by R. J. Dillon
It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they got back to the hotel. The weather had gotten warmer as the day went on and Faith was exhausted, and the liquor was now wearing off.
“What time do you want to go to dinner?” asked Gavin.
“We can leave around seven thirty if that’s not too late for you. I’m really tired, so I think I’ll take a nap,” she said.
“Why are you so tired?” he questioned, sarcastically.
“Because someone decided not to go back to sleep at five o’clock this morning. They couldn’t just get up and do something on their own. They had to stay in bed and mess with me. So,” she paused, “I need a nap, or I won’t make it to dinner.”
“Oh, and it has nothing to do with how much alcohol you just had.”
“Stop giving me a hard time,” she whined.
“Okay, okay,” he chuckled.
She reached into her purse and grabbed one of the two card keys she was given when she checked in to the hotel. “Here,” she said handing a key to Gavin. “Call me around six thirty. If I don’t answer, come and get me.”
“How about I take a nap with you?” he asked, putting the key in his pocket.
Faith glared at him. “Seriously? You think I trust you after this morning?”
“I’ll be good. I promise,” he said, batting his eyes.
“You don’t know how to be good,” she rolled her eyes. She inserted her key in the door to unlock it. She picked up her painting and went in the room.
“Please,” he said as he followed her in. She sat her wristlet on the table and gently leaned her painting against the wall. She took her shoes off, went to the bedroom and fell down on the bed. Gavin leaned his painting next to Faith’s, and went and stood near the bed for a moment.
Feeling his presence, she wearily asked, “Why are you here?”
“Because you want me to be,” he wryly said.
“Don’t start with me. I’m too tired,” she said with her eyes closed.
“I’m staying,” he said, as he sat on the bed and took his own shoes off.
“Fine. Don’t touch me.” She still had her eyes closed.
Gavin reached over and began to play with her hair.
“You don’t listen very well, do you?” she asked dryly.
“Stop it,” he snapped lightly. “I’m just trying to help you relax. You know this feels good, so hush.”
Faith didn’t say anything at first, as his fingers continued to comb through her hair. “I hate it when you’re right,” she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
Gavin set the alarm on his phone for six thirty, then curled up next to her and watched her as she peacefully rested. He fell asleep a half an hour later.
Gavin’s phone buzzed them awake. He slid the phone from the nightstand and turned the alarm off. Faith was lying in his arms. She didn’t hear a thing. Gavin smiled down at her and kissed her on the forehead. She wiggled a little bit, turned on her side toward him, resting her free arm across his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He wished he could freeze time as he held her there. Gavin kissed her again, hoping that would jar her awake, but her sleep was too deep. He shifted his weight. Faith moaned and yawned, finally waking up. She sleepily looked up at him and smiled.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi, beautiful. It’s time to get up,” he said, kissing her lips this time. “Do you still want to go? We don’t have to.”
“Yeah. I just need to shower,” she said as she slowly sat up. She stretched her neck back, scooted to the side of the bed and pushed herself to a stance. She stretched her arms out, and tottered to the bathroom. Gavin heard the water come on. Faith emerged from the bathroom, still fully clothed, to retrieve the clothes she was going to wear to dinner.
“Are you going to shower?” she asked.
Gavin’s head was resting in his hands behind his head. “I guess I could, huh?”
“Just asking. I’m sticky from all of our walking and from our nap,” she said.
Faith went back to the bathroom and closed the door. Gavin decided a shower was a good idea. He left her a note on the hotel notepad, and went to his own room to clean up.
A short while later, Gavin returned to Faith’s room, entering using the key she had given him. She was still in the bedroom.
“I’m back,” he called out.
“Okay. I’m almost ready,” she called back.
Gavin sat on the couch and looked at the book that was sitting on the table. Faith came out, still putting in one of her earrings. She was excited that she would finally be able to surprise him about something. When he looked up, Gavin was astonished with how sexy she looked.
“Wow. I’ve never seen you in anything like that before,” he said.
“Oh, well, it’s a little out of my comfort zone. I don’t like to wear things this short, but Lauren picked it out for me. She said it was cute.” Faith was wearing a red silk patterned scoop neck dress that hit about four inches above the knee. She was used to wearing skirts or dresses that hit at or below the knee.
“It definitely suits you. But I wouldn’t have called it cute,” commented Gavin. “That dress is hot and you look hot in it!”
Faith started to blush. Gavin continued to stare.
“What?” Faith said, now feeling uncomfortable in her dress.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I never get to see your body. You’re always covered up. You have to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever known. Are you sure you want to go tonight? I think we should stay in,” he said, standing up and approaching her.
“We’re going. I made reservations,” she said rolling her eyes.
“Reservations can be cancelled. I can have you out of this dress in fifteen seconds,” Gavin said as he drew her close to him. He gently kissed her shoulder, moving up and down along her neckline.
“No. We’re going,” Faith said adamantly.
Gavin tried to kiss her lips as he tugged on her dress, but Faith wriggled out of his arms and walked towards the door. “Let’s go.”
He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. He turned and joined Faith at the door. “You’re no fun,” he pouted.
Faith smiled and playfully pushed him down the hall towards the elevators. They rode down to the lobby, and walked out to 16th Street. After enjoying dinner at Marlowe’s, Faith began to lead Gavin to their next destination.
As they started across the street, Gavin asked, “Are you going to tell me where we’re going? Do you know?”
“It’s just right through here in the Pavilions,” she said with an animated smile.
They reached the south side of the Denver Pavilions and proceeded to the third level. Gavin heard this awesome music floating in the air, and was blown away when they got to their destination, Jazz@Jacks, a highly esteemed jazz club. As they walked in, there was a small open bar area to their left. There was no cover to get in, so they continued down the corridor and into the open seating area. The band, Dotsero, was playing onstage to their right. Gavin pointed to a table toward the front end on the right side as you face the stage. It was located on the outer edge of the room and had a padded back. Once they sat down, Gavin leaned over and lifting her chin slightly with his forefinger, kissed Faith gently on the lips.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“You remembered. Thank you,” he said, rubbing her cheek.
“You’re welcome,” she smiled.
Everyone was enjoying the smooth jazz being played by the band. The club filled up fast, stirring with electricity. Gavin held Faith close, talking and laughing as the moon fell over the night. As he sat there, he felt as though Faith was becoming his, but would let her confirm that. Heads were bopping, feet were tapping, eyes were closed as Dotsero played one awesome song after the other. Faith ordered a RazzmaJazz Martini, and Gavin had a glass of wine. They enjoyed the atmosphere for a couple of hours.
Around eleven, Faith and Gavin decided it was time to head back. It had been
a day filled with activities, and they were both growing tired. Back at the hotel, Gavin followed Faith into her room to talk for a little while, although talking was far from his mind.
As Faith removed the clip that held her hair up, Gavin moved in behind her and gently turned her toward him. His kiss was more sensuous than it had been before. Faith wrapped her arms around his neck as she received and returned the kiss. They held their embrace for a few moments before Gavin drew back.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, kissing her in between words.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Okay,” he said as he pulled her in closer.
She looked into his eyes saying, “So you should go.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, confused.
“I don’t trust myself with you anymore. It’s getting harder to resist you, and I can’t control what I can and cannot do,” she said. They were still standing in each other’s arms.
“You know how I feel about you. Of course, you have yet to share how you feel about me,” he said, kissing her again.
Faith looked him in his eyes and said, “The mere sound of your voice or hearing your name gives me butterflies. Your touch awakens my body, as if it were only waiting for you. I get weak every time you kiss me.” She closed her eyes, sighing. “How’s that? I’d say my feelings are mutual,” she continued.
Gavin drew her in and kissed her deeply, holding her in tight. “Let me stay.”
Faith shook her head, “No.”
“Why? I’m just going to end up knocking at your door at two o’clock in the morning again. I might as well stay here so we can both get some sleep.”
“Is that really what you think we’ll do? Sleep?” she asked as he kissed her again. “We can’t even stop kissing each other.”
Gavin stopped for a moment. “Faith, I told you that I want more than that. If I stay, it’s simply because I want to be near you. If you’re not comfortable with that, I understand.”
“Do you still have the key that I gave you?” she asked.
“Yes. I do,” answered Gavin, confused.
Faith clutched his shirt, and reached up to kiss him. “If you find you can’t sleep, come see me,” she said as she rested her forehead against his.
“Okay,” he said disappointedly. “I will. I’ll probably see you in a little while. I’ll try not to wake you.” They embraced one last time before Gavin left for his own room.
The following morning, the two decided to stay in and rest for the day. Neither of them was able to sleep very well, thinking about each other through the night. They cuddled, ordered room service, and watched movies all day, with naps here and there. The two of them finished their final week of meetings in Denver, visiting various restaurants, museums, and historical sites. There was a turn of events in their relationship during this trip and they returned home with many memorable moments.
On their first day back at the office, Gavin and Faith were scheduled to meet with Adrian to brief him on how the trip went. At the meeting, they described their time in Denver with enthusiasm, and expressed the desire to return and see more of beautiful Colorado. Adrian watched them closely, seeing a difference in how they were behaving around each other. He was happy to see this progress.
“Are you both saying that Denver should be a top contender for our new office?” asked Adrian.
“Absolutely,” they said in unison. They looked at each other and laughed. Adrian smiled as he sat back.
Adrian nodded, “Alright, I will make a note of this. Is there anything else you would like to add or share?”
They shook their heads, saying no.
“Good. I believe you’ll be flying to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks. That should be interesting for you, Faith. It’s a little busier than what you’re used to.”
“I’m looking forward to it. You know I love to travel. That’s the best way to learn about people,” she said.
Gavin and Adrian both smiled at her.
“Well, I’ll let you two get back to work. I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on,” Adrian said, dismissing them.
Gavin and Faith stood and left.
Gavin returned to his office, while Faith went to see Lauren. Lauren was just walking down the hall when Faith spotted her.
“Hey, Girl Scout,” said Faith, as she gave Lauren a hug. “I was coming by to see what you were doing for lunch.”
“I’ve got plans today, but I would love to catch up with you. I’ve got some free time right now. How was your trip? Denver, right?” asked Lauren.
“Yes. It was awesome. There’s so much culture there, so much to do. I loved it,” said Faith as they stood in the hall talking.
“Did you do anything to get into trouble?” teased Lauren.
Faith rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You really are too much, you know that?” said Faith.
Just then, Gavin walked up to them.
“Lauren. How are you doing? Did things go well with the updates?” Gavin asked, touching her lightly on the shoulder.
“They did. We’re actually done with them and have some down time. Things will pick up once we’ve decided where the new office will be,” said Lauren.
“Good job. I’m glad things went well,” he smiled.
Gavin turned slightly, nodded and said, “Faith.”
“Gavin,” Faith nodded back.
Lauren looked back and forth between them, smiling suspiciously.
“I’ll leave you two to talk.” He continued down the hallway.
“I knew it!” Lauren said, glaring at Faith expecting answers.
“What are you talking about?” Faith said, confused.
“I saw that. Something is going on between the two of you,” Lauren said, raising her eyebrows.
“All we did was say hello,” said Faith defensively.
“You did more than that. I saw how you looked at each other and you did a lot more than just say hello,” Lauren accused.
“Lauren, I think you’re trying to make something out of nothing. You need more work, don’t you? I have plenty that will keep you busy.”
“That’s okay if you don’t tell me. I know what I saw. Listen, I need to get going, but call me later this week. We’ll get together for lunch, okay?” Lauren smiled and walked back to her office.
Faith turned and walked to hers.
Chandler hadn’t seen or talked to Gavin very much since the trips started. She could no longer call him because he changed his cell phone number. That wouldn’t stop her plans to make Faith think that she and Gavin were still seeing each other on occasion. Her timing had to be just right.
Chandler stood in Gavin’s doorway. “Hey, stranger.”
Gavin looked up. “Chandler. How have you been?”
“I’ve missed you,” she said, walking in towards his desk. She sauntered around to his chair, leaned down and kissed him. Gavin fought to push her away, but it was too late.
Faith cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Chandler had a sinister smile on her face. She stood up straight, and while still looking at Gavin said, “We were just finishing up.” She kept that same smile as she walked past Faith, who was standing by the door. She had accomplished what she came to do.
Gavin quickly looked at Faith. “That was not what it looked like.”
“I know. She planned that I’m sure,” Faith said, walking towards Gavin’s desk.
“I’ve missed you today. We’ve both been pretty busy. How was your talk with Lauren?” he asked.
“That woman is incorrigible. She said she saw something in our eyes when we spoke in the hall. She will not leave it alone,” Faith said, sitting down.
“Were we that obvious?” said Gavin.
Faith looked at him, thinking for a moment. “I think so,” she finally answered.
“Lauren is just like that. Don’t worry. She keeps things to herself. Even if she thinks she knows, she won’t tell anyone. She just likes to know.”
>
They sat staring at each other for a moment, without speaking a word.
“I should get back to work. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were,” Faith said, breaking the silence. As she started toward the door, Gavin stopped her.
“Faith, wait.” Her eyes followed him as he stood and went to close the door. He returned and faced her. “I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he said, pulling her close to him and kissing her deeply on the lips. Faith grew weak in his arms.
Breaking their kiss, Faith said, “I’ve been waiting for you to do it. Now I can work.” She grinned, opened the door and went back to her office. Gavin grinned to himself as he walked back to his desk.
The week was coming to a close. Faith wanted to have a fun Friday, maybe even a short one. She stayed late the night before to finish her presentation to try and make that happen. Gavin had just left, so she would be alone for a little while. Or so she thought.
“You’re working late,” Carter said, standing in her doorway.
“As are you. What are you still doing here? Do you have a trip coming up?” asked Faith, still looking down at her computer. She was just logging off.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. How was the rest of the Denver trip?” he asked, walking into her office.
“It was good. We liked Denver,” she said, now looking up. She started to put her things away and began to get ready to go home.
“We? As in you and Gavin?” he asked sarcastically.
“As a company, Carter, we felt that Denver should be a strong contender for a new office,” Faith said, shaking her head.
Carter moved closer to her. “You know, while we were there together, I felt a connection between us. Don’t you think it’s time we capitalize on that?”
Faith frowned. “What are you talking about, Carter? We only saw each other during meetings.”
“You flirted with me. The way you pranced around in your workout clothes, running down the mall at six o’clock every morning. Then you sat by the pool, enticing me with your body in your tight little bathing suit. You’re so beautiful, Faith. It’s time for us to be together.” Carter approached her.