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CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Felix
I stand in my office the next day, looking down over the warehouse. My third coffee of the morning is in my hand, the steam rising up, doing nothing to get rid of this sleepless feeling.
Last night, she was all I could think about, my Faye, the photo shoot that was interrupted.
The warehouse doors are thrown open, showing the rain-streaked street. It patters down lightly, the summer downfall causing a rainbow to kiss the horizon. I can just about see the bottom of it, the colors clashing, and then my gaze is drawn to Faye.
She walks in from the rain, shaking her umbrella, wearing a buttoned-up shirt and chinos. It’s like she thinks she can hide the beauty of her body from me, but I’ve got the photos of her in her underwear.
I spent a lot of time last night staring at them, obsessing about her, trying – and failing – to convince myself to delete them.
She runs a hand through her hair, pausing as she looks up at me.
I raise my coffee mug as a hello, but I mess up. My hand is shaking too much as I try to swallow this volcanic feeling.
Coffee swills over the edge of the mug and onto my hand, burning me.
Cursing, I place it down, grabbing some paper towels from next to the coffee machine.
Faye’s at her desk when I return to the window, her back is to me now.
I go downstairs, and walk onto the warehouse floor.
“Good morning,” I say.
She turns and stares up at me. That blush is on her cheeks. My hands twitch, telling me to grab her ass. My lips tingle, compelling me to kiss her, maybe gentler this time, ease her into it…
“Morning,” she says. “I thought you were going to stay in your office all day.”
“Why?”
“The way you turned away from the window, I guess.”
“I spilled my coffee. Burnt myself. It had nothing to do with you.”
“Oh,” she pauses as if looking for something to say. “Lola had fun on her impromptu shopping trip.”
I clench my teeth. “Are you judging me for taking my daughter shopping?”
She sighs. “No. I guess the timing seems sort of funky to me.”
“All right, you want me to say it? I felt guilty as hell, and so, after lunch, I took her shopping.”
“I felt guilty too,” she says softly. “All night. I wasn’t sure if I should come in today.”
I pull up a chair and sit, our legs almost touching.
She looks up from the folder of photographs.
“I didn’t mean to get so carried away yesterday,” I tell her. “I didn’t plan it. It just kind of…happened.”
“I know,” she says softly. “It was the same for me.”
“You didn’t feel like you could stop?” I say, voice gruff. “Because that’s how I felt. Goddamn powerless. You’re so beautiful, Faye….”
She leans away slightly, but I can tell it’s not in disgust.
