Page 1 of The One That Got Away

1

STELLA

‘Yes, yes,yes!’ I cried out, lifting my hips off the bed as the waves of pleasure rippled through me.

But just as I was on the verge of seeing stars, the sweet buzzing sensation stopped and my vibrator died.

‘No, no, no!’ I pleaded, pressing the on/off button repeatedly, hoping I could bring it back to life.Wishful thinking.‘Aaarghhh!’ I groaned in frustration as my bum crashed onto the mattress.

Talk about bad timing.

I wassoclose.

Life could be really cruel sometimes.

I should’ve known not to read that steamy romance novel before bed. If I hadn’t got so worked up about the unthinkable things the hot hockey player was doing to the female main character in the shower, I wouldn’t have neededemergency assistance.

All wasn’t lost though. I just had to get some new batteries and I’d be good to go.

After placing the neon-pink silicone rod beside me, I pulled on my dressing gown, washed my hands in the bathroom, tossed my thick curly brown hair into a messy bun, then raceddownstairs. The sooner I returned to finish the job, the sooner I could go to sleep.

The light was on in the kitchen. Shit. I didn’t realise she was back already.

‘Hi, Mum.’ I breezed through the door, trying to act natural. ‘How was your date?’

Mum was sitting at the table with a pair of lace knickers in one hand and a needle and thread in the other. She was still dressed in the sparkly lilac dress she’d left in two hours ago, but had tied her freshly dyed black hair up.

Her light brown skin was a similar shade to mine, except tonight Mum was wearing her favourite rose-coloured blusher, which made her cheekbones pop.

‘Fine, I suppose,’ Mum replied. ‘Thought I’d come home early and get a head start on those new orders. Thanks for saving me the last few slices of pizza. I’ll have that for breakfast.’

‘You’re welcome,’ I said, striding towards the drawer.

‘What you looking for?’ Mum said, as I started rooting through the disorganised pile of light bulbs and unused gadgets.

‘Just some, erm, triple A batteries. Do we have any?’

‘What do you need them for?’

‘Just…’ I paused, thinking of a plausible response. ‘Stuff.’

Mum and I were close, but some things, like what I chose to do in my bedroom during the rare evenings I was home alone, were best kept to myself.

‘For your vibrator?’ she said casually.

‘What?’ My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Thank goodness I had my back to her. ‘No, it’s for my… er… I…’

‘Oh,come on, Stella! I didn’t raise you to be a prude! Nothing wrong with a bit ofself-care. I was listening to an interview with that TV presenter Davina McCall the other day who said that every woman should have some lube and a toy in her bedsidedrawer. And she’s right. Women have been pleasing themselves for centuries. Did you know that Cleopatra invented the first vibrator?’

‘Er, no…’

‘Apparently she filled a container with bees and all their angry buzzing made it vibrate. Then she put it on her…’

‘Mum!’ I turned to face her, horror written all over my face. ‘I don’t need specifics! I get the idea.’

‘I think it’sgenius!’ She threw her head back, laughing. ‘But you wouldn’t need buzzing bees or batteries if you found yourself a decent man…’

‘Give me a break!’ I sighed, sensing another lecture was coming.

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