Page 65 of Collin: Episodes 7-9
“I think…it would be better if I did it. But she’d be okay if I pushed her to let me.”
“Do you have a preferred spot?”
Collin shook his head. “It’s been forever since I ate out around here.”
“Then I’ll have my assistant choose and make reservations in your name. Something that you could reasonably afford on your salary.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
The cart was completely full when Collin pushed it up to the checkout. He avoided the self-checkout and got through without issue. Mr. Reevesworth helped him load the car, and they sat in the back while one of the two security guards drove. Collin let himself close his eyes and lean on Mr. Reevesworth’s shoulder. They didn’t have privacy, but he could do that much just for a moment.
Like last time, the security guards stayed outside when they returned to the house. Collin hauled the shopping bags in with Mr. Reevesworth’s assistance. With the door closed, Collin stripped off his suit jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. He tossed open his suitcase and picked his most ragged clothes. He’d managed to convince Mr. Moreau to let him bring two sets of his old clothes, and now he was very grateful he’d won that battle. Mr. Moreau had found them offensive, but to Collin, they were protection. He was not subjecting his nice clothes to this.
Mr. Reevesworth joined him in stripping. “Do you perhaps have a large shirt I could borrow?”
Collin blinked. “Sir?”
“I’m afraid I didn’t pack for this. I have workout pants, but if you have a shirt that you don’t mind getting ruined by bleach, I’ll use that before I sacrifice one of my undershirts.”
Collin held up a defunct band shirt with a flaming skull on it. “Um…this is the only other work shirt I brought.”
Mr. Reevesworth’s lips twitched toward a smile. “Collin, in my world, the shirt you just took off was a work shirt.”
Collin blushed. “I promise not to pretend you don’t work, sir.”
“How kind of you.”
Collin snickered. “Are you slumming it, sir?”
“This is hardly the slums, but I think rolling with the dust mites might be fitting.” Mr. Reevesworth opened up the pack of masks Collin had selected. “Now would probably be the wrong time to say I also have a dust allergy.”
“Do you have meds?”
“Already took them while you were making the shopping list. Émeric made me pack them.”
“Do you think he’ll spank me if I call him Mommy Emmy?”
Mr. Reevesworth started to chuckle behind the mask, but it was too much for just a chuckle. He doubled over, one hand on his stomach, and eventually bent his knees, laughing, one hand over the mask. Tears appeared on the edge of his eyes.
Collin couldn’t help it. The hilarity was infectious. He ended up on one knee, hands over his face, giggling till his stomach hurt.
“I don’t know if he would know what to do with you, but I can promise you it will be something.”
Collin snickered one more time. “So, if I ever want to encourage him to get inventive…”
“Do, please, and save it for when I’m present to watch.”
Flushed with good humor, Collin snapped a mask over his own face and added sealed goggles, which Mr. Reevesworth had insisted on for both of them. Knowing now that his dom had allergies, that made sense. And his doctor would probably appreciate Collin being careful.
After starting sheets in the washing machine, Collin hit the bathroom, leaving the vacuuming in the front to his dom. He’d cleaned this bathroom so many times over the years. With the cracked grout, there was only so much that could be done. He stripped out the old shower curtain, bundled it up with the mat, and tossed them both in the outside trash, then drenched the bathtub and counter with bleach. With that soaking, he changed to a second pair of gloves and stripped the bad food from the refrigerator, set aside what little was still good, and sprayed down the inside to soften the grime. Some of the sticky grim was going to need coaxing off. He turned off the cooling function and left the door open then jogged back to the bathroom to scrub the shower. He was ass up in the air, scrubbing the bottom of the tub, when Mr. Reevesworth came looking for him.
“Perhaps I should have you clean at home,” Mr. Reevesworth murmured.
Collin startled. “Sir!”
Mr. Reevesworth looked like he was smiling, but the mask and goggles were still on. “I’ve opened every window in the front, vacuumed all the furniture, floors, did the ceiling, and moved all the furniture that I could. What rooms will we be doing next?”
