Rex

After completely exhausting ourselves, I go out to the deck to retrieve our glasses of wine and notice the Demonizer still lying out there. That was a successful test, I think to myself as my stomach growls. “I’m famished. Do you like Thai food?” I yell back to Felicia, hoping that I can order from the best little restaurant on the island.

“Love it,” she replies, putting her hair up in a towel. “I’ll have a spring roll and some spicy noodles if they have any.”

“They do. Two of my favorites,” I tell her, pulling up the phone number. I watch Felicia move around the house, checking everything out. By the time I have a live person who’ll take my order, she’s taken a spot on the love seat in front of the window. It’s a great spot to sit and relax while looking out at the beautiful blue water.

“I can’t believe we did that,” she says after I get off the phone. She looks out at the lounge chair where I made love to her earlier. “You bring out the wild in me.”

“I’m glad. I like you wild,” I tell her, taking the spot next to her. “I sent Barb a text to drop off your catalog at the printers this afternoon. I want to see what women think of it this weekend.”

“That’s awesome!” Her face lights up and she immediately perks up. “By the way, what’s in that cabinet?” she asks, pointing to the one with a loose padlock hanging on it.

“That’s where I stash all the toys that vendors send me,” I tell her, causing her eyes to widen. “If you liked the Demonizer, there are many more that we can try.”

“Like the Demonizer? I love the Demonizer.” The expression on her face backs up her words perfectly. “I’m finally starting to recover.” I can only laugh, knowing that it was an experience that neither of us will forget anytime soon.

“You can look through there later, but I need something to eat first,” I tell her, patting the top of her thigh. “You wouldn’t believe all the stuff that vendors send once they know you’re actively selling the stuff.”

“I can only imagine.” She pauses briefly. “Why do you have it out here in a locked cabinet?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, since I don’t really have a good reason. “I gave some of the initial vendors this address because I assumed I would be spending at least a few months out here. I don’t really want stuff like this lying around everywhere, so I keep it all in one spot out here.”

“Plus, your mom probably doesn’t come out here,” she says teasingly.

“She doesn’t even know the address,” I scoff. “That’s the whole point of this place. I’m going to have to flash your memory when you leave, too, so you don’t remember.”

“Why? Is this a one-time thing?” she asks, her expression suddenly darkening.

“No. I didn’t mean that.” I struggle to come up with words. “It was just a stupid joke. You probably never saw Men In Black.”

“Yeah, I knew what you were talking about. But I’ll never show up unannounced, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“You can show up anytime you want,” I assure her. “In fact, I’ll bet you and I will spend most of our weekends out here this summer.”

“You think?” She raises her eyebrows.

“Hell yeah. As soon as we’re done with Sexapalooza, we can come out here the next weekend,” I offer, continuing to stroke her leg through the fuzzy robe. “I just heard a car door slam. It must be our food.”

“Wow, that was fast!” She jumps up and makes a break for the bathroom, not wanting anyone to see her with a towel on her head. She looks gorgeous in whatever she’s wearing, so there’s no reason to run. Now the delivery guy, on the other hand . . . he could use a little guidance. I give him an extra-large tip because a toe is sticking out of his converse and his car sounds like it’s in full cardiac arrest. Who knows, though? Maybe he’s got it all figured out, living on this beautiful island and working a no-stress job. He definitely seems relaxed and happy. Hopefully, I can get rid of some stress in the coming months.

“Mm, that smells great.” Felicia comes back into the room, her flowing hair all brushed out.

“See? You look great,” I tease her. “At least I have a brush, and I think there are even a couple of new toothbrushes in the drawer.” I retrieve plates and silverware for us while she unpacks our meal.

“That’s appetizing,” she says with a big grin, looking at the Demonizer which is still sitting on the counter.

“I’ll clean it up and put it away after we eat,” I assure her, moving over to the sink. “So do you think you can get people to pay two hundred and thirty bucks for one of those?”

“Oh yeah, I can see what the fuss is all about. It’s so different from a normal vibrator. It feels so real.” A rosy color comes into her cheeks as she talks about it. “That’s what I liked about yours too. They’re both incredibly realistic.”

“That’s what I was shooting for,” I tell her, piling spicy noodles onto my plate and grabbing a spring roll. “You’ll have to write a new marketing blurb for it like you did for the dildo.”

“Sure. Another glass of wine and my creativity should spike.” Her eyebrows flutter and a smartass grin crosses her face, so I know it’s already kicking in. “Got a man who doesn’t know where your clit is? No problem, get a Demonizer!” She giggles, wrapping a wad of noodles around her fork.

“Your old man stopped off at the bar instead of coming home after work?” I counter. “Grab the Demonizer!”

“The kids are off on a playdate. Grab the Demonizer!” she adds, causing both of us to laugh so hard we can barely breathe.

“It would be hilarious if we put that in the catalog.” I think about it for a second or two. “I’ve never seen anyone do anything humorous like that.”

“We should make a video and post it to Facebook and YouTube,” she suggests, her eyes twinkling from the possibilities.

“I’ve never had this much fun talking about marketing,” I tell her with a sincere smile. “I think you’re the coolest woman I’ve ever met.”

“Thank you!” Little tears spring from the corners of her eyes, and she reaches out for me, nearly spilling my plate. “You make me fun. I’ve been tense my whole life, but when I’m around you, I don’t feel that way. It’s almost magical.” She gives me a spicy kiss laced with red pepper flakes.

“That has to be a sign.” I can’t help smiling, because she makes me feel the same way. “I’ve never felt this comfortable with anyone.” I set down my plate and wrap an arm around her.

“The fact that we could share an appetizer and entrée without any friction is a miracle,” she says with a snort. “If I would’ve suggested spicy noodles and spring rolls to Kip, he would’ve insisted on kung pow chicken and wontons.”

“Kip’s still an asshole,” I reply with a shitty ass grin. “I can’t believe it took you so long to upgrade.” I start tickling her with my free hand before she has a chance to add anything. Hearing her giggles echo throughout the cabin makes it seem much more inviting. Spending that week out here by myself had been a very eye opening experience. I had always thought that I would love to get away from everyone, but after a couple of days of silence, I reevaluated everything. Five months later, I’m finally beginning to realize what was missing. Honestly, I think I had a deep-seated fear that there wasn’t a woman like Felicia out there, someone who would appreciate me for who I am and not focus on my past or try to mold me into something better. “Thank you for coming out here with me today. This is really awesome.” I place my hand on her cheek and simply gaze in her eyes as my lips slowly gravitate toward hers. I honestly never thought this would happen for me.

Felicia

My body is tingling from head to toe by the time our lips finally part. “Your boyfriend doesn’t have a very talented tongue? Don’t worry, grab a Demonizer,” I whisper, feeling a need to lighten the mood.

“Are you saying I don’t have a talented tongue?” He narrows his eyes defensively.

“No, your tongue is okay.” I giggle, paying him back for the tickling. “It’s a close second.” He obviously knows that I’m kidding, but he flinches as if I hurt his feelings before going back to eating noodles. I grab a spring roll and sit back in the love seat, content to watch him. This man is such a sexual dynamo. He knows damn well that he has absolutely nothing to worry about. There is no machine on earth that could rock my world the way he does.

“I was thinking earlier about how stressful this past year has been,” he says out of the blue with a reflective look in his eyes. “I feel like I’ve aged ten years.”

“I never would’ve guessed that. I’m the one who always stresses over the stupidest things,” I freely admit. “You don’t seem like anything bothers you.”

“Mom says I’m one of those people who keeps it all bottled up inside. She says one day, I’ll lose it and it won’t be good. I don’t think that has to happen, though. I’ve been learning to let go of things.”

“You’ll have to teach me, because I hang onto shit forever,” I tell him making a circle around my head with my finger. “The same shit just keeps churning through my head over and over. If I didn’t have you distracting me, I would still be sitting at home fussing about Kip and Becca.”

“Have you heard from either of them?” he asks with an inquisitive look.

“No. Not a word. But I only sent a text to Becca.” I glance around the room, suddenly wondering where I left my phone. Not that it really matters. “Of course, I don’t know what she would say. She’ll wait until she’s done with him and then she’ll come around groveling for forgiveness.” I pause momentarily, shaking my head. “And I’ll forgive her.”

“You should forgive her, but do it for you, not her,” he says, sharing a bit of wisdom. “Then find a new best friend. Someone like me, for example.” He grins and sets down his empty plate.

“Hey, Mom, this is Rex. He’s my new boss and my new best friend. He’s also my lover,” I blurt out, laughing at the realization.

“I’m okay with it if you are,” he replies, putting his arm around me and snuggling in. He looks at me with those big, brown puppy dog eyes that leave me utterly defenseless.

“I’m fine with it. I just know what my Mom is going to say.” I think about all the previous times her warnings had turned out to be dead right.

“I’m not going to mention anything to my mom unless we eventually decide to get married or something.” He chuckles with wide eyes. “I’ll probably invite them to the wedding.”

“How bad is it?” I ask, but the real thought running through my mind is the word married. Where the hell did that come from? We have had an amazing time together, but mentioning that word is off limits for at least the first year. At least that’s what I’ve been taught.

“My relationship with my parents? It’s fine. As long as I don’t see them much,” he says with a shrug. “I’m the exact opposite of them, so there isn’t much to talk about unless I feel like getting beat up over my career choices. I’m not a glutton for punishment, so I just avoid them as much as possible.”

“That’s too bad. I don’t know what I would do without Mom.” I caress the top of his arm, thinking about all the times she and I have cried together. “After Dad left, I was the one who consoled her on a nightly basis for the first several weeks. It took her quite awhile to get her life back together, but now, she’s made lots of new friends.”

“It’s always hard because I’m sure they had a lot of friends in common,” he replies, hitting the nail on the head. “The other couple always feels like they are forced to pick sides.”

“Well, Dad vanished into thin air, so that wasn’t too big of a problem, but Mom hates being a third wheel so she just chose to withdraw,” I tell him, a lump forming in my throat. “It was really hard to watch. My brother left for college that same year, so it was just her and me.”

“I’m sure that was hard, but it wasn’t a bad experience to have as a teenager,” he says, sharing more perspective. “I’m sure it helped you deal with your breakup with Kip.”

“That’s probably true,” I say, reflecting on the idea. “It took Mom a long time to realize that she and Dad were never right for each other. It didn’t take me nearly as long to come to the same realization.”

“I’m always amazed by the lengths some women will go to in order to make a relationship work. I always watch how men treat their wives or significant others, and it’s amazing how many don’t hold the door or do anything nice for them,” he says with a subtle frown. “It pisses me off. Chivalry shouldn’t be dead. If I ever treat you like that, you have permission to punch me in the nuts!”

“Okay, I’m going to make a note of that in my phone.” I look around again for my phone, feeling a hint of concern that I left it somewhere. “I’m going to put it in my calendar so I know the time and date you said it.” I giggle as a look of regret crosses his face.

“Your phone is on the table by the door,” he replies, giving me a crossways glance. “You left it in the car seat when we got out.”

Cool. A guy who can keep track of my stuff and will open the door for me. That’s a huge improvement over anything I’ve experienced in the past. It actually makes me wonder why I have settled for guys who didn’t treat me like I was special. I suppose I have some daddy issues or some shit. I’ve never really understood how that works, but I always seem to be attracted to the douche bags and push away the good ones. I’ve read that it’s a self-worth issue, but it sure seems to be a habit that’s hard to break.

“Don’t treat me too nicely,” I tell him after retrieving my phone. “I have always had a tendency to favor the bad boys.”

“That’s really why you’re here,” he says in an ah-ha moment. “You assumed I was a bad boy since I run a sex toy company.”

“I think you’re a rare combination, actually. A nice guy who’s a bad boy in the bedroom,” I reply with a wink.

“The bedroom, the deck, or anywhere else you happen to be when I get turned on,” he replies, getting up from the couch and slipping his arms around my waist. “Almost ready to go skinny dipping?”

“Actually, I was thinking about cracking open that cabinet and seeing what other fun toys you have inside,” I murmur, giving him little kisses along his rugged jawline.

“I’ll be right back with the key.”