Federal Affair

Chapter 4

We finished our breakfast in an uncomfortable silence, the only sound being that of a robin chirping on the fence in Nick's backyard. I gazed out the window at the tall birch tree draped over the fence, momentarily wondering how old it was.

I cringed at the occasional scrape of Nick's knife on the plate. He didn't seem to notice. My nerves were shot and the longer I sat there having breakfast with the man I'd cheated on my fiancé with, the worse I felt. I wished do-over buttons were real.

I ate the last few chunks of strawberries on my plate and drank the rest of my water. I'd barely touched my food. All the strawberries were gone but I hadn't touched the eggs and only ate half the waffle. I'd lost my appetite and didn't see it returning any time in the near future.

I pushed my plate away and scooted my chair back, looking around the house as if a neon sign would magically pop up pointing me to the bathroom.

"You done?" Nick asked, setting his fork down.

"I'm not hungry anymore. Do you mind if I use your shower?"

"Not at all. It's the first door on the right heading back to the bedroom. Want me to check on your dress?"

Knowing I'd puked on a satin dress and then it had been thrown in the washing machine by a man whose idea of doing laundry was probably to spray air freshener on everything, I didn't have much hope for that particular outfit.

"Don't worry about it," I said, getting up and heading for the bathroom.

I heard the sink faucet turn on in the kitchen as I made my way back up the stairs. Nick was scraping my leftovers off the plate.

I found the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I stripped down in front of the mirror and was startled to notice all the hickeys Nick had apparently left on my body. They were on my neck, across my chest, there was one on my stomach, my hipbone, and even a couple on my inner thighs.

I laid his clothes on the counter in a messy pile as I slid my panties off. Even with the door locked I still felt extremely exposed, like I was on display and hundreds of people were staring.

I turned the water on, impatiently waiting for it to heat up while I searched through the cabinet under the sink for an unused razor and soap bar. Luckily, I found what I was looking for and hopped in the shower with a washcloth I'd plucked from the towel rack over the toilet.

I tried to relax as I let the hot water cascade over my body. I breathed in the steamy air, trying to imagine I was in a sauna, hoping it would help calm my nerves. I grabbed a handful of Nick's shampoo, which I wasn't thrilled about but would have to settle for, and lathered up my hair. It felt so good to wash my hair, as if the bad memories of the night before were being washed down the drain with the shampoo.

My mind wandered to memories of the previous night and the man who placed so many love bites on my body. I took a deep breath, soaping up the washcloth and slowly running it over my arms, chest and stomach. I fought the moan that threatened to escape my lips as I ran the washcloth over my hipbones and down toward my most sensitive spot. I exhaled slowly, feeling the thin fabric slide over my clit, and continued washing my body, sliding the cloth down my thighs and legs. I washed my face and just as I was about to shave, I heard a knock at the door.

"Carrie?" Nick's voice came from the other side.

I froze. "Yeah?"

"I need to use the bathroom," he said in a strained voice.

"Can you wait a few minutes?" I began scrambling to finish my shower. "I'm almost done!"

"I really can't."