Page 44 of Rewrite the Rules

Ha!Cody’s decked-out truck with the lift kit is the only love of his life. “You’re a good friend, Cody. I’ll have everything cleaned and repaired for you.”

“Damn straight you’ll—what the hell is that?” Cody spots Adler’s book on my kitchen counter. She left in such a hurry last night and I didn’t know what to do with it. This little five-by-eight paperback might be the unraveling of our entire friendship as we know it. Seemed careless to leave it lying around at the office. “Did you pick up some light summer reading?” Cody’s smile is wide like he just struck gold. I’m never going to hear the end of this.

“It’s neither summer, nor have I read it.”

“It’s good.”

“Cody, stop. You don’t read unless it’s a playbook or Playboy.”

“First of all”—he rubs his hands together in exasperation—“fuck you, because I read. I just read that Dan Grisham thingy last month.” He flicks his hand in a shooing motion.

“Okay, that’s a lie but here—let me help you land it. You’re talking about Dan Brown and John Grisham. Two separate authors, but please continue to tell me how you read.”

“Fine!” he bellows as he picks up Adler’s book. “Sasha had it on her nightstand…I was curious. Binge-read the whole thing in like one day. Like I said, it’s good. It’s not just for women. Everyone is reading it.”

“I doubt that.” I eye the pink cover again that has an aggressive-looking silver vibrator front and center. Adler wrote it…how? NotmyAdler.

“I’m dead serious. Don’t believe me? Ask your brothers. I’ll bet you the master bedroom at least two of them have read it.” Cody holds his hand out to me. “Care to take a wager?”

“Your room isn’t large enough? It’s exactly the same size as mine.”

“Yeah…” Cody clicks his jaw and bobbles his head side to side. “There’s just something about the main master that feels regal, you know? I’m used to being the king.” Cody pops his pretend collar. Cocky bastard. I grab his hand firmly and shake on what I know is a sure win.

“Fine, I’ll take that wager because no way in hell any of my brothers have read it. What do I get if I win?”

“Two out of three. I promise you. How about something you could never ever purchase?”

“Intriguing.”

“My Superbowl ring.”

I reel. “You’re that confident?”

“Hell yeah.”

I whip out my phone just to see if Cody is bluffing. He doesn’t flinch so I pull up my brothers’ group message.

Me:Have any of you guys read that book by Tessa Rayne, Toy With Me?

And now we wait.

“What is it about this book?” I pick up the paperback and drop it on the counter causing a heavy thud to resound. “What kept you reading outside of the obvious?” I hunt through my cabinet to find a pasta bowl. I fill it with filtered water from the fridge and set it down for Felices. He drinks like he’s been thirsty for days. I’m rewarded for my efforts with a thunderous rumble of a purr.

“Y’all make a real cute couple.” Cody twists his face in disgust as he looks down at Felices. “But as far as the book?” Cody fetches a bottle from the fridge and slumps into the short-back bar stool at the elongated kitchen island. “I mean, it’s basically a bedroom playbook for when you need a little inspiration.”

I cross my arms at his admission. “You need help? Like in the form of a little blue pill?”

“Hey, hey—don’t judge. Do you know how hard it is to do a girl right when you’re stressed about three-a-day training schedules, the offensive coach cussing you out daily, your QB claims you can’t keep your routes straight even though he’s throwing short, not to mention chasing endorsements? There is nothing wrong with keeping an ace up your sleeve just in case your mind and your member are in two different places when it’s sexy time.”

“Is the ace the pill or the book?”

“Like peanut butter and jelly, bro. Put ’em together.” Cody pinches his fingers together and kisses them like he has the recipe for sexual success. “Magic.”

“So, this whole thing is just sex?”

“No, it’s a good story. This couple is like trying to work their marriage out and they think they are fighting so much because they aren’t having sex. So, they hire this off-her-rocker sex therapist and do some bananas shit thinking it’ll fix things.”

“Does it?”

---