Page 50 of The Influencer

“Where’d you learn how to give head like that?”

“I have good instincts and a weak gag reflex. Also porn.”

“Ah.” A weak gag reflex? Why am I suddenly worried about his future health? Gag reflexes are there for a reason, aren’t they? Like—they serve a purpose. What if he chokes on something? What if he can’t?

Oh, dear baby Jesus, I need out of this bathroom and away from him. “Can you put the nose ring in?” I ask, still panting. “The old one. I don’t want to get an infection.”

“Look who’s a good boy following instructions all of a sudden.”

I glare at him, and he just smirks. Fuck, he looks good, with his hair all fucked up from my hands and those sexy freckles making my stomach all jumpy.

“Tilt your head back,” he says, his voice still all low growl.

I do as he says, and he quickly resets the piercing. “Beautiful,” he murmurs before taking the step away from me that allows me to pull up my pants and close my slutty legs.

I don’t look at him while I put myself back together and slide off the counter. I check myself in the mirror, fluff up my hair and grimace at the beard rash he left on me. Why does my skin have to tell my entire life story? Such a pain in the ass.

“I gotta go,” he says, his usual refrain.

“Asher,” I say as he’s putting his hand on the door latch.

He looks back at me.

“Can I give you my number?”

Moment of weakness. I can always give him the wrong number.

He studies me for a moment, and then nods shortly, pulling his own phone from his pocket. I not only don’t give him the wrong number, but I also annunciate every digit like I’m in a fucking spelling bee, and then I have him send me a text just to confirm.

“Got it,” I whisper, adding his contact to my phone. Ash.

“You okay?” he asks.

“That’s my line.”

“I’m good, thanks,” Asher says.

“You uh…” I don’t know what I’m trying to say, but I’m gesturing at his crotch where the outline of his erection is visible. “You know…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, I’m not,” I say quickly. “I just—it can be a safety issue.”

He snorts. “Right. See you later, Jade.”

“Later, Ash.”

He leaves the bathroom, and my legs give out. I don’t even know how they were holding me up so well because the second he’s gone, my ass hits the floor. I put my elbows on my knees, cover my nose and mouth with my hands and hyperventilate into them.

I hate this. I don’t even recognize the man I’ve been acting like for the past five minutes ever since I came in his mouth. What the fuck was that? Can I give you my number? Fuck. It’s just that I get so many DMs, sometimes I don’t see his for a few hours, and it’s possible I’ve even missed some, and still… I shouldn’t give a shit.

I breathe until I’m actually lightheaded and then lift my head to see Gideon leaning quietly in the doorway. “What?” I ask.

“Did you just puke in my toilet?”

“No.”

“So, I, uh… passed Asher on the stairs.”

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