Page 139 of Naughty Nelle

CHAPTER 20

Sarah

Ari knocked again, his jewel blue eye shining through the peephole and meeting mine. Both my heart and mind were racing. How on earth did he get into the building? Mrs. Blumberg? Did he somehow make a set of my keys? All these questions swirled around my head, but the one that needed answering first was: What the hell was he doing here?

Tidying my ponytail, I unbolted the door and then swung it open. Still clad in his jeans and T-shirt, all six-foot-three of his gorgeousness stood before me, wearing a wicked grin. He looked as dazzling as ever and it took all I had to control myself. My heart was thudding so loudly I could hear it. Don’t let him get to you, Sarah.

Maintaining a poker face, I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you want?”

“I came to apologize.” His eyes burnt into mine. “I’m sorry, my pretty princess, about some of my behavior this weekend.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I said though my inner thought balloon was bursting to say, “Yes, you do, you jerk, and don’t call me your ‘pretty princess.’”

“I had a lot on my mind.”

“Did you solve your business crisis?” I asked, steering away from the events of the weekend.

He nodded. “It solved itself. I didn’t have to make a trip to our factory in Hoboken.”

“That’s good,” I replied, wondering how he’d spent the last few hours in the city.

“I’ve bought you something to make up for the way I treated you.”

For the first time, I noticed he was carrying a small shopping bag. Now what had he bought me? I felt wary about taking expensive gifts from him. If that’s the way he thought he could worm his way back into my heart, he was wrong. He was in my heart…my thudding heart. He’d never left it. Every nerve in my body was buzzing at the sight of him, especially the cluster between my pantyless legs. Despite his foibles, I was hopelessly attracted to this pillar of virile perfection like a moth to a flame.

“What is it?” I asked suspiciously, my gaze back on his face.

Again, that cocky grin spread across his lush lips; he was melting me. “A toy. I think you’ll like it.”

My eyes fell to the bag again. I didn’t recognize the name of the toyshop—The Pleasure Trove. Maybe a new store had recently opened up.

He flicked the tip of my nose with the forefinger of his free hand. “Are you going to let me in, Saarah?”

Oh! The way he said my name! And just the tiniest touch from him sent me spinning with desire. My body was warring with my mind. My mind said: “Go fuck yourself!” My body screamed: “Fuck me!” Guess what was winning.

“Fine.” I flung the word at him.

With a smug smile, he marched into my apartment as if he owned it, taking long strides toward the couch. I trailed behind him, my eyes glued to his perfect glutes.

Before either of us sat down, he pulled out a colorful cellophane-wrapped package from the bag. I glimpsed the name of the toy and said it to myself.

Sparky. The Vibrating Magic Wand.

“Okay, so you want me to wave this thingie and make magic?”

My voice dripped with sarcasm. What was he thinking? All right. He did know I worked for a toy company and loved toys. So, maybe this was his way of being thoughtful.

“Kind of.” He smirked. “It’s for your pussy…”

A cat toy for Jo-Jo?The last time he was here, he and the cat really got along. In fact, Jo-Jo was meowing and brushing against his ankles as we stood in the living room.

I quirked a small, awkward smile. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Ari, to buy my cat a toy.”

To my shock, he burst into hysterical laughter. “Saarah…Saarah…Saarah…”

“What?” I snapped, heating as if he was mocking me.

“Saarah, it’s a fucking vibrator.”

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