Like maybe she was worried they were wrong.
Like maybe she thought she shouldn't feel that way.
She probably shouldn't. Not about a man like me.
But she did.
And I was the luckiest sonofabitch in the world to have that.
So there was no way I was going to let her think that was in any way wrong.
"I wish you could stay right here too, sweetheart. But you have anal beads to sell."
She let out a surprised laugh/snort hybrid that vibrated from her and into my chest. "Oh, yes. Heaven forbid people go one day without their new anal beads," she said, lifting up, and sliding off me, going in search of her clothes.
"What are you doing after work?" I asked as I stood, pulling my pants into place.
"Ah... nothing really. I had no plans."
"How about you have your salad you planned on for lunch, but I take you out for something cheesy and fatty instead of you eating at home alone?"
You'd have thought I'd offered her a goddamn diamond ring, not just an invite to dinner. She lit the fuck up.
I so, so did not fucking deserve her.
Someday, she would see that herself.
But that day wasn't today.
Today was the day she agreed to going out with me, then gave me a kiss that made me see through time and goddamn space before she rushed off to work, leaving Coop with me for the day.
He sat down, watching the door with a whine.
"Yeah, buddy," I agreed, petting his head. "I think I am starting to feel how you feel about her leaving."
And that was going to blow the fuck up in my face eventually.
Even knowing that, though, wasn't going to stop me.ELEVENAutumnI was going on a date.
An actual, real-life date.
With Eli Mallick.
I felt like I was fifteen again, sneaking off on my first boy-girl date, butterflies in my belly all day in anticipation.
I totally drifted off a few times while a couple was explaining their sex swing needs to me since I didn't have the one they wanted in stock.
But how was I expected to focus on work when I could still feel his hands on me, his finger in me, his lips on my neck, his cock in me giving me sweet and gentle and loving?
Ugh.
Even the memory was getting me going again.
It was going to be a long, long day.
I had just gotten rid of the sex swing couple, promising to have a different model in within a week for them to see in person, intent on sitting behind the desk and getting some ordering done, when the door chimed again.
I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I turned.
Oh, thank God.
Not another adventurous couple with a thousand questions.
A group of girlfriends.
I would take a group of girlfriends over just about any other customer. It was always more laid-back, casual, even funny.
"Oh!" I said as they shuffled in, looking around, one clearly more uncomfortable than the others, a pretty blonde with green eyes that I had never seen before. But her other blonde friend? Oh, yeah, I'd seen her several times. "Fee!" I said, giving her a warm smile.
Fee was always fun when she came in, whether she was alone or with friends. She actually told me she adopted my big bowl of condoms on the counter idea and used it in the bathrooms at her work.
Her work?
Yeah, that badass chick with the best fashion sense I had ever seen owned a phone sex business.
So, of course, I thought she was awesome.
All heads turned to me in unison.
And something about the look in their eyes had me stiffening, looking between them - each just as pretty as the previous one - wondering what the heck was going on.
"I can't believe it's you," Fee said oddly, making my brows draw low.
"What? I'm always here," I said, shaking my head.
Why the hell was she looking at me so intensely? Like she had never seen me before.
"Hi," the other blonde said, giving me a sweet smile. "I'm Dusty," she supplied. "And this is Lea," she said, waving at a tall, leggy, dark-haired woman with an impossibly gorgeous face. "And that is Scotti," she added, waving at the other dark-haired woman who had incredible bone-structure and a confident air about her. "And you already know Fee."
"Hey ladies," I said, hearing the way my own voice was wavering at the oddness of this interaction that shouldn't have felt odd at all. "Are you looking for anything in partic--"
"All this time," Fee went on, brows knitted, eyes confused.
"Fee, are you feeling alright?" I asked, starting to actually get concerned.
She shook her head at that, trying to get rid of some niggling thought. "You don't know my full name, do you?"
"Ah, no," I realized, even though I had seen her on more than a few occasions.
"Fiona Mallick."
My heart froze in my chest.