Page 63 of The Toy Maker

“This is important!” she pleaded, and I winced.

I wondered if a shipment of double-ended dildos ended up in Japan instead of Ireland.

Jason shook his head. “It can wait.” His attention lingered on me, making my heart race even more. I liked this side of him––the side that told everyone else to fuck off when he was with me.

Kitty let out a frustrated sigh. “Anna is in the hospital.”

The playful grin vanished from Jason’s face. His eyes flashed with panic, and without a word, he turned away from me. My chest tightened as he left me kneeling on the cold cement floor. Who the hell was Anna?

I watched as he grabbed his jeans from the pile and yanked them on in a rush. He gathered his phone off the floor, where it had fallen after what I hoped would be our first round of fucking.

Kitty paused to listen through the door. “Is someone else in there?”

My knees ached from kneeling on the cement floor without his cock to distract me.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Jason said as he grabbed a shirt from the closet. I stayed quiet, frozen as Jason quickly buttoned up his shirt.

“Whatever,” Kitty scoffed, clearly annoyed. “Tell her I said hi.”

I bit my lip, my mind racing with questions I couldn’t bring myself to ask. The worried crease in Jason’s brow told me everything I needed to know: Anna, whoever she was, mattered to him.

He turned back to me, his expression softening as he gave me a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry,” he said.

I swooned at the image, but then I thought of Anna, the girl he was leaving me for. I couldn’t shake the jealousy bubbling up inside me.

He added, “I have to take care of something.” He headed to the door, glancing back at me. “I’ll be back later,” he called over his shoulder, not stopping his steps.

The door clicked shut before I could find the words to ask if he wanted me to wait.

With no instructions to keep me occupied, I bent down to gather my clothes from the floor. My bra dangled off the chair, and my shirt was crumpled by the table.

After a solid five minutes of searching, my thong was nowhere to be found. I sighed again, deciding to call it a loss.

Time crawledby as I sat on the edge of the bed, my legs bouncing impatiently. It had been over an hour, and Jason still hadn’t come back to finish what he’d started.

Unable to sit still any longer, I tiptoed to the door and cracked it open, peeking into the hallway. The plan was to bolt out of the building so I wouldn’t have to answer any questions. I didn’t want them to think I was screwing with their ecosystem. Jason had always been reserved, keeping a distance from the other girls, until me.

Jade’s voice interrupted my train of thought, “He’s great, Mom.” I could practically feel her eyes rolling from behind the wall. “No, this one’s not married.”

I listened to her defend her dating choices until she started ranting in rapid Spanish.

I shut the door with as little noise as possible. Time for Plan B. I scanned the abandoned room for another way out.

My focus shifted to the window I’d shimmied through while filled up to my ears with tequila. I groaned at the idea of sneaking out like a cheap one-night stand.Beggars can’t be choosers.

With a resigned sigh, I dragged the table beneath the window. It screeched against the floor, making me wince. Climbing onto it, I pushed the glass up, saying a silent prayer.

The next few minutes went as easy as squeezing a turkey through a paper towel roll. Which was how my mother described giving birth to me. My arms burned as I tried to hoist myself through the narrow opening, and I silently berated myself for skipping so many gym days.

Images of Jason walking in and catching me stuck halfway through the window flashed through my mind, spurring me to move faster. After what felt like an eternity, I managed to wriggle free and land on the alley floor with a graceless thud.

I dusted myself off and headed toward my apartment.

It was a short walk, and one I was becoming accustomed to. The city was wide awake, unlike me, still tired from my restless night. I pulled Jason’s shirt tighter around my body, promisingmyself that I only took it to conceal my lowcut top. I wanted to avoid as many stares as possible.

By the time I reached my building, the bronze railing of the stairs felt cool under my palm. I trudged up to my floor thinking, not for the first time, that I should really consider a first-floor apartment.

I sucked in a deep breath as my door slammed behind me. I couldn’t remember breathing during the whole walk home. My mind raced with questions. I wondered who Anna was and why I felt so sick when Jason jumped to her aid.