16. Cameron
Marketing had suggested taking Felicity to a popular Broadway show for the optics. Everything was for the optics, but not really, because the two of us were having more than just sanctioned fun.
I’d selected Hadestown since they were putting on a one-night-only original cast performance, and the tickets were basically impossible to get. Taking Felicity to the show sold the fantasy that I’d do anything her heart desired. While there was no happily ever after for the main characters Orpheus and Eurydice, the fact that the show centered on the power of love between the two was enough to make it the perfect romantic night out.
I’d seen my fair share of Broadway shows and could appreciate the artistry, but I never felt moved by what I saw on stage. This one was proving to be the exception. I stole a glance at Felicity as Orpheus charged into the chorus of “Wait for Me” and saw her eyes brimming. I cleared my throat and tried to focus on the mechanics of the lights swinging dramatically above the stage and not the words of the song, because damn it, I was feeling it too. The devotion between the characters was palpable, and even though I knew enough about Greek mythology to know what happened next, I still held out hope for the two young lovers.
By the time the show ended, Felicity had tears streaming down her cheeks. I took her hand and brought it up to my lips as the cast took their bows. “Are you okay?”
She looked up at me with her bottom lip trembling. “That was the most beautiful and heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Maybe it’ll turn out differently next time,” I said softly echoing the final hopeful lines of the show.
She smiled through her tears. “Maybe.”
I slung my arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight as we waded toward the exit with the rest of the crowd. We’d arrived late and our seats were right up front, so I was sure no one had a chance to photograph us, but now in the slow slog to the door there was ample opportunity to snag photos of us looking swoony and in love.
Felicity was so caught up by what we’d just watched that she had forgotten that we were also on stage that night.
“Hey,” I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Your mascara is running a little.”
“Oh no,” she whispered back in a panic. “Do I look terrible?” She swept her fingers beneath her eyes.
“You could never look terrible,” I admitted as I pulled a handkerchief out of my blazer pocket. “Allow me.”
As if that was her cue, Felicity snapped back into her role as co-conspirator. Her expression shifted to utter devotion as I gently swept the cloth along her cheeks.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said. “You cleaning me up seems to be a thing, huh?”
I leaned down and kissed her on the nose. “I’m happy to take care of you, my darling.”
I could’ve sworn I heard a squeal from behind us.
The stirring inside me after the brief kiss had to be due to the emotional overload of the show and nothing more. What was going on with Felicity was an arrangement, a partnership that had morphed into a “colleagues with benefits” scenario.
And I hoped I’d be able to sample more “benefits” at the end of the night, because fucking Felicity was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Just the thought of her beneath me sent a pulse through my body. But first we needed to put in a little more face time out in public, to make sure as many people as possible saw us together.
“Dessert?” Felicity asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Oh, you know it,” I said, glancing around to see if anyone was watching and clocked a group of women with their phones pointed at us. I tilted my head toward them so Felicity would also pick up on what was about to happen next. “But all I want to snack on is you.”
I swept her into my arms and tilted her in a cinematic backbend, then kissed her, long and slow. I felt her mouth shift from surprise to delight. Her arms slowly circled around my neck.
When I finally stood her upright, she staggered a few steps. “Wow.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” I whispered in her ear, getting a delighted giggle out of her.
A short time later we were seated at a table at Junior’s, a well-known tourist trap that actually had some of the best cheesecake in the city. It wasn’t my typical restaurant choice, but I knew the place would be packed. Plus, I had a feeling that Felicity would appreciate something sweet while we performed for our audience.
She studied the menu for an eternity. “I can’t decide between the raspberry swirl, Oreo, or red velvet.”
“Get them all,” I said. “A sampler. We don’t have to finish them.”
She slapped her menu down on the table. “Speak for yourself, mister. I never leave dessert uneaten.”
“Well then, I guess we’ll just have to work extra hard tonight to get rid of those extra calories, huh?” I winked.
“Or you could learn to appreciate a little extra junk in the trunk,” Felicity gave me a sassy look, and I had to admit that more of her to enjoy sounded like a very good thing indeed.
We wound up with a tray of six different slices of cheesecake, and I swear Felicity looked like a kid on Christmas morning as she grabbed her fork. She leaned over to take her inaugural bite, and the moment the fork hit her mouth, she closed her eyes and moaned in ecstasy. She tilted her head backward and drew the fork out slowly and with a flourish and grinned at me as she chewed.
“Oh…my…goodness!” Felicity said as she finished. “Heaven!”
Her little show and excitement over something as simple as cheesecake was so damn adorable that my cheeks hurt from grinning at her.
“I’m so happy you’re enjoying it.”
She pushed a plate toward me. “Jump in before I finish it all.”
I took a tiny bite but wanted to make sure Felicity got her share of whatever her heart desired. I loved seeing her happy. Making her happy. And it was so simple! She didn’t need me to shower her in diamonds or take her for a night out at a top-tier restaurant. All it took was some tourist cheesecake in an overly bright and crowded restaurant.
Which reminded me we probably had more than a few phones pointed our way. I’d been so wrapped up in watching Felicity enjoy herself that I’d forgotten to keep my game face on. It was easy to forget we were performing, because being with Felicity felt so easy. So real.
She leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. “I lied. There’s no way I can finish it all.”
I eyed the remnants left on the plate. “Same. Still, I’d say that was an impressive effort from both of us.”
“Hold on,” she said, fishing her phone out of her purse. “This is a cute moment. Give me your hand.” She pushed the plate to the center of the table and extended her arm next to it with her palm up. “C’mon. We’re doing it for the ’gram. Look, Sandrine made me wear the Trésor bracelet, so it’s a nice subliminal ad.”
I slid my hand toward hers and gripped it, taking a moment to admire the delicate platinum bangle set with rows of pavé diamonds. “Wait a minute. We need to foreshadow the engagement. Show the negative space on your finger so people can envision a ring on it.” I flipped our joined hands over so hers was on top.
“Perfect!” Felicity held her camera over the table to frame the image. “Now let me put a little bokeh effect on it so it looks dreamy. And…got it.” She held her phone out to show me, and I was once again reminded that Felicity was very good at her job. To turn a messy dessert plate into a romantic work of art was well beyond my creative vision.
“This is nice,” she said softly.
I realized we were still holding hands.
“I don’t want the night to end,” I admitted.
Our voices were quiet. We were no longer performing.
“It doesn’t have to.” Felicity tipped her head and raised an eyebrow at me.
I craned my neck to glance around the restaurant as my body cranked to life. “Check please!”
A short while later, Carl gave us a knowing smile as we tripped our way to the elevator. Our doorman knew everything, but told nothing. The moment the elevator doors closed, we pounced on each other. I pinned Felicity to the wall, kissing her with a passion built up from acting civilized for the past few hours.
She caught my lower lip between her teeth, giving me a little nip. I growled in response, getting a laugh out of her.
“I’ve wanted you all night,” she admitted as I kissed the hollow of her throat. “That dip outside the theater did things to me.”
“What sort of things?” I asked gruffly.
“Why don’t you find out?”
Felicity wrenched the hem of her dress up her thighs, giving my hand easy access to the delights beneath. I cupped her warmth gently, letting my fingertips drift over the lace of her panties.
“Are you ready for me?” I asked.
“Dying for you,” she whispered.
I knew where the cameras in the elevator were, so I angled our bodies keeping Felicity completely hidden behind me. I slipped my fingers beneath the lace and sank into her sweetness. She was more than ready, and so was I.
The elevator dinged way too soon, and we untangled from each other and practically ran down the hallway to my door, holding hands and laughing.
“Boris,” I said as I tapped the keypad. “Shit, I need to get him outside.”
“Take care of him and I’ll make sure you have something to look forward to when you get back,” Felicity said as she kicked off her heels. “Maybe I’ll even send you some creative photos while you’re out there.”
I’d never leashed up my dog faster.
The first photo arrived when we exited the building. An image of Felicity from the neck down, ending at the top of her breasts. It was framed so beautifully that it was a work of art. I could see the hint of one nipple. I groaned.
“Hurry up, bud,” I said to Boris, who wanted to sniff every signpost on the block. “Please.”
My phone sounded again. This time the photo was of her leg propped up on the counter in my bathroom, from her inner thigh down to her pointed toe. Modest, but still sexy as hell, because I could only imagine what was reflected in the mirror just beyond where the photo cut off. Was she still wearing her panties, or was she naked? My entire body coursed with need for her.
“Boris, my man, you’re killing me,” I joked. But I couldn’t blame him; we’d been gone for a few hours, and I was about to be busy for couple more.
Another ding on my phone, followed by a Veritique alert. They’d been going off all night, but I had been too focused on being with Felicity to check them.
“Oh, fuck,” I groaned when I saw her latest photo.
She was now in my bed, on her elbows and knees. She’d managed to angle the camera over her shoulder, to capture her body from her mid-back to her ass, framing the perfect sweep of her skin to her gorgeous full cheeks. It was like she was poised and waiting for me to get behind her and thrust deep inside.
Boris finally finished his business and took off for the building. I ran even faster than he did, desperate for another photo or better yet, the real thing.
My phone dinged again as we took the elevator up. The final photo was of Felicity’s midsection, with her hand clutching between her crossed legs like she was fingering herself. I banged the elevator button as if it would make the damn thing move faster.
“I’m back,” I shouted as I opened the door. “You better be naked on the bed and waiting for me.”
I wrenched my tie off and unbuttoned my shirt as I strode down the hallway to my room. I kicked my pants and briefs off as I crossed the threshold to my bedroom and froze.
Felicity was bent over the bed with her ass facing the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at me.
“Do you like?”
I let out a primal groan and stalked over to her. I grabbed her hips and dropped to my knees to bury my face between her legs.
“Cameron,” she whimpered the moment my tongue touched her nub.
I pressed my tongue against her, gripping her hips to stabilize her. She moaned as I made love to her with my mouth, and each little cry only made me work harder to bring her to the edge. My cock was hard and throbbing for her, but I wanted to see her come undone before I buried myself in her heat.
I wanted her to feel as desperate and wild as I did.
“Oh, Cameron,” her voice went higher, and her breathing went shallow. I felt her sweetness throb against my tongue as she cried out and the orgasm rolled through her. It seemed to go on forever, and I loved that I could make her feel so good. I finally let go of her hips, and she collapsed onto the bed, so I leaned over to my nightstand to grab a condom.
“Where are you?” she asked in a dreamy voice. “I need you inside of me.”
I wordlessly picked her up and climbed onto the bed with Felicity cradled in my arms. I arranged her on top of me. She leaned closer to kiss my neck, and I sunk back onto the bed with her straddling me.
“You’re letting me drive?” she teased, rolling her hips against me.
“Sort of,” I said gruffly.
I raised her up, and she positioned herself with the tip of my cock just touching her wetness. In this moment, she was in control. But not for long.
Felicity plunged down and we both cried out at the sweetness of the sensation. From that moment on, our lovemaking went feral, with Felicity bucking on top of me, then me flipping her over so I could take control, and finally taking position behind her to bury myself deep inside of her. All the while, my fingertips worked her clit, drawing from her a stream of high-pitched cries of pleasure.
When I finally came, I let out a grunt that echoed around the room. The orgasm was so powerful it was as if I’d been deprived of sex for years.
I took care of the condom, and we collapsed in a heap, breathing heavily. I closed my eyes and let my hand rest on her hip, just to reassure myself she was still near. I didn’t realize we had both dozed off until an hour later, when she shivered against me.
“You okay?” I asked, pulling the blanket over her.
She looked at me with sleepy, grateful eyes. “I’m perfect.”
“I need some water. You too?”
Felicity shook her head and nestled against the pillow, looking like she was already fast asleep again. I watched her for a few moments, taken with the angel dozing in my bed. I finally wrenched myself up and headed for the kitchen. Boris raised his head to see if I was okay, then settled on the couch.
My phone was on the counter, lit up with texts from Tyler. Fuck, what was wrong now? I’d been so consumed by Felicity all night that I’d never even thought something could be going down with him. Was he in need of a car, trapped in some hellhole apartment god knows where? Or had he “forgotten” his guitar somewhere again, and wanted my help trying to track it down? The fact that he was texting meant he wasn’t in jail, at least.
Tension built behind my temples as I checked. I was all he had, I needed to be there for him, now more than ever.
“Bro, listen to this,” the first message read. A recording followed, and I could barely make out the song. It was a band playing an old Neil Young song we used to play to close our first set back in the day, and they sounded as amateurish as we did. I laughed softly as the memories came flooding back.
The rest of the texts were various “remember when” strolls down memory lane. I appreciated that he was thinking of me and tried to ignore that the texts got messier and more disjointed as the evening progressed.
I switched to check the hundreds of Veritique alerts. The “in the wild” challenge had taken off, and there were photos of us taken from angles I couldn’t even figure out. Were people in the trees?
The shots of the kiss outside the theater were predictably perfect. In a few, Felicity had her arm draped back, like the famous photo of the sailor kissing the nurse, and in others she was clinging to me. Once again, the effect was so impressively romantic it looked like the moment had been staged.
My hands down favorite photo was from Junior’s. Felicity had just taken her first bite of cheesecake, and her eyes were squeezed shut in ecstasy, with her fork in the air like she was conducting an orchestra. I was gazing at her with pure wonder, wearing a little smile.
It was a perfect stolen moment. I saved the photo and walked back to the beauty in my bed.