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Scout, the pregnant woman standing next to her, snorted. “You should have seen what he was saying to the iguana last week. I was starting to think he had a lizard fetish.”
“Don’t laugh,” August replied, her tone dead serious. “Dinosaur erotica is a real thing.”
“No!”
“I’m serious. In fact, monster erotica is a whole genre. There are books about Bigfoot and aliens and Minotaur and everything.” She grinned. “If you can think of it, someone has written a smutty book about it.”
She liked to think of the genre as the more palatable version of Rule 34.
“Now tell me,” Scout said, leaning against the table where August’s grooming kit sat. “How do you know so much about niche erotica?”
“Dirty book club,” she replied with a grin. “I’m part of an online group that reads all kinds of romance novels and we get on Zoom to talk about them. Our motto is: to smut and beyond.”
August had been part of the book club for almost a year now and looked forward to their meetings each month. They had members all over the world,andit was easier to fit a Zoom session into her busy work schedule than it was to do anything in person.
Plus, she very much enjoyed the steamy books. They were a hell of a lot more interesting than her own love life; that was for damn sure.
She cringed every time she thought about her bad date last night. Thank goodness she’d had a jam-packed day to keep her mind off what a disaster it had been. But as an extra precaution, she’d turned her phone off because she didn’t even want tolookat the dating apps on there right now.
“Dirty book club sounds fun!” Scout clapped her hands together. “I need to load up my Kindle.”
“I’ll email you some recommendations.”
“That would be great. Lane will get the shock of his life,” she said with a chuckle. “We’ve got a shared account for our e-readers.”
“Who knows, maybe he’ll become a fan.” August waggled her brows and Scout blushed.
Scout’s husband, Lane, was a great guy. They’d been married for quite a while... Well, married but estranged. Then properly married, and now they had a baby on the way. They were the only people she knew who could legitimately have used the “it’s complicated” relationship status on Facebook. Now they were back together and happy as could be, and August had to admit there was a part of her that was just a teensy bit jealous of how perfect they were together.
If she were being honest, even though growing her animal grooming business was hugely fulfilling, she wanted to have a shared e-reader account with someone. She wanted a hunky guy to come home to. She wanted a man who loved all her lumps and bumps and quirks. And she wanted someone to appreciate in return.
Too bad August had a knack for picking the worst kind of men—the commitment-phobes and the serial players and the “say whatever to get you into bed” types. For all the romance novels she’d read, one would think she’d be a little better at spotting a potential hero. Some days, however, it felt like she was a dud magnet.
And there wereplentyof duds in New York.
That’s why dating agencies exist. Because an expert is required to wade through all the trash.
The thought swirled in her mind. Perhaps hiring a professional wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Some steamy books might spice up our sex life,” Scout joked, cradling her protruding stomach and snapping August back to the present moment. “Lord knows we need to get in as much of that as we can before the baby comes. Seriously though, I’d be happy for something to help me unwind. Between the doctors’ appointments and getting the nursery ready and work being super busy...”
She huffed and blew a strand of gleaming blond hair out of her face.
Scout was gorgeous—tall and willowy, with long blond hair and huge hazel eyes. At a little over six months pregnant, she was as radiant and stylish as ever and could literally wear one of those maternity potato sacks and make it look good. August, on the other hand, had inherited her mother’s five-foot-two stature, large boobs and full backside, along with her father’s curly red hair, pale skin and freckles.
And while she wasn’t usually hung up on looks—a person hadwaymore to offer the world than their appearance—there were times when she wondered if she’d be luckier in love if she didn’t look like an extra from The Shire.
I could start cosplaying. Perhaps there’s some guy out there who’d love to get in bed with a hobbit!
“It’s a lot,” Scout finished. “Plus, we’re getting ready to start shooting the documentary, and with the talent competition and...”
“You got this, Scout.” August placed a hand on Scout’s arm and squeezed. “Just take it one day at a time.”
“My whole life I never understood how people let work take up so much of their existence, and now that I have a job I love, I feel like I’m constantly being pulled in all directions.” She laughed and shook her head. “It’s a good problem to have—too many great things going on at once.”
Scout worked for Paws in the City, a social media and talent agency focused on animals. The company had been started by her best friend, Isla, and Scout had been promoted to the role of client manager after Isla expanded the team. But they were still a small outfit in the grand scheme of things. Whenever they needed a groomer, August was the first person they called, and the three women had become great friends in the last year and a half. It made her proud to have kick-ass friends who supported one another.
“Trust me, it’s a blessing and a curse.” August packed away the last of her tools now that the shoot was wrapping up. “But I would take it over working a soul-sucking desk job any day of the week.”
