Serena snorted and took Julie's arm to guide her toward the couch. "Like you've ever been shy. Come sit down and tell Damon what it is you want. As long as it doesn't involve him personally, I'm cool with it."
Julie sent Serena a sly glance as the two settled onto the couch. "You're sounding possessive, girlfriend. Dare I ask whether or not Damon has persuaded you to accept his proposal yet?"
"Julie, shut up," Serena hissed.
"Not yet," Damon said calmly. "But I will." He winked at Julie, and she smiled back.
"I don't know why you don't just put the guy out of his misery," Julie muttered under her breath to Serena. "It's obvious he's over the moon mad about you."
Julie liked to give Serena shit when it came to Damon, but she was hugely relieved that Serena was taking her time deciding, even if Julie did think Damon was pretty terrific. Julie liked him a lot, but she wasn't convinced he was right for Serena long term, or maybe that Serena wasn't right for him long term.
"You're here to talk about you," Serena said sweetly. "Don't make me throw you out of my house before you get to plead your case."
Julie threw back her head and laughed. "Alrighty then." She looked over at Damon. "Faith told me she came to you when she wanted some help in the fantasy fulfillment area."
Damon sat down in the armchair catty-corner to the sofa and propped one long leg over his knee. "Not exactly. Faith wasn't looking for a fantasy. She was looking for something very real." He smiled and looked over at Serena. "Serena was the one looking for a fantasy."
"They both ended up with the real deal. Yeah, I know," Julie said impatiently. "I'm not after reality here. I don't want a permanent fixture. I want hot sex with two gorgeous specimens, and I want it.. . anonymously."
She held her breath while she waited for Damon to react. Serena was quicker. While Damon didn't look overly disturbed by her announcement, Serena turned sharply.
"Have you lost your mind, Julie? Anonymous? And you thought I was the crazy one."
"No, I've got it all figured out," Julie said patiently. "I don't want messy entanglements. Been there, done that, can certainly live without it. I wanted hot sex with Nathan, and clearly that didn't work out. So I'm thinking the best way to go about this is to set up a situation where I have no idea who my hot guys are. We all get great sex out of it and go our merry way afterward."
"How anonymous are you wanting, exactly?" Damon asked.
She looked at him gratefully, relieved that he was at least taking her request seriously. "So anonymous that I don't know who they are or what they look like ... at any part of it," she said cheerfully.
Serena groaned. "Good God, Julie, what do you want? For them to blindfold you?"
"Yes. Exactly."
"Talk some sense into her, Damon," Serena pleaded.
"Can't do that, love," he said fondly. "What if she'd been able to talk you out of your crazy idea of wanting to be my sex slave?"
"For the love of God," Serena muttered.
Julie grinned. "He's right, you know. You could very well be standing in the way of my future happiness."
"You don't believe that load of horse manure anymore than I do," Serena said.
Laughter escaped Julie, and she shoved playfully at Serena. "No, I don't, you heifer, but you could at least give me my own rope to hang myself with. I may have thought you were nuts, but I didn't tie your ass to a chair to prevent you from signing up for slavery."
"Very true," Serena said with a sigh. "But can I at least talk you out of the blindfolds? It seems so . . . scary."
"It's part of the appeal," Damon said evenly. "Think about it, Serena mine. Total darkness. Having to rely on all your other senses. Touch. Taste. Smell. The feel of strange hands on your body, awakening all those senses."
A warm flush stole over Julie. Damn but the man was good.
"I don't want any emotional attachment," Julie said. "I just want two men concentrating on me and my pleasure. No slave shit, please. Unless they want to be mine," she added with a grin. "Minions to do my bidding would be great too."
"You're incorrigible," Serena said as she chuckled.
"No, just desperate and horny."
Damon broke into laughter, and Serena closed her eyes and touched her forehead with her hand.
"Surely there are men at your pleasure palace who wouldn't mind f**king a woman's brains out," she said to Damon.
"Pleasure palace? That sounds so . . . cheesy." He actually looked affronted.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "House of loooove then?"
He cracked a grin. "You don't want love, remember?"
"Damn straight. Thanks for that reminder."
"But yes, I'm sure there are any number of men who would be more than willing to take you on," he said as he fought another smile. "We'll do the usual background checks, medical histories, et cetera. Give me a week or so to get everything together and I'll do my best to give you your fantasy."
"If it's not asking too much, I'd like to schedule two nights. Now, ahead of time. I don't want to deal with the awkwardness of doing another after the first night, and if it's already set up, then I don't have to stress about it."
"Of course," Damon agreed. "But if you decide it's not to your liking or if there's anything you want me to change, let me know."
Julie put her hands together in front of her and grinned in delight. "Thanks, Damon. You're the best."
He shrugged. "It's the least I can do to repay you for kidnapping Serena for me."
Serena glowered at both of them, but Julie didn't miss the flash of emotion in Serena's eyes as she looked at Damon.
"I need more details as well," Damon continued. "If you aren't comfortable giving them now, you can e-mail me later, but I need specifics. Boundaries. The do-not-cross lines."
Julie cocked her head and thought for a moment. "I don't have a problem telling you now. I'm not into bondage shit. No way I want to be tied down with strange men, even if I asked for strange men."
Serena laughed and shook her head.