"No, Antonio, I can't do May 18th. I already told you, I have to be at the firm for a huge portion of the day. Yes, it's for the new Luxe Blanc condos off 2nd and Pine. I have some boards to present, but I'll be free in the evening. Oh— hold on."
Katie Kimura was sitting on the edge of her bed, her rose-gold iPhone lodged firmly between her neck and cheek as she flipped through a large agenda. She stretched her free arm and stifled a yawn; it was getting close to bed time.
"Antonio? Hello? Yeah, sorry, I was just double checking my schedule.
No, I won't meet you right now. It's late and I have a lot to do tomorrow. Getting most of the apartment done so I can finally call this place home. Sure, I'll call you again for details on the specific rooms. I've got some great ideas in mind. But in the meantime, I'll catch up on some much needed relaxation time. Okay, bye."
She ended the call, then sighed at the twelve new email notifications. Tapping at the screen, she began to scroll through and formulate a response to the first one on the list, but she suddenly stopped herself. It was already 11:45 at night, and she wasn't in the mood to respond to any business inquiries. Instead, she locked the iPhone and set it on the bedside table, stretching out on the mattress and bringing the duvet up to her chin. She stared at the empty wall ahead of her. Something needed to fill the space... maybe an accent wallpaper. No, what she really wanted was a dresser and some floating shelving above it. A large free-standing mirror in the corner and—
Katie rolled over, breathed deeply, then exhaled. The best and worst part about being an interior designer was that the creativity never stopped, even as she was falling asleep. Or rather, attempting to fall asleep for that matter. Floor plans and color boards floated in and out of her imagination. Work never left her alone, no matter how hard she tried.
The move itself had been stressful enough, eased only by moderate price of the luxury apartment she managed to snag, but what really got Katie was the work environment. She left her Tampa gig to join one of the largest architecture firms in Seattle. Without a doubt, it was something she could handle, but she was sure there would be obstacles in her way. Between starting a new chapter in life and getting her place in order, there was also the issue of
him.
The neighbor.
The sex fiend across the wall.
A sour look crossed Katie's face as she thought of him. Her chocolate eyes drifted up toward the headboard of the bed, wondering if she was going to get any sleep tonight. She seemed to have been lucky the past few days; maybe Mr. Wallbanger was on vacation? Whatever the case, it was finally good to get some peace and quiet in the three weeks since she had moved in, and hopefully she would get some tonight as well. Work was plenty difficult even without the lack of sleep, and for once, she was grateful that her eyes began to close at a reasonable time...
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her eyes snapped open. He was back. And with a new friend too!
A high pitched moan and a giggle could be heard across the wall that separated the two apartment bedrooms, followed by a woman's voice that said, "Yes, mhmm, right there...!"
Katie could have screamed. The female voice was
Australian. Oh, Wallbanger was getting
exotic on her now.
A frustrated sigh left her, and she checked her phone. 12:10. Really, he just had impeccable timing. Absolutely perfect. Phenomenal.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His headboard hit once more, and she peeled the blankets off, glaring at the wall. Didn't he know he had neighbors? Without thinking twice, she balled her hand into a fist and banged back, exactly three times. Things seemed to go silent on the other side, then the woman burst into a fit of giggles. But the giggles soon faded into moans, and Katie knew the nightly sex ritual had started again.