Chapter 6

Aaron

Starla is helping a customer when I walk in, and I don’t want to distract her. I don’t want her to catch me looking at lingerie again, either. There’s a seemingly safe-looking display of oils that hopefully won’t embarrass me too much.

As I watch her helping the other customer, I notice her calmness and how she puts them at ease. I know how they must feel because I feel that way just by looking at her. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss at the party. I don’t have much of a reason to be here but I’m tired of waiting to run into her somewhere.

The customer pays and Starla notices me as they leave. I quickly look at the display of oils, acting like I haven’t been staring at her this whole time. She approaches with a smile on her face.

“Aaron?”

“Oh, hey, Starla. I didn’t know you’d be here today.” Shit, what am I saying right now? I sound like an idiot.

“I own the store. I kind of have to be here every day. I don’t really have any employees right now.”

“What about Poppy?”

“She has studio space in the back for her boudoir clients but she’s not my employee. She runs her own business.”

“I knew she was a photographer, but I didn’t realize she did that kind of photography.”

“She didn’t have a lot of boudoir clients before. Since this is an adult boutique, more clients that want those services tend to be attracted.”

“Adult boutique?”

“Yes. We sell lingerie, adult toys, oils, and other things of that nature, but we also help people discover their desires.”

“How do you do that in a public shop?”

“I talk to them, make them understand that they won’t be judged here, and we do have a private viewing room in the back. I do private toy shows there and show people how to use the toys they buy.”

“You know how to use all of these?” I gesture around the store.

“Of course. I wouldn’t be a good adult boutique owner if I didn’t. I need to be able to recommend the right things to each person. Starting out with the wrong toy can be detrimental to a person’s exploration.”

Talking about this makes me want to discover everything she knows. We walk past the dildos I saw before when I got the gag gift for Cruz. There are some other high-tech ones on the shelves past that, but I don’t know what I’d use them for. Do I use them on her? Shit, I suddenly really want to do that.

As we make it to the back of the store, I see a wall with different colored strips of fabric hanging up. Why are these in the back? The store seems to progress to the more intense toys as we go farther into the back, but strips of fabric seem tame. I stop at the wall and point.

“What are these?”

She smiles at me. “Blindfolds and bondage.”

“Bondage?”

“Yes. Using silk ties to bind your partner can be incredibly sensual. Something like rope or cotton can be rough. But silk is buttery soft. It adds to the whole sensation.”

I take one of the solid navy-blue pieces off the wall.

“What’s this one for?”

“Whatever you want it to be for. Most people start out with the blindfold.”

“Why would I want to be blindfolded? If I’m with someone, I wanna see everything. I wanna see their face.”

I swear she shivers before she answers.

“When someone is blindfolded, they have to rely on their other senses to ‘see’ for them. It heightens sensation, especially touch.”

“I’ve never done it before.”

“I can help you with that.”

She opens a door next to the wall. It’s a seamless opening and I didn’t even notice it was there. Beyond the door is a dimly lit room with all kinds of seating around. This must be the private viewing room she was talking about. She extends a hand as she holds the door open. I walk through, still holding the navy piece of fabric.

The door closes and she takes the fabric from me. I’m taller than her so I know she won’t be able to blindfold me unless I bend in some awkward way. Instead, I opt to sit on one of the cushions. She sits behind me, and I feel the soft fabric cover the top part of my face, my vision going black.

She ties it behind my head, not too tight, but enough to secure it. Then, I feel her lips on my neck, and I instantly understand everything she was saying about my senses being heightened.

“What if someone comes in?” I don’t want anything to happen to her store because we’re in here doing whatever is about to happen.

“Shhhh,” she whispers in my ear, “don’t worry. I saw Poppy coming in before we got back here. She’ll help me out.”

I hadn’t noticed. But knowing that we have this room to ourselves where no one will interrupt us to go back to some party, the worries of my life melt away. Starla is all there is in this moment.

Her footsteps are soft on the carpet as she comes around to face me. Her knees land on either side of me, straddling me. Her thin leggings the only thing between us. Her hands are on my chest, around my neck, in my hair, and then her lips are on mine.

I’m not holding back this time. I devour her mouth, let my hands roam over her body, and then I slip her shirt over her head. Even with the blindfold on, I can feel what I’m doing, like this has always been the way I’ve done it. But everything is more intense.

She’s not wearing a bra and I don’t waste another second covering her breasts with my hands, deepening the kiss and enjoying her fingers wrapped in my hair. A small moan escapes her mouth and I know exactly what I want to do next.

I’m going to devour all of her in this room.