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“It’s not every time.” I’m unable to meet her gaze. “It’s also not never.”

“Hey, I’ve never slept with someone who openly identifies as non-binary. I don’t know what I’m talking about.” Eve’s grin is so big and stupid that I can’t tell if she’s joking or not. “How big does she go? Like, normal sized? Or bigger?”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Girl.”

My eyes can’t roll hard enough. I also haven’t really thought about it before. “She’s a fellow connoisseur of the Avalon brand.” That should say plenty. Almost nobody buys from Avalon and goes small unless it’s their particular kink.

“She knows how to use it, eh?”

“Would you shut up?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” The farther this conversation goes, the more I’m convinced Eve’s getting off on stirring the pot. “You’ve never been this uptight about sex before. What is with her making you act like a closed-lip prude?”

“I am not.” I straighten up, my pride suddenly on the line. It’s true. Usually I’m the first to start blabbing about sex when we’re in this situation. “All right. Fine. One of her biggest things is using it in sex. But she also likes to go au naturale. And…”

“Go on…”

I can’t even look at her. “She likes it wet if you know what I mean.”

“I once heard from an ex of hers that she can squirt ten feet. Think that’s true?”

“Oh my God, stop!”

“Because if she didn’t already have millions of dollars, she could make serious bucks off a talent like that. Too bad you never see something like that in the club. I’d be intrigued!”

“I swear to God I am going to kill you.”

“Aw, come on, is she special?”

My knitted brows are so tight that they’re giving me a migraine. “Why don’t you fuck her and find out? We’ll compare notes.”

“If I weren’t busy chasing Coleman’s receptionist, I’d think about it. For science. But you know I don’t do penis-shaped anything unless it looks fake strapped to my waist.” She shudders. That marks the biggest difference between her and my preferences. Eve has an aversion to most things phallic, and I’m over here leaving 1,000 word reviews on Avalon’s products. “Besides,” Eve continues, “Ira Mathison comes off as a very selfish lover around the club.”

“She’s not that selfish.” I think of how patient Ira is with me in the world of sex and romance. I’ve freaked out on her quite a few times by now, and while she gets exasperated with me, she’s never made me feel ashamed or somehow less than as a potential sub. It can’t be easy – or fun – to deal with. Yet the other night, when I finally got over her territorially marking me? Well, I got over the fear, but not the apprehension. Either way, she helped me with that. Going forward, I like to think it gets easier until I’m…

What? Begging for it? Mercy upon me!

“She’s a good lover,” I murmur.

Eve doesn’t speak for a minute. She looks between the empty popcorn bowl and me, her eyes clouded over, deep in thought.

“You guys a thing?”

I don’t answer, because I don’t know. Aside from, “It wouldn’t work as a serious relationship. We’re fooling around. You know how it is. We’re both dominant.”

Eve looks like she wants to say something but doesn’t. Whatever it is, it would probably piss me off.

I never get to find out because the doorbell rings.

“Who the hell?” The only person who comes up directly to my door is Eve, and she’s already here. I doubt it’s a delivery, as I’m not expecting anything.

Nevertheless, I get up, bracing myself for the surprise of my life – which I get.

“Kathleen!” Two perfumed hands clutch my face as Carolyn Graham-Mathison gets all up in my personal space. “So good to see you, dear! It’s been a while.”

I stumble back in my doorway as she nearly barrels me over. Behind me, in the living room, Eve laughs in utter disbelief. I keep waiting for her to say, “We were talking about your offspring’s pussy!” but thank the Lord it never comes.