For two 15-year-old girls in the early 1990s, meeting David Copperfield, the world famous magician, seemed like the thrill of a lifetime.

Carla* says she remembers the way Copperfield gave her his phone number after a 1991 show in Georgia. About two years later in San Francisco, Lily* says, she felt giddy when the master illusionist picked her to join him on stage for a magic trick.

Both girls were in high school at the time and had attended Copperfield’s shows with their parents.

The women, now in their 40s, come from different backgrounds and have never spoken to each other, but they do have one thing in common. They claim the events that followed these encounters changed their lives.

Carla says she feels she was “groomed” by Copperfield for more than two years. She describes how he sent her notes and gifts, including a teddy bear and Valentine’s day balloon when she was 16. A note attached to one – a photo of which was seen by the Guardian – reads: “In 2 years I will be back”.

After Carla turned 18, Copperfield became the first man she had sex with, she says. He was more than twice her age. Copperfield’s lawyers denied he groomed Carla and said they had a “consensual relationship”.

Lily claims Copperfield groped her breasts on stage while performing a trick in front of her father and sister who watched aghast, they have confirmed, from the front row. She says she had nightmares for years about Copperfield using his magic on her.

The two are among 16 women who have alleged sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior by Copperfield, a Guardian US investigation has found.

The allegations span four decades – from the late 1980s to 2014. More than half of these women say they were under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged incidents. Some, like Carla and Lily, say they were 15.

There is no evidence the magician knew Carla and Lily’s exact ages when they say they met him.

Asked about all the claims, lawyers for David Copperfield denied all the allegations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior. Copperfield’s lawyers said he has “never, ever acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage”.