Chapter One

 

Claire

 

“Hey, Claire?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for giving me a ride to work this morning.  My car is still at Jack’s shop and Asher needed to go to the job site early this morning.”

“Anytime, Luna.”

“Hey, Claire?”

“Yeah?”

“You look like crap.”

I grimaced at my best friend before turning left down Wyfield Street.  “Thanks.”

“Just keeping it real.  Why are your eyes all bloodshot?”

“Probably the whiskey last night,” I mumbled.

“Drinking on a Wednesday night?  Risqué.”

I laughed and then winced as it sent pain through my aching head.  “No, just stupid.”

I shifted in my seat and immediately regretted it.  That damn butterfly, also known as the biggest regret of my life, pressed against my clit and sent an embarrassing amount of pleasure through my body.

Fuck, I had made a very big mistake.

“Why were you drinking on a weeknight?”  Luna asked.

I sighed.  “I went to Ellen’s party last night.”

“You hate Ellen.”

“I don’t hate Ellen.  I just think she’s a useless twit and can’t bookkeep worth ass, and that Jonah should have fired her a long time ago.”

“So, why did you go?”

I just shrugged and Luna gave me a devilish grin.  “Is it because you haven’t had sex in months, and you wanted to buy a sex toy?”

“Luna!”

“What?  It was a sex toy party.  Besides, since when did you become a prude?”

“Since when did you become so comfortable with sex?” I asked.

Luna wiggled her eyebrows at me.  “Since Asher Stokes rocks my world every single night.  Every night, Claire.  The man has amazing stamina.  It’s been two weeks since we officially started dating, but I still can’t get enough of him.”

“I’m surprised you can walk,” I said.

“Me too.  You were right, you know.  His dick is huge.”

“Congratulations.”

“Hmm, that sounds like jealousy in your voice.”

“Oh good, I was afraid I was being too subtle about it.”

Luna laughed again.  “How long has it been since you had sex?”

“Too long,” I sighed.  “And my last two lovers weren’t exactly what I was looking for.  They were too…passive.”

“Asher lets me tie him up in bed.”

I stopped at a red light.  “Are you serious?”

Luna’s face was as red as the traffic light.  “Yes, and don’t you dare tell him I told you that.”

“I won’t.”

“I wouldn’t call him passive though, you know?  Just more…willing to do whatever I want to get my rocks off.  Well, almost everything.”

“What won’t he do?”  My curiosity was getting the best of me.

“I asked him to spank me and he won’t.  He says the size difference between us makes it too dangerous.”

“He’s not wrong,” I said.

“Maybe but I like the idea of trying the spanking thing.  It just seems deliciously kinky,” Luna said.

I didn’t reply, and Luna grinned at me.  “Are you shocked that I want to try spanking?”

“Maybe a little.”  The light turned green and I stepped on the gas.  “You don’t seem like the sexually adventurous type to me.”

“Hey!  I’m adventurous!”  Luna gave me an indignant look.  “Besides, it’s not like you’re super kinky.”

“I went to a sex party last night, didn’t I?”

“Did you even buy anything?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact I did.”

“Was it a vibrator?  It was a vibrator wasn’t it?”

“None of your business, nosey pants.”

“Seriously, Claire, why did you go to the party?  You can just order a vibrator online.”  Luna asked.

“I think because Roxie really wanted to go, and for some reason she thinks Ellen is cool, but she’s also a little intimidated by her.”

“Roxie’s the new electrician?”

I nodded.  “Yeah.  Well, she’s the new apprentice.  But she’s pretty good so far.  I think Jonah will keep her on when Bud retires.  Anyway, she’s young and sweet and when she found out Ellen invited me to the party as well, she begged me to go.  So, I did.  For her.”

“And also to buy a vibrator.”

“There’s nothing wrong with buying a vibrator.”

“So you did buy one!”

“Fine, yes, I bought one, and I did something really stupid.”

“Oh yeah?”  Luna turned in her seat and tugged at her seatbelt.  “Spill it.”

“Let me just preface this by saying I had too much whiskey, okay?  I would never have agreed to the stupid dare if I hadn’t had that third shot.”

“Ooh, I’m liking the sounds of this.”  Any minute Luna was going to actually clap her hands with glee.  “What did you do?”

I stopped at another traffic light, we were only a few blocks away from the coffee shop where Luna worked, and tugged at my skirt.  “Somehow, Ellen got on the topic of the guys at work, who she would fuck if given the chance, that sort of thing.  Her friends were joining in – which was stupid because they don’t even know the guys at work – and Roxie participated too.  I was keeping quiet because I’m the HR Manager for God’s sake, but then Ellen… shit, I don’t know.  She was making noise about how I was too uptight to even think about banging anyone.  That I was Miss Prude, and how I wouldn’t know the difference between a vibrator and a butt plug if it wasn’t for the party.  It pissed me off.”

“You do come across as very -”

“If you call me a prude, I’m kicking you out of my car and making you walk the rest of the way to work.”

“I wasn’t going to say prude, I was going to say proper.”

“Right.  Anyway, we were all a little drunk and I was a little pissed off and the next thing you know, I’m agreeing to wear a sex toy at work today.  Just to prove that I’m not a fucking prude.”

Luna’s eyes widened.  “You’re wearing a sex toy?  Right now?  In the car?”

I nodded.  “Yes.  I have to wear it all morning.”

“What and where is it?”  Luna eyed my body like I suddenly had rabies.

“It’s a butterfly vibrator and it’s currently wedged in my underwear.”

Luna burst into laughter as I pulled into the parking lot of Mugs Coffee Shop.  “You’re kidding me.”

“I’m not,” I said.  “It has a remote control which is with Roxie.”

Luna’s mouth dropped open.  “What?”

“Part of the bet,” I said with a sigh.  I rubbed at my aching temples.  “Ellen wanted to be the one to hold the remote, but I said no fucking way.  We compromised and Roxie’s holding it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” I said.  “Honestly, most of last night is a blur.”

“Is she, like, going to be turning the thing on while you’re at work?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why is she holding it?”

“I seriously don’t remember.”  It was true, I really didn’t.  God, I hope part of the bet wasn’t having Roxie turn the vibrator on while I was wearing it.

“Why did you even go through with the bet?”  Luna asked.

I didn’t reply, and Luna laughed.  “Wait, I forgot who I was talking to.  Like you’d ever back down from a bet, even one made when you were completely drunk.”

“I wasn’t completely drunk.  Just…mostly drunk.”

“Can I see it?”

“Fuck, no, Luna.  I’m wearing it right now, so unless you want to see my damn lady taco…”

Luna shrugged.  “I’m not against it.”

“Pervert.”

“How’s it feel?”

“It feels like I have very uncomfortable rubber straps around my waist and thighs and a rubber sex toy pressing against my hoo-hah.”

“So, not good?”

“Maybe a little when I walk.”

Luna grinned at me.  “I guess you’ll be doing a lot of sitting this morning, huh?  Unless you want to have an orgasm at work?”

“Oh Jesus, could you imagine?  Okay, get your cute butt into the coffee shop before we’re both late.”

“Just one more question.”

“All right.”

“Did any of the ladies last night want to fuck your boss?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“Not that big of a surprise.  Jonah is good looking and he has an amazing body.”

“He’s also a complete stick in the mud.  That man wouldn’t know what to do if a butterfly vibrator flew up and smacked him in the face.”

Luna snickered before unclicking her seatbelt and grabbing her purse. “He does seem a little uptight.  But I bet the ladies think they can turn him into a bad boy or something.”

“That’s exactly what they think,” I replied.  “But, it doesn’t work that way.  If a guy is polite and uptight when he’s not in bed, he’s polite and uptight when he is.  There isn’t some magic switch you can click on them.  Trust me on this.”

Luna opened her door.  “Thanks again, Claire.”

“You’re welcome, honey.  Have a good day.”

“You too.  Let me know if you get any good vibrations.”

I rolled my eyes and smacked her on the butt as she climbed out of the car.  She waved and I pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the office.  I was already regretting the stupid bet I made last night, and regretting even more that my competitive nature wouldn’t just let me leave the damn thing at home and allow Ellen to win.  Who cared if she thought I was a goddamn prude?  And how exactly did wearing this thing at work prove I wasn’t anyway?  Christ, I wished I could remember more of what happened last night.