“Well…” Audrey proceeds to stuff the sandwich into her mouth to avoid answering the question.
“Gina?” Nia prompts.
“I read the first half but didn’t actually get a chance to finish it,” Gina confesses. At least she’s honest.
“Have any of you even read this week’s book?” Nia asks. There’re a lot of guilty looks and eye contact avoidance. Nia sighs down at the list of questions she’d prepared. “Maybe we should postpone this meeting and re-group next week when we have more to talk about? Did anyone else have anything they want to share before we take off?”
My cheeks heat, glad there isn’t a window into my brain, where they’d see it filled with rockstar abs. Share? What did I have to share? “Oh yes!” I duck under the table to carefully pull out my new special edition book. “I wanted to show you what I found at The Pleasure Pages.”
Despite their lax attitude about this week’s read, their eyes light up at the sight of my special edition. Books aren’t just pieces of paper, they’re entire worlds wrapped up in pages, creating a portal to another reality.
“That’s gorgeous,” Gina coos. “Check out those edges.”
Audrey nods. “We definitely need another outing to The Pleasure Pages.”
There’s a chorus of agreement as we wrap up the meeting.
“Oh my gosh!” Missie screeches down at her phone. “Jagger has been spotted on Main Street. He could be right outside!”
Audrey gasps, almost falling out of her chair when she peers around Gina to look out of the window.
Hurrying to escape, I stuff the book back into the bag then throw a layer of Bubble Wrap over the top. I need to get out of here. Fast.
“After you’re done stalking Jagger, you’re welcome to join me at Club Knotty. Me and FemSoc will be making bracelets for Designation Awareness Week while taking advantage of power hour,” Nia says.
I don’t know how she has time to study with all the extracurriculars she does; even her weekends are full of activities for the Feminist Society, which she’s president of.
Most of the group agree to join her, especially when they learn about Club Knotty’s power hour offers on cocktails.
“I’m sorry, Nia,” I murmur as we tumble out of Toasted. As if this day couldn’t get any worse, it’s starting to drizzle. With dusk setting in, it feels much later than it is, adding to my weariness. “I’m feeling pretty wiped after waking up so early this morning. I promise I’ll bake you some cookies next week. I’ll even frost some pretty designs on them so FemSoc can hand them out with the bracelets.”
“That’d be amazing!” She hugs me goodbye. “Catch up soon, okay?”
I hum in agreement, watching as she marches toward Club Knotty while the rest of the book club sets out to hunt Jagger down. They head straight for the large crowd swarming outside Noodles and Chill. Mei has either got an amazing new dumpling dish or Jagger’s there. Not wanting to take the chance it’s Jagger, I decide to take the longer route home.
I keep my head down as I cross the street, going in the opposite direction. When I’m off Main Street, I weave past some of the art and science faculty buildings. When the wind picks up, howling around my ears, I pull my hood up. The rain startscoming down heavier, so I open my coat, cradling my bag inside it to make sure it doesn’t get wet. My book must be protected at all costs!
I trudge on as rain droplets bounce off my hood, looking down at my feet until…WHAM!
I round a corner and smack into something that feels like a brick wall. The huge object lets out a grunt, the force knocking me backward. I squeal as I fall, the freezing ground chilling me as I land on my ass with a plop. From the shock, I lose my grip on my bag which propels through the air.
The human wall I’ve walked into—which turns out to have been a man—crouches down by my side.
“Are you hurt?”
“N-n-no.” I shake my head. “I’m fine.”
“You dropped something.” He sounds bemused.
Right in front of me, a bright, pink, sparkly, bunny-shaped vibrator splashes around in a puddle, buzzing and vibrating like crazy. The noise cuts through the rain like a lawn mower. Holy fucking shit! Sabs must have slipped it into my bag without me noticing earlier
I scramble up, snatching up the sex toy, hoping the ground would crack open, allowing me to fall inside so I can avoid having to look into this guy’s face.
“Turn off.” I jab the button as the little vibrator jiggles around on my palm. My pressing only adds to the intensity until it finally cuts off. “Phew.”
The alpha watches on, tucking his hands in his pockets. He has a serious expression on his face, making him appear moody. I’m sure most people would be intimidated just looking at him; he’s an absolute giant. I’m 5′2′′, and he’s well over a foot taller than me, so I’d guess he’s around 6′7′′. His broad shoulders seem to take up the entire skyline.
“It’s not mine,” I rush to inform him, feeling like I have to justify myself to the handsome yet sulky-looking stranger. “Not that there’s anything wrong with toys. I’m all for sexual freedom and women pleasuring themselves…” Am I really lecturing this random, strange alpha on the benefits of sex toys? “Sorry, you really didn’t want to know that. Plus, it’s not the kind of thing you talk about to a stranger.”
