Chapter Three #2
Felicity hesitated for a moment, but then her voice steadied as she answered, “Oh, that’s a tough one.
I’ve read so many, but if I had to choose...
It's probably Pride and Prejudice. There’s just something about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet’s relationship—the tension, the misunderstandings. It’s so timeless.”
John nodded, smiling. “Ah, a classic. Can’t go wrong with that. How old were you when you first read it?”
“Clichéd answer,” Nathan murmured as he stepped in front of her to adjust the settings on her mic. “What’s the real answer, Felicity?”
She looked at him, aware of how close he was to her. Every time his hand grazed her skin or the tip of her earlobes, she felt a jolt of sensation. “Outlander,” she whispered.
“Oh, that’s a good choice,” John said with a delightful grin. “I love that book.”
“I do too. It was one of the first times I realized how powerful storytelling could be.”
“I bet you have read it a couple of times.”
“Probably around fourteen,” Felicity replied, her voice gaining more confidence as she relaxed into the conversation.
“I remember staying up all night just to finish it. I was completely hooked.” She smiled a little.
“Like that scene where Jamie fights for Claire’s honor and ...
I don’t know. Something about it is just so raw.
Like he’s willing to risk everything for her. ”
“So that’s what you’re into?” Nathan commented. “Someone to fight for you.”
Felicity blushed as she looked up and found herself staring right into his eyes, hooked in the draw of his gaze with no power to do anything but wait for his permission to be released.
Once again, John came to her rescue, his voice breaking the hold that Nathan’s gaze had over her. “Isn’t that what we all are into?” he chimed in. “Someone to fight for us.”
“Maybe,” Nathan said with a shrug. “Some people want it more than others, though.” He stepped away from Felicity. “I think she’s ready now?”
John leaned back slightly, giving Felicity an encouraging smile. “Are you ready?” he asked, his tone warm but edged with excitement that Felicity couldn’t help but feel.
She nodded, her nerves still fluttering but under control. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Great,” John said, reaching for the manuscript. “Let’s start with chapter seven. It’s a good place to ease into it.”
Just as Felicity was about to turn the pages, Nathan spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the moment. “Actually, let’s jump ahead to chapter twelve.”
Felicity froze for a second, feeling the tension ripple between the two men. John raised an eyebrow, clearly about to protest, but then he stopped himself, his lips twitching as he glanced over at Nathan. He hesitated, then nodded. “All right, chapter twelve it is.”
The air shifted slightly, and Felicity wondered what had just passed between them.
She didn’t dwell on it too long, though, and quickly flipped through the pages, landing on chapter twelve.
It was a heavy scene—one filled with tension and longing—and she could already feel the weight of it as she looked down at the words.
Taking a deep breath, Felicity started reading. Her voice was soft, a bit too careful, and monotone as she focused on getting the words right. As the sentences flowed, she realized it wasn’t coming out as naturally as she had imagined.
John stopped her gently after a minute. “That’s good, Felicity. But try to loosen up a bit—be more lively, more free. This scene is full of emotion, right? Don’t be afraid to really dive into it.”
Felicity smiled nervously, nodding. “Okay, I’ll try again.”
She took another deep breath and started over. This time, her voice was less stiff, and she tried to feel the words as she spoke them. But even as she pushed herself, it still didn’t sound quite the way she wanted it to. It was better, yes—but something was missing.
John gave her a reassuring nod. “Getting there. You’re close. Just relax a little more.” He winked, trying to ease the tension.
She tried a third time and was glad to hear herself sounding much better. She continued reading, thinking she had finally found her voice, when Nathan’s voice interrupted her a few paragraphs in.
“Stop!” he said softly but with enough authority that she instantly clamped her lips shut. “You’re not feeling it.”
Felicity blinked. “What?”
“The words ... You’re just reciting them.
You’re not feeling it.” He moved closer to her, his towering figure leaning over her shoulders to point at a paragraph on the manuscript.
“You’re reading from Ashley’s POV. You want to make the readers feel what she’s feeling, but how can you do that when you don’t feel what she’s feeling? ”
Felicity’s face heated. “I don’t know if I can do that. I’ve never been good at acting.”
“Good thing no one is asking you to act.” Nathan leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that was still amplified within the tight confines of the booth. “What’s happening in this scene?”
“She’s arguing with Kane,” Felicity replied.
“And why is she arguing with him?”
“Because he refuses to listen to her.”
“Good. I want you to keep that in mind as you read the chapter now,” he continued, that deep voice coaching her. “You’re not Felicity. You’re Ashley, and you’re fucking pissed at this man for not listening to you. I want to hear it in your voice and feel it in your body. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Felicity whispered, wondering why his simple request sounded like a command. One she could not disobey.
“This time, John and I will be joining you,” Nathan continued, still standing over her shoulder. “I’ll be Kane, and John will be the narrator. Got it?”
Felicity nodded.
“Use your words, baby,” Nathan whispered in her ear, and her surprise at his calling her baby was crushed under the shock of her body’s reaction to his voice. She felt a spike of sensation that shot straight to her womb, leaving her skin tingling. “Do you understand?”
“Yes...” she replied, the sentence feeling incomplete. Almost like she needed to finish it with a sir... or something else...
“Good girl,” he replied, and again, she felt that surge of electricity through her body, and now there was no more denying it.
She was aroused. Aroused by Nathan and his dark look and intense gaze.
His deep voice and oddly dominant nature.
Felicity wanted to believe she was wrong, that there was no way she was attracted to this man who looked old enough to be her father.
Yes, he was gorgeous, with a voice deep enough to make all her fantasies come true.
It didn’t change the fact that he was much older.
But she had no time to contemplate that dilemma.
John was already reading the first paragraph of the chapter, and as his warm, sweet voice narrated the scene, she could feel Nathan behind her.
Feel the warmth of his breath at the nape of her neck and the heady scent of his perfume surrounding her until she felt drunk on him.
When it was her turn to read, she launched into her dialogue with passion, remembering Nathan’s instruction to feel the scene.
Perhaps it was the need to impress the man standing behind her, but she put her life into her performance.
Her body shook with anger, just as her character did, and her tone reflected the inner turmoil of a woman forced to confront her attraction to a man she never should have been drawn to.
When it was Nathan’s turn to speak, and she heard his voice behind her, dark and deep, matching her energy, Felicity found herself being pulled into the moment they were creating together.
For years, she had listened to him narrate her favorite stories, imagining the scenes he spoke about in her head.
Now, he was right next to her, telling a story, and the scene he painted was more vivid, vibrant, colorful, and real than anything she’d ever imagined.
Maybe it was because she wasn’t just a spectator anymore but a part of the scene.
The scene continued, all three voices playing their roles to perfection.
As she read along, waiting for her cue and speaking up when it was her turn, Felicity saw the scene begin to shift.
The tension and conflict in her character’s emotions switched from confrontational to aroused.
It was John’s voice narrating what was happening, and Felicity was held spellbound, her heart beating fast in her chest.
“...Ashley could barely breathe,” he read from the manuscript.
“She recognized that look in Kane’s eyes and knew what it meant but couldn’t get her legs to move.
To escape from the kiss she knew was coming.
She was powerless before him. Hunger rushed through her as her gaze locked with his, the need to touch him so potent it left her crazy... ”
As he read, a need arose in Felicity. A need so dark and sexual it made her vision go cloudy. Moving down the paragraph to her next line, she felt her body jerk back when she realized what she would have to say in front of these two men.
“So beautiful.” She heard Nathan’s voice in her ear and, for a moment, forgot he was only reading from the book. “Your body drives me crazy, Ashley,” he continued, momentarily pulling her out of her fantasy.
“It is not yours to own.” She managed to croak out her lines, though her brain struggled to keep up. She was caught between two worlds.
“Isn’t it?” Nathan said, and she felt his chest press against her back.
Or maybe she was the one who leaned back on him for support, unsure that her legs could keep on carrying her weight.
He continued reading, and it didn’t matter anymore.
“You’re mine, Ashley. To do with as I please.
It’s pointless to fight it when your very body says the same. ”
“No, it doesn’t,” Felicity snarled.