GIVING NOTICE - Chapter Three (bedroom shopping!) sneak preview

So, since the general consensus is that everyone really wanted to see Max and Stephen shopping for Max's bedroom, I got to work today and knocked out between 1/3-1/2 of the chapter. So, disregard the previous chapter 3 preview because THAT is going to be chapter 4 now, and THIS is the real chapter three sneak preview. I hope you guys like it!

And don't forget, I have something really special planned for this novel for my patrons and especially for my $10/mo patrons (though I think you'll ALL enjoy it)!

----------

CHAPTER THREE

Max woke early the next morning, eager for his day trip with Stephen. He impatiently watched cartoons in his crib until Mr. Jennings arrived to get him changed and ready for his day. Max squirmed a little when he saw the outfit Mr. Jennings had picked out for him; blue denim shorts with a snap crotch and an elastic waistband, and a pastel blue tee with a pair of teddy bears holding paws and the words “2 CUTE” printed on the front. Thankfully, the tee was at least long enough to hide the waistband of Max’s diaper. The outfit did little else to obscur Max’s thick padding and, while he had grown accustomed to wandering the manor in toddler apparel, he was going to be out in public today. He nervously smoothed down the bulge of his diaper in the front of his shorts, but the effort proved pointless.

No sooner than Mr. Jennings had scurried off to take care of some of the other cubs, Stephen knocked at his door. “Awww, you look adorable,” the wolf said happily before kissing Max’s forehead.

“Stephen, I don’t know about this,” Max said nervously, eyes cast downward. “People are going to notice,” he added.

“And?” Stephen asked. “Nothing inappropriate is on display. And if people notice your bulge, they’ll just think you are well-endowed.” The wolf smiled warmly.

“Can’t I just wear the clothes I got here in?” Max asked with a whine. He could feel a small knot forming in his stomach.

“You could, yes,” Stephen said. “I’ve got that outfit in my closet, I had the laundry clean and iron them before I put them away. But… is that what you really want, pup? Because I can promise you, nobody will dare to say anything to you with me at your side, and you really do look cute in that outfit without it completely screaming toddler. It’s up to you, of course. But I really do want you to consider keeping that outfit on. You shouldn’t feel shame for dressing in the clothes you like.”

Max considered Stephen’s words. It’s a lot, Max thought as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror on the wall. Just a few days ago, I’d never even worn a diaper by myself before. And now I’m going to go out in public in full baby gear, where other people can see me? But… Stephen will be with me the whole time. Max looked at himself in the mirror once again, more appraisingly this time. The shirt is pretty babyish, but the shorts aren’t too bad. They’re dark enough that it’s not super obvious I’m in a diaper. And the shoes are colorful, but at least they have laces. If I saw someone dressed like me in public, would I think they were an adult baby? Or that they just liked cute pastels? Hmmm…

Max nodded slowly. “I’ll wear this,” he said cautiously. “But you promise you won’t leave me by myself at any point?”

Stephen chuckled. “I promise. Daddy’s honor,” he said, crossing his heart with an index finger. “And I’m proud of you for being so brave, kiddo. Now, let’s head to town and start our adventure! We can pick up breakfast somewhere first and then we’ll go shopping.”

Stephen and Max made their way to the lobby, then took the main elevator down to the underground parking garage. Stephen guided Max to one of the company cars, a fancy black luxury sedan. Max was relieved to see that there wasn’t an oversized car seat in the back. He climbed into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt.

“If you’ll open the glove box,” Stephen said as he buckled himself into the driver seat, “you’ll find a blindfold. You’ll have to put it on and leave it on until I tell you that you can take it off, okay pup?”

Max nodded, bemused. He put the blindfold on and was instantly enveloped in darkness. “Am I allowed to know what city we’re even going to?” he asked.

“Portland,” Stephen replied as he started the engine. Max felt the car begin to back up.

“Which Portland?” the golden retriever asked curiously.

“Oregon,” the wolf answered. “The manor is between Portland and Seattle, but Portland is a bit closer. Plus I hate the Seattle traffic.”

Max nodded. He understood the need to keep the mansion’s exact location secret, but it was nice to know that he was still somewhat near his home at BCU in northern California. Having been knocked unconscious for his trip to the mansion, he hadn’t been entirely sure if he was even still on the west coast. Knowing that he wasn’t far from home gave him a strange sense of relief. Wonderland isn’t that far away after all, he thought to himself.

Max and Stephen chatted happily while Stephen drove, and Max was a good boy and left his blindfold on until they were around fifteen minutes away from the mansion and Stephen had given him permission to take it off. Max had to blink his eyes to adjust to the bright morning sunlight.

Once they arrived in Portland, Stephen took them through the drive-thru of a Dobie Donuts. Max began wagging as soon as he saw the franchise’s cartoon doberman mascot, and his stomach gave an involuntary growl. Stephen chuckled and pulled up to the drive-thru speaker.

“Good morning and welcome to Dobie, how can we start your day off right?” came the unenthused voice of a teenage girl.

“What kind of donuts do you like, pup?” Stephen asked his passenger.

“Three raspberry jelly rolls and a large chai latte please,” Max replied almost instantly. BCU had a Dobie Donuts on campus, and Max had gone there almost every morning for the exact same order.

Stephen laughed. “I’ll have three raspberry jelly rolls… ahhh… two Bavarian creams, and two large chai lattes. And can I get an extra shot of espresso in one of those chais?”

The cashier read back the order and then asked Stephen to pull around. Stephen took a card from his wallet and paid for the order and they waited. The cashier, a young, heavyset pug with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, gave Max a long glance but said nothing. She departed and returned a few moments later with their order. “I put some extra napkins in the bag in case your kid dribbles,” she said. “Have a good day.”

Max began blushing crimson as Stephen pulled out of the drive-thru and got back on the road. Max suddenly felt very vulnerable. He put his paw on Stephen’s knee and held tight.

Stephen chuckled. “Well,” he said to his companion, “either that young lady thought you were a real kid with some seriously overactive hormones, or I might have underestimated that outfit. But either way, you survived. See? Nothing at all to worry about. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Max. Go ahead and dig out a donut, just try not to dribble on the car seat,” the handsome wolf added with a mirthful twinkle in his eye.

Max nodded, the tips of his ears still burning. He unwrapped one of the jelly rolls carefully and took a bite. Stephen waited until they were stopped at a red light and then worked one of his own donuts out of the bag, holding it in one paw while holding the steering wheel in the other.

Stephen took a bite of his donut and swallowed. The light turned green and they began moving again. “So, first place we’re going is to a furniture store, so we can get you a desk. I know you want to get back into your classes again. I took the liberty of having your belongings from your dorm picked up, since you’d said you wanted to live in the mansion full-time and take your classes online.”

“Oh, thank you,” Max said, nodding.

“Now, as you know,” Stephen continued, “your sign-on bonus has already hit your bank account, but I still don’t want you going too crazy spending today. Anything you need, I’ll buy for you. And if you see something fun that you really want, you have to ask me first before you spend your own money, okay? Think of it like an allowance. Is that okay?”

Max grinned and wagged. “Yes, Daddy. And thank you for being so generous.”

Stephen chuckled. “Trust me, money isn’t an object. You know how much we’re paying you. Imagine how much the head of staffing and legal makes a month. So if you like something, don’t hesitate to say so, alright pup?”

“Yes Daddy,” Max replied again.

A few minutes later, Stephen pulled into a shopping center parking lot. “We’re going to hit Kidz Spot first,” he said. “It’s a furniture store with some cute kids’ bedroom decor. I bet we can find a desk you like there.” He pulled the car into a parking space and turned the engine off.

Max reached for his seatbelt but Stephen swatted his paw away. “That’s Daddy’s job,” he said with a smile. Max smiled back bashfully, and Stephen got out of the car and closed the driver door. He walked around the vehicle and opened Max’s door, then unfastened the canine’s seatbelt. “There we are,” Stephen said. Max stepped out of the vehicle and Stephen closed the door behind him, then took Max’s paw into his own and began walking toward Kidz Spot.

The pair entered the brightly lit furniture store. The large space was divided into mock rooms by low partition walls, and each room was decorated in a different theme. Max’s eye was immediately drawn to a boys’ bedroom model in bright primary colors. It was a dinosaur theme, all cartoon dinos and volcanos. Next to the silver-framed twin bed was a colorful desk and a tall, narrow bookshelf shaped like a palm tree. Max tugged Stephen’s paw eagerly, leading him toward the showcase bedroom.

A salesperson, an older, gray-haired cougar in a cheap suit, made his way toward the pair. “Welcome, welcome,” he said affably. “What can I help you with today?”

“We’re looking for some furniture for my boyfriend’s bedroom,” Stephen said. “Though I think we may have already found what he likes,” he laughed.

“Oh, we don’t get many adults looking for our products for their own use,” the cougar replied.

“I, uh, I’m really into dinosaurs,” Max said shyly. “And unfortunately, there’s not a lot of options meant for adults that aren’t just generic boring brown furniture.” Max tried to stand as still as possible, worried that his diaper would crinkle audibly in the quiet furniture store. He squeezed Stephen’s paw a bit tighter, and Stephen gave him a reassuring squeeze back.

“Well,” the salesperson said, “feel free to take a look around. I know you young people are big on the retro nostalgia thing. If you have any questions please feel free to wave me down, my name is Bruce.”

“Thank you, Bruce,” Stephen said, nodding. He turned to Max. “Well, have a seat and make sure it’s not too small,” he said, nodding toward the space-themed desk.

Max waited until Bruce had wandered away to speak with another shopper, then he approached the desk. His diaper was definitely crinkling, the sound echoing thunderously in his mind. He sat in the desk chair and brought his knees under the small desk. It was cosy but not uncomfortable, and the desk’s small size would fit nicely in his nursery. “I really like it,” he said enthusiastically. I would've killed to have something like this in my room when I was a kid, he thought. I was so jealous when I saw Corey’s nursery, with all its planets and rockets and robots.

“Do you want to look at some of the other options they have? Or is your heart already set?” Stephen asked. “You look like you’ve already made up your mind!”

Max giggled quietly. “Yeah, I think this is the one. But are you sure? The desk alone is $600.”

Stephen nodded. “I told you, money isn’t a thing. Get what you want.”

“Then I want this one,” Max said happily. “Thank you Daddy,” he mouthed silently.

“Then let’s go make our purchase, pup, and we’ll have it delivered to the mansion,” Stephen smiled. The pair found Bruce and let him know they were ready to buy, and the cougar lit up.

“Wonderful!” Bruce said, steering them toward the checkout computer. “So we’re going with the whole Mesozoic bedroom? Or just individual pieces?”

“Just individual pieces,” Stephen said. “He’s already got a cr-- a bed.” He caught himself suddenly and gave Max an apologetic glance, but Bruce hadn’t seemed to notice. The salesperson gave Stephen a list of set pieces with their prices. “We’re definitely doing the desk,” Stephen said, scanning the list. “Oh, and the bookshelf. Not the wide boulder-looking one, the tall skinny palm tree. The room we’re furnishing is on the small side. “Let’s see. Oh, there’s a toy chest that looks like a triceratops, Max, we’ve got to get that too!”

Max wagged, then blinked. But the eager salesperson was too excited for his commission to notice how loudly Max had crinkled. He nodded happily to Stephen, who continued to scan the list.

“Oh, there’s a dino-egg diaper pail. We’ll have that as well,” Stephen said, “...and the volcano lamp. I think that’s everything. Happy, Max?”

Max swallowed and nodded. He was surprised when Bruce didn’t react to the diaper pail, but he could practically see the dollar signs spinning in Bruce’s eyes.

“Fantastic! You’re making such a great choice, the Mesozoic set is one of our best-sellers,” the cougar said as he rapidly typed into the computer. “Did you want to add the two-year extended warranty for an extra $99?”

“No, thank you,” Stephen said. “Max is good at taking care of his belongings. But we do need to have it all delivered to the mansion.”

At the word mansion, Bruce’s face broke into an enormous smile. “Absolutely, sir! Our pleasure! What address will we be delivering too? I’m going to upgrade you to free same-day rush delivery, so you can have your order this afternoon! Compliments of Kidz Spot!”

Stephen handed the man a business card and a shiny black metal credit card. Max had never seen a credit card like it, but he knew it was something special when he could practically see Bruce’s eyes dilate and his mouth begin to salivate.

The salesperson rapidly completed their order, then printed out a receipt and a page that needed Stephen’s approval. The cougar pumped Stephen and Max’s paws in a tight, enthusiastic handshake, then insisted that Stephen take one of his business cards in case anything should go wrong with their order or if they should ever need to make any other purchases.

When they finally left the store, Max’s head was practically spinning. “That’s the most money I’ve ever spent at one time,” he said, dazed, as Stephen buckled him back into the passenger seat.

“It’s amazing how well money greases wheels,” Stephen said, laughing. “Where to next?”