Page 72 of The Upgrade

Even if my brain’s not mixing up Kit with my ex, there’s the fact that Kit gets seasick. Isn’t that what he said about feeding the fish from a boat in Belize?

He’s probably not even in the system for this one. Curiosity makes me check the dropdown menu, and what do you know? There’s Topher.

I hesitate.

Maybe it’s an error. Even if it’s not, would he really want to do a boat tour?

I take a deep breath. Then I tick the box to let the system choose for me.

There. That’s done. The app tells me to report to the marina at ten. That’s just enough time to have breakfast and slather on sunscreen. Or hell, I might as well let one of the consorts help me. Isn’t that why I’m here?

With an odd wooden ball in the pit of my belly, I gather my things and head out the door to find pancakes.

* * *

Two hours later,I’m standing at the bow of a luxury yacht. My floaty white coverup flaps in the breeze as I stand with my arms open wide.

“You trust me?”

The male voice behind me doesn’t tickle my ear, and there’s no broad DiCaprio chest at my back. In fact, no one’s touching me at all. We’re ten feet apart, so this isn’t the famous film scene it sounds like.

“Um.” I glance down at my bikini bottoms. They look lumpy and weird on account of the vibrating sex toy inside. “I guess so?”

This is the exhibitionist fantasy. It’s a little too risky to fuck on the bow of a ship while seeking out strangers to watch. For the record, I wouldn’t have wanted that anyway.

But the alternative?

“There’s the other ship.” Behind the controls of our boat, our captain nods to the starboard side. “Let me know when it feels like we’re close enough.”

Close enough for what?

For them to see me, I guess. That’s the exhibitionist part of the fantasy.

An attractive young consort named Nico holds the remote for the sex toy poised to deliver this special enchantment. As we draw close to the ship, he presses a thumb to the button. “Turning it on in three, two, one…”

He cranks up the dial and I yelp.

“Too much.” I claw at the vibrating nub, desperate to move it away from my clit. “Ouch.”

“Sorry.” Nico looks over at Logan, the other consort assigned to this enchantment. An ex-Marine, I think. “I swear level five usually works great.”

Logan unfolds his musclebound frame from a deck chair. “All women are different,” he tells Nico, then gives me a sympathetic look. “You okay?”

“I’m good.”

“We can take a break. Start again if you’re numbed out.”

His voice is so gentle and sweet. He was patient and kind for the snorkeling lesson, and both men have been so attentive.

But, for reasons I don’t understand, I’m not feeling it.

“Sorry.” I reach into my swimsuit bottoms and scoop out the device. It’s bright-purple and looks like a bionic tongue. “I don’t think I’m much of an exhibitionist at heart.”

“Please, don’t apologize.” Logan holds out a small velvet bag and I drop the toy in it. “It’s yours to keep. Nico can put it with your things.”

I feel like an ungrateful jerk. “You’ve been so nice, and?—”

“Eve, you’re fine.”

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