Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
LAUREL
“See ya,” Jade said, waving as she pulled away to try and find a parking spot nearby.
Now that we were on good terms, I could actually escape from the casino with her driving me around.
Finch followed me in silence as I opened the door and stepped inside Cascades. Quiet jazz music played as a silver-haired tailor walked over to greet us.
Her eyebrows raised as she saw what Finch was wearing.
I rolled my eyes at her as she turned to me, and she relaxed slightly.
At least I dressed like I belonged here.
Usually, Prince’s mom, Angela, and my airhead second cousin Vivienne were glued to my side when I shopped, and it was nice to not have to pretend to enjoy their company.
Finch was scowling at my side, but the fact of the matter was, he needed new clothes. After a very frustrating conversation, he’d eventually gritted out that they were from out of town and he’d lost his luggage.
I wasn’t very impressed. I mean, they come into town to challenge my dad, and Finch doesn’t even seem worried about not having a wardrobe? I guess Ocean was the social one out of all of them, but even he hadn’t worn anything nice.
After I’d pointed out that problem, Finch had demanded I go shopping with him and that I pay for everything.
Why couldn’t he buy his own damn suits?
Maybe he was getting back at me for earlier.
Did he have to come to the photoshoot to do a spy-esque swap with his documents? No. But it had sure been nice to know he was waiting in line for an hour before he reached me.
“We’re here for suits,” Finch told the tailor flatly.
“Do you have an account with us, Mr.…?”
“Song,” he said, using the last name Soren had procured for him. “And no.”
“Are you here for formal or semi-formal cuts?” she asked.
Finch’s jaw ticked and he looked at me.
“We’ll get fitted for a full suit,” I told her.
“Not a problem. Just step this way, and we’ll get your preferences.”
As she turned to lead us to the fitting area, Finch grabbed my arm. “We don’t need that. Just tell her to get us some suits.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied. Was he trying to be difficult? I took his arm and marched him over to the fitting area. “What do you expect them to do, guess at your shoulder width?”
“I know what size I am,” he hissed at me.
I cocked my head at him, trying to figure out why he was being so obtuse. “Look, it’s not my fault we don’t have time to get you a fully bespoke suit, but you still have to get something semi-fitted if you don’t want to be laughed out the door tonight.”
He glared at me, then huffed and stopped arguing, following the tailor to the fitting rooms. He deferred to me as the tailor asked about what we were looking for, looking out the window and barely paying attention.
Fine.
Eyeing his muscular arms and broad chest, I told the tailor he liked a tight fit with a slight stretch.
I mean, I was his scent match. Might as well put him in something drool-worthy.
The tailor pursed her lips but didn’t quite hide her smirk when I specified a close-fitting chest with a tapered torso.
When it was time to get fitted, Finch stepped in front of the floor-length mirrors and waited.
The tailor cleared her throat politely.
Finch looked at me for help and I raised an eyebrow.
“You gonna take your clothes off?” I asked him, not hiding my smirk.
For a second, his mouth parted slightly, and surprise flashed in his eyes. He quickly smoothed his expression back into a thunderous scowl and started to undress.
My mouth went dry as he tugged off his shirt, because holy shit he was cut like a god. I’d known he was muscular under his ill-fitting shirt, but this was something else.
He tugged off his pants and stood up, folding his arms and scowling. He lifted his chin and stared me down, a challenge in his gaze that had me subtly crossing my legs.
The tailor just stared at him for a few moments before she hurried forward with her measuring tape. She was maintaining professionalism but went a bit pink on the ears as she started on his waist.
God, did she have to touch him that much? I’m sure she didn’t. I bit back a growl and averted my gaze as her knuckles grazed his pecs.
Fuck that possessive omega bullshit. He wasn’t my alpha by choice, and I didn’t give a shit who touched him.
I could see him in the mirror, his back stiff as a board and a vein on his temple looking like it was going to burst.
“For goodness’ sake, relax,” I told him, venting some of my annoyance at the tailor to him instead.
“I don’t usually pay people to invade my personal space,” he said coldly.
“Apologies, sir,” the tailor said. “Just a few more.”
“No, sorry. It’s fine,” he amended, which surprised me even more.
I saw the tailor purse her lips as she reviewed her notes, and I wasn’t surprised. I doubted any of their baseline fits would work easily.
She left and returned with some shirts that he tried on.
Yup. Slim fit was definitely the right choice for him, and he didn’t argue.
And so it went, with suits and pants until we had a wardrobe that would make the right kind of statement in the suite.
He asked for more casual wear, too, and I had mercy on him and got him a looser fit for those.
We—I—paid for a rush order on the tailoring and took home a suit for this evening. I hung it up carefully in Jade’s orange Bentley.
I was dying of boredom as he tried on oxfords, my mind wandering back to how he had looked in his suit, when a wonderful idea came to me. I grabbed my phone and texted Jade, asking her to pick up some suspenders. I sent some pictures of what I was looking for.
Jade: Babe, those are NOT suspenders. Those are chest harnesses.
Me: Can u get some or not?
Jade: Duh I can get u kinky bedroom shit ;) So who is this mystery man that I’m driving around? Are you two a thing?
Me: No, he’s a total jerk
Jade: …you can have a thing with jerks
Me: It’s NOT a thing.
Jade: And you’re getting him bondage gear because…?
Me: BECAUSE I’m trying to trick him into wearing it with his stupid suit. So get ones that look like suspenders.
Jade: LMAO
I smiled at the screen, and despite everything that had happened in the past few days, it felt so good to have Jade back as a friend.
“Wait,” I told Finch as Jade pulled up outside the casino.
He folded his arms and looked at me expectantly.
“You should get a haircut,” I told him reluctantly. “And wear some expensive jewelry.”
He gave me a flat look. “Jewelry,” he repeated.
“Like, watches? Rings? Necklaces?”
“What gave you the idea that I have anything like that?” he asked.
“For fuck’s sake,” I said under my breath. “You have got to be the worst criminal I’ve ever met. If you want people to take you seriously in the suite, you have to make it obvious you have serious money. Jade, you got anything you could lend him?”
Jade glanced at him in the rearview mirror, raising an eyebrow. “Course I do, babe,” she said, giving me a wink. “You’re fronting any missing pieces, though.”
“Okay. Can you drop it off at his place, please?”
We got out of the car, and I donned my hat and sunglasses to lead him through the casino. I adjusted my disguise as we neared the salon and spa, keeping a smile on my face. I couldn’t let anyone catch me seething in public, no matter how annoying the company. We stopped just outside the entrance.
“Barber is through there,” I said, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring up at the wall, at the huge banner strung across the room. The banner where I was almost naked.
Fuck my life.
I could feel my cheeks heating as I followed his gaze. His bond was wide open, and I felt his arousal spiking in response to the nearly nude full-body shot of me in that stupid bath.
“Hello?” I said, snapping my fingers in front of his face. “I’m right here, asshole.”
His attention snapped back to me and his bond snapped shut. We just stared at each other for a moment, his face darkening and my cheeks getting redder and redder.
“Bit much, don’t you think?” he sneered. “Though I guess everyone knows you’re an attention whore. Still, an entire wall dedicated to yourself? That’s just a bit sad.”
I was surprised to find his comment cut deep. I pasted a smile back on my face as I redirected the pain into anger. “If it were any of your business,” I said, under my breath, my smile so wide my cheeks hurt a bit, “which it isn’t—that picture is up there without my consent. So, fuck you.”
I whirled around and left him before he could say anything else stupid.