Natalie
Well, I feel like a fucking idiot.
It’s only been a couple of days, but I haven’t seen Roger at all. I mean, we live in the same building for God’s sake, and I still can’t catch the guy?
What is he? The Phantom of the Opera? Maybe if I croak out an opera number, he’ll come swinging down from the lobby chandelier. It’s worth a shot, right?
Maybe I should accept that I’ve been ghosted or whatever we wanna call it here, but it doesn’t feel right. I have to talk to him. But if the opera route doesn’t work, maybe I could casually ask my favorite lobby man to shoot me a message when he’s near?
“Argh, I sound psychotic,” I groan as I grab my phone for the thousandth time to see if I’ve missed anything. Nope, nothing. No work emails, no follow-up phone calls, and no new messages. I’m unemployed, after all.
Hmm. Iamunemployed, which means I have ample time to wait for the return of the phantom. After all, with all the nights he’s brought over dinner, I’ve got a rough idea of when he gets off work.
The more I think about this plan, the more I like it. I hate wallowing. I’ve always been an ‘action’ kind of person and this feels good. Besides, when was the last time I got to wear this ‘incognito’ trench coat?
I finally make my way to the lobby for the sting operation, and decide to position myself by the front desk, flipping through a magazine thatdoesn’thave my face on it.
Ah-hah!Just in the sweet spot of my surmised timeline, Roger walks through the door. As soon as he sees me, his eyes go bug-eyed and he starts to bolt.That little bastard!
He makes a break for the elevator, but once he sees me hot on his tail, he flips around like a gymnast and sprints toward the massive staircase.
I tear up after him. Just as I’m about to nab him at the top, he slips on the other side of the bannister and runs down the stairs. Not to be beat, I side-saddle the bannister and go sliding down after him, inches from clutching his jacket.
Roger lets out a muffled yelp as he sees me flying toward him like a staircase harpy, and tears into the ground floor wine boutique. Without a purse to cause havoc, I’m ready and able to meet him in the maze of bottles.
I race into the store, my eyes peeled for any signs of movement. I see the worried store manager and give him a wave. Then I see Roger tentatively bring his head up from an aisle, like a meerkat watching for danger.
“Got you!” I yell and chase after him. Roger yelps and I see the whisper of a grin on his face before he ducks down and dives from the aisle, rolling into the connecting bar.
“Excuse me, pardon me, we’re in a terrible rush,” I say to the patrons as I weave past them and Roger shoots me a look, his eyes growing wide as he realizes just how close I am.
People are guffawing, drinks are wobbling and near spilling, but we charge on, heading back into the lobby.
Shit. Where’d he go? I freeze and scan the area.Clever boy.
Suddenly, there’s a shaking of leaves near me and I see Roger fumbling behind a massive palm tree in the center of the lobby.
“Hey!” I shout and lunge after him. Roger curses and tears off again, heading for the back.Gone again!I return to the lobby table to ground myself when I spot him, watching me through the glass wall of an elevator going up.
Oh, no, you don’t!I race to the opposite one after him and hit the buttons so fast, I’m maybe only one floor behind him. Roger looks down and sees me standing opposite him, huffing against the glass as we glide upward in tandem.
Though I can’t hear him, I watch his face crack into a smile.He completely breaks up and starts howling with laughter, clapping his hands and doubling over. I can’t contain myself anymore either, and double over with him, cackling against the sheer idiocy of whatever just happened.
His elevator stops at my floor and we both get out of our respective elevators, walking to meet in the middle.
“Oh, fancy seeing you here,” I say as soon as he’s within earshot and he races to me, his grin still plastered on his face, before he grabs my waist and presses me to him, covering my lips with a breathless kiss.
We’re laughing into each other’s mouths, hungry kisses keeping us locked together while we press our way toward my door. I fumble with the key as he grabs me from behind, nibbling my neck as we burst through.
He slams the door shut behind him and gives chase through the apartment. I shriek and run for the bedroom.If I’m only staying a little while longer, we may as well make the most of it.Roger proves a better pursuer than prey, and catches me, immediately pushing me into the bed.
He tears off his jacket while I pull my blouse over my head and kick off my heels. It all happens amazingly fast and hot and desperate, the feeling of our chase still affecting our every move. Roger’s down to his underwear and lunges at me to tear at my skirt.
With my skirt off, he slides on top of me, licking from my belly button to my neck before crashing his lips against mine. Using his knees, he spreads my thighs apart and starts to grind against me. The friction is dizzying, and I moan into his mouth as I clutch his back.
Roger sits up, and in one fluid motion, reaches down to grab his discarded tie.
“Do you want this?” He asks as he presses his tie over my panties, sliding it through his fingers before he drags it up toward my hands. I nod helplessly, and he ties my wrists together with the speed of a sailor.