Page 53 of The Haunting Plot

“The look on your face says otherwise. You must be an easy mark at poker night.”

“Hey, I’m good at poker.” Not the time, man.

“Could’ve fooled me.” She slowly walks toward me, lifting the toy like it’s a sword. “Did you enjoy the free show?”

“It was riveting.”

She narrows her eyes. “This is my house, and I refuse to be embarrassed about taking care of my needs in my own house.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” I agree. I love how she’s not cowering from me. She might have a little exhibitionist in her, and that thought isn’t helping my blood flow situation.

“All this construction has messed with my self-care schedule. You aren’t supposed to be here right now. What are you even doing here?”

I should look her in the eyes. I should apologize, but I can’t take my eyes off the toy in her hand. She looks at me, then at the toy, an uncharacteristic grin lighting up her face. Fuck, she looks beautiful when she smiles. And then she opens her mouth and spews her venom.

“What’s wrong, Sawyer? Intimidated by my toy?” She jabs me in the chest with the tip. Fuck, I can smell her, and I discreetly try to inhale so I can savor her scent. “Toys are teammates, you know. Only weak men are jealous of toys.”

“I’m not jealous of your toy. Well, I am, but not for the reason you’re thinking.”

“You wish it was you instead of the toy. Is that it?” She punctuates her last few words with pokes at my pec.

She holds the vibrator between our faces. It takes all my restraint not to lick her arousal off the glistening toy in front of me, but I maintain my composure. I tilt my head slightly, looking around the toy, and lock eyes with her, debating how much to share.

Her eyes flick to the shaft as she eyes it up and down. “I know it’s big. Not many men can live up to this guy right here. It’s okay to admit you’re intimidated by it.”

“I’m not,” I say through clenched teeth. She’s baiting me. I shouldn’t fall for her trap, but little does she know my shock has nothing to do with the size of her toy.

“Oh, yeah? And why’s that? Let me guess, you’re bigger?”

“Nope.”

“That’s okay. This toy is bigger than average. I’d honestly be scared if you were.”

I scrape my teeth along my bottom lip as I choose my words carefully. Her eyes dart to my mouth. “Would you say it’s the perfect size?”

“It is the perfect size. I don’t think I’d accept anything less. In fact, I have several of this model. Lately it’s the only thing that gets the job done. Sometimes I don’t even have to turn it on. It has this thick vein that wraps around the shaft, see?” She turns the toy to show me. “I rub that part against my G-spot a few times, and I come in seconds. Haven’t found a real dick that has that magical power.”

I can’t help the smirk on my face at her words.

“Why are you grinning like that? Stop it. It’s creepy.”

“I’m just happy to hear that you like my dick so much.”

She cocks her head to the side and squints at me, little creases forming around her gorgeous blue eyes. “Of course you think I’m talking about your dick. You’re infuriating.”

“That is my dick. You’re holding my dick in your hands.”

“No, I’m holding a toy, you moron. Your dick is in your pants.”

I cross my arms over my chest and address her like I’m talking about the renovation, my voice calm and professional. “The girth is a little off because it was impossible to maintain an erection the entire time they cast the mold, but it’s pretty close. They got the vein right, so I’m thrilled to hear it brings you so much joy.”

Her eyes flick down to my bulge.

“Do you want me to whip it out so you can compare veins? It’s only a semi right now thanks to me walking in on your self-love session—sorry about that, by the way—but give me a minute to fluff it if you want to do a comparison.”

She’s staring at me in disbelief. “You’re full of shit.”

“Back in my twenties, one of my exes ended up in the adult entertainment industry. She kept trying to convince me to join her, but I was too self-conscious to be a porn star, so I compromised and let her talk me into becoming a dildo model. The first couple versions didn’t capture all the veins, but this model here got them all, including the little scar under the frenulum. I accidentally caught myself in my zipper when I was in high school.”