“No way the husband goes for that. You’re on, man.”
Wolfie and I shake on it and discreetly turn our attention back to the couple.
Like I guessed, Connor’s pointing them to the Joie de Vivre, a couples toy meant to enhance everyone’s experience. It’s not quite the dainty, discreet toy the wife claimed to be looking for, but it’s not a ten-inch hot-pink dildo either. It also happens to be one of our pricier toys, which is why it’s always Connor’s go-to recommendation.
Connor has something we all lack. I might wear my heart on my sleeve and get caught up in feelings when I shouldn’t, but Connor was born with a big heart. Maybe that’s why this is the right job for him—the guy genuinely wants to help people, even if that help is to improve their sex life. He cares. He wants to make the world a better place. And he enjoys talking to people.
Me? I get lost in my head too much, and am too selfish to genuinely care about which toy is right for this couple. Buy both. Or don’t. Seriously, I don’t care. And I’ve never been good at small talk.
Although, I guess I’m better at it than Wolfie, who’s been known to communicate in grunts and head nods. Connor, on the other hand, puts people at ease. He knows just the right thing to say to break the ice with this couple, probably something witty, because now the three of them are chuckling together.
“Are they . . .” Wolfie trails off, his mouth hanging open.
“Holy shit. They’re leaving with the Joie de Vivre.”
“What’s a Joie de Vivre?” a light, familiar voice asks from behind us, one I wasn’t expecting to hear for a while.
Especially not now. Especially not here, at work, surrounded by sex toys. With her older brother standing right next to me.
Fuck.
It’s Maren, dressed in a pair of yoga pants that hug her curves perfectly and send my mind to all the wrong places. I keep my eyes trained on the couple, who are now at the register with Connor. Fuck me up the ass. How the hell am I supposed to get anything done with her here?
“What are you doing here?” Wolfie asks gruffly.
Glad I’m not the only one dying to know the answer to that question.
“Hello to you too, big brother. It’s so good to see you. I’m doing just fine, thanks,” she says, an irritated smile on her face.
“It’s weird that you’re here,” I blurt.
Wolfie grunts in agreement. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
Realizing that I might know more about Maren’s work situation than her brother does at the moment, I search her face for answers but come up blank.
She hardly blinks at Wolfie’s question, instead browsing through our displays. Biting her lip, she wanders a few steps down an aisle filled with anal plugs in varying sizes and colors.
My cock twitches at the sight of her fingers on one of the toys. This is going to be worse than I thought.
“I worked from home today,” she says and looks directly at me. “And I’m actually here on business.”
Wolfie looks between us, confused, and my stomach drops. The last thing I need is for him to be suspicious of something between me and Maren.
“You’re looking to enter the toy industry?” he asks.
Maren rolls her eyes. “Hayes is helping me with a fundraiser for Riverside.”
Wolfie’s eyebrows shoot up, and I don’t even want to think about where his mind might be going. He looks at me and crosses his arms.
Doing my best to play it off casually, I shrug. “You told me to check on your sister, and it snowballed from there.”
He returns my shrug and tucks a pen behind his ear. “Always the knight in shining armor.”
I don’t miss the tinge of sarcasm in his tone. He knows something’s up, but he’s letting it go. And right now, that’s my only saving grace.
“Holy shit. Maren Cox? Are you finally ready to let me sell you the vibrator that will change your life?” Connor appears next to Maren and loops his arm around her waist.
The dude’s pissed me off before, but never like this. The sight of Connor’s bulky forearm around her narrow waist gives me heart palpitations. Not cool. I’m about ready to rip his face off if he doesn’t take his hands off her in the next five seconds.
From the looks of it, I’m not the only one. Wolfie’s nostrils flare, and he looks about ready to sock Connor into next weekend.
Maren giggles nervously. “I was actually wondering if you could tell me what the Joie de Vivre is? These two apparently went deaf when I asked about it.”
Connor gives her a smile that makes me want to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat. “Wait right here.”
Within moments, he returns with an armful of toys and lays them out on the table in front of her. Her eyes grow wide, and when she starts rifling through them, flicking some on and gasping when they light up or vibrate, my jaw about falls straight to the floor. This is downright unfair.
Connor places the sleek U-shaped toy in her hands, his smile widening. “The Joie de Vivre can be used in any position, though I recommend couples try missionary to start. It’s also very effective solo,” he adds with a wink.
Wolfie lets out a long, irritated breath from beside me.
Welcome to the fucking club, dude.
I can’t tell which is worse—watching Connor flirt with Maren, or watching Maren fondle a sex toy. My mind keeps flashing with wild fantasies, and my heart is pounding in my throat.
Her hands move to our collection of vibrators in various shapes—hearts, cylinders, shells. One even looks like a gummy bear. When she finds the Luxe Tube in the pile, she twists it open, a
