Page 52 of Happy Endings

“Still an Anne Rice fan, I see.” He forced his eyes open.

“It’s hard to avoid her when you grow up in New Orleans.” She shrugged. “How do you think Brad Pitt made it on my hall-pass list?”

Andre blinked and the rest of Trixie came into focus. She was fucking glowing. Her black hair was still wet. A purple T-shirt emblazoned withPLEASURE IS POWERhugged her chest. Now that his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he took in the rest of her.

In her right hand was a tote bag overflowing with bottles and satin bags. The same satin bags she stored her demo toys in. Did she expect him to make cocktail pairings for the vibrators? How the hell was he going to do that?

“Sorry.” What kind of gentleman was he? Staring at her bodywhile she carried a heavy bag. Andre eased the bag out of her grip. “Oof. Did you bring your entire kit?”

“Of course not.” She walked past him into Mama Hazel’s. “Only the most popular items.”

“Are those vibrators I see?” He shut the door. The once sunlit hallway suddenly felt too dark. The lighting too fluorescent. The walls too narrow. Trixie’s body so close to him was distracting. Her sweet fragrance invaded his nose again, but instead of relief washing over him, a rush of blood heated his cock.

“I thought we could create drink pairings for some luxury toys. Highlight them and increase my average order size.” She was all business, not even acknowledging what happened between them after the last pop-up.

“Uh, sure.” Andre cleared his throat. “How about we set up on the bar? I turned everything on over there.”

Including himself apparently. Maybe working at the bar wasn’t such a good idea. Not after what happened there the other night. He needed to keep his lust in check if he were to clear the air between them. Except it didn’t make sense not to work at the bar, because that’s where he kept the liquor. At the bar. Like most restaurants.

“I love the idea of drink pairings for our pop-ups.” She walked past him down the hallway.

Even in the dimly lit hallway, he couldn’t help but notice the way her hips sashayed as her low heels clacked on the tiles. Damn, her ass looked fine in those jeans. The denim must have been painted on because they hugged her curves. His fingers itched to peel them off her and suck her clit until she came in his mouth.

“Coming?” Trixie stopped and turned around.

That’s exactly what he wanted. Buried deep inside her while she came around his—

“I don’t mean to rush, but Zoe wants me to stop by her boutique later and look at her new cosplay designs.”

Focus, Andre. She might not want anything to do with him after this conversation. He was tired of dancing around it. If she couldn’t understand why he left her and New Orleans, then maybe they didn’t have a future together after all.

TRIXIE TOOK Adeep breath as she made her way into the front of the restaurant. The blinds were closed, but the bar glowed under the lights like a beacon, calling her to climb on top of it and let Andre have his way with her again. A familiar warmth flared through her body.

No, she wouldn’t have sex with him today. They may have agreed to a friends-with-benefits arrangement, but she was here to work. Eyes on the ten-grand prize. She couldn’t let her lust derail her plans. The boutique would finally prove to her family—and herself—that she could be successful without becoming a lawyer, doctor, or pharmacist. That she didn’t fail miserably at everything she tried.

“Your Pants-on-Fire appletini was delicious. What other pairings did you have in mind?” Trixie pulled herself onto a barstool. She patted the stool next to her. “Hand me my bag, and I’ll show you all the flavors.”

He did as she asked and made his way to the other side of the bar.

“These are the top five flavors of Blow Me.” Most of the products’ names were loaded with innuendo. Or blatant sexual come-ons. Her cheeks grew warm as she thought about wrapping her lips around his—

“Want some water?” Andre interrupted her thoughts. “I’d giveyou a Diet Coke, but it’ll mess up your taste buds as we test out cocktails.”

She cleared her throat and sipped the water he’d placed in front of her.

“Let me guess”—he looked up and made a show of holding his chin thoughtfully—“Pants-on-Fire and Wicked Juicy Apple.”

“I guess they made an impression on you during the demo.” Trixie chuckled at the memory of him flailing as the massage oil overheated his skin. She pulled out those two flavors and three more: Va-Va-Voom Vanilla, Chocolate Explosion, and Berry Sexy.

“You could say that.” He leaned closer to her and his voice deepened. “How could I forget the names after what we did with them?”

Trixie froze, her heart pounding. The way he’d lapped the cinnamon-flavored sweetness off her thighs. Even though she’d sold hundreds of bottles of Blow Me, that had been the first time she’d used it with someone else. The warming massage oil truly worked as promised. She resisted the urge to close her eyes and let the memory of his touch awaken her body.

“Andre,” she whispered hoarsely. “We’re supposed to be working.”

His eyes bore into hers. Andre licked his lips, opened his mouth, and closed it again.

“Please. I’m not ready for whatever this is between us.” She broke eye contact with him and rummaged through the tote bag. “Here are the deluxe vibes. Figured if you paired them with a cocktail, people would see past the price tag.”

---