Page 45 of Man in Queue
I’m the first to admit, I’m a sexual explorer. If there’s experimentation to be done, and it has an adrenaline-laced orgasm attached to it, you can be assured I’ll be the first person to sign up. That’s where Isaac’s final message comes in, the one giving me permission to have a load-bearing beam installed in my bedroom.
For years, I’ve toyed with the idea of having a sex swing installed in my apartment. For just as many years, I realized there wasn’t much use. I don’t—didn’t—date, and for the rare occasions my battery-operated boyfriends weren’t cutting the mustard and I branched out to oxygen-fueled ones, our hookups never occurred anywhere near my home turf.
Up until recently, I held a permanent reservation at a generic hotel, similar to the one I tried to check into after the incident at my house Friday night. But with every new adventure comes a need for new equipment. Although my rules on dating haven’t altered, I’m not against bending the rules to cross a few items off my wish list. Inviting Alex for a sleepover doesn’t mean anything. We’re two consenting adults who occasionally drop immature words like “love,” “boyfriend,” and “forever” into our exchanges. It’s perfectly normal.
My finger freezes halfway across the screen of my phone.Did you hear the deceit in my tone like I did?
Yeah, figured as much.
I don’t want to date. I just don’t want Alex to either. That doesn’t mean we’re exclusive. It just means we’re. . .
I’ve got nothing. Not a single fucking thing.
Just the thought of Alex with anyone but me annoys the shit out of me. That’s the reason I got all alpha-possessive earlier. His love of frosting was displayed in the most brilliant manner last night, but even if he ate it by the tub-full as if it is ice cream, he’d never amass as many containers as I saw in his pantry last week. Thank god the reason behind his obsession was legitimate. I love frosting, even more so now, but I would have hated it if I discovered I wasn’t the first woman he’s lathered it in.
My wicked thoughts stop as I dial Isaac’s number. He might be too busy to talk to me, but I’ve missed hearing his voice. Excluding family, Isaac has been the one constant in my life the past five years. No matter what happens with Alex, no matter how far we do or do not travel, Isaac’s position in my life will never alter.
To an outsider, plucking me from the pool with demands of exclusivity before I had attended law school may seem excessive. To me, it’s Isaac. He saw what he wanted and ran for it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he molded me into an ideal candidate for his empire, but others may. Do I care about their opinion? Not at all. Isaac has made it very clear I am free to pursue other opportunities at any time I see fit. All he requests is a month’s notice.
With how well he pays, you can be guaranteed I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. But even if he paid me in peanuts, I still don’t see the facts altering. I love my fancy apartment, designer clothes, and heels like every other red-blooded American woman, but those are materialistic things. They’ll never make me happy. Alex’s abrupt entrance into my life proves that more than anything.
I’m drawn from my naughty thoughts when Isaac’s deep timbre sounds down the line. “It’s about time you called me back. I nearly sent out a search party.”
I roll my eyes. “By search party, do you mean Hunter?”
Hunter Kane is Isaac’s head of security. He’s also a brilliant hacker. If you want to know anything about anyone, Hunter is your man—although he came up empty-handed when I requested surveillance from outside of the warehouse Isaac and I are hoping to turn into a bustling nightclub.
Isaac’s laughter joins mine. “He’s already been called in. Did you want me to call him off?”
“Yes!” My girly screech bounces around Alex’s bedroom. “You’re such a worrywart. I told you I was heading out of town.”
“At the same time you asked if you could have a sex swing installed.” He’s more shocked at my admission that I want him to yank Hunter off my tail than my request.
“I didn’t ask to have a sex swing installed. I requested a load-bearing beam—”
“Which every man with half a cock knows is code word for a sex swing.”
It is lucky I can hear the mirth in his tone or I’d be suspicious he was jealous. Even though I know he isn’t, I can’t help but ask, “Jealous much?”
That cuts his laughter in half. “I wouldn’t say jealous, more concerned. You’ve been a little off the past few months. At first, I thought it might have been family issues.” The way his tone dips at his last two words reveals whom he was referencing: Luca. “But your uneasiness didn’t weaken as usual, not even after a visit home.” He pauses, exhales deeply, then asks, “Are you homesick?”
I shrug. “A little.” Not how he’s thinking, but with me having no better explanation for the crazy emotions bombarding me, I don’t have any other words to offer him. Except perhaps, “I’ve met someone.”
Isaac inhales a sharp breath. “The same someone you mentioned earlier?”
An agreeing murmur drones through my lips. “We’re. . . uh. . . kind of seeing each other?” That came out as immature as it sounds.
“Wow.”
Isaac only says one word, but it’s the words he didn’t express I hear the clearest. He knows I’m aone date then dump themgirl, so hearing me admit I’m possiblydatingwas as shocking for his ears to hear as it was for my mouth to say.
“It’s nothing serious; it’s just. . .”
Once again, I’ve got nothing.
After a prolonged awkward silence, I mumble, “I like him.”
A puff of air expels from Isaac’s lips. “I’m glad. That’s good. As long as he’s treating you right, I’m fine with this.” His words grow more convincing with each one he speaks. I laugh when he adds on, “I think it might take me a little to adjust.”
