Page 47 of Refurbished

“Okay, Adrian, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Let's get started.”

William returned with our drinks and then vanished again. I stripped down to my boxer briefs while Adrian measured every part of me. We laughed and made jokes the whole time. When I was finished, Adrian suggested we have another drink and took a fifteen-minute break. “You saw what he did. Are you still okay with this?”

Surprisingly, I really was. Adrian was professional and thorough, and having fancy clothes in my closet would be cool. Angus and I could go on some nice dates together. Plus, there were times I wanted to look nice for people who came to adopt animals. “Absolutely.” He leaned in and kissed me, his tongue slipping just inside my mouth, the heat making my toes curl. I’d been kissing this man for months now, and every time it made me tingle. When Adrian cleared his throat, we jumped apart.

“Are you ready, Mr. Foster?” I stood up and peeled off my clothes. Adrian started to measure my body.

“Mr. Foster, I have some delicate questions.”

“Please call me Eion, and ask me whatever you need.”

He then asked me well-thought-out questions about my prosthetic and residual limb. “Since you will have your harness on whenever you wear these clothes, I am going to leave a small allowance on that shoulder and the chest. This should ensure that you don’t have that tug you get from an off-the-rack dress shirt.”

“Yes. I. I’m impressed, Adrian. You are obviously the best for a reason.” Angus stood up and kissed me while Adrian finished his measurements. It felt like the kisses were how he was soothing us both.

“Okay, gentlemen. You two can enjoy lunch, and we will start with the fun part.”

William showed up and guided us into a kitchen where we were served an amazing meal. The food was incredible, and the company was my favorite person. That reality hit hard. Angus had become my favorite person. I would do anything for him and wanted to be with him all the time. The best part was that he made me laugh and cry, and was there for me no matter which I did.

“Now we get to pick things like colors and fabric. When we return, models will come out to show us what the clothes look like. There will be a ton of colors to choose from for all the items we are getting made. I never appreciated doing things like this before, but being here with you. This is fun.”

“Looks like we are good for each other?”

“I know you are very good for me.” I smiled as he blushed. In the living room, things had been moved around. There was a small runway, and a lot more suits were now displayed on mannequins around the room. There were two wingback chairs clearly waiting for us. Angus took my hand, and we took our seats.

Chapter twenty-three

ANGUS

Watching Eion made me happy and warm all over. Being measured for a suit was always a little uncomfortable, but my beautiful boyfriend didn’t flinch when asked specific questions about his particular situation. What I had said to him earlier was true. Being measured for clothes had never been fun before. But doing this with Eion made me grin and laugh in ways I had never done before. My mother had outdone herself with the whole thing, turning it into an event we could both enjoy. As the first models came out. He whispered to me, “They’re all hot.”

“They are. I think that’s a requirement for models. We are supposed to be looking at the suits, not the men.”

“All of them look the same.” I smiled and tried not to laugh. He wasn’t wrong. There were only subtle differences between the five tuxedo options. Once they stood in a line, each stepped in front of us while we examined them more closely. When the third guy was in front of us, Eion nudged me. “I like this one best.”

It was the Ralph Lauren. Something about him instinctively picking the best one aroused me. There was no reason it should be a turn-on, but it was. Honestly, everything he did turned me on.

“Adrian, we will get the Ralph Lauren tuxedos. We can look at the suits now.” This time, there were ten different men wearing various suits in different cuts. I knew the current style, but encouraged Eion to pick what he liked, since he would have to wear it and be comfortable. It had to be frustrating buying clothes that didn’t fit because of something you had to have to function. When Adrian said the shirts would pull on his harness, I wanted him to have all his clothes tailored from now on. Convincing him to do it would be another issue. By the time we finished with Adrian, we were a little tipsy. I didn’t feel confident enough for either of us to drive, so we got a car, and I arranged for my truck to be delivered. Eion just raised an eyebrow at me when I got off the phone and gave me a kiss, and accepted that this was now part of our world.

We stumbled our way toward the animals for their dinner. At some point, I found myself standing in front of Orlando and looked up at him. Ramsey and Barnaby ran around with Annabelle and some of her herd, glad to be outside. “You know Orlaandooo?” I could hear I was slurring a little, but I was happy. Since meeting Eion, I had not only fallen in love with a great guy but also come to love everyone here. “I love it here, buddy. It’s so.” I giggled. “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat. Did you hear that? I sounded like a tiger? Grrrrr.” I was happy. Like super stupid happy in a way I never expected to be. I was always that guy who didn’t fit in. Even though my eating disorder was under control, I felt like that little kid who had been forgotten. My dad left me, and my mom forgot me. The day with Eion had been perfect. Under our breath, we commented on the hot models, then had some more drinks. Those drinks were hitting me now, but that was okay because I was at the Sanctuary—my home.

“Orlando-o-oh-o. This is now my home. That makes me,” I pointed at him, “and you roommates.” I didn’t know the giraffe very well, but I knew Eion loved him and that meant I loved him too. In my booze addled brain, I had decided I needed his approval. “You know Orlando.” I winced at how loud I was. “You know, Orlando,” I said much quieter. “Your Papa, your Daddy, your Fah-thar. I like him a lot, like a lot a lot. And I was hoping I could get your blessing.” Somehow, I stumbled my way up the stairs, and I was actually starting to feel a little less drunk and a bit more grounded. The giraffe’s soft lips teased over my face. He had never been this close, and I prayed he wasn't about to bite me. He sniffed around a bit, then sighed. “I’m taking that as a yes. I shall now go find your incredibly sexy parent. Don’t tell him, but it’s been a great day, and I would very much like to wrap it up watching him come for me, because it’s one of the most glorious things I’ve ever seen.” When I turned around, Eion was there holding out his hand.

“Be careful getting down from there.”

“I will. Did you hear all that?”

“Maybe!?” He smiled at me, and it made me feel goofy. When Eion smiled, I would swear I heard angels sing. Which again felt like something induced by the alcohol, but my balance was solid. He guided me down the stairs, then pulled me tight against him when I was at the bottom.

“You got Orlando’s blessing then?”

I knew I blushed. He leaned in and kissed me gently. “I think so. He sniffed my face and gave a little snort.”

“Sounds like approval to me. What was that other thing I heard?

Somehow, I both loved and hated that he had heard me say those things. It was true watching him fall over the edge when he climaxed was the best thing to watch, but his knowing that was what I thought felt like I was showing my hand. Regardless, it was out there now. “You heard that?”

“I think I heard something.” I kissed him hard and started to back him toward the barn. Odds were I was about to traumatize our animal friends. Their fathers loving each other was proof of a healthy relationship, right? My mouth was on his jaw and throat while I continued pushing him.