Just in Time by Rosalind James

weirder. Because my next errand? It’s to the Adult Megastore.”
    “Which would be…”
    “Yeah.” She sighed. “The adult store. Not for me,” she added, as if he couldn’t have guessed that. “For supplies.”
    “Don’t tell me,” he said, all the humor gone. “You said nothing too dirty. I’m not posing with some…some kind of toys, or gear. No. Absolutely not.”
    “It’s not that bad. You won’t even be in the shots. Well, maybe a few of them,” she admitted, “like we said. So maybe it’s a good thing you’re coming after all. I can show you, and then you won’t pitch a fit, and make Calvin pitch one. But it’s embarrassing, all right? Because I’ve never been in one of those stores,” she confessed, and the color was rising in her cheeks again. “I researched online, of course,” she added hastily, like the conscientious student she’d probably been, “but I don’t know what to expect, and going there with you…maybe I need to ask you to wait in the truck.”
    “Oh, no. Not possible.” The laughter was bubbling up again from deep in his chest despite his fairly serious disappointment. “I’m sure I shouldn’t say this, but I’m guessing I can find my way around. Consider me your guide.”

    Except that they had a guide. An older lady, wearing a tunic over stretch pants, a bright, beaded necklace, glasses, and a smile, guaranteed to take all the sexyfeels straight out of his dream date with Faith.
    “Can I help you?” she asked as the two of them walked through the pneumatic doors into the store, which sat in a strip mall next to a swimming-pool supply and a pet-food shop. All in a day’s work for Vegas, Will supposed.
    “Ah…” Faith said, looking around her wildly. Ahead of them sat a huge display of condoms, while the racks to the right were filled with DVDs whose covers left nothing to the imagination.
    “First time shopping with us?” the saleswoman asked.
    “Yes,” Faith said, and there was that blush again, creeping up her chest, into her throat, up her cheeks. “I mean, it’s not for us. Well, it’s for us, but—”
    “Aw, darling,” Will said, putting an arm around her and hauling her up to him. “She’s a little nervous,” he told the saleswoman. “It’s my birthday, you see. Bit of a present. The kind I buy.” He felt Faith stiffening beside him, and looked down at her. “Where did you want to start, sweetheart?” he asked her tenderly. “I’m all yours. Or do you want me to take charge?”
    She cleared her throat. “I’d like to look at your scarves,” she told the woman. “And various sorts of ties. Something in that general area.”
    “Ah,” the clerk said. “The Restraint section. In the back, right down here. Follow me.”
    She led the way, her soft-soled shoes making no sound against the tile floor.
    “Let go of me,” Faith hissed at Will, and he dropped his arm and grinned at her.
    “I’m paid back for that gambling addiction,” he told her. “Not sure we’ve quite got past losing my house and all my money, but you’re definitely working on it.”
    “Here we are,” their guide announced, turning around in the back aisle. “You’ve got your ties here,” she said with a gesture. “Handcuffs, lined and unlined. The lined ones are much more comfortable,” she assured Faith. “Of course, it depends what you prefer, but we find that most couples like to start at the low end of the spectrum, at the fantasy level, then move up as their preferences dictate.”
    She pulled out a good-sized square box from the bottom shelf. “This is particularly popular, if you don’t have a bed with posts. The Under-Bed Restraint System. It fits between your mattress and box spring, and tucks away when you’re not using it. Nothing for the kids to find.”
    “Very…sensible,” Faith managed. Will would have answered, but he’d got a bit distracted by the cover of the box, at the woman spread-eagled on that white bed. He’d never run