Page 89 of Someone You Deserve

“Hey, beautiful ladies!” Hazel’s friend Adeline exclaims from the center of the room, gathering everyone’s attention. She’s the rep selling the products, and judging by her pink hair, breasts on display, and banging pre-baby body, I’m guessing she is probably quite confident in bed, which means we’re all in good hands. “Is everyone ready to go shopping for pleasure?” A few women hoot and holler, but most of us giggle under our breath. “No need to be shy. We’re all gal pals in here, and we all have a pussy, right?” Another round of laughter and agreement fills the room. “So tonight it’s about finding the right tools to make your pussy purr.” She claws at the air, and I glance over at Willow who is barely holding herself together behind her hand.

“How the hell did I get into this again?” I mutter beside her.

She stifles her laughter. “I honestly don’t know, but hey, at least we get free entertainment for the evening.” Adeline starts dancing with two vibrating dildos in her hands, spinning them around like batons. “Oh God. I can’t buy one of those now. This is all I’ll be able to see!”

I snort and then lower my voice. “Dear Jesus. This is what I get for sleeping with Penn, isn’t it? Is this karma?”

Willow places her hand on my shoulder. “Hardly. Tonight you’d better buy something for you two to enjoy together.”

I think back on the sex I’ve had with Penn thus far. Honestly, I don’t feel like we need anything to increase our chemistry, but I’m trying to be open. I don’t even know if he’d want to use toys in the bedroom, but if he’s willing, it might actually be fun. Brandon didn’t want toys in the bedroom—even when he was gone. He didn’t want me to “replace him.” So this could be a brand-new experience that Penn and I share. And I think we might need that—something that’s just ours.

Adeline spends the next thirty minutes explaining the products to us, passing them around so we can see how they look and feel and decide if it’s something we might want to try. It feels like we’re playing hot potato with dildos, and yet again, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at some of these women the same way again. Pam has been analyzing an anal plug so long, I know that image is never leaving my mind.

Once Adeline has shown off her gadgets and gizmos with the same enthusiasm as Ariel, we start the ordering process. I’ve set her up in my bedroom, and we’re taking turns so everyone can make their picks in private. Before I know it, it’s my turn.

“So, do you have any questions for me? Or do you already know what you’d like?” she asks as I take a seat next to her on the floor.

“Um, well…I’m kind of in a new relationship and we haven’t talked about what we’re comfortable with in terms of toys, so I’m not sure,” I explain, feeling confident about my vague answer.

Adeline’s eyes light up. “Oh, that’s so exciting. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you have any toys of your own?”

“Just one of those bullet vibrators,” I answer, slightly embarrassed. But it was the only thing I could convince myself to order and could hide from Brandon.

“Oh girl, I’m about to change your life.”

Adeline starts suggesting various things to me, and I’m so enraptured in what she’s saying that I almost miss the masculine voice that breaks through the conversation in the living room.

“Uh, hi ladies.”

I feel my eyes bug out of my head. “Oh no.” Scrambling from the ground, I rip my bedroom door open and race down the hallway tofind Penn standing in full view of my living room and all the women holding sex toys—lots and lots of sex toys.

“Penn! What are you doing here?” I ask, and his head whips over to me.

“I, uh…” He scratches the back of his neck while trying to think of what to say. But then his eyes land on Hazel stroking a purple dildo with far too much focus. “Oh, fuck.”

Hazel lifts her eyes to meet her brother’s and then she smiles from ear to ear, waving her fingers in the air at him. “Hi, big brother.”

Penn grimaces. “I just walked in on your sex toy party, huh?”

Hazel nods and I feel my stomach twist. First, I can only imagine how horrifying it is for him to see his sister in this light. But second, I’m sure every woman in this room is wondering what the hell he’s doing showing up at my house on a Saturday night around nine o’clock. It’s late enough for a booty call—well, at least a booty call for someone in their thirties.

Hazel stands from the couch and starts slapping the dildo against her palm. “That’s right. And no boys allowed.”

Penn rears his head back and his eyes go wide. “Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was walk in on this.”

“Why would you be walking in Astrid’s house at this hour anyway?” Hazel asks, her brow lifting.

Willow meets my gaze, her eyes widening.

“Uh, he needed to drop something off,” I interject, finally finding my voice.

“Like what?”

“Something for the bakery.”

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