Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series Ainsley Claire (primary phonics books .TXT) 📖

combating climate change. Plus, I just love that they’re protecting bees.”

“Don’t they play some sort of music that seems to stimulate the queen?” I ask.

Toni sighs. “It makes her horny, and apparently, it makes Jimmy horny, because his idea of post-coital bliss is to talk nonstop about it.”

Caroline snorts. “Mason talks about the companies he invests in, too.” And that includes most of us in this room. “I don’t mind hearing about them and what he’s doing, but I can see if it was just one company all the time, it would drive me crazy.”

“Do you ever throw ideas or companies you know about at him?” Tinsley asks.

Caroline stirs her drink with her straw. “I wanted SHN to invest in the company that makes the Soraya. They just introduced the Sila, which I understand is a near second if a guy won’t go down on you. At least then our post-coital convos would be about sex toys. But he thinks I’m crazy.”

I giggle. Suddenly Lilly can’t look at anyone, and I’m pretty sure I know what that means. I don’t think I’ll ever look at Nate the same way again.

“What about your post-coital with Axel?” Toni asks.

“Well…” I begin. “Last night he told me he’d never believed in marriage until he met me.” My smile threatens to split my face.

Both Toni and Caroline sit forward, eyes wide.

“Are you fucking with us?” Toni questions.

“No.” I’m suddenly feeling demure. I don’t want to ruin what we have. “We’ve turned a corner.”

“I’ll say,” Caroline remarks. “Has he apologized for not going to Maui?”

“Many times.”

Thankfully, Elena and Ryder appear, taking the attention off of me.

“Ladies,” Ryder says as she takes a seat next to me. “What’s new?”

“Mia and Axel are going to get married,” Toni says with a Cheshire cat grin.

My heart stops. If that gets back to Axel, he’ll think I’m planning a wedding and he hasn’t even proposed—if he’s ever going to. It’s too early to contemplate.

“Now, Toni, that’s not what she said,” Caroline admonishes.

But I see her wink. “Ryder, what’s going on with your dating life?” I ask to change the subject. She’s always good for a few stories.

“Oh. My. God. I went out with a guy last night who had a reverse Prince Albert.”

“Did you see it?” Sara says as she enters and puts down a tray of cheese, crackers, and grapes.

“Hell yeah! I did more than that,” Ryder says.

“Is the reverse a piercing on the top or the bottom of the head of his cock?”

“The top. I think it’s going to be a requirement for all the men I date from now on.” Ryder turns to me. “Can you add genital piercings to your list of requirements on Flirt?”

I’m sure I turn a lovely shade of crimson. “I’ll have to check with Sean, the developer, on that.”

“I’m going to be sore for days. This guy had a giant dick and that piercing with the ball on top. That little ball rubbing my G-spot while he pounded into me and touched my hotspots set me off like a firecracker. It was the most intense sexual experience I’ve ever had. Damn.”

“Did he wear a condom?” Elena asks.

“Of course. As required. But I could feel everything just fine.” Ryder shivers, and we all laugh.

Just then Dillon walks in the back doors. “What’s so funny?”

“Ryder was telling us about her date last night. He had a reverse Prince Albert,” Emerson says, probably just to see her husband’s reaction.

His hand immediately goes to his crotch. “Okay, if you guys need anything, we’re getting the grill going. And the heating lamps are working, thanks to Axel. Turns out they didn’t need the propane tank Trey bought. Axel knew how to open the gauge, and the natural gas from the house is hooked up directly. With the flip of a switch, it turns right on.”

“Trey didn’t know the heating lamps were connected?” Sara asks, rubbing her forehead.

Dillon leans down and grabs some cheese and crackers. “He knew the grill was, just not the lamps.”

We all laugh. Some of Silicon Valley’s brightest minds are here together, yet they couldn’t figure out how to turn a nob and flip a switch. Stunning.

Dillon shrugs and beats a hasty retreat back outside.

“I don’t think Dillon is going to be getting a reverse Prince Albert for you,” Ryder says sadly.

Emerson shrugs. “He doesn’t need a lot of help in that area.” She blushes, and I silently agree. Axel doesn’t need help in that area either.

We sit around the fireplace a while longer, enjoying the heat and drinks and the chance to talk. When I get up to grab a glass of water, I see Axel listening to Landon tell some story.

“I like Axel,” Tinsley says.

I jump. “I didn’t see you there.”

“My fault. I left my shoes outside since they’re covered in sand. Now I’m like a ninja.” She laughs. “Axel seems like a great guy, and he likes baseball as much as you do.”

“Yeah, he is a great guy. I like him a lot.”

“Are you going to take him to New York to meet your parents?”

“We’ve been talking about a Yankees game. So hopefully.”

As I’m filling my water glass, the guys come in with a tray of barbequed beef burgers, veggie burgers, chicken, and brats and place it in an open spot on the buffet line Sara has set up.

“All right, everyone,” Sara announces. “Food is ready. The dining room will fit us all, but it’s a tight squeeze. There are a few side chairs for the corners of the tables, and we should be good.”

Axel comes over and reaches for my hand. “I hear you ladies were talking about sex toys and body piercings.”

“I’ll never share,” I whisper.

Over a late lunch,