Despite the fact that it was only seven o’clock in the morning, she dialed Sasha’s number. Since they’d been in hiding, Eli had asked her to limit her phone calls. But she decided this counted as an emergency. Finding out that the man she was in love with had a closet full of whips and chains was worth bucking the rules to call her best friend.
“It’s too early,” Sasha’s voice sounded like she was hungover. Her friend could be something of a party girl, so Kay figured it was a distinct possibility.
“Wake up, Sasha. I need your help.”
“Wait, what? What do you need?”
“I need an intervention. Or a rescue.”
Sasha sounded slightly more alert when she asked, “Aren’t you with Eli? You’re already being rescued.”
“Well, I need a rescue from my rescue,” Kay snapped. “I need something.”
“Okay, what has got you so worked up? The last time we talked, you were floating on a cloud of orgasmic bliss. What did he do?”
Kay sank down on the mattress and buried her face in her hands. “It wasn’t what he did. It was what I found. In his closet.”
“Oh boy. That’s the kind of sentence that never ends well. What did you find? Naked photos of his last girlfriend?”
“Uh, no.”
“Naked photos of his last five hundred girlfriends?”
“Sasha, seriously?”
“Hey, it happens. He’s got the body fo
r it. If it’s not other women, then what could be so bad? I hope you’re not freaking out because the dude has a porn stash or something. Every guy has one whether he admits it or not. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Does every guy have a closet full of whips, vibrators, and scary-looking metal torture things?” Kay whispered.
“Whoa? Are you serious? Girl, you have all the luck. It’s always those quiet, intense types that turn out to be undercover freaks.”
“Sasha! This is not helping. I have no idea what to do.”
“Baby girl, you don’t need to do anything except enjoy. A man who actually knows enough about sex toys to use them properly is a rare thing. My ex acted like my vibrator was an insult to his masculinity or something.”
Kay flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling miserably.
Sasha cleared her throat. “Okay, look. I know this is scary and new to you. You haven’t been with many guys. But do you really think Eli would hurt you?”
“I didn’t say that. But what if he wants to hit me with one of those things?”
“Uh-uh. Just answer the question. Has he ever done anything to you against your will or ever tried to push you into something that made you uncomfortable?”
Kay fidgeted. “No, of course not. He was trying to talk me out of liking him.”
“That’s because that man cares about you. I’m a little jealous to be honest. The way he looks at you… I get a proximity hot flash every time I see it.”
“What do I do, Sasha? I need you to tell me what I should do.”
“I can’t do that. All I can say is that good men are rare. I certainly haven’t met any lately. Even if it’s kind of scary that he’s into some freaky stuff, which I need to point out is not a bad thing, he’s a good guy who cares about you. Don’t you think he should at least be given the opportunity to explain what you saw?”
Kay thought back to him standing next to his closet, jeans low on his hips. He was perfect naked. Like a marble statue come to life. It was already intimidating to take her clothes off in front of him, but now she had to worry about all the other stuff he might want to do. Stuff she wasn’t sure she could handle.
How could she ever compete with someone like Carly? She wasn’t even sure what half that stuff was used for and was more than a little freaked out by the items she had recognized.
“You’re right. I’m going to try to talk to him about it. Although the thought is already embarrassing. Maybe I’ll cook up some chili and then if the conversation is too embarrassing, I can claim I have heartburn and leave the table.”