“All right, let’s do that then.” I wasn’t going to argue; she was the expert after all. There was no way I wanted anything shoved up my butt, and who wanted to eat oil off of someone?
She smiled cheekily and handed it over. “Oh, and for being such a good sport, I wanted to give you this as well.” She reached into a bag beside her and pulled out a paddle.
My cheeks must have been flaming red.
“Don’t be ashamed. Lots of people like a little spanking in the bedroom. It’s perfectly okay to enjoy being paddled.”
Yeah, maybe for you. I didn’t dare say that out loud, though. I leaned forward. “How did you know?” I whispered like other people were in the room who might hear my secret.
“I have a keen sense for this stuff.” She winked, and it was as effortless as her breathing. “So, what were you thinking of ordering? Or did you have questions before you decide?”
“Only one. Can I have it shipped? I would prefer not to take anything home with me tonight.”
“Of course. That’s not a problem.” Her smile was sweet and innocent, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
Thank God. “I was thinking of ordering something similar to what you’re wearing as well as the Valentine’s Day package you showed at the end.” I looked down at my hands, wringing them together in my lap. I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
She patted me again, and somehow that calmed my nerves just a bit. “I think that’s an excellent choice, especially for someone looking to explore this side of themselves for the first time. Will it be a surprise for your hubby?”
“It will definitely be a surprise or a shock.” I wasn’t sure which at this point. “When you mentioned Valentine’s Day, it got me thinking that maybe I could plan something special for us.” I shrugged, wondering what I was getting myself into but hoping that BB would encourage me.
“Ooh, that sounds nice.” She started to write something down but then looked back up at me again. “Hey, there’s a great hotel called The Royal Duchess not too far south of us. It’s beautiful, and I happen to know the owner. I bet I could pull a few strings for you.”
“Yeah? That would be great.” The cogs in my head were spinning over all the possibilities that a weekend away could bring. “Thank you so much.”
3
By the time we’d left Lisa’s house, it was close to midnight, totally passed my bedtime. I tip-toed into the house a little inebriated, trying not to wake anyone. Quiet as a mouse, I crept into our bedroom but stumbled into the bathroom, stubbing my toe. I’d had a little too much to drink, and I wasn’t much of a drinker. I set my goodies from the party onto the bathroom counter before quickly brushing my teeth and stripping off my clothes. I wasn’t quite ready to have a conversation about paddles and sex toys with James, so I tucked them away in my makeup drawer before heading to bed.
I was too tired to put on pajamas, so I crawled under the covers naked. James rolled over and pulled me up against him as he always did.
He hummed in my ear. “I think I like this.” His warm breath against my ear caused chills to run down my spine. “How was the party?” His voice was groggy from sleep.
“It was fun. It’s been a while since we’ve had a girls’ night, so it was nice to see everyone.” I rested my hand on his stomach.
“That’s good, baby. Glad you had a good time.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, good night.” He kissed the back of my neck before he fell back asleep.
With the amount of alcohol I’d consumed, it didn’t take long for sleep to take me under.
The sound of the kid’s laughter startled me awake, I shot up in bed, looking around, completely disoriented. I ran my fingers through my hair and blew out a harsh breath. I hadn’t needed an alarm in years, James always kissed me good morning to start my day. Seeing the time had me panicked, I would have just enough time to get a granola bar in Lucas before he would have to be on the bus.
My head felt a little woozy, but at least it wasn’t pounding, and for that, I was thankful for, especially since I’d be rushing this morning. I threw on the first pair of leggings I could find and went to Lucas’s room to wake him for school, but he wasn’t there.
I walked down the stairs, and as I rounded the corner, I could see James making breakfast as the kids giggled at the television screen.
Holy crap, it’s Sunday.
“Good morning, beautiful,” James said as I approached. “What’s wrong?” His brow furrowed as he looked down at me.
Blushing at the realization that I was going to sound like a complete moron, I looked down. “I woke up in a panic, thinking it was Monday and I was late. I nearly had an anxiety attack.” I covered my face, embarrassment.
“Aw baby, come here.” James knew I was a total control freak in every aspect of my life—and I owned up to it—and he must have understood that this type of thing would throw me for a loop.
I needed to destress for a little bit before I got my day on track.
James kissed my forehead and turned to make me a cup of coffee. “Here, this should help.”
The feel of the warmth from the mug had me relaxing almost immediately. “God, I love you.” I kissed him chastely before sitting at one of the bar stools.
After the second cup, I could feel the calm spread over me. My day would be salvaged, and I could get everything done for the day, not that I had a ton to do on a Sunday other than cleaning, laundry, and groceries, but still.
“Stacey texted and asked if she could take the kids for a bit today. Do you mind?”
James’s sister was the sweetest, and I’d never tell her no. Plus, I could get my chores done super quick without the kids around, and they wouldn’t be bored with her.
“Of course, that would be great.”
“Okay, I’ll let her know she can grab them after breakfast.”
James sighed as he dropped down onto the couch after the kids left. I sat down next to him, and he pulled me into his side.
“What shall we do today now that we have no kids?” His deep voice ran through me, and the first thought was to climb onto his lap and ride my husband, but I tamped that down.
I didn’t think I’d ever initiated sex in all the years we’d been together. I needed to figure out all these new feelings, maybe I was having a quarter-life crisis or something. “I have some boring housework to do, but that’s it. What were you thinking?” My mind shifted to the items I knew were in my planner’s to-do list.
“Nothing specific, maybe we could go to lunch or to a movie? Just get out of the house.” He rubbed his hand up and down my arm and kissed the top of my head.
“Sounds good, let me get started on my list. It shouldn’t take more than a couple hours.”
“Great, I have some work I need to get done in my office as well.”
The tidying, scrubbing, and folding kept my mind occupied for the next couple hours—that was until James went to take a shower. All I could think about was his showering on the other side of the wall. The water glistening down his tanned, muscular body…The way the suds would catch on in the dips of biceps, pecs, and abs—what was wrong with me?