Chapter 18: My Body Is the Measure
In the fitting room, Reid, who had just finished trying on clothes, was slumped on the armchair, exuding a faint sense of lethargy.
According to the contract between him and Lena, Reid shouldn’t be showing such an unseemly appearance in public.
But after trying on clothes repeatedly, Reid was mentally and physically exhausted, and with no one else in the fitting room at the moment, he felt justified in slacking off.
Working was just for the employer, but slacking off was for his own enjoyment.
To be honest, before his transmigration, there were two things Reid despised the most, one of which was shopping.
Clearly, he could conveniently place orders online, so he couldn’t comprehend why he had to go through all the trouble of visiting a physical store every time.
Physical stores not only come with high markups, but trying on clothes also meant constantly changing in a cramped space, with only a curtain separating him from the outside world.
After changing clothes, he still had to endure the scrutiny of unfamiliar staff and other customers.
Just thinking about it was suffocating.
Although Lena had already picked out several sets of the latest ready-to-wear clothes for him, the garments that best reflected noble status were still the custom-made formal wear.
And the first step in custom formal wear was to obtain Reid’s precise body measurements.
Now, Reid sat in the fitting room, listlessly waiting for the tailor to come measure his dimensions.
As noon approached and after several days of poor sleep, Reid yawned, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him.
Reid’s dark circles had been gradually worsening lately, which was attributed to Veronica spilling her teacup that day, but ultimately it was still because of Lena.
Recently, Lena’s etiquette classes had been running later and later, and during the lessons, Reid had been continuously engaging his accelerated thinking.
Even when he lay in bed afterward, he couldn’t fall asleep for a long time due to a headache.
It was no surprise that these dark circles were getting darker.
The curtain was suddenly lifted, and a faint floral scent wafted in.
“Miss Veronica,” Reid instinctively sat up straight, his muscles tensing, “Where’s Lena?”
Reid stood up from the chair, hiding the fleeting exhaustion he had just shown, and put on a defensive demeanor in front of Veronica.
After all, it was the employer’s mission; one had to maintain the necessary professionalism.
Veronica did not answer but instead raised her gaze, her eyes fixated on the depths of Reid’s.
“At the breakfast table, you were remembering Sister Lena’s habits, weren’t you?”
Veronica stood on tiptoe, extending a hand, her fingertips hesitatingly rising before finally resting beneath Reid’s eyes—
There was a bruise there.
“You’ve been working hard lately, haven’t you?”
Veronica’s touch was as light as a breeze across water, her cool fingertips carrying a faint floral fragrance.
“That’s not fair.”
Her fingers unconsciously curled the hem of her skirt, the fabric wrinkling and then smoothing out under her touch.
“You are clearly working so hard, yet Sister Lena seems to care nothing about your feelings.”
“I just want to… speak up for you.”
Her voice grew softer, fading to a near whisper.
Soft warm light in the store illuminated her profile, revealing fine strands of fuzz.
Though Veronica’s demeanor could make most men fall under her spell, Reid was not among them.
Reid sighed inwardly.
Miss Veronica, could you guess who is responsible for the extra workload I’ve taken on?
Please don’t overdramatize things, alright?
Sigh, if only Lena hadn’t agreed to let Veronica stay in the first place—Reid had never thought that way.
After all, Lena was indeed incredibly charming.
“Miss Veronica, are you not worried that Lena will become suspicious of your presence here?”
Reid’s words carried a hint of reproach.
“Sister Lena just ran into a colleague from the military; it seems they might talk for a long time.”
Veronica slightly puffed her cheeks:
“Mr. Reid, did you just think I am a troublesome woman?”
“Rest assured, I won’t be a bother to you. I will be a considerate and obedient lover.”
“I am here to measure your dimensions.”
Measure dimensions?
The first step in custom clothing is to measure accurately, and the prerequisite for precision is, of course, to eliminate any interfering factors.
This so-called ‘interfering factor’ naturally includes the clothes Reid was currently wearing.
In other words, except for his underwear, Reid needed to be completely undressed for the measurement.
Completely undressed?
In front of Veronica?
Just thinking about it felt very awkward, right?
After all, even Lena, as a woman, had openly admitted that Veronica possessed all the qualities that please men.
But Reid was a professional, after all.
With Reid’s professional ethics, restraining himself wasn’t difficult; it just required a bit more effort.
Sigh, he’d better ask the employer for a bonus afterward.
Just as Reid was about to loosen his clothes, Veronica gently pressed down on his hands that were undoing them.
Veronica seemed to see through Reid’s thoughts, directly pinpointing the issue.
“Mr. Reid, you really dislike undressing in such situations, don’t you?”
Veronica suddenly looked up, a glint of cunning in her blue eyes.
“With my method… you don’t need to undress.”
“Your method?”
Conventionally, any method for measuring body dimensions requires a measuring tape.
Reid narrowed his eyes, scanning Veronica’s empty hands.
It doesn’t look like you brought a tape measure at all?
Sensing Reid’s gaze, Veronica’s demeanor subtly shifted to a shy one:
“Could you please turn your back to me, Mr. Reid?”
Shortly after Reid turned his back, a pair of delicate hands wrapped around his waist.
At the same time, a soft sensation pressed against his back.
“First, the waist… Done.”
Even through the fabric, Reid could feel the rapid heartbeat coming from behind him.
“Could you please sit down, Mr. Reid?”
Veronica’s fingers glided up Reid’s waistline, seemingly accidentally brushing against his chest.
If it were another man, he would have likely lost his sanity at this point, wanting nothing more than to fill himself with the girl behind him.
But Reid maintained his composure at all times.
Only by staying calm could he keep a clear head and think of countermeasures.
Sure enough, Reid noticed a slight flaw in Veronica’s actions.
Although her movements were tempting, her fingertips were subtly trembling.
Something’s off.
Reid furrowed his brows.
If this were merely explained as the shyness of a girl, the extent of her trembling was rather excessive.
Then there came a series of rustling fabric sounds, and Reid had begun to familiarize himself with the soft touch behind him.
A cool arm, warmed by the girl’s body, circled over Reid’s shoulder, and he could smell a faint scent from her inner wrist:
“Now for shoulder width,” the girl behind him took a deep breath, her rising and falling with Reid’s head resting softly, “Finally…”
“Could you please stand up, Mr. Reid?”
Veronica crouched down, her ten fingers skillfully gliding along Reid’s side,
Finally meeting just below his lower abdomen.
After a brief silence, Veronica exclaimed softly:
“Measured—measured!”
“Please, please don’t turn around, Mr. Reid!” Veronica’s voice was laced with unmistakable panic, “Wait a moment!”
There was no way he would comply.
One had to strike hard when the enemy was flustered!
But when Reid turned around, he barely caught a glimpse of Veronica’s flushed ears.
Veronica was hurriedly straightening her skirt, and a pearl button on her chest had come undone at some point, revealing a faintly visible small mole just below her collarbone.
“Sister Lena might have finished chatting; I… I should go back,” Veronica’s voice was as soft as a sigh, “This way, you won’t have to keep changing…”
“Thank you for your efforts, Miss Veronica.”
But just before leaving, Veronica suddenly turned back, her blue eyes filled with a complex emotion:
“Mr. Reid… you deserve to be treated with tenderness.”
