CHAPTER 1
Strips of midnight-blue velvet yank my cleavage so high I get a whiff of that new clothes smell. Not that you’d call these clothes; the lace barely covers anything, and the panties are so far up my butt I’ll be walking funny later. “I look ridiculous.”
“Emily.” Ally’s tone is scolding. She claps her palms on each cup as though muffling ears. “Don’t listen to her, girls.”
I roll my eyes and reach for the clasp. “I don’t need a push-up bra. Kyle’s never complained about the size of my boobs.”
“He also hasn’t given you an orgasm in months.” She slaps my hand away and clips the bra back together. “And since you refuse to kick him to the curb… I need to work my magic.”
Which involves picking lingerie with the least amount of fabric ever.
“It’s not like I haven’t actually orgasmed in months,” I argue.
Ally’s left eye twitches like it always does when she thinks I’m insane for staying with a guy who puts more effort into polishing his golf clubs than getting his girlfriend off.
She shakes her head. “Emily, Emily, Emily. Why are you keeping Kyle around if you’re doing the job yourself?”
“I’m not going to end it just because we’re going through a… weird phase.”
Kyle’s promotion means he travels more, so we spend less time together. It’s normal to be out of sync until we find a new routine.
This trip was longer than the others, so I’m hoping time apart has made the heart grow fonder,or something like that.
I tug on the straps of Ally’s magical new bra and stare longingly at the whitewashed dresser near my bed.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Ally waggles one finger in front of my nose, “and if you do it, I will burn every pair you own.”
I don’t get a chance to argue. The squeak of the front door opening and closing catches our attention.
“Let’s see what Liam thinks. He’s a guy,” Ally says, a little too enthusiastically considering she isn’t the one practically naked.
“Liam and I maintain our friendship because I do not ask his opinion on lingerie.”
“What’s the point of a BFF with a cock if he doesn’t offer insight into the male psyche?”
I arch an eyebrow at the clang of clothes hangers as she rifles through my wardrobe. “He doesn’t try to wear my clothes.”
Ally flutters her eyelashes at me as she picks out a black pencil skirt and matching jacket. She holds it up to her chest and examines her reflection. “Too professional?”
“Think a suit will help you sell more sex toys?”
Ally’s grin turns salacious as she plays with the buttons on the jacket. “If I forget to wear the shirt.”
I roll my eyes but can’t stop the grin. She was born to be an adult toy store owner.
“Honey, I’m home,” Liam calls from down the hall.
The domesticity of his entrance loosens the anxiety knotting my insides. Liam and I have been neighbors since we wereborn, friends as soon as we could talk, and roommates once we realized adulting was a lot more fun with the other around.
But there are certain lines we don’t cross… like seeing each other naked. I look down at my barely covered nipples in a panic. “Where’s my dress?”
His heavy footsteps start toward my room.
Ally dangles the fabric between two fingers, a devious smile on her face.
The door swings open before I can lunge for the dress. Liam bursts into the room and jolts to a sudden stop. His eyes widen and focus on lace.
I suck in a breath and stiffen, feeling more exposed in Ally’s magic lace than if I’d been naked, because it’s obvious I’m not wearing this for comfort.
