Ward #5
He took a partial step forward, his face closer to mine as he dropped his voice to a low whisper. “Measurements always start with the waist, not the chest. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”
“But you certainly did,” I said, licking my lips, afraid to move one way or the other.
“I did, and do. But I’m surprised you didn’t think of that; you’ve surely had fittings more than once. I wasn’t expecting you to miss a detail like that...interesting,” he said, his lips pulling up into a smirk before letting me go and taking a step back.
“Using my own word against me?” I asked with a laugh, the sound freeing me from the intensity gripping me and leaving me dizzy, but more in control. “That’s...evil.”
He chuckled, the sound rumbling out of his chest as he continued to watch me.
It reminded me of a tiger at a zoo, a large predator contentedly lying in the sun, watching anyone who moved with a lazy, almost uncaring air.
The enclosure’s glass made it a lie, though, because it was probably the only thing keeping the tiger in check.
Without the glass, you weren’t an observer; you were prey.
Would the tiger pounce or let you continue on your way, unmolested?
“What can I say?” he asked lightly. “It’s a good phrase. Perhaps I’m just now coming around to it.”
“For no precise reason, I’m sure,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Credit where it’s due, however, plenty of people have tried to get the better of me and failed miserably. You are far more devious than I gave you credit for. Lesson learned.”
He grinned. “Perhaps next time, you’ll have more success.”
Next time. Not that I should have been surprised that he was willing to let there be a next time.
He knew I was playing a game and had let it happen, and taken advantage of my arrogance in the process.
There were any number of ways to take that advantage without engaging in the playful seduction I had originally been going for.
And yet he had let me do what I planned, and enjoyed himself if the now diminishing outline in his pants was an indication.
So no, I wasn’t surprised, not by that anyway. I was surprised to find a flash of eagerness run through me. This mystery in the shape of a man had a stronger effect on me than I anticipated, if I was eager for the promised next time.
I was briefly spared having to think too hard about it when my door buzzer sounded. “Ah, that would be Miles.”
“Miles?” he wondered.
I grinned. “The man who actually knows what he’s doing, don’t move.”
“I wait with bated breath,” he said.
I didn’t let Miles into the penthouse so much as I opened the floodgates to a bright and endless stream of sunshine and chatter.
He was as thin as he was short, but his personality filled any room from the moment he stepped into it.
He had changed his hair to a bright red, just shy of being unnatural, but obviously came from a bottle as he swept into the penthouse.
“Ward, Ward, Ward,” he began as he spun on the spot, looking at everything. “We have to talk about your choice of decor. Rich playboy is such a boring pastiche, you aren’t Bruce Wayne.”
“I lack the necessary training and mental scarring to dress up like a nocturnal mammal to terrorize the city’s criminal element,” I said with a chuckle.
“A little minimalism wouldn’t do you much harm, even just a touch.”
“Last I heard, you were a co-partner on a dress for Lady Gaga.”
“And?”
“And let’s not pretend that anything she would be interested in will be anything close to minimalist.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” he repeated, following close on my heels, making a soft noise of pleasure at something he saw as we walked.
“But that’s fashion. What I make for people like the flawless, amazing, resplendent, untouchable Lady Gaga is for show, for the flash and glamour, and to strike feeling into the hearts of those who see a goddess in the flesh. ”
“Goddess?” I wondered as we reached the closet, and I gestured for Miles to enter.
“Considering the style and presentation she tends to portray, a Fey Queen may be a more appropriate descriptor,” Arlo said quietly as Miles floated into the room.
Miles, who had already started evaluating Arlo’s outfit on sight, stopped and peered up at him with a light in his eyes that made me snort.
“Oh! If I ever have the chance to speak to her again, I will be sure to pass that idea on. I must absolutely do some research; the idea has a whole host of possibilities, and I don’t want to miss a one.
Just how familiar are you with fairies?”
“Fey,” Arlo corrected smoothly. “The word covers more than fairies. Elves, leprechauns, and a whole host of other creatures, Brownies, Pixies, and so on.”
“Mmmm,” Miles hummed thoughtfully, reaching into his brightly colored vest and pulling out a tape.
“Then you do the talking, explain everything, while I get these measurements. You might just be responsible for the newest, greatest addition to my line...if I can get someone interested, and you can bet I’ll work this ass harder than I do at the gym to make that happen, you’ll see. ”
Arlo’s eyes met mine over Mile’s head, giving me a bemused look. “Sure.”
“Excellent!” Miles said before glancing at me, and I rolled my eyes.
“I’m aware,” I said, giving Arlo a shrug to say, What can you do? He is who he is, and walked out, leaving them to their little bonding session.
“Goodness, you are built so nicely,” Miles all but purred as I left the room.
I snorted, grabbing my coffee. I almost felt bad, leaving Arlo alone with Miles, who was.
..well, he was an absolute genius, but he was also a lot to handle without preparation.
I knew him and his work through my mother, which made him one of the few things I came into contact with through her that didn’t quickly get shunted away.
If she could tolerate how odd and patience-testing he was, I could deal with the taint of her knowing him.
Didn’t hurt that neither of us could deny that he was exceptional at what he did, which made him tolerable to her, and made it easier to ignore that he still frequently worked on her payroll.
Dumping my cocktail glass in the dishwasher, I called the workman’s boss since I still hadn’t received a call or an invoice.
It turned out that the man I’d spoken to hadn’t fallen too far from the tree.
The owner of the company was gruff and direct, but irritated beyond belief when I informed him how the other man had acted.
I flatly refused a discount for the work or any future work.
He seemed a little nervous at my refusal, but his delight was apparent when I changed tactics and told him I preferred to think that his son was more indicative of the quality his company provided, along with the not-so-subtle hint that it would encourage me to give them a good word, if not hire them again, if I needed more work done.
He seemed in a much better mood when I got off the phone, with the unnecessary promise that he would deal with the slacker.
Miles hadn’t emerged from the closet, and I wondered how long it would take.
Considering the last comment I’d heard him make before I left, Miles was probably enjoying himself around Arlo.
Hmm, probably enjoying it as much as I had been under the guise of doing the measurements.
I didn’t know if I should be amused or horrified at the sudden unpleasant feeling that welled up inside me at the thought of Miles taking advantage of his job to get a little feel on Arlo.
Both emotions seemed appropriate, not just because Arlo was a grown man who could handle himself and was claimed by no one, let alone me, but because the idea of being jealous was foreign to me.
It wasn’t an overwhelming feeling. It didn’t drive me to stomp into the closet and make a scene like I’d witnessed other people do when they were jealous.
Which begged the question, was it because I had the self-control and self-awareness to stop myself, or was I simply not that jealous?
I didn’t have a frame of reference to know, but it was one more thing to add to the list of odd things that had happened to me since I had met Arlo.
I couldn’t help but wonder what other odd and perhaps uncomfortable things I might discover if I spent time around him.
“Oh,” Miles exclaimed loudly from the bedroom, and I headed that way. “So many ideas, you are a delight, Arlo. Thank you so much.”
“I should be thanking you,” I heard Arlo say as I entered the closet and came to a stop, unable to help but cock my head.
I’d missed Arlo stripping out of my outfit, and he was now half-dressed.
Apparently, he was willing to strip to his underwear in full view of Miles, but had been happy to have some privacy around me.
Interesting.
Not nearly as interesting as the plane of his back as he bent over to grab his shirt, but interesting all the same.
“No, no, no,” Miles rambled, shaking his head. “You have done me so much good today.”
“Deserving of a discount?” I wondered, raising a brow.
Miles gave me a withering look. “If you had any good ideas since you were the one who hired me, then I would consider it. Since he was the one who did, he can consider a discount at a later date if he should ever want my services for himself.”
“Typical,” I said with a smirk.
“I’m not sure even a discount would mean I’d be able to afford your services,” Arlo admitted, and whatever I might have added to that comment was forgotten as he pulled his shirt over his head, turning back toward us as he did.
Well, he certainly didn’t get a stomach that flat without putting in time at a gym.
He was either particular about his grooming or somehow developed a trail of hair from above his belly button in a neat line.
My God, it really was like being a horny teenager again. I was one step away from being awash with lust because he exposed his ankle.