Chapter 14: Midnight Plane to Florida

Tequila decides to talk things out with her brother, who provides some much needed insight into his side of the story.

Dear Tequila,

Just wanted to let you know that things are going pretty well for me. No severe injuries or losses on my end, and every enemy camp we've attacked has gone down like it ain't no thing. I guess I lucked out being placed in such a strong platoon, huh? Not to mention I finally got to try out those nuclear bullets our old pal X invented. What's cool about them is that they explode on impact, so you still hit your targets even when you miss.

God knows how much I'm missing you right now, but much more importantly, I hope you're doing okay. I hope you're at least trying to enjoy yourself while I'm gone, instead of just carrying on with business as usual and spending all day writing novels, regardless of how talented you are. Something tells me I'm not the only one who's told you this.

But that's all I got for now. I love you, and I'll be home soon!

Sincerely,

Jasper.

"Oh, he has no idea," Tequila mutters to herself, finishing the letter during a flight to Miami.

Having left San Diego, she is once again on the move. She's tried barbecue in Texas and the Carolinas, gambled away a tiny amount of money in Vegas, and even paid a short visit to her mother back in Phoenix to keep her in the know. She's gone hiking in Ketcham, Idaho, where she also got a taste of small-town life, and gone whale-watching in Boston, during which almost everyone on the boat except her got seasick and things got messy real quick. Now Tequila is making her way down to Key West for a bit more relaxation... and to finally try going topless for the first time. At the moment, she is speaking on the phone with one of her childhood friends who she seldom sees anymore, but still keeps in touch with.

"Louise, I'm telling you. If both sexes could get pregnant, there'd be more abortion clinics in America than there are Starbucks," she says into her smartphone. "Can you imagine how men would react if they had to go through all the same s**t we do in order to have their babies?"

After a bit more back and forth between the two, Tequila's Lyft eventually pulls up in Key West, right in front of a two-story shop with a neon-sign that reads "Feel-Good Felipe's".

"Uh... ¿alguna razón particular por la que te detienes aquí de todos los lugares?" the driver asks, obviously not fluent in English.

"Para visitar mi hermano," Tequila replies.

"...No voy a preguntar." the driver gives her an uncomfortable look.

Upon exiting the car, Tequila takes a deep breath and enters the building. Despite being relatively supportive of her brother's lifestyle, she's never expressed any interest in actually visiting his store. But admittedly, one of the items on her bucket-list is to try out something slightly kinky in the bedroom, and what better place to get some insight on that than here?

---

Looking around, the interior of the shop is nowhere near as foreign as she initially assumed. It has a completely black interior with cafeteria lights and exposed ducts and pipes on the ceilings. There are no erotic art pieces to be found anywhere, save for a few lingerie-clad mannequins, and even the employees are dressed modestly. One could probably bring their kids in here without a problem, if not for the products on sale.

Speaking of which, they range from normal items like over-the-counter contraceptives, condoms, pregnancy tests, and lubricants, to more out there objects like chains, whips, butt-plugs and paddles. As well as a large assortment of sex toys, including vibrating panties like the ones she saw the other day. Throughout her life, Tequila has never needed anything on sale here. Her tubes are tied, she has no interest in the BDSM scene, and during the rare times when she could use a toy, she just resorts to relieving herself with a tampon instead.

After browsing for a bit out of sheer curiosity, Tequila settles on a couple of silk ties and a blindfold. Not too safe, but not too kinky either, and certainly not kinky enough to where Jasper would be unwilling to try it out once he gets back. Plus, the experience could possibly provide some inspiration; maybe to write her first erotic romance novel. Tequila is initially surprised at the fact that no one's judging her as she carries her items to the check-out counter, but then remembers she's in a sex shop. Everyone else here is buying the same crap, after all.

"So if your left leg is Thanksgiving, and your right leg is Christmas, can I come visit you between the holidays mi amor?" a man asks, momentarily distracting Tequila while she pays for her purchases.

She turns around to see her brother casually walking around the store as he speaks into his cell-phone, presumably to his girlfriend. Despite the ketchup incident from the other day, she just doesn't have the heart to stay mad at him for it. After all, it was just Felipe being Felipe, and one can't expect everyone to change for them.

"Hey there, hermano menor," Tequila greets him, prompting him to widen his eyes.

"Oh, uh, lo siento Cindy. I've gotta go. Business and all that," Felipe replies as he hangs up. "Ah, big sis! Never thought I'd see you here."

"Well let's just say my bucket-list and the urge to deepen my tan bought me here. Plus I wanted to apologize for my little outburst back in San Diego," Tequila says.

"Oh, it's cool, but... bucket list?" Felipe raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah... admittedly, one of the items on it was to try something slightly more kinky in the bedroom. Nothing super hardcore like flogging or cages, but... yeah, not completely normal either," Tequila explains awkwardly, blushing as red as her hair. She never thought she'd see the day when she'd speak about her sexual preferences to her brother of all people.

"Are you sure you're up for that? You know, we also provide lessons on how to get into this stuff, complete with partners to test it out on," Felipe replies.

"Felipe, it's just a blindfold and arm bondage. I think I can manage." Tequila rolls her eyes with a bashful blush. "Besides, I'm only gonna be doing this with Jasper, as was the case with all my romantic firsts. Y'know, first date, first kiss, first marriage, all that jazz."

"Fair enough. Oh, and speaking of romance... uh, mind if we head to my office for a bit more privacy?" Felipe looks around a bit.

"Okay?" Tequila responds.

---

With that, the siblings head to the second floor, where Felipe's office is tucked away in the back corner. Inside it are several framed, erotic photographs of his previous girlfriends decorating the burgundy walls, office lights occupied by yellow bulbs to give the room a more ominous glow, and two wooden chairs positioned before the normal-looking desk. It wouldn't surprise Tequila if this is where those marriage-counseling discussions take place, or maybe even something a bit naughtier in nature.

"Gotta say, after finally checking this place out, it seems pretty harmless," she comments.

"Tell me about it. Mom keeps trying to get me to drop this whole thing and adhere to her lofty standards, and yet she knows nothing about what I actually do," Felipe groans as he plops into his office chair.

"Meanwhile the same Republican men who wanna govern my uterus can't seem to find my clitoris. I guess we're all disappointed," Tequila responds with half-lidded eyes, her tone sardonic. "So anyway, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well here's the thing... I think I just might've found the one," Felipe confesses.

"You referring to Cindy?" Tequila asks.

"Yeah. I mean, compared to all the others, I've been with her the longest, like a good five years or so, and I've gotten to know her very well both in and out of the bedroom," Felipe explains. "And now I think I might finally be ready to settle down, maybe raise a family even. Hell, I've already purchased a ring, but I've never even given her a hint about my true feelings."

"You're not doing this just to get Mom to shut up, are you?" Tequila raises an eyebrow.

"No, no, I really do love Cindy. But... the reason I wanted to talk to you about this is because I have no idea how to tell her myself. I mean, I'm so used to just signing sex contracts and going on the occasional date, but I've never even dared to ask anyone to marry me. That's not the case with you, however," Felipe replies.

"Well you know I'm happy for you, and I'm sure Mom would be too if she were to hear about this... but I can't shake the feeling that you'll have a hard time completely ditching this lifestyle. All the jumping from woman to woman, and not to mention this shop?" Tequila says with concern in her eyes.

"That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. No more sleeping around, and no more contracts. I'll probably keep the shop up and running, though, because it's how I make ends meet," Felipe responds. "You know, I never told anyone this, but one of the main reasons I started doing this is because I had such a hard time finding love before. So I figured if I couldn't find the right person for myself, the least I could do is help other people with their relationships. It was never about spiting our mother, or anything like that."

"And now you're the one who's looking for relationship advice, huh?" Tequila smirks. "Alright, well I'm afraid I can't offer much, other than just telling her how you feel and what sacrifices you're gonna make in order to keep her. I know when Jasper and I started dating, I was the first one to confess their feelings. Admittedly neither of us really had to make any sacrifices simply because we were both so compatible, but still."

"Meh, I'll take it." Felipe shrugs. "All I know is that if I go through with this, it won't just make Mom happy, but myself as well."

"That's what I like to hear." Tequila stands up and envelops her brother in as tight of a hug as she can. "I'm afraid I've gotta go check into my hotel before they drop my reservation, but good luck. And let me know how it goes."

"Will do, T. Muchas gracias," Felipe calls after his big sister as she leaves the office.