CHAPTER 8
There absolutely is a wrong way to use lube.
Or is there?
THEY DID NOT WORK.
After three consecutive failed attempts, even with the focus Jinx provided my magic, I was forced to accept defeat. It seemed that whatever curse or hex that was on these cuffs was a damn good one. Complicated too. Whoever created them was either highly skilled or a sadistic asshole. Probably both.
“Maybe it’s time to stop overthinking it and just go buy a rotary blade,” I mumbled to myself as I glared down at the offending metal. Unless... What if the magic wouldn’t let me cut through them. For once I could admit that I was thoroughly stumped.
“What if we tried to slip them off?” Cam asked. He was twisting the cuff on his wrist and wiggling it around. It was loose, as was mine, but still not loose enough to just slide them off over our fists. “They might come right off if we use lotion or something to squeeze our hands through.”
I eyed the fuzzy cuff around my wrist with suspicion.
“Mine maybe, but yours?” I grabbed his hand with both of mine, holding it out between us. “These things are weapons. You could cover my whole face with just one.”
Probably a whole ass cheek too, I didn’t add.
He chuckled, allowing me to play with his hand, his original hand.
As I had taken note of in the theatre, his fingers were long and thick, his palm meaty and strong.
I turned his hand to study the tattoos I had previously noticed on the backs of his fingers.
He also appeared to have bands of lighter colored skin around a few of them, suggesting he used to wear rings.
I made a mental note to get him some. Or take him to a shop so he could pick out his own new ones.
Definitely not Wicked Wares, though. If I got him rings from there, they would probably be cursed to turn his skin green or something.
Shit, he would still look fine as hell with green skin, I just knew it.
“You’re thinking something dirty, aren’t you?” Cam teased, voice filled with mirth.
I flicked a brow at him. “My mind is pure as driven snow.”
Cam snorted, clearly not convinced.
“Let’s try it,” I told him, revealing nothing.
I wasn’t sure how Cam would feel if he knew just how many inappropriate thoughts plagued my mind in the span of a single day. All of them about him.
“I have some lotion around here somewhere. Thanks for your help buddy,” I told Jinx, who was nestled sleepily in Cam’s hair once again. “Go take a nap.”
With that tiny squeak of his, he disappeared as if swallowed up within the black of Cam’s hair.
Cam and I searched together for a few minutes before finding a bottle of lotion under the bathroom sink. And, after using a generous amount on each of our wrists, the only thing we accomplished was making our hands sore. And thoroughly moisturized.
But the cuffs wouldn’t budge.
“Maybe we need something slipperier. More slippery?” I mused.
“Do you have olive oil?” Cam asked.
I shook my head, “It’s on my grocery list.” Had been for weeks. Adulting was hard.
We both sat on the sofa in the living room for several long seconds in silence as we brainstormed our next moves. Then Cam suggested something that even I hadn’t considered.
“What about lube?”
My jaw fell open before I could think of a response. But I quickly overcame my shock and exclaimed,
“That might just work!”
Grabbing his hand, I tugged him up and off the cushions toward my spell room where that lone bottle of lube sat within the side table drawer. Right next to the dildos I had put back.
“I like that you have these” Cam had said when he’d discovered my sex toys. “Do you use them?”
Not now, Victor! I mentally chided.
“Find the lube, get the sex cuffs off, and make bread together.” I said aloud like a mantra in my attempt to focus.
Wow, it wasn’t every day those three things were said together. Cam’s amused laugh followed me as I pulled him back into my office. Opening the drawer, I ignored the dildos and snatched out the bottle of lube. Then my joy slid from my face as I realized...
“Fuck. Empty.” I sighed heavily toward the ceiling, mentally cursing my extremely active libido.
Cam plucked the bottle out of my hand. “Did you use all of your lube, Victor?” he practically purred. He clicked his tongue in teasing admonishment with a shake of his head.
“Yeah, yeah,” I swatted him playfully across the stomach.
He didn’t even budge, his rock-hard abdominal muscles protecting him from my weak attack.
We proceeded to check around the rest of the house where I was likely to keep lube secretly stashed away – the bathroom, my bedroom, even the living room because who knew with me – but there was no more lube to be found.
“You know,” Cam began, “we could just... take off my arm. That way the cuffs would be off one of us.”
I shook my head vehemently. “I am not cutting off your arm! No way. It’s finally healed.
It still has its little outbursts...” Understatement.
The last outburst had been just this morning when the now sentient hand had clung to mine, making it quite the challenge to work on my unlocking-slash-de-hexing spells.
“But, if we remove it again, who’s to say it won’t reattach? ”
I patted his arm, “Out of the question. We’ll try lube. We just need to go to the store,” I told him as I grabbed my wallet and car keys off the table. “It’s definitely worth a shot.”
Cam leaned into my space and his warm breath made me shiver. “You just want to buy more lube for your toys.”
My lips twitched. Among other things, I thought.
“As long as we don’t use it all up with these,” I shook the cuffs, “then I’ll be more than happy to share with you,” I flirted.
“How generous.” Cam’s smile grew wide, whether in invitation or challenge I wasn’t aware. But I was desperate to find out.
***
Because it was well after ten o’clock, the twenty-four-hour convenience store nestled just outside of Briarwood was blessedly empty.
I was basically an expert at climbing over the center console of my car at this point, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle getting in and out.
Plus, Cam helped me like the gentleman that he was.
He was even still holding my hand as he held the shop’s glass door open for me, and we strode into the small building.
The chime rang above our heads, but the cashier behind the counter didn’t bother lifting his gaze from the book he was reading.
He lazily licked a finger as he turned the page, entirely oblivious to our presence.
Already knowing where to go, I steered Cam past the meager snack isles before reaching the furthest one.
We passed the cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, and other such items until we reached the very back corner.
There we were presented with a shelf of boxes of condoms displaying multiple brands and sizes. Right next to bottles of lube.
I deliberately kept my eyes from lingering on the condoms, already knowing Cam would need the largest size, and scanned the selection.
Which wasn’t much of a selection, if I was being honest. Usually pretty well-stocked, this section was picked clean.
All that remained were the flavored brands: strawberry, watermelon, cherry, mango, caramel, chocolate, cotton candy, and lollipop.
Cam reached out and picked a bottle with little red cherries on it.
I eyed him curiously but didn’t comment. I also didn’t comment on the way his eyes flickered over the condoms for the briefest moment before his cheeks stained pink and we left the aisle aiming for the checkout counter.
As we approached, I could just make out the cover of the novel the cashier was reading.
It was a gay erotica novel.
How did I know this? Well, with two half-naked beefcake men on the front cover entwined in a rather romantic embrace, it was hard to believe it was anything else. Its edges were well-worn and many, many pages were dog-eared. Even the title was enticing.
“69 Shades of Us”.
I pinned that in my brain for later. Half of my collection at home was gay erotica and I was always eager to add to it.
When Cam placed the bottle onto the counter, the man’s eyes finally lifted from his spicy novel. Then widened. The book fell to the counter with a thud as the man openly stared.
“Sweet Jesus on toast,” he muttered then gave Cam a broad smile. If he didn’t stop eyeing my man up like he was a premium cut steak I was going to dump this cherry lube all over stupid head and damn the consequences.
“Hi there,” he continued. “Will this be...”
He trailed off as he noticed the bottle of lube, then the cuffs joining me and Cam’s clasped hands. His eyes trailed up Cam’s frame hungrily, then over to me and brightened even more. I nearly cringed.
When he leaned over the counter on his forearms, Cam gently but firmly tugged me back a step.
“Are you delicious gentlemen looking for a third?” the man asked as he leaned over the counter, a little further than necessary. He was giving us what I assumed was his flirtatious look as he blatantly propositioned us, but the expression was kind of skeevy and made him look rather... constipated.
“‘Cause I could be the filling in that peanut butter and sexy sandwich. If you’d let me.”
“Ugh, gross dude,” I told him. “Just ring us up, please.”
He moaned and reached for the bottle to scan it. As I was sliding my card through the reader, since they didn’t take phone pay here, he added,
“I’ll do whatever you want, baby.”
Cam stiffened and grabbed the bag from the counter a touch too aggressively.
“Don’t call him that,” he growled.
The authority and possessiveness in Cam’s deep voice made shivers race all over my body as goosebumps pebbled across my skin. Whatever tone that was, I needed him to use it while he was fucking me so hard that I forgot my own name.
Welp, that successfully distracted me, making me forget all about the creepy cashier guy.
Then, with no preamble, Cam grabbed my hand once more and pulled me toward the exit.
“Come back again!” the man called after us, completely unfazed. “It’s been an absolute pleasure!”