"I thought about it after our talk. I want to start by getting a date. Not a hookup date, but just to see if I can find someone I'll have enough of a click with after a few dates to… You know, do it. Have sex, I mean. Do the mentoring thing, as you called it."
Red spots bloomed on his cheeks, and he had never looked more flustered. Or more adorable. "That's a pretty daunting first step."
"Is it? I don't know. This whole virginity issue just feels so big to me, like a giant obstacle I keep running into. So maybe if I get that part out of the way, it'll make the next steps easier."
His reasoning was logical, but Calix didn't like it one bit. "Be careful, sweetheart. I hate to rain on your parade and sound all cynical, but there are a lot of wrong guys out there. Guys who will hurt you. You need to make sure you find someone who will be patient with you, who'll understand where you're coming from."
"I know. I'm not stupid enough to think otherwise. But I figure if I don't mention the virgin part and use an app that focuses on finding real dates and not just hookups, that I may be able to find someone who's attracted to me for who I am."
"Of course you will. You're…" How did he say this? So many words bubbled up inside him, but none of them seem to capture the truth adequately. "You're super cute and so sweet. I know you'll find the right man."
Even though he meant every word, it still cost him to get them out. Of course he wanted Rhett to be happy, and finding a boyfriend was an important part of that. Calix understood that. But at the same time, everything about that idea raised red flags to him. What if Rhett picked the wrong guy? What if some asshole on whatever app he used clued in on him being naïve and innocent? Some guys got off on corrupting men like Rhett.
He couldn't let that happen. Rhett was too precious, too fragile, and Calix was too protective of him. No, he'd have to find a way to guide him. Make sure he found the right guy, someone who would treat him the way he deserved to be cherished.
Rhett sat silently, sweet and trusting, a shy smile on his lips. Was that how much Calix's praise meant to him? That affirmed Calix’s thoughts. No way in hell would he let Rhett do this on his own. He needed help, whether he realized it or not, and Calix would make sure he got it.
22
Rhett studied the photo on his phone screen. The man going by the moniker SilverDaddy looked nice enough. He had piercing blue eyes, silver strands in his dark hair, which explained his name, and just enough scruff on his cheeks to make it look sexy and well maintained. Okay, he wasn't as hot as Calix, but he was definitely attractive. And he was older than Rhett by a good ten years. He hadn't even looked at guys his own age.
After much research, he'd chosen a dating app that was supposed to set up real dates, not just hookups. Considering how nervous he was about everything, he figured a few dates before they, hopefully, moved into the bedroom would be good. So far, his experience with SilverDaddy had given him hope he was on the right track.
He'd chatted with him on the app for two days. SilverDaddy had been nice, not pushy at all. Barely even flirting, just genuinely interested in getting to know Rhett better. He'd asked nothing deep or earth shattering, just questions about hobbies, what he liked to watch and read, his job. He'd shared enough to make it personal without revealing too much. He'd told him he was a photographer, but not where he worked, only that he was usually in downtown DC.
SilverDaddy seemed a good choice for a first date, but was he really going to do this?
SilverDaddy: How about we meet for coffee today? You free any time between shoots?
SilverDaddy was an account manager for an insurance firm, and his office was pretty close to the White House. Meeting him during his lunch break was doable. It would be in the middle of the day, so as safe as could be, and because Rhett would have to get back to work, he'd have a way out if his date wasn't going well.
But was he really going to go through with this? He had to if he ever wanted to move past this eternal stage of being single…and a virgin. Despite his hopes that somehow his virginal status would magically disappear all by itself, he'd have to make some scary decisions to change that.
He took a deep breath.
PrinceofPics: Okay. I can make time between noon and two. Where do you want to meet?
SilverDaddy: There's a coffee shop on 9th and F. 12:30. How does that sound?
PrinceofPics: Okay.
He knew that place well, so that was a big plus. It was always busy, which offered safety. And he didn't need to ask how they would recognize each other since they had exchanged pictures. The one benefit of being a photographer was that he was always behind the camera. As far as he knew, no photos of him had been published anywhere, so as long as SilverDaddy didn't have his real name, he would never know where Rhett worked.
He spent the morning photographing White House staff for the White House website and their personnel files. Luckily, that required enough brainpower he couldn't worry about the date too much. Of course, as soon as he was done and had packed up his stuff, his stomach went nuts with anxiety.
What the hell had he been thinking? He couldn't do this. As he thought of having to meet this man on his own, sweat broke out over his body, and his legs felt like jelly.
"Hey, want to grab lunch together?"
He spun around, almost tripping over his feet. "What?"
Calix chuckled. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together. For some magical reason, two of my appointments have been canceled, so I actually have time to eat. I thought you might want to celebrate that with me. We could grab something from the White House mess or pick up some takeout."
Oh god. No way in hell could he lie to Calix, but why did Calix have to ask him for lunch today of all days? This would lead to all kinds of questions, especially since Calix knew what Rhett was really after. Rhett had told him he wanted to date, but now that it was becoming real, the man was bound to have objections. He was protective, which Rhett secretly loved, but now it was inconvenient.
"I can't. I have a…an appointment."
Calix frowned. "An appointment?"
"Yes. During lunch. At a coffee shop."
Why had he added that last bit? If he had just kept it vague, Calix would never have known. People had lunch appointments all the time, for a haircut or to go to the dentist. He braced himself for the third degree.
"An appointment at a coffee shop. You mean a date?"
Rhett shuffled his feet. "I don't know if you could call it a date. It's the first time I'm meeting this guy. See if we click, you know?"
Calix's eyes narrowed. "What guy? Where did you meet him?"
Yup, and so it started. "Online? On a dating app? Like I told you two weeks ago?"
"Do you know his real name? Do you know anything about him that could help you identify him if needed?"
Rhett swallowed. "I chose this dating app because they vet everyone who wants to create a profile. So they already weed out candidates with criminal records and stuff. And they have people's real identity."
"That's a no, then."
Calix almost sounded angry, and Rhett didn't like his displeasure. "But I'm meeting him in the middle of the day in a coffee shop with plenty of other people around. I thought that was the safe thing to do."