Page 38 of Controlled Burn

Caleb: I don’t really have any. I thought today would be a good day to curl up on the couch and read.

Me: That sounds perfect. Wish I could join you.

Caleb: I do, too. What are you cooking for the men today?

Me: Keeping it simple today. Going to toss a couple of chickens in the oven to roast.

Caleb: LOL. Doesn’t sound simple to me.

Me: Don’t worry. By the time we’re done, baking a chicken will be a walk in the park for you. Don’t forget, I’ll be there to pick you up when I get off shift tomorrow so we can go shopping and do your meal prep.

Caleb: I’ll be ready.

When I got off shift Sunday morning, I didn’t bother going home. I went straight to Caleb’s so we could make it to the Farmers’ Market early enough to have our pick of the produce.

I asked Caleb if he’d ever been before, and he said he hadn’t. Of course, to call the place we were headed to a Farmers’ Market was a bit of a misnomer. My understanding was it had started out that way—a place for the local farmers in the area to come over the weekend and sell their harvest. But at some point, it had grown to something more of a bazaar than a true Farmers’ Market.

Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of stands that sold produce, honey, and fresh-cut flowers, but there were also just as many booths that sold handcrafted items. The only rule was that the items they sold had to be handmade locally. It was always fun to take a walk around and see just how talented a lot of Vesper’s residents were.

Caleb was ready and waiting for me when I arrived. The first thing I did was wrap him up in a nice, long hug. My boy had told me he liked hugs, and I intended to make sure he got his fill. He reacted the same way he had Friday night. First, he stiffened in surprise, and then his whole body quickly relaxed, melting against me. I held on until he squirmed a little bit, letting me know he’d had enough. Then I took a step back and smiled down at him.

“So, are you ready to hit the Farmers’ Market?”

“I am. I even went by the ATM and got some cash because I figured a lot of those booths won’t take cards.”

I had to resist the urge to tell him that he didn’t need any money because I would pay. That might be the way things would be with any boy who was truly mine, but as I reminded myself for the hundredth time, Caleb wasn’t really my boy. This was very temporary and just pretend.

“That was good thinking ahead. A lot of the vendors will have QR codes posted that they use to accept various electronic methods of payment, but a lot of the more old-fashioned ones don’t, and a lot of times they have some of the best stuff.”

We walked out to the car, and he went to the passenger side. He reached for the door handle, but I gently gripped his forearm and stopped him.

“Let me get that for you.” His cheeks reddened, and he ducked his head, but he didn’t put up a fuss and just took a step back and let me open the door for him. He took a seat, and I reached in, pulling the seatbelt across him and snapping it into place. Then I shut the door, went around to the driver’s side, and got in.

I turned in my seat and looked at him. “So, this isn’t so much a rule as a preference, okay?” I waited, and he nodded. “When you’re with me, my job is to take care of you. So I get the doors, and I carry the bags, okay?”

I could practically see his brain turning, and I knew he was weighing his words carefully. Smart boy. Finally, he said, “I’m not a girl. And you don’t have to treat me like I’m delicate.”

I ran my eyes up and down his body, let out a low chuckle, and gave him a satisfied grin. “Believe me, Caleb, I’m well aware you’re not a female. And this isn’t about me treating you like you’re delicate. It’s about me wanting to take care of the person I’m with. That’s the appeal of being a Daddy to me.”

“You know, I’ve given a lot of thought to what I, as a boy, would get out of having a Daddy, but I never really gave much thought about what the appeal was for you. I guess I just assumed it was a power thing. You know, wanting to be in control.”

I chuckled. “Oh, make no mistake, boy, it’s very much about me wanting to be in control. But I want that control so I can take care of you. That’s what makes me a Daddy and not just a Dom.”

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” he said. “Just know, I might forget sometimes because I’m not used to having someone else do things like that for me.”

“It’s okay. It’s all a learning process. That’s why we’re doing this, remember?”

We made the trip out to the place where the Farmers’ Market was held, and even as early as it was, there were already a ton of cars in the parking lot. Caleb did good and waited for me to come around and open the door for him. He stepped out and looked around.

“Wow, I didn’t expect there to be this many people here this early.”

“This place is really popular. And this time of year, especially because all the summer fruits and vegetables are starting to come in.”

Caleb

I couldn’t believe I’d never been to the Farmers’ Market before. It hadn’t sounded like something that would interest me, but the name was misleading. They had so many booths set up. I could’ve spent all day wandering around and looking at things.

“I appreciate you bringing me here. I didn’t expect it to be so big, and I thought it would just be food stuff.”