Page 32 of Happy Endings

“I’m not the stay-professional police. Do what you want, but don’t sit on the fence. It’s not good for anyone.”

“We have unfinished business. The way I left New Orleans—it wasn’t cool. I need to explain what happened.”

“Are you doing this for you or for her? Because if you’re only doing it to ease whatever unfounded guilt you got, that’s the wrong reason.”

He hated when Xavier knew him better than he knew himself. Andre came home because his family needed him. But how he left was cowardly. Maybe it was better to keep things in the past. That’s what Trixie wanted.

“Crap,” Xavier said through a forced smile. “Lady in red is waving again.”

She was waving wildly and grinning at Xavier. Andre reached for the rum.

“That woman has grabby hands. Let’s hope all she wants is a rum and Coke this time.” Xavier placed the drink on his tray. “If you want to patch things up with Trixie because you still have a boner for her, do it. But don’t force things because you feel guilty about leaving her to come home to take care of Miss Hazel.”

The truth was, Andre wasn’t sure how he felt about Trixie. She didn’t want to talk to him, so his feelings wouldn’t make a difference anyway. But he had to patch things up with her. What did he have to lose if she already hated him?

Chapter 13

Wasn’t that the best fried chicken you’ve ever had?” Trixie said to the forty people who were eagerly watching her. “Now that you’re done licking chicken from your fingers, let’s talk about licking other things.”

A smattering of laughter rippled through the crowd. Though she was still worried about her dad, the large group’s responsiveness helped her focus on her semi-scripted sales show.

“I’m Trixie Nguyen, your new sex toy pusher.” She winked. “You may be wondering what the heck do I know about all the things on the table behind me. I thought the same thing when I was recruited for the job. You should have seen me try to put batteries into my first toy. Not an easy feat when they only come with IKEA-style instructions.”

Some of the women nodded knowingly.

“Good thing you have me! Tonight I’ll show you Bedroom Frenzy’s most popular products and ways to use them you won’t find on an insert. Ready?”

A smattering of yeses rang out.

“Earlier, I handed everyone a five-by-seven index card. This is where size really does matter, because it’s your wish list. Write down all the items that strike your fancy.”

“The bigger the better!” a woman wearing a body-hugging red dress exclaimed. A few people around her murmured in agreement, while others chuckled.

“As you’ll see tonight, it’s not always about the size, but the motion of the ocean.”

Trixie smiled, making a mental note to keep an eye on the woman. Some guests drank too fast because sex talk made them nervous. Sometimes they got rowdy and heckled, which was not good for her sales. After a summary of how the show worked, she jumped right into her sales presentation.Darn it. She realized a few minutes into the sales demo that she’d forgotten to play orgasm bingo. The game usually helped the nervous people relax and become more comfortable with her. It was also fun and hilarious with larger crowds.

Trixie always ran her show the same way. Icebreaker game, brain equals foreplay, physical foreplay, and then all the toys. Just like a date. You couldn’t jump right into the battery-operated equipment before getting in the mood.

The schedule had always worked for her, but she couldn’t go back and play a game now. People were already making their wish lists. Stopping the flow to play the game would take them out of the buying mood. As much as she loved telling her customers how amazing the clitoris is, she needed sales. Lots and lots of sales to pull her out of third place.

Guests scribbled on their index cards as she talked about how their brains were their biggest sex organ. Things like flirting and dirty talk could get the blood flowing in more than their brains. How intimacy—talking and sharing feelings—connected them to their partners and increased arousal.

Which was exactly why Trixie had found herself kissing Andreearlier. His arm around her, comforting her, talking her through the worry about her dad and their estrangement. She’d only spoken with Zoe in depth about her parents’ disapproval. Zoe understood the cultural nuances and didn’t try to vilify her dad like Reina had.

Andre made her feel safe. Kissing him felt so natural at that moment. Of course things had heated up quickly. Sexual chemistry was never an issue for them. Thank goodness they’d been interrupted before they had gone any further. She didn’t want to get back together with him. They’d gotten carried away, but she wouldn’t let it happen again.

“This is boring! Get to the sex toys already!” the woman in red yelled. Her face was flushed. Clearly, she’d had too much to drink. Her friends shushed her, but she waved them away. “My boyfriend doesn’t want any of this body lotion crap.”

“I’m a fan of quickies, too, but I promise it’ll be worth the wait.” Trixie pulled her face into what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

“Better be,” she huffed, and waved for another drink. Keisha brought her a glass of water. The woman frowned and pushed it away.

“What’s your name, miss?” Trixie asked. Hecklers don’t like being the center of attention, so attention she’d get.

“Jessica.”

“Jessica, can you come up and help me with the next product?” Trixie held up a bottle of warming massage lotion. “Unless you’re worried it won’t work.”

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