Chapter Eleven - A Risk Worth Taking
"A night to remember," Aidan mumbled to himself as he took the package just delivered by his door, and went inside.
He inhaled once and then exhaled. He hoped Heathcliff wasn't in the mood to make fun of him, by sending him something like knee-high socks and pom-poms. At first glance, there seemed to be no pom-poms. Good. He could breathe normally.
So Heathcliff had opted for normal clothes, by the looks of it. What the hell was that guy thinking? That Aidan didn't have a pair a jeans and a t-shirt? He took a small critical look at the jeggings neatly packed. And then he took out a white tee with some imprint on the front face.
With a shrug, he decided to try them on. If they didn't fit, he could make fun of Stone later, seeing how stubborn he had been about knowing a man's measurements just by looking at him.
Well, the jeggings fit, but jeggings fit anyone. Aidan looked in the mirror and grimaced. Of course, Heathcliff had to choose something that gave his ass a lift job. Like it wasn't enough that he had that kind of butt. Obviously, Heathcliff still wanted to make a little fun of him. But, Aidan thought, as he looked again critically at his behind, his ass did look good in those jeans.
He just hoped the t-shirt wasn't going to be tight fitting. Unlike the fitness guru he had to babysit, he had no six pack to show off through his tee. Of course, Aidan remembered and his mood dipped. He was invited to hit the clubs with Heathcliff only because he needed to keep his eyes on that wandering dick.
At least, the t-shirt was comfortable and not revealing. That pre-washed style was precisely what Aidan liked when he wasn't in a suit. And it fell below the waistline, so his ass wasn't going to stick out too much.
The jeans were ankle-cropped, so he needed some loafers to match them. No wonder, he thought as he looked inside the box. Heathcliff had thought of everything. He took out the soft suede shoes and tried them on. Not only they fit; they were also comfortable.
Aidan took one last critical look at himself in the mirror. Well, he did look nice. He looked nicer than usual, and seeing that he had just put on some jeans and a t-shirt said something about Heathcliff's taste in clothes. Probably the guy could work in the fashion industry if he didn't care about being a fitness guru anymore.
Too bad Heathcliff didn't have the same good taste in men. Aidan stopped himself with a grimace. He was acting like a jealous prick, and, even if there was no one to see him doing that, it was still wrong. And Heathcliff had great taste in men. Only the most gorgeous male specimens to ever walk the earth landed in the guy's bed.
So, in the end, he was just a jealous prick, Aidan thought grimly. And why was he jealous, anyways? Heathcliff had basically said that he wanted to fuck him. Aidan could say the word, and that would happen.
But then what? Setting aside the fact that it would have been dangerous to get freaky with one of the company's business partners, there was nothing to look forward to after that. Men like Heathcliff Stone were good to be erotic fantasy material, but nothing else.
As he had said before, for Heathcliff, it would have been just another conquest. And that man loved to move on fast from one guy to another, almost as much as he liked men in general. Aidan didn't want that. He would not be able to face Heathcliff again if they were to screw once and then meet again like they were people working together and nothing more.
In a way, he could understand why office romance was so frowned upon at his company. Working side by side with someone one had been so intimately with once the passion fizzled out had to suck balls.
Aidan didn't want to test how much of that theory was correct. As always, he needed to play safe.
His phone interrupted his train of thought. Looking at the screen, he smiled against himself. Of course, Heathcliff had to call him, ask if the clothes fit and gloat about how right he always was.
"Hey," he began.
"Have you already tried on the clothes, bunny boy?"
Aidan rolled his eyes. Was Heathcliff easy to read or what? "Yes, and they fit, thank you very much. Now, before you start congratulating yourself, yes, I admit, they are perfect. Even the shoes. You could be a fashion designer in your spare time, or a seamstress, as I said."
"Have you tried on everything?"
Aidan was a bit puzzled. "Come on, Stone, you don't suspect me of not knowing how to put on a pair of jeans, I hope. And I have plenty of jeans, you know?"
"Bunny boy, listen closely. Have you tried on everything?"
"Yes, you spoiled fitness guru, impossible being that you are," Aidan said with a huff. "I currently wear the t-shirt, the jeggings, and the loafers. Are you satisfied now? How much of a control freak can you be? I won't make you look bad at the club, don't worry. I promise you won't even know I'm there."
"Hmm. You haven't tried on everything," Heathcliff said. "I hope there wasn't some snafu with the delivery. Go look inside the box."
"Okay," Aidan replied. "Can you please tell me what should I be looking for?"
"It's a surprise," Heathcliff's voice dropped low. "Just look for it. And, of course, once you find it, put it on."
Aidan shrugged and began rummaging through the box. With a frown, he extracted a small package he had missed before. He pressed the phone between his cheek and shoulder so that he could rip open the package.
And almost dropped the phone when he looked at the small strange object in his hands.
"Seriously, Stone?" He threw the offending thing on the bed.
"Of course. Come on. Your outfit will not be complete without it."
"A thong? Pink on top of everything else?"
Heathcliff's chuckle on the other end was making him shiver. The man had some nerve.
"What? I think it would show your naughty side."
"I don't have a naughty side! And for your information, underwear is worn underneath your clothes. So there's nothing to show!"
"Yes, you do have a naughty side." Heathcliff was ignoring what he was saying on purpose. "But you're shy, too. First, I thought black would be a good fit, but I changed my mind. Pink is your color, bunny boy."
"I can't believe you!" Aidan sputtered.
"So, are you going to wear it?" Heathcliff asked, completely ignoring Aidan's indignation.
"What I'm going to do is that I'll turn it into a sling and I'll come by your house to break all your windows," Aidan said with conviction.
Heathcliff laughed. "Ha! Good luck finding any pebbles on my perfectly manicured lawn."
"I'll bring my own, don't worry," Aidan replied.
"Aww, are you really that upset, bunny boy?" Heathcliff drawled the words on purpose.
"Of course I'm upset! You're blatantly flirting!"
"And? Who has ever died from flirting?"
"I feel the itch to strangle you a little. Probably with that pink thong you so carefully chose for me. So there's a start for everything."
Heathcliff was laughing so hard right now that Aidan had to keep the phone a bit away from his ear.
"I like you, Aidan Spark," Heathcliff said as soon as he managed to regain his voice.
Aidan wanted to say something but had no idea what he could say to that. Also, his cheeks were on fire now, and it wasn't because of his indignation over the pink thong. He felt warm all over.
"Don't forget. Nine pm, sharp."
"Are you going to leave without me if I'm there, let's say at one minute past nine?" Aidan said, trying to pretend he was cool and collected.
"No, if you're not here, I'll come to get you," Heathcliff said softly. "And I'm going to have you wear that thong, whether you like it or not."
"I'll be there on time. I'd rather wear my own underwear," Aidan said dryly.
"Good. See you, bunny boy."
Aidan swallowed hard as he stared at his phone after the conversation was over. Yeah, Heathcliff was playing in the big league while he, Aidan, was not even qualified to be called an amateur.
***
Heathcliff whistled a happy tune as he watched himself in the mirror. The long sleeved shirt was dark blue, as his pants. His choice of outfit was a bit more serious than what he usually wore when he went out clubbing, but more than ever in his life, he wanted to impress his date.
He opened one button more, but then he reconsidered. The point was to avoid going over the top. Aidan Spark was not going to know what hit him. If the bunny wanted to keep things professional, that was an approach Heathcliff was more than willing to try.
But first, he was going to put Aidan through his paces. After all, Heathcliff was dying to see more of the real Aidan. Usually, an ass like that and a cute face like Aidan's were enough incentives for him to make a move. But now, for some reason, he wanted more. He could not exactly define what that was, but he intended to explore it thoroughly.
Yes, Heathcliff admired himself in the mirror one last time. He looked like he meant serious business. He checked his wrist watch, and, on cue, his doorbell rang. The bunny was there, right on schedule, as expected.
He opened the door with a bit of impatience and smiled fondly as his eyes set on his babysitter. Aidan looked perfect in the clothes Heathcliff had picked for him. Also, he looked more his age, and more relaxed. His hair was a little tousled, too, and Heathcliff expected that some hairstyling attempts had been made in that area.
Aidan looked good, but also, very much surprised.
"Is this what you're going to wear?" Aidan pointed at Heathcliff.
