It seemed Damon really had thought of everything.

“You were that sure I’d say yes, huh?” Micah couldn’t help but goad the man.

But Damon surprised him by shaking his head. “No,” he said, voice softer than it’d been moments ago, “but I was hoping you would.”

Dammit.

Why did he have to sound so infuriatingly sincere? And why did he have to look at Micah like that? He’d made it more than clear he had no interest in having sex with him, but Damon still had the nerve to look at him like he was something worthwhile, something precious, and fuck, if it wasn’t messing with Micah’s head.

Not enough that Micah didn’t know that it was a terrible idea to agree to the man’s offer, but enough that he almost didn’t care how terrible of an idea it was.

Micah’s brain screamed “no”, but everything else screamed “yes”, and… god fucking dammit.

“Fine,” Micah bit out before common sense could override the burning desire to agree. “But I can’t meet up before 5:00 on Wednesdays. I’ll try to be available short notice and the weekends you need me – but only in the evenings. And if I say no, you’ll have to respect that I have prior commitments I can’t get out of and leave it.”

There, that ought to cover all the time he was at his real job.

Micah expected Damon to argue, or at least to demand to know why he couldn’t always be available, but instead, the man merely offered Micah his hand. “It’s a deal.”

Mica felt suddenly clammy, but his nerves were alight with excitement. Not sure if he was making the worst decision of his life, or the best, Micah reached forward and clasped Damon’s hand, allowing the man’s warm palm to engulf his.

“Deal.”

CHAPTER SIX

For some reason, when Micah thought of shopping with Damon, he’d pictured strutting through a generic mall with the man – like the popular girls did in teenybopper movies like Clueless or Mean Girls. Sure, he’d argue with Damon about how expensive the clothes he picked out were, but the man would buy them anyway, and in the end, Micah would somehow have transformed from loser outcast to fashion-forward Barbie doll – or, well, a Ken doll in his case.

This would all take place during an upbeat musical montage.

Turns out, the only thing Micah was right about was the arguing.

What shopping with Damon was actually like was being stuck in the most prestigious tailor shop in Manhattan – Bianchi’s, a beautiful brick and mortar store off Columbus Circle – for hours on end.

Micah had been worried he wouldn’t even be allowed in the fancy shop when they’d arrived. While he had taken Damon up on his offer of a shower at his place, they had come to the mutual conclusion that none of the other man’s formal wear would fit him, so Micah had been stuck with his black jeans and wrinkled V-neck that still smelled vaguely of liquor.