Alex follows me up and goes into his room. Before he shuts the door, I stop him. “Alex.”
“Yeah.” He looks over at me, still half asleep.
“I need help. I can’t get out of this.” I stand on the landing, moving my hair out of the way of the zip.
ALEX
Shit.
I stand behind her, smelling the booze and her perfume. It's as though she's torturing me on purpose. I've been trying to avoid her all week after our kiss, but avoiding Gemma isn't easy. She’s wearing her favourite scent today; it’s the same as the one she wore shopping and on the picnic. The fresh rose smell hits my nostrils and intoxicates me, and even the smell of alcohol can’t dampen the effect it has on me.I always loved Julia's perfume, but now it's like poison to me. Gemma smells like a new beginning.
She stands still so I can unzip her. I feel her soft skin as the straps fall off her shoulders, showing her delicate body. She holds onto the top part in front.
“How did you get it on?” I murmur, unable to stop looking at her. I need to walk away, but I can't.
“With a coat hanger.”
My hands pull down the zip. I’m taking far too long, she must sense it as she shivers underneath my touch. Her silky body is so tempting, more of it becoming visible as the top half of the fabric starts to fall. I can’t stop staring at her.
“You’re done,” I manage to say.
She turns around, still holding the top part to her chest. There’s no bra to be seen.
“Thank you.” She looks at me. Really looks at me, not the way Julia would look through me like I was a ghost.
“I’d better go to bed,” I say, but I stand there not moving.
“Good night,” she replies.
“I’m going on a date. With Penny,” I blurt out.
I decide to share this because Gemma and I need to distance ourselves. Whatever this is becoming needs to stop.
“I hope you have a nice time.” She sounds impassive.
She didn't quit. That's a positive, right?
I’ll message Penny in the morning, confirming that I have booked a table for next Saturday night. She’s my age, and our children go to the same school, so we have common ground. I keep thinking about Gemma, though. She’s the one who gets me hard. She's the one I argue with, the one that I think about all the time, even at work.
Dipping my hand between my boxers, I sigh with relief as I stroke myself. I go onto my phone to play my favourite video of Gemma in a little white bikini. It hits different now I know how perfect her breasts are under her clothes; the image has been in my mind all week.
Every night since that moment in the kitchen, I only have to think of her and I get hard. My balls tighten and I feel the release. This is becoming a nightly occurrence.
The week passes by fast, most likely because I'm busy at work and at home. I’m trying to teach Gemma how to run the house whenever I'm around. It’s exhausting, but she's making some progress.
I get dressed for dinner, wearing a suit so that I look my best. I splash on some cologne and comb through my hair.
I meet Penny at the restaurant she had suggested. It’s an upmarket joint where nothing comes cheap. Seems subtlety isn’t in her vocabulary, but I already knew that. She’s waiting at the table with a glass of red wine.
“Hi.” She smiles at me.
“Hi, are you okay?” I kiss her cheek. “Sorry I’m late. Thetraffic was crazy. You look nice.” I compliment her black dress. She did look nice, but only nice, nothing special. She did nothing for me.
“Thanks. How are you?”
I smile politely, even though I can’t shake the feeling this date isn't going to go well at all. Throughout dinner, I listen to her talk about how amazing her son George is and what a ‘deadbeat dad’ he has. I sit through my meal in near silence, waiting for her to take a breath or stop talking. It seals it for me when she doesn’t ask about Ace or Eden once.
“Desserts?” the waiter asks.
