SoloPlay (5 page)

From the numerous links that appeared on her screen, she could tell that SoloPlay got a lot of press. She clicked the first link and learned that Mark Winters was a hometown boy, a graduate of nearby Norton College and the Norton Business School. The second link informed her that he had been spotted at a popular restaurant enjoying paella last week. She snorted and clicked around looking for pictures, without success. Apparently Mr. Winters kept his image, if not his dietary preferences, private. She shrugged and closed her browser, deciding that she would stop by Come Again and talk to Bonita after work.

The day passed quickly. Beth was in the middle of a romantic crisis of her own, so Alisa nodded and sighed, sympathetically listening to her friend’s complaints for most of the day. As she left work that evening and headed down the street, she wondered if Beth would be interested in replacing her loser boyfriend with a nice, dependable vibrator from Come Again. Perhaps she would suggest that tomorrow.

“You spend any more time here, I might try to hire you,” Bonita warned as she entered the shop.

“Funny you should mention that.” Alisa flashed the SoloPlay business card at her.

Bonita’s unusually green eyes lit with pleasure. “How perfect!” she exclaimed.

Alisa cocked her head to the side. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I like Mark and I hope he succeeds. SoloPlay sells excellent products but it’s always risky to try something new.”

Alisa was glad that Bonita approved of Mark Winters, but wasn’t ready to commit to the idea. “I haven’t decided to do it yet.”

“It probably seems a little strange.” Her smile was understanding.

“Like sex for money,” Alisa confided, pursing her lips.

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it, but I would say it’s more like working freelance. They aren’t paying you for sex. It’s the information they want—the dirty details,” she joked.

“I’ll have to think about it,” she said. “Is Crystal in the back?”

Bonita nodded. “She took a late client.”

Alisa wondered how many late clients she had refused over the past month. Had Crystal’s defection been more about Alisa holding Crystal back? She turned her attention back to Bonita. “Will you please tell her I stopped by? I think I’ll head home to do some research.”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks, Bonita.”

As she drove home, she worried that the SoloPlay job was just a convenient way for Crystal to get rid of her. Maybe Crystal had gotten bored and was trying to let her down easily. For a moment she gave in to the pity and her eyes began to water, but as she pulled into her apartment parking lot she realized she was being silly. Crystal had reassured her several times this morning that they would still be friends. Good friends, which, if Alisa was honest, was enough for her. She parked the car. Crystal was right—it was time to move on.

She got out of the car and locked it, wondering if SoloPlay was the right move for her to make. She didn’t have to do it just because Crystal had signed her up. She unlocked her apartment, dropped her purse on the couch and sat down at her desk to make a list of pros and cons. When she was finished, she got the business card out of her purse and typed the SoloPlay website address into her browser. She explored the application process Crystal had so helpfully completed for her. After carefully reading the FAQ and the Privacy Policy, every item on her con list had been eliminated, which left her with the pro side—free sex toys and a paycheck.

She had to admit the idea of being the first one to try something new was intriguing. The SoloPlay products she had seen so far were impressive, but other companies sold similar items. Curiosity hummed to life inside her and she decided she didn’t have anything to lose by giving it a try, at least once.

What exactly did Mr. Mark Winters have in mind?

Chapter Five

Her question was answered two weeks later when Crystal texted her early in the day to let her know her first SoloPlay item had been delivered to the shop. She and Crystal had stayed in touch with frequent calls and texts and even had dinner a few times since the morning of their breakup. There was no awkwardness between them and her friendships with the Come Again girls continued to grow. Alisa hurried to the shop after work and found Destiny at the counter.

“I hear you’re moonlighting.” Destiny greeted her with a sly smile. She reached under the counter and came up with a medium-sized brown box. It had her name on it in Crystal’s handwriting.

Alisa nodded. “I don’t really know what to expect.”

“Orgasms, I would imagine.” The other woman’s matter-of-fact expression made her laugh. “Crystal will be back in a minute if you want to wait for her. She went down the street to get coffee.”

“I think I’ll head on home,” Alisa replied, tucking the box under her arm.

Destiny gave her a wicked grin. “Can’t say I blame you. Have a good night.”

Alisa grinned back. “Tell Crystal I’ll call her later.”

“Sure thing.”

When Alisa got home, she dropped her purse on the dining room table, wrestled the tape from the top of the box and pried the flaps open. She lifted out the protective packaging and set the paperwork aside. She swallowed hard.

It was big.

A tingle started between her thighs as she examined the hot-pink double dildo. She lifted it from the box and removed the tag, discovering a complicated-looking harness and a single-use tube of lubricant in the bottom of the box. She choked back a nervous giggle and took a deep breath. She was going to have to read the directions.

Alisa carried the dildo to the sink and washed it thoroughly before returning to the table. After a few minutes spent perusing the diagrams, she realized it wasn’t as complicated as it looked. She unbuttoned her khakis and pushed them along with her underwear to the floor. She pulled the black harness out of the box and stepped into it, feeling silly as she realized she needed to insert the dildo first.

She coated the dildo with a generous amount of lubricant and started over.

The device was made out of a flexible material that was designed to adjust to fit the space between her pussy and ass. She had to take several deep breaths in order to relax her anus enough to accept it, but by the time it was halfway inside her, she was incredibly aroused. One more steady push and it filled her completely. She gasped.

Just for fun, she pulled it out and began again, sliding the dildo into her body a little faster, a little harder this time. She groaned aloud. The dildo filled her so snugly, she wondered why it came with a harness. It certainly wasn’t in danger of falling out. What would it feel like with vibration? She shivered in pleasure and reached for the directions again.

RE: Vibrating Double Dildo

Thurs, Mar 31, 2011 7:26:36 AM

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Dear Sologirl,

Thank you for completing the Vibrating Double Dildo survey. We thought that the addition of a spring harness to that particular device would be pleasurable. Glad to hear you agree. In fact, marketing would like to know if we can quote you on the package. The phrase “full-body orgasm machine” should move a lot of product. You certainly have a way with words.

Sincerely,

Mark Winters, President and CEO

SoloPlay Enterprises

Alisa hit reply.

To: [email protected]

Re: Vibrating Double Dildo

Dear Mr. Winters,

Believe me, the pleasure was mine. You may certainly quote me. It’s the least I can do to thank you for creating such a lovely device. I may go broke buying batteries, but it will be absolutely worth it.

Yours,

Sologirl

She giggled as she hit send. When she got to work she couldn’t resist sneaking into her SoloPlay e-mail account to see if Mr. Winters had replied. Thank goodness Beth was helping out in acquisitions today.

RE: Vibrating Double Dildo

Thurs, Mar 31, 2011 9:15:29 AM

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Dear Sologirl,

We can’t have you going broke before you get your first paycheck. I’ll tell Shipping to include extra batteries for you. Enjoy.

Mark Winters, President and CEO

SoloPlay Enterprises

Alisa closed out the screen, but she couldn’t get rid of the smile on her face. She was already looking forward to the next SoloPlay shipment.

Two weeks passed before Crystal texted to tell her that another delivery had arrived for her at Come Again. Alisa retrieved her package from the shop and raced home. She ripped open the box—the toy was tiny but, as promised, there were several extra batteries included. She grinned and sat down at the computer.

To: [email protected]

Subj: Batteries

Dear Mr. Winters,

You darling! I haven’t tried the Lipstick-Mini yet (and I’m hoping that size doesn’t matter) but I wanted to thank you for the extra batteries. How thoughtful!

Yours,

Sologirl

She quickly checked for messages in her other accounts but couldn’t resist logging back in to SoloPlay to see if Mr. Winters had sent her an immediate reply. He had. Her heart began to race as she clicked on the new message.

RE: Batteries

Tues, Apr 12, 2011 5:39:14 PM

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Dear Sologirl,

Size matters…but not with vibrators. And you are welcome for the batteries.

All my best,

Mark

She chuckled. Mr. Winters must think quite well of himself. She wondered for a moment whether his partners would agree with him. As Sologirl, she was glad she didn’t need to worry about a partner. She’d be up to her ears in sex toys before long and if the rest of the SoloPlay Originals were anything like the Vibrating Double Dildo, that would make her a very happy woman. Filling out the survey had been great fun too, and playing solo also had another huge benefit—she didn’t have to wonder if her sex toy was going to dump her while she was naked.

Crystal had been wrong. She wasn’t ready for another partner, but she was enjoying this back and forth e-mail exchange with…Mark. In her mind, she pictured him as pale and squishy, with unfashionably framed spectacles—a man so task-oriented that he could ask her to masturbate for hours on end with the clinical detachment of a laboratory technician observing a Petri dish. A man who saw dollar signs in orgasms. A cold but imaginative fish. She got a charge out of sending him flirty little e-mails that might make him sweat beneath his pocket protector and no-iron collar.

She twisted the end of the Lipstick-Mini. Vibrations roared beneath her fingers. Still looking at the computer screen, she slipped her hand beneath her skirt.

Mark sighed as he sent off his response to Sologirl. He was glad someone was getting off. He was working all the time now, interpreting data and crunching numbers, and he didn’t have time to find a new partner. Since there was no way he could call any of his ex-girlfriends after the responses he had gotten over his SoloPlay Originals requests, he was forced to take matters in hand several times a week. Every time he jerked off, he pictured Sologirl, naked, upended on a pile of pillows with the Double Dildo rammed to the hilt in her hot body.

At least, that had been the image in his head last week. This week he would probably picture her with the Lipstick-Mini. At work. On her coffee break. He groaned as his dick rose again. Maybe he should get out of here early tonight and get laid.

The idea didn’t hold his interest like it should. Instead of leaving, he began an e-mail to Product Development, detailing the order in which he wanted them to ship the rest of the prototypes.

What did he want Sologirl to get next?

Not every product Alisa received from SoloPlay over the last few months had packed the punch of the Vibrating Double Dildo and the Lipstick-Mini; however, she wasn’t complaining, especially not this week. The SoloPlay Screamer held the place of honor in her nightstand at the moment and maybe always would. In fact, it had been difficult to tear herself away from the device to complete the survey, and even now she felt compelled to make sure Mark knew just how much she liked it.

To: [email protected]

Subj: Still screaming, a week later

Dear Mr. Winters,

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’ve been screaming in bed, screaming on the couch, screaming in the shower. Waterproof—brilliant! I’m never leaving my apartment again and work is not going to understand. Is there any chance for a raise? I’m going to get fired and it’s all SoloPlay’s fault.

Yours,

Sologirl

P.S. What’s next, boss?

Alisa logged off and stood up, knowing she couldn’t just sit around and wait for him to reply but seriously tempted to do just that. She looked forward to Mark’s e-mails almost as much as she looked forward to the arrival of each new toy. She loved telling him how much she enjoyed his creations in explicit and erotic detail. Lately she had spent more and more time crafting her survey responses, knowing he would be reading them.

She forced herself to go to the gym before she checked her e-mail again. A girl had to have some discipline, after all. To prove that point, she put herself through a punishing workout on the elliptical before she headed home. She logged in and grinned.

RE: Still screaming, a week later

Sun, June 26, 2011 3:39:14 PM