Chapter 7: Losing Faith

"And she just snapped? Over a fifteen-minute break?" Selby stood in front of their bathroom mirror, wearing just his jeans as he ran a brush through his hair. Just as he would get his hair the way he wanted, Faith would come up and tousle it, saying she preferred his blond locks with a rough look to them. He finally just surrendered.

"Isn't that the stupidest thing you ever heard?" Faith wore a purple thong with a matching push-up bra as she stared into the walk-in closet for some outfit to volunteer itself to her for the evening. "It's like if she gets passed over for anything, she has to throw a temper tantrum. I swear, she never grew up."

"Well, don't let her ruin your night," Selby said as he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her bare belly. "I hear a glass of sangria calling your name."

Faith leaned her head back, resting it on his shoulder as she nuzzled into his neck. He could feel her take a deep breath. "This, right here, is better than any drink," she whispered.

He glided a hand up her smooth stomach to her bra and dipped his fingers inside, toying with a nipple that hardened to life. Her moan filled his ears as she pushed her ass back into him, grinding it against his cock. She had no problem finding his manhood as it started stiffening inside his tight jeans. His lips discovered her neck, peppering the curve of her shoulder with kisses, knowing he sent shivers throughout her body. He felt one of her hands gripping his leg as the other held his forearm.

"You know, we could just call Tracey and cancel," he whispered in her ear. "This seems a much better meal than Italian." He slid his tongue over her bare flesh.

Her groan filled his ears, proving he tempted her. "Knowing our friend, she'd show up to join us."

"And that's bad how?" He kissed her ear as he rolled her swollen nipple between his fingers.

Faith gave his arm a squeeze as she turned in his embrace. "Get dressed. Knowing Tracey, she's early."

Selby kissed her forehead and gave her a disappointed frown. "No fun at all."

"I'll remind you of that later."

Another hour passed before they found themselves sitting around a small table with the short redhead who was already two glasses of Pinot Noir ahead of them. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and seemed more an accessory to her peach dress than her actual hair. A silver charm bracelet dangled from her wrist, every once in a while clinking against her wineglass. Her makeup was light, and Selby was quick to notice the transformation between work Tracey and off-duty Tracey. He much preferred the off-duty version.

"I was about to give up on you two." She smiled at them as they slid into their seats. "Did you decide to have fun without me?"

Selby shrugged. "I tried, but Faith was insistent we not leave you waiting and ordered me to get dressed. It hurt being rejected for a plate of wet noodles and a moist breadstick."

Faith rolled her eyes as she draped her cloth napkin over her lap. "I'm sure you'll survive. And if you don't stop pouting, your breadstick won't get moist later."

"Forceful. Nice." Tracey winked at Faith as she gave a tiny laugh.

The waiter appeared, and they quickly ordered drinks as well as appetizers. The small place was alive with customers and busy serving staff. The air-conditioning was in full force, causing the flame in the fancy red glass candle to flicker with violent sparks. Soft music played in the background, trying to offer a peaceful, perhaps romantic, atmosphere. To Selby, it beat all those places that had a television on every wall.

"So, how was the day of my two favorite people?" Tracey sipped her wine as she held the glass with both hands.

Selby's day was boring. Stocking shelves. Cataloging books. Chitchatting with whoever wandered into his store. Quiet. Predictable. Just the way he liked work to be. His philosophy was to save the excitement for after work. That was when life was to be lived.

Faith, however, could talk about work forever, and Selby noticed one name kept popping up as she did. "So, I think Edwin really pissed Cherish off today by asking me to join him on his cigarette break and not her," his wife said.

"Is that a euphemism?" Tracey wiggled her eyebrows. "Is our Faith playing naughty secretary?"

Faith's cheeks turned red as she laughed off the notion. "No, I'm not. Although, we do flirt quite a bit, and I'm sure he'd jump if I gave him the come-hither." Faith shook her head a little after she took a sip of her wine. "No, he felt guilty about the other day, and he thought he hurt my feelings and caused more family tension. As if my family needed help in that area."

"How did he hurt your feelings?" Tracey leaned forward as she pulled a breadstick apart to nibble on while they waited for their entrées. "Mine are better, by the way," she said, glancing at the garlic stick in her hand.

"No doubt. Anyway, my mother, bless her icicle heart, showed up at work yesterday." Faith related the whole story from the cigarette break to Edwin's giving them all permission to go out to lunch together. His intention behind asking her out on a break was to apologize for putting her in an awkward place. Of course, there had been some playful flirting involved, and by her second glass of wine and the first bite of her lasagna, Faith was sharing some of the teasing quips they had passed back and forth.

Tracey was good at getting Faith to talk, and Selby just sat back, sipping his Maker's Mark, while the short redhead coaxed every dirty detail out of his wife. He didn't worry about Faith keeping things secret from him. They had a great relationship, and after deciding to branch out sexually with other people, it was the stories and the flirtatious games they enjoyed sharing the most. However, this was about someone at her work, her boss, and in Faith's eyes, he could see where she might see the flirting as something out of bounds. Personally, he loved seeing her all worked up. It made things quite a bit steamier when they were alone.

"So, are you going to pursue it?" Tracey asked, her eyebrows arched with eager anticipation. "Sounds like you want to."

"What? With Edwin?" Faith stared at the redhead and then glanced at Selby, who only smiled back. "I mean, he's hot and all, but he's my boss. Wouldn't that just be weird in so many ways?"

Tracey leaned back with a shrug. "People sleep with their bosses all the time. It's only weird if you make it weird. I know you two enjoy playing with other couples, but have you ever thought about having adventures without the other one around?"

Selby had to admit he never thought of it before, and by the look on Faith's face, neither had she. Their rules so far had been easy. They allowed each other to tease and flirt. They even allowed each other to talk out a sex scene with someone who interested them via text, sexting the young crowd called it, as long as each other knew about it. However, any physical contact required they both be present. There was no solo dating with a sex interest. How would they handle opening up their game a little further? He smiled at Faith as he took her hand and kissed it, her skin warm against his lips. He wasn't sure how they would cope, but he could tell Edwin made his wife's panties wet, and that in turn made his cock twitch.