Page 13

Lincoln

Dinner’s been over for hours, and I don’t know how to bring up the topic of the toy. Do I want to watch Isabel use the toy on herself? Fuck yeah I do. Not only because I’m sure it’ll be expected of us at the club, but maybe because I’m a sick fuck. I’ve had this thing growing inside me since the first moment I laid eyes on Isabel.

This hunger. This need to be close to her. To have her. All of her. And this assignment has only made that feeling intensify.

Badly.

We settle on the couch, the lights dim in the living room. It’s quiet. Too quiet. I feel like neither of us has spoken a word since dinner. I honestly don’t know what the fuck to say to her. ‘Hey, get the toy out and diddle yourself.’ Yeah, that’s not what I’m going to say.

Her gray eyes pierce me as she faces me. “So…” she drawls out the word.

“So?” I question, my eyes watching the rise and fall of her chest.

“I guess we should get this over with, huh?” She gestures toward the ominous box resting on the coffee table between us.

It’s been like a weight, heavy and thick, bogging us down all through dinner. But I truly believe Isabel needs to use it on herself. I’ve heard about these private parties, and they’re not for the faint of heart.

“We have to sell it, Isabel. You and I need to be…comfortable with each other. Think of it as two people helping each other out…sexually.” I suck in a deep breath. “Like a booty call.”

She smiles, and it knocks the air out of my lungs. “I’ve never been into random hookups.”

Good to know, and I want to tell her that neither have I, but I keep my mouth shut. Instead, I pluck the box off the table, and open it. “There’s a first time for everything.” I rise from the couch, heading to the kitchen to open the vibrator packaging and insert some batteries into it.

Isabel follows me, resting her hip on the kitchen counter. “So, how are we going to do this? I lay under the covers on my bed and use it and you watch.”

Fuck. How am I going to be able to contain myself as she uses this thing on her? How will I resist pulling out my cock and shoving it deep inside her? It’s going to be hard—literally—but I have to show her she can trust me. I have to show her that I’m committed to this. To the story.

“I… I’m not sure.” I get the vibrator ready and grab the little bottle of lube that came with it. “I guess we can play around with it together. Nothing too crazy. At least, at first…” my words fall away when I notice the slight blush of her cheeks.

She nods. “We have to do this. It doesn’t mean anything.” She holds out her hand for me to shake. “Right?”

I grab her hand and squeeze it. “Right. Strictly professional. Doesn’t mean a thing.” I swear my voice cracks on the last word. However, I have to show her I mean what I say. “Let’s head back to the couch.”

“Oh, and Lincoln…”

“Yes?”

“No kissing. Emotions get tangled together when two people kiss.”

I nod, leading her to the couch in the living room. “Agreed. Maybe I should blindfold you? That way we don’t have to worry about gazing into each other’s eyes.”

She smiles. “I kind of like that idea. Makes it more mysterious.”

I nod, leaving her in the living room as I head into the back bedroom to find one of my ties. I return to the living room and hold up the tie with one hand. “We can use this.”

She nods. “Okay. I can’t believe we’re about to do this.”

I cross the living room, stopping when I reach her. My body towers over her, and I gaze down at her. Her gray eyes crash into mine, and I rest a hand on her elbow. “At any point you want me to stop, just say stop. And I will. No matter what we’re doing, it’ll be over. Got that, Isabel?”

She licks her lips and I watch the action slowly. “Got it.”

We’re both silent as she lowers herself to the couch. I hit the dimmer switch, lowering the lights until we can barely see one another in the soft glow of the lamp. I move behind her, setting the vibrator down on the couch next to her. She picks it up and flicks it on. The sound makes her jump slightly.

“Confession,” she whispers.

I nod for her to continue.

“I’ve never used one of these before. The men I dated in the past were never into assisted pleasure. I guess they felt they could do the job alone.”

My eyes bore into hers. She looks so vulnerable right now, and the sight of her is doing something to my chest. “Could they?”

She blushes. “Not really. Actually… no, not at all.”

Her confession presses at my heartstrings. I feel sorry for her that she’s never had anyone who could rock her world properly. Honestly, I want the job.

“Well, look at tonight as a makeup session for all those disappointments.”

She smiles, her thin eyebrow arching. “I like that idea.”

I move behind her, holding the tie with both hands to secure it around her eyes. “Isabel, you say the word and I will stop.”

She nods. “I’m fine. We need to be comfortable around each other. And honestly, I haven’t been with anyone in a really long time, so this is definitely overdue.”

I choke out a laugh as I secure the tie around her. The fact she hasn’t been with anyone in a long time turns me on. I want to make sure tonight is good for her. I know this is part of the mission, but still. I’m so fucking turned on, and honestly I’m thankful for the tie around her eyes because I don’t want her to see how hard I am. “Ready?” I ask her once I’m sure she can’t see anything.

“I…uh, I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll take control,” I say as I sit down beside her on the couch, taking the vibrator from her hands. “Would you like me to take control, Isabel?”

She breathes out, long and slowly. “Yeah.”

“Good girl.” My voice comes out raspy, hoarse, like I’m barely able to speak. Which, maybe that’s true. The sight of Isabel blindfolded beside me in nothing but her t-shirt and cotton shorts has my heart racing.

She leans her head back, letting her arms fall to her sides.

I flick the switch, the soft hum of the vibrator suddenly magnifying the hush in the room. I keep it on the lowest setting as I guide it to the bare skin of her lower calf, testing just how sensitive she might be. The moment it makes contact, she gasps—a small, startled sound that tugs at something deep inside me. Her knee jerks in reflex, but almost as quickly, I feel the tension in her leg begin to melt as she settles against the cushions.

My own body, however, couldn’t be further from relaxed. Every muscle is coiled tight, heat pooling in my gut as I watch the subtle shift of her features. I ease the vibrator along the curve of her calf, tracing a slow path upward. Her skin there is warm and soft, and it takes everything I have not to grip her ankle and pull her closer. Instead, I focus on keeping the motion measured and careful, letting the low-level vibrations do their work.

She exhales, eyes drifting shut, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. A flicker of satisfaction flares in my chest—I’m the one causing that smile, that little sigh of relief. But God, every second ratchets up the tension within me. My breathing feels ragged, like I’ve just finished a sprint, and my heart won’t stop hammering. I’m a volcano on the brink of eruption, desire coursing through my veins in a way that’s almost dizzying.

I inch the toy higher, brushing over the sensitive skin at the back of her knee, moving in languid circles. She shifts on the sofa, melting even further into the cushions, each breath slowing as the vibrations skate across her leg. I swallow hard, telling myself to stay focused. This might be gentle, barely even intimate, but the pull between us grows stronger with every pass of the toy.

Her mouth falls open, and I wonder if she’s about to put an end to this. And though my body practically begs for more, I force myself to keep the pace unhurried, letting her decide where to draw the line. My pulse thunders as I lean in, carefully raising the vibrator another inch. The faint hum seems to reverberate through both of us, winding the tension tighter.

She exhales again, and I realize I’m mirroring her, drawing in breath after breath just to keep myself steady. The single, soft whirr of the toy feels impossibly loud in the silence of the room. Every nerve in my body tingles, a reminder that this is a precarious line we’re treading. We’re testing how far we can go—maybe even how far we want to go. And I can’t help wondering what comes next if neither of us stops.