Page 25 of Happy Endings

You’re so close.She imagined his hot breath on her ear.Wrap your hand around mine, and we can make you come together.

Trixie gripped the toy, imagining his hand under hers, and let her body take over. Stroking and vibrating. Her clit taking as much pleasure as the toy could give while the beads spun inside her. Her hips bucked as her body tensed—right on the edge.

Fuck, you are so hot right now,the pretend Andre spoke.

“Yes!” she screamed, as his hoarse voice pushed her over the edge. Her muscles clenched around the toy as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through her. The powerful orgasm rocked her body and left her gasping for breath.

After a while, the still-vibrating toy became too much stimulation. She slid the toy out. Turning it off, she gently dropped it on the carpet.

Now that she was working for Bedroom Frenzy, she was no stranger to using toys on herself. But this time was different. She hadn’t fantasized about Andre in that way since they were dating. On the nights he worked late tending bar in the French Quarter, she’d get herself off. Then jump him when he walked in, skin and hair smelling of cigarette smoke and hurricanes.

Once her legs felt steady, she reassembled her clothes. Practicing what she preached, she removed the batteries from her Jack of All Trades and cleaned it off before returning it to her nightstand. The orgasm had left her more relaxed and ready for tonight’s pop-up.

No matter how good fantasy Andre was for her orgasms, she couldn’t afford to tangle with him again. She had an arsenal of vibrators to stave off any need for a hookup. She had to keep her eyes on the prize, and Andre was not that prize.

Trixie had finally found something she was good at, and she was determined to be the very best at it. Once that bonus check was in her hand, she could strike out on her own. Prove to her parents that she didn’t need multiple degrees to be successful.

Andre and his restaurant were just a means to an end, she reminded herself. They both knew what they were getting into with this partnership. All business. No feelings. Feelings just complicated things and made failure imminent. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to her parents that they were right. She couldn’t afford to fail this time.

Because if she did, Trixie had no idea what she’d do next.

Chapter 10

Andre pushed the four-tops together for the buffet line. He stacked the chairs from those tables and pushed them into a corner next to the service station before grabbing tablecloths. Their makeshift buffet area was turning into a semipermanent one.

So far, he and Trixie had kept their interactions professional. Their planning meeting—that Keisha scheduled for him—was short. In fifteen minutes, Trixie explained why her customers wanted private spaces for their parties. He shared what Mama Hazel’s could provide and the minimum number of guests for the pop-ups to be profitable for him. After that meeting, Keisha handled scheduling.

Their first official partnership had been for her customer’s thirtieth birthday. It was extremely successful with more than forty guests. They didn’t order as many drinks as the bachelorette party, but this crowd had been generous tippers. Some had even left them five-star reviews online.

Tonight was the second pop-up with Trixie in just as many weeks. He’d never heard of a divorce party. None of his close friends were married, and most of the couples his mother’s age were still married. It made sense to throw a party to celebrate the end of something. Or was it the beginning? Keisha assured him it was a thing.

Since the partnership had originally been her idea, it made more sense for her to run it. It also meant that he didn’t spend as much time with Trixie as he wanted. They barely spoke at the first pop-up. Part of him wished he could make things right with her. Show her that he wasn’t the horrible person she remembered him to be. How would he convince her that he’d changed if they didn’t have to talk to each other?

He looked at his phone. An hour to kill before Keisha and Luis returned from their afternoon break. An hour after that, Trixie would arrive to set up. Andre had enough time to make last-minute tweaks to his shrimp etouffee dish that Keisha raved about. At first he wasn’t sure about serving it tonight, but his sister convinced him that being part of the buffet would be a low-pressure way to test it. If tonight’s crowd enjoyed it, he could add it as a daily special.

Before he could step into the kitchen, there was a knock at the front door. He opened it to find Trixie. What was she doing here two hours early? She was breathing hard, as if she’d run all the way there from—well, he had no idea where she lived. Two heavy bags hung from her left shoulder and she towed a purple suitcase, which he recognized by now as her bag of vibrators. Demo kit, as she called it.

A citrus scent drifted into his nostrils. She always smelled so sweet. Their bodies were almost pressed together, separated by just a thin layer of crisp fall air. That layer heated up quickly. Andre fought the urge to swallow the air between their lips and kiss her. He cleared his throat.

“You’re here early.”

“It’s an emergency. I didn’t know where else to go, but I couldn’t stay home. My friends are all busy, and I didn’t want to be alone.Can I come in early to set up?” She held his gaze and didn’t budge from the doorframe.

He wasn’t her first choice in an emergency, but at least she was thinking about him.

“What kind of emergency can there be with sex toys?” He paused. “Don’t answer that.”

“It’s—it’s—my dad is in the hospital,” she blurted. “My brain was taking me to horrible places and I needed to get out of my apartment.”

Trixie’s face crumpled. Her shoulders fell, and the bags slid onto the ground with a thunk.

“Oh, no. Come in and tell me what happened.” He stepped back to let her in. “I’ll pour you a Diet Coke.”

She nodded and dragged her suitcase over to the bar. He picked up her bags and closed and locked the front door so they couldn’t be disturbed. Andre set the very bright purple bags on the stool next to her.

“My mom and I talk every week. When we spoke yesterday, my dad was fine. Then an hour ago—” Trixie leaned on the bar and closed her eyes.

Andre walked behind the bar to pour them both drinks.

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