“Too light. Can’t dance in that. It’ll stain.”
“Eggplant?”
Hilliard’s forehead wrinkled in distaste. “Certainly not. Too somber.”
“Grape?”
“Are you just naming things that happen to purple, Montgomery?”
“What other shades of purple are there? Violet?”
“I have a plum-colored suit that will do very nicely, I think.”
“Damn. I was going to guess mulberry next.”
“However,” Hilliard went on. “I have a bowtie with lavender spots that should go well with it.”
Monty looked over at the other man. His hair was ruffled by the wind as they drove and the cuffs of his driving gloves had been folded over to display the velvety insides. He always looked so dashing. Monty didn’t have to wonder how well he’d look in a plum-colored suit. His heart gave a pang at the thought of losing this sort of banter every day. Even the idea of missing out on seeing Hilliard in his everyday wear—which still managed to be exceptional—made him feel mournful. He quickly turned away and pulled his gaze back to the window.
Monty had a much harder time determining what to wear than Hilliard did. He needed something bold and tempting. He needed something that would make Hilliard impatient to get him back home again. He irritably flicked through his clothes again. He considered a slate-colored pinstripe pair of trousers. He always liked the way he looked in those. But then he imagined dancing in them and swiftly put them back—way too tight for that kind of thing.
The thought made him pause. Then he dug through the closet until he pulled out his pair of denim pants. He hadn’t missed the way Hilliard’s gaze had flicked over his ass when he’d modeled them before. He tried them on and tested out a few dance moves. They were stiff at first but he knew they had the potential for better movement. After all, he’d seen Hilliard in his own pair often enough. After about ten minutes of stretching and moving about, they began to soften at the hip creases and the knees. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror. Then he put on a crisp linen shirt to complete the look and sauntered out of the room.
Hilliard was waiting for him, looking lovely in his plum-colored suit. The entire outfit comprised of different shades of purple. Which would have looked ridiculous on many people, but not Hilliard. He took one look at Monty and his eyes went wide. “Are you trying to get on the front pages again?”
Monty tilted his head in an innocent way. “What do you mean?”
“They won’t let you in the door.”
“Sure they will.”
“Montgomery—”
“Trust me, Hilliard. It’ll be fine. Better to be comfortable than to split a seam trying to dance, isn’t it? Then I’d really make the front pages.”
Hilliard looked him over again, his expression conflicted. Finally, he sighed, “Let’s go pick up Jesse.”
Jesse was waiting for them outside the dormitory. He looked adorably nervous as he greeted them and slid into the back seat.
“You look nice, sweetheart,” Hilliard said, before throwing a meaningful look at Monty.
“Thanks,” Jesse said, running his palms over the tops of his thighs. “I wasn’t sure how fancy this place was.”
“Oh, it’s very fancy,” Hilliard said, at the same time that Monty said, “It’s not that fancy.” Hilliard gave Monty a disapproving look and Monty responded with a wink and a grin.
“It looks like you dressed comfortably which is the most important thing,” Monty said to Jesse in a soothing voice.
Jesse gave a distracted sort of nod. “Thanks.”
Getting through the door did take some finesse. But Monty didn’t have charm magic for nothing. He laid it on thick, smiling and batting his lashes and pouting his lips. When they were finally allowed in, Monty threw a cocky grin at Hilliard.
Hilliard rolled his eyes. “Let’s get something to drink while we wait for Cal.”
Monty made a big show of bending over the bar to hail the bartender. When he glanced over his shoulder to ask Hilliard what he wanted, the other man’s gaze flicked upward to meet his, his cheeks red. Monty didn’t bother hiding his grin. Hilliard eyeing him was exactly what he wanted.
He ordered them both a Horse’s Neck and got Jesse a ginger ale. Then he ordered Cal a martini with a twist, remembering that he’d seen the man drinking one at the Pink Peacock. As they waited, Monty bumped his hip against Hilliard’s.
“Caught you looking,” he murmured in the other man’s ear.
