Sultry at 30 (Love Without Batteries)

by Cassandra Lawson

  “Are you serious?” I asked. “He cheated on you. It sounds like all he was worried about was his ego.”

  “That’s true, but I was still a dumb kid who went back because I figured if everyone else thought it was a good idea, maybe I was wrong,” she admitted with a sigh. “Some rebel loner I turned out to be. At first, Cody was very attentive—annoyingly attentive at times. That actually lasted for almost a year after we graduated. I’d originally planned to attend college in New Orleans, but my marriage made that impossible. Cody started taking online classes and working at his mother’s law offices. I don’t think he did much there, but according to him, he was practically running the office. As for me, I started writing more. I took a few writing classes online, and I even finished a book and sent out some query letters to agents. They all turned me down, but I still felt like I’d found what I really wanted to do. Writing made me feel good. Cody started cheating on me again. When I told him I was leaving, he hit me. Then he stole some of my writing and started showing it to everyone around town, claiming it was proof I was a whore, as if that justified him cheating.”

  “That asshole needs his ass kicked,” Sebastian grumbled.

  “I totally agree, and he did get a kick in the balls financially,” I explained. “He and his parents didn’t want anyone to know about him hitting me, and his parents also felt guilty. I left town with enough money to move out here and only work part-time while I was writing and going to school. My parents supported me leaving, but they still don’t like my writing, and occasionally, one of them will say something to piss me off. My mom sometimes brings up things I could have done to make my marriage with Cody work.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I demanded.

  “Nope,” she replied. “My mom has trouble with reality when it doesn’t fit what she wants to see. I occasionally have to remind her that Cody cheated on me and hit me.

  “How could she forget something like that?” I asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “My mom is sweet, and she seems perfectly in control of everything as a minister’s wife. She runs from one event to the next, and she can quote the bible, but most of her life flows smoothly because of sticky notes she leaves all over,” she explained. “She has some mild brain damage from an accident in her teens. Cody’s actions aren’t on a sticky note because the memory upsets her, so my dad doesn’t want her to remember. He hates it when I remind her.”

  “Does it bother you that she doesn’t remember?” I asked. It couldn’t be easy for her to hear her mom talking kindly about a man who’d treated Delaney so badly.

  “Yes, and it’s part of the reason I moved out here,” she explained. “I understand why my dad doesn’t want her remembering Cody hurting me, but I couldn’t pretend all the time. I’m happier away from my hometown, anyway.”

  “And now your ex is out here,” I stated. “What do you suppose he wants?”

  She sighed before responding. “My cousin thinks he’s going to try to get me to take him back.”

  “After all this time?” I asked, doubtfully. “Don’t get me wrong. A man would have to be a fool to let you go, but it’s been a long time.”

  “Cody’s mother is forever trying to convince me to give him another chance,” she explained. “I imagine she does the same to Cody. Now that she’s been diagnosed with lung cancer, he may be trying to make his mom happy.” There was no missing the way her voice caught when she talked about Cody’s mom having cancer. “I don’t know what to think. If he were out here for that reason, I’m sure my mom would have told me.”

  “You haven’t heard from him?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Enough talk about exes. Shouldn’t you finish your dinner so you can take me home and play kinky sex games with me?”

  I grinned. “You make an excellent point. I’ll eat fast.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Delaney

  By the time we made it back to my place, my body was humming with arousal.

  Sebastian hurried around to meet me at my car door, pulling me into his arms for a slow kiss. His tongue stroked mine before retreating. Pulling away slightly, Sebastian stared into my eyes, leaning in to take my lower lip between his teeth and bite down gently.

  Sebastian’s arms suddenly wrapped around me as he quickly pulled me away from the car just before a rock landed where we’d been standing. A second rock soon hit Sebastian’s windshield causing a spiraling break across the front.

  “Shit,” Sebastian hissed, pulling me down beside the car.

  “What the hell just happened?” I asked in a shaky voice. It was a crazy question since I’d seen the rocks. Rocks didn’t just fall from the sky.

  “Someone just threw rocks at us. Are you okay?” he asked, looking down at me as I crouched beside his car.

  “Not really,” I admitted before adding, “I’m not hurt.”

  Sebastian stood and looked around my street. There were several cars parked along the tree-lined road. While I hadn’t been paying attention when Sebastian had pulled up, I was certain my neighbors still had a huge RV parked across the street. There were plenty of places for someone to hide.

  “I don’t see anyone,” Sebastian finally said before taking my hands to help me to my feet. “We should get inside just in case they’re still out here.”

  We hurried up to the house. My hands were shaking so badly when I tried to get the key in the lock, Sebastian had to take the key from me and open the door.

  Once in the house, Sebastian ran a hand through his hair. It was only then that I realized he wasn’t as calm as I’d guessed. When we’d been outside, it had seemed he was holding it together fine. Moving in front of him, I slipped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest. Sebastian immediately wrapped his arms around me and stroked my back and hair. “That was scary,” he admitted. “What the fuck is wrong with people?”

  “I’ve never had anything like this happen before. We should call the police,” I told him, reluctantly leaving the comfort of Sebastian’s arms. It seemed like the sooner the police got out here, the easier it would be to catch whoever had thrown the rocks.

  “That’s a good idea,” he agreed. “Do you know who it might have been? I didn’t see anyone on the street, but there were too many places for them to hide.”

  “I have no clue,” I replied with a shake of my head. “Part of me wants to say it’s probably kids. Do you think they were also throwing rocks at other people? I can’t imagine anyone wanting to throw rocks at me specifically.”

  “I guess it could have been some asshole kids who thought it was funny,” he said with obvious frustration. “Maybe the police will have some ideas. If nothing else, I’ll need the police report for my insurance company.”

  “I’m so sorry about your car,” I told him.

  “It’s not your fault,” he assured me.

  “That wasn’t really an apology, so much as an expression of sympathy,” I explained.

  “Right,” he agreed with a laugh. “I’m not very good at this.”

  “Neither am I,” I admitted. “I’m seriously going to kill the person who interrupted my plans for hot billionaire role-playing.”

  Sebastian chuckled and brushed his lips against mine. “I promise to make it up to you after we get done with the police.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Sebastian

  As it turned out, having a rock thrown at us didn’t rate high on the dispatch priority list. When the dispatcher said they’d send someone right over, what they really meant was they’d send someone about four hours later. I’d been annoyed, but I honestly understood the police had to prioritize their calls. We hadn’t been in any danger.

  After our late night waiting for the police to arrive, we’d both been too exhausted for any role-playing. It had still been nice to fall asleep with Delaney in my arms. The alarm on my phone was buzzing, and I had to get up.

  “Are you pretending you can’t hear your phone,�
� Delaney asked around a yawn.

  “I wish I could,” I admitted, reaching behind me to grab my annoying phone before spooning Delaney again. “I need to go home and get ready for work. I have a meeting at ten.”

  “What time are you supposed to be at work?” she asked.

  “Eight. I’ll never make it on time,” I admitted. “As long as I’m there for the meeting, I’ll be fine.”

  “I wish we had more time this morning,” she murmured.

  “Me too,” I agreed, moving her hair to the side to kiss the back of her neck.

  “Now, I’m going to have to fix my own breakfast,” she complained.

  I chuckled. “I’m not sure I should risk making breakfast for you again.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “Those pancakes were the best I’ve ever had.”

  “The last time I made you breakfast, you blocked my number,” I reminded her.

  “It won’t happen again,” she promised.

  “If it does, I’ll have to put you over my knee,” I warned playfully.

  “It might happen again.” Delaney admitted, wiggling her perfect ass against my erection.

  Chuckling, I sat up and pulled the sheet down so I could swat her ass. Delaney’s little yelp of surprise made me laugh. “I really wish I could stay here and play with your body for a few hours.”

  “So do I,” she agreed. “Maybe I should sext you later.”

  “You definitely should,” I assured her.

  It wasn’t easy putting my clothes on and leaving Delaney’s house. I definitely needed to talk her into sleeping over part of the week.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Delaney

  “We have been very patient, Delaney,” Brook began. “Tell us what’s going on with Sebastian.”

  I looked over at Chelsea who had Haley strapped to her with a long stretchy piece of pink fabric. Our girls’ day included Haley since Chelsea was watching her while Luke was at work. I definitely didn’t mind adding her to our outing. We were wandering around the small local shopping center close to our favorite Mexican restaurant.

  “This is not the sort of thing we should be talking about in front of a child,” I argued. I was definitely messing with them. After all their refusals to share details about the men in their lives, they totally deserved it.

  Chelsea raised an eyebrow and looked down at the sleeping baby. “Even if she was awake, I don’t think it would scar her.”

  “Do you really want to risk that?” I asked. “They say children understand much more than we think.”

  “I’m willing to take my chances,” Chelsea assured me.

  After pretending to consider the matter, I let out a sigh and shook my head. “I’m not. Luke would never forgive me if Haley was traumatized by our conversation. It’s best if we wait to discuss this another time.”

  “Fine,” Brook said with a sweet smile. “We’ll just make it up.”

  “This should be interesting,” I added with a laugh.

  “Oh! Let me start!” Chelsea piped in.

  “Go ahead,” Brook agreed with a wave of her hand.

  “After Sebastian tracked you down during your run, he told you what a naughty girl you were for doubting him.

  “Naughty girl?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Yes,” Brook agreed. “He showed up dressed in a power suit and told you he was going to make sure you never behaved that way again.”

  My only response was a snort.

  Chelsea giggled before taking her turn. “Then he dragged you to a park bench and bent you over his knee before lifting your dress up.”

  “I was running in a dress?” I asked.

  Chelsea shrugged. “I can’t help it if you’re a freak.”

  “She’s right,” Brook agreed. “It’s not Chelsea’s fault you run in a dress and four inch heels.”

  “Now, I’m running in heels?” I asked.

  “And getting spanked in the park,” Brook added.

  “Fine!” I relented. “I’ll tell the story myself. For future reference, when you make up a story, it’s important to keep it at least somewhat believable.”

  “With anyone else, the story would have been totally unbelievable,” Brook began. “With you, I could see it happening.”

  “I’m not that crazy,” I argued. “There’s really not much to tell. Sebastian kidnapped me when I was out for my run. We talked, and as you both know, I got things all wrong. We worked things out. Actually, we talked before he kidnapped me. Later, I learned he’s the heir to a sex toy empire. His mother seems to really like me. She reads my books. We went out again, and it was great until we got home. That was a mess.”

  “I’d like to go back to the kidnapping part,” Chelsea interrupted. “Were there any restraints involved?”

  “Are you asking in the hopes my kidnapping will help you plan some kinky game with Luke?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “La la la,” Brook chanted as she covered her ears to avoid hearing anything involving sex and her stepson.

  “Brook will be watching Haley while we have a date night this weekend,” Chelsea reminded me. “This seems like the perfect time to add a new game. We don’t usually role-play. Neither of us is very good at staying in character, but this could be fun.”

  “No restraints,” I told her. “He tossed me over his shoulder and carried me to his car. After that, he took me to his house, and we had some really great sex.” I left out the embarrassing moment involving the evil sports bra.

  “That isn’t nearly as detailed or exciting as I was hoping for,” Brook complained.

  “Especially since he’s the heir to a sex toy empire,” Chelsea added. “What exactly does that mean? Is his father the vibrator king?”

  “It’s his mother’s company,” I corrected.

  “I remember hearing something about that,” Brook added thoughtfully. “Luke used to tease Sebastian about it.”

  “How could Luke keep this kind of information from me?” Chelsea demanded.

  “Why would you need to know?” I asked.

  “These are the kinds of things a woman needs to know,” Brook insisted. “Especially when she’s trying to fix one of her friends up with the guy.”

  “I would have definitely used this information to get you to meet Sebastian,” Chelsea stated. “I love Luke, but he can be clueless at times.”

  “It could be the lack of sleep,” Brook suggested.

  “Good point,” Chelsea agreed. “Haley isn’t the best sleeper yet.”

  “Please tell me Sebastian works for the family business,” Brook said excitedly.

  “He does,” I replied. “I think it’s more of a contract job. He’s involved with designing an app for them.”

  “An app?” Chelsea asked, eyes wide. “What kind of app does a sex toy maker need?”

  “Maybe for shopping.” Brook suggested.

  Since I didn’t really have too many details on the new toy, I was able to keep my mouth shut. Sebastian was smart to keep those details from me. I wasn’t great at keeping secrets.

  “Does he get to bring home toys to play with?” Chelsea asked.

  “Does he have a bunch of kinky toys to use on you?” Brook added excitedly.

  “Why should I tell you anything?” I asked. “You bitches are always refusing to share any important details with me. I still have no interesting spanking stories to work with, and neither of you will tell me how big your man’s dick is. I’m not sharing any details with you.”

  Those bitches had been teasing me with their incredible sex lives while refusing to give me any juicy details. Turnabout was fair play. I could totally keep a secret.

  “Didn’t you say Sebastian has a big dick?” Chelsea asked.

  “Oh. My. God. I didn’t know men really had dicks like that. It’s not just long. His dick is thick. I’m sore after a night with him, but it’s so good, I still want more,” I admitted before realizing I was doing exactly what I’d said I wouldn’t do. “Fine. I’m not a
s mean as you are, so I’ll tell you all about Sebastian’s wonder cock.” I let out a wistful sigh. “He’s also really sweet.”

  “You really like him, don’t you?” Brook asked.

  “I do,” I admitted. “Everything is still new, and it may all fall apart, but for now, I’m enjoying my sexy boy toy.”

  Having no luck shopping, we decided to grab lunch. We made our way into the restaurant and found Wanda and her husband, Thomas, already there enjoying lunch. The couple was there so often, I wondered if they ever ate anywhere else as a couple. I’d only seen Wanda alone in other restaurants.

  “I guess we should eat in the restaurant side since we have Haley with us,” Brook remarked.

  “We’ll have to tone things down,” I reminded them. We usually sat at the far end of the bar, away from the family diners, to avoid offending anyone. This would be hardest for me since I had no internal filter.

  The hostess seated us close to Wanda and Thomas.

  “What are you girls doing here so early in the day?” Wanda asked as she stood to adjust Thomas’ hearing aid. Her husband was a little on the prudish side and had a tendency to say something rude if he heard any of our conversation. I say a little on the prudish side because I’d heard enough about their sex life from Wanda to know the man was a freak in the bedroom.

  “I told you the little blonde would be the first to get knocked up,” Thomas remarked loudly. Wanda responded with a warning glare, which made him grin. “I love it when you get all riled up.”

  “Don’t you try to sweet talk me,” she warned him before returning her attention to us. “Are you girls babysitting?”

  “I recently adopted Haley,” Chelsea explained.

  “Congratulations!” Wanda said happily. “I wish you’d come by earlier. I need to get Thomas to his physical therapy appointment.”

  “Did he hurt himself again?” I asked. They’d had a couple of sex related injuries recently, and I was curious to see if this was another.

  “He threw out his back in a cardio kickboxing class,” she explained.

  “Cardio Kickboxing?” Brook asked.