Somebody's Wife: The Jackson Brothers, Book 3 (3 page)

Right now, he had bigger concerns. Connie. Damage control. He suddenly had the driving need to get home. But they had two more stumps to clear. He feared that when he finally did get home, it would be way too late.

* * * * *

She certainly couldn’t look for what she wanted in Willoughby. Not that she thought she’d find it, but just asking would set the town tongues wagging. This might be California, but small towns were small towns with everybody’s business being everybody else’s.

She’d have to drive into Saint Lucia, which wasn’t much larger than Willoughby, but it wasn’t
her
town. Besides, she’d heard about that new shop, everyone had heard about it. Surely she’d find what she wanted, no, needed. And she had until two-thirty when she had to pick up Rina.

“Shop till you drop,” she quipped, parking the station wagon in the next block over from the store. The engine knocked and pinged for fifteen seconds after she shut it off. She really had to convince Mitch they needed a replacement.

The store wasn’t obtrusive or garish. Its window displayed a tasteful arrangement of feather masks, which
could
be used at Halloween two and a half months away, assorted beauty products like lotions and soaps, and a mannequin in a pretty, gauzy summer skirt and spaghetti-strap camisole.
Up and Coming
, the shop’s name arched in gold letters across the window and front door.

Up and Coming.
Connie snickered. It was quite a play on words considering what the shop stocked in the back room.

A bell tinkled overhead as she opened the door. The interior looked like any old Victoria’s Secret at the mall. Lace, satin, and silk hung on gold racks, lotions and sprays sat on glass shelves along the wall, a selection of makeup beneath a counter, flowered curtains adorning dressing rooms. Candles burned, scenting the air with...well, what was that smell?

“Oleander,” came a voice from behind her.

Connie realized she must have been sniffing the aroma.

“It’s good for relaxing all the muscles.”

Gorgeous red hair flowed over the sales woman’s shoulders. Geez, why couldn’t she have hair like that? It didn’t look dyed, with shades of gold and strawberry glittering through it. Her makeup was lightly yet expertly applied, which enhanced the disgustingly perfect features God had given her. Sparkling green eyes, plump, red lips, which weren’t all bubbly with collagen, and full breasts that fit her Marilyn Monroe hourglass figure. Silver ankle bracelets jingled as she crossed the tasteful rose-hued carpet. With the grace of a voluptuous fifties beauty queen, she was no skinny-minnie by any means, but why couldn’t Connie’s pounds fall into perfect place like that?

“Can I help you find something? We have some lovely lingerie.”

Lingerie had
not
worked, and Connie would have felt inferior with this perfect woman enticing her to buy more frilly stuff that
wouldn’t
work.

“I’m more interested in what you have in the back room.”

The woman smiled like Eve picking the apple off the tree. “We don’t call it the back room. It’s the boudoir.”

Who was this “we” anyway? There were only the two of them. “The boudoir would be fine.”

The woman held out her hand, indicating the way through a doorway decked with pink and blue beads acting as a curtain.

“May I ask how you heard about us? Since we’re fairly new, I like to get an idea of which promotion worked.”

Connie laughed. “You’re kidding, right? This place is the talk of the area. Everybody’s heard about
Up and Coming
.” Following the woman through the beads, she added, “Did you really intend the name to mean what it sounds like it means?”

The proprietress had a very sexy laugh. Connie wondered if she could imitate it without sounding like a braying donkey. Besides, dealing in...the things she dealt in, the woman probably practiced her walk, her laugh, even her speech modulation. The impression given when a customer entered was everything.

“This isn’t a sex shop you’d find down some filthy big city alley.
Up and Coming
celebrates femininity in all its forms.”

“But you do have sex toys, right?”

She smiled. “Of course. Quite a variety. My name’s Jensen, by the way.”

Connie gaped. She didn’t have to give her name, did she?

“It’s all right. We don’t deal in brown paper bags here, but everything is confidential.”

Geez, it wasn’t as if she were visiting the doctor for some female complaint. What harm could giving her first name do?

“I’m Connie.”

Jensen lightly touched her arm, subtly directing her deeper into the “boudoir.”

“Do you have a specific toy in mind?”

“Not really. I was just sort of wanting to look around.” She hadn’t been expecting a guided tour, which might end up being a bit embarrassing. But after looking at the sizes, shapes, and colors ornamenting the walls, countertops, and display stands, Connie did need a little explanation. “What’s that?”

Blue and rubbery, it looked like a donut with nubs on it.

“That’s a pleasure ring. It’s placed around a man’s penis. It enhances the man’s pleasure, allows him to maintain an erection longer, and the nubs stimulate the woman’s clitoris during intercourse.”

“Oh.” Connie didn’t have much more to say on the subject.

“You’ll see these on the Internet, but please, never buy stainless steel. Swelling can occur, making it impossible to remove. A man once had to have it cut off with a diamond saw.”

“Umm, gee, guess I’ll skip that then.”

“Perhaps you’d like to try a pair of handcuffs. We carry an assortment from fur-lined to leather to a replica of what the police would use.”

“My husband and I aren’t into S&M.” Connie knew all the appropriate lingo.

“Not to worry, we entertain married couples wanting to spice up their love lives. A little restraint and blindfold can be quite enjoyable.”

Connie considered it. Seriously. Would Mitch let her handcuff him to the brass rails of the headboard? She thought about being handcuffed herself and having her eyes covered. She couldn’t wriggle away when his tongue got too intense. The idea sent a thrill between her legs. Which made her feel extremely uncomfortable with company around.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Perhaps you’d like to look at our selection of vibrators?”

She shook her head. “I want something we can use together.”

The woman laughed again, throaty. “Vibrators aren’t simply a solitary tool. They can be put to good use by both parties.”

“Oh?” Connie quickly held up a hand. “Please don’t tell me. That would be too embarrassing.”

“In that case, we offer a very useful instruction pamphlet to accompany the purchase.” She crinkled her nose. “With some helpful hints for getting the maximum benefit.”

Connie found herself following Jensen to the opposite wall as if she were the Pied Piper.

“This model has dual ends which can be used...” Jensen glanced at Connie, obviously gauging her word choice. “It has dual penetration capabilities.”

Leaning closer, Connie examined the brown device. It was curved and had two heads. Mercy, they looked like penises. Then it dawned on her exactly where one was supposed to insert the two heads. Ewwe.

“No, I don’t think so.” She wasn’t letting anyone use that thing on her, not even Mitch.

“How about something more standard?” Jensen pulled a purple silicon penis-shape from the wall bracket. “This particular model is equipped with three speeds and the ability to rotate and vibrate at the same time. One partner can be in charge of the controls while the other...submits.”

“You mean...” Oh my. She felt another little thrill at the thought of Mitch putting it inside her and...pumping it.

“I think you understand. Manual stimulation can be used in conjunction.”

My. Oh my.

“Batteries are included, of course.”

Connie just stared. She wasn’t a prude. She and Mitch used to experiment with position and location and created their fair share of interesting techniques. She’d read Cosmo magazine and learned a few tricks Mitch found quite impressive. But she’d grown up with a prudish mother, gotten married young, moved straight from her mother’s house to Mitch’s apartment, and certainly, after looking around Jensen’s shop, her education seemed a bit lacking now. She felt almost generic.

“How much is it?”

“It’s actually a mid-range since it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you find on some of the others you see here.” Then she named an astronomical price.

Well, it wasn’t really all that bad except when Connie considered how Mitch watched every penny. A few pieces of lingerie stuffed in the drawer had cost more. But he made her feel terrified of spending a dollar on a cup of coffee, for goodness sake.

“I’ll include the instruction pamphlet for free.”

This was about their marriage. About getting back the fire they’d lost. About not being afraid he might turn to another woman because she didn’t satisfy him anymore.

Money was no object in light of her plan’s importance.

“I’ll take it.”

Jensen smiled. “If you’re not happy with it, please come back for a refund which can be used to purchase something that might better meet your needs.”

“You mean I can return it?” No. No, no, no. That seemed sort of disgusting.

Shaking her head as if she were dealing with a child, Jensen carried Connie’s new vibrator to the register. “Return, no, but I want my clients to be happy when they’ve taken my advice about a purchase. If they’re not, it’s my obligation to fix that. You can pick out something that will work better for you.”

Well, maybe the handcuffs. And the blindfold.

Now, where was she going to hide the purple monstrosity so the kids didn’t find it and ask Mommy what it was?

Chapter Three

That hadn’t taken as long as she thought. Connie made it home with two hours to spare before she had to pick up Rina.

She carried the flowered bag containing her brand new vibrator into her bathroom. Hmm, maybe there was a place to hide it in there, away from curious child eyes. She cut the plastic with a pair of nail scissors and removed the thing. Whoa. It was big, thick, and long. Bigger than Mitch? Maybe a little, but not much. Mitch had a very nice penis. She fiddled a minute with the batteries, then turned it on, hitting the rotate dial. Stifling a giggle, she turned it up to the third speed until it whirled around like a snake being charmed.

“Oh my God, Mitch is going to die,” she whispered to the empty room.

There was a button to change directions, and another dial to put it on vibrate. She turned up everything to maximum until the thing twirled and hummed like it was on steroids.

They wouldn’t be able to stop laughing long enough to use it. Laying it on the bed, she nipped outside the door, closed it behind her, then listened. Nope, the kids wouldn’t hear.

Back in the bedroom, she stared at the thing jiggling on the flowered yellow spread. What would it feel like?

“You better try it out first, so you don’t embarrass yourself to Kingdom Come in front of Mitch.” She bit her lip, then glanced at her watch.

An hour and forty-five minutes. “Just to test it out. To make sure it works. For goodness sake, I’m a married woman and old enough to experiment.”

Why on earth she needed to give herself a pep talk, she couldn’t say. Women used vibrators all the time. She should have done this years ago.

Without a moment to change her mind, she whipped her sundress over her head, slid her panties down her legs, then climbed onto the bed.

She piled two pillows so she could see what she was doing, then flopped down on the bed. Flipping off the rotate switch, giggling once more, she held the hummer in her hand. Another giggle, then she spread her legs, and tunneled a finger between her lips to test her wetness.

Wow. To quote Randi. She was amazingly wet without even noticing. Spreading herself, she touched the buzzing vibrator to her clitoris. Oooh. It was sort of intense, like a shot of tequila zipping straight to her center.

This time, she held it longer. “Oh, oh.” It did feel good, incredibly good, her clitoris thrumming as the vibrator buzzed, her hips pushing up and rotating almost without her thinking. Closing her eyes, she pushed her head back into the pillows and moaned, then tossed her hair. Sensation flooded her body, straight to her toes and fingers. Her whole body purred.

How would it feel to have it vibrating inside her?

* * * * *

They’d finished the stumps in record time and Mitch cut out early to let David handle the dump run. The stumps didn’t need two sets of hands. He had sluiced with the hose at the client’s house, then donned a fresh t-shirt, and headed home.

He was terrified he’d find a new car in the driveway. Thank God Connie’s station wagon was in its normal spot, covering the oil stain.

He went around back so he wouldn’t track dirt through the front room. Once inside, he toed off his shoes, threw his jeans on top of the washer—the same old washer, thank the Lord—and went in search of his wife.

He followed the faint hum from the other end of the house. She must be doing some sewing. Sewing was good. Making things like curtains and stuff was cheaper than buying. She was even making her own bridesmaid dress for the wedding. Connie could be really thrifty when she tried.

He froze in shock in the middle of the hallway outside their bedroom. His heart started racing, his breath whooshed out of his chest, and he suddenly had the most massive boner he’d ever known. Just like that. Two seconds flat.

Connie writhed on the bed, panting and moaning, hands between her legs holding some inhuman purple thing.

It was the most incredibly hot vision he’d ever had. Her body flushed pink, her hair was strewn across the pillows, and she bit down on her lip as another moan slipped from her throat.

Connie was going at it with a vibrator. Mesmerized, he watched it sink into her body, deep, eliciting a frenzied whimper. Then she lifted one hand to massage her clit at the same time. The vibrator, in, out, her finger swirling. She dug her heels into the bed and rose to meet the fake penis.