Something was wrong with my beauty. I couldn’t yet tell what it was, but Dustin had stiffened and stared at his reflection with what looked like panic.
“Is something wrong?” Mr. Cipriani asked.
Dustin blinked and stepped back from the mirror to properly inspect himself. His hands shook as he adjusted his suit coat. When he looked down at himself, he gasped. I approved, as well. The pants accentuated every muscle in his thighs while still being stylish and showed off the length of his legs and the roundness of his exquisite bubble butt. I knew the shoes Mr. Cipriani forced his feet into were comfortable because I had a pair of the same make. They felt like clouds when coupled with the soft black socks that were Giovanni’s specialty. The shoes gleamed in the light from a fresh polish and seemed to fit perfectly. The suit coat framed Dustin’s upper body, showing off his broad shoulders, strong arms, and slender waist without being restricting no matter how he moved.
I attacked his wrists, fastening diamond cufflinks to his cuffs just to see him outfitted properly. Of course, the cuff links would be another gift, but he didn’t need to know this yet.
Dustin didn’t miss a thing. He looked down when he felt my fingers fiddling with his sleeve and said, “I look like I should be on a fashion cover…”
“As well you should!” Mr. Cipriani said. “Now, I will go fetch garment bags while you remove the suit and choose something to wear for dinner.”
With that, the man bustled off into the elevator to head for his workstation, and Dustin went back to the mirror to stare at his eyes.
I quickly moved to Dustin’s back, placing a hand on his trim waist to look into the mirror over his shoulder, hoping to see what he saw that had him so panicked. “What is it, Dustin?”
“My eyes,” he said, touching the skin underneath the left, “they’re silver. They’re usually a dull, kind of clear blue-gray, depending on what I wear or my mood.”
I inhaled sharply but smoothed out my expression as I squeezed Dustin’s shoulder. “Let’s get you out of this suit and into something more comfortable.”
“What’s going on, Cass?” Dustin asked as he turned to face me. “You know, and you’re avoiding it.”
Of course, I knew. My amulet wrought this, as it was designed to do so many millennia ago. I gave Dustin a sad smile and sighed. “Soon, beauty.” I cupped Dustin’s cheek and pleaded with him. “When we are in private, and not in danger of being walked in on. Please.”
Sighing, Dustin frowned at me, and as soon as he did, I dropped my hand and let my shoulders slump. “Please, Dustin…”
My defeated look must have reached Dustin. His breath hitched, and he winced. In the next instant, Dustin pressed himself against my chest and hugged me so tight. It appeared he was a true alpha, reacting to an omega in distress. “You are going to tell me, though. Right?” he asked.
I tentatively hugged Dustin back and rested my cheek against the side of his head. “I promise,” I whispered. “I won’t keep this from you. Not for long.”
Dustin hugged me tighter and rubbed warmth into my back. “Pick something out for me to wear while I get out of the suit?”
Nodding, I held on for a few moments longer as I composed myself. When my shoulders squared again, Dustin gave me one last squeeze before stepping away to remove his suit.
By the time Dustin was stepping out of his pants, Mr. Cipriani had bustled back in with the garment bags draped over his arm and grinned. “All is ready, gentlemen! I—” He gasped. “No, dear boy! Here, let me teach you how to properly fold pants for hanging. Otherwise, you will destroy the creases that make your legs look longer!”
He shoved the garment bags into my hands and showed Dustin how to grab the pants by the cuffs and line the seams up, then threaded it over the wooden rod of the hanger. Then, he waved Dustin off as he finished hanging the suit with such precision that the garment looked machine-folded. Dustin watched until I tugged him away.
Without hardly looking, Dustin accepted the clothes and started putting on what I had picked out. He stared at the khaki pants that made his long legs look miles longer and draped them well without being constricting. They should have him warm again in moments. They were so soft that Dustin kept rubbing them with his palms once he had them fastened. I chuckled at him and handed him a sweater. This one was softer than the one I wore, and where mine was a dark blue to accentuate my eyes and a mock-turtleneck, Dustin’s was slate gray and v-necked to show off his neckline and the upper portion of his broad chest. I couldn’t help but purr as he turned toward me. Dustin was made for fine things, and he looked exquisite.
Once he was dressed, I ushered him toward the mirror and murmured next to his ear, “Silver or not, it shows off your perfect eyes and beautiful tan.” The way I stressed the word “perfect” drew a shiver from Dustin. It intensified as he felt my hands at his waist. He looked down to see me threading a belt through the loops of his pants and laughed.
“Are you done dressing the doll, Cass?”
“Mm… something is missing,” I said with a thoughtful, mischievous look aimed at him. “Something is definitely missing.”
“No, it is not!” Mr. Cipriani chirped. He unhooked a hanger from the rack between carefully stuffing clothes into garment bags and handed it to me. “I did not forget the coat.”
I smirked as I took it from the man’s hands. “I was more referring to him being on my arm, and less the coat.”
“Oh, yes.” The Italian man looked over at us and grinned. “Yes, I see. I see, indeed.” He gave us a fatherly smile and went back to bagging the clothes. “Though, the coat will complete even that picture.”
“It will, at that,” I murmured as I helped Dustin into the ankle-length tan coat. “You used camel undercoat. Perfect.”
“It should be,” Mr. Cipriani sniffed. “I chose the camel wool myself before I had it made into cloth.”
“And what a fine job you did,” I praised. “Now I definitely won’t want to stop touching him.”
Dustin wilted under his nuclear blush and whimpered. “I’m right here.”
“So you are.” I laughed and grinned at him in our reflection through the mirror as I smoothed down the shoulders of Dustin’s coat. “I do love the way your blushes make your eyes sparkle.”
“So they’ve all been on purpose.” Dustin sighed and swatted my hip. “That’s just mean.”
“Ah, but the first dozen or so were on accident. I swear! That last one, however, yes. That was definitely on purpose.”
“You’re bad.”
“Always,” I promised. “Shoes, and we’re off. Your stomach is being noisy again.”
“All your fault. I blame you entirely.”
“I will take the credit for that,” I said as I pressed my cheek against the side of Dustin’s head. Then I made a face, produced a brush from the abyss bag in my back pocket. Abyss bags will fit any amount of weight, so long as the items fit into the opening, and the bag itself will never weigh more than the cloth used to create it. It created a pocket dimension of sorts in my back pocket that I kept smaller necessities in. I tucked the edges of the bag back into my pocket before brushing out Dustin’s hair. “Such beautiful golden hair, and it’s a mess. Messy hair is wonderful after certain activities, but not for dinner.”
Groaning, Dustin covered his face and sighed. “Mean! That was mean!”
“But the blush!” I cried. “It’s lovely!”
As I took care of Dustin’s hair, Mr. Cipriani manhandled him into a comfortable pair of loafers and patted his calves as he stood. “Perfect! It is so very rare that I get to dress someone with such gorgeous lines.” He beamed at Dustin, much like a doting father. “I will send the rest to your estate, Casersis. All will be taken care of.”
“The rest?” Dustin blinked. He turned around to pin me with a glare, but I used my secret weapon on him—a sweet, sheepish grin with my head tucked down, looking up at him through my lashes. “Goddamn it, why can’t I stay mad at you?”
“Because you promised I would get my way?” I asked, adding in a hopeful look.
Snorting, Dustin shook his head and playfully pushed against my chest. “You’re awful. Let’s go. I’m starving. I may have promised you your way, but you promised me food.”
I grinned, and my triumphant look remained until we were well on our way to Anatole’s. Dustin perked a brow and reached over to poke my cheek. “You’re looking a bit too proud of yourself, there, Cass.”
“Of course, I am,” I purred. I loved it when he called me Cass. “I won.”
“So… Let me get this straight.” Dustin smirked and poked my cheek again. “I let you buy me clothes, and you won? It seems I got the better end of the deal.”
“Oh, no,” I began, flashing him a happier grin. “I received the best end of the deal, as always.”
“Oh?” Curious, Dustin leaned back in the seat and folded his arms over his chest. “How so?”
“I got to dress you in fine clothes,” I said between appreciative glances over at him. “And, I get to have you on my arm for the entire evening in public, and in a romantic setting.”
Dustin flushed and burrowed down in his soft coat. “So… you essentially dressed me up to make yourself look good.”
I glanced over again, caught Dustin’s frown, and sighed. “I always do things to make myself look good, from how I dress, to what products I use on my skin and hair. However… I did not dress you up to be my ornament, beauty. I dressed you up for a few reasons.”
“Which are?”
I withered a little, but I erased the discomfort in my expression in the next moment. “One, you were not dressed for the sudden temperature drop. You were definitely not dressed for the dining experience I wanted to share with you. There is the fact that I love clothes and love giving gifts to those I care for. Of course, I wanted to see how truly stunning you could be in clothes that fit, and I was not disappointed. Then, there was the small, tiny, insignificant little vain part of me that did it so I could boost my own self-esteem because a beautiful face by my side will brighten my entire night and garner envy from my esteemed associates.”
Dustin rolled his eyes as he nudged my shoulder with his own. “You’ve been practicing that for the last two hours, haven’t you?”
My posture went stiff and regal as I sniffed in as haughty a way as possible to lighten the situation. “I never rehearse my speeches. They are always spontaneous affairs.”
“Liar.” Letting out a chuckle, Dustin leaned against me and petted his new coat. “Thank you for the clothes. I admit, having four pairs of pants, one pair of work boots, five shirts, and more holes in my underwear and socks than material was hell on laundry.”
I couldn’t help but give him an honest, sweet smile. If I had my way, Dustin would never be exposed to the life of the poor souls again. If I could, I would keep him in splendor and fine things for the rest of our days. I just had to find a way to make my dreams a reality. “It was my pleasure,” I murmured. “Truly. I meant what I said earlier.”
Dustin tilted his head as if trying to recall our entire evening’s worth of conversations and came up blank. “Which was?”
Something inside me shattered. I had to tell him the truth soon, but not yet. Not yet. My smile faltered, but I plastered it right back on. I took a breath and swallowed, licking my lips before replying, “I want you in my life, Dustin, even if it is only as friends. You are intriguing and so open in a way that I have not found in a very, very long time.”
Dustin roved my face with his eyes and frowned at what he saw. He reached out and squeezed my arm. “You’re lonely.”
I smirked. I was very lonely, and having Dustin here made it much more apparent. Yes, I had people I considered family back at my estate, but I had no one like me in my life, and that made the days extremely lonely, even with those I loved near. I rested my hand on Dustin’s knee and said, “Oh, and you are perceptive. So very perceptive.”
“You’re easy to read,” Dustin said, offering a kind smile. “Every emotion that passes through you scrolls across your face.”
I shook my head minutely and pulled my mouth into a sad frown. “Only with those I trust enough to not shut out.”
That made Dustin squirm. “What makes you trust me like that? You’ve only known me for a few hours.”
“Sometimes you just know,” I said, my tone quiet. “Other times, you must first give all of your trust completely to get even a sliver in return.”
Whatever anxiety Dustin had before seemed to melt away. He sighed and squeezed my hand. “So you gave me all your trust, let me see everything so that I would trust you?”
My heart hurt. I shook my head again. “Not everything, beauty. Remember, we must still talk at length when we have more privacy. Then, however, all will be laid before you.”
“And what do you want in return?” Dustin asked carefully.
“You have already given it.” I turned my hand over, laced our fingers together, and gave a comforting squeeze. “All I ask more is honesty in everything, even if you believe the truth will hurt.”
“That’s a lot to ask.”
“I know.” I squeezed again and released Dustin’s hand. “However, I would rather be hurt by honesty temporarily than hurt by a lie forever. Even what you think are small lies can cause great pain.” And how much of a hypocrite was I at that moment? The secret between us threatened to destroy me.
“I can see it in your face.” Dustin reached up and smoothed his fingers over my brow to ease its deep furrow. “So much pain…” He frowned deeper and slid his hand under mine, threading our fingers together again as if he needed my touch as much as I needed his. “I’ll do my best, Cass.”
It was so much to ask for, but I couldn’t stop myself from hoping. Here Dustin was, having known me for only a few hours, and already he was so open and affectionate. Such a rare and sweet young man, and he was willing to let me drag him around the city and spoil him without complaint because he could see my loneliness. I wanted to keep him forever, to cherish him forever. But my traitorous heart was getting ahead of itself. Could I ask for such things after only a few hours?
“That is all I can ask of you,” I finally said. “I may postpone the truth, but I promise I won’t lie to you again if I can help it.”
The car pulled to a stop outside a sprawling building that flooded the front walk with warm light from shielded candles in the windows. Sheer drapes arced away from the candles and blurred the view into the interior, keeping a semblance of privacy from the general public. Neither of us exited the car, even when Charles opened the door. Dustin stared into my eyes, searching them. Then Dustin’s stomach screamed for food, but he only stared as if searching my eyes would tell him everything he ever wanted to know.
As we stared at each other, I rubbed my thumb along the sensitive skin of Dustin’s inner wrist. I hoped it comforted him as much as he comforted me. Finally, Dustin shook his head to clear it and squeezed my hand. “Enough of the sad and weighty for now. Time to get your way again, and make me eat fancy food.”
Instead of the triumphant grin that Dustin most likely expected, my expression only relaxed into the barest of smiles. How lucky was I that this astonishing, sweet young man literally fell into my life? “This isn’t about me getting my way anymore, Dustin. This is about showing you what you are worth to me when you say things like that.”
