“I-I’m fine.”
Billie reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The move was almost affectionate.Almost. “You’re not,” she said. “But that’s all right.”
For a moment, it was the same pattern as always. Billie could feel Nina’s anticipation and the steady rise of her breath. Normally, this was the point where she’d close the distance and give her what she wanted…only stopping when control tipped towards chaos.
But today, her focus slipped.
Debra’s face flashed in her mind. The softness of her voice, the way she’d come undone while Billie was buried deep inside of her. That‘thank you’…an unguarded moment of gratitudethat had felt more intimate than anything else. Billie’s hand stilled mid-air.
Nina’s lips parted. “Billie?”
The sound of her name pulled her back into the room. She stepped away, the tension between them snapping suddenly. “Not today.”
Nina frowned. “Did I?—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Billie shifted back into a cool, measured tone. She reached for the tablet Nina had placed on the desk and glanced at the schedule. “We have work to do.”
“Yes, Miss Brown.”
Billie didn’t look up. “And Nina?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for always being ready.”
Nina smiled. “Of course.”
When the door closed behind her, Billie exhaled a deep breath. The faintest trace of perfume lingered in the air, but it wasn’t Nina’s scent she found herself clinging to this morning…it was Debra’s.
Billie rubbed her temples and turned back to the desk. The clock on the wall read nine, on the dot. She had two hours until Debra Allen walked through the door again.
With trained movements, she adjusted her jacket, ran her palms down her sleeves, and gave her reflection a final assessment. The mirror revealed what others would see: a woman armoured with competence, wrapped in professionalism, and barricaded behind poise. Perfect andpreciselythe image she’d constructed. Yet underneath the flawless façade, Billie sensed the vibration. That persistent tremor she’d dedicated years to leaving unlabelled.
You have to stop this!
The bellabove the door chimed as she entered, and Debra felt her heart answer before her mind had caught up. Every detail here was designed to make you slow down and notice yourself, but as Debra stepped further inside, she felt it instantly. Something had shifted. The atmosphere didn’t feel the same.
Billie appeared from the back hallway, her sleeves rolled once at her wrists, that dark hair perfectly in place. Everything about her was exactly as Debra had spent the last couple of days remembering it. And yet, the warmth she’d felt between them before had been replaced by something far cooler. She couldn’t be certain, but it almost felt distant.
“Ms Allen,” Billie said, her voice smooth but formal. “Good morning.”
“Hi.”
Billie offered a polite, professional smile. “Before we begin, I want to clarify something about today’s appointment.”
Debra’s heart dipped. “Of course.”
Billie clasped her hands in front of herself, her gaze fixed yet somehow seemingly far away. “We won’t be continuing with the full service fitting today. It isn’t our usual policy to provide repeat sessions in such close succession, and I’d prefer to keep things professional.”
For a second, Debra couldn’t quite process it. “Oh,” she said quietly. “That’s…yes, that’s perfectly fine.”
“I’ve already authorised a refund for the difference in price. You’ll receive confirmation later today. But we can still complete your standard fitting this morning if you’d like to go ahead with it. I wanted to check the jacket measurements from the initial fitting.”
Debra nodded,prayingher disappointment wasn’t showing. “Yes. Of course. That would be great.”
Billie’s expression softened, but her eyes gave her away. It seemed she wanted to explain, but couldn’t. “This way,” she said, and turned for the corridor. “Same area as before.”
Debra followed her, wishing she’d never known what those hands were capable of. While she hadn’t come here with the expectation of what had transpired during the last two appointments, she would admit to feeling a little uncertain about Billie’s mood. How did one person switch so suddenly?
