Page 5

Elena gasped. “Isn’t that cute!”

“Feel free to have a seat and read a little before you decide what to buy,” Cat said. She looked into Elena’s soft brown eyes and for a moment she felt like she’d made a new friend. Cat didn’t make friends easily. She was quiet and stayed to herself. It took her a while to warm up to new people, so this was definitely an unusual feeling.

“Thank you, Cat. I have a feeling I’m going to be spending a lot of time here,” Elena said.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Cat said. She walked down to the reading nook and put a few magazines back into the rack. This was Cat’s favorite part of the store. She wanted her customers to have a place to unwind, even if it was just for a few minutes.

She glanced over and noticed Elena had several books in her arms as she inched her way towards the reading nook. Cat’s attention was drawn to the opening between her store and CeCe’s.

“Hey, CeCe,” Cat said as her sister came into the store with a client. They both were drinking a glass of champagne and Cat was reminded of their sisters’ toast before their stores opened that morning. They had champagne and all kinds of complimentary snacks for the open house as well as sales and discounts in each store.

“Hi, sis. I’d like you to meet…probably my favorite client.” CeCe smiled at Alexis. “This is Dr. Alexis Reed.”

“Oh, CeCe,” Alexis scoffed. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand.

Cat took it and smiled.

“Listen, Doc, you’ve worked hard and earned your title. Everybody would be calling me doctor if I’d gone to school that long and accomplished the things you have. You’re a big deal,” CeCe said.

Alexis shook her head and smirked.

“This is Cat, my little sister,” CeCe said, finishing the introduction.

“Hi, Alexis. It’s nice to meet you,” Cat said. “I’ve heard CeCe mention you.”

“Uh oh. Am I one of her problem clients?” Alexis asked.

“Not at all. She’s always happy after your appointments,” Cat explained.

CeCe looked over at Alexis and shrugged. “What can I say, I’m glad I’m your stylist.”

Alexis smiled at CeCe and sipped her champagne.

“I gave Alexis a tour of the salon, but I saved the best for last. Do you mind?” CeCe asked, nodding towards the back of the store.

“It’s all yours.” Cat winked. “Mom has already been by so you don’t have to worry about her seeing you come and go.”

“Thanks for the warning. I haven’t seen her yet,” CeCe said as she and Alexis walked to the back of the store.

Each store had been customized for their specific businesses. At the back of Cat’s store was a hallway with restrooms like her sisters’ stores, but there was also a room that Cat had made into her clandestine den of sex toys called The Bottom Shelf. She had always wanted to have a secret room if she ever owned her own business and attributed it to her love of mysteries.

But her imagination didn’t stop there. She wanted to make it fun and just a tad bit scandalous. Cat would never consider herself sexually ambitious or even overly curious, however, she had experimented with a vibrator and a dildo at one time or another. If you couldn’t love yourself, how could anyone else?

Her sisters were surprised when she’d suggested the sex toy shop. Cat may be the quiet little sister, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have desires. She was a woman who was used to taking care of her own needs. As the little sister she was oftentimes forgotten when her older sisters were involved in all sorts of school activities. She’d learned to take care of herself and even though she could count on her sisters to always be in her corner, she knew she had to rely on herself first.

The Bottom Shelf was a way to take the embarrassment or bashfulness away from women who wanted discretion, but also wanted to explore themselves or open up to their partners. She didn’t advertise her little shop in the back, but a few well placed yet discreet suggestions were all it took to get the word out.

She watched CeCe and Alexis disappear into the back of the store and walked over to the reading nook where she found Elena with a stack of books.

“I love the welcoming vibe of your store,” Elena said as Cat sat down in the chair next to her.

“Thank you. I want people to be able to walk in here and ask for whatever kind of book they’re looking for, without hesitation.”

“I had no idea there were so many titles in the sapphic genre,” Elena said.

Cat smiled. “It’s a niche that opened up a new world for me when I discovered it after I graduated from college.”

Elena gave Cat a long look. “I’m older than you, but I can remember reading a few books like these under the covers when I was in college.”