JustPressPlay by M.A. Ellis

bus, Erin?”
    “It’s not like that. I swear to you—”
    “Oh, just can it,” Linda said with a sigh. “He said the same damn thing. That he couldn’t keep his hands off you. That you thwarted his every attention, blah, blah, blah. Until he played some tape he made and you turned into Exhibitionist Erin.”
    “What?” Erin exclaimed. She knew the bond Daniel and Linda shared but she never dreamed he would tell anyone particulars about their hookup. Shock and a decent amount of anger swirled through her body.
    “I haven’t told Paul…he’ll be so hurt to know you’re a kinkosaurus in your own right and you never shared.”
    Oh my god! Erin turned on her heel and headed toward the family room, Linda following close behind. She sat on the couch and set the box on her lap. Linda plopped down across from her on the matching loveseat and cocked her head.
    Erin looked down as she traced the cursive script with one finger, her anger ebbing. Danny would have a perfectly good explanation for drawing the queen of inquisitiveness into this. She couldn’t wait to ask him but until then…
    “I’m not saying a word.”
    “You don’t have to. Your silence speaks volumes. So how many times did he have you screamin ’ his name?”
    Erin’s head snapped up, but before she could tell Linda to mind her own business, another barrage of unanswerable questions came her way.
    “Or how many times did you have him yelling yours is probably the better question, since you’re sitting with a good-sized box from one of the highest-end lingerie stores in the freakin ’ country. Did you rock his world in ways he never knew existed? I wouldn’t have seen that coming—no pun intended—but it’s always the quiet ones. Isn’t that what they say?”
    Their gazes met and Erin remained silent. It was a battle of wills and Erin refused to be the first to give. She was surprised to find she felt little guilt. No. It was more a feeling of annoyance that Linda was butting in where she really didn’t belong.
    “Oh hell,” Linda finally said, flinging herself backward into the cushions. “Whatever. You’re both adults. I just don’t want Danny hurt.”
    Danny hurt? Was she serious? She doubted Danny was second-guessing his every move. Doubted that his heart started racing when he thought back to their time together.
    “Don’t hurt him.” Linda’s voice was edged with a hardness Erin had never heard before. Her friend’s gaze narrowed but Erin felt the devotion behind the stare.
    “How can I hurt him? He’s the one calling the shots. I think.”
    Linda relaxed and slowly nodded her head. “Wow. You’re fine with that? Letting him have his way?”
    “He’s more knowledgeable than I am.” She hesitated, not wanting to tell Linda any details that would have the woman pissed once more.
    “True. Let’s not delve any deeper into ick -land, please. Go ahead and open the box. I can’t wait to see what’s inside.”
    “What if it’s ‘ ick ’ material? They make some really racy stuff.” Erin couldn’t wait to see what type of lingerie was hidden away beneath the tissue paper.
    “Diaphanous anything isn’t icky. Especially if it’s for playtime use. It’s either going to be innocently sexy or blatantly seductive. Hurry it up.”
    A frisson of excitement shot through Erin and she pulled the ribbons off the corners of the box, tossed the lid aside and dug into the tissue paper. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the most beautiful corset she had ever seen. Made of heavy ivory-colored satin, it shimmered in the low light, and she gently grabbed the top of the bodice and pulled it from the box, holding it up to study it. A row of small hooks and eyes ran down the front, and when she turned it around, the back was held together with a crisscrossing pale blue satin bow.
    “ Ooo -la-la, let me see,” Linda whispered, moving onto the couch next to Erin. “What else did he send? And where the hell’s the