Page 268 of Daddy's Pride

He opened his mouth like he was going to argue that, and I held up a hand to stop him.

“Daddy’s rules.”

“Oh,” he said, biting his lip as he looked down and squirmed again… but this time, it looked like he was trying not to smile, not nibbling on it from nerves.

I plated his sandwich, rinsed my hands, and tipped up his chin. “If you want something different, I need you to tell me, but otherwise, just let me take care of you tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” he whispered, subtly leaning into my hand before he blushed again and straightened up like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Then his eyes snagged on the green bracelet I was still wearing from the club. “What’s that?”

“Eat,” I said, my pulse ticking up again as I twisted it on my wrist, tempted to ignore the question.

Not that I had any shame over my lifestyle and interests, but it suddenly felt… wrong to tell my boy that I’d been at a club to try and find another boy for the night when he’d messaged me.

But it felt even more wrong to lie to him, so I got over myself and answered.

“Are you familiar with Sweet Abrasion, baby boy?”

He shook his head, his eyes wide and cheeks full as he chewed.

I cleared my throat. “It’s, ah, a kink club that I belong to.”

He stopped chewing, his eyes getting even wider.

“Juan and I were there tonight when you called, and this—” I held up my wrist, “—is something they ask us to wear to identify our intentions for the night.”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing and his eyes still ringed in all white.

“Intentions? Um, what do you mean? Is it like, um, like a… sex club?”

I would have found the way his voice dropped to a shy, nervous whisper with those last two words completely adorable if some part of me hadn’t felt tense with the kind of nerves I hadn’t felt in years.

No, he wasn’t going to be mine. Not that way. And yet… I didn’t want to scare him off.

No, that wasn’t it.

I didn’t know what it was.

I rubbed my chest, but forced a calm, confident smile on my face. “Yes, baby. Sex sometimes happens there, along with other things. And sometimes people go to participate in those things, and sometimes they just go to spend time with friends. The bracelets let people know at a glance if someone is there to play or not on any particular night.” I cleared my throat. “To, ah, participate.”

“Play, like, you mean have sex? And… and do, um, other kinky things?”

“That’s right.”

“Oh.”

He picked up his sandwich and took another bite, and I’d never felt so fucking lost in my life.

Then he put it back down and asked, “And that’s what I interrupted tonight, when I messaged you?”

I scrubbed my fingers back through my hair. “Well, I was there, yes, but I don’t feel like it was an interruption. If you ever need me, there’s nowhere else I want to be.”

He blushed again, smiling a little, but then his eyes drifted back to my bracelet. “And how does that let people know what you want?”

I looked down at it too, clearing my throat again. “Well, they’re color-coded, sweetheart.”

He nodded. Took another bite. Glanced at my bracelet again, then back down at his sandwich.

Then he finally looked up, chewing on his lip again. “What does green mean?”