Igot out of the limo after Casersis and straightened. When I edged around the taller man, I balked. We were in front of a skyscraper so tall I nearly fell on my ass trying to see the top. Casersis wrapped an arm about my waist to keep me from doing just that and guided me toward the manned front door.
“Lovely to see you, Mr. Ardal,” the doorman said with a bright, welcoming smile. “Is Mr. Cipriani expecting you?”
Casersis grinned. “No, he is not.”
“I will announce your arrival, then,” he said with a smart nod and opened the door for us. “He will be happy to see you as always. Enjoy your evening, sirs.”
“Thank you, Benjamin,” Casersis said, returning the nod. He led me inside the lobby with that arm about my waist and stopped before a private, sleek silver elevator. He pressed a button making the doors whoosh open, and we stepped inside.
Everything held my attention, from the polished black marble floors to the ornate molding on the ceiling. I asked, “What floor is Mr. Cipriani on?” Surely he had to be filthy rich to live in a place like this in the heart of the city.
“The top six floors are his,” Casersis replied. “The first two floors are storage for his imported cloth, threads, and other supplies. The third floor is his office and main workroom. The fourth is for his staff, and the top two are his living quarters.” As he talked, he waved his hand over a black plate for the sensor to recognize his CommLink implant. When a green light appeared, he pushed the button for the top floor as he held onto me tighter. I found out why when the elevator began moving. It shot up like a bullet before it evened out at a fast pace. I let out a gasp of surprise that earned me a kiss to the side of the head. “I am sorry, beauty. I should have warned you.”
After a few floors, I forgot to care. Suddenly, I stared out of a glass wall on the other side of the elevator doors and onto the slowly descending city. Shadetree sprawled out below me like glowworms and fireflies, shimmering and bright and beautiful. I gaped and stepped closer to the wall of glass. “I’ve never been this high up before. It’s gorgeous!”
Casersis pressed his body to my back and wrapped his arms around my chest. “Then I am glad I could be the first to show you this wonder. I hope to be the bearer of many thrilling and fun firsts.”
A shiver ran through my entire body, and I turned my head to the side to look at Casersis. Our faces were so close that we could kiss, which had my face heating again. His swollen lips were lush and kissable, and I desperately wanted a taste. They were still slightly puffy from the blow job that brought me back into my body, and they looked delicious.
And fuck. He smelled so good. Underneath all his other scents was something sweet and delicious that I desperately wanted to taste, and it took everything I had in me not to shove him against a wall and try to find that treat.
With that thought rolling around in my mind, I shivered, and when I spoke, my voice had taken on a husky, smoky tone. “You make that sound like I’m already a permanent fixture in your life.”
Casersis smiled and leaned close, pressing a warm kiss to my temple. “I would like that, even if it is only as friends. You are a treasure to talk to—interesting, funny, and so very concerned for others over yourself, even after all that has happened to you.”
Again, I felt immeasurably cherished. I leaned back against Casersis’s broad chest and closed my eyes. “There you go making me blush again.”
Casersis laughed and hugged me tightly. “I also love surprises, and when I cannot receive them…”
I grinned and finished for him, “You shower them on others.”
“You know me so well already.” Casersis sighed playfully. “Indeed, I do.”
“I’m not going to allow you to shower me with expensive things, Cass,” I warned him. “It wouldn’t be right.”
The elevator dinged, and the doors whispered open, but Casersis remained where he was. “Not all the wonders in the world cost money, Dustin. I will earn the right to shower you with whatever I like if you will but let me.”
I perked a brow and turned around in Casersis’s arms to face him. “And how do you plan on doing that?”
Casersis gave me a sheepish grin. “I will have to be creative as time goes by, as I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
The door dinged again, and Casersis disengaged from me and led me into a dimly lit room with a gas fire roaring in the hearth directly across from the elevator. Comfortable couches and chairs ringed the fireplace. Just as we stepped out of the elevator, the doors closed, and a man with thick dark hair and bright brown eyes walked toward us with his arms spread wide.
“Casersis! My old friend, how are you?” He blinked at me and added, “And who is this gorgeous young man?”
Casersis stepped away from me to hug the older man and buss his cheeks. “I am well, Giovanni. This is Dustin. I was wondering if you could do anything for him tonight so that I may take him to dinner.”
Mr. Cipriani stared hard at me for a moment, then let his gaze rove over my body from head to toe. “Turn around, please.”
Blinking, I turned around, and Mr. Cipriani tutted. “To the shower with you. I will see what I have.”
I squawked. “Shower?”
With a laugh, Casersis led me away. “Mr. Cipriani has certain anxieties, Dustin. He even makes me shower before taking measurements or letting me try on what he has made for me.”
“Oh. Okay.” Sighing, I allowed Casersis to lead me through the penthouse and into a bathroom. I gasped as the bathroom was larger than my entire studio apartment, complete with two sinks, what looked like two toilets, a huge claw-foot tub, another giant tub with jets, and a separate shower with more showerheads than I cared to try and count.
Casersis chuckled at my dumbfounded expression. “Let me help you.”
“What?”
“You look rather shell-shocked, beauty,” he explained, “and the shower is computerized.”
I stared at him. “Computerized… shower… How am I supposed to not get electrocuted?”
Casersis grinned and poked my side. “Just trust that you will not, and get undressed while I get your necessities. What scent do you most prefer?”
I thought on that while I took off my jacket and bent to untie my steel-toed work boots. I remembered, quite vividly, Casersis’s scent, as it still lingered on my clothes. He smelled of a meadow full of flowers and ringed by pine trees and the wood smoke of campfires. Grinning, I shrugged. “Wildflowers. I loved the smell of them when my mind left my body for that flower-filled meadow. But for soap, I’d rather have something like cloves or something spicy.”
With a fond smile, Casersis nodded and touched a tile on the wall. A door opened, and Casersis stepped inside. After toeing out of my shoes, I scurried over to see what was in that super-secret room and gasped. Hundreds of shower gel bottles, individually packaged sea sponges, towels, shampoo, and conditioner lined shelves in the walls from floor to ceiling, and some of the shelves pulled out on hinges to show yet more shelves. “Damn. That’s a lot of soap.”
Chuckling, Casersis pulled down a bottle and plucked a marker from a holder on the inside of the door. With an elegant hand, he scripted my name on the bottle and handed it to me. “Let me see if he has clove shampoo. Everything in this collection is handmade to avoid perfumes and chemicals. Most of Mr. Cipriani’s clients have aversions to chemicals, and Mr. Cipriani, himself, is allergic to most perfumes. It is one reason I rarely wear cologne, as I see him often.”
Taking the bottle of shower gel, I stared at it as if it would bite me. In the next moment, Casersis added the shampoo and conditioner to my arms. Finally, he stepped out with a towel draped over his arm and a wrapped sea sponge in his other hand. Seeming completely pleased with himself, Casersis closed the secret door, and it turned nearly invisible. “Would you like me to stay or go?” Casersis asked.
I flushed again and looked around. “Well, you already saw me where it counts, so I guess it doesn’t matter. Though, you gotta turn on the shower for me, either way.”
Casersis gave me a wicked grin and went to tap in the settings on the shower’s control panel. Within moments, he had the water going, and steam immediately started spilling out of the stall. He stepped away and arranged the towel to be within reach, then pointed at my chest. “While those clothes do need laundering, I do not suggest doing so in the shower.”
Looking down, I wrinkled my nose. I had been so rapt with the secret room that I completely forgot what I was doing. Within seconds, I had my clothes shucked and piled on the floor. I knew my skin was scarlet as I walked into the shower and closed the stall, but Casersis said not a word about it. Instead, he hummed softly as he went to the mirror and ran a brush through his hair.
That seemed to occupy my entire shower. As soon as I was done, I stepped out onto the fluffy mat and grabbed the towel to dry myself, starting with my short blond hair. When I moved to dry my body, Casersis was still brushing his hair. By now, it shined like the black strands were lit from within.
“How do you get your hair so long?” I asked as I wrapped the towel about my waist.
“Years of patience and care,” he replied, then glanced over. “Yours would look lovely long, but even short, it suits you.”
“My face is going to be permanently tomato-red if you don’t quit it.” I laughed, rubbed my face, and shook my head.
“Ah, but you do blush so beautifully! You shouldn’t hide it.”
I shifted from foot to foot and grasped for something else to talk about so the blood would leave my face. “So, what am I supposed to wear?”
“The towel will do until he can make you a robe,” Casersis replied. “Come, he is waiting.”
“Right.”
Once I had the towel secured about my waist, a smirk lit Casersis’s face and eyes as he wrapped an arm about me and drew me out of the bathroom. I had to stall. “What about the bathroom? I haven’t cleaned it yet.”
“Oh, Dustin…” Casersis gave me a fond smile. “He has staff to clean things for him. They live on the fourth floor, while Mr. Cipriani lives on the fifth and sixth, remember?”
“Do, um… Do you have staff, too?” I asked. Now that I could move again, I let Casersis lead me out of the bathroom and through the apartment to a set of spiral stairs and down.
“I do have staff, yes.” Casersis nodded as we descended the stairs to the third floor. “I find it more efficient that way, as I live alone in a large home.”
A shiver went through me. What had I gotten myself into? “Where’s home?”
“Oak Crest, at the top of the hill,” was his reply.
I jerked to a halt again and stared wide-eyed at Casersis. “At the top of the hill? The old castle that’s been in dozens of movies?”
“That is my home, yes.” He grinned, and it lit up the entire apartment. “I find the views exquisite. The film crews are only allowed to use less than a quarter of the estate on the inside, and only under close supervision.”
I knew I gawked too long when Casersis pushed up on my jaw to make me close my mouth. He squeezed my waist, urging me down the last flight of stairs. “I am quite wealthy, Dustin. Surely, after all you have seen, this is not a surprise for you.”
“I… just didn’t… um…” My mind quit working as I tried to comprehend just how wealthy that meant Casersis was. It also blew my mind that I’d never seen even a glimpse of the man anywhere on the news.
“You just didn’t realize how wealthy I was?” he teased. “Does it matter?”
Snapping out of it, I shook my head and sighed. “No. Not really. I’ve just never met anyone that wealthy unless they accused me of picking their pockets after bumping into me. I don’t even think they were all that wealthy, either. I’m just shocked, I guess.”
We reached the landing, and Casersis led me to the corner where Mr. Cipriani waited next to a wooden table filled with pincushions, piles of books containing fabric squares, and other odds and ends. Casersis leaned in and kissed over the canal of my ear. “I do love how easily flabbergasted you are. Come, let us get you into something warm.”
Mr. Cipriani waved us over, and once I stood before him, the tiny man snatched the towel away and drew out his cloth tape measure. I squeaked and stepped back but ran into Casersis’s chest. Casersis chuckled and wrapped his arms about me, comfort wrapping around my heart and mind, and turned me around until my face pressed against his shoulder.
“Be gentle, Giovanni,” he said. “Dustin is rather shy. He hasn’t been exposed to this before. It is all new.”
“Ah, yes,” Mr. Cipriani tutted. “My apologies, dear boy. I will explain before I do so that you are not surprised again.”
I sighed as Casersis rubbed my back and shoulders comfortingly. Once I relaxed, Casersis pulled away, turned me back toward Mr. Cipriani, and smoothed his hands down my arms. It all felt too good to be real. “It will be all right, beauty. I’m right here.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded to Casersis that I would be all right. Mr. Cipriani smiled at me and knelt down. “Spread your legs for me. I will take your inseam now to get the most uncomfortable measurements out of the way first, yes?”
“Sounds good,” I breathed. I spread my legs until Mr. Cipriani told me to stop. He touched my foot repeatedly until I shifted back into the proper position.
“Now, I will be putting the tape measure in the crook where your thigh meets your groin,” he said, “and measure the length of your leg.”
“Okay…”
Casersis squeezed my shoulder, and I relaxed again. The measurements to my legs went by without further incident, and soon all were done, and I was allowed to put the towel back on.
“Excellent,” Mr. Cipriani said. “I actually have a few things nearly your size that only need a few alterations to fit you perfectly. Go relax by the fire and enjoy refreshments while I work, and I will come to get you shortly.”
With that, Casersis drew me back toward the fire on the opposite side of the room and pulled me down onto his lap as he sat on the sofa. On an end table next to the sofa sat a small platter of crustless sandwiches and two mugs of something steaming. Casersis put a mug in my hands and gave me a gentle smile. “Relax, beauty.”
I shuddered and wrinkled my nose. “Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong. It just freaked me out a little.” Freaked out or not, I stole a sandwich from the platter and practically inhaled it. I barely tasted the rich roast beef, sharp cheddar cheese, and homemade sauce. The mug of tea followed in near the same fashion.
With that impish smile, Casersis waited until I finished my second sandwich before he replied, “I can name a few.” He pulled down the throw from the back of the couch and tucked it around me until I purred from the warmth. “First, you have never met Mr. Cipriani, and he is a very animated man. Second, you have never experienced anything like this before. And third, I believe you would have been fine if he had not initiated it so crassly by snatching away your towel and breaking your frail trust.”
“My trust isn’t frail,” I murmured without heat. Laying my head on Casersis’s shoulder, I let him pluck the mug from my grasp and closed my eyes. “I don’t think…”
“Perhaps not always,” Casersis agreed, “but quite a bit has happened to you this evening in a very short time. That can make anyone’s trust frail.”
“I guess.”
“I know.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and held me warmly. “Rest, beauty. He is quick with his work, and we will get to the restaurant in short order.”
As if someone flipped a switch, my mind went blank, and I drifted off and on. Every time I woke, I found Casersis staring into the flames of the hearth, his brow furrowed. A soft frown marred his face, and he barely blinked his sad eyes. I wanted to say something, but then Casersis would notice me looking, give me a gentle smile, kiss my eyes shut, and I would doze off again.
It felt like I’d slept the night away when I heard Mr. Cipriani’s voice call to us. Sleep clouded my mind, and it took a moment for me to shake it away. I didn’t want to wake up. I was warm, comfortable, and the steady rise and fall of Casersis’s chest were more of a lullaby than any song.
“Come, beauty,” Casersis murmured into my ear. “Clothing awaits, and then we shall get you a proper dinner.”
With every word, the cobwebs in my mind were swept away like a spell being lifted, and I sat up with a wide yawn. I rubbed my eyes as I asked, “How long was I out?”
“Around an hour and forty-five minutes,” Casersis said. “Or thereabouts.”
My stomach rumbled, and I fought with the blanket that covered me until Casersis disengaged it from my body with deft hands. Thanking him, I grabbed my towel to make sure it wouldn’t fall off and stood. When I turned around, I saw a rack of clothes on wheels and a tray of shoes at the other end of the room. My mouth opened, shut, and I turned to look at the two men who seemed to now be conspiring against me.
“What’s all this?”
“Things for you to try on,” Mr. Cipriani said as if it should be common knowledge.
“Oh.”
Casersis chuckled and came back to me. “I told you he works fast. Especially for what he says were simple alterations.”
“But—”
“No buts!” Casersis laughed and poked me in the ribs. “Remember. Me getting my way. We agreed to this.”
Rubbing my hands over my face, I shook my head and laughed. “Fine! Fine! I give up! You two win… this time.”
Both men snickered, and soon the flurry of clothes began. First, I got fitted with the most comfortable underwear I had ever known, then came the socks, which were so thick it felt like I walked on plush carpet. When it came to the rest, I just stared at the rack of sweaters, suits, pants, shirts, and a robe so fluffy it looked to be made of a poodle.
“Seriously…? I gotta try all this on?”
Mr. Cipriani laughed and shook his head. “No, Dustin. Try on one of the suits. If it fits to my expectations, the rest will as well. You see, if I make a mistake, I keep the clothes here in case of emergencies, such as yours. They are more common than you may know. So, really, there were few alterations that I needed to make.”
“And the shoes?” I squeaked.
“You can’t very well wear nice clothes with steel-toed work boots,” Mr. Cipriani said on a sigh. “I had them delivered from my cobbler friend across town.”
My voice rose another octave. “D—delivered?”
“Calm, beauty.” Casersis gently squeezed my wrist. “Calm yourself, relax, and try on a suit. Here, I will help.” He took down one of the suits and swiveled the metal hook on the wooden hanger so that it would hang facing out. Once he had it hung again, he drew off the suit coat and handed it to Mr. Cipriani. Then he carefully took down the shirt and helped me through my daze, buttoning me up before I had a chance to protest. Next came the pants, which I finally came back to myself to accept and put on without assistance. Though, Casersis tutted and tucked in the shirttails.
Then, he handed me a tie, and I stared at it dumbly. “A tie? I thought I was only trying it on.”
Casersis beamed. “You are, but I want to see how dapper you look.”
The look he gave me was so stunning that I sighed and flipped up my collar. “I don’t know how to tie one, though. I even wore jeans and a t-shirt for mom and dad’s funeral.”
“Ah, I am sorry to hear of your loss,” Casersis murmured. He stepped closer and soon had the tie snug against my throat without it being overly constricting. When he was done, he pressed one of his kisses to my forehead and another to the tip of my nose, which made me laugh and rub it. He purred. “Now that is the sound I wanted to hear.”
Still chuckling, I rubbed my nose again and accepted the suit jacket from Mr. Cipriani. As I buttoned it, I looked up at Casersis and tilted my head. “What?”
Casersis blinked and shook his head as if to clear it. He sounded almost strangled as he spoke, “Look in the mirror, beauty. You are stunning.”
Cocking a brow, I turned to where Casersis gestured and looked in the mirror. My hair was a wild mess of short, sun-bleached strawberry blond, but my eyes were bright, my skin was flushed under my soon-to-fade tan. And then I looked back at my eyes. Something was wrong. I stepped closer to the mirror and stared.
My eyes were supposed to be blue.
Why were they silver?
