I stare at my reflection and for the first time in a long time, I actually like what I see. My stomach is still visible, mostly from the side, but the swirling pattern of the dress does a good job of camouflaging my bump.
I brush out my hair and pull out my makeup kit. It’s as basic as it gets, holding only the essentials, but it’ll work for this occasion. I apply a little foundation, some eyeshadow and blush, and a little gloss over a thin layer of lipstick. I smile at myself in the mirror. Not bad for ten minutes of work.
Glowing with renewed confidence, I head back into the bedroom, where Uri is waiting by the bed with the second, smaller box in his hands.
When he hands it to me, I pull the lid off gingerly and peel apart the tissue paper. Staring down at the small silver bullet vibrator on the inside, I snort with laughter.
Uri chuckles, too. “For old time’s sake,” he explains with a wink. “Now, go back in there. You’re wearing that tonight, too.”
I don’t bother arguing. Excitement races up and down my spine as I retrace my steps back to the bathroom. I wonder if the experience is going to be different now that I’m pregnant. I expect it to be more uncomfortable, more invasive. But somehow, when I wriggle it into place, it has the opposite effect. I feel… uninhibited. It’s as though the vibrator has given me permission to be the girl I was before I got pregnant.
Walking still takes some getting used to, but I do a couple of laps in the bathroom before heading back out to Uri.
“Are we really leaving the cabin?” I ask excitedly.
“Someone’s impatient today.”
“Excited, actually,” I correct as we walk through the empty cabin. “Where is everyone?”
“Dimiv and Nikolai are with Lev in his room and Polly’s still locked up in hers. Don’t worry—Nikolai will hold down the fort here.”
I should be nervous but the thrill surging through me is drowning out everything else. The cool metal tease of the vibrator in my underwear doesn’t hurt, either. He takes my hand as we leave the cabin but, instead of walking me towards the trail that leads down to the security station where the vehicles are parked, he goes in the opposite direction.
The path is narrow and faint, but visible. We wind through trees and underneath a dense canopy before the foliage clears and we emerge on the edge of a huge lake I didn’t even know existed.
I’m so mesmerized by the waves lapping the shore and birds trawling for something to eat along the surface of the water that I don’t notice the picnic table waiting by the shoreline.
“Oh my God!” I gasp when I see it. I turn to Uri slowly. “You set this up?”
“I had some help. Nikolai and Dimiv brought the table. I did the cooking, though, so don’t listen if they try to take credit for that.”
Two giant cloches sit on either side of the picnic table, resting on top of a pretty lace tablecloth. Wildflower petals are strewn from end to end, glowing red and orange and yellow in the evening light.
I giggle deliriously. “This is amazing.”
“Hungry?”
I turn to Uri, my gaze trailing over his body. He’s wearing dark linen pants and a shirt left slightly open at the chest. Enough to make me wish that the vibrator tucked between my thighs could be replaced with something else…
“Yes,” I murmur, but I make sure he’s very well aware that I’m not talking about food.
Uri laughs. “Is that right?”
But instead of reaching for me like I expect him to, he puts his hand into his pocket—and a second later, I gasp. The vibrator whirs to life and I pinch my legs together as those first ticklish tremors rip through me.
He kicks it up a notch and the vibrator feels like it’s twisting slowly inside me. My eyes flutter, my knees buckle and I bite down on my bottom lip. Uri takes a step closer. His mere presence is enough to make me wet. Between him and the vibrator, I have no control anymore.
“Is this too much?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I-it’s fine. I can… mm… take it.”
Is there a way to look graceful while there’s a vibrator creating havoc inside you? I’m not so sure. But I’m saved from the awkwardness of having to try when Uri leads me off to the side of the picnic bench, where there’s a blanket spread out beneath one of the more willowy trees.
“Strip,” he orders me in a voice that has my entire body heating up instantly.
I pull off my pretty new dress with a quick pang of regret and throw it off to the side. Then I discard my bra and panties. The vibrator circling inside me makes it hard to care about how I may look to him right now.