Roni Loren - Call On Me

“You’re not on the clock right now, Miz Easton.”

“Ryland,” Jace called out from the end of the row, Foster at his side. “No hitting on the customers. My store is a safe zone.”

“What if I already know her?”

“Ma’am?” Jace asked, firm tone. “Tell me if you want him to go away, and I will take care of it.”

For a moment, she looked tempted, but she waved him off. “No, thank you. It’s fine. I do know him.”

Jace gave Pike a warning look that said don’t fuck with my customers , and Pike blew him a kiss.

Pike caught Oakley watching Jace and Foster walk away with a little too much appreciation. He shook his head. “They’re both taken, mama. You can stop staring now.”

“Are all your friends that hot? Maybe I was too quick to limit our time together. You should introduce me to more of them.” She said it so completely deadpan that he had no idea if she was fucking with him.

“Yeah? Which one does it for you? Mr. CEO or Mr. Blond Bisexual? I have a lot of friends. It’d be helpful if I could narrow down your type.”

She tapped a finger to her chin and now he knew for sure she was fucking with him. “Well, I do love a man in a suit. And dark hair really does it for me. The clean-cut type is really hot. And no tattoos because, you know, they’re dumb.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Which aisle has the floggers? I’m feeling a little violent all of a sudden.”

She put her hand to his chest and leaned close to him. For a crazed second, he thought she might kiss him, but instead she pressed her lips close to his ear. “The truth is … my type is sitting on that shelf. That’s all I’m looking for right now.”

His heart was beating too fast at having her hand on his chest and the smell of her grapefruit shampoo in his nose. She stepped back and grabbed a different flesh-toned dildo off the shelf. One, ironically, he’d estimate to be about the size of what was currently pushing against his zipper.

He looked down at the package in her hands. “So all you want is the fantasy? Nothing real?”

Her smile was resigned. “Ding. Ding. Ding. Give the pretty boy an A plus.”

The words stung more than they should.

She walked toward him, and her shoulder briefly touched his. “And for the record, your two friends have nothing on you.”

The words moved through him, stoked the fire.

“Oakley—” He spun toward her.

But she was already walking to the register, her faux lover in her hands.

She didn’t look back. And she didn’t say good-bye.

After she’d checked out and left, Foster and Jace found him scowling at the front window.

“Who the hell was that?” Foster asked.

My torment. “No one. Just a mom I’m working with on that charity project.”

Foster’s smile was wry. “Uh-huh. You normally get hard-ons for moms you work with? New fetish?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

But Foster only grinned wider.

Jace leaned against the windowsill, looking just as amused. “A mom, huh? That’s not usually your style.”

“What else did she buy besides the dildo?” he asked, turning fully toward Jace.

He arched a brow. “Customer purchases are confidential.”

The hell they are. Pike didn’t hesitate. He dodged to the left, skirted around Jace, and jogged to the checkout counter. Jace realized a second too late what Pike was doing and couldn’t beat him to the register. Pike rolled the receipt paper back.

The dildo and some kind of vibrator.

Jace scowled at him. “You can be a hardheaded asshole sometimes. She didn’t buy anything exciting. Vanilla basics. You’re sniffing around the wrong tree, brother.”

“That doesn’t mean vanilla. It might just mean inexperienced with toys or unexposed to other things. She’s got this buttoned-up thing going during the day, but I know that’s not all there is to her. I can tell. Did you hear that voice? That voice is not PG. And neither is that walk. Did you see how she walks?”

As he was babbling like an idiot, Foster leaned back on his heels, grinning. “Aw, fuck, this is going to be fun.”

“What?” Pike asked.

Foster tilted his head to the side and cupped his ear. “Jace, did you hear the same sound I did?”

“Hmm, I think maybe I did. Did it start with timber ?”

“I believe it did.” Foster reached out and slapped Pike’s shoulder. “Hope you enjoy your downfall, brother.”

Pike stared at his friends, then provided them with the backside of his middle fingers. “Fuck the both of you.”

Their idiotic smiles didn’t falter.

Pike stared for a few long moments then yanked his wallet from his pocket and tossed his credit card at Jace. “Here.”

“What’s this for?”

“Open a tab. I’ve got a care package to put together.”

“For a certain mom?” Jace asked, always one to rub it in. “Good choice. Nothing says I really like you a lot like a box o’ kinky filth.”

“That should be your slogan,” Foster chimed in.

Pike turned his back on them. “You’re both fired as friends. Fucking sadist motherfuckers.”

“Motherfucker? Isn’t that what you’re trying to be?” Foster called after him.

“Fired!”

Oakley stared at the open red package she’d set on her bed. It had arrived on her doorstep this afternoon with instructions not to open until she was alone, Pike’s slashy, masculine signature on the note.

She’d had no theories about what could be inside, but she definitely wouldn’t have guessed this. She’d thought this whole Pike detour had been effectively shut down. They’d worked together a few days this week at Bluebonnet and he’d been nothing but professional. He hadn’t so much as hinted at their late-night phone call or the run-in at Wicked. He’d respected her wishes to keep all of it confidential, and she’d figured he’d moved on just as she would’ve expected him to. He’d gotten a little something out of her and was over it. Bored. They could go on as co-workers.

Based on this box, she’d been wrong.

Inside were things from almost every aisle in Wicked. Vibrators of varying sizes, plugs, clamps of some sort, lubricant—the works. He must’ve spent a small fortune.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Hello, most inappropriate gift ever. What in God’s name was Pike thinking?

She removed all the items and dug through the black satin everything had been wrapped in. A card was tucked into the very bottom along with a longer envelope. She pulled them out and opened the card.

If all you want are fantasies, you should at least make them really dirty, well-equipped ones. Hope you enjoy what I picked out for you. Best, Pike.

She ran her fingertips over a dildo made of smooth glass, a shiver moving through her at the thought of Pike hand-selecting things that would bring her pleasure, things that would be inside her. What had he imagined when he’d picked out each thing? Her neck went hot and her sex pulsed with a dull ache.

P.S. There’s a key taped to the bottom of the box. You can lock this stuff up so Reagan doesn’t find it.

P.P.S. I included four passes to the show tomorrow. Don’t deny yourself the joy of watching me bang on things.

P.P.P.S. I did not include Mr. Pink. Unrealistic expectations are unhealthy.

She snort laughed and put her face in her hands. Who was this guy? She reached back, grabbing her phone off her bedside table, and typed out a quick text.

Oakley: Thank u 4 the gift, but u know I can’t accept this.

Pike responded within a minute.

Pike: No returns on that stuff—already licked each piece to make sure.