by R. J. Dillon
As she walked out of the kitchen, Vivian and Juliet tried to stop her, but were unsuccessful. She went to the hall closet to grab a coat. Putting it on, she opened the front door, and Gavin stepped in. Their eyes locked for a few moments, and all the chatter stopped, everyone now focused on them.
“Faith,” Gavin whispered.
She didn’t speak, just continued out the door. Gavin stood and watched her as she walked down the street until she was out of his sight. He sighed and closed the door.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Juliet said as she hugged her son.
“It’s alright, Mom. I didn’t think she was ready to deal with me.”
Morgan and Vivian were able to talk Faith into returning to New York. Gavin was grateful, unsure of what he would have done if he was unable to see her every day. Faith stayed home for a few more weeks, getting her affairs in order. Emile left everything to her, save a few items that were special to his family.
When she returned to work, Faith managed to avoid talking to Gavin. She was still a bit angry and hurt from what had occurred with him and Chandler. However, she couldn’t prolong the inevitable. As she looked at her remaining to do items, she realized she was going to have to speak to him sooner than she wanted, and that didn’t make her happy.
Faith was sitting in her chair facing the windows. She was staring off into space, tapping her pen on her desk, and thinking of nothing. After several moments had passed, she turned toward her desk and reviewed the agendas for two upcoming press conferences about C&A’s expansion into the entertainment market, and adding a new office in Denver. She would be visiting the communities surrounding the Denver office to meet with the city mayor and residents. Gavin would need to sign off on her agenda and schedule of meetings with public officials.
Faith grabbed her files, walked out of her office and down the hall towards Gavin’s office. She stopped just outside his door, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and stepped forward and knocked on the door.
“Do you have a minute?” she asked.
Hearing her voice, Gavin looked up, surprised to see her standing there. His heart skipped a couple of beats, as he had not expected this situation to happen so soon. He fumbled over his words.
“Uh, sure, sure. Come on in,” he said waving her in. He stood and cleared some space from his desk.
Faith walked toward his desk, keeping her eyes diverted, either looking at his desk, off to the side, or at her files. She just didn’t want to make eye contact with Gavin. Not right now. She stood in between the two chairs, just at the front of his desk.
“Have a seat,” he motioned towards the chairs.
“No, thank you. I’ll just be a minute.” She spoke softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking.
“Okay. What’s up?” He was still standing, and never stopped looking at her, hoping she would look up. He needed to see her eyes to determine where he stood with her. His heart rate was steadily increasing from the anticipation.
“I’m preparing for the trip to Denver and I need you to review the agenda, my meeting schedules and press conferences. You need to sign off on them before I go,” still speaking softly, frowning at times.
To his amazement, she refused to look up. He watched as she fidgeted with the papers. Afraid to show her nervousness, she opted to push the files toward him. She gently cleared her throat. Gavin reached for the files and finally shifted his eyes from her to them. He sat down and reviewed what she had brought him.
“This looks good. Will I be attending with you?” he asked, looking back at her. He knew he wasn’t scheduled to go, but hoped that would get her to look at him.
It didn’t work. She just looked off to the left, out the window. “You weren’t originally scheduled to go. That can change, I suppose.” She crossed her arms, with one hand cupping her chin. “You can do whatever you like.”
Gavin initialed the pages as Faith patiently waited. He handed them back to her. As she reached for them, Gavin gently touched her hand, his eyes still searching for hers. With both of them holding the files, Faith finally looked up. He saw the pain and the hurt she was feeling, but he was also able to sense that her love was still there, burning deep within. Tears began to fill her eyes.
She broke the silence as she pulled her hand away from his. “Thanks for signing these. Let me know if you plan to fly out with me.”
“Faith, can we talk?” he asked as she began stepping backward toward the door.
She avoided the question. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.” She was doing her best to fight back the tears. She turned and walked closer to the door.
“Damn it, Faith, please!” Gavin pleaded, leaning over his desk. There was sternness in his voice, his heart breaking. “Please, just talk to me.”
She stopped, looked up and took a breath, making a fist with her free hand. Her back was still facing him. She turned her head slightly to the right, and said “You know where to find me if you need me.” She walked out the door and returned to her office.
Gavin pushed himself up from his leaning position and stood straight up, frustrated. He picked up a pen and flung it across the room. He turned towards the windows and stood with his hands on his hips. He was torn, and didn’t know what to do. He rubbed his forehead, and then, out of desperation, he had a thought.
He picked up his phone and dialed an extension with urgency. “Yeah, I need to see you in my office … No, right now.” He hung up.
A few minutes later, Lauren appeared at his door. “You wanted to see me?”
Gavin had returned to the window. “I need your help,” he said without turning around.
Lauren assumed this probably had to do with Faith. She had heard the two of them hadn’t been talking, but didn’t know why.
“Is this about Faith?”
“Yes. I didn’t know who else to call. The two of you are close. I thought maybe you could get through to her.”
“Are you sure she isn’t still upset from Emile’s death? Maybe it’s not you?”
“No. It’s me. It’s me.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“I’ve tried. We had to meet today. It was a good opportunity for me to find out where I stood. When I was finally able to look in her eyes, I could see she was still hurt, but I know she loves me. Deep down, I know it. She’s just too hurt to admit it and just won’t open up. I never meant to hurt her. She has to know that,” he said, now looking back at Lauren.
Gavin went to sit at his desk. Lauren could feel his frustration.
“Things are different when the two of you aren’t happy. We can feel your tension.”
“What?”
“Whatever the two of you have, it’s so strong that the people around you can feel it, too.”
“I really screwed up,” he admitted.
“I don’t need to know what happened.”
“Good.”
“I just want to know what it’s going to take to get you both happy again. The rest of us want to be happy,” she chuckled. “What do you normally do to make her smile?”
Gavin didn’t even have to think about it. “I know exactly what to do.”
“What do you need me to do? How can I help?”
“Can you take her to lunch today? An extended lunch?” Gavin asked, picking up the phone.
“I can. You work your magic,” Lauren smiled, standing up. She went straight to Faith’s office.
Lauren popped her head in Faith’s office, and said, “Want to get together for lunch? You could probably use some fresh air.”
Faith looked up tiredly, nodded her head and said, “Yes, that would be great.”
“You look exhausted, girl. What’s going on? Better yet, we’ll talk about it at lunch, okay? Meet you in an hour?” They always met at the elevators.
“Alright.” Faith smiled. Lauren always knew how to help her de-stress. Today was a good day for that.
After Lauren left, Faith continued to work on her presentations for the Den
ver trip. She kept thinking about Gavin. She really didn’t want him to come on the trip. His coming meant she would have to deal with her feelings, and she didn’t quite have the energy for that.
Later at lunch, both Lauren and Faith ate light, ordering salads. Lauren noticed again how worn out Faith was looking.
“Have you been sleeping? Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s going to take some time for me to get used to sleeping alone, without Emile.” She let out a deep sigh. “You know, no matter what you do to prepare for something like this, it’s never enough. There’s always something that you never expected.”
“Like the vice president of the company you work for being in love with you?” Lauren figured this was as good a time as any to find out what was going through Faith’s head. She never wasted time getting to a point. “Why won’t you talk to Gavin?”
Faith rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I really don’t want to talk about it. I was supposed to be getting some fresh air. Seems a bit polluted right now.”
“Don’t even try to get snippy with me. You’re the one walking around with the weight of the world on your shoulders.” Lauren’s voice was pretty sarcastic, almost cold.
Faith frowned. “It’s none of your business.” She was not thrilled with where this was going.
“He made it my business when he called me into his office and pleaded for me to help him get through to you,” said Lauren as she took a sip of water.
“He shouldn’t have involved you. I need some time to think. I can’t deal with him right now.” ‘I can’t believe he did this,’ she thought. She could feel her blood pressure rising.
“When Faith? Do you know how miserable he is without you? I’ve never seen him this way before. He knows he messed up. Can you at least try to talk to him about it? Do you realize your heaviness has filled the office? You guys have some strong mojo going on. It saturates the walls in the office. We can feel when you are happy and we can feel when you’re not. We prefer happy.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know what it is between you two, but it started at Gavin’s birthday party. You have something really special.”
Faith could only think about what her mother had told her all of those years. She still didn’t quite believe it.
“Gavin loves you, Faith. I know you love him, too. Don’t let Chandlers’ mess come between you. She wins if you do.”
“How did you know?”
“Chandler had a big mouth, especially when it came to you. Don’t worry. It didn’t get far. We shut her down before she could blab to the whole office. Only a couple of people know. We were all pretty disgusted with her.” Lauren reached over and grabbed Faith’s hand. “Hey, Gavin really loves you. He wouldn’t be fighting so hard if he didn’t. Don’t you think he deserves the same effort from you?”
Faith took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, he does.”
They got to-go boxes for the rest of their salads. They paid and when they stood to leave, Lauren grabbed Faith and gave her a big hug. “I love you. I want you to be happy.”
“I love you, too. Thank you.” Faith squeezed her hard.
Faith and Lauren returned to work for the afternoon. When they got off of the elevators, people were gathering and chatting near Faith’s office. Lauren smiled, as Faith looked at her, wondering what all the fuss was about. As she got closer to her door, she could smell the sweet aroma. Looking in her office, her mouth dropped. Her entire office was filled with dozens of red roses. They lined the floor, sat on her desk, rested on the couch. All she could do was smile, and cry. Lauren nodded her head and thought, ‘Way to go, Gavin.’
Immediately, Faith walked down the hall to Gavin’s office. He wasn’t there. She went to ask Agnes when he’d be coming back.
“He’s gone for the day, dear. He had a meeting away from the office and won’t be returning,” said Agnes, beaming from ear to ear from the event.
“Thank you.” Faith walked away disappointed. Adrian ran into her as she went back to her office.
“Faith, everything alright?” He knew she was having a difficult time back.
“Yes,” she said, unsure.
Adrian saw her uncertainty. “Are you sure?”
She thought for a moment before answering. Finally she responded, “No. I need to talk to Gavin. Tonight. Do you know if he was planning to go home after his meeting?”
“I’m not sure. He just said he was starting the weekend early. Maybe you could call or send him a text message.” Adrian had his fingers crossed about this. ‘Please follow through,’ he thought. He knew about Gavin’s efforts to speak to Faith.
“I’ll come up with something.” She started toward her office, and looked back and said, “I’m going to head home if you don’t need me for anything. Is that okay?”
“Sure. It doesn’t look like you have much room to work anyhow,” he smiled. “Have a good weekend.” This was news that was worth sharing with Juliet. Of course, they couldn’t be sure what was going to happen, so he didn’t want to be too optimistic.
Faith drove straight to Gavin’s house. His car was parked in the driveway. She grabbed her purse, got out of her car, and walked to the front door. She used her key to let herself in, hung her coat up, slipped out of her shoes, and sat her purse by the door. Soft music was playing as she quietly walked down the hallway towards the living room.
Gavin was resting on some floor pillows in front of the fireplace, drinking a glass of wine. As if he could sense her presence, he turned his head slightly as Faith nervously walked around the couch. Gavin reached up and placed his glass on the end table, continuing to watch her as she stepped in front of him. Keeping their eyes on one another, he extended his hand toward her. Faith took his hand and gently bent down and sat across his lap, resting her arms on his chest and shoulder. Gavin wrapped one arm around her back, and cupped her neck with his other hand. Without speaking a single word, they continued to gaze at each other and said everything they needed to say. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘I love you.’ ‘I need you.’ ‘I want you.’ Tears began to well up in Faith’s eyes. As they rolled down her cheeks, Gavin pulled her close and kissed each one away, then gently kissed her eyes. He pulled back a little, moved hair away from her face, then softly kissed her lips. As their kiss slowly intensified, their lips parted, deepening their embrace as they held each other tightly. Filled with emotion, Faith broke their embrace, leaned her head against his and took a deep breath. Gavin kissed her forehead, pushed her hair back, then lifted her chin to kiss her lips, then her cheek.
He kissed and nipped at her ear, then gently kissed down her neckline and back up to her ear. Kissing her lips again, he reached underneath her sweater to feel her skin. Faith gently stroked his face, kissed his cheek, then slowly moved back to his lips. As their kiss intensified, Gavin pulled her sweater over her head. He gently stroked Faith’s arms with his fingertips, as he kissed her shoulder and her collarbone. He kissed the bend of her arm, then reached on the inside of her bra and tenderly played with one of her nipples. Moaning from the pleasure, her eyes remained closed as she enjoyed his caresses. Wanting to feel his skin against hers, Faith tugged at his shirt and pulled it off of him. She kissed and rubbed his chest as he continued to softly pull and rub her breasts. Gavin wrapped his arms around Faith, passionately kissed her on the lips, and carefully unhooked her bra. She slipped her arms out of the straps and let it fall to the floor. As he continued to kiss her, he laid her down on the pillows, and rested on top of her. Faith stroked his arms as he kissed her neck and chest, then lightly sucked and licked her nipples, which was an extremely sensitive spot for her. She played with his hair as he spent a good deal of time pleasing her there, then moved back up to her neck and her lips. They could feel each other’s desire as they kissed more deeply than before. She stroked his arms with her fingers, feeling every muscle, then wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. He began to grind against her, increasing
her longing for him, both of them moaning from excitement. Gavin broke their kiss and gazed into her eyes as he continued to grind.
As if she told him what to do next, he kissed her cheeks and neck, making his way down to her stomach. His kisses were soft, his licks sensuous. As he tickled her bellybutton with his tongue, he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants. Sitting up, he slipped them off of her, then took a moment to stare at her beautiful body. He lifted one of her legs and rested it on his shoulder as he kissed the inside of her thigh. Faith could hardly control herself, biting her lip as her wetness increased. Gavin’s kisses made their way up her leg to her center spot. He laid down, stretched her underwear to the side, and teased her with a few light, feathery licks. He looked up at her and smiled. Her eyes were closed as she clutched at the pillows and arched her back, longing for more than what he was giving her. Gavin pulled her underwear completely off, and tenderly planted himself between her legs, enjoying the taste of her. He inserted his fingers, massaging her walls, maximizing her pleasure. Hearing her moan and groan increased his hardness. Seeing how much this excited her, he removed his fingers, inserted his tongue and sucked the area. She almost screamed, but held back. He helped her reach climax after climax, taking her to a level that she had never been. Gavin loved it. Just when he thought she’d had enough, he returned to her lips and kissed her.
Their eyes met as she reached down and unzipped his pants, pushing them down and off, along with his boxer briefs, with Gavin’s help. As they kissed, anticipating what was to come, Faith gently stroked his manhood. She had never touched him before. Feeling her soft hands caress his hardness caused him to tremble and shake. He groaned from the sensation and could no longer control himself. He had to be inside her. They smiled at each other, and kissed as he gently penetrated her. Her warmth was exhilarating. His strokes were unhurried and tender. Faith wrapped her legs around him, allowing him to go deeper. Their movements were as one, and their bodies glistened from the sweat that now covered them. They took turns being on top, as well as explored several other positions, enjoying every inch of each other. There was no limit to their lovemaking. This went on for hours, until finally they climaxed together, holding each other tightly. Gavin’s hair was soaked, and Faith’s was now curly as they tried to control their breathing, continuing to kiss each other lightly.