Page 7 of Pills and Potions: Kase
Tuesday turned, eyebrows raised. “Yup. Wanna go in?”
I hesitated. “I mean… I’ve never been in one before. I’m just… curious.”
She grinned like she’d been waiting her whole life for me to say that. “Ohhh, this gon’ befun.Come on, nerd.”
I hesitated in front of the store, shifting on my heels. “Hey,” I said, glancing at Tuesday. “You a nerd too, you know.”
“Yup,” she said proudly, popping her gum. “But the difference is, I got a man. So, my nerd comes with benefits.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wow. Not you flexing relationship perks in front of the sexually frustrated.”
She grinned and grabbed my arm. “Girl, come on. You about to get an education today.”
There were so many things in that sex shop I hadneverseen before. Toys, gels, ropes, costumes, stuff I didn’t even knowpeople used outside of movies. And the dildos and vibrators? They had an entire wall for them. Different shapes, colors, sizes… some with attachments I didn’t even want to ask about. Tuesday was having the time of her life. She bounced from section to section, smiling.
“Oh, this one’s cute,” she said, holding up something that looked like a pink bullet with sparkles. “Perfect for beginners.”
“Tuesday,” I hissed, trying to whisper. “Lower your voice!”
She cackled. “Girl, nobody cares. Half these people in here moaned in public last night.”
I rolled my eyes, but she kept pushing.
“You should get something,” she nudged. “You’re curious, right?”
I bit my lip, looked around nervously, then picked up one of the simpler ones. It wasn’t too flashy, didn’t have too many settings, just enough to say I wasn’t downright boring.
Tuesday grinned like I just passed a rite of passage. “Now we’re talkin’. Welcome to the dark side.”
Stepping up to the woman at the register,I paid in cash. No card. No receipt. No trail. I wasn’t ready to haveTemptations Boutiqueshowing up on my credit statement. As we walked out the store together, Tuesday linked her arm with mine and grinned.
“You look like you just bought evidence.”
I smiled back, holding my bag a little tighter.
“I feel like I just started a mission.”
After we got home, I really wanted to try it out. But the truth was, I had no idea what the hell I was doing. So, naturally, Tuesday took over and opened the box like she was unboxing an iPhone.
“Okay, so this is the power button,” she said, twisting it in her hand. “And this little curved part? That’s for?—”
“Tuesday!” I squeaked.
“What? You need to know what it does before you use it. Ain’t no shame in getting your joy properly.”
We were both bent over the box, examining this tiny yet terrifying piece of pink technology, when we suddenly heard the front door slam shut. The two of us froze because the only other person who had a key to the apartment was Jace.
Tuesday’s eyes went wide. “Shit, act natural!”
She shoved the toy at me like it was contraband, and I scrambled to hide it, stuffing it under a throw pillow like that actually made sense. A few seconds later, in walked Jace, and right behind him was Kase, who was wearing gray sweatpants with a black tank top. And that damn gigantic chain shining across his chest like it knew it was sitting on danger. I damn near passed out seeing both of them in our presence, knowing we had a vibrator right with us.
“Hey, y’all,” Jace said with a grin, then elbowed his brother. “There she go. Go ahead and say it.”
Kase frowned. “Nigga, I don’t need no interpreter.”
Tuesday looked at me, smirked, and backed out of the room like she wasn’t the chaos gremlin who started this entire mess. “I’ma go check on that laundry.”
Coward,I thought to myself as I watched Tuesday and Jase leave. I released a breath as Kase dropped down on the couch next to me like he owned it, legs spread, muscles still flexing from the gym or maybe just existing. He smelled like soap, sweat, and problems. My eyes were malfunctioning.
