Page 33 of Felix

As Jerome confers with the cameramen, I give Emil’s arm a nudge. He looks over at me, eyes drifting away like he’s suddenly feeling shy again.

“Was that okay?” I check.

He lets out a small laugh, pulling off his glasses and cleaning them with the edge of his robe. “Yeah, it was good.”

“I didn’t overstep at all?”

“No, Christian. You know exactly how to play me.”

Emil replaces his glasses and, seeing my frown, rushes onward.

“I don’t mean manipulate. I mean…” He rolls his eyes, but I get the feeling it’s more at himself. “You’ve been watching me pleasure myself for over three months,” he says quietly, his back to the rest of our coworkers, who are moving about. “You…know what I like. And you used that knowledge. Very well, I might add.”

“So you had a good time?” I ask, well aware I’m fishing. I just… I need to hear it. I need to know we’re okay.

“I’m pretty sure that was obvious,” Emil mumbles, so full of sass it makes me grin. “It was great, okay? I was really into it, and you took charge like I asked, and…” He groans slightly. “Why are you still sitting there naked? There’s cum on your shoulder and that chain is around your stomach, and Christ. Could you just…be a little less hot, please?”

Bubbles pop inside my chest as I stand. Emil’s head tips back to track me, and he swallows, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I had a good time, too, Specs,” I tell him honestly. “That was, quite possibly, one of the hottest encounters of my life.”

His throat bobs again. “Really?”

“Really,” I say, grabbing the ends of the belt hanging loose from his robe and tying it shut. “You’re wildly sexual, you know that? You might come across as this quiet thing, but I’ve seen the real you.”

He pulls in a breath.

“For others, this might be a show,” I say softly. “But for you, it’s more than that. And I think it’s brave, letting people see it, even if they don’t realize what they’re witnessing.”

Emil’s mouth falls open, his eyes wide.

“Vixen. Felix,” Jerome calls.

Emil’s head whips away as our boss comes over. I grab my robe off the bed, swinging it around my body.

“That was well done, both of you,” Jerome says. “I’m going to set up a time this week to go over the video and discuss adjustments moving forward, but we didn’t have any major fuck-ups, so I’m pleased. Vixen, that was impressive. You’re going to fit in well here. And Felix…I noticed you were less chatty than usual. Anything wrong?”

“No,” Emil says quickly, flushing. “I just, uh, asked Christian to take the lead.”

Jerome hums. “All right. Well, it worked out. Go get cleaned up, eat some lunch, check your schedules for that meeting,” he practically yells, already walking away.

I huff a laugh. “Showers?”

Emil nods, and we head out of Studio 2. Silence descends as we walk the short distance to the locker room. I shoot Emil the occasional glance as we go, but he keeps his gaze resolutely on the floor. When we reach the locker room, he heads for the showers without a word. The water turns on a second before there’s a whoosh of a curtain.

I stop at my locker, removing my belly chain and slipping a simple curved bar into the piercing at my navel. Once the extra jewelry is in my bag, I head toward the shower stalls. I pick the one next to Emil’s, hoping that’s not a taboo thing to do.

“You all right?” I ask.

“Huh?”

“It’s just… Did I say something to upset you? You seem a little…” I don’t say withdrawn, but it’s the truth. “Quiet.”

I wait, my shower heating. It’s perfectly hot by the time Emil answers.

“You didn’t upset me,” he says. “I just, uh… I’m not really used to people noticing me. And you…do.”

“How couldn’t I?” I counter.

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