Page 43 of The Toy Maker (The Pink Cherrie #1)

THIRTY-SIX

I clawed the sofa as Jason continued to take me from behind. My body was about to give outright from underneath me when I saw her in the mirror.

Her faded pink hair was slung up in a messy ponytail, and she had a cardboard box in her hands. We made eye contact. The most awkward three seconds of my life ticked by, and then on the count of three, Kitty lost her shit.

“Holy fuck!” she screamed at the sight of us.

Jason stopped immediately after hearing her voice and pulled out of me. In a momentary lapse of judgment, he turned to face her.

“Jesus, Jason, cover yourself!” Kitty shielded herself from the sight of Jason’s naked body with her hand.

He scrambled around to look for his boxers and got them up just in time for Kitty to unleash her fury.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she screeched.

Jason looked over at my naked body and then back at Kitty’s flaming eyes. “Anal.” He shrugged.

I watched as her fingers twitched, no doubt fighting off the desire to strangle him. I knew the feeling all too well. After realizing that she could shame Jason no more than a half-priced hooker, she turned her attention to me.

Her usual cheerful smile and warm gaze were nowhere to be found.

In that moment, we were strangers.

“You’re fucking him after the stunt he just pulled?” she sputtered, blinking back her astonishment.

I tried to respond but was cut off.

“Just don’t.” She looked between us and clenched her jaw before tossing the box onto the table. “Those are for you. I thought you looked a little down today and might need something to cheer you up.”

She swallowed down the anger building in her throat and walked out of the apartment without another word.

Jason and I let the silence fall over us. The only noise in the room was him coming to join me on the couch.

He sighed, “I should have locked the door.”

I buried my head in my hands and listened to him breathe. I should have fixed the broken latch. Fuck.

“What now?” I groaned, already knowing that the answer couldn’t be anything good. I had screwed myself, royally, and it was only a matter of time before Kitty told Jade and Sarah. Then they’d judge me together.

“Whatever you want to do.” He shrugged.

I spared a glance at him. “What does that mean?”

“I can put my clothes on, leave, and pretend that nothing happened tonight, or I can stay.” He leaned toward me, pressing his leg against my bare thigh.

“I can’t even think about having sex right now.” I gathered my clothes from the floor and yanked on my shirt.

I tried to ignore Jason’s eyes following my every move.

“We could just watch a movie. I’ll even keep my hands above the blanket if it makes you feel better,” he murmured, voice soft. Was he suggesting a post-sex movie night?

I tried not to smile at the idea. “Thanks for the offer, but I think it’d be best if you left.”

“Yeah, of course.” Jason’s eyes fell before he got up and put on his clothes.

Once he was dressed, I walked him to the door. The same one that I had kissed Ethan by just a few hours before, the same one that my friend walked through to catch me screwing my boss, and now the one I was sending off the man that I wanted to stay through the night.

“Come see me tomorrow morning,” was all he said before leaving me standing alone in my apartment.

After Jason disappeared into the night, there wasn’t much left to do other than lay in bed and loathe myself to sleep. So that’s exactly what I did.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended that everything was fine. A coping mechanism I had perfected over the years and put to use quite a few times. My parents made sure of it during every holiday, birthday, and Superbowl Sunday.

I promised myself that Kitty would forgive me for lying. After all, I would do the same if the roles were reversed. Wouldn’t I?

When I curled into my bed and fought away the images plaguing my mind, I finally drifted to a restless sleep.

I groaned when the alarm shook me awake with its incessant ringing the next morning. I felt like I had been buried in a shallow grave, with dirt scratching at my throat but still close enough to the surface for the sunlight to annoy me.

I dragged myself out of bed and put on the first outfit I saw with a yawn. It was mismatched and wrinkled, but at least it was clean.

I didn’t know what to expect after the night before. My body ached with every step closer to Pink Cherrie, a dull reminder of Jason’s touch still lingering on my skin. Even now, I felt tethered to him, though I wasn’t sure if I had any right to.

I had given him so much of myself, but I had made a mess of everything in the process.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled open the door. The scent of pumpkin pie and cornbread hit me as soon as I entered.

My eyes widened when I saw the event decorations—the entire room had been transformed into an enchanted forest. Twinkling lights mimicked the glow of fireflies, casting soft golden glimmers over the fake stone path that wound through a thick maze of fake trees.

Paper leaves hung from the ceiling, and vines twisted around the wooden pillars.

I followed the path into the winding woods and found a familiar clearing.

“What do you think?” Sarah was perched behind the front desk, her bright green overalls covered in tiny stitched daisies. Her grin was wide, genuine, and she seemed truly happy for the first time in months.

I wished I felt the same.

“It’s…” I struggled to find the right words. “They did all this overnight?”

She nodded, brushing a loose curl from her face. “Jason worked late setting it up. Also, Jade’s been looking for you. Your costume is the only one unfinished.”

I had been avoiding fittings alone with Jade. She had a way of prying out secrets I didn’t even know I had. Plus, she was a little stab-happy with the needle, and if Kitty had told them what she saw, I’d be a pincushion by lunch.

“Alright, I’ll go find her.” Before she responded or lured me into another conversation about ceramics, her latest obsession since the breakup, I wandered deeper into the “woods”, following the winding path until I stepped into a clearing.

I stopped when I saw the large dining table taking up most of the stage. I climbed the stairs and forced myself to investigate. Each chair came with restraints on the arms, legs, and waist.

I turned my attention to the actual table, where every place setting was surrounded by more leather restraints. I swallowed, finally understanding the live show.

The main course was six brave, willing Cherries.

I swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to turn around and run out of the store. I pressed forward, my body moving on autopilot toward the back of the building, where Jason had told me to meet him.

I needed to talk to him to find out where we stood, even though I was usually on my knees when we were together. Even though I craved his dominance, the uncertainty of our relationship gnawed at me.

Jason never shared what was on his mind, and I was starting to wonder if I was just fooling myself by believing we had anything at all.

But when I reached the back hall, it was obvious that Jason was arguing with someone.

Instead of turning away, I forced myself to go toward the shouting, and it led me to the entrance of his workshop. My fingers curled against the wooden doorframe as I leaned in, just enough to hear.

Kitty’s voice was unmistakable. “After the stunt you pulled yesterday, you’re lucky I haven’t tazed you into oblivion.”

I peeked through the crack, watching as she waved her hands in frustration. Jason fiddled with a half-finished toy and pretended not to hear her.

Kitty’s face was turning red. “Are you even listening to me? You can’t treat her like one of your toys.”

Jason exhaled through his nose, finally responding. “Our relationship is none of your business.” Relationship? Were they talking about me?

Kitty’s shoulders softened. “What relationship?”

“An amicable one.”

I felt my chest tighten. I shouldn’t have been surprised. We had never talked about being more. And yet, the casual way he said it stung anyway.

Kitty’s brows furrowed. “Does she know that’s all it is?”

“Yes,” Jason sighed, tired of her questioning. She was getting about as much information as I did on average.

Which was nothing, essentially.

“You’re hurting her.” Kitty stared at him like he was transparent. “And you, of all people, know what that feels like.” Jason stiffened, but she continued. “Don’t keep using her like An?—”

“Anna has nothing to do with this,” he cut her off, tossing his project to the side and finally meeting her gaze.

My breath caught.

Anna was involved in this?

Kitty didn’t back down, and her fists balled in anger. “If you actually cared about her, then—” She stopped, her expression shifting as if she had finally put something together. “Oh my God. You do, don’t you? That’s what this is about.”

“I don’t,” Jason snapped, but it was too late.

The damage was done.

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat, my stomach knotting as a sinking feeling settled in my chest.

Kitty approached him. “Jason, she’s not your personal plaything or a Band-Aid for the shit you refuse to get over. She’s my friend.”

“Oh, really?” Jason scoffed. “If she’s such a good friend then you must have told her who you are. How about why you’re really working here?” At his words, I frowned. I had never asked why she was managing Pink Cherrie, but there never seemed like a reason to.

She seemed happy, but the realization that I could have been missing something worsened the uneasiness I felt.

Kitty’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Just let her be happy.”

“She can make her own decisions.”

Kitty shook her head. “Her decision can’t be you.” Dark circles made her frosty blue eyes practically glow in contrast. I wondered if she had slept at all.

Jason’s eyes darkened. “And why not?” he challenged.

“Because you use people.” She lifted her chin and continued, “I’ve seen you do it every year. The new girl always gets pulled back here and tricked into being your submissives.”

The words knocked the breath out of me. This was a pattern of behavior for him.

Jason let out a short, humorless chuckle. “I don’t trick them. They agree. You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

Kitty’s jaw clenched. “That’s none of your business.”

“And who I fuck and how I fuck them is none of yours.”

Kitty stepped forward, her tone shifting. “Please. Just leave her alone.”

Jason glared at her. “Why are you so concerned?”

“She’s different.”

“How?”

Kitty exhaled, her voice heavy with something that almost sounded like regret. “Because she doesn’t belong here, Jason. She’s smart and deserves more than a job where she’s poked and prodded like an animal.”

She thinks that? I blinked in surprise, and a new wave of guilt washed over me. Kitty believed in me, even after she learned the truth. I wasn’t sure I deserved it.

Jason loomed closer. “Better not let the other Cherries hear that. You might have a mutiny on your hands.”

“This isn’t a joke, Jason.” Kitty’s voice wavered. “She’s in love with you.”

My eyes widened. She couldn’t know that. No way. She was bluffing, trying to make him feel bad. She had to be.

Jason scoffed. “No, she’s not.”

She crossed her arms. “You didn’t see her face yesterday when you pulled that shit on stage.”

His mask cracked, just for a second, like guilt was creeping in.

But then it was gone.

I tried to steady my breathing as he leaned into Kitty’s personal space. “I think you have a show to get ready for.”

“Jason!” Kitty called after him as he marched out the back door, but he had heard enough.

I turned, pressing my back against the wall, with my hands trembling at my sides. Ethan had warned me. And after seeing how Jason talked about me, and how little he cared about me, I knew he had been right all along.

Jason had used me.

I was just another girl in a long line of idiots who thought they meant something to him.

A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat, but it died just as quickly.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to push down the wave of humiliation, of heartbreak, of every stupid, reckless feeling I’d let myself have for him over the course of my time at Pink Cherrie.

I had been nothing more than a game to him.

And I had let him win.