I sat in my darkening office at the car lot, not turning on the lights. Just letting the light fade away. I could still see how Ashley looked in my dream, the crispness of my shirt against her smooth skin, her eyes looking up at me, those big blue glassy eyes. I was hiding in this office. Hiding from a 15 year old girl. A girl who was probably having sex with my step son.

"What the hell is the matter with you, Jeremiah?" I whispered, and it sounded loud in the still office. And there was no answer.

Caitlin. I'd call Caitlin. Caitlin was cute, and my age. Sure, she didn't have the unchannelled, nearly unconscious sexual energy that Ashley had but she was perky, and funny, and…

"Goddamn it," I said in my normal speaking voice, and it sounded like a scream. I gazed at the dark blue sky and the dark shiny metal of the rows of cars, punched the numbers to Caitlin's cell phone on my big office phone.

"Hello, Caitlin Ryan," she said, and at the sound of her voice I felt bathed in guilt. It was Caitlin I should be lusting over, not some child.

"Caitlin,"

"Joey, hi,"

"Busy?"

"Actually, yes. We got this exclusive and I'll be here all night,"

"All night?"

"Probably all morning,"

"I really wanted to see you tonight," I sounded desperate, and I was.

"Oh, that's sweet. How about tomorrow?" She was flattered by the sharp note of desperation in my voice. If she only knew.

"Sure. I guess I can wait,"

She laughed.

"Don't sound so heartbroken. I'll see you tomorrow,"

I hung up and felt my way from my desk to the door. I had to go home. I prayed that Ashley would be gone.

Driving, my car gliding through the familiar Toronto streets, my hands gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles were white, my mind stubbornly stuck on Ashley, her face, her figure, her soft skin. Pulled the car along the curb, glanced at my watch. 8 p.m. She should be gone.

I noticed the flickery blue glow of the T.V. behind the curtains as I headed up the steps. Slipped the key into the lock and headed in.

Craig jumped up from the couch.

"Where have you been, Joey?" he demanded, and I felt the odd role reversal I sometimes felt with him. Who was the adult here anyway? Over his shoulder I saw Ashley sitting on the couch watching us with her calm blue eyes.

"I had a late sale. Alright?"

"Yeah, but we had to stay here all night and watch Ang and we wanted to go to that movie…"

"It's alright, Mr. Jeremiah," Ashley said, her voice smooth. She stood up and walked over to Craig, put her hands on his shoulders, "we'll just see it another time,"

I felt it sharp, like someone stabbing me, the jealousy of her touching him was sharp and I could only guess at the expression on my face.

"Well, I'm, uh, I'm sorry you missed your movie," I said, sounding scatterbrained and distracted, which I was. I was staring at her blood red fingernails as she lightly held Craig's shoulders.

Craig looked puzzled at my odd tone, but Ashley smiled a sweet little smile, as though she understood. I looked down, I looked at my shoes, I looked at my car out the window, anywhere so I wouldn't look at her.