Page 6 of Beneath the Blindfold

We sat, ordered drinks, and chitchatted about random things. Our flight, their jobs, the wedding. Dominic’s arm rested comfortably on the back of my chair, his thumb brushing patterns on my shoulder.

Evie wore a sleeveless black dress that draped in the front and hung low to give a peek at her cleavage. She was a beautiful woman, and although Logan was attractive, he was lucky to have her. Evie fucking rocked. When I’d quit my job at Rosso Media Group and began working at the club, she hadn’t judged me. Nor did she abandoned me, or try to talk me out of it as some of my other friends had. Eviegotme.

And that was probably what I liked most about Logan. He treated her as if she were everything, even with the way he looked at her. She was the center of his goddamn universe. My final night as a working girl at the club, I’d been on the table wishing I could find a connection to someone just a fraction as strong as what they had.

In walked Dominic, and boom. Done.

The conversation floated from topic to topic easily, like no time had passed with us being apart. There was a pang in my stomach. I already knew I’d spend my first week back in Tokyo being fucking homesick.Just three more months.

“What are the plans tonight?” Evie asked, her attention focused on me. “Or do we not get to know them?”

An evil grin warmed my face, and beneath the table, I squeezed Dominic’s knee. We spoke at the same time. “It’s a surprise.”

I dug into my purse, pulled out the tiara I’d bought, and set it on the table. It was decorated with plastic penises, and everyone stared at it, the peach colored cocks on springs waving comically.

“Don’t worry, Logan,” Dominic deadpanned. “That’s for Evie.”

“Evelyn,” I corrected, but Dominic just smirked.

Logan raised an eyebrow and his attention swung to his fiancé, his voice teasing. “Still remember what they look like?”

Evie’s face flushed as she clenched the tiara in her hand and set it in her lap, hiding it from view. “Ha, ha, boss.”

Well, that was weird. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” My friend’s voice was high and rushed. Apparently she hadn’t gotten any better at lying since I’d left Chicago.

“Oh, no. Tell me, or you put the Princess Penis crown on right now.”

The men chuckled, but I was entirely serious, and it was obvious from Evie’s nervous look she knew. A deep breath was sucked in. She tucked a lock of hair behind an ear, straightened her shoulders, and gave me a plain look.

“I told Logan no more sex before the wedding.”

THREE

For a moment, sound fell from the room. I couldn’t focus my thoughts. “What the fuck? Why?”

“Because,” she snapped, “I want our wedding night to be special, okay? I liked the idea of building the anticipation, and I thought no sex or nudity would do that.”

“Shit, no nudity either?” Dominic’s voice was thinly veiled horror. Was he worried I’d like this concept and want to do something similar? It sounded like fucking torture.

Logan had a pained smile, as if it were humorous and awful at the same time. “Yeah. She changes in our bathroom or the closet with the door shut.”

“When did the rule go into effect?” I asked Evie, who stared at her shrimp appetizer.

There was no hesitation from Logan. “Thirty seven days ago.”

Oh. My. God.Dominic and I exchanged glances. How was this going to affect our plans?

Her voice was soft. “I didn’t make the rule to punish us.”

Logan shifted in his seat, leaning into her as he radiated concern. “Hey, I know that. I . . . I don’t know iflikeis the right word, but I understand the rule. You know I won’t break it.” His fingers curled under her chin and tilted her up into a soft kiss. “I did think you’d cave by now, though, naughty girl. You hardly ever follow the rules.”

Their intimate moment forced me to turn to Dominic. “No sex for thirty-seven days. I might die.”

He scowled. “That’s nothing. Try going a fuckingyear.”

I pressed my lips together to hold back the giggle. He’d gone that long without sex when he’d first moved to Japan, before we met. “Oh, yeah. Poor Dominic. We made up for lost time, though.”

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