“Wow, I guess this is the most unofficial official relationship you’ve probably ever had, and while it’s not what I would want, I know that’s how you and Tate work. Deke gave me the same talk while we were walking on the beach last night.” Kelsey almost sounds sad saying that. I’m not, though; this is perfect for the two of us.
“I’m happy. This is me, this is Tate, and it works for us. Now, since we’re done with that and my vagina is officially off-limits for the day…” Literally, it’s a wonder I can walk, seeing as how I didn’t get home till early this morning. The man kept me naked and coming for just about thirty-six hours, and even then, we were still insatiable for each other.
“Shut up. I’m never going to be able to eat breakfast now.” Kels mocks being grossed out, going so far as to pretend gag.
“Whatever. Alright, are you ready to talk about Beach Babe being revamped?” The boutique hasn’t been updated in quite some time, and while that was okay before we had a website, we now need it to look cohesive with the website, along with the images we have uploaded with models. Beach Babe is even size inclusive these days and is doing amazing as well.
“No, I’m not. You know how I am with money; we just invested a shit ton in launching an app and our online store. So, you can see how unexcited I am at the thought of spending more money.” Her business side sneaks out, whereas the creative side in my own brain knows that sometimes, you have to spend money to make money.
“Well, the good news is, I have the design boards ready. We can keep it still beachy vibe but with different colors. Pastel pink, green palms printed were great when we first started, but you know boho beach chic is making a huge appearance, and Beach Babe needs to stay relevant.” I move towards my iPad. Shocking that I haven’t lost that yet, too, but it’s kind of like my phone, an extension of myself and always within reach, or at least in my car.
“Holy shit, you were not messing around.” I hand it to her, already open and at the ready.
“Now do you see what I mean? We can find a lot of the furniture second hand, bleach it to fit with the vibe, go to flea markets to find macrame, and even promote a few small shops with their soaps and whatnot in this small display case.” The colors have a retro vibe, but not completely over the top—olive green, mustard yellow, and light blue will really make things mesh well together.
“Okay, and how long will we need to be closed?” That’s the major downside, and while we have a website to keep us in the black, it’s not going to go over well.
“A week.” I wince when Kels stands up to start pacing, pulling her hair out then putting it back up.
“That’s more than I’d like, but I was worried you’d say a month. Okay, let’s look at the books and talk to the girls, then go from there.” I smile because that went a lot smoother than I anticipated.
“Perfect.” I clap my hands, excited for the change that’s to come, plus it’ll keep me busy for the coming weeks when Tate is out of town. What can I say? I’m addicted—to his dick, that is.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
tate
It’s been ten days since I’ve been home. Calling Em and letting her know earlier this evening sure as fuck didn’t help. The same went with her schedule. Beach Babe just got a huge delivery of new inventory. Add into that those two crazy sisters have it in their heads the shop will only be closed for a week when they need to pull everything out, rip up flooring, paint the walls and ceiling, have the floor company come out to install it. That alone would take longer; it’s also what has Emily and Kelsey in a tizzy on day five of their project, going crazy, ready to pull their hair out, fighting like they haven’t since they were kids. I’d know because Emily called me, pissed at anything and everything. It took a while for me to calm her ass down through the phone only for her to tell me the bigger part of the problem. Seems she started her period; it worked well for me seeing as I was out of town, until I caught her wrath.
“So now that I’m back on birth control, if you want, we can both get tested, and once those are cleared, maybe we could do away with condoms?” Fucking hell, my brain short-circuits. The last thing I ever expected to come out of Em’s mouth is for us to go bare. Sure, I’ve thought about it a few times. What man wouldn’t? Condoms dull the sensation, friction being the main element, and after being inside Emily just for that one moment, it gave me a taste of what it’d feel like. “Are you even listening to me?”