Spreadsheets

by Jaclyn Quinn

  Spreadsheets

  Ace’s Wild, Book 8

  Jaclyn Quinn

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Also by Jaclyn Quinn

  Other Books By Jaclyn Quinn

  About the Author

  Copyright page

  Spreadsheets

  Ace’s Wild, Book 8

  Copyright © 2019 Jaclyn Quinn

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover design by Designs by Morningstar

  Interior Design and Formatting provided by Flawless Touch Formatting

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author, Jaclyn Quinn, author. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  Trademarks page

  Star Wars and anything Star Wars related

  AirBnB

  Marvel

  Coke

  Game of Thrones

  Stranger Things

  Netflix

  University of North Carolina

  Pepsi

  Google

  Roku

  Toyota Camry

  Aces Wild Series

  Ace's Wild is a multi-author series of books that take place in the same fictional town. Each story can be read in any order. The connecting element in the Ace's Wild series is an adult store owned by Ace and Wilder. The main characters from each book will make at least one visit to Ace's Wild, where they'll buy a toy to use in their story! The only characters who crossover to each book are Ace and Wilder. And with various heat and kink levels, there's sure to be something for everyone!

  Thanks for giving the series a chance! We hope you enjoy the books!

  Christina Lee, Riley Hart, SE Jakes, Alice Winters, Devon McCormack, Max Walker, Annabella Michaels, Neve Wilder, Jaclyn Quinn, Morningstar Ashley, Davidson King, NR Walker, Luna David, & Lane Hayes.

  Chapter One

  “Jeremy, loosen up. Would it kill you to go out and have some fun?”

  Jeremy hung his head back between his tense shoulders. “I’m not here to have fun, Craig. I have an interview early tomorrow morning, and I’m not going to screw this up. Do you know the benefits that come with having a job on a college campus? Not to mention the opportunity to get my graduate degree from the University of North Carolina at a fraction of the cost.” Silence filled the other end of the line. “Craig? Craig, you there?”

  “What?” He released an exaggerated yawn into the speaker of the phone. “Oh, sorry. I fell asleep from boredom.”

  “Very funny.” Jeremy rolled his eyes and pulled back the navy-blue curtain of the AirBnB he’d rented, looking at the peaceful street. He’d lucked out getting a place that was halfway between the university’s Vintage Ridge campus and the center of town. Of course, he’d booked the place as soon as he’d filled out the online resume to work in the Bursar’s Office. He was nothing if not prepared. Something else his older brother Craig teased him about. But he had such a good feeling about the job in the tuition office. “Besides, I fully intend to go into town and get something for dinner. It’s not like I’ll sit here all night. There was an art gallery I passed on the way in. Oh, and I saw a sign for S’mores ice cream. I’ve never had that, but it sounds delicious.”

  Craig laughed. “Jeez, Jeremy. Simmer down. What would the Gods of Predictability think if they heard you talking like that? New ice cream flavor? Takin’ chances, bro.”

  “You’re such an ass.” As much as he didn’t want to humor his brother, Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh with him. Anyone who met them assumed Jeremy was the older of the Anderson boys, even though Craig had him by two years. Jeremy wasn’t always predictable, though. That’s a lie, you lying liar. Okay, so for twenty-five years old, he played it pretty safe. What was wrong with that?

  “It’s gonna be weird with you six hours away.” Craig’s sudden shift in mood didn’t surprise Jeremy. They were brothers, but they were also best friends. It was going to be hard living in another state, but something about it called to Jeremy, too. He loved his brother, but Craig worried too much about him. Jeremy needed to prove to him—and to himself—that he could do this on his own.

  “I haven’t gotten the job yet.” He walked outside and sat down on the porch swing. It was another one of the draws to this place. The serenity of sitting on a porch, drinking a mint julip—mint julip? You don’t even know what the hell is in that!—drinking sweet tea.

  “You will, bro. You will.”

  Jeremy smiled, pushing the swing gently with his toes. “Thanks, Craig.” Man, if his brother could hear his internal ramblings, he’d never hear the end of it.

  “Call me after it’s over. Let me know how it went.”

  “I will.” After saying goodbye, Jeremy sat for a little while longer on the porch swing. Vintage Ridge was beautiful in the summer. He could only imagine how gorgeous the campus would be in the fall. Looking at the license plates of the cars parked on the street, he imagined a lot of these houses were rentals. His own Toyota Camry, with its Delaware plates, sat in front of the little, blue house. The street was lined with quaint homes, each having their own character. There wasn’t much space in between them, and he assumed, like this house, the lots were long, rather than wide.

  Shoot. Craig was right. He was sitting there thinking about yard sizes when there was a town to explore. He looked at the time on his phone. “I have plenty of time to get dinner, try some S’mores ice cream, and be back before—no, Jeremy. At least don’t give yourself a damn curfew.”

  And now he was talking to himself. Great.

  He walked into the house, grabbing the keys the owner had left for him on a keychain. As he headed down the sidewalk toward the center of town, he couldn’t quite explain it, but there was something here that made him feel like he could be anyone he wanted to be. He could completely reinvent himself. Jeremy stopped at the light, staring at the bright orange, flashing, Don’t Walk.

  He didn’t have to be play-by-the-books Jeremy. Hell, he could be livin’-on-the-edge Jeremy. Throw-caution-to-the-wind Jeremy. He could be—

  Waiting-at-a-light-without-a-single-car-coming-from-either-direction-because-God-forbid-he-break-a-pedestrian-traffic-law…Jeremy.

  He groaned when the light finally told him it was okay to walk and then crossed the street. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t cut out to be anyone other than the man he was, and what was wrong with that? It wasn’t like he was a recluse; he even had a friends-with-benefits situation back in Wilmington. Okay, so that was mostly because Aaron was in the closet. But so what if the situation benefited Aaron more than him?

  Jeremy dropped down onto a bench with an exasperated huff. He really hated when his brother got in his head like this. He needed to keep his mind clear and his focus sharp. He was here for a reason, and that reason didn’t involve throwing caution to the wind so it could come back and hit him in the face.

  He took in
the surrounding area, with its storefronts and restaurants. It wasn’t by any means a city, but it wasn’t a small town, either. There was a freestanding building down the road a bit, with—is that handcuffs on the sign? He pushed his glasses up on his nose as he studied it. Curiosity got the better of him, and he moved down the street until he was almost in front of the building, and—yep…handcuffs.

  Jeremy reached in his pocket for his phone. “Might as well have a little fun.” He snapped a picture of the white Ace’s Wild sign, being sure that the handcuffs hanging from the “s” and the “w” could be clearly seen in the photo. He snorted as he quickly sent the picture and a text to Craig.

  How’s this for predictable?

  It only took seconds for Craig’s response of, Yeah, right, bro.

  You don’t believe me? Why did that irk him so much? So what if he—

  Don’t forget to ask for rainbow sprinkles on your ice cream.

  Jeremy hung his head back and groaned. Why, for once in his life, couldn’t he just do something different?

  “It’s not as scary as it seems.”

  Jeremy turned his head to see a man about his height. He had pale skin like Jeremy, but his hair was blond. Not like Jeremy’s dull, light brown. The guy adjusted his wire-framed glasses and smiled. It was a kind smile, making Jeremy finally take a breath. “Is it a…? I mean, with the handcuffs and all…”

  “Come on. I’ll introduce you to one of the owners.” The man didn’t wait for Jeremy to respond or look back to see if he was following. Hell, Jeremy didn’t even register that he was following until he was walking through one of the double doors the man was holding open for him. “Ace, behave,” the guy said to a massive black man behind the counter.

  The big man—Ace, apparently—with the long, black dreads laughed, and his entire face lit up. “What did I do?”

  “Nothing yet. I just know you.” The smaller man walked behind the counter to the left and lifted up on his toes while the bigger man leaned down. They shared a kiss that made Jeremy’s cheeks flush as he stood awkwardly just inside the doorway. “This is… Huh. I didn’t ask your name yet, did I?”

  Ace let out a boisterous laugh and slapped the man beside him on the ass. “And you were worried about me?” Ace turned that big grin on Jeremy. “He can’t be trusted.”

  The man rolled his eyes and came back around the counter, reaching a hand out to Jeremy. “Hi, I’m Wilder, and this is Ace.”

  “Oh. Oh! I get it…Ace’s Wild. Wait, so you’re the other owner?” When Wilder grinned and nodded, Jeremy cleared his throat and took Wilder’s hand. “Jeremy.”

  “So, Jeremy, what are you lookin’ for?” Ace asked, coming around the register to stand next to Wilder.

  Jeremy hesitantly scanned the shop. He’d never been in a store like this in his life. There were all kinds of whips and paddles and…handcuffs. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his face was flushing so red, it felt like he had sunburn on his cheeks. He pulled at the collar of his shirt and prayed he wasn’t sweating right through it. Do those things over there have tails attached? Holy shit, he was way out of his comfort zone…like couldn’t even see the zone anymore. “Uh…”

  “Excuse me,” a deep, resonating voice said from behind him.

  Jeremy jumped and quickly moved out of the way. “Oh, I’m sor...”—he lost his voice as a gorgeous, raven-haired man passed by him—“…ry.” Jeremy’s mouth hung open, his heart pounding. Is there drool on my chin? Absently, he wiped away moisture that wasn’t there as he continued to watch the man.

  “No need to be.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy smirk. “Hey, guys,” he said to Ace and Wilder as he made his way farther into the store.

  “Hey, man,” Ace replied. “Good timing. We got a shipment of that lube you were asking for. Shelf is all stocked up.”

  Jeremy sucked in a breath and stared wide-eyed at the burly man who’d just announced that Mr. Gorgeous in the grass-green shirt was looking for lube. He didn’t know it was possible for his face to get any redder, but what do ya know? He chanced a nervous glance at the sexy guy, surprised to see his eyes on him.

  “Thanks,” he replied to Ace but didn’t look away from Jeremy. There wasn’t an ounce of embarrassment on his face. “I’ll have to get a bottle…or two.” The guy winked then turned around and headed down one of the aisles.

  Jeremy licked his lips, his eyes glued to the man’s ass.

  “Ah, so that’s what you’re lookin’ for,” Ace teased.

  Wilder hit Ace’s stomach with the back of his hand. “Don’t embarrass him.”

  “What’d I say?” Ace asked innocently.

  Wilder shifted kind eyes to Jeremy and smiled. “Why don’t you have a look around? If you have any questions, give a shout.”

  Look around? What the hell was he going to look for?

  “Uh…yeah, okay.” Jeremy shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, slowly taking steps toward the aisles. Five minutes. Just look around for five minutes and then leave.

  Jeremy stared in awe at the variety in the store. Some things he’d heard of…and some things he’d absolutely never heard of. What the hell’s a cock cage? He took a few more steps, snorting at the Put a Ring On It cock rings. Clever.

  Abruptly, he stopped, his breath quickening, his ass clenching. He was a bottom through and through, and these…well they just called to him. “Anal beads,” he whispered, reading the package. The silicone beads were connected and gradually got larger in size closer to the little ring at one end. He assumed that was how you were supposed to get the beads back out.

  He shifted his eyes to the left, landing on a prostate wand. The name alone sent delicious shivers down his spine, and—oh my God, that one vibrates. Man, there was a world of sexual pleasure he couldn’t even conceive of in this store.

  Jeremy turned into the next aisle and stopped in his tracks. Mr. Lick Me was standing in front of shelves of neatly lined-up bottles of lube. Mr. Lick Me, Jeremy? Really? Oh God, Mr. Lick Me is watching me. Fuck. Jeremy quickly turned around, focusing his attention on… Is that a swing? He leaned his head to the left, looking at the picture on the box that had been turned on its side. Huh...yup. That’s a swing, alright. He glanced around cautiously then took out his phone, quickly taking a picture. After all this, he needed proof to send to Craig that he’d actually come in here. That should shut him up.

  He heard a chuckle from behind him and tried to casually glance over his shoulder. His face was engulfed in heat the second their eyes met. He’d been caught. Jeremy huffed out a nervous laugh when the guy smiled, looked at the swing, scratching his dark, close-cut beard in thought, then back at Jeremy, and then Mr. Lick Me shook his head no.

  Jeremy shrugged and backed up—right into a display. “Shit,” he grumbled wide-eyed, frantically grabbing for the falling merchandise as several tumbled down. Jeremy dropped to the floor, gathering boxes of—dear God, a ten-inch, lifelike cock? Couldn’t be condoms or something? Nope, he was sitting there slack-jawed in front of Mr. Lick Me, holding a box that read King Kock.

  Oh my God. Oh my God, Oh my G—

  “You missed one.” That deep sexy voice made Jeremy’s breath hitch.

  He closed his eyes and stood up, slowly turning around.

  “This one must have been the display,” Mr. Lick Me said, in that rich, velvety tone, a glint of humor in his eyes.

  Jeremy opened his eyes, horrified when the dark-haired man handed him an unboxed King Kock.

  “Th-thanks.” Jeremy took the gigantic dildo, wishing the floor would open him up and swallow him whole.

  “Anal beads,” the man said, a gorgeous half-smile on his face. It didn’t come off as a cocky grin, but it held way more confidence than Jeremy was feeling—or probably had ever felt in his entire life.

  “Huh?”

  The man pointed over Jeremy’s shoulder. “Stick with the anal beads. Can’t go wrong.” He winked again, then stepped around Jeremy and headed to the regist
er, bottles—that’s right, bottles—of lube in hands.

  “Holy shit,” Jeremy whispered. That had to be the most embarrassing, short, but sexy-as-hell conversation he’d ever had in his life.

  Jeremy pretended to straighten the display until Mr. Lick Me left the store. He breathed a sigh of relief then quickly grabbed the box of anal beads and a bottle of the same lube the man had bought.

  As he approached the register, a huge grin stretched across Ace’s face again. “I see you’ve found something. Good choice.”

  Jeremy shyly smiled and pulled out his wallet. “Google is my friend.”

  Ace’s laugh was larger than life and shook his whole body. “Well, just make sure you wash them real good before and after use, and if you need any instructions, let me know. Or…”—he slid a piece of receipt paper across the counter to Jeremy—“you could call him to give you a hand.”

  Jeremy stared down at the paper, confused at first at what he was seeing. The name Griffin was scribbled with a phone number…holy shit! “Uh…is this…?”

  “It sure is.” Ace grinned ear to ear as he rang up Jeremy’s purchases. Jeremy whipped his head toward the door, expecting the guy to be standing there. “He left but said to give you that. Said for you to give him a call if you were looking for something to do tonight.” There was no mistaking the innuendo in that statement. Jesus, he was beginning to feel like his face would be permanently red due to the last twenty minutes of his life. “All jokes aside,” Ace said, his face softening, “Griffin’s a good guy. I wouldn’t give you his number otherwise. If you’re looking for a chance to…I don’t know…have a little fun, you’ll be safe with him.”