Page 19 of The Toy Maker (The Pink Cherrie #1)
SEVENTEEN
Most of Pink Cherrie’s customers had already purchased their naughty toys and left by the time I arrived the next day. As always, the door chimed when I entered and alerted Kitty of my entrance.
“Welcome home,” Kitty greeted me from behind the desk.
I shook my head with a grin. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
Kitty’s bangs fell over her face as she laughed. “All night long, darlin.”
I looked through the pile of new toys by the desk.
She added, “You’re not scheduled to work today.” Kitty looked away from the computer and watched me shrug.
“Yeah.” I met her curious gaze. “I figured I should see what Jason wanted last night. I blew him off right before I left.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, he didn’t like that.”
“He didn’t look too happy,” I confessed, “but I’m here now.”
“Let’s see if that makes a difference.” She winked and went back to crunching numbers while chewing on a pen. The calculator crunched under her fingertips, the sparkling pink paint on her nails nearly distracting me.
I thought back to Ethan’s question and wondered how Kitty ended up working at Pink Cherrie. I opened my mouth to ask, but Jason cut me off.
“Tara,” his voice echoed through the room, “I need to speak to you.” He stood by the back hallway, watching me jump from his sudden appearance.
Jason strolled over to me with no recognition of Kitty watching from her desk.
She whistled, “You’re going to get a spanking.” Am I? I had spent most of the night wondering what happened during their meetings, only to perk up at the mention of being alone with him again.
The closer he came, the more I believed Kitty’s prediction.
“I need to see you in my workroom,” he said a little louder so I couldn’t pretend to not hear him.
“What’s the magic word?” I turned to face his pale green eyes and challenge his commands.
Kitty stifled a laugh while Jason rolled his eyes. “Now,” he demanded.
Someone must have forgotten how to use the word “please”.
I sighed and followed His Majesty back to his domain. The door creaked shut behind us, and I stayed alert of my surroundings. The only light in the room came from a bronze lamp sitting in the corner, basking the sofa in a warm glow.
Jason took a seat in the office chair by his desk. While the workshop resembled the aftermath of a hurricane, his living space was painfully tidy.
“What did you want to talk about?” I tried to speed up our meeting.
Being in a secluded room with his wandering eyes did nothing to prevent the naughty scenarios threatening to pollute my mind.
His eyes met mine. “There’s another toy I want you to test.”
“That’s all?” I pursed my lips.
“What were you expecting?” A firm smack to the ass.
“An apology.” I knew if I kept lying, I would give Pinocchio a run for his money.
“For what?” He blinked, playing dumb.
I couldn’t help but scoff, “Forget it.”
Jason held back a chuckle, making frustration boil inside me. My overactive temper bubbled and twisted into an ugly shape. Instead of plotting my inevitable revenge, I swiveled on my heel and headed for the exit.
Three seconds into my departure, Jason grabbed my elbow and spun me back around.
“I’m sorry.” I froze as the words left his mouth.
Suspicion crept in. “For what?”
“For going overboard with the demonstration.” The sudden softness in his eyes almost convinced me. “I went too far.” He let go of my arm and watched as I processed his apology. The cocky tone had disappeared from his voice, leaving me confused and almost making me believe him.
I avoided looking directly at him. “It’s fine,” I sighed.
“Good.” His voice remained smooth and calm. “So, are you interested in testing another toy?”
My head swirled with all the possible responses. Why else would he have wanted to see me? I should have expected the offer, been better prepared for it. Instead, I was disappointed. Maybe I should have been grateful he bothered to apologize at all.
“What would I have to do?”
“Similar to last time,” he said with a shrug. “I’ll pay you your hourly wage plus overtime.”
“Per hour?” Jason’s nod secured my answer. “Hell no.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“I’m not subjecting myself to another hour of that,” I protested.
He raised an eyebrow. “What if I gave you a hundred dollars an hour?”
I opened my mouth to shoot down his offer, but I shut it just as quickly. I remembered my bills and my father’s request for money. Although he wasn’t worth it, my younger siblings were. It wasn’t their fault they had an awful dad.
Maybe I just wished someone cared enough about me to save me from my reckless parents.
I agreed before common sense could get the better of me.
If all it took were a few awkward test runs of the toys to get out of debt and help my siblings have a more secure childhood than mine, it was worth it.
I hoped .
After two weeks of testing Jason’s prototypes, any time I could spare was spent with him. Most days I would sneak past Kitty when she was sorting the shelves and head straight to his workshop.
My days off were spent on his table and at night, the thought of our tests invaded my dreams. He never touched me, not even when I moaned or begged him to turn up the toy, and despite declaring that he would fuck me after the demonstration, he never made another advance.
At first, I was relieved, but after consecutive wet dreams which led to many late nights with my hands down my pants, I began to wonder why he never tried.
When I finally mustered up the courage to ask, he merely smiled without looking away from his newest project and said that he wouldn’t touch me until I asked.
I didn’t bring it up after that.
A few days later, I decided to bury the dirty thoughts running rampant through my brain and end the tests. I had enough money, at least enough to get by, and the exhaustion was eating away at my sanity.
My typical walk to Pink Cherrie resulted in numerous run-ins with loyal customers and Cherries who were heading home. I made polite conversation and hurried inside before I could be derailed from my mission again.
The vanilla-scented air engulfed me as soon as I stepped foot in the door. The store’s aggressively sexual interior no longer surprised me as I became familiar with the hedonistic environment.
Instead of waiting for Kitty to appear from behind the shelves or out of the back room, I headed straight towards Jason’s lair. The Cherries in the store paid no attention to me as I hurried across the room and disappeared into the back hall.
Every time I faced the door, my heart climbed into my throat. I knocked and ignored the hesitation pooling in my mind. After a few moments of second-guessing my decision to show up, the door opened.
“You don’t have to knock anymore, you know,” Jason remarked as he returned to his project waiting on the table, glancing at me over his shoulder. “I knew you were coming.”
“Noted.” I peered around the room, biting my lip as I tried to find the strength to say what I needed to.
Jason smiled and raised an eyebrow at my behavior. “Something on your mind?”
I groaned internally; it was the perfect opening. “Actually…” I forced myself to make eye contact. The gentle curiosity in his pale green eyes almost stopped my sentence in its infancy. “I don’t think I can test any more toys.”
I let the statement hang in the air between us.
He paused, processing my words. “Can I ask why?” He watched the expression twist on my face despite my best efforts to remain neutral.
“I just don’t think it’s for the best.” I struggled to find a reasonable excuse that couldn’t lead to more questioning.
“I’m having a hard time hiding it from the other Cherries.
” It wasn’t a complete lie. Kitty had nearly seen me on my way to the workshop several times.
She was bound to find out sooner or later.
I was new to their world, but I knew they wouldn’t love that I had been lying by omission.
Jason nodded. “I understand.” His eyes lingered on me, as if that could change my mind. But he didn’t try to convince me otherwise.
“Good.” I tried not to show my disappointment in his acceptance.
Our arrangement, after all, was only a business deal.
“Do you think you can test one more toy for me today?” he asked before I could gather the strength to walk out. “Since you’re already here.”
I clutched the fabric of my sleeve inside a fist. “Yeah, that should be fine.” Why wouldn’t it be? He thinks hiding it is the issue. “What toy is it today?”
He grinned. “It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”
I bit my lip while he explained the mechanics behind the toy.
The gleam in his eyes rooted my feet in place.
Ending our arrangement was the only smart choice.
Because even after I stepped out of Pink Cherrie at the end of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about him.
About the teasing lilt in his voice, and the way he looked at me like he knew exactly how to unravel me.
If I didn’t end things now, I wasn’t sure I ever would.