Chapter 470 - Meeting father (1)

~ Seattle, Orion Enterprise HQ ~

Felix is in Sophia's office. He is trying to hide his nervous fidgeting while waiting for Sophia to finish her talk with Leah.

"You don't need to join… I understand that you are busy…", Felix told her as soon as Leah left the office.

Sophia smiled and shook her head, rejecting his idea. "I want to join. Unless you don't want me there."

"Of course, I want you there. If it's up to me, we would always be together… But I know that you have a lot of work, and the company's annual meeting is coming. It can cause problems if you just take afternoon off. Compared to everything that you have going on already, this is not important."

"How can you say that meeting your father is not important?"

Felix was staring at the floor while his mind was a mess. Of course, it's important… that is why he is so nervous. But he has his doubts… after some hesitation, Felix decided to share his concern with Sophia. "What if he does not come?"

Sophia understood that Felix fears the possibility of his father not showing up, again. For many years Felix waited for his father to come back home, but he didn't. In order to cope with that, Felix took the approach of pretending that his father does not exist at all. When Sophia remembered that, it made her heart ache. It was hard on Felix. She took his hands in hers. "If he does not come, then he will miss on a chance to reconnect with the best man I've ever laid my eyes on."

Felix smiled and held Sophia's chin with his index finger and thumb while his lips landed on hers. "Thank you.", he whispered into her lips before closing that miniscule distance again.

~ Seattle, Coffee shop ~

In a coffee shop with few patrons, on a corner of the busy intersection, Sophia and Felix are chatting while waiting for Damien. Well, Sophia is chatting with intention to ease up some tension which is oozing out of Felix. Felix is holding onto the coffee cup tightly and glancing at the clock every ten seconds. He didn't take a single sip from the cup in front of him.

"Try to relax… we are early. It's still ten minutes until the meeting time." Sophia was not sure if he even heard her. She exhaled in frustration and placed her hand over his. "Kiss me.", she demanded.

"What?", Felix was surprised. It's middle of the day, public place, close to office. His eyes darted nervously. What if someone sees them? Isn't she worried about her image?

Sophia observed that he is conflicted. "Why are you reluctant?" She inched closer to him and smiled mischievously. "I'm asking my fiancé to kiss me. Is something wrong with that?" She exhaled and added, "Except for the fact that I even need to ask…"

Felix liked that she addressed him as her fiancé. He moved to close those last few inches between them, and their lips connected.

Sophia thought of using this as a way to distract him, but Felix's lips combined forces with his tongue, and she was not aware at what point everything around them faded into nothing.

Her body moved on its own. Hands around his neck, moving to his shoulders, pulling him closer… and she was running out of breath. Sophia was startled by a moan that escaped her, and she broke the kiss, surprised by a realization that they are in a public place.

Felix was observing her flushed face and could not stop smiling due to the obvious effect he has on her.

But he will not let her escape just like that. She started it. "Ma chéri, your fiancé wants more of that sweetness that only you can give me." He gave her a quick kiss. "I can't allow you to ask for this." He kissed her again and sucked on her lower lip gently. "I need to make sure you have whatever you need. Including this." This time the kiss was longer, allowing his tongue to tease inside of her lips. "But maybe we should continue this in private?" And he gave her a long, slow, sensual kiss which made her head spin and appreciate the fact that she is sitting.

"Yes…", she whispered when he allowed her to inch away from him.

"Yes, what?" He was elated to see that she can't hide her arousal.

"We should continue in private…", she whispered. Recovery from that kissing session will take some time.

Felix let out a low humming sound from the back of his throat and took her hand in his. He kissed back of her palm. "I will take that as a promise."

Sophia and Felix gazed into each other's eyes and were in the world of their own. They didn't realize that someone was standing in front of their table. A man was trying to get their attention without interrupting an obviously private moment between two lovers. Eventually, he cleared his throat.

Both Sophia and Felix looked toward the man.

When his eyes landed on a man, Felix frowned slightly, and his body tensed up.

Sophia knew immediately that she is facing Felix's father, Damien. Damien is so similar to Felix that it was astonishing. He is an older version of Felix, with a less muscular body, but their facial features were almost identical.

"Hello, son.", Damien spoke first. It was obvious that he was very nervous.

Felix didn't respond for a long time. "Hi", he mumbled eventually.

Damien glanced at Sophia. "You must be Felix's fiancée?", he extended a hand for a handshake.

"Yes…" Sophia stood up and shook Damien's hand. "I am Sophia, nice to meet you."

Damien nodded and smiled, revealing two dimples, one on each cheek. "I am Felix's father, Damien. It's a pleasure to meet you. Bridgette speaks highly of you."

"I am flattered.", Sophia responded while going back to her seat. "Please…", she gestured at the chair across the table.

Damien took a seat and looked at Felix.

Felix's frown eased up a bit, hearing that Damien is polite to Sophia, but his posture was still stiff.

For some time, there was silence at the table. Felix and Damien were looking at each other, both of them seemed to have their own internal conversations and struggles, but no one spoke.

Sophia cleared her throat. "I will move to another table, to give you privacy to talk."

Damien looked at her gratefully and gave a barely noticeable nod.

Felix frowned at the idea and held Sophia's hand. He didn't want her to leave.

Sophia was already on her feet and patted Felix's shoulder. "You will talk more freely without me around. I will be right there. OK?" She tilted her head to his left, gesturing to number of empty tables.

Felix paused for few seconds before reluctantly giving Sophia a nod of approval. He watched her as she took a seat few tables to his left. The coffee shop had a non-busy afternoon with only few patrons, and he was relieved that he has an unobstructed view of Sophia. Only when Sophia settled at her table and got busy on her phone did Felix turn around and face his father again.