9. Come to Felix

Come to Felix

Felix

S he’s in the studio when I walk into work. The doors are wide open, and the disco ball spins above her head, flashing pink and purple lights onto the walls and floor. I place my duffle bag down on a plastic chair in the lobby and quietly walk toward the studio.

Nicole doesn’t initially see me. The music is on, and she counts aloud. “One, two, three, four, turn and –

She stops suddenly when she sees my hands bracing the doorway. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” I say.

She silently walks to the record player and doesn’t speak until she lifts the needle. “I came in early to practice. I don’t want to let him down.”

My heart squeezes that she’s doing this for Dex. Is that supposed to manipulate me or make me like her? I can’t tell because something about her is too good to be true. Nobody can be this nice, giving, and this considerate of others. She has to have an agenda.

I walk closer and turn on the main lights so the disco ball isn’t the only source of luminance in the room. We both squint, but it will make talking to her easier. With the ball and the music, I find myself wanting to dance with her and get lost in the music.

“Maybe we should chat about this thing you have with Dex,” I say, my hands on my hips.

She sighs and looks down at the record on the turntable, removing stray lint that really isn’t there. “Maybe we should. It’d be nice to hear how you feel.”

“What do you mean?”

“I like Dex. He says that you and him…” Her voice trails off, and she makes a waving motion with her hand. Her eyes squeeze shut like she can’t imagine Dex and I together. “He’s told me you’re together, but he says things to me, and I don’t understand them.”

“Like what?” I ask. Please let it be something I can use to get rid of her.

“He says he wants to see me, too. Do you know about this? I just want to make sure everyone is being told everything before I go out with him.”

I mentally run through ways I can use this to my advantage, but nothing comes to mind. If I tell her Dex is full of shit and just using her for the contest and a receptionist position, it could get back to him. He’ll be pissed, and I could lose him. I go with the truth. “We’re together, and we’ve been looking for someone, male or female, for a while now. Hell, Dex would have a whole commune of people he loves if he could.”

Nicole flushes and bites her lip. “So, he does want to date me.”

“It would appear so. Personally, I don’t know why. I’ve said as much to him.”

Her head lifts, and her eyes meet mine. I clock the sadness in them, and her lip trembles for a moment before she bites it, stilling herself. Huh. Surprising. I thought she’d look at her feet for the rest of the conversation.

“You don’t want me here?” she asks.

I give a short nod and leave it at that. I want her gone, but I’m not in a bad enough mood right this second to tell her everything that’s wrong with her. She’d never recover from being told she’s too small-town for Dex. Too innocent. Too young. Maybe I’ll save that for a day when it will have more bite.

“I’m so confused by all of this.”

“Do you like him?” I ask. She blinks like she has to think about it. “I asked you a question, Nicole .” I drag out the word. “Do you, or do you not like my partner?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Do you want to see him romantically?”

She cracks her knuckles, and the hair on my neck raises in protest. If Dex has her stick around, that habit needs to be the first to go.

“Yes.” She says it so quietly that I have to lean forward to hear it.

I walk to her until I’m about three feet away. My proximity bothers her, and I use it to my advantage. I need to assert dominance here. She may be able to play the role of Dex’s new fun toy, but she’ll be gone as soon as he grows bored.

Maybe that’s my best plan. I look her up and down. The simple, stretchy leotard she wears is pink, and it reminds me of doll clothing. Her hair is in a simple bun at her neck, and no jewelry is on her anywhere. I study her ears. Are they even pierced? It figures she would wear clip-ons like my grandmother.

I make the decision just then. I’ll do anything Dex wants me to do, short of actually going on a date with this woman. He’ll be bored and get rid of her quick enough. I just have to ride it out. I’ll let him have his fun. Hell, maybe I’ll join in and play the dutiful boyfriend. That may actually work. The more I’m blasé toward her and the more she’s just her boring self, the more annoyed he’ll get.

“Dex and I made an agreement. He’d like to date you. I’ll allow it.”

Her nose crinkles, and it’s so fucking cute I almost run my index finger down it in one swipe. As I look at her face, I notice, for the first time, a smattering of light freckles. I’m sure Dex finds them endearing, and I start to smile at the sight of them until I stop myself.

“You won’t be coming with us?” she asks, jolting me out of my thoughts that she looks adorable when she’s confused. Damn it .

“We don’t have to do everything together. You’re free to spend time with Dex as long as you understand he comes home to me at night.” I look her up and down and smirk when she practically curls in on herself to avoid my disdain. “And all that…entails.”

She looks at the floor and shuffles her feet. “He asked me to dinner and a movie tonight. I’d like to go. I don’t have many friends here.”

“Why’s that?” I ask, cocking my head and clucking my tongue. “Not so many in Chicago that think small towns are cute? I bet you had a bunny or something when you were little. You just seem that type.”

“Where are you from?” she asks like she’s suddenly challenging me.

“Detroit.”

“In Detroit or around Detroit?”

Wow, this bitch is really pushing my buttons. That’s new. I grew up in the boring suburbs that popped up after the war and moved to the city as soon as the clock struck midnight on my eighteenth birthday. I couldn’t get out fast enough. Not that I’d ever admit any of that to Nicole. She needs to think I was born right in the city center.

She finally looks up but still doesn’t meet my eyes. She stares at my chin like she’s trying to burrow into the cleft there. “I’d like to be friends with you, too. You’re important to Dex.”

I cross my arms. “Do you really think you fit in with Dex? Or, are you just trying him on like a pair of new shoes you’ll toss as soon as they scuff? Because that’s not going to fly here, Nicole. If you hurt him, you’ll hear from me.”

She nods, and her eyes don’t move from my chin. Part of me wants to squeeze her cheeks and force her to look at me. I don’t dare touch her when Dex isn’t around. To do so, to touch her without it being for Dex’s approval or pleasure, seems wrong. No. She’s something used only for pleasure from now on. Mine or Dex’s.

Nicole bites her lip like she wants to say something. I watch her struggle with speech, and part of me wants to laugh. Taunt her.

Just when I think she won’t dare speak to me, her mouth opens. She licks her lips and finally looks at me without looking away. “I think I would fit in just fine if you’d give me a chance.”

“Just out of curiosity, why do you want that, Nicole?” I lean my hand on the nearby record table like I’m settling in for a long conversation and interested in what she has to say. “You’re not the type. What interests you about being a third in our relationship.”

“Dex said it would be equal. Like a triangle.”

“That’s what we both want, Nicole. A third person for us to love and share our life with. Someone who would be willing to be an equal partner in everything. The business. Our family. We want that. Dex craves it like water. I’ve always known that. It’s just the way he’s built. That guy has so much love in him to give to others, it’s like a snake coiled inside of him, ready to strike anyone who passes by. His family was shit. He took all the love he wasn’t allowed to show them for fear of punishment and bottled it up. But he’s successful now, and he’s ready to pop the cork and let it flow. Hell, part of me is the same.” I look away from her and idly flip through a few of the records Dex left out, just for something to do with my hands. “I have love to give. But I’m picky as fuck about who I give it to.”

“Come out with us tonight.”

I smirk in surprise. Her brazenness shocks me. She’s never argued for or against something in the little time I’ve known her. “Why?”

“Dex would like it. I’d like it. I want to get to know you. I want to learn to like you, even if you’re rude to me now. You just don’t know me. I want to be civil to you for Dex’s sake. I’ve never met anyone like him. I want to try something. Something new and exciting. I want to go on a life adventure.”

“So, it is entertainment for you? This is a fun hat to try on, huh?”

Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head until the hair around her face slaps her skin. “No! I –

She’s interrupted by Dex as he barrels through the door to the studio with a huge smile on his face. He’s holding his black, leather briefcase full of schedules and important monthly contracts for students to sign.

He walks to Nicole and me like we’re not having a tense conversation but simply talking about the weather. He kisses my cheek first before kissing Nicole’s. Putting aside our differences for a second, Nicole and I both smile at Dex like he’s the sun in our solar systems.

I guess he kind of is.

Eventually, he looks between us like he just noticed the possibility that we may have been talking without him. “How are my two favorite employees today?”

That hurt. I used to be his only favorite.

Focus, Felix. Play nice. If you can convince him you’re open to this and nice, he’ll get bored on his own. She’ll be on the first bus back to Dogpatch. If I push and complain much more, they’ll form an alliance, and it could hurt my relationship with him.

“Nicole and I were just discussing that you’re taking her on a date this evening. I was offering suggestions about where you should go.”

Dex smiles like I just suggested an orgy. “Is that right? Where did you suggest?”

I smile at Nicole, working to make it as much like a genuine smile as I can. “Nicole here said she’s never tried escargot and really wants to try it. You should take her out for some. Top of the line.” I look back at Nicole just as her face starts to turn green. “I’d also suggest a sea urchin appetizer. Maybe some blood pudding. She’s never had that, either. You could really show her all kinds of cuisine tonight, Dex.”

“That’s amazing,” Dex says, oblivious to Nicole’s horror as he kisses us both on the cheek again and walks to his office, swinging his briefcase like he’s out for a jaunty stroll .

“Thanks for that,” Nicole whispers.

“Make sure he brings me a doggy bag,” I say, turning on my heels with a chuckle.