Mistress," and gave her a sweeping bow. She chuckled in response while he hurried off to get the door.

This is probably another part of his "plan"? she mused. Curiosity piqued, Candy wondered what the next phase was.

Continuing to wash the dishes, she hummed happily to herself as she thought about the sweet gift he was giving her; a day off, but also a chance to be waited on? How lucky was she to have a kind, considerate, and don't forget slightly seductive employer? This would definitely be fun, she smiled to herself again.

What she was not prepared for was who would be a par of this next phase of Lysander's scheme.

"Hello there!" a cheerful, female voice called from the doorway. Turning, Candy looked and almost dropped the plate as she realized who the woman was.

"I'm Rosalya!"

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