“It’ll be easier not to question me every step of the way,” Duke said dryly. “C’mon.”
Inside the shop was an elegant redwood counter, and bolts of rich fabric arranged neatly on polished shelves. Several mannequins wore different fancy suits; Nat thought he saw a back room full of mirrors.
“Uhh... I thought we were buying clothes,” he whispered.
“We’re getting clothes that fit you.” Duke rang a bell at the counter.
They didn’t wait long. An old man walked up behind the counter and smiled at them both. “Good morning, Mr. Brimstone. How may I assist you?”
“Lector. I would like six sets of office wear for Nat.” Duke stepped aside to nod at Nat. “Whatever you think suits him best.”
Lector brightened. “Of course. Let’s see what I can do. This way, please.”
He led them to the back room with mirrors—the floors were carpeted in wine red, with a low circular platform in front of a semicircle of mirrors. Plush couches lined the sides of the room.
“Remove your clothes and stand in front of the mirrors,” Lector said.
Nat blushed furiously. “A-all my clothes!?”
“Well, not your underwear. You can keep that on.”
Duke had set Wanda by his feet. “Would you like me to watch Wanda?”
Nat hesitated. “Um, she can watch me. She feels better knowing I’m around.”
Duke nodded and turned the car seat so Wanda could see Nat.
Nat got out of his clothes, his skin prickling in the cool air of the shop. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t think much of his nakedness—he was a shifter, and shifters moved between shapes without their clothes.
But Duke was watching him. Come to think of it, he had left their lunch in the car, except he wasn’t leaving to retrieve it.
Was watching Nat more enjoyable than eating? Nat blushed, not knowing what he’d done to deserve Duke’s rapt attention.
“Do the buttons bother you?” Duke asked. “Will it be easier if you had snap buttons, instead of the round plastic ones?”
Nat blinked. No one had asked him that before. “Yes, actually.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lector said, holding his measuring tape over different parts of Nat’s body.
Nat felt so naked, all over again. Maybe it was the bright lights, maybe it was the way he had nothing to hide his body behind.
Duke did not look away.
“Open your legs,” Lector said.
Nat’s face burned. He planted his feet shoulder-width apart and watched as Duke’s gaze darkened. Especially when Lector measured his inseam.
Would Duke want sex when they got back to the office?
Then again, Duke’s schedule was packed. He only had allowances for food and a shower, all the way until the end of next week.
Maybe they’d get to do something if Duke’s appointments ended early?
Lector wrote down the measurements on a notepad, before nodding at Nat. “I have what I need. If you’d like to have your lunch first, there’s an outfit I can alter for you to try on by the end of your lunch.”
“That’ll be great,” Duke said before Nat could reply.
Nat gaped like a fish.
