I fucking jinxed myself even if I didn’t say or sign it. But the feeling passes after a few breaths, and Luca didn’t seem to notice my slight panic. He drags me into a hug, then shoves me back in my seat like the asshole he is.
I watch him go, sitting back in my chair and assessing my body. I have been a little more tired the last few days. Maybe all this work and stress are getting to me.
I don’t want to panic. I don’t want to catastrophize. I just want to enjoy my life. Sneaking a peek at the clock, I see that it’s almost time to close up, so I push up from my desk and make my way out into the shop where Everest is closing out the cash register.
I don’t think we’ve had a customer in a while, considering how bored he looks, and I feel bad that he chose this over hanging out at the Foundry.
“You can take off if you want,” I tell him. There’s not much left to handle today, so I don’t need him to stay.
“Sweet. How did the contract thingy go?”
“Amazing, actually. We got an amazing financing offer, so I think we’ll be in official production soon.”
“That’s good, right?”
“So long as we can sell them. And that means convincing the other Vyastil to give them a try without, you know, pissing off their higher-ups about orgasms and pleasure and whatnot.”
Everest pulls a face. He knows how hard that will be. He’s told me a little about the punishment Rathyn suffered after Cielo was arrested. Most of it involves Everest pretending to be a mindless, obedient puppy on a leash.
Literally.
And hell, I’m all for leash play, but the forced part is the thing that sucks, though Everest doesn’t seem to mind much.
“You’re not going to get a bunch of monsters in the capital signing up, but I think there are plenty here who will want to experiment,” he says, grabbing his bag and throwing it on the counter. “I’m taking a couple things, by the way. It’s kind of an anniversary for us tonight.”
It’s probably better that I don’t ask, though I see him putting a set of silicone beads in his bag, along with the matching cock ring. He’s definitely going to have some fun.
“By the way, would you and Cielo be interested in a double date?”
I blink at him. “Oh. Uh…” Cielo and I have been doing everything except dating, and suddenly I feel guilty for not suggesting it. “That might be good, actually. Does Rathyn like going on dates?”
Everest bursts into laughter. “God, no. He hates how loud the movies are, and how gross human food is. But he does what I want. Most of the time, anyway. And I thought it could be fun.”
“Count us in. I’ll talk to Cielo when I see him, but I doubt he’ll say no.” He does love trying new things.
He’s gotten amazing at cooking, even if he agrees with Rathyn about human food.
But he cooks for me.
“Alright, man. See you tomorrow.” Everest comes over and busses a kiss to my cheek before hefting his bag over his shoulder and heading out the back.
I lock the door, flip off the open sign, and then finish up doing the deposit for the morning. When it’s done, I glance around the shop and think about what Everest took, but I don’t think Cielo is ready for that.
He likes the prototypes I’ve made for him, but when I bring home human toys for him to use on me, he seems almost afraid. Like he’s worried he’ll hurt me.
I don’t mind being patient, but maybe it’s time I spice things up. Maybe there’s something he might like. Something he’s had his eye on…
My eye catches something pink in the lingerie aisle, and I realize it’s those lace panties he’d been toying with before. He looked at them the way he looks at his coat: with utter adoration.
I flip through the hangers until I find the largest size we have, which might be enough to fit over his gorgeous, massivethighs, then I take it to the back room with me because they need a bit of work to fit his body.
Luckily, I have my trusty sewing machine sitting, and all it takes is a few cuts and some thread before the panties have a back hole, one large enough for a tail to slide through.
I take a moment to picture him in them. The lace stretching over his skin, barely covering his slit, wrapped tightly around the base of his tail. My cock thickens.
Fuck.
I search for him with my mind, sending him the wave of lust that’s running through my veins, and I feel a pulse of desire sent back to me.
