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Role Play (Plaything Book 4) by Tess Oliver (9)

Chapter Fourteen

Aidan

I was just finishing up paperwork when Macy tapped on my open door. She held up a pink bakery box. "I need an expert's opinion on my new butterscotch cupcakes."

I cleared away the paperwork. "You're in luck. The expert is in."

She approached my desk. The aroma of brown sugar surrounded me as she set the box down. She pulled up the chair and sat. "If you approve, I'm going to make them a Thursday special."

"Little chance of me not approving, especially when I'm already salivating just smelling them." I lifted out the first cupcake. It was topped with a mound of shiny butter yellow frosting. "Have I mentioned how pissed the other guys are that I was appointed official Sweet Spot taster?"

She smiled. "Well, you are the true expert."

I took a bite and rolled my eyes in ecstasy. "Fucking amazing."

"Hey, boss, I need your signature." Heath stepped into the office and stopped to stare at the cupcake in my hand. He looked at Macy. "What the hell? Why is he tasting cupcakes? I'm family."

"Yeah but I'm the boss." I lifted my pen and motioned him over.

Heath leaned over and glanced into the pink box. "Oh look, there's a second one." He reached for it.

I covered the box. "Touch that second cupcake, and you'll be eating it through your nose."

Heath reluctantly withdrew his hand. "Greedy ass. That's all right. Macy will set me up with some cupcakes later. Right?" He winked at Macy.

"Come by the shop on your way home."

Heath felt vindicated. "See, so there." He walked out with the paperwork.

Macy leaned back. "Chase told me you met someone."

"Yep, I meet a lot of people. You two should find more interesting things to talk about."

Her brow arched. "You know what I mean. I think it's great. Chase mentioned you were taking her to the beach house this weekend." Her face turned a shade darker. "I still remember my initiation at the Plaything beach house."

"Is that right? The place is definitely an asset when you want to impress a lady." I wadded up the first cupcake wrapper. "Unfortunately, Jane had to cancel. She has to work."

"That's too bad. So her name is Jane." Macy put her elbow on my desk and rested her chin on her hand. "What else?"

I stared down at the cupcake in the box. "Something tells me I'm not really taste testing these cupcakes."

The twinkle in her eye told me I was right. "That's not a new flavor. I was just curious about the new lady friend. Georgie was too," she added quickly as if that absolved her of her trickery.

"That's it, throw the friend under the bus, all in the name of getting information out of the big guy. How come you didn't send the investigative reporter to do the leg work?"

"We both figured baked goods were our best bet."

I picked up the second cupcake but stopped before taking a bite. "She's an actress, or at least she wants to be one." I looked down at the cake in my hand. "I really like her. She's just one of those people who I want to be around. She's funny as hell and cute and I love that she's working so hard to reach her dream."

"She sounds great. But why am I getting these unsure vibes from you?”

"After all the women I've—" I stopped. "Well, you know."

"I do."

"I just want to make sure I do things right."

She laughed. "You do realize that you own a company whose main goal is to encourage and assist with romance and pleasure."

"Yeah, that hasn't worked out so well yet. The first time we met, I invited her into my apartment. My coffee table was filled with the contents of the Yes, Yes box, dildos and all. She ran as if I had fire coming out of my ears."

Macy covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her smile. "I might have heard something about that. And then there was an interesting story about a broken door?" She peered up at me obviously waiting for me to elaborate.

"Chase sure is chatty." I shrugged. "I crashed through her door because I heard her pleading for someone to not hurt her again. I thought she was in trouble. Turned out she was practicing movie lines."

"That is so damn sweet. I love that. See, that would have made me love you instantly. And her reaction to the sex toys on your table was understandable. She didn't know you yet. Frankly, you are kind of a big scary guy. Most people don't know there's a big lovable bear under all that man. And by the way, that Yes, Yes box is a lot of fun." She stood up. "I've got to get back to the bakery. Hey, Trey is still planning on taking the yacht out in a few weeks. Maybe Jane will have a day off, and you can bring her along. I'd love to meet her. In the meantime, Aidan, just be yourself. You're adorable. Women love you."

"Great. I'm adorable." I lifted up the second cupcake. "Thanks for the treats. And if there's anything else you want to know, I really like those red velvet ones. Extra cream cheese frosting please."

"Got it. Think about what I said about inviting Jane for a day on the boat."

"I'll think about it."