Page 23 of Sugar Baby

“Ah, yeah. Sorry, got distracted by my phone.” I hit send and drop the phone onto the chair.

My heart is lodged in my throat, but I still take as much care as possible with the delicate outfit, removing it and putting it back on its own hook.

Lisa and I repeat this process with several more lingerie sets, and I take as many teasing pictures as possible. I don’t get any replies, which leaves me with a cramped stomach.

Did they not like the images?

Did I make them too sexy? Was it supposed to be more subtle?

Oh shit.

Were they not sexy enough?

Chapter 10

Emery

With spiraling thoughts, I pull my clothes back on and stuff my pockets full again, but keep my phone and the cash out, before heading out to the register to pay. I frown with confusion as I see literally every item I tried on, plus a few others in various states of tissue paper wrapping.

“Uh, I think there has been some confusion,” I start, the words slow to leave my mouth.

Lisa looks up at me with a smile as she expertly applies the flower-embossed sticker to the pink tissue paper. “Nope, no confusion. Your boyfriend called and has already paid for everything. He also added a few additional pieces.”

I blink at her. Then blink again.

Then I glance down at my hands and flick my focus between my phone and the cash. A weird, hollow feeling fills me, and I kind of feel like I am going to pass out, but not, at the same time.

“I’m . . . no . . . boyfr—” I stop speaking when my phone vibrates in my hand. Feeling slightly robotic, I glance down at my phone and see an alert from SugarLife.

I swipe my thumb over it and the message loads.

Brat4Us:Good girls who follow instructions get rewards. Thank you for the pictures. You look gorgeous in all of them.

I can barely breathe as I tap out my reply.

SugarBB_Emmy:And what do bad girls get?

Brat4Us:Brats get exactly what they are asking for.

I scrunch my brows in confusion. What they’re asking for? What does that . . . Oh.

A picture appears on my screen and holy fucking shit. My pulse skyrockets and my thighs tighten as a black leather paddle fills my screen. Words are embossed in reverse into the center of the paddle, and once I figure out what the bold italic lettering says, I start to wonder if I need an ambulance.

Daddy’s Brat.

“Emmy, is everything okay?”

My head snaps up at the use of my SugarLife name. Lisa’s face is pinched with concern, and I do my best to smile at her.But when she lays her hands flat across the counter and gives me a stern look, I’m fairly certain I haven’t convinced her. “Is everything okay?

That snaps me out of it. I take a deep breath and shake off whatever those feelings were. “Ah, yeah, fine. Sorry. Everything is good, my b-boyfriend . . . he just, he surprised me. In a good way.” I quickly add that last bit. Deciding that leaning into this might be the best plan, I bite my lip and do my best to look shy. “He sent me a dirty message about the lingerie and now I . . .”

I allow my words to trail off, and it seems to have the desired effect, because Lisa leans back with a smile, seeming to understand whatever message I’m trying to send her. “Ah, well. Let’s get the last of these wrapped up for you. Wouldn’t want to keep him waiting too long.”

I nod, then stand by the counter as way too many black and pink tissue wrapped bundles disappear into several very classy, unmarked gift bags. My heart does a weird ka-thud when Lisa prints off the receipt and then tucks it into her drawer rather than one of my bags.

Well, okay, then.

Lisa rounds the counter and helps me to take hold of all the red rope handles. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to come in. If I’m not here, the girls will be able to look after you.”

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