Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Finch
I was determined not to think about Frankie's perfectly round ass all day, nor her thick thighs that I would blissfully love to swallow me whole as I buried my face between them.
Fuck. I really needed to get laid.
The last thing my fake girlfriend needed was me wanting to sleep with her.
Frankie wasn't what I should have on my mind. Especially not as I weighed Cranky Frankie aka Francesca aka Chessie B aka Benny Benedetti—I was still workshopping the nicknames.
The pink, little macaw chick made a groaning sound that would one day hopefully turn into a proper squawk. I stared at the chick’s weight with a frown. She hadn't gained anything. Not even 0.001 ounces. She should be practically doubling in size every day at this stage in her development. Her eyes should be opening soon, and her feather sheaths should start emerging, making her look like an ugly, little porcupine. The ugly porcupine phase was my favorite. The chicks’ personalities really started to shine through and they turned into little escape artists. They were the cheekiest of all the animals that came into the wildlife hospital, but I kind of loved that about them too.
Maybe this little one would never make it to that spiky feather phase. I hated to even think it. But these first few weeks were the most precarious. I planned to change up her diet, sometimes that helped, but not gaining any weight was undeniably bad, and all of my vet Spidey-Senses started tingling.
But despite my struggling patient, my mind was still turning over the walk home with Frankie. I couldn’t stop thinking about every moment we’d spent together. Something about her was intoxicating.
Even as I went about syringing up the chick’s formula, a smile was still plastered on my face. It would probably be inappropriate to request a copy of that camera footage of her dangling from the fence, wouldn’t it? I had definitely not just watched it to stare at Frankie's ass. I had been keeping an eye on the situation for safety purposes. Yeah, right.
For some reason, I wanted to replay the way she looked up at me too. I was probably misreading her expression, projecting onto her what I wanted to see. But I loved the way she craned her neck up, and then those deep blue eyes met mine. Dammit, I knew I was veering into an unhealthy fixation with her. This was what happened to my brain when I abstained from sex apparently.
If I’d actually cared about Frankie’s zebra predicament, I should've radioed Heron to go help her. They had been already working up at the giraffes and were closer. But I didn’t radio anyone. Not just because I’d known Frankie would be embarrassed, but also because I’d wanted to be the one to lift her up and feel her soft body pressed against mine and have an excuse to breathe in her intoxicating bakery scent like powdered sugar and honey. I bet I could taste it all over her skin . . .
Fuck me , I must be ovulating or something because my hormones were being ridiculous. Luckily, I had a trunk full of sex toys upstairs that would help me fix that. My mind instantly conjured the image of Frankie in my bed while I took her with my strap.
Jesus.
This was bad. This was really, really bad.
"Listen to me," I said to Benny.
I pointed at the little pink blob, who flapped her tiny wings, eager for her next feed. I liked the flapping. It meant she still had some vigor at least, despite her lack of weight gain. "You are going to metabolize all of this and not just shit everything out, and you're going to get big and plump and strong, and I'm going to build you the coolest little aviary, you got that?"
Cranky just flapped at me, ignoring my pep talk.
"I will not have all these sleepless nights be in vain, Francesca,” I said as I touched her tiny beak, and she started bobbing up and down for food. "So help me God, you will thrive, you tiny pink cockblocker."
"Well, it'll be easy to find your truck in the lineup of limos and BMWs," Kirby taunted as she walked out from the front entrance of the Salty Dog.
I stepped out of the truck and leaned against the door. Kirby let out a whistle as she took in my navy-blue suit and pressed white shirt unbuttoned down to mid-chest. Her eyes trailed down to my feet.
"Loafers? Seriously?"
"It's a yacht party," I said with a shrug. "They were a gift from the Westworths last Christmas and I've never had a reason to wear them."
"Well, you look good." Kirby gave an approving nod.
"Any sightings of my date?"
"She'll be down in a minute." Kirby crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me like she always did when she was trying to sniff out one of my lies.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Detective Amadou?"
Kirby rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to figure out what games you’re playing with my new friend."
"Games?" I scoffed. "Is taking a pretty girl to a party a game?"
"It is if you don't have real feelings for her,” she countered. “When Frankie told me that the two of you were dating, I had to seriously consider if I knew any other lesbians named Goldfinch.”
"Kirby."
"Don't Kirby me, Goldfinch Lachlan," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "I've known you your entire life. You've never wanted a real relationship. How convenient that you suddenly want one when your mother has turned her sights on you, hm?” I forced myself to maintain eye contact. I knew looking away would reveal too much. “How fortuitous that you found a co-worker who is desperately seeking revenge on her ex at the exact same time.”
"You think I'm using her?" I growled, offended. Maybe I was, but Frankie was fully aware of it. Besides, she was using me too. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. “Can't two friends help each other out?"
"So you’re friends now?” Kirby cocked her head and my gut plummeted. She had a unique ability to catch me in my lies. “I thought you two were dating?"
"You are the last person I expected this inquisition from." I folded my arms in mirror to her and glared at her. "You've never had anything to say about every other girl I've dated."
"That's because you’ve never dated. Every other girl has been a casual fling,” she shot back. “And I know Frankie and I like her and she’s in a very vulnerable place right now. I know how you get women twisted in knots. Hell, I’ve poured many a free drink for all the one-night stands you ghosted.”
“I’m not taking advantage of her,” I gritted out. “Nice to see where your loyalties lie. You’ve known Frankie all of one month, and yet you’ve never been this protective over me.”
“Because you don’t need protecting,” Kirby said. “Look, I don't want either of you to hurt the other. And don't think for a second I haven't had this exact same conversation with Frankie either.”
I straightened at that. “What did she say?"
"She said she's aware that you haven’t done long-term relationships in the past, but this is still new and she's willing to see where it goes anyway.” Kirby seemed less than enthused about that response.
I gave her a smug look, impressed Frankie didn't crack under Kirby’s relentless scrutiny. “Well, I am willing to see where this goes as well,” I said, puffing up my chest.
Kirby threw her hands up and looked up to the cloudless summer sky. "It's like watching a slow-motion train wreck but fine." She waved to me. "I will save a few extra bottles of whisky for you. I have a feeling you're going to need them by the end of the summer."
"Love you too, Kirby," I said with a mock kiss.
The screen door to the Salty Dog opened and out stepped Frankie in a teal summer dress that made her eyes sparkle like sapphires. Her hair was elegantly pulled half-back with curls cascading over her shoulders. I studied her from her espadrilles to the sparkly teardrop earrings to her shiny, painted pink lips. She was like a nymph of summer, sweet, smiling, voluptuous, and it made my insides melt like candle wax.
I roughly shoved my hands into my trouser pockets to keep from reaching out to her as she approached my truck. "You clean up nice, Goldilocks," I said.
"You do too," she echoed, her eyes lingering on the unbuttoned collar of my shirt, studying the tattoos that crawled across my skin. I wished I could bottle up that look. She studied me with hungry, appreciative eyes, but there was more than just heat in her gaze, unlike most of my conquests. She looked at me with some kind of admiration too, one that made me want to stand a little straighter.
I pushed off the truck door and opened the passenger side for her, giving one final wave to Kirby, who stood scowling in the doorway.
"You didn't think I'd show up in scrubs, did you?" I asked with a laugh.
I went around to the driver's side and climbed in.
"I didn't know what to expect," Frankie confessed. "Here." She passed me a little box from her purse. “A thank you for doing this for me.”
"I don't need a gift . . ." My words died off as I opened the box to a little pocket square patterned in navy, white, and teal. It perfectly tied our two outfits together. "How did you know I would be wearing this?"
“I asked Dove. She texted me a photo of your suit.”
“And that would explain why she wanted to “hang out” while I was getting ready. Very smooth that one.”
Frankie shrugged. “I thought it would make us look more couple-y."
"It does. Ten points for the attention to detail, Goldilocks.” I tucked the pocket square in my lapel pocket and grinned.
"So dapper," she said, adjusting the fabric with a smile, and I had to fight the urge to lean in and kiss her wrist, her flesh so close to my mouth. Never in my life had I felt so untethered, so desperate to run my lips across someone's skin.
"Well, I think this will make Jake suitably jealous," I said, turning the key. The engine rumbled to life.
"You think?"
"With you in that dress?" I gave her another appraising look. "He will curse the day he ever broke your heart."
“Especially with a hot date on my arm.” She smiled ruefully at me. “You know, we’re going to have to be more couple-y than we are at the zoo," she warned.
"I figured as much,” I replied. "It's a party after all."
"I hope that's okay."
"Goldilocks, believe me, it's no hardship to pretend to fall head over heels for you," I said with a laugh. "Especially in that dress." I pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the road to the north side of the island. "Now let's go make a whole yacht of rich assholes jealous.”