Page 92 of Keeper
She could protest all she wanted, but the bounce in her step was impossible to miss.
“You had your chance,” I said, grinning. “But hey, seriously, don’t worry about the money today, okay? All I want is for you to be comfortable while you’re here. So don’t hold back. You see something you want, get it.”
She stood on her tip-toes and kissed my cheek. “You’re amazing.”
We made our first stop at Anthropologie. I learned early on that I had to break her of the habit of wanting to look at the price tag—because whenever she did that, a look of shock swamped her face and she dropped the item as if it were on fire.
At Anthropologie, she stocked up on some basics—jeans, t-shirts, some sexy panties that I couldn’t wait to peel off her.
At Rag and Bone, she found more of the same, plus a couple pairs of shoes.
“Thank you, Tanner,” she said as we left. “I think that’s all I need for a week.”
“What a coincidence. You found everything you need at the two of the cheapest stores in the plaza.”
“Crap. Busted.” She snickered. “Sorry if this is all a little foreign to me, but remember, I’m a broke college kid. I mean, are we really callingAnthropologiecheap? You do realize I practically subsist on ramen noodles at home, right?”
She made me laugh. “I hear you, Ainz. Hell, you’re thrifty and believe me, I respect that. But in a way, that’s the reason why I want to get you something nice. Because I know you’ll appreciate it.”
She gave me her eyes. “Aw. Tanner.”
With my arm around around her shoulder, I directed her to Ralph Lauren. “Hey, I wanna make a stop in here real quick.” I held the door open and followed her in.
Once inside, a familiar face, with a neckscarf and her hair done up, came to greet us. Olivia was one hell of a pro—she ran a tight ship and always pulled out all the stops to make sure I got top-notch service here.
“Welcome to Ralph Lauren!” she said. A few distinguished streaks of silver ran through her blonde hair. “My name is Olivia. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Olivia,” I said as I took off my shades.
Olivia’s eyes widened behind her red frames. “Oh, welcome back, Mr. Vaughn! I didn’t recognize you under that disguise you’re wearing.”
I laughed, pulling off my ballcap. “You know how it is.”
“Can I get you two something to drink? Coffee, tea, champagne?”
I turned to Ainsley. “You want anything?”
“Can I get a coffee with a splash of milk?” she asked.
“Absolutely!” Olivia said as she spun on her heels and set off.
Ainsley turned to me. “Wow, that’s quite the service. I take it you come here often,Mr. Vaughn?”
“For suits and ties,” I said. “I need to look nice on game days—we’ve got a team dress code, y’know. But yeah, they’re great to me here.”
“Ooh, is that why we’re here? So you can get some new suits?”
“Nah, we’re here for you.”
“Aw, darn,” she said, making a pout. “Because I’d loveto see you try onallthe suits.” She clawed at the air and playfully growled, “rawr.”
“Yeah, I bet you would.”
Olivia returned with Ainsley’s coffee. “So what are we looking for today?” she asked as she handed the cup over to Ainsley.
“Good question,” Ainsley said, turning to me. “Tanner? What are we looking for?”
“Something for her,” I said. “Something nice. Something special.”
