Page 90 of One Bossy Date
“Oh. This ishilarious.”
I was holding my Christmas gift from Jim. It was Christmas Eve, and we were exchanging gifts like we always had. It was a tradition we started years ago that I was determined to keep up forever.
“Isn’t it? Look inside, girl.”
I was holding a big coffee mug with the words: “Love sucks. True love swallows.” Still giggling away, I looked inside the mug and pulled out what appeared to be a pair of plastic testicles.
“What the hell,Jim?” I laughed, and he reached out to squeeze them.
“They’re adult stress balls. Next time you’re stressed out and Anders isn’t around, you can squeeze these crown jewels, honey.”
I loved it. Wiping away a tear of laughter, I handed him his present. “Here, maybe you can wear this on your next night at the club.”
He pulled a T-shirt from the gift bag, holding it up to read the words: “Too big to fail.” It had an arrow pointing down to his crotch.
“Oh, my Lord,Zoe.” He threw his head back in laughter. “This is fantastic! I’m going to wear it in the shop, our clients are going toloveit.” My mouth dropped open, and he chuckled even more. “I’m joking! Can you imagine? Old Mrs. Shoemaker would have a heart attack. Or who knows, maybe she’d be into it? Still waters run deep and all. You can calm down. You’ll never catch me wearing this in public, girl.”
“Then I guess you’ll need a boyfriend to see you wearing it at home.”
He rolled his eyes. “That’ll be the day. Speaking of beaus—what gift do you have for Mr. Girthy Dick?”
“I don’t.” I scoffed. “We’re not like that. It would be weird if I bought him something. Hello? We’re afakecouple.”
“Uh-huh,” Jim said, pursing his lips and folding his T-shirt. “If you say so.”
We finished up and tidied the store before leaving. Even though we did have appointment requests, we closed the store early for the holiday. The weird thing was that we’d been getting more and more new customers over the past two weeks or so, and I couldn’t tell if it was thanks to our advertising or just general word of mouth—most likely both. Either way, it was a blessing. The small space I’d been sleeping in was working wonderfully for these busy times. Many customers had been requesting the little red and green Christmas collars we’d ordered from our tailor partner. Males had a little bowtie in front, and females had a little mistletoe on the side.
Everyone wanted their kitties to look and feel good for the holiday.
And boy, did they ever.
* * *
“Hey, mygorgeousbaby boys.” I dropped my purse and tote bags full of groceries on the kitchen counter and knelt on my haunches to hug Ares and Hades, who were approaching me with very excited wagging tails. I let them knock me onto the tiles, and I laughed aloud, feeling their dribble coating my arms and my clothes from their incessant sniffing and licking. “Okay! Okay. Let me stand now.” They understood me immediately and sat back, panting with happiness. “Who’s ready for their food?” They both barked, Hades trying to bite Ares playfully while he spun around in excited circles.
The bags of groceries were for my and Anders’s dinner tonight. Since we’d had the Christmas dinner over the weekend with the whole family, we were doing a low-key Christmas Eve together, just the two of us.
“Hey, you’re early.” Anders appeared from his office doorway.
“Hey. Yeah, we closed for the afternoon. I stopped for the groceries we’ll need for dinner tonight.”
“Oh, yeah?” He walked into the kitchen and snooped through the bags. He was wearing a pair of red basketball shorts and a white T-shirt, distracting my thought process for a moment because I could see his dick just swinging away in there.Lord, have mercy.“What are we gonna make?”
“We’re making butternut squash kale lasagna with cashew ricotta. Sound good?”
“Hell, yes. I love lasagna.”
“Good. Somehow, don’t ask me how, I knew you’d like it. It’s one of my favorites too.”
I went about unloading the bags with Anders’s help, then feeding the boys. We spent the afternoon apart—me reading on the couch while Anders busied himself in his office. When the time came, we met in the kitchen and started prepping the food. It felt good, like we had figured out each other’s rhythm. Things were running smoother than they ever had between us, not to mention Christmas was having its effect on our happiness. The sex had been earth shattering, but this—the comfort and familiarity—might ruin me.The sex was just a perk, I tried to remind myself.He’s leaving.
While the food was in the oven, I slipped away to my room to change into a comfortable outfit—leggings with a really baggy knitted sweater. We’d done enough formal events together—tonight I was glad to just relax with soft clothing and only a hint of makeup on. I left my hair natural, wavy, and loose over my shoulders.
When I reemerged, I noticed that Anders had also considered the cold evening and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. We both wore socks on our feet. There was something so intimate about being so completely casual in front of each other.
He smiled when he saw my comfy outfit and slid past me to peek into the oven.
“How does it look?” I asked.