Bowie didn’t move. “Plans, Daddy?”
“Yep.” Kari returned his attention to the pan in front of him, flipping the pancake. “Go get dressed. I’ll tell you all about them when you come back.”
Bowie hustled off to the sounds of Kari’s chuckles.
It took him less than five minutes to wash his face and brush his teeth after throwing on jeans and a sweater, leaving his feet bare in his haste to find out what Kari wanted to do. By the time he came back into the kitchen, Kari had set the table, with the pancakes in the center. There was a dish of fruit all chopped up, along with syrups and pouring cream.
“Someone is an eager boy.” Kari took the empty plate in front of Bowie as he sat down and put two pancakes on it, along with a side helping of fruit.
Bowie eyed the chocolate syrup when Kari placed the food in front of him and kissed the top of his head. Another chuckle and Kari nudged it towards him. “Not too much. Remember last time you swamped them, you didn’t like it.”
Bowie had the tip of his tongue between his teeth as he carefully added the chocolate to the side of his plate.
“Good boy,” Kari murmured, taking his seat next to Bowie and plating his own breakfast.
Bowie demolished the first two pancakes, eyeing the stack with longing, then side eyeing Kari.
“Eat the fruit first, then you can have some more pancakes,” Kari said, answering his unspoken request.
A sigh slipped out as he reached for his spoon.
“Fruit is good for you.”
Bowie didn’t argue when that could result in no more pancakes. It had happened before. Kari liked him to eat a balanced meal and had explained in detail the benefits of doing this when it came with extra energy. So, he ate the fruit.
“Do you own a suit?”
Bowie blinked in confusion. “A suit?” Why would he need a suit for mating?
“Yes, a suit,” replied Kari with amusement.
Bowie didn’t wear a suit to work like Hollis. He didn’t like how restrictive it felt to wear a suit jacket all day. He’d only done it once and decided it wasn’t for him. The contract requirements for work meant no jeans or T-shirts, shirts and smart slacks were perfectly acceptable. This was what Bowie chose.
“I have one, I’m not sure if it still fits. I haven’t worn it in years.”
“Then that’s first on the agenda after breakfast, we’ll be going shopping for a suit.”
Bowie’s focus shifted from his breakfast to why he’d need to shop for a suit. Was a suit a requirement for mating? He’d never heard of such a thing, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t the case. Frey hadn’t mentioned anything, however Bowie had not been silly enough to ask either. Frey had, on more than one occasion, over-shared what he and Booker got up to.
“Do I need a suit for mating?” The question came out as a distraction against thoughts of Frey.
“I’ve booked a table for dinner tonight at L’Experience. Remember, Daddy wants to romance you, too.”
“Ohhh.” Bowie got all hot and bothered, fidgeting on his seat as Kari added more pancakes to his plate, ones Bowie now wasn’t sure he could eat with the level of eagerness building inside him. He’d heard L’Experience was one of the poshestrestaurants in Hazardville. He’d never been, and from what he’d heard, it was very pricey.
We’ll be treated like princes.
Please don’t say that, I’m stressed enough that I’ll make a fool of myself, or worse, Kari.
The snort his animal side made was most undignified.
“Let’s finish up,” Kari encouraged, his lips twitching. Bowie attacked his food while hardly taking the time to chew.
They cleaned up together, with Bowie’s impatience growing until Kari had finally deemed they were ready to head off shopping. Twenty minutes later, parked outside the big mall, Bowie caught sight of the huge toy superstore. He’d never been brave enough to go in on his own. He unclipped his seatbelt and got out of the car, glancing longingly at the big display windows full of toys. Kari locked the car and took hold of Bowie’s hand.
“Suit shopping first.” A kiss on the top of his head and they were off.
First?
