It was time to get her finances back in the black.

The doorbell rang as she shifted the tickle-whip on her dining room table. Damn, she hoped no one was early for her debut as a Pleasure Party consultant. She didn't even have the lotions set out yet and the wine was still chilling.

The purple whip was clashing with the leopard print furry handcuffs. Grabbing it, she went to the door and threw it open, a smile pasted on her face.

Lucas was standing there holding a cardboard box. Her smile fell off her face and she sagged in relief. It was just Lucas, her little brother's friend, and her neighbor for the last two years. Fortunately, she had known Lucas since he had been in diapers and they had a deep affection for each other, like brothers and sisters.

Which meant she could rudely blow him off and it wouldn't matter.

"Oh, hey, Lucas, what's up?"

He shifted the box. "This was by my door, but it's yours. I opened it already thinking it was for me."

"That's okay." She grabbed the box from him and stuck it under her arm. "Thanks." She had every intention of slamming the door in his face, but he stepped forward.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?" She tossed her head, trying to get the hair out of her eyes without dropping the box or the tickle-whip.

Lucas had that look on his face, that serious, studying gaze that meant he was thinking hard. Sometimes she thought he looked cute when he was like that, sort of like a puppy dog sniffing out a bone. But it also reminded her that Lucas had more brainpower in one lobe than she had in her entire skull, and he always needed to understand everything. A curiosity that she just didn't have.

Not that they were kids anymore, and he wasn't following her around asking why, why, why, Ashley, but she had a party to put on and didn't have time for his theories on how they could improve energy efficiency in the house.