“The paragraph that says your new position comes with a brand-new car.”
“Ha.” She rolls her eyes, but that contract was as thick as afootlocker, and I can tell she’s not quite sure if I’m telling the truth.
“Gertrude should get me to and from Toygasm tomorrow,” she says. “That’s my last request. Then, maybe, we can throw her a retirement party. But you are NOT buying me a car, Axe MacKenzie.”
Thirty
Josie
Of course Axe MacKenzie got me a car.
Parked right in front of my building is a sleek, shiny, new red electric Mini Cooper, buffed and gleaming, a sunflower tucked under the windshield wiper, along with a note with my name scrawled on the front. I pluck it between my fingers and read:
Key’s in Dame Gertrude’s glove box.
My heart does a backflip.
This is wild. I can’t accept this gift, of course. It’s way too much. But…borrowing it for tomorrow’s trip to Philly? That’s reasonable, right?
Seeing Axe earlier felt like a rush of heat, tension, and something deeper I can’t quite name, all igniting at my core. My nerve endings are still tingling, caught in the aftershock of a spark I can’t put out.
I retrieve the key, and as much as I want to hop in and take the new car for a spin, I feel a twinge of loyalty to Gertrude. I take a deep breath and begin the solemn task of unloading my trustyold companion. Sliding back into Gertrude’s well-worn seat, I inhale deeply, savoring the familiar lavender from the sachets I’ve stashed all over the place—hugs for my senses.
I tuck one into my pocket to bring into the Mini.
Next, I pull out my overpacked medical kit. “Josie fights on,” I mutter sarcastically, transferring the essentials to the Mini’s pristine trunk, frustrated that today brought yet another medical incident.You can never be too careful. Mom’s voice echoes in my head, and I almost chuck the kit out of spite. But then I touch my still-sore cheek. Maybe it is time for a checkup.Notwith Dr. Don, though.
Right now, I need to get ready for Toygasm, the premier sex toy expo happening in Philly. Grace & Honor’s never had a booth there before, but since I took over as manager, I’ve revamped the website and boosted online sales, and now this expo is the next step in my plan to expand the store’s reach. I want to put us on the map for sex toy enthusiasts nationwide.
For a second, I think about inviting Axe. Maybe it could be useful for She’s the One…but no, I’m just making excuses to see him. A sex toy expo isn’t exactly the most appropriate place to bring my hot new boss. Especially when I wouldn’t mind playing with some of the toys with him.
As cramped as this apartment is, the hidden gem is my deep bathtub. And tonight, I’m going to make the most of it. I draw a hot bath, rose-scented steam from my bath bomb rising up in misty curls, softening the rough edges of a long day. As I sink deeper into the bath, I find a washcloth, soak it in the warm water, and glide it slowly over my skin.
I close my eyes, letting the heat of the water and even hotter thoughts wash over me as the fantasy takes hold. I can almostfeel Axe’s presence here, his giant, rough hands brushing softly over my cheek, then sliding lower, over my wet skin, leaving a trail of sparks. My breath catches as I let the washcloth slip lower, stroking myself with a gentle rhythm, imagining it’s Axe’s tongue instead. Down my thighs, over the soft swell of my belly, and then finally between my legs.
I picture his eyes—their piercing, stormy blue, intense and unrelenting—staring into mine. Those eyes that never miss a single detail. The way they lock onto me, possessive and demanding, like I’m the only thing in the room worth seeing.
As if he’s the only one who gets to call me his.
I have no doubt he’d be able to read my body and play me like an instrument.
My breath hitches as I let go of the washcloth and my finger finds a steady rhythm on my clit, circling, building tension. The warm water feels cool compared to the heat building in my body, each stroke notching me higher than the last, and I can actually feel the heat of his breath against my skin. In my mind, Axe is devouring me, lapping at my pussy, enjoying my desperate moans. My heartbeat quickens, my skin prickling as I imagine him scooping up my ass to get a better angle with his tongue.
A small yelp escapes my lips as the pleasure builds, the tension winding tighter and tighter. I can almost hear his voice—Come for me with that pretty pussy, Josie—imaginary Axe is a dirty talker and I like it.
I feel his hands gliding along my hips, guiding me closer and closer to the edge.
My mind is lost in him—and I don’t want to come back.
My finger sweeps desperately now, each circle bringing me closer, until finally, with a shudder, I’m there, and I don’t care ifI’m loud as I scream in pleasure, because the release is so, so good. My body trembles, my breath ragged as I sink back into the bath, warm bliss flooding through me.
Thanks for that, Axe MacKenzie, I tell him in my mind, ignoring the nagging voice that tells me I just crossed some invisible line.
Thirty-One
Axe
After I leave the real Josie, I spend the evening with AI Josie—or at least the most basic, bare-bones version of her avatar, which Theo sent me. She doesn’t talk yet, nor has she been transferred to an operating system. Right now she’s nothing more than a series of illustrations showing different emotional scenarios.
