Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
DRAKE
After the early morning confrontation, school settles into its usual routine.
On Wednesday, a day before the hastily planned engagement party, Arnold springs the surprise that he’s booked an appointment at a fancy shopping centre; the price tags ensuring it would never be called anything as low brow as a mall.
My car is still in the shop, and I let Cadence drive Emily’s vehicle, leaving me to find a comfortable sitting position in the passenger seat. My back is healing quicker than the bruised ribs and face from the night of the game, but is still easily aggravated.
Even with the extra week allotted before starting work, my face still shows enough damage to draw attention. I’m hopeful if my father’s good mood continues, I can wrangle another month at Ashcroft, sticking tight to Cadence’s side.
“You know it’s just as dangerous to drive too slow as too fast.”
“Really? I must have missed that public safety ad.”
She drives straight past a free parking space next to a row of bollards, opting for one farther along the row.
“The exercise will do us good,” I tease. We’re now two blocks down from our target stores.
Cadence wrinkles her nose, and I drape my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close enough for a kiss. The old tension that existed between us has dissipated but a new tension is in its place. A frisson that makes my chest hurt and my balls ache.
Even now, the arm hugging her has goosebumps, the hairs standing on end.
Once we arrive at the main store, I’m directed to a location at the other end of the row of shops, the menswear hidden far in back.
I’ve only just entered when my phone buzzes.
CADENCE
How are we meant to coordinate outfits when I can’t see you?
DRAKE
Send me pics and I’ll sort it
The salesman hurries over and asks me a raft of questions, then goes into the back, pulling potential matches based on my incomplete answers.
I try on the first one, a nice black wool blend suit, and it looks fine. “This’ll do.”
The disappointment on the man’s face almost makes me feel bad for him. “You’re sure, sir? We have another range if these aren’t to your taste.”
“No.” I stare in the mirror at the close-fitted tailoring. “This is perfect.” When I turn to the side, the stitched vent in back gapes. “You can fix that, right?”
“Of course, sir. If you’ll allow me to take measurements, we’ll alter it to fit.”
Cue fifteen minutes of him reminding me to stand still and let my arms hang loosely by my sides; a hard ask when I’m checking my phone for incoming messages.
When he gets to the end, I’ve moved so often he has another staff member repeat the exercise, then I’m set free for an hour while they baste the initial alterations.
Meanwhile, Cadence sends through a photograph of a demure pastel blue frock with a high neckline, fitted sleeves, and a skirt that trails on the floor.
DRAKE
Nice look, granny.
CADENCE
My gran could never have afforded this.
DRAKE
Not with those yards of fabric. You’re a TEENAGER. You’re allowed to flash a bit of ankle.
She promptly sends me a picture of nothing but ankle. Not quite the reveal I hoped for.
While I wander along the row of shops to kill time, Cadence sends me another half dozen outfits, lamenting the problems with each while I enjoy the view.
Back at the store, I’m carefully draped in the newly tailored suit. The tailor adds another half dozen pins before having me take it off, sending me on another solitary tour of the strip while he tries again.
CADENCE
This is the one. I can feel it.
DRAKE
You look beautiful.
She does. My throat grips as I download the picture and move it to my private album. The dress is gold, bringing out the same highlights in her hair and setting off the vibrant sparkle of her emerald eyes.
CADENCE
Or this one. What do you think?
What I think that I’m back being fitted once again, and her picture is on the verge of requiring another overhaul based on crotch adjustments alone.
DRAKE
Too little fabric for a party. I’d have to kill half the guests. Try again.
The next photograph has me verging on a heart attack. I pace the changing rooms that the main salesman insisted I wait inside because, “It’ll just be a minute. Maybe two.”
He knocks on the door, politely waiting for me to crack it open an inch. “It’s ready for your last fitting, sir.”
The fact there now appears to be four staff members looking after one solitary customer gives me a bracing insight into why their prices are excessive.
It also makes it extremely uncomfortable to think of the next photograph sliding into my DMs when each man is staring at the fit of my clothing, pushing and pulling and pinning while ticking tongues against their teeth.
“It’s fine. I’ll take it now,” I say, breaking into their murmured discussion, impatient to be done with my fitting room while there’s still ample hope of finding Cadence in hers.
“But we still have to—”
“Doesn’t matter. It’ll do the job as is.” I spin to check the vent in back, the only concern I had, and smile with satisfaction that it’s now lying flat as it should. “In fact, I’ll wear this out of the store if you don’t mind. Can I grab a bag for the clothes I wore here?”
With the transaction finished and my name signed to the agreement, I drop my bag off at the car, then hurry to the store where I left Cadence.
When I enter the almost-empty shop, she’s nowhere to be seen.
I check my phone for a message, then hear her laughter emerging from a back room. She erupts into the main shop, twisting and turning before the mirrors in yet another new dress while the saleslady looks on with impatience.
While they’re involved in conversation, both her and the sales assistant frowning at her reflection when she looks glorious, I take advantage and sneak into the changing room hallway, sticking close to the wall to avoid the cameras.
It’s easy to identify her cubicle from the clothing hanging there and I slip inside, pulling the curtain just enough to hide me, sinking onto the provided chair.
My phone buzzes, and I switch it to silent, checking the message to see Cadence’s latest risqué photo.
She steps inside the booth, frowning, then jumps when she turns to pull the curtain.
I haul her onto my lap, hand over her mouth. “Shh. You know you’re not meant to drag strange men in here with you.”
Her eyes flash with a dozen things she can’t risk saying aloud, settling for, “You can’t be in here.”
“That’s what I just said.”
She wrinkles her nose as she stands, holding the hangers for another two dresses and an assortment of lacy undergarments in her hand. An accusing gaze lands on me, and I take them from her, guessing she wants to lie them on the chair.
“Another winner,” I declare, as she runs her hands over the outfit she’s wearing. I stand, bending so my chin rests on her shoulder, wrapping my arms around her waist while we stare in the changing room mirror. “But you can’t change now. I’ve had the menswear shop match my accessories to the gold dress.”
“This is a spare.”
“For?”
Her voice drops to a whisper. “In case Arnold never sends me shopping again.”
A fortnight ago, her statement would have landed me on a spectrum from indignant to outraged, branding her as a gold digger.
Now, I chuckle, nuzzling into the crook of her neck to plant a kiss. “In that case, I approve. Which one are you trying on next?”
“I’m not going to change with you watching me.”
“Sure, you are.”
Despite her protest, Cadence immediately rises to the challenge, extracting herself from the dress with a few wriggles, sliding her hands up and over her breasts, popping out her arse and swaying her hips as she slowly lowers the satiny fabric to the floor.
I shift on the seat, having to spread my legs wide to accommodate the immediate reaction.
My pants feel uncomfortably tight as she bends from the waist to gather up the dress, neatly slotting it back onto the hanger before turning, hand out for the fancy lingerie.
“Try this red one,” I murmur, draping it across my forearm. The material is transparent, made opaque with added layers over her torso, shimmering as it clings to her curves, giving a delicious mix of visible and hidden as Cadence twirls before the mirror, her eyes raising to meet mine in the reflection.
Her lips are parted and my focus narrows to the sweep of her tongue, the quick flash of her white teeth before she leans forward, adjusting the complicated straps and ties.
“Let me,” I offer, catching her hand and spinning her close. The lacing is delicate work for my brutish fingers, but I manage. And I have no problem taking my time, considering the reaction.
I brush against her stiff nipples more times than I can count. Each time it elicits a tiny indrawn breath—a sound that makes my head swim, probably because all the blood in my body is relocating to my cock.
“Do you like it?”
She sounds shyer than normal, and I’d put it down to coquettishness but the inward pinch of her cheek where her teeth are nibbling tells me it’s not an act.
I pull her closer to me, running my knuckle along her sternum where my words have faded. The gulf between the boy who wrote them and the person I am now seems too wide to be possible in such a short timeframe.
No wonder she’s filled with nerves.
“You make it look incredible,” I murmur, pulling her hair back to suck at her earlobe, feeling the resulting shiver spread across her skin. “There’s only one place it could look better.”
She leaves room for me to expand, then pushes at my shoulder. “And that is?”
“On the floor next to my bed.”
Her laugh abruptly cuts off when the saleslady pauses outside the cubicle. “Are you okay in there?”
“Good. Just laughing at some of the fastenings.”
“If you need a hand…?”
“Thanks, but I’ve sorted them now.”
Her eyes open wide as we listen to the woman move away. There’s another client at the far end of the changing room row, but from the tone of their exchange, it sounds like she’s leaving.
“We’ll have the place to ourselves in a minute.”
“What happens if they catch you in here?”
“They’ll probably add a surcharge on Arnold’s bill.” I tug at the flimsy garment. “What’s next?”
I think she’s about to cry uncle, then Cadence shakes her head and pulls the next item off the pile, a simple shift dress with cutouts along the sides. “This is designed to wear without a bra, so you’ll have to cover your eyes.”
“The only thing I’ll cover is your tits with my mouth.”
She blushes firehose red. A shade that shouldn’t be as attractive as it is.
I let my legs spread further apart, adjusting myself and delighting in the way her eyes follow my hands, lingering a moment after before she raises them to meet mine, swallowing hard.
“Should I test if you’re ready to change into something so skimpy?”
Before she can protest, I have my arm around her, fingers sliding into the back of her panties while her mouth clamps shut, far more scared of being discovered than she is of what I’m doing.
And no wonder. My fingers glide through the satin folds of her wet pussy, the sensation so divine I clench my jaw to hold in a groan.
“You should be on this chair,” I tell her, hauling her onto my lap again, dick twitching as her pert arse rubs against me. “Spreading those legs and letting me taste every part of you.”
She shakes her head, pushing my hands away and I think the moment’s over as she stands. Then she puts a finger to her cheek. “I suppose, since I drove you today, you owe me a forfeit.”
I frown in confusion until she sinks to her knees, eyes twinkling as her fingers work at my belt.
Blood pulses. In my lips. My heated face. My cock.
“In that suit, you’re officially the handsomest version of yourself I’ve ever seen,” she murmurs, fumbling with the new zipper as it catches. The inexperience of her movements is outweighed by her eagerness. “But this enormous bulge looks decidedly uncomfortable.”
Her smile is so broad, a dimple appears in her cheek. An indent I’ve never seen before. She splays her hand across my chest for support as she releases my cock from its confinement, and it strains towards her.
“Let me remedy that situation for you.”
I stare in wonder as she opens her mouth, licking the head, then sucking. Tentative, then growing bolder as she takes me inside her mouth, playing with me like I’m a lollipop and she’s been starved of a sweet treat for years.
A groan escapes my lips, and I cup her head, fingers combing through her hair. “That feels so good.”
And what’s even better is her wanting to do this. Our combined inexperience just adds to the pleasure.
I love the shy tilt of her head as she gazes up at me and the way each moan feeds her confidence.
The touch of her hands as she takes a firmer hold rolls my eyes back into my head. I brace myself against the wall as she swallows me deeper, bumping the back of her throat.
Her eyes lock with mine as her head bobs, the sloppy noise of her mouth intensifying the sensation until I groan. “Fuck, Cadence.”
Fuck.
I try to expand on it, explain the experience, feed it back to her until she gets as much out of it as me.
But the motor controls of my brain misfire, leaving my jaw loose, mouth lolling open as my head tilts back, staring at the ceiling and wondering where the hole is that let this angel down from heaven.
My free hand finds her head, stroking her hair, petting her like a kitten while her tongue wraps around me, the sloppy sounds of her mouth on me better than anything my limited imagination could produce.
She gags, eyes watering as she sits back, chest heaving as she sucks in gulps of air.
I position her hand on me, circling the base, guiding and encouraging her movements until she learns the motion.
My fingers plunge into her hair, twisting and tugging gently, just enough for her to feel the pull on her scalp.
When her mouth closes around me again, she’s more cautious, letting her fingers serve as a guide. The tension between the way her hand moves, and the incredible feel of her mouth soon catapult me close to the edge.
I open my mouth to warn her and it’s too late as I spray cum over the back of her throat, coating her tongue, pumping my hips while her eyes lock on mine, wider than I’ve ever seen before, the colours vibrant, sparkling from her earlier tears.
My hand cups her cheek as she withdraws and I bend my head, taking her mouth, the taste of me still on her tongue as I kiss her.
She’s air and I’m a drowning man.
“Now, we’re even,” she says, sticking her nose in the air while standing, like her cheeks didn’t just bulge with my cock.
“How?” I’m honestly baffled because nothing’s ever felt this good.
“It’s payback for the movie theatre bathroom.”
Thinking I made her feel this good twists my head into knots.
I like it.
I like the idea a lot.
Her toe pokes at the garments strewn across the floor and I lean forward to sweep them into my hands. “Unless there’s something here you hate, I don’t think any of it should go back.”
“No, that’s too much.”
“When you’re charging to my dad’s account, I’m the one who says what’s too much and what isn’t, okay?”
The sales assistant clears her throat.
Loudly.
Directly outside the divider curtain.
Poor Cadence freezes like a startled bunny, and I press a soft kiss to her forehead, tousling her hair, remembering how she’d wanted to kill me the first time I did that.
Now, it looks more like she’s melting.
“It’s okay, sis,” I say in a loud voice, earning a hard punch on the shoulder.
“We’ll take everything,” I announce to the saleslady, sweeping outside like of course I’m in there supervising operations. Doesn’t everyone have a family member to hold their hand? “My little sister is such a fox. There’s nothing she can’t wear.”
And there it is.
The sweet twinkle of murder in her eye.
I loop my hand around her waist, smiling while the flustered assistant tries to pack everything neatly into bags without once looking in our direction.