Frank reappears beside me with a red cocktail in a martini glass. “Drink up! You’re three behind these lushes.”
He ushers me away from Leslie’s grasp just as I take a sip and says, “Okay, introductions. You know the Lezbo. The bitch can’t hold her booze since my beautiful goddaughter was born. Then we’ve got smartarse Fin Bin, who lives here with her sex monster of a husband. And there’s Jiggly Jules, who also lives here.”
“What makes me jiggly?” Julie asks, narrowing her Asian eyes at Frank. It’s a good question because she is petite by any standards, and dressed in a red mini skirt and red tank, there’s not much I can see jiggling on her. Before Frank replies, a Prince song kicks on and Julie screams and runs into the living room to dance, dragging Finley and Leslie with her.
“See what I mean?” Frank asks, circling his finger by his temple. “I’d avoid her if I were you. Her boyfriend, Mitch, moved out last week and she’s a ticking time bomb, that one. You remember Oxford,” he says, gesturing to Reyna who’s striding over from the other side of the table. “You can call her Rey or Bitch Face. She answers to both. I’ve checked.”
“Rey works,” she replies flatly, glaring at Frank and then smiles sincerely at me. She looks fierce in a pair of red leather pants and a red sleeveless tee, revealing her extensively inked arms. Her dark hair is loose and wild down her back, making me feel slightly overdressed as I smooth my low ponytail. I eye Rey curiously, as I consider what kind of relationship Hayden had with her, but then internally kick myself for even thinking about him again.
“And I am Ameerah, child,” a large dark-skinned woman peels as she comes strolling into the dining room from the kitchen. She’s wearing a head wrap and holding a cocktail looking perfectly at ease with herself in a red and white print moo moo.
“Ame brings the cocks,” Frank crows.
“The what?” I nearly choke on my drink.
“Let us begin, Frank,” Ameerah says in a thick Caribbean accent.
Frank releases me to gather everyone around the table and props us in our assigned chairs. Ameerah makes a grand gesture of pulling back the red cloth to reveal a table full of…
Cocks.
Loads and loads of scary looking cocks.
Bugger, that one has three heads.
“A new hot dog!” Leslie crows. “Frank, you shouldn’t have!”
I look around confused as Ameerah begins her speech. Apparently she owns a sex toy boutique in Brixton and I have found myself smack dab in the middle of a sex toy hen party.
“I’m definitely going to need one of these.” Julie hiccups in my ear and grabs up a pink looking thing in front of me. It’s shaped like the letter C and I’m not even sure how it would work. “Since I’m newly single and all.”
“Brody would go gaga for these, Finny!” Leslie laughs and chucks a sack of cock rings at her.
“Um, these are to make the guy last longer and Brody has zero problem there, thanks.” Finley tosses them over to me.
I eye the toys nervously as Ameerah begins describing the uses for each item individually. I wouldn’t say I’m sexually prude, but I definitely don’t have a drawer of sex toys. I’ve only had two partners and neither of them seemed too keen on experimenting with BOBs. And I certainly don’t need anything to help pleasure myself.
“See anything you like, Vi?” Frank asks from the other side of me.
I grab a small garment box with a pair of hot pink lace knickers sitting inside.
“That’s French silk,” Ameerah purrs, sauntering over to me. “I own a fabric store next to my husband’s sex store. I commission all the lingerie from a designer I know.”
“And it’s not me!” Leslie whines. “I don’t have time to sew anything anymore. I had to buy my own wedding dress for Pete’s sake.”
I smile fondly at Leslie. She always did have a great eye for technique. It’s a big reason why she did all the China trips before she had Marisa. I’m better at digital design, but I’m becoming more well-rounded in her absence now.
“Your dress is beautiful, Lez,” Finley rebuffs and rubs Leslie’s bare arms affectionately.
“I know…but it’s not an original.” Suddenly, her eyes alight with a renewed sense of purpose. “However! I might have some time to do some tweaking to it now that Jaci’s on the scene! That’s Jaci…no K!”