He was fucking high as a kite.
Sure, it was kind of fast. But it felt right. He’d never felt so complete before.
He’d never had a talk like that with anyone either. Troy was just so… real. Everything Troy did mattered.
That made his responsibility real too. Damn. If he thought too hard about this he might—
“Ow! Shit.”
“You okay?” Emma blinked at him from behind the counter, not really looking all that worried.
“Yeah. Pinched myself in the… under the fender.” Hard enough the end of his finger went numb for a second.
“Your head is in the clouds, my friend. Completely.” She grinned at him. “Good weekend?”
“The best. The. Best.” He put his tools down and hurried over. “He’s fascinating, and I’m so not enough for him, but I’m going to try to be.”
“Yeah? Do tell.” Her grin turned wicked. “I’m assuming this means he can get it up?”
He laughed and rolled his eyes. “That is definitely not a problem. He has a ton of stamina. We’re totally compatible that way. But he wants that, and he wants a Dom. And… maybe more. Definitely more, I think. Hopefully.”
Jesus. Definitely I think maybe I hope? What the hell was wrong with him?
“Oh, you are hooked through the balls. Seriously. So, spill. Your party went well, then.”
“The party was interesting. Good, but just… so different. There were a bunch of couples there, all couples actually, except Troy. I asked him if he wanted to… well, be mine for the evening, and he agreed. Everyone was shocked. Happy for him I think but, like, seriously shocked. I could totally tell these guys had been hanging out together for a long time, they were really supportive, completely at ease. It was… nice. But man, talk about being out of my comfort zone. I was paying very close attention.”
He’d never felt so young and inexperienced, but he hadn’t felt judged for it, he’d felt… accepted. Embraced even. Welcome.
“I bet it was weird. I mean, they’re old enough to be your dad. I like that they were cool, though.” Emma went and grabbed them both a Coke. “So, seriously. Was it just like a party or were there guys having formal scenes? Because that might wig me right out.”
“It was a social thing. Troy says sometimes they do stuff like that, if it happens it happens, but mostly it’s more hanging out, having dinner, casual stuff. And this time, one of the subs had a meltdown and screamed at Troy, and everyone kind of took care of the sub and his Dom, and Troy too. They totally fixed it together. You’ll meet them. Matt, the Dom? He wants to get his sub some kind of adaptive bike. The guy lost a lot of one leg overseas. I figured you’d be all over that.”
“Oh, you know I love that.” Her eyes lit up. Emma was fascinated by the different adaptations that were available, and Saul thought she liked knowing that she was doing something truly useful. The hazards of being the daughter of two doctors, he guessed.
He grinned at her. “You think we can do it for them at no cost? I mean, veteran and all. We can cover it, right?”
“I’ll call the big boss, but we have a budget for it, so I vote yes.”
The door opened, a guy with a bag in one hand and a cup in the other. “I have an order for Saul?”
“I’m Saul, but I didn’t order anything.” He looked at Emma. “Did you?”
“No. Are you sure…”
“The note says ‘enjoy your lunch, sir’. It’s from the Spiked Butterfly?”
“Oh!” The rush was almost inexplicable, but he felt the warmth in his cheeks and the way his heart was beating hard. Damn. “That’s uh…. Yeah. That’s for me. Thank you.” He dug into his pockets for a tip.
“No need. I’ve been taken care of. Have a good day, dude. Killer shop.”
“Thanks. Have a good one.” He looked like he’d been taken care of, too. He put the bag on the counter and peered in. “Huh. He sent me lunch.”
There was a patty melt, fries, a salad, and a piece of chocolate cake. Wow. Just… wow.
“Huh.” Emma imitated him so well. “I guess he maybe kinda sorta definitely likes you.”
That just made him blush harder. “Shut up. How sweet is this?”
“Did you guys say twenty-four-seven?”
“I guess?” Had they said that exactly? Is that how this worked? He was good with that. “Or he’s just being nice.”
“You might want to clarify, but one way or the other, that’s cool. I’m jealous. I need to find a girl who cooks.”
“It’s pretty handy.” He grinned. “I guess I’m taking a quick lunch break.” That was a joke because really all it meant was that he was going to sit in the chair behind the counter and eat. They couldn’t afford to only have one person working at a time, there was always something to do.
He went after the fries first, offering her some. His boy had sent him lunch. He wasn’t positive it was meant that way, but he decided that was how he was going to take it. It was kind of awesome having someone care whether he ate today.
“That’s so cool, buddy. I mean, seriously. Your new guy sent you lunch.”
Yes, and even when he knew Troy had to be tired and sore. He pulled his phone out.
Know ur prob slammed just wanted to say ty for lunch. Yummy. Hang in today. Can I see u tonite?
Troy probably wanted a night off, but Saul wanted to see the boy, make sure he was okay. Let him snuggle.
Not sleep alone.
Emma was right. He was hooked through the balls. Shit.
It took about fifteen minutes before his phone buzzed.
I’d love to. Need me to pick you up?
He’d better get a truck; this was starting to get embarrassing. Do u mind? off at 6.
I’ll be there with bells on :D
Kinky.
Hanging from those nipple bars maybe.
“Oh!” He looked at Emma who was nose-deep in ordering by then. “He is pierced! Nipples, PA, guiche. I think he’s considering more. Wow.”
“Dude! Okay, that counts as hot, full stop. You going to watch the next one?”
“I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess I will. He’s—” Mine. “I’m his Dom, right?”
“Right. That’s one of the bennies, huh?”
He nodded. “It is. One I want to be sure I take advantage of. He’s got a complicated relationship with decision-making.” Hopefully Troy had gotten the message that he wanted to be in on decisions like piercings and ink. He didn’t think he’d say no but wanted the privilege all the same. “He’s been alone a long time. A really long time.”
“Did he say why? I mean, obviously he’s good-looking; he caught your eye.” Emma stole another fry.
“Well he lost the love of his life twenty years ago, so… but I don’t know if he knows why he stayed single this long. I do know he’s had trouble finding a Dom, but he hasn’t mentioned why he hasn’t found a regular lover.” He had thoughts about it, things tied to having been closeted for so long with Arnie, things tied to age, reasons that Troy had given up looking. “I’m pretty sure he didn’t expect… I’m pretty direct when I want something.”