Hello, Sophie here, I just thought I'd post to let my readers know that while the story is a bit slow right now, that it will pick up in a few chapters. I'm trying to lay the ground work for what is to come later in the story when wily-man Arnold Rothstein shows up. I will admit I do have an issue with being perhaps a bit too detail oriented. I've done a lot of research for this fic in order to make sure that all the details are right, but I wonder if I'm over doing it.

I can and will cut it short if that is what the reader wants. There will probably be another four or five chapters of this groundwork before things start to unravel and people start looking at Tom as something other than human. I hope you guys will bear with me while I work on getting us there. :)

Part Four

Charlie led Tom out of the house and into the sun. It was about 10am by this point and it would take them about twenty or thirty minutes to get back to town. The group approached the garage and opened the door. Charlie again marveled at his new car, a Cadillac Type 59. He'd been saving for over two years and he'd paid cash for the beauty. A whopping thirty-five hundred dollars. But he'd been more than happy to hand over the money. God, he loved his car. Charlie felt a tug on his jacket and looked over at Tom.

The man was staring at the vehicles but he leaned in close, "I know you don't want me asking questions in public but... What's that?"

Charlie sighed, he was more than happy to explain but they needed to be on their way, "I'll explain on the way. Just go around to the other side. There's a handle that opens the door. Get inside and sit and I'll be there in a second." Tom nodded and did as he was instructed.

Charlie turned back to his friends, "Alright, I'll leave first. We're gonna meet on the square in front of that suit shop, alright?"

Meyer nodded and got into the driver seat of the Model T, Joe following right behind him and Charlie quickly got into his own car. He turned on the vehicle and pulled the various levers and pumped the clutch as they pulled out of the garage. He heard Meyer's Ford following them out and they were off. He looked over at Tom who appeared riveted by the all of the little components of the car.

He heard the soft timber of Tom's voice, "We're moving."

Charlie laughed, "Yeah, Tom this is a car. It's basically a gas powered horseless carriage."

"Carriage? Ah. I see."

Tom recognized the word carriage? Well that was progress, he supposed.

"What's gas?"

Charlie felt a smile pull his lips and he didn't miss a beat, "Gasoline is a flammable liquid that goes inside the car and enters the engine-that's a big hunk of metal tubes and chambers- and is ignited. The energy from that causes the pistons in the engine to move and thus powers the car so can we drive it anywhere."

If anything Tom looked even more enthralled by the idea. Charlie smiled to himself. Tom in some ways reminded him of a child who was just really experiencing the world for the first time. He was soaking up as much knowledge as he could but still wanted to know more.

But in other ways, Tom was all man. The way he responded to Charlie's closeness as they got dressed this morning was going to be something for Charlie's fantasies that night. Charlie had had sex with men before and he had thoroughly enjoyed it. But all those men had been 'Pansy Men'-men that deliberately tried to resemble women. Charlie had many thoughts of having relations with someone who did not try to hide that their masculinity but that was an order that was a little harder to achieve. The closest he'd come was with AR. But that wasn't happening. They'd both accepted that neither of them were willing to bottom so they'd never really made it much past heavy petting.

Charlie hoped he wasn't reading Tom's signals wrong, that the man was actually interested in him. He looked over at the green eyed man who was staring avidly out the open side. Tom was so beautiful to Charlie. The man was not really classically handsome. He had a very high forehead and very thin lips. But he also had a sort of otherworldly glow about him that spoke of something different from everyone else. And his eyes were a shade of green that he'd never seen on a person.

Charlie shook himself from his thoughts. He needed to think about something else or he was going to have a noticeable problem. He looked back at the road, "Tom, how do the shoes fit?"

Tom stopped looking out the window and quickly said, "They fit fine."

Charlie may have only known Tom for a day but he seemed to have picked up on the man's tells. When something was good, he smiled to show his pleasure. When something wasn't right, his face was neutral as if he did not want to risk offending anyone.

Charlie threw him a dubious look, "Really. Are you lying to me?"

Tom looked taken aback, "I-I would never-"

"Just be honest with me. Are they comfortable?"

Tom looked pensive before answering, "Well, they are perhaps a little big. But only a little."

Charlie only smiled but he wasn't able to respond as they arrived in Montabella. He pulled the car into the square and parked it near the fountain. Meyer parked his own vehicle a few spaces down and they all got out. Charlie quickly scanned and located the suit shop, Jameson's Fine Suits for Men. Charlie pointed to it and they made their way to the small shop. The blue and white striped awning looked in good shape and the glass of the store front was clean. Charlie had never used to look for these sorts of things until he started working for AR but now it was second nature to check over an establishment and decide if it was worth the money you were about to spend.

They entered the shop with a chime and Charlie was pleased to note that they not only did custom suits and tailoring but that they had quite a selection of ready-made wear as well. That would make this much easier.

An older man revealed himself from the back of the store and came forward to greet them, "Good morning gentlemen. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Charlie stepped forward, "Yes, my friend here is in need of a good suit."

The man smiled and turned to Tom, "Well we can definitely help you with that here. Are you looking for custom or off the rack?"

Tom looked at the man blankly before turning to Charlie. He could tell Tom wanted to ask a question but he, thankfully, refrained.

Charlie answered for him, "We need one off the rack for him now. As you can see, he's wearing my stuff and it doesn't quite fit. And what's your name?"

"Oh, Gordon sir. And we have plenty of ready-made suits available. What are the measurements?"

"He doesn't really remember what his measurements are."

Gordon didn't even blink, he merely pulled out a soft tape measure from his pocket, "Right this way then."

Gordon lead Tom over to slightly raised platform behind a screen. Meyer and Joe stayed in the main area but Charlie followed his companion behind the screen. Tom was directed to remove his jacket and tie and unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt. Gordon was quick and efficient pulling the measuring tape up and around Tom's body, taking meticulous notes on a small pad.

It was all done in a few minutes and the man was still writing on his pad when he asked, "What kind of suit and shirt are you looking for today?"

Tom looked at Charlie but the Sicilian was way ahead of him, "I know he's wearing more casual duds right now but that's my stuff. He needs a collarless shirt, with detached white eyelet collar. A full suit with vest, a nice dark pinstripe or plaid would be perfect."

Gordon looked up from his writing and seemed to be reevaluating them. Charlie knew what he was thinking, Generally only men of importance or higher social status went all out like that. Most middle-class guys dressed like Charlie. More casual with only the jacket and pants. They didn't bother with detached collars either. It was also a matter of expense. Having extras like detached collars and vests and such cost more and unless there was a certain percentage of disposable income, many didn't bother.

But Tom wasn't some casual middle-class guy. He fairly radiated a certain level of class that far exceeded most of Charlie's associates. And Charlie wanted to dress him accordingly. Gordon nodded his head after all a sale was a sale no matter where or who it came from. Tom looked entirely clueless over the silent exchange and acknowledgment and Charlie was more than alright with that.

"Any color preference?"

Charlie had that answer as well, "Green."

Gordon nodded his head and headed into the store to pick up a few items that he thought would work. In the mean time, Charlie went back to Joe and pulled out his wallet.

He handed the man a ten dollar bill, "Joe, do me a favor and go to that shop a few doors down and grab me a pair of shoes. Black and a half size smaller than what you wear." Joe looked confused while Meyer just looked on with a knowing smirk on his face.

Meyer snatched the bill himself, "Come on Joe, I'll go with you."

Charlie looked at his smooth talking friend, "Get something nice, don't cheap out on me and then pocket the change."

Meyer tried his best to look wounded but his mirth over the situation showed through like sunlight through a window, "I'll get ya a receipt."

Charlie nodded and watched the two walk out. He returned to the screened off area just as Gordon was arriving holding a few suit pieces and some shirts. He set everything down and directed Tom to strip down all the way to his socks and undergarments. Tom looked apprehensive but Charlie nodded to him in encouragement so he did as he was told.

Charlie was continually blown away by the subtle perfection in Tom's body. He was quite pale though that was to be expected, but he had a striking mix of body features that seemed to come together and look beautiful in a way Charlie had rarely seen. He had none of the soft weight that came with being a well fed idle person. One could clearly make out his muscles but then his muscles were not so big as to indicate a working man. He was... fit. It was a word he'd rarely used to describe a person because fitness was not really something that people took seriously. Only athletes cared enough to have bodies such as this.

And it was obvious that the ready-made wear was made for people who weren't as fit as Tom. In order to get the length correct on the pants, they were cut a bit fuller to accommodate a larger man. The same was said for the shirt and probably for the jacket as well though the vest was a perfect snug fit. And the shirt was not as green as he'd hope. It was actually dark gray with a slight green striping. But the green silk tie helped make up for it. The outfit was fine for off the rack but when they got back to New York, Charlie would need to take Tom to a suit shop that had a greater variety of styles and fabrics.

As it was, Charlie examined the case set beside the register and called Gordon over after Tom had buttoned up the shirt, "Gordon, I'd like to get these for today as well. And can I get a copy of those measurements?"

Gordon looked up from buttoning Tom's shirt and nodded as he made his way over, "That won't be a problem."

The older man opened the case and picked up the silver eyelet collar pin and the simple silver cuffs. They weren't real silver, something like that would be in a jewelry store, but they'd get the job done for now. Gordon went back over to Tom and fastened the cuff links to the shirt and then tied the tie around Tom's neck before securing both it and the collar down with the eyelet pin. Tom was helped into the jacket and then he turned to face Charlie.

It wasn't a lie that Charlie felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Tom was stunning even in the slightly ill fitting clothing. Charlie swallowed and cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his reaction.

"Looks good Tom. That'll work for today."

Tom nodded as he stepped from the dais towards Charlie but the Sicilian had business to take care of and he wasn't quite ready to explain the concept of money to Tom yet, "Hey, why don't you look around while I talk to Gordon real quick."

Tom nodded and walked off to look at the shirt fabrics and Charlie turned back to Gordon as the man was coming around to go behind the register.

Charlie, again, pulled out his wallet, "What's the damage?"

Gordon pressed a few keys on his brass register before the little white porcelain tabs popped up proclaiming, '$62.46'. Charlie nodded and withdrew seventy dollars from his wallet and handed the bills over.

As he waited for his change Gordon said, "Something wrong with that boy?"

Charlie resisted the urge to tell him is was none of his business, he knew the man didn't mean anything by it, "He got conked on the head yesterday and some details are a little fuzzy for him."

The older man nodded in understanding as he handed Charlie his change.