“What did you call it?” Tyler asks, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. “I just can’t seem to remember the word. Let me see if this reminds you.”
He slides under the covers, tugs down my panties, and reminds me why he alone sets my world on fire. His tongue is an instrument of absolute pleasure, and that’s what he brings me in mere minutes.
I cry out in bliss, and the new addition even meows in chorus, too.
We both laugh, then Tyler pops his head out. “I believe it’s called an enchanted tongue.”
“Well, now that you’ve reminded me, why don’t you remind me what that other part does, too.”
He makes love to me, and it is magic.
Later, I tell him I have a gift for him, too, and I’ll give it to him the next day.
“I can’t wait.”
Then Mr. Crazypants drapes his feline body over my head, and the three of us drift off like that, a strange new threesome moving well beyond the past, and into a whole new future.
“Are we there yet?”
“Almost.”
My hands cover his eyes for the final few feet to the store. When we reach the entrance, I remove my makeshift blindfold. “Ta-da.”
We’re at Blue Suede.
He peers at the door, then back at me. “We’re going shoe shopping?” Things don’t quite compute at first, but a second later, his face transforms. The expression in his eyes is dirty, and his lips twitch up in a naughty grin. “We’re going shoe shopping.”
“Yes.” I tap-dance my fingernails along his chest. “And you get to pick the shoes you want me to wear.”
“In bed?”
“Wherever you want. My treat.”
“I’ll say that’s my treat.”
He opens the door for me, and we head into the boutique.
“I should warn you, though, it can be hard to find my size. There might not be too many options.”
He grabs my waist and pulls me in closer, pressing his hard body against mine. “Then we will keep on shopping. We will soldier on. We will find you the perfect shoes for your gorgeous feet.” He brings his mouth to my ear. “Because I love the way you look when you’re wearing nothing but heels.”
Twenty minutes later, he’s picked out a pair of purple stilettos, some black fuck-me ankle boots, and a pair of red suede pumps.
I swear the man is aroused the entire time we’re shopping. I’m convinced at one point he’s going to hump me against some shelves of flats.
Then hump me he does.
Later. Back at his house, when I put on the black stilettos and then don his favorite outfit.
When we’re done, sweaty, elated and sated, he whispers in my ear. “This whole take-it-day-by-day sure is turning out to be a whole lot of fun.”
Yes. Yes, it is. Even though we don’t know what tomorrow holds, I love all our todays.
His Epilogue
A flash of orange hits my line of sight, then a gorgeous face, a smile, and the beautiful blonde the grin belongs to. With her two best friends by her side, Delaney crosses the finish line of the 10K run. The women thrust their arms high.
I shout. I hoot. And I holler.
So does Carly, her little voice not quite so little as she happily cheers. The kid has one hell of a set of lungs on her.
As Delaney, Nicole, and Penny slow to a jog, we meet them at the end of the finish line, handing them waters and high-fives. Today’s run was to raise money for some of the local animal rescues in Manhattan.
“You ladies are amazing,” I say, giving Delaney a quick kiss then congratulating her friends, too.
“And you’re amazing for handing us this most delicious bottled water,” Nicole says, chiming in as she takes a long and hearty swig in between breaths.
“We beat our time from last year,” Penny points out, and Delaney smacks her friend’s palm.
“Next year, you’re going to join us, right?” Delaney says to Carly.
My niece laughs and shakes her head. “Only if I can do it on rollerblades.”
Delaney shrugs. “You drive a hard bargain.”
I point a thumb at my chest. “She learned all her negotiation skills from me. And speaking of negotiation, how about I take you all out for breakfast at The Charming Breakfast Spot?”
Four pairs of eyes light up. “Yes, but where’s the negotiation in that?” Delaney teases.
I shrug and smile. “Got me. Turns out there’s none. But I figured you all earned it with the way you ran for the dogs today.”
“And we are looking forward to eggs and toast,” Nicole says, then she narrows her eyes. “But don’t think you’re going to get any details out of me that I wouldn’t give up last time.”
In unison, Delaney and Penny zip their lips.
The first time I went out with her and her friends last week, the girls had been chatting about a new guy Nicole’s interested in, but they clammed up when I joined them. Delaney had asked me to meet up with them for cocktails at Speakeasy. I’ll admit it—I was a tad bit nervous meeting her friends. Knowing how close she is to them, I wasn’t sure if they’d welcome me with open arms.
I had nothing to worry about. Penny and Nicole love Delaney like a sister, so they grilled me as any family member would do. I can honestly say I enjoyed every second of their cross-examination, especially since I passed it. Nicole even pretended to tap me with a magic wand at the end, declaring, “We like you. Now, be good to our girl always.”