Crimson Ties Novels & Stories

Now, though, he headed into the shop the way he’d bolt for the umbrella stand in a downpour. ‘Only to look,’ he told himself. Did ties come with age ranges? He’d always been so afraid of looking like one of his father’s colleagues that he’d gone for bright colors and avoided anything in maroon or with stripes on principle. Had he gone too far? It wasn’t like all his ties featured Disney characters. Maybe Maxima simply didn’t have a sense of humor. Liam pored over the display case of men’s ties. What he saw were paisleys and dots and stripes and ensigns in colors ranging from bright yellow to black.

I head upstairs to find the twins engaged in a tug-of-war with the white uniform. “Boys,” I say firmly. “The uniform.” They immediately let go. “He took mine!” Oliver accuses. “Because his is dirty!” Noah defends himself. “And it’s training day!” “Oliver,” I turn to him, “why aren’t you wearing your spare uniform?” He lowers his gaze. “I forgot to take it out of my bag after the last practice.” “And is it…?” “Stained with chocolate,” he admits quietly. Noah crosses his arms, triumphant. “See? That’s why I need mine!”

His sleeves rolled up. His tie…missing.

"Look, my friend. I just want you to be okay. When you need a shoulder to lean on, you can count on me." Carmen enters a men's clothing store to buy a gift for her boyfriend. And I have the idea of buying a souvenir for Jonathan. I fell in love with a silk tie with a different color, something between violet and purple, which will surely stand out in his suits. While talking to Carmen, I get distracted looking at pots, dishes, cutlery. I buy some dishcloths with Arabian motifs, pillows, and cushions.

Her eye fell on the tie and jacket he’d left that morning. What if she…uh…accessorized? It would be one way of demonstrating she was absolutely and enthusiastically on board with the things he was into. She approached the tie casually, as if she was underconfidently cruising it. It was beautiful, like just about everything Aiden owned. Charvet from the label on the underside. A power tie. Dark gold silk with paler gold diagonal stripes. Gorgeous. This splash of bold color, such a contrast to his sober suit. A moment or two and then she picked it up.

I thought it was perfect with just the four men. The ladies asked me about the ties for their men and I smiled "if Tristan is sticking to the original plan the guys will be wearing bolero ties. He just needs to pick out what is going to be holding them together. Patrice, Lucy, and Natsuko looked at me funny and I giggled "it is basically either a piece of leather, rope, or braided rope and it is usually braided rope with different types of pendants holding them together.

He really does want me to pick his ties. Swallowing the nerves jumbling in my stomach, I step up to the drawer and lean over it. Nolan’s presence behind me is heavy, and it gets warmer as he comes closer. I try to ignore the warmth and the butterflies that flutter in my chest as I look over the ties. The suit is black, as is the shirt that goes under it, so I pick up two ties. One blood-red one and another that’s royal blue. “I think one of thes—”

"Make me, President." The air between them crackled. Students stopped to watch. Vespera narrowed her eyes. She reached out, grabbed the ends of his tie, and yanked him forward. With quick, angry movements, she knotted the tie perfectly, tightening it until it was snug against his throat. "Choke on it," she whispered, smoothing the silk. Cyprian grinned. "My favorite color is red, by the way. Just in case you ever decide to wear something other than that stiff blazer."

I checked the price and picked an emerald green wrap dress. However, the recollection of Mr.Colton's expressed desire for a crimson-red dress to match his tie lingered in my mind. I returned the verdant gown and picked the one of crimson red shade. It costed almost all the money I had and all I was left with was $3.

I was about to go after the tailor. "This is the one, prince! Little white tie to match Crazy's dress," Rick smiled at me and I frowned. "But if you insist on wearing the other one, that's fine. You can sort it out with your wife later," Alexander patted my shoulder and looked at the tie. "Look, it has a little shimmer like a gray, almost silver." "You guys are having fun with this, aren't you?!" I stared at them and they were laughing. "You got lucky, Alexander, that Cat doesn't care about colors."