“I hate them a lot less when you’re telling me how great I am.” Victor turned his head a few degrees for a kiss. “What do you think.”
“I think we get this style, because walking in these will be good practice.
But with the chrome platforms, because those are bomb. And we also try on those boots with the buckles. Those aren’t as high.”
“I won’t be as tall.”
“Your calf muscles might thank you.”
Victor couldn’t argue with that, so he went over to a chair and carefully
lowered himself into it. “Jesus, my knees. How do women do this?”
“With a lot of bitching,” said Rowena. He had the boots ready. When Victor got them on and stood up, he was surprised. The salesdiva wasn’t.
“Not as bad, are they?”
“Not nearly. Is that why you gave me the high ones first?”
“Yes, honey. Take a spin around the dance floor.”
Victor took that literally, going back to Andy and trying some more tango. “Okay,” he said after a while. “I would not call them comfortable but I think they might be manageable. How do they actually look?”
“Wicked,” said Andy and Rowena together. Then Andy let him go, turned to the salesdiva, and said, “I really really want to try on the lace-up thigh-highs. I have no excuse on earth except you have them.” And I want to see Victor’s face when I walk out in those.
“Do you have panties on?” Rowena said doubtfully.
Victor was laughing his ass off as he headed for the chair. Andy managed, with a heroic effort, not to laugh too. Of course his jeans had to come off to try those on. “Yes.”
“Okay then. What size.”
“The right size,” Victor said, performing another careful sitting-down maneuver. He left the boots on to educate his feet while his husband did whatever craziness he was doing. He and the other guy had disappeared. A few minutes of low-voiced conversation later, there was a cackle of laughter from the dressing room. Victor got his phone out and put it on photo mode.
He heard the heels clicking on the tile floor and looked up. “Holy shit.”
Andy was holding his phone too. He took a picture of Victor’s expression, then struck a pose. All he had on was the boots, briefs, and a long-sleeved thermal knit shirt, barely long enough to cover his ass. “What do you think?”
“Buy six pairs.” Victor took a picture. Andy did a slow turn. “Holy Mother of God.” Rowena cackled again. Victor took another picture.
“Seriously. Get them in every color.” Once they were on their way home again (with both styles of boots for Victor, but only one pair of thigh-highs), he said, “I had no idea I had this kink.”
“It’s a very harmless kink,” Andy said reasonably.
“Did you ever really do the drag thing?”
“That’s what’s hilarious! I never did! I learned how to dance in heels for
‘Chicago.’ If you hadn’t gotten so out of control over that, I might not have ever thought of doing Mein Herr the way we did.”
“And if we hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be doing this. You are following my kink.” Victor started to giggle again. “Oh shit. Who knew. And now I’ve fucked myself because I’m going to have to dance in heels too.”
“Give it the week,” Andy said, smiling. “It is not a requirement, no matter what faces that little diva made. You’re still going to be sexy as fuck and the man in charge if you’re five foot ten.”
“The man in charge, huh.” Victor was regretting that he had an appointment to get to. He might have put Andy in those thigh-highs for a minute.
Andy was also regretting that appointment. He used some of his alone time to tease Reggie. He hadn’t done that for a while. This time, he forwarded a selfie he took in the dressing room: Hi Reggie. Rowena was selling me these awesome boots. If you come to LA maybe I can introduce you
It was late evening in London, but a reply came back immediately: Are you in fact trying to kill me
Boots or Rowena?
Either or both
He likes dark-skinned men with English accents. Andy wasn’t making that up. The little diva had pin-ups of Chiwetel Ejiofor (in the ‘Kinky Boots’
movie) and Matt Henry (in the ‘Kinky Boots’ stage musical) in the back.
Perhaps I should hand-deliver that painting Perhaps you should. How close to done?
Very close. It’s been a pleasure. How goes Shakespeare?
Waiting only for Red & Mary to get their asses back to LA. Scouting a gallery here for January
Does that mean I could preview?
Andy knew he had Reggie now. Yes it does. V & I are going to Miami 18th December, here till then
Will make arrangements and advise. Do take care of those smashing legs We will. Andy signed off, switched numbers, and sent a text to Red
requesting an ETA. He was so very tempted to spill the beans to Dana and Rory about Victor’s shoes, but he didn’t want to jump the gun on that.
They’d find out soon enough, if it worked out.
He almost spilled it a couple of days later when he was on the phone with Dana. Her series was about to wrap – early – for the mid-season break; she and Rory were discussing how to use the extra time. Andy told her about the many rounds of inspections on the new old house, and about some meetings they’d had with their contractor (their neighbor/tenant Paige) and the engineers. He made a joke about never running out of things to do, and figured she would give him a little of the same old shit about failing at vacation.
On the other end, Dana wondered which of the men was actually driving all this activity, and was afraid she knew. She was afraid she knew why, too.
“Andy,
