He sat in the back of the conference room with his laptop open, staring blankly at the speaker. The middle-aged man in a gray button-up at the front of the room had developed software that promised to "invigorate company-wide productivity" and "expedite cross-departmental collaborations". As his co-workers followed along with the tutorial, he ran his fingers over the keyboard, a weak attempt to mime typing. It was nearing the end of the day, the conference room was stuffy, and his mind wouldn't stay put. He pulled up his email in the hopes of having something worthwhile to focus on, and maybe getting some work done.
Upon opening his inbox he found a long list of new emails waiting for him. Sorting through the advertisements for athletic shoes and discounted play tickets he spotted a few important items, including a last minute request from a client, a newsletter from his son's daycare, and a reminder from his boss to attend the very tutorial he was currently sitting through. Then there was this:
"Your Package Has Been Delivered Successfully - Item #6927-820-JL"
'Package?' he wondered. He couldn't remember ordering anything lately, but it wouldn't be the first time he was was surprised by his own past purchases. He also considered that perhaps this was just a bit of spam that got through the filter and thought the safe thing to do would be to delete it. But at the moment his curiosity was higher than his restraint, so he opened it anyways.
As soon as he did he recognized the logo of the company that sent it: TradEco, a new website designed to sell eco-friendly products of all sorts-food, cleaning supplies, furniture, etc. His wife had made a joint account for them on it the week before, but they hadn't purchased anything at the time. He assumed she must've found something she liked so he scrolled down to see what was in the order.
PACKAGE CONTENTS:
NATURAL WOOD PICTURE FRAME (3)
NATURE'S OWN FACIAL TISSUE (12 PK)
ORGANIC LOVER'S PLAYSET (1)
'...Organic lover's playset?' he thought to himself. 'What the hell is that? ' All he knew was that it sounded...adult. He was about to click on the link to the product page, but paused as he remembered where he was, and the co-workers who were surrounding him. Shifting in his seat and tilting his laptop screen down to the point where even he could barely see it, he opened the page for the Organic Lover's Playset. It read:
"This enviro-friendly product set will bring sensual delights to you and your partner for as long as you both can last, while ensuring that our planet will last long too! Enjoy guilt-free sexual indulgence with the following items."
Each item had a description along with a well-framed, softly-lit photo. He scrolled down, revealing each item one at a time.
First there was the organic black silk blindfold, described as "soft and saucy." Then came the feather tickler: "This cruelty-free feather tickling tool promises hours of mischief." That was followed by a light-weight hemp rope designed for "playful restraint and dominance enforcement", and then a compact solar-powered vibrator that uses "renewable energy for endless stimulation". Finally he scrolled onto the last image.
The picture featured a lime green dildo, with a shape suggestive of a penis, but not so detailed as to be considered "realistic." The base of the dildo was attached to a dark brown belt and the whole apparatus was situated such that the dildo slanted upward, with the tip landing in the top right corner of the photograph.
He let out a small involuntary gasp, which he tried to cover with a cough as he glanced nervously around the room. Flustered, he leaned back into his laptop and glanced at the description : "This hypo-allergenic dildo with a luxurious vegan leather strap let's everyone play the role they desire."
He sat back in his chair and let out a quiet exhale. The speaker's voice felt distant as he thought about what compelled his wife to purchase this little gift box. Now they were no strangers to experimenting in the bedroom: spanking, 69, and anal-play were all fair game. He'd even given her a golden shower or two. But this was the first time she'd expressed any interest in using toys.