The Engagement Gift(7)

Hands parked on hips, he’d shaken his head and said, Finn, it’s time to deal with all the shit you’re not facing.

That was all he’d said.

Well, he’d said a few more things as he’d turned off my computer and dragged me out of the office. Like You’re a miserable fuck. It’s understandable, but it’s time to face the music.

I’d gotten my act together, gone to group therapy, and finally worked through the shit from losing my brother.

Boom. Then I met Lily. I fell so goddamn hard I still had bruises on my ass.

Hypothetically.

Point being, I didn’t fall in love till I had dealt with the grief. And when I fell, I fell all the way into the deep end, no turning back. It was like I was finally able to access my heart again, my emotions, and hell, it was incredible to be able to do so, and even better to give them to her.

To someone who cherished what I had to offer. Who valued and honored it. Who understood who I was, and who I wanted to be.

Was I obsessed with pleasing her?

Yeah, I was.

So sue me.

But this particular fantasy she had? The one she seemed to only tell Google and Tumblr?

I was obsessed with that, too. Because I didn’t want my woman to go unfulfilled. I didn’t want her to feel deprived of a single thing. Besides, my job was to be better than Google and Tumblr. To deliver the real thing to her.

But where the fuck would I find a willing participant who wasn’t a freak? Who Lily would want?

It wasn’t like I was going to get on Craigslist or post an ad on Tinder. Wait, did Tinder even have ads for seeking a third person?

Those questions raced through my head as we played basketball and I missed shot after shot. When we finished, Jake smacked my shoulder. “Destroyed you.”

Hmm. Seems he did.

“Must be a blue moon,” I joked.

He flipped me the bird. “Admit it—you suck at literally everything.”

“I am awesome at everything. Except, admittedly, today’s game.” I held up a finger. “But in my defense, my mind was elsewhere.”

He mirrored me, holding up a finger in mockery. “There’s no asterisk that says he was distracted when we’re keeping score. Besides, what could be on your mind other than this game?”

I shrugged and smiled. “What can I say? My mind was on Lily.”

Jake smirked. “Well, that’s understandable. You’re probably going to go home and fuck like bunnies all night. It’s a wonder you make it into work at all.”

I flashed him an evil grin. “You’re right. It is one of the eight wonders of the modern world. And speaking of our record, this weekend I’ll be accepting my award for excellence in stamina and endless pleasure delivery at the Men’s Conference of Gods in Bed.”

“Asshole,” he muttered.

I clapped his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a woman for you soon.”

Jake met his last girlfriend online, and she’d seemed perfect. At first, Debbie had wanted to take it slow. But after three months, she’d demanded he put a ring on it. He wasn’t ready, so he’d asked if they could see where things went. Debbie had declared no, since her clock was ticking.

That was that, and since then he’d been taking a break from the apps.

“In the meantime, just tell me your stories and I’ll live vicariously,” Jake said.

“Pervert. But if I told you—and I won’t—I’d have plenty, because this weekend I plan to spend every waking second pleasuring my woman.”

For that, I earned the double bird.

I laughed. “Sorry, not sorry.”

“Yeah, you better not be sorry. Every man is jealous of you.”

I tilted my head, curious. “What do you mean by that?”

He shot me a look like it was as obvious as tomato sauce on a new dress shirt. “Have you seen your fiancée? She’s fucking beautiful. I don’t know why she fell for your ugly ass. And somehow, she tolerates you, too. You better not be dumb enough to ever let go of her.”

That’s when the heavens parted and the filthy angels clanged their cymbals against my head, calling out, You fucking idiot. The answer is right in front of you.

Because angels swore, right?

The answer was under my nose.

If I was going to try to give Lily her fantasy, she wouldn’t want a threesome with a stranger. She’d want someone she could trust. She was a private woman, and naturally, she’d want a third person who’d keep the secret of her desires. She trusted Jake. She trusted my friendship with him. She knew the man would go to the ends of the earth for me.

And Jake? He was a good contender. No strings attached to anyone else.

Clearly, he thought Lily was hot. No surprise there.

Not to mention he was a kinky bastard. Hell, he was an everything bastard. The man once said he was an omnivore when it came to women.

But I’d have to find a way to broach it with Lily first.

So I’d bring up the idea in a setting with the right lubricant.

The toy shop.





*



That night, I took her shopping. As we walked into our regular store, she glanced toward the register, where a dark-haired guy worked behind the counter.

“I didn’t know Penn Badgley worked at Eden,” she joked.