Chapter 18 - Clark

After a lone yet peaceful meal in front of a rerun of some old program, I lugged myself up to the top floor once again to peruse my valuables. The three had certainly extended an invitation (well, “begged” was a more accurate description) for me to dine with them in their newfound hidey hole, but a hint of claustrophobia impeded any desire I might’ve otherwise had to spend my evening in a cramped closet. Still, their affection for their new makeshift clubhouse was a delight. It brought the three of them closer, physically, and otherwise. I suspected that Lily, in particular, was overjoyed to have played her part in the discovery. It was something they shared, each with a stake of their own: something that the boys hadn’t already had without her.

The overhead lights of the rec room were off, and the interior of the secret room was illuminated only by the purple glow of the fish tank and the yellow light produced by Avett’s laptop screen. The three, having collected nearly every spare blanket, sheet, and pillow in the house, had constructed a nest of sorts in which they were now burrowed. Lily sat in the middle with her boys on either side. Lily’s rabbit sat nestled between her and Adrian, and an empty pizza box sat nearby, stained with grease.

When I crouched in the miniature doorway, they all looked up with their individual content. Avett hit the space bar to pause whatever was playing on his laptop. Adrian asked, “How was your pizza, Sir?”

“Filling,” I answered, clutching my stomach. “I’ll have to workout tomorrow.”

“Can I workout with you?” Avett asked. He had newly developing muscles from swimming he still wasn’t quite sure what to do with and had recently taken to studying my own exercise regimen for inspiration. I had a modest collection of gym equipment I kept in the basement, but I preferred to get outside whenever the weather allowed.

“Sure,” I said. “How does a ten-mile run at 6:00AM sound?”

He frowned. “On a Sunday?”

The boy was far more gullible than he would’ve liked to admit. With a smirk, I said, “Three miles at 9:00. Final offer.”

Relief washed over him. “Deal.”

“What are you watching?”

“The Royal Tenenbaums,” he said proudly.

“It was Avett’s pick,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “Wes Anderson.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that the one where the brother and sister fall in love?”

“Spoilers!” Avett protested, clapping his hands over Lily’s ears.

It was too late, though. She was already blushing. “Avett!” She chastised. She looked to Adrian. “Did you know about this?”

He was pink, too. “I forgot that happened.”

Avett spun his laptop around to point the screen towards me. “Doesn’t Lily look like a young Gwyneth Paltrow?”

“A little ... But Lily is far more beautiful, of course.”

“Well, duh,” Avett muttered, while Adrian said, “Obviously!”

Lily hid behind a blanket. “Aw, you guys!”

I asked, “Does that make you Luke Wilson, or Adrian?”

“Me,” Adrian said at once. Avett straightened up, ready to protest. Adrian continued, “Avett is Owen Wilson.”

Avett settled down. “Yeah, okay. I can’t argue with that.”

Lily reappeared from her blanket veil like a bride puckering at the altar. “Did you come to watch the movie with us, Sir?” She batted her long blonde eyelashes at me. The little doll could make herself tougher to say no to than Adrian, even, when she wanted to.

“No,” I sighed. “I came because I believe I still owe someone a prize for winning hide and seek.”

Her enchanted eyes widened. “I still get a prize?”

“You won, didn’t you?” I smiled.

She clapped her excited hands. “Is it the present you got me?” She glanced at Avett.

I followed her gaze, narrowing my eyes at him. The boy couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. I made a mental note to avoiding entrusting him with such manners. He released a sheepish chuckle. “What present?”

Though Lily didn’t literally put her foot in her mouth, her expression suggested as much. “Sorry.”

“No,” I said. “It is not the gift you are not supposed to know about yet. That will come tomorrow. Assuming you’re good.” She nodded happily. She had been the epitome of “good” thus far. Still, she had a glaringly apparent streak of impudence that I was admittedly eager to explore. Though I’d never confess it aloud, I had learned something soon after Avett sauntered into my life: that sometimes dealing with a disobedient sub was simply more fun. After all, it was only the protruding nail that called for pounding. I could only hope that the gift I planned on presenting Lily would ensure she felt secure enough to fully embrace her espièglerie in my presence.

She was eyeing me expectantly. “Well, what is it, then, Sir?”

The boys were attentive with anticipation. To them, a “desirable” prize was undoubtedly sexual. But when I spoke, their dissipated daydreams dissolved behind their eyes. “I’m taking you shopping for new clothes tomorrow.”

Lily gasped. “Really?” She clapped again. “I can’t wait!”

The boys slumped against the paneled wall, dissatisfied, but simultaneously suddenly thankful they weren’t in her place. A shopping trip with me sounded about as attractive to them as writing lines did. I’d either force Avett into a solid color or Adrian into something that actually fit him, and neither of them would have it. Lily, on the other hand, was eager to be dressed, and I just as eager to decorate my new doll. “Really,” I smiled. “We’ll host a fashion show for the boys afterwards. Boys, any special requests?”

“She needs a swimsuit,” Avett said. I shot him a look. He was quick to defend himself. “She doesn’t have one! It’s a practical request.”

I rolled my eyes. “Adrian?”

“Umm ... He fidgeted with the rabbit’s worn ear, not meeting Lily’s enthusiastic gaze. “Maybe a dress? Something fancy, in case we go out to dinner, or something.” He trailed off. A practical answer, too. Funny, considering I knew just what they really wanted her to wear, with Adrian’s choice being his clothes, and Avett’s being “nothing at all,” but I appreciated their contributions.

“I think we can do that,” I said. “Lily?”

“That, we can.” Shooting me a thumbs-up, she beamed.

The fashion offerings in the area weren’t exactly on par with New York’s Fifth Avenue, but there were some decent boutiques in town. I parked on Main Street and Lily peered out the window. “Oh, I’ve seen this place before!” The expression on her face read, I’ve always wanted to go in, but it’s too expensive.

My hand gently squeezed her thigh, upon which it had been resting for the duration of the drive. “Hopefully they have something you like,” I said.

With a cheerful nod, she unbuckled. She was bright-eyed today; the whole morning she’d gushed over what an incredible sleep she’d had. Her slumber, as well as Adrian’s, had begun in the secret room, from which we’d had to carry them to the bedroom. Still basking in her status as our honored newcomer, Lily had been deposited in the center of the king bed, with the boys on either side and I behind Adrian. My arm was long enough to encircle them all, but sometime during the night Avett had sucked Lily into him like he was trying to engulf her and broke away, leaving me to clutch Adrian, who in turn was still clutching Lily’s rabbit. Avett, seldom restful throughout the night, slept better than he ever had. As did I, without his incessant tossing and turning, and we both found it difficult to pry ourselves away for our morning jog. When we returned and headed for a shower, the two lambs were still dormant and quite intertwined. Over breakfast I’d asked Lily which boy she found to be a preferrable cuddler, but she just couldn’t decide. She’d been too busy sleeping to notice, she said.

I locked my car and took Lily’s hand as we entered the shop. “Wow, they have everything!” She enthused, her eyes immediately flitting to a display of lingerie that graced the back wall. “Gosh, I don’t know where to start.”

“How about the dress?” I steered her in the direction of a rack of formal wear, which she gauged with caution. “You aren’t going to hurt the clothes, little one. Go ahead.”

With an embarrassed giggle, she at last raised a hand to flip the first dress aside to the next. “I’m not sure what to look for.”

“You want to impress the boys, don’t you? Pick one dress Avett will like and one Adrian will. And one for yourself, of course.”

She looked at me. “What about one you like?”

The sweetheart was eager to please. “I have a feeling we would like the same clothes on you, sweets. I’m going to pick you out some school clothes, so you can tell me if I’m wrong.”

She smiled. “Okay.” I kissed her forehead and dropped her hand, then left her to her tentative browsing.

I strolled through the shop, collecting anything that caught my eye. I wanted her dressed in ribbons and ruffles: delicate attire that conveyed she was my little princess without revealing enough skin to put ideas in some schoolmate’s head. I foraged for muted fall tones but found myself drifting time and again towards florals and pastels. Lily simply exuded springtime.

The only other customer, a bald man by the lingerie rack, jumped when I passed him, knocking a couple of bras onto the floor. “Sorry,” he said. I kept to myself but was admittedly smug to have elicited immediate respect from someone at least twenty years my senior. It was a wonder what height, proper dressing, and good posture could achieve.

One arm already weighed down with fabric, onto the other I piled my selection of undergarments. Panties of green lace, pale blue polka dots, purple gingham, pink stripes, and white ribbed cotton with dainty bows, several matching bralettes, and, almost as an afterthought, a few pairs of thigh-length stockings. Thank me later, Adrian, I thought.

We reconvened outside the fitting rooms. Lily was clutching a black dress in one hand and a sunshine-yellow one in the other. “I can already tell you have the boys pegged down,” I commented, nodding to her finds.

She was distracted by my own haul: nearly half the boutique draped over my arms. “Wow, those all look SO pretty!” Her fingers fluttered forward to graze a pale sage green sweater that bore small white embroidered rabbits. “Look, it has bunnies!”

Her girlish giggle was infectious. “It was made for you, critter. Now, you’ll tell me if any of these don’t suit you,” I said in reference to the clothes. “The underwear, I’m afraid, is non-negotiable.”

She blushed the same shade as a silk camisole I held. “You could tell I prefer bralettes, huh?”

“Why suffer from unnecessary support?” I winked.

I didn’t intend to criticize, but she looked slightly wounded. “Um ... I was thinking maybe I should try a push-up bra sometime. Or something.” She looked away.

“No,” I said simply.

She shifted, not wanting to argue. “Um, why not?”

Because I said so, I thought. But this early in our union, she deserved a modicum of detail. I trusted that if I gave her as much, I wouldn’t need to explain myself again. “Because I like your body exactly how it is. And because I forbid you from finding fault in something so perfect for me. Got it?”

“Okay,” she mumbled, with a smile tugging at her lips.

“Hmm?”

“I mean, yes, Sir.” She cleared her throat.

“Good girl.”

The sales associate wandered close, chewing gum and twirling strands of hair around her fingers. “Need a fitting room?”

“Yes, please,” I said, acknowledging her only long enough to deposit the heap of clothing into her arms. She fumbled with a ring of keys and unlocked the nearest door. “Go on, Lily,” I said, nudging her lower back. “I don’t need to see everything, but I’ll be right out here if there’s anything you’re unsure about.”

She nodded before obediently shutting herself in the fitting room with her treasures.

The salesgirl stood with her hand on her jutted hip. “That your daughter?”

I finally looked at her face. She was wearing too much foundation. “I’m not sure whether you’re insinuating that I’m old enough to have an adult daughter, or that that young woman is a child, but I don’t appreciate either.”

She couldn’t seem to figure out how to respond to that, so she just shrugged and walked away, through a door to the back storage room.

I situated myself on a leather loveseat with my ankle hooked over my knee and pulled out my phone. There were a few work emails that needed responding to, as well as a text from Tori. She had landed safely and informed me she was checking into a hotel near the airport. I replied, advising her I would pick her up at 5:00.

Lily swung out of her mirrored cubicle with her hair tousled from tugging on various clothes. “Can you zip me up?” She turned around and gathered her hair over her shoulder, the gentle arch of her pale back exposed behind the limply hanging folds of white linen.

I pinched the fabric below the zipper and slid it closed. “Is this the dress you picked for yourself?”

She nodded, assessing her reflection in the full-length mirror. I had to commend myself for my evidently correct presumption that we shared a vision for her style. Her dress was girly and sweet, puckering from a ruffled bodice to a round skirt. “Twirl for me.”

Giggling, she clutched my hand overhead and spun around, her skirt billowing. As she did, I became unhappily aware of the bald man’s presence nearby. He appeared to have redirected his attention from the lingerie selection to Lily, as if she, too, was a bit of merchandise on display. “So cute,” he complimented, though clearly no one had asked his opinion. “Definitely go with that one.”

I wasn’t a violent person, but his irrelevant comments coupled with his unclean stare caused me to briefly fantasize about murdering him, or perhaps at the very least maiming him beyond recognition. Truly, it was more pathetic, than anything, to know the poor man was such a lowlife he had nothing better to do on a Sunday midmorning than slither around in public salivating over my possession. He likely thought himself quite a clever, friendly fellow. He was vermin, and it would be all too easy to squish him under my shoe.

Frozen mid-twirl, Lily’s eyes flitted from the bald man’s reflection to my own. Primitively inclined to politely accept the compliment, she was stalled by the brief expression of rage that winked across my face. I took a breath. Dropping Lily’s hand, I turned to face him. “Did you say something?”

He wasn’t quite dimwitted enough to think my question had been an invitation for him to repeat himself, and thus his response was nothing more than a pitiful sputter. I took a step closer. “Well?” The floor is yours, scum. Impress me.

The best he could do was mutter some uninspiring apology and scamper away. The bell above the door clattered a moment later, signaling his long overdue departure. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Lily. “Well, the clothing selection here is fantastic, but the company is just dreadful, wouldn’t you say?”

She sighed with a chuckle of relief. “I think you scared him, Sir.”

“I let him off easy. If he so much as glanced your way again, I was fully prepared to find his place of business and report him as a peeping tom.”

Her eyes widened, but she was visibly tickled. “You wouldn’t!”

I smoothed her hair, the top layer of which was pinned back in twin miniature pigtails secured with little ribbons. It was adorable. “I think you underestimate the lengths I would go to secure my valuables, love.”

She shivered. Then she smirked to herself, composing one of her clever quips somewhere in that pretty head of hers. “Too bad I didn’t bring the kitchen knife. I could’ve warded him off myself.”

I laughed. “We’ll get you a sheath, kitten.”

She was tugging at her dress. “I don’t like this one, anyway. The sleeves are too tight.”

The sleeves certainly hadn’t been too tight earlier, so I felt another pang of annoyance that the vermin had spoiled for Lily a dress that could’ve otherwise been a new favorite. Still, she was right; neither of us would be able to look at the dress again without picturing the man’s unsightly face. “Off it goes, then,” I said. “Do you have anything left to try on?”

She shook her head. “Everything else is perfect. I have no idea how to narrow it down, honestly.”

“Don’t, then. We’ll take them all.”

Clearly not having meant to reach for that answer, she tensed. “N-no ... I mean, that’s too much.”

“Don’t be silly. I picked those things out because I want to see them on you, not leave them behind in the store.”

She shut her fussing lips. She couldn’t argue with that. I pointed to the fitting room and told her to get changed. “I’ll only grab one swimsuit for you, if that makes you feel any better.”

Funnily enough, it did. She smiled at me before shutting the door.

I pursued a rack of swimwear, scarce and on clearance now that the summer had slipped away. The only obvious choice was a pale-yellow gingham bikini with a ruffled skirt attached to the bottoms. It was a tad skimpier than I would’ve liked, but the other options were all at least two sizes too big for her, so I threw it over my arm and toted my wares to meet Lily at the register.

Having reemerged from the back room, the salesgirl started ringing things up and tossing them into bags. She snapped her gum between glances in my direction, but otherwise kept her mouth shut. I spoke to Lily in a stilted effort to distract her from the rapidly increasing total displayed on the screen. “Don’t forget, Dr. Hartwell will be joining us for dinner tonight.” She shot me a cheerful smile, having obviously not forgotten, and resumed her wary observation of the salesgirl. “Chef Tomás will also be coming over this afternoon to cook said dinner,” I told her. “I figured we would give Adrian another night off. You’ll love Tomás’ cooking too, I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Her smile was halfhearted; something was vexing her.

All the clothes were bagged so I handed over my credit card, still watching Lily and wondering what it was she kept turning over in her mind.

A mile-long receipt curled out of the printer and the salesgirl tore it off. She clicked a pen and scrawled ten digits in black ink on the back of the paper. Hah. How very ... pedestrian. With a cagey smile, she offered my card between manicured nails, the paper folded against it. “Have a great day, sir.”