Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
I liked to fish, but I hadn’t gone in years.
Now Peyton was in my life, however temporarily, and I felt like spending some money on him.
Sue me.
When Antonino was done measuring and his son had wheeled in a garment rack, we were left alone for a bit to decide on shirts, what needed to be taken in, and some fabric samples. But in my experience, it was best to let Antonino decide. He was a fantastic craftsman who’d been doing this for over fifty years.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” I leaned back in my chair and folded one leg over the other.
Antonino had closed the sliding doors, much to my satisfaction.
“This is mildly terrifying,” Peyton muttered. He stepped down from the podium and flipped through the selection of shirts. “I don’t know which one to choose.”
“You’ll try all of them, and then we’ll see which ones are keepers.”
He’d taken off his suit jacket and shoes while Antonino had taken his measurements. Now I just needed Peyton to remove the rest of his clothes.
He glanced at me hesitantly. “Are you really going to watch?”
“Unless it makes you uncomfortable.” I used the same words I’d used yesterday.
He mumbled something under his breath that I couldn’t hear, but then he started unbuttoning his shirt.
I drew a deep breath and rested my arms along the armrests.
Only thing missing, really, was a cigar. Perhaps a glass of whiskey too.
He draped his white shirt over the rack and brushed his fingers along the items Antonino’s son had selected. Peyton had such a stunning body, but I was an idiot for hoping I’d see more of it. Of course he wore an undershirt, and he had no reason to take it off.
It made me abandon my chair and take charge. I walked over to him and picked a dark navy shirt for him. “This will look good with a gray suit.” Wasting no time, I ushered him up onto the podium and joined him there, where I finally got my hands on him. I was all business, keeping my personal pleasure about this to myself. “We’ll need some ties and cuff links for you as well.” I smoothed down the fabric along his arms, then his chest—my God, his chest—and helped him button the shirt. “What do you think?” I gestured to the full-length mirror a few feet behind him.
He turned around and inspected the shirt.
I subtly checked out his ass under the guise of tucking the shirt into his dress pants.
“I like it. It feels amazing.” Peyton twisted his body in the mirror to study his profile, and I clenched my jaw. What were the odds of him actually not being straight? I’d banked on it earlier. Now I was having doubts. “Is it weird that I’m excited about owning a three-piece? They’re so classy.” He gave me a quick glance. “You wore one the first time we met.”
I inclined my head. “They place you one level above everyone else.”
“How did you find me?” He faced me fully and unbuttoned his shirt.
I didn’t meet his gaze. I wasn’t embarrassed by any means; I was just busy drinking in the sight of his body. “The radio show provided me with your name and what you did for a living. Someone at the office in Boston handled the rest.” I took the shirt from him and picked another, this time a light lavender one. Again, it would look great with the medium gray suit, and perhaps with a darker shade lavender tie. Peyton could pull off the color. I couldn’t. “You could be a model,” I murmured. “Perfect fit.”
He exhaled a chuckle. “I’m too short.”
He wasn’t. He was average, around five ten or so, but perhaps too short for that profession. Repeating the motions from the last fitting, I smoothed my hands down his chest until I felt his abs clench under my touch.
He was going to drive me insane.
“You’re tall, sir,” he noted, peering up at me.
My jaw tensed, and I inspected the sleeve length. He couldn’t be straight. Not if he was letting me do this. Noting that I was tall? Adorable. He was about as professional as I was.
“Try the green shirt,” I commanded quietly. The dark color would enhance the gorgeous green of his eyes.
“Yes, sir.”
I forced myself to return to the chair, wondering if there was actually a possibility I might eventually have him naked and spread out for me on my bed.
Five
As predicted, Peyton’s influence on Julia wasn’t an instant fix, but I did believe there was significant improvement. Cathryn and I adopted his strategy to remove most of Julia’s options, only keeping a select few for her, and it had eliminated several of her tantrums.
She was still at a sensitive age, but at least I wasn’t making it worse for her anymore.