“Would a sex shop be open that early?”
“It opens at nine, I think. Is that too late?”
I grimace because I like to start baking alotearlier than that, but Icouldmanage it just once if I keep my cake offerings very simple and make massive batches of batter.
“It’s too early,” Addy says.
“I’ll make it work,” I assure him. “In the morning is fine.”
“Sure?”
I nod. It’s better than spending an entire week psyching myself out over the idea.
“Let’s get cleaned up and get some sleep,” Addy whispers. “I want to snuggle up to you all night.”
I smile as a feeling of contentment settles over me. “I love you.”
He nuzzles my nose. “I love you too.”
Chapter15
Adrian
“Not what I was expecting,” Fitz says as we walk into the sex shop.
It’s on an industrial estate, away from prying eyes. We got a taxi to Joe’s first thing to pick up my van and then drove here. I’ll drop Fitz off at A Spot of Tea when we’re done. I’m well aware he’s probably twitchy about not being there already, so I hope he has enough time to do all the baking and cake decorating he needs before the shop opens.
“What were you expecting?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Fitz says. “Maybe something darker? Or smaller?”
“Do you mean seedier?”
“Maybe.”
The shop is bright, clean, and large. There’s plenty of space between aisles. If anything, it feels like a department store or a high-end supermarket, only the shelves aren’t stocked with food. There are sex toys, condoms, lubricant, sexy clothing, a vast range of porn DVDs, BDSM equipment, and blow-up dolls.
We’re greeted by a man who’s probably in his mid-thirties, who smiles and says, “Hi.”
There are helpful signs above each section.
“I guess we want to go over there,” I say, pointing towards a sign that says ‘anal toys’.
“I guess,” Fitz says.
We walk over. I feel self-conscious, even though we’re the only customers in the store. It’s probably because I don’t know what we should be looking for and the range is eye-watering even in this one section. They have butt plugs, anal beads, dildos specifically for anal use, vibrators designed to stimulate the prostate, and squishy bulbs on the end of tubes? I have no clue what those are for.
“Uh…” Fitz says.
His eyes are enormous as he stares at a dildo called Girthy Monster. According to the packaging, it’s ten inches long and has a ten-and-a-half-inch girth. I go cross-eyed just thinking about it.
“Moving on,” I say, tearing my eyes away from it. The trouble is, I don’t know what to look at.
“Can I help?” the man who welcomed us asks. According to his badge, he’s called Deacon.
My first instinct is to smile and say ‘no, thanks’, but we’ll probably end up walking out with nothing if we do that. So I take a breath to gain some semblance of courage.
“My…we’re…” I become instantly tongue-tied. I always do when talking to strangers.
