Honestly,thisstep in the routine isn’t about Hayden. Or anyone, really. I’ve always liked the way I feel afterward. There’s something about a perfectly smooth hole that just makes me feel…fuckable.
I spread the cream like I’m frosting something sacred. Because it turns me on. Because the idea of someone seeing me like this…laid out and ready…makes my knees weak.
Letting the cream do its job, I grab my trimmers.
Chest, thighs, stomach. I debate shaving completely but settle on a cleanup. Enough to look deliberate. Watching my edges shape feels satisfying, like revealing a different version of myself, one pass at a time.
Ping.
I glance down at my phone. Speak of the devil.
Dominic:That ass is your legacy. Protect it at all costs.
I roll my eyes, smirking as I tap out a reply.
Me:Literally doing that as we speak.
He wastes no time replying.
Dominic:As you should. Bleach it if you love yourself.
I snort and toss the phone back onto the counter. “And he’s deranged,” I mutter, brushing stray trimmings from my stomach and wiping down the counter like the responsible adult I allegedly am.
“Oof. I’ve Nair’d too close to the sun.”
I quickly step into the shower and let the water run warm. I rinse, praying I haven’t accidentally given myself chemical burns right before being fucked by a man whose voice is a slow drag of smoke. I seem to have survived the ointment ordeal without incident but I cup water into my palm and rinse again and again, making sure every trace is gone.
Then, I stand under the spray and breathe. The water runs down over the groomed new lines of my body, and sure, I feel a little ridiculous. But also? Kinda hot.
I like the ritual. It makes me feel desired before anyone even lays a hand on me. Like I’m letting someone in. And tonight?
Tonight, there’s a chance it won’t just be a fantasy. It could be real.
Not just getting fucked.
But being explored by new hands.Hishands. It’s been a while since the idea of being touched by someone who’s still a mystery has felt this exhilarating.
I rinse one last time, step out of the shower, and pat myself dry, then from my medicine cabinet I grab a small jar that rounds out my anal makeover. A bottom balm Dominic and Elijah both endorsed from some sponsored ad. I dip two fingers in and gently massage it into my freshly Nair’d ass like I’m moisturizing an altar. It tingles, slightly minty, and I can’t decide if it feels luxurious or…humiliating. Maybe both.
And the truth is, under the spiral and the jokes at my hole’s expense, Ireallywant this to go well. Even if nothing happens. Even if Hayden and I stand near each other drinking bittercocktails while Dominic and Elijah do their best to get under his skin—which they undoubtedly will—I just want to be around him.
Prepped and exfoliated, I pull on my black low-rise jock. The one that makes me feel invincible. One last mirror check: freckled, flushed, absolutely fuckable.
I grin at my reflection.
Okay. Ready.
9
Hayden
I arrive exactly ontime.
Not early, because eagerness is frowned upon now. And not late, because that would be careless. No, I arrive precisely when I said I would, slipping through the unlocked door of Levi’s friends’ home just as the party is kicking off.
The main floor is a mess of decorations, dim lighting, and the kind of music that people pretend to hate but secretly know every word to. Heart-shaped confetti dusts the floor, glitter catches on every available surface, and I’m immediately handed a drink by a larger-than-life man in a satin devil-horned headband.
“Welcome to Heartbreak,” he says, winking.
