Page 176 of Naughty November
EDGING GLORY
R.A. FRICK
ONE
DADDY SHELDON
“Gus, you can’t drool on our guests.” My friend, A, tugs at his bulldog’s collar to pull him back. Gus grunts and huffs in indignation, but his wet, toothy grin doesn’t let up. “At least not without asking permission first.”
“Does that rule apply to human pets, too?” I can’t help asking, wiping drool off my jeans and reaching out to scratch him behind the ears. Gus’ ears, not my friend’s. A laughs and doesn’t realize I’m being serious, but his sub overhears us.
“It does, actually.” Cielo comes down the last few steps into the cozy entryway, staying one step up to see me over A’s broad-shouldered frame. Cielo’s blue hair falls to the side as they look up at me with a mischievous smile. “But I’m better at using my words than Gus Gus is.”
“We could always gag you and change that,” A teases and slides his arm around Cielo’s waist. “Tie you up and spank you while you’re gagged and drooling.”
Q, A’s husband, comes up behind the two of them with a squirming puppy in his arms. “Are you threatening our boi?”
Q is more of a Daddy Dom, like me, while A is Cielo’s Handler. I’ve known them for years, but I’m visiting to meet their new pup of the four-legged variety, a bulldog mix they recently rescued. Human dynamics are confusing and ever-changing. Animals are easier to understand.
“This must be Pumbaa?” I can’t contain my smile, feeling my lips stretch wide at the sight of the white and red spotted puppy.
“He is, and he’s a lover,” A answers like that’s a bad thing.
Q is taller than the other two, so I stretch my arms up to take the puppy from him and am greeted with incessant licks. He snorts and sneezes in my face and I see A holding out his hands like I’m about to give the dog back to his dads. I’m not.
“Aren’t you just the cutest puppy to ever pup? Yes, you are,” I cajole, squishing his wriggling body to mine so I don’t drop him. “You can drool on me all you want, Pumbaa. Did I mention I love his name? Gus and Pumbaa make great names for brothers.”
“Thanks,” Cielo replies, but I only had eyes for Pumbaa. “Why don’t we go sit down? He doesn’t like being held for too long.”
“Oh,” I nod, realizing Q and A have already left the entryway without my noticing and headed further into their three-story townhome. I remember their dog having his own room, but that is upstairs, and with Q carrying the short-legged pup down to greet me, I have to assume we aren’t going up there because Pumbaa hasn’t mastered the steps yet. “Of course.”
My friends are sitting in their living room with drinks in hand, and snacks on a higher sideboard instead of on the coffee table. Puppy proofing is in effect. A offers me a drink and I reluctantly let Pumbaa down to the floor so I can accept the water from him. A is a Dom to Cielo, but he is also a service sub. I’m no good at hosting, but he seems to enjoy it.
“So, what have you been up to? Dating anyone?” Cielo asks.
Whoever said submissives were shy didn’t know many subs who loved to gossip. Cielo always got right to the point. Sometimes when I would rather they didn’t.
“Working, mostly,” I admitted, watching as Pumbaa tried to get Gus to play. The older bulldog only cracked one eye open and snortedat his little brother, so Pumbaa found a chew toy to occupy him. My ADHD is minimized by medication, but I still have to remind myself what they had asked me after being distracted. “I had a date a few weeks ago.”
“Oh, how did that go? No second date or just a hookup?” A asks, sipping tea and leaning forward. He likes gossip as much as Cielo, and reminds me of the tea meme, making me chuckle and shake my head.
“No, we didn’t click.” My brain replays the moment when I realized I’d been talking about my latest random neurodivergent obsession, amphibians, and I looked up to see my date’s eyes glazed over. He checked the time and said he had somewhere to be before they asked if we wanted dessert. I tell them all of this before sighing, “I think he wanted the strong and silent type.”
“Boo, how boring.” Cielo rolls his eyes and waves a hand towards his partners, “Daddies are better at dirty talk when they can hold a conversation.”
“Good to know.” Q smiles indulgently at his boi, who squirms under his gaze. I want that easy relationship, where one look from me can convey so much. I’m in my head when his attention is back on me. “Are you looking for a romantic partner or more of a match kink-wise?”
“Oh, hmm, both?” I answer as if I’m asking.
Picking Pumbaa up to rub his chubby puppy belly, I think about his question. What do I want? Petting animals helps clear my mind, and the words flow without overthinking them.
“I’d like a kink partner I could also date, not only to scene with. But I haven’t found both in one person. Some people don’t like my personality, others aren’t into the same things as me. Ideally, I want someone who wants a Daddy-lite. I’m not overly nurturing or wanting a little that needs me for everything, and I’m not so possessive that I need monogamy, and those seem to be common things everyone wants in a Daddy-boy relationship.”
“We aren’t monogamous or the type of Daddies who have to micromanage our boi’s life,” Q points out before turning to A, who nods at some unspoken agreement. They have that psychic communication from decades together, and it makes me pine for my own partner tolove even more. Q pulls my attention back to him, “Sheldon… You should know that we’re doing a fun event next month where people can try out new kinks. Maybe you could meet someone with common interests there?”
“What kind of event?”
“There will be a list,” A interjects, “and people are supposed to pick at least one they’ve always been curious about trying. It’s online and at dungeons. We’re doing it at X Club, of course.”