Part 6: link


    Arthur is watching, amused, as Elyan attempts to fold the laundry he brought with him (earning him another scolding). He folds a 服装 and sets it on the table. Gwen then picks it up, re-folds it properly, and replaces it.
    Arthur has been trying to decide how long it will take Gwen to just shove Elyan out of the way and do it herself. He had just realized that she’s intentionally doing what she’s doing just to make Elyan ask her to do it for him when his mobile springs to life.
    “Leon,” Arthur answers, immediately apologizing, “I am so sorry, mate, the response card is on my 厨房 counter.”
    Gwen looks at him. Response card?
    “No, I’m a terrible friend, sorry. Sorry. I just haven’t been 首页 much lately,” he says, his eyes resting on Gwen for a moment, winking at her.
    “Yeah,” he says sheepishly.
    “Well, I’ll definitely be there, but hang on, I’ll ask her,” Arthur says, then addresses Gwen. “Guinevere, are 你 free, um, three weeks from today?”
    “Pretty sure I am, yes, why?”
    “My mate Leon is getting married. And I believe 你 owe me a plus-one,” he grins at her.
    “I owe you?”
    “Well, I very nearly died of boredom being your plus-one, so yes, I do believe 你 owe me. Though a fair trade would be the 下一个 insurance seminar I have to attend.”
    “You wouldn’t dare!”
    “Try me,” he grins at Gwen and then returns to Leon. “Yes, put me down for two.”
    “Oh. What are the choices?”
    “Guinevere, would 你 prefer prime rib 或者 roast duck?”
    Elyan nearly chokes on his 橙子, 橙色 juice.
    “Oh. Um, prime rib,” she answers, glancing at her brother, who has recovered enough to make a face at her that clearly says Ooo, posh.
    “Prime rib for both of us,” Arthur relays. “What? That, too? Mithian’s dad’s gone all out, then, hasn’t he?”
    Gwen furrows her brows, wondering what now.
    “And how would madame like her prime rib cooked?” Arthur asks in a snooty voice.
    “Bloody hell,” Gwen mutters, then answers, “Medium rare.”
    “Good girl,” Arthur nods. “Both medium rare. Of course.”
    He laughs then, and says, “Okay, sorry again. Tell Mithian that I most humbly beg her forgiveness and that she should call off the hounds.”
    Arthur laughs again, then, “Well, of course. Yeah. Later, mate.”
    “He 说 that I need to get a 更多 expensive wedding present now as a sign of my remorse,” Arthur explains.
    Gwen laughs. “I haven’t met Leon, have I?”
    “Don’t think so. 你 may have seen him; he works for my father. That’s how I know him, through work. Tall, thin bloke, longish curly brown hair, short beard.”
    “Hmm. Vaguely familiar. Probably recognize him if I saw him. Three weeks, 你 say?”
    “Yep.”
    “Well, that will give me some time to find something to wear, then.”
    “Oh yeah, probably should tell you. It’s formal.”
    “Great.”

xXx

    “Bye, Brother,” Gwen says quietly, hugging Elyan tightly. He is now dressed in his fatigues, his ride waiting at the curb outside Gwen’s house. “Keep your head down,” she tells him, her standard farewell, wiping her eyes now and 接吻 his cheek.
    “I always do,” he says, smiling at her. “Stop crying, I’ll be fine,” he reassures her. His standard farewell to her.
    “Arthur, nice to meet you. If 你 hurt my sister, I will kill you. Just so 你 know,” he says, but there is no ire in his voice 或者 in his eyes. Somewhere in between last night and this morning he realized that he actually likes Gwen’s boyfriend.
    “Yes, and if 你 go off and get killed on your sister, I’ll… um, re-kill you…” Arthur says, and they both laugh. Arthur holds out his hand. “Be safe, mate.”
    Elyan takes his hand and, surprising both Arthur and Gwen, pulls Arthur into a brief bro-hug before muttering, “Her birthday is 下一个 Thursday. In case 你 didn’t know.”
    “Thanks for the tip,” Arthur answers.
    “You’re all right, mate,” Elyan says, clapping Arthur companionably on the shoulder before turning back to Gwen
    “Oh, so he’s all right now?” she asks, eyeing him suspiciously.
    “Yeah,” Elyan admits. “You know I would have found something wrong with whomever 你 happen to be dating, though, don’t you?”
    Gwen sighs and shakes her head, exasperated.
    Elyan chuckles and shrugs. “No one is ever going to be good enough for my big sister,” he says.
    Elyan’s friend honks his horn. Elyan turns and makes a rude hand gesture at him before crushing his sister in a tight hug one 更多 time.
    Gwen returns his hug and kisses his cheek. “Adam’s getting impatient,” she says, seeing Elyan’s ride craning his neck now, looking to see what’s taking so long.
    “Yeah, yeah…” Elyan calls, heading for the car now.
    Arthur and Gwen watch the car pull down the street. Gwen sniffles and Arthur wraps an arm around her shoulders.
    “I’m glad I got to meet him,” Arthur says. “You probably never know quite when he’ll turn up, huh?”
    “No,” she sniffs. Then she remembers. “Oh my God! I completely forgot! I got so wrapped up in Elyan being here that I forgot to tell 你 that I met your father!”
    “You did? When?”
    “In the lift yesterday, of all places,” she laughs.
    He raises an eyebrow at her, which just makes her laugh harder.
    “He was a perfect gentleman. Very nice. Even walked me to my car because it was getting dark out.”
    “So did he recognize you?” Arthur asks as they walk back inside.
    “Yes. 说 he’d seen me when we, um, have lunch in your office, but hadn’t yet gotten the opportunity to get 你 to introduce us.”
    “Ah. That would likely be my fault.”
    “Perhaps if we actually ate lunch for a change…”
    Arthur snorts. “Well, I’m glad 你 met, even if I wasn’t there.”
    “It was a little daunting, I’ll admit,” she says, sinking down on the couch.
    “Sorry.”
    “Mostly just because I wasn’t expecting it. And your father is a bit… imposing. He was trying not to be, I can tell, but I don’t think he can help it.”
    Arthur laughs, pulling her against him and 接吻 her head.
    “So what shall we do with our day?” Arthur asks, smiling at her. He’s very much looking 前锋, 期待 to spending the 下一个 24-plus hours alone with her.
    “Well, since it seems we have a wedding to go to in a few weeks, I think I’d like to go shopping.”
    “Shopping?” he repeats, wincing slightly.
    “I have nothing appropriate to wear. 你 说 it was formal, and I’ve got nothing nice enough.”
    “Do I get to help choose?”
    “If 你 behave,” she smiles.
    “Don’t I always?”
    “You didn’t last night,” she shoots back, but the grin doesn’t leave her face.

xXx

    Arthur is driving them 首页 from their fruitful shopping trip, where he 更多 than happily helped Gwen pick out dresses and even enjoyed his own personal fashion 显示 while she tried them on. He was the official zipper and un-zipper, un-zipping being the 更多 fun of the two tasks because he kept sneaking kisses onto her shoulders and neck and back in the process.
    Once he tried to slip into the dressing room with her, but the glower from an older saleswoman and Gwen pointing to the security cameras effectively put a stop to that particular thought.
    In the end she chose a lovely dark burgundy dress, long and elegant, highlighting her lovely collarbones with its wide neckline and her narrow waist and curvy hips with its cinched waistline and flowing skirt.
    She was quite happy with the dress until Arthur attempted to pay for it, ensuing in a small argument that Guinevere won 由 threatening to put it back and not go to the wedding with him.
    “I have a very good job and will buy my own dress, Arthur,” she declared then, plunking it down in front of the embarrassed sales girl. “I get that 你 like buying me things, I do,” she said, softening. “But this would be too much.” Right now, anyway. The thought popped unbidden into her brain. She chalked it up to the fact that they’re buying the dress to go to a wedding.
    Arthur pouted slightly, but seemed to understand. “I just wanted…”
    “I know. But 你 don’t have to take care of me that way, and I think we’re past the point where 你 need to try to impress me.”
    “Somehow I don’t think that waving my credit card around would have impressed 你 much, anyway,” he smirked, lifting her hand and 接吻 it now while the salesgirl looked on jealously, no doubt thinking that she’d happily let Arthur buy her anything he wanted to.
    At a traffic light, they sit quietly, looking around at the shops surrounding them. Arthur’s gaze falls on a small storefront kind of wedged in between two other shops. The name in small letters over the door reads Adam and Eve’s.
    “Have 你 ever been in one of those shops?” he asks, pointing.
    “What, a porn store?” Gwen asks.
    “Yeah.”
    “No. You?”
    “Mmmmaybe…” he says evasively.
    “Maybe?” she echoes, raising her eyebrows at him suspiciously.
    “So you’ve never been…” he muses, ignoring her challenge. “In that case, I dare 你 to go in there and buy something.”
    “I didn’t ask for a dare!” she exclaims. The light changes, and Arthur pulls into a nearby parking spot. “That’s cheating,” she pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.
    “Okay, 你 are too cute like that, stop,” he laughs. “I’ll go in with you, obviously.”
    “Well, I suppose that’s comforting,” she says.
    “Right. 你 never know what kind of seedy perverts 你 might find in there,” Arthur says, switching off the ignition and getting out of the car.
    Gwen follows, looking around slightly. “What if someone sees me go in here?”
    “So what?” Arthur shrugs. “We are two adults in a consensual relationship, and if we want to get our freak on, that’s our business,” he says, grinning and taking her hand to pull her to the door.
    She laughs, and just before going inside, says, “Okay, but I dare you to buy something as well, then.”
    “Oh, really?” he stops and looks at her, arching one eyebrow slyly.
    Oh, no.
    They step inside and the skinny young man with a pierced face behind the counter glances up at them, disinterested, and goes back to his gaming magazine.
    It is like a toy store for very naughty adults, Gwen thinks, trying not to blush. “Gee, I only see one seedy pervert in here,” she teases him.
    “Fuzzy handcuffs?” Arthur asks 由 way of response to her taunt, holding up a hot 粉, 粉色 pair. Gwen giggles. “Why are they always pink?” he mumbles, putting them back down. He pauses 下一个 to some mysterious board game, picking it up to read the back, and Gwen moves down the aisle, stopping in front of a shelf bearing a wide array of items, all penis-shaped.
    Why must everything be shaped like a penis? she vaguely wonders, picking up a pen. Probably because it’s simple to make it into other things, 给 its shape. She sets the pen down and tilts her head at a packet of drinking straws. Probably for Hen Parties, she thinks. I’m being far too logical about this.
    “See anything 你 like?” Arthur is suddenly behind her, speaking low in her ear, and she jumps slightly in surprise. He kisses her ear.
    “Ah, we have penis everything, I see,” he chuckles. “Penis lollies, penis pens – would that be a pen-is, then? Penis… cookie cutters? Ouch. Penis water bottles, penis drinking straws – wow that’s a big pack of them – penis pillows, penis—”
    “Stop saying penis!” Gwen exclaims, laughing and clutching her stomach.
    “Oh, is it bothering you, hearing me say ‘penis’ over and over again?” he asks. “What would 你 prefer? Cock? Dong? Tallywhacker? Willie? Um…” he pauses, trying to think of others, and Gwen just walks away.
    “Love sausage?” he pursues her now, grinning fiendishly. “Wedding tackle? Wiener? Wang? Schlong? 裤子 snake?”
    “If I just ignore him, he’ll stop,” she mutters to herself, peeking into the back room full of DVDs and deciding to forgo it for now.
    “Prince Everhard of the Netherlands!” he declares quite grandly, and Gwen loses it again, going weak with laughter. She almost rests her head against the wall, but decides against it. Never know whose hands have been where.
    “Are 你 quite finished?” she asks, gasping, glancing over at the disinterested employee glances up for a moment, then continues ignoring them.
    “Yes, I think so,” he declares, pulling her to him. “Now go find something to buy. Something good. Something… useful,” he goads, squeezing her backside lightly.
    “Penis cookie cutter it is, then,” she says, reaching over and picking it up just to see the look on his face. “Kidding,” she giggles, setting it down.
    Gwen browses around, growing bolder, less shocked. Hmm. Something to wear? She picks up an item on a nearby hanger that looks like it’s made entirely of belts. I wouldn’t know what limb to put where, she thinks, replacing it on the rack.
    I would kill myself in those boots. That’s just ugly. That’s just… wrong. Ooo, books…
    She goes to a small rack and selects a book at random, opening it and 阅读 a bit.
    Oh, my. She puts it back and walks to a shelf containing various bottles. Edible lotion. Could be fun. She picks up a jar and reads the label. Stud Mud. Where on earth do they come up with these names? She puts it back and scans the shelf, her amusement growing with each label she reads. Lip and Nipple Gloss? Should I be glossing my nipples? Body fondue… Motion Lotion… Spanking powder? What the hell is that? Then Gwen spies something that actually catches her interest. Edible body paint. Hmmm…
    She finds Arthur studying a large display of vibrators. Different sizes, colors, styles.
    “Any of them come with satellite radio and a sunroof?” she asks, sliding one arm around his waist from behind, holding the 浓情巧克力 paint behind her back with the other.
    “Wouldn’t surprise me,” he mumbles, reaching his arm back to hold her to his side. “Did 你 find something?”
    “Mmmmaybe…” she says, mimicking his response earlier.
    “What did 你 find?”
    “Not telling yet. You?”
    “Thinking about one of these,” he smirks.
    “Trying to render yourself moot?”
    “What? Oh, um, I was actually thinking—”
    “I know what 你 were thinking,” she laughs, squeezing him. “And it is intriguing.”
    “It is?” he asks, looking down at her, surprised. She grins and slips from his grasp, perusing now.
    She moves along a bit and sees a giant latex dildo. Giant. She sets her intended purchase down and hefts it from the shelf, finding it surprisingly heavy. It’s around two feet long and is as big around as Arthur’s arm. “Why?” she asks, brandishing it at him.
    “Well, now, I think I’ll have to be calling my lawyers,” he says, striding over. “This is obviously modeled after me, and I did not consent.”
    Gwen starts laughing again, almost dropping it. He takes it from her and proceeds to do what any young adult male would do with a giant rubber penis: He holds it in front of his own groin and starts swinging it about.
    “Hello, darlin’, I’ve got something to 显示 you, I have,” he says, walking towards her, thrusting his hips forward.
    She backs away, laughing so hard she can hardly keep her legs under her, the appeal of Silly Arthur almost too much to bear. He backs her against the 墙 and swats her hip with the fake member, and she snatches it out of his hands.
    “Ow!” he cries out, doubling over, pretending to be in pain, but in reality he is laughing just as hard as she is.
    Gwen smacks him with it on the shoulder. “You’re going to get us thrown out!” she exclaims, still giggling, putting the giant penis back on the shelf.
    “Oh, yes, getting thrown out of a porn store, that would be brilliant,” Arthur laughs, pulling her into his arms. “My face hurts,” he says. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a while.”
    “My stomach hurts,” Gwen says, leaning up to 吻乐队（Kiss） him. She reaches for the item she set on the table, and holds it up for him. “Chocolate body paint,” she declares.
    Arthur’s eyebrows rise and he unconsciously licks his lips. “Good choice,” he whispers. “Come. Pick one.”
    He pulls her back over to the vibrators. “Pink, green, 或者 purple?” he asks, pointing to the type he had been mulling over.
    “Oh, so 你 know which one 你 want to get?” she asks.
    “Just need to know which color,” he says, smirking.
    “Purple, of course.”

Part 8: link