eyes went huge. “I have no idea what that is.”
“Uh-huh.”
Analie ducked behind her book. “Go ‘way, I’m reading.”
Mouse frowned heavily at Christoph, poking his arm so she could show him yet another note.
Twisted Temptations is not for kids.
At his puzzled look, she scribbled a bit more beneath that.
Strip club. NOT for kids.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Christoph made the “time out” motion with his hands. “Ken said nightclub, not strip club!”
“I’m out,” Analie said, going back to her room, hands raised. “Goodnight.”
“I know we Weres are always bursting out of our clothes, but you’ll notice Ashi and I were at least wearing sweats! I don’t do public nudity! And prancing around bare-assed naked in front of a bunch of people is considered public nudity! I don’t care if it’s in a strip club or not!”
Christoph’s outburst would have been a bit frightening had he not looked so frantic.
“Can’t I be the janitor or something?!”
Mouse was not succeeding at hiding her amusement at Christoph’s outburst. She scribbled a bit more, then handed him another note.
Nobody said you had to get naked. You wear something revealing, take off your shirt, and tease the audience a little. Ken will explain the finer details, I’m sure.
Mouse couldn’t help it. Her shoulders heaved with silent laughter as she handed him the note. The idea of Ken giving Ashi and Christoph lessons on how to strut their stuff was giving her a hefty fit of the giggles.
Ken poked his head in, giving Mouse and Christoph a goofy grin. “All right, kiddies, ready to shop ‘til we drop?”
“Hey, why do you get clothes?” Ashi demanded upon seeing Christoph.
“They’re going to make us strip!” Christoph shouted.
“Forget this,” Ashi muttered, turning to go back upstairs. Christoph darted forward and grabbed his arm.
“Hell no. It’s your fault we’re here, you’re facing the consequences!”
“You know, if you had a sponsor,” Ken said to Ashi, “they’d spoil you, too.” Ken then quirked a brow at Christoph’s antics. “I mean, look at Mouse. She’s been guarding you from the rest of us like the damn Arc of the Covenant.”
Mouse gave Ken a dirty look, which he ignored.
“Come on, let’s hit the road. You two can wrestle for possession of the least revealing thong when we get to the store.”
Mouse socked him hard enough that the fashionista vampire left a dent in the wall on impact.
“Ow! Hey, just joking over here!”
Mouse stared at him.
“...okay. Mostly joking.”
Rolling her eyes, she led the way while Ken pulled out the keys to a sleek, shiny BMW that chirped pleasantly when he unlocked it.
“Pack in, everyone. Time to see how tasty you boys look in Speedos.”
Mouse hit him again.
“I’m not wearing a Speedo,” Christoph said, his expression grim. “Or a thong.”
“He’s going full monty,” Ashi said.
Everyone stared at the Asian Were. Ashi returned their stares mutely for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and waving his hands around. “Ooh, look! Ashi has a sense of humor!”
Christoph looked accusingly at Ken. “You broke him.”
“I have to agree with Christoph, though,” Ashi began. Christoph gripped his shoulders.
“It’s gonna be okay, man. You’re gonna get through this!” He turned to Ken again. “See what you’ve done? He’s agreeable.”
Ashi glared at him. “Don’t touch me.”
“Great, broke him, yadda yadda. Shut up and get in,” Ken said, making shooing motions at them while he went around to the driver’s side.
They took off for the masses of boutiques and specialty stores around 5th and Madison Avenue. Mouse’s longing look at FAO Schwartz as they passed was so pitiful that Ken promised her they’d swing through the gigantic toy store before going home.
It wasn’t far from Royce’s home, and didn’t take long to arrive, but it did take forever to find parking.
“All right, boys and girls. First stop, Abercrombie. I’m not taking you into Luigi Borelli’s or Hermes dressed like that.”
When he saw Christoph’s stung look and Ashi’s eye roll, Ken pointed an admonishing finger at the two Weres. “Like it or not, once you make your first public appearance, important people around town are going to connect you with Alec Royce. That means you need to dress like the fabulous little flunkies you are, mm-kay? You may not think much of it now, but trust me, you’ll be thanking me later.”
Mouse was making exaggerated faces and hand gestures behind Ken’s back as he started in on the two, mocking his dramatic flair. He flipped her off without looking at her, and sauntered down the street toward the huge Abercrombie & Fitch store.
“Give me a good thrift