This was insanity.

        A hot, shirtless man standing next to her? Hell, his abs alone were crazynuts. He looked like something out of an underwear ad. And the fact that he’d stripped to help her out just added to the appeal.

        “Okay, ladies,” Ellie said. “We’re going to start off with a few items from our Tame Me bondage line. This is a great vanilla starter kit for those testing it out or those who want to experiment just a little.”

        “What’s that?” called a pretty redhead named Jane. She was the one who’d contacted Ellie in the first place about hosting the party. Most of these women were part of the same book club, though many had brought friends.

        Ellie glanced down at the object Jane was pointing at. “This is bondage tape,” she explained. “It has a lot of different uses for couples looking to experiment with a little light BDSM play.”

        “Like what?” someone else called.

        Ellie cleared her throat and ordered herself not to get embarrassed. She’d had plenty of conversations like this and was no stranger to frank discussions about sexual aids.

        But she’d never had a man in the audience before. A bare-chested, insanely attractive m—

        “You can use it to restrain your partner by binding his or her wrists together,” Ellie said, avoiding Ty’s eyes. “Or you can bind him or her to a piece of furniture.”

        “What about ankles?” someone called. “Would it work on ankles?”

        “Absolutely,” Ellie said. “Ankle-to-wrist, ankle-to-ankle—whatever feels good.”

        “Getting that tape stuck on arm hair wouldn’t make me feel good,” someone said, prompting a round of giggles from the audience.

        “Yeah, my husband would never go for that,” someone else added. “He has super hairy legs.”

        “That’s the beauty of bondage tape,” Ellie said. “It’s non-adhesive. It’s more of an electrostatic cling tape. You can even use it to cover someone’s eyes like a blindfold.”

        The women looked dubious, so Ellie tore off a piece to demonstrate. “Here, I’ll show you how it works.” She struggled to bind her wrists together but quickly realized that wasn’t going to work.

        “Want help?” Ty’s voice was deep and rich, like liquid chocolate. He stepped closer, so close her arms tingled from the heat of his body. He held out his hands, palms pressed together, wrists angled toward her. His eyes met hers and Ellie shivered.

        “By all means,” he murmured. “Use me.”

        Oh, sweet baby Jesus.

        Ellie flashed back to her conversation with Miriam about flings. He didn’t know, did he?

        No. Miriam wouldn’t do that.

        Ty was just being helpful. That seemed to be his nature. Whipping his shirt off for a crowd of horny women didn’t seem like something in his wheelhouse, but he’d done it to make an old woman’s day. His willingness to be of service made Ellie warm with gratitude.

        Okay, so that wasn’t the only thing making her warm.

        She took a deep breath and reached for Ty’s wrists. “Thanks,” she said.