Micah hurried to the Rolls-Royce, opening the nearside passenger’s door and sliding into the back seat before either Damon or Geoffrey could bother getting out to greet him.

Micah felt Damon’s eyes on him immediately, his gaze burning a hole through the side of his head as Micah brushed out the dozens of tiny snowflakes that had fallen into his hair. Micah fiddled nervously with the zipper of his coat, not sure what he was expecting.

Perhaps a joke about his supposed profession because he’d been waiting for Damon on the side of the street like a common prostitute? Or maybe the man would simply launch into whatever lecture he had prepared over the unsolicited picture Micah had sent him.

Regardless, it wasn’t until the vehicle was moving again that Micah finally gathered the nerve to offer the man a tight-lipped smile. “Hey.”

He pulled his shoulders tight to his neck, preparing himself for the inevitable scolding, but instead…

“You look nice.”

Micah was glad his cheeks were already stained red from the chill. “Um, thanks. You too. I mean, you always look good,” he rushed to add. “What with the clothes, and the hair, and the… you know, everything.” He gestured awkwardly at Damon’s entire person.

Micah couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to go an entire five minutes in the man’s presence without making a fool of himself. Obviously, he wasn’t about to find out today since he couldn’t. stop. talking. “I hope I’m dressed okay. You didn’t say where dinner was going to be, so I went with some slacks and a dressed-up sweater.” Don’t say anything about your underwear. Do not. “I’m not wearing panties underneath, just regular briefs. In case you were wondering. Not that you were, obviously… just, you know, to clear the air.”

In case anyone out there was wondering if it was actually possible to die of embarrassment, Micah could confidently say no. It only felt like your insides were shriveling away into nothing.

Damon’s eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline halfway through Micah’s spiel. “Consider it cleared,” he said after a beat of incredulous silence.

“I’m sorry about the picture, by the way,” Micah added, since apparently his mouth had gone on strike from his brain. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouldn’t have-”