“Have a good time,” Mom says with a smile. “We’ll be here.”
“Thank you for watching her,” Chase tells her, kissing her cheek.
“Anytime.”
“Where are we going?” I ask, once we’re back in Chase’s car.
“Home.”
Home… Well, okay, then.
Chase
I have to fix this. Georgia and me. I couldn’t fix my marriage, and now I know it was a blessing in disguise, but I can fix us. I’m determined to make this right. I have to. Georgia is different than Victoria. Our relationship is different. The love I feel for her is different. And I’m not going to lose her over sex toys.
Grabbing a bottle of wine I know Georgia likes, I pour us each a glass, then sit on the couch across from her. I’m not really a wine drinker, and she only drinks it on occasion, but it’s the only alcohol we have here, and I’m thinking alcohol might be needed for the conversation we’re about to have.
“Thanks,” she says, accepting the glass from me and taking a sip.
“I’d like to talk to you about what you found in my drawer,” I begin. “I want to explain.”
Georgia nods, sipping more of her drink.
I take a deep breath, praying that opening up and being honest with Georgia doesn’t mean losing her. “As I told you before, Victoria was the first woman I was with sexually. We were young and we both learned a lot about ourselves and each other through exploration. When she started using drugs, and I had her go to rehab, I resorted to porn and my hand.” I shrug sheepishly, hoping Georgia understands it was my way of satisfying myself while my wife was gone and that I’m not some weird porn freak.
“Watching the porn, I came across videos with sex toys…” I clear my throat. “I was curious and bought a few so Victoria and I could try them out once she got out. The drugs had kind of messed with our sex lives, the intimacy between us put on the back-burner because she was too busy getting high. Only when she got out and I mentioned them, she freaked out on me, telling me I was sick and accusing me of cheating on her.”
Georgia’s eyes go wide, but I focus on finishing my story before I chicken out. “I never brought it up again. Sex between us went from hot and heavy to almost nonexistent and the intimacy between us was gone. We still had sex occasionally, but it was more due to marital obligation on her part. And then she started cheating on me. I didn’t know it at the time, but looking back, it makes sense. She would only have sex with me once in a while to keep me from bitching.”
I blow out a harsh breath and down the wine, setting the glass on the table. “When we got divorced, I started having one-night stands. One night a woman I was with busted out some sex toys. At first, by using them, I felt like I was sticking it to Victoria. Like a fuck you.” I laugh humorlessly. “But I quickly learned toys can heighten the sexual experience. I picked some up at the store and would try them out with women who didn’t mind.”
I lock eyes with her so she knows how serious what I say next is. “I don’t require toys in bed. I just want you, however I can have you. I was just having fun. I was a twenty-nine-year-old man who had only been with one woman. But the truth is, Georgia”—I set her drink on the table and take her hands in mine—“had I known what was on the other side of your door, I wouldn’t have been with a single one of those women. I’m not trying to romance you,” I say with a playful smirk to lighten the mood. “I’m just being honest. So please don’t read too much into those toys, and please don’t walk away thinking I’m some weird, kinky porn freak.”
Georgia barks out a laugh. “I don’t think you’re weird or a freak, and even if you were, I’m okay with both.” She stands and pulls my hand. “Come with me.”
I follow her into our room and she pulls a bag out of her drawer, handing it to me. It’s black, and there’s only one store I know of that uses black bags.
I open it up and peek inside it, finding all types of sex toys. “Georgia…” I shake my head. Of course, instead of running, she would try to please me. But that’s not what I want.
“Before you give me some speech about how you don’t need toys, yes, I bought these after seeing them in your drawer, but I didn’t just buy them for you. I bought them for us. I love our sex life, and if these toys can make it even better then I’m up for trying them out.”