Page 8 of Eddie (Romance & Revolutions #7)

Shelby

I owed that author a thank-you note.

The first thoughts that ran through my head were confusing and fuzzy, but it only took a moment to realize I was in the sex hammock after orgasming my brains out.

I like swinging.

“I’m glad.” Not-Henry’s voice was warm and had a hint of laughter in it that made me smile. “Tell me what color you are.”

That was an easy order and I didn’t even have to open my eyes. “Green.”

There were muffled sounds coming from around us but nothing felt close or like I had to worry about it. Not-Henry was there. He even stroked my head and made the hammocky thing go back and forth again. “Good boy.”

I was always going to be good if it got me orgasms like that.

Hmm.

The way he snickered said that might not have been an inside thought, so I pressed my lips together.

Ugh.

It made him laugh again.

“Don’t stop on my account, Shelby boy.” Not-Henry clearly found me funny but he kept swinging me and petting my head, so I decided I didn’t mind.

Well, the part of me that sighed and tried to go back to the melty happy place decided I didn’t mind and the rest of me just went along with it.

“That’s right. You’re just going to relax. We don’t have to move.”

Good…because I wasn’t sure I could get my body to cooperate enough to go anywhere.

But as we swung and cuddled, I slowly felt the rest of my body and my brain come back online one little bit at a time. I didn’t appreciate it and I was pretty sure I was offended by it, but it didn’t seem to be my decision.

Not-Henry seemed to sense I was frustrated because he kissed my head and made a low soothing shushing sound. “You have to surface eventually, Shelby boy, but how about I promise to tie you up again as soon as you want?”

“Tonight.” I wasn’t testing him…nope…I was just making sure he understood I should get what I wanted when it came to orgasms. “You can order for me at dinner and…and I’ll tell you where I hid my change jar.”

“Naughty boy.” His words said naughty but his tone said he thought I was cute. “Deal.”

Yep, he thought I was cute enough to give me my way so that was all that mattered.

“Are you ready to open your eyes yet?” His question made me sigh and he seemed to find that funny too, but his snicker was quiet, so I ignored it.

“What am I going to see?” I wasn’t ready to move yet but I had a feeling I couldn’t stay there forever. “Is my ceiling strong enough for a hammock?”

“No.” Not-Henry’s answer came so fast I knew not to question it. “But we can find other ways of giving you the same experience and we can keep coming back here anytime we want. Next time we can use one of the private rooms if you’d like.”

Did I care?

“I don’t know if I care, so you can tell me if I do.” He was really good at knowing what I wanted, so it seemed like a decision he should make. “Thank you for swinging me.”

And hitting me with the stick thingy…and for helping to orgasm my brains out…and for showing me what the scene from the book looked like…and…

The giggle that someone let out made me realize I needed to close my mouth again.

That was such hard work.

“I waited until the scene was over and he’d relaxed and aftercare had been started. He even talked about opening his eyes and had questions about future scenes.” The voice probably could’ve kept going but someone grunted.

Oh.

That was the Silas man.

He had a very distinctive grunt.

“Austin.”

Not-Henry sounded like he wanted to sigh but was behaving himself.

“Can I say your name?”

Why did people care so much about that?

“I know a lot of other things about him, so it’s not that important.

” People were really hung up on that. “He likes blue. That’s why I’m in blue.

He knows my favorite restaurants. I know he likes cheesecake.

He likes taking care of me too. So I’m being a really good sub and letting him make as many decisions as he wants to. ”

“I like the way he thinks.” Austin’s cheerful voice made me smile until I realized he was Austin Johnson. “You can keep him.”

Was it his decision?

“It’s not your decision to make, Trouble.”

Hmm.

Maybe I liked Silas more than I’d thought.

“But…he was mine first.” Austin tripped over the whole name thing and sighed. “Not saying his name is hard.”

“Not-Henry is mine now.” And I was going to be stubborn about it no matter what Austin thought. He might’ve been rich and smart but Not-Henry was mine. “He and I worked that out.”

His low chuckle was probably because we still had some details to work out but that was okay because he probably liked going through fine print.

“Yes, I’m yours.” Since he sounded pleased with that, I decided I didn’t have to worry or open my eyes yet. “And you’re mine.”

“I’m glad you haven’t changed your mind.” Too many people changed their minds once orgasms took place, but maybe since that was one-sided for the time being I didn’t have to worry about it yet? “Do you think you will once you get a chance to orgasm?”

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to fuck him in the swing or not.” Austin’s matter-of-fact tone was nice. “But I’m glad you both seemed to have had fun.”

Austin was just as interesting in person as I thought he’d be when I’d seen him on TV the first time.

“We have so far.” As long as I didn’t forget Not-Henry’s favorite parts. “We’ve discussed the parts we liked best and what will make Not-Henry happy. I didn’t forget him even if being tied up and orgasming is my favorite part.”

“It looked like a really good one.” Austin shifted and I had a feeling he’d gotten closer. “Why does being tied up give you the best orgasms?”

Thankfully, before I had to figure out a reasonable answer to that question Silas cleared his throat. “Trouble?”

“Oh. I apologize if that was too personal.” He didn’t seem sorry but trying was important too. “Do you need water?”

Maybe?

Not-Henry might be ready for attention or a way to escape too.

A good sub would probably make sure he didn’t need to be rescued.

As I opened my eyes and saw the curtains that were drawn around the small stage area, I realized I’d been right about Austin getting closer.

I was also right about him being happy because he gave me a big smile like he was glad to see me, not his TV personality smile that some people didn’t realize was fake. “Hi. I’m Austin.”

Did he think I didn’t know that?

Famous people were always odd, so I took my cue from him and smiled back. “I’m Shelby. I’m Not-Henry’s online friend and now in-person dating friend.”

“And sub.” Not-Henry’s eyes sparkled but he seemed against actually smiling. “ My sub , Austin.”

If that was a hint that Austin should leave us alone, he pretended not to notice. “I’m glad he likes blue. It looks very good on you.”

Yes, thank goodness.

“I’d have worn it even if it made me look terrible.

It’s important to be confident in what you’re wearing but sometimes you have to make compromises.

” I was resigned to having to move and Not-Henry seemed to realize that because he adjusted the hammock thing so I was sitting up in it almost like it was a chair.

We were definitely going to have to figure out how to get me one in my apartment because it would be great to relax and watch TV in.

“There’s a shade of blue for everyone but this one works for both of us.” And it had a lot of accessories online which made it even more helpful. “Like pink.”

I nodded toward Austin’s outfit. “The different shades work well together and you found ones that complement your skin tone. That’s not always easy.”

Silas looked confused for some reason but Austin beamed. “Thank you. It’s nice to have someone appreciate hard work.”

“Color combinations can be difficult but I imagine it’s even harder for club wear.

” I hadn’t thought about it but I wasn’t surprised when Austin sighed and nodded.

“Oh, before I forget…because my brain is still really floaty. Those panties look great on you but if you like them you need to get more right now.”

“Oh?” Austin cocked his head and inched closer before looking down at the panties under his sheer skirt. “I know they’re last year’s line but they’re so cute.”

“The designer who was handling the lingerie line was just quietly fired because he was pushing back against moving the production line. Let’s just say they’re still going to be charging handmade Paris pricing for work that isn’t the same quality.

” It was going to destroy their business but the new head money man in charge wasn’t that smart.

Austin winced. “Okay, that’s one stock I need to sell. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” That was probably a good idea too but I hadn’t been thinking of it from that angle. “They just switched over but the new stuff hasn’t hit the shelves yet. You have to buy now, though.”

As soon as the current stock sold out, the new crap would appear and then it would be all downhill from there.

“Rumor is that they’re not using natural dyes for the new ones anymore either.” For panties that were about a hundred dollars a piece that seemed like a ridiculous decision. “Someone’s going to end up breaking out in hives and then suing.”

That was going to be an itchy discovery for some poor soul.

Even Austin winced. “That’s…that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“Unfortunately.” I shrugged. “I don’t know what kind of NDA they have but I thought it would’ve been more well-known by now.”

Nodding slowly, Austin let out a low hum. “That’s a good point too. I’m going to have to make some calls. I don’t like all this and I’m not sure how it’s going to effect the industry as a whole.”

Terribly for the short term.

“I heard it from a regional buyer whose cousin was sleeping with the janitor who cleans the old designer’s office.” People really shouldn’t ignore the staff quite as much as they did.

For some reason that was what made Austin’s head cock so he looked like Silas and Not-Henry was barely holding back laughter. “What do you do for a living? Your application said currently unemployed and previously in sales.”

Yes.

“That’s right.” Some people could not handle being told no. “I was a personal shopper, but I got fired when I told…well…someone important that I wasn’t going to buy them red. It was just. No. I wasn’t going to put my name on that.”

I was right but that hadn’t gotten me my job back.

Stubborn assholes.

“Oh.” Austin’s eyes went wide. “I know that. It was.”

We were both shaking our heads as Silas frowned and Not-Henry giggled.

Giggled.

“I thought you’d have that in common.” Flashing me a grin as I shrugged, Not-Henry seemed pleased with himself or the situation. “They got the attention they wanted.”

But it’d come at a high price.

Utter disdain on every show and in every article that covered awards season.

“I liked the white suit you wore. It looked amazing against the red carpet.” Austin had looked beautiful, a perfect mix of masculine and feminine, and the leather suit he’d managed to get Silas into had been an amazing complement. “You were both fashion perfection.”

Austin’s beaming smile outshone Silas’s frustrated grumble. “Thank you. We got a lot of positive feedback and didn’t blend in with the red carpet.”

“All you could see was her head. It was. The pictures.” Tragic couldn’t even begin to describe it. “I just couldn’t support that nonsense.”

Rich and famous did not automatically come with common sense.

“I don’t blame you.” Still looking like the whole situation gave him indigestion, Austin shuddered before pulling himself together. “Okay, no more negative talk. I can’t keep an erection with that image in my head.”

That would be a problem.

“Yours is lovely, so we don’t want to do that to you.” My compliment had Austin wiggling on his heels and doing a twirl. “That really is a lovely color on you and highlights your erection perfectly.”

Not everyone could pull it off but Austin looked beautiful.

“You and I are going to have a chat later this week.” Waving his hands at me, Austin’s expression made it seem like he’d solved world peace. “I have some ideas but I’ll let you get back to getting untied and cuddled. Your…well…someone here is getting impatient.”

Just a bit.

Not-Henry’s eyebrow was nearly at his hairline and he was one grumble away from shooing Austin away like he was a pretty pink bug.

“Thank you for coming over. It was nice to meet you.” And I hadn’t been wearing my jeans, so I looked presentable to meet him.

It took another few moments for Austin to actually wrap up his goodbyes and leave, but by then, Not-Henry’s frown came back. It wasn’t directed at me, so as he crouched down in front of my swing and studied his work, it softened a bit. “I’m ready to cuddle you and give you attention.”

“I’m ready to let you cuddle me.” He could even be romantic if he wanted to because I felt amazing. “I knew you would tie me up really well.”

Oh, that smile.

Yeah, I belonged to Not-Henry and not even Austin Johnson could take me away from him.