Page 123 of On My Side
The dopiest grin spreads across his face. “I mean… wedidraw dog it…”
“Oh my god.” I roll my eyes and continue into the room.
“I thought you wanted to see where the magic happened?” he says as I begin to climb back into bed.
I raise a brow. “Was that not here? Is there someplace else where you have incredible sex you want to show me?”
Ren smirks. “Something like that. I want to show you where I record…”
“Oh,hellyes,” I hiss, scrambling off the mattress. I’d forgotten the whole reason he took me to his apartment. “Show me.”
He chuckles softly and envelops my hand with his before leading me out the door.
“Meow!” screams the little fluffball sitting outside his door.
“Not now, Leia,” Ren says absentmindedly, pulling me past her and further down the hallway. “Daddy has to show Mommy the magic.”
“Mommy?” I tease. “Piper would throw a fit if she heard that.”
Ren stops us in front of a closed door. “She’ll get over it,” he responds, still absentmindedly. “You are entering a space no one but myself has entered before.”
“Lucky me,” I tease.
“It’s my sacred place, a place where I shed everything Ren’s supposed to be and am just Sky.”
My heart flutters in my chest. “Okay,” I tell him quietly. “Thank you for letting me in.”
“Meow?” Leia asks while weaving between my feet.
I look at Ren, who’s gazing at his cat child with a furrowed brow. “I think she wants to come too.”
He sighs heavily. “Fine.” He bends over and scoops Leia into his arms. She rubs her face along his, purring happily at being held by him, and what iswrongwith me? Am I jealous of a goddamn cat?
Ren turns the doorknob, and honestly, I’m disappointed at the lack of a code or lock. I was imagining his studio to be akin to Dexter’s laboratory.
But no, it’s a simple spare room with a fiddle leaf fig in the corner and a monstera next to the door. It has a big bay window, a large desk and a plush armchair, and a bunch of recording equipment set up. There’s a laptop and a monitor, post-it notes stuck on the desk with notes like “come harder?” scribbled on them. Next to the desk is a rolling cart equipped with a pink sparkly pencil case, a brown leather belt, and other random objects. A small succulent lives in the corner of his desk, rightnext to a large pair of lilac wireless headphones with the 4Play logo on each ear.
“So, this is where the magic happens,” I say, stepping further into the room. I drag my finger along the edge of the desk, reading more of the colorful sticky notes stuck to his desk. “mask kink script?” “practice whimpers to make more realistic.” “look through subreddit for listener feedback.” “call millie for her birthday.”
“Is Millie’s birthday soon?” I ask, tracing the edge of the post-it note.
“That’s from last month,” Ren answers. “I haven’t gotten around to throwing them away.” He’s fidgeting with his St. Anthony medal with the hand that isn’t holding Leia, whose satisfied purrs rival the volume of a motorcycle.
Me too, girl. Me. Too.
“Tell me about this mask kink note,” I say teasingly. “What inspired that?”
His blush deepens. “Nope, I’m not telling you.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What! Why not?”
He narrows his eyes. “You know exactly why, you unrelenting woman.”
I bite my lip to stifle my giggle. “Will I make fun of you for it?”
“Most definitely.”
I clasp my hands and put them beneath my chin, blinking at him pleadingly. He groans. “What if I promise not to?” I ask innocently.
