There was real cause for concern from the domino-like effect of a potential shut down. Henry and Marquita’s reputation for carrying the best selection of vibrators was unrivaled. They were tastemakers in the business of pleasure. Where Henry and Marquita went, so went others. Many online retailers often stocked products based on what the Eden couple showcased and recommended. But on top of that, Jack didn’t like that Conroy was going after one of his business partners with a scare tactic.
“Besides, Conroy’s totally wrong with the whole the-clubs-are-seedy line. Henry runs the most prestigious BDSM clubs in New York. Have you seen the patrons?” Casey lowered her voice to a whisper, even though it was only the two of them. “They’re all New York’s elite. One of the state senators is a member. I bet Conroy has no clue that the good Senator likes to be whipped and flogged by pretty ladies.”
Jack laughed. “Bondage and dominance is a God-given right. And so is battery-operated assistance. Anyway, I want to help them because it’s the right thing to do for them, and because helping them helps us. Henry’s backing his brother-in-law, of course, and he’s asking if we can get behind him too.”
Casey slammed a fist onto the arm of the purple couch. “I’ll stage a march on anyone who dares to keep floggers and whips out of the bedroom.”
“Or sex dungeons, as the case may be,” Jack said dryly.
“That too,” Casey said, her blue eyes wide and enraged. “You should be able to do whatever you want between consenting adults in a sex dungeon without politicians getting involved. Want me to make signs? Picket? Launch a PR campaign?”
Jack pushed his hands down, as if to say let’s take it slow. “One step at a time. For now I think it’s best if we stay off the radar, and Henry agrees. I think we should put up some money and see if that can help Denkler regain some traction with his schools-and-safe-streets campaigns. Get the focus off the clubs, since that’s not what it’s about, but in so doing, we protect them and Henry’s business, and our business. And the real issues become important ones again.”
She nodded. “Absolutely. I don’t want anyone messing with our business, Jack,” she said. While Joy Delivered was their company and he loved every second of running it, the partnership had started with his sister. She’d approached Jack about joining forces after she graduated from business school.
“You’re going to think this is crazy, but I know what I want to be when I grow up,” she’d said, her mortarboard in hand. Jack had just completed his service with the army, and after his time stationed in Europe, he was Stateside again. Eager for the “what’s next in his life,” he’d jumped on the chance to build a business from the ground up. His sister brought her natural passion; he brought his business mind. And, of course, an avid appreciation for the female body and all the ways that women could experience pleasure. He’d been a lucky man—lucky with the ladies, and lucky in business.
Until Aubrey, when luck ran out, and everything unraveled by his simple inability to tell her the truth.
The way things ended was a stone in his chest, heavy and unyielding.
“How did your appointment go today?”
Jack blinked, returning to the here and now, and the question Casey had asked.
“The one with Dr. Milo?” Casey said, rolling her hands, as if to jog his memory.
“It was fine, but I don’t want to get into the details.”
She parked her hands on her hips. “You’re so closed off sometimes, Jack.”
“Yes,” he said, pointedly. “I know. It’s called privacy. You should try it sometime.”
“That did not compute. You must be speaking a foreign language.”
He laughed and shook his head. His sister was relentless. She was also an open book. She always wanted to talk about things, to discuss them, to have them out in the open. The polar opposite of their parents. But he wasn’t going to open up to her about the reason why Michelle wasn’t his shrink.
“So, how was Dr. Milo? Was she as amazing as they say?”
“Yes,” he said, keeping the smirk to himself as he gave the barest of answers, and yet one that was completely truthful. She was amazing, but in a different way than Casey was asking. Not only was Michelle clever and sharp, she was stunning. The woman was primed for passion, bathed in sensuality. She knew her way around her own body, clearly. She knew what brought her pleasure, and she was willing to give herself to him and let him take her there too.
No inhibitions, only openness. The things he could do with her.
“Well, I hope you and she start to dig into what’s weighing you down up here,” she said, tapping her skull as she stood. “And here too,” she said, lowering her voice as she touched her heart. “I want you to be happy.”