Page 12 of Stocking Stuffers
She bent down and fiddled for a second before reappearing in front of him.
“Uh, thanks for helping me try to get up the hill today and for showing me around. And for the wine and chocolate. You’re very nice.”
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t that helpful.”
“Still. You got wet and cold, and now you’ll probably catch that chill.” She pulled a long, rectangular box from behind her back. “Here. Take this. On the house. As thanks.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that. You don’t owe me anything,” he said but instinctually took the box when she handed it over.
She backed away and zipped up her bag, not looking at him.
“Did you just give me a sex toy?”
After a beat, she said, “A super nice one, yeah. It’s our sparkly gold version. I wish I’d gifted it more smoothly, but I don’t regret it.”
He glanced up and laughed. “Fancy Fleshstroker.”
“Stop chuckling and accept this inappropriate token of my appreciation. Merry Christmas to you,” she snarked, and he laughed harder.
“I’ve never used a sex toy. I’m not sure I’d know what to do with this.”
“It’s not exactly rocket science. It’s about as handy as, well, your hand.”
“Are … gizmos like this necessary, though?”
A sharp grin spread across her face. She was absolutely beautiful.
“Gizmos? You’re asking the woman who is the head of marketing for a successful sex-toy company if she thinks they’re necessary?”
Oh, she was out of his league. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.”
“You didn’t. But to answer your question—no, they’re notalwaysnecessary. Sometimes they’re simply fun. I bet you’d have fun with that.” She gestured to the box in his hand. “Toys can increase pleasure or spice up sex. Some people with clits can’t come without vibration. How necessary are sex toys to them? I’d say pretty essential. Have you heard of the orgasm gap?”
“Yeah.”
“One of my goals—one of the goals of Lady Robin’s Intimate Implements—is to show that it doesn’t have to be that way. Sex toys can help a person discover what they like, what they don’t, what they need, how their partners can please them, and how they can please themselves. We strive to empower our customers to take control of their sexual pleasure. That’s why my friend Robin started the company, and why I wanted onboard.”
It was as if she’d hit him over the head with a bag of coal. He’d felt the same way when he’d walked into the hearth room earlier and seen her standing there in front of the Raunchies with a prostate massager in her hand. Sasha was a good salesperson—professional, passionate, confident—and it turned him on to an inappropriate degree. Turned him on enough to ignore the fact that he normally wasn’t at all interested in one-night stands but would happily fall at her feet for one.
“I have to admit, I really enjoy listening to you talk about sex toys,” he said.
A hush fell between them, thick with tension.
“So,” she said. “Relationships are not my cup of eggnog.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“But here we are, snowed in, and I have a big red bag of toys …”
“And I could be your willing student?”
“You have no idea how much I want to teach you some things.”
“I’d love that.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never done this, though.” It felt like there was a flock of turtledoves roosting in his stomach.
“Sex?”
“With a stranger.”
