All Worked Up (Purely Pleasure Book 1) Read online

  “Yes?” Carter suggested with a smile.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked, flipping her dark cloud of hair out of her face as she leaned on her elbows, her brow furrowed. “I know the move was stressful and having to involve Charles and Dillon in the business has been stressful—“

  “It’s not that,” Carter said. “I’m an inventor, Nat. I’m a geek. I was always meant to be tinkering in my lab, working on my projects. That’s where I like to be. I never wanted the spotlight.”

  “Well, when you look like you do, and you do what you do, it’s kind of inevitable,” Nat said.

  Carter rolled his eyes. “Moving back to Oregon is about coming home. Getting back to my roots. I am never going to enjoy the wheeling and dealing that comes with being the CEO. Meanwhile, you’re a fucking queen at it. You’d be doing me a favor, really. I’m holding us back. You’d move us forward.”

  Her mouth twisted, a reluctant, fond smile flickering at him. “You really want to step down?”

  “I want to go back to my real work,” he said. “Which is inventing. Innovating. We can’t just rest on our laurels and expect the Pearl line to be the hottest thing on the market forever. And with the subscription boxes, we’ll be increasing our customer base. I should’ve been in the lab months ago. And you should’ve been CEO months ago.”

  “I’m incredibly flattered,” Nat said.

  “Is that a yes?” Carter asked.

  “Of course,” she said. “I just… I honestly didn’t expect this. I’m kind of shocked. Thank you, Carter. I promise I won’t let you or anyone else down.”

  “I know you won’t. You’re going to take us places I never could,” Carter assured her. “I wouldn’t want anyone else running the company. We’ll start you as interim CEO and then I’ll submit a formal notice of resignation after I’ve recovered from surgery. It’ll be cleaner that way, the board won’t start making silly noises about you not having enough experience.”

  “Yeah, it’s better to ease them into it,” Nat said. “Some of them might not like that I’m a woman.”

  “Well, screw them,” Carter said. “I’m the majority shareholder, and I have final say.”

  Nat beamed at him. “I’m really glad you’re on my side, Carter.”

  “Always,” he told her. “I couldn’t even think about stepping down if I didn’t have you to rely on, Nat. This will mean a big raise, of course. And an ownership percentage. We can lay out the particulars when we get back from the retreat.”

  Nat managed to stifle her enormous grin and let out a long breath. “Oh, speaking of which, Zoe has scheduled all the shuttles for our employees who usually use public transportation, and Rhett called to let me know that River Run’s North Barn has been converted into a loft, so that’s where you’ll be staying to ‘stay true to your name’… he said you would know what that meant.”

  “Rhett liked to call me hayseed when we were roommates in New York,” Carter said dryly. “Then again, my nickname for him was the Yeti.”

  Nat shook her head. “You two,” she said. “You’re like teenagers. You’re not going to start your prank war again, are you?”

  “Of course not,” Carter said. “We’re adults. He’s hosting our company retreat. I would never.”

  “You’re totally planning something!” Nat laughed. “You are such a bad liar!”

  Carter blinked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Nat wagged her finger at him. “Just remember you’re still CEO for another few weeks at least, so behave!” She got up. “I should get back to work.”

  “Hey, Nat, no one at the office knows about Olivia but you and Maddy. I’d like to keep it that way.”

  Nat raised an eyebrow, propping her hand on her hip. “You told Maddy?” she asked.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Carter said hastily, knowing where that look on her face was leading. Nat was a total matchmaker. He could not go down that road. Not with Maddy.

  No matter how much he wanted to.

  “Really…” Nat said, in that way she did when she wanted to know more and was just determined to wait him out until he cracked. Damn her. She was stubborn.

  “Maddy happened to be in the office when I got the call from the doctor. I was so fucking excited I kind of just spilled.”

  Nat’s eyebrows rose even higher at the innuendo to his words. Carter mentally cursed himself. He could feel his face getting hot.

  He really didn’t want Nat to know how damn attracted he was to her friend. Especially now that Maddy was working here. He didn’t want to be that guy. The guy he had just warned Dillon not to be.

  “You know, Maddy is actually a really good person to talk to about this sort of stuff,” Nat said.

  “Because of her brother,” Carter said, eager to switch the subject, but that made Nat look even more interested.

  “Maddy told you about Jackson?”

  “Yeah, she mentioned him. I’m really glad he’s cancer free.”

  “She saved his life, you know,” Nat said.

  Now it was Carter doing the eyebrow raising. “I didn’t.”

  “Her bone marrow was one of the things that put him into remission. She gave up a full ride to UCLA to stay in Portland with her family.”

  Carter tilted his head, looking at her, puzzled. “Why are you telling me this, Nat?”

  “Because you are one of my favorite people,” Nat said. “And so is Maddy. And you two have a lot in common.”

  “Nat,” he said. “I know where you’re going with this. Don’t. I’m her boss.”

  “You know, technically, if you step down as CEO, then I’m her boss,” Nat said, smiling smugly at him. “You’re just the inventor. Something to think about.”

  Before he could say another word, she waltzed out of his office.

  Something to think about?

  More like all he was thinking about

  Chapter Nine

  Maddy

  Maddy tilted her head to the side, taking in the rows and rows of toys in front of her. Purely Pleasure’s offices had been outfitted with “The Closet,” as it was called: a full inventory of every product the company had ever made, set on specially designed and lighted shelves that lined the walls of the room.

  Which is why Maddy was standing in front of a shelf that contained a veritable rainbow of dildos right now. Just… one in every color. And material. And shape. And size.

  “Well, this isn’t something you see every day,” she said to herself, propping her hands on her hips. She’d come in here because she wanted to get some ideas for the company Instagram, which had been woefully neglected by whoever had her job last. Maddy already had her assistant putting together gift boxes of toys to send to certain social media influencers and sex-positive bloggers, and now she had a whole visual campaign to plan.

  Now that she thought about it, a rainbow of dildos wasn’t the worst idea. She pursed her lips, looking at the row of toys with new eyes. It could be kind of cute. One for every occasion.

  She snorted, shaking her head, laughing at herself. She could’ve never imagined that she’d end up here. But she couldn’t say it wasn’t interesting—and empowering. Where else would she get to work for a sex- and woman-positive company? That was rare in itself. Like a unicorn.

  It was nice to feel valued… as if her voice and her creativity and her opinions mattered and were always taken into account. She hadn’t felt that in her work or personal life in a long time.

  “There you are!”

  Maddy jerked out of her reverie, looking to her right as Nat closed the door behind her and strode into the room.

  “What are you doing in here?” she asked.

  “Brainstorming stuff for Instagram.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” Nat plucked a black credit card out of the folder in her hands, holding it out. “Company credit card. Charge any equipment you need to it. Zoe has an itemized list of the cameras and software we already have, but Carter said to
get anything you wanted.”

  “Thanks,” Maddy said. “I went through Zoe’s list and brought my camera and a few portable lights from home, but we’ll need a lot more than the basics as soon as we get back from the retreat.”

  “Whatever you’ve got planned will be great,” Nat said.

  “I certainly have a lot to work with,” Maddy said, gesturing around her.

  It was truly impressive, the toy closet. Purely Pleasure had six different toy lines in total, but within those six lines, there were endless variations, which fit into the company’s motto: A toy as unique as you are.

  “It is quite the collection of vibrators,” Nat said. “And dildos. And clit suckers. And massagers. And cock sleeves. And that whole line of aphrodisiac lube Carter created after too many shots of absinthe one night. And…”

  Maddy couldn’t keep a straight face, dissolving into laughter as Nat’s mouth twisted, joining in her giggles.

  “I kind of love this job,” Maddy confessed to her.

  Nat’s smile widened. “Good! Because I love having you here. And because I have really big news.”

  Her best friend’s voice was shaking. Not in a bad, scary, uh-oh sort of way. No in the oh-my-god-I-can’t-contain-my-happiness way.

  “What, what, tell me!” Maddy urged her.

  “You can’t tell anyone yet,” Nat said. “But Carter wants to get back to inventing full time. He’s stepping down as CEO at the end of the summer and handing the company over to me to run.”

  Maddy’s mouth dropped open. “You’re going to be CEO?” she whisper-shouted.

  “Yes!”

  “Oh, my God!” She grabbed Nat’s hands in her own, and the two of them began to bounce delightedly, like they were still freshmen in college, the world stretched out in front of them, everything fresh and new and possible. “You are amazing!” she squealed to her best friend. “I am so freaking proud of you!”

  “I’m still in shock, I totally didn’t see it coming,” Nat said, beaming so wide it made Maddy’s heart hurt, she was so happy for her. “But Carter says he’s done running the day to day. He wants to be in his lab, where he ‘belongs,’ as he puts it.” Nat put little air quotes around the word, scoffing a little.

  “Well, if that’s what makes him happy, he should—” Maddy started, but then stopped as a triumphant look crossed across Nat’s face. “What?’ she asked suspiciously. She knew that look. It was Nat’s matchmaking look.

  Uh-oh.

  “You like Carter,” Nat declared.

  “Of course I like him,” Maddy said, trying to keep her voice level, but once again, her damn cheeks betrayed her. She could feel them getting hot. “Carter is a really nice guy.”

  “Madeline Craine, you have the worst poker face,” Nat said. “You like him.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Maddy said quickly, directing her attention back to the rows of toys on the shelves. “I think I’m going to start with the Pearl line. Do a little luminescent theme. Some iridescent touches.”

  “He likes you, too,” Nat sing-songed. “I can tell.”

  Maddy shot her a look, feeling like a stern schoolteacher. “Nat, come on. Carter is… well, he’s him. He owns all this. Didn’t he date, like, actresses and models in New York?”

  “You are pretty enough to be a model. And tall enough,” Nat said.

  Maddy laughed. She loved Nat for that, truly. “Nat, I’m not putting myself down, but I am not a model.”

  “You better not be putting yourself down—you’re incredible,” Nat said, scowling. “You’re beautiful and you’re sweet and you’re smart as hell. Carter would be lucky if you looked his way. And I’m pretty sure he knows that.”

  “Nat, I’m not going to date my boss,” Maddy said. She didn’t want to admit the little thrill in her stomach every time Nat insisted Carter was interested. She’d been telling herself she’d been imagining the expression in his eyes, the way sometimes she’d catch his gaze and he’d smile a little bashfully, looking away quickly.

  “Didn’t you just hear what I said? He won’t be your boss in like, five minutes. Well, more like five or six weeks.”

  “Is that when they’re doing the transplant?” Maddy asked.

  What Carter was doing for his little sister humbled her. And it brought back memories. While donating bone marrow wasn’t as risky as donating an entire organ, she could still remember how scared she was—not of the operation itself—but what might happen if it didn’t work.

  “Most likely,” Nat said. “And that’s another thing you two have in common. You’re wonderful, self-sacrificing siblings. It’s a match made in heaven.”

  “Nat,” Maddy protested, laughing. She needed Nat to be joking. Because the alternative…

  Well, it would get her hopes up. Carter was, well, he was the whole damn package and then some.

  She didn’t want to admit it to Nat, but the last year of her relationship with David had done a number on her self-esteem. She could’ve handled the nearly constant rejection if it hadn’t been accompanied by the shame he seemed determined to make her feel. Add in losing her job, and her self-worth was a lot lower than normal. She felt so far from the confident, self-assured girl Nat remembered from college. Maddy wanted to get back to that woman. She wanted to feel that again, but every time she felt like she had her in her grasp, David’s cruel words would float back in her head, bringing her down again.

  Wasn’t that always the way? A woman could get thirty compliments and one insult, and it’d be the insult that haunted her. But knowing that wasn’t helpful—actually rerouting her thinking was a whole other ball game.

  “I’m not joking,” Nat said, tucking her riotous curls behind her ear. “The only reason I never introduced Carter to you when you visited me in New York was because I knew you two would hit it off in a big way. But I also knew you’d never leave Portland. I didn’t want to dangle the perfect person in front of either of you only to go ‘Sorry! She’s never leaving the Pacific Northwest!’ Because, frankly, that seems like a crappy thing to do. But now, there’s no distance and there’s no problem, and if you two would spend a little time together, you would realize you are perfect for each other.”

  Maddy felt a deep wave of love for Nat. Her best friend really was just… the best. Someone who was always on her side, who wanted everything for her, who wanted her to have the happily ever after that Nat so fiercely believed in.

  Nat was a romantic, for sure. And Maddy had been. She really had.

  But now?

  She wasn’t so sure. Maybe she was her own kind of romantic. One that involved a lot fewer glass slippers and fairy tales and a lot more steadiness and the kind of love that just wasn’t true, but trustworthy.

  “Don’t tell me you’re not interested, because I know you are,” Nat continued.

  “I don’t think any single woman with eyes could resist a man who is that smart and that handsome.”

  Nat laughed, waving her hand. “Well, except me. Because he’s like the brother I never had.”

  Maddy grinned. “Okay, yeah, I get that.”

  “Just talk to him some more,” Nat said. “See if sparks fly. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to my office. Are we still on to carpool up to River Run tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, I’ll pick you up at seven.” Nat made a face. She was not a morning person. “And I’ll bring you a whole bottle of my special cold-brew coffee,” Maddy added.

  Nat’s eyes lit up. “The kind you made in college with the cinnamon coffee ice cubes?” she said, looking rapturous.

  “Mm-hmm,” Maddy said. The vat of cold-brew coffee she kept in their dorm room fridge at all times had gotten the two of them through many a hangover back in the day. She brewed it extra strong.

  “Oh, my God, I love you,” Nat said. “I’m naming my firstborn after you.”

  “You are a gigantic dork,” Maddy called after her as she left the toy closet.

  She turned back to the shelves, venturing deeper in the closet, exam
ining the Hourglass line. She had one of the massagers from this line herself, and it was one of her favorites. Smaller toys usually didn’t pack as much of a punch, but Purely Pleasure’s always did.

  She heard the door open again. “You aren’t going to beg me to make cinnamon rolls for the drive tomorrow too, are you?” she asked, assuming Nat had ducked back inside.

  “I’m not one to beg,” said a voice that was decidedly not Nat.

  Maddy’s eyes widened with embarrassment as she whirled around. A tall blonde man with deep-set eyes was standing there, a slick, self-satisfied smile on his face.

  Dillon. The guy who had acted like an ass at the manager meeting.

  Maddy shifted a little, making sure her feet were steady as she assessed how to brush past him in the narrow space to get to the door. “Sorry,” she said, with a quick, impersonal smile. “I thought you were someone else.”

  “Pity,” Dillon drawled, adding what he clearly thought was a charming smirk, but really just made him look kind of constipated.

  “I need to get back to work,” Maddy said coolly, moving forward just as he leaned against one of the shelves, conveniently blocking her way to the door. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re in my way,” she said.

  “I just want to get to know our latest hire,” he said.

  “Here’s a tip: trapping me in a room with you isn’t the way to go about it,” Maddy said. “Please get out of my way.”

  He laughed, a long, drawn-out condescending sound that made her skin prickle in irritation. “You’re feisty, aren’t you?”

  He was going to find out how feisty if he didn’t get out of her way. Maddy knew his type. Dillon was your typical Ivy League frat boy who never grew up, casually and hurtfully dismissive and sexist, always thinking his voice was the most important, always talking over everyone else. He needed to feel like he was on top, like he was powerful and in control at all times. And anyone that threatened his fragile world-view had to be cut down to size. His type was one of the reasons she had left advertising. She preferred to keep her life as free of that kind of narcissism as possible.