11. Dom
ELEVEN
DOM
TWO WEEKS LATER
I went to Fitch’s apartment for the first time to deliver a gift. He’d been expecting me, so I could only assume he’d done his best to make sure it was clean and tidy.
And it was.
It was also meagre and dingy, for want of a better word. It was in dire need of fresh paint and new carpet, a whole new kitchenette, but the boys did keep it very clean.
They didn’t have much. Their furniture—a brown couch and a round dining table—looked old, second-hand probably. But it was theirs.
“I told you it was a shithole,” Fitch said, frowning as he looked around, seeing what I was seeing for the first time.
“Hey,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze. “It’s fine. It’s a roof over your head and somewhere to sleep, right? Don’t discredit what you’ve done for yourselves.”
His eyes met mine and he gave me a soft smile. “Well, yes. All that too. But it’s still a shithole.” He leaned up on his tippy toes for a kiss, then looked at my hands. “Did you say you were bringing something?”
“Ah, yes, it’s on its way up.”
Right on cue there was a knock, and when Fitch opened the door, he took one look at the delivery guy and what he was holding. Then he turned to me. “What did you do?”
“You said you didn’t have one,” I replied.
“But a television? Dominic, I can’t... I can’t take that! When you said a gift, I thought you meant a coffee mug with World’s Number One Dad written on it, or something.”
I didn’t want to say the TV wasn’t that expensive, nor was it the biggest or best I could have got him, because they couldn’t even afford one at all. I decided to go modest, and after seeing their flat, I’d made the right call. It was the perfect size for the room.
The delivery guy left the TV and took the empty box with him.
“Ky?” Fitch called out.
I wasn’t even aware that Ky was here, but sure enough, he came out of his room. He seemed to notice me and the television at the same time. “Oh,” he said quietly.
He was quiet by nature, from what I could gather. Taller than Fitch, but that wasn’t difficult; most people were. He was around the same age, thin, good-looking, sandy-coloured hair, with big blue eyes that never missed a thing.
“Can you set it up?” Fitch asked him, holding one of the TV cords.
Ky nodded and got busy, and Fitch gave me a shrug. “Ky’s good with the tech stuff.”
Then he remembered something. “Ooh, come have a look.” Fitch took my hand and led me to one of the doors down the small hall. He opened the door to reveal a bedroom.
There was a double bed with a cheap pine frame and pale blue covers and one old pine bedside stand, which was all fine. But there was also a tripod stand, a ring light, and on the bed, an array of different shaped boxes that contained... yep. Sex toys.
“This is Benji’s room,” Fitch said. “Well, it was. I don’t think he’ll be moving back in, even after the court case is done.”
“I don’t think Nolan wants him to, either,” I allowed. Nolan had never been happier, and I knew exactly how he felt.
“So I might have spent some of that extra money you gave me on something for you,” Fitch hedged. “Well, it’s for both of us... Okay, it’s pretty much just for me but it involves you, so...”
I couldn’t help but smile at his excitement. “What is it?”
He upended a bag onto the bed and some blue and grey fabric fell out. He picked up the grey piece, which turned out to be a shirt, and held it up. “Pyjamas,” he said.
I laughed, because on the front of the shirt in big letters was Good Things . Then he picked up the much smaller blue one and showed me the front. “Small Packages,” I said, reading the writing.
Fitch grinned. “They’re super soft. Don’t you just love them? Matching boyfriend pyjamas.”
Boyfriend.
First time we’d used that word, but given we were in love, it made sense.
“I love them,” I said, giving him a kiss. “Boyfriend.”
He beamed, so freaking happy, and seeing him thrive these last few weeks filled me with a rush of pride.
He picked up a box off the bed and showed me the front. “Penis pump with cock ring and masturbator sleeve,” he whispered, then pointed to the wall. “These are Ky’s. I think he’s into some freaky shit.”
I snorted. “Good for him.” Then I picked up one box and looked at the picture and description. “Prostate wand.”
Fitch laughed. “Vibrating prostate wand. The vibrating part is important.”
I chuckled as I looked at him. “You like these?”
“I’ve never used one before,” he whispered. “Thought I’d ask my daddy to help me try it out for the first time so I don’t embarrass myself on camera.”
I laughed and whispered back to him. “I think your daddy would like that very much.”
He buzzed with excitement and picked up a dildo, then proceeded to tap me on each of my shoulders. “I hereby anoint you as Sir Daddy.”
I chuckled. “Pretty sure that’s not how it works.”
Just then there was another voice in the living room, and a moment later, Benji appeared in the doorway with Nolan behind him.
Fitch launched himself at Benji, dildo still in hand, and collected him in a jumpy hug. They laughed and were soon infatuated with the sex toys, while I nodded to Nolan that we should give them some time.
Benji hadn’t been back to the unit in weeks, and they’d planned to have some boys’ time, fine-tuning the new lighting and camera placements for their Only Fans channel, while Nolan and I went down for a long overdue catch-up at 180.
I lifted Fitch’s chin so he’d look at me. “Be good.”
He smiled serenely back at me. “Have fun. Let me know when you’re leaving, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
It wasn’t even nine o’clock when we got to the bar, and I was surprised to see Leon and Marek already sitting in their usual chairs. They were an eclectic couple; Leon was stoic in his expensive dark Italian suit, whereas Marek usually had a little more flair with colour in French wool and his artfully thin moustache. They were ruthless in the courtroom and out of it.
It was as if they moved in sync and knew what the other was thinking. As if they could communicate without talking. I guess that was to be expected considering they’d been together twenty-something years.
They were a united front, always. Where there was one, there was the other. I wouldn’t like to be on the wrong side of them, and that was said as their friend.
“Ah,” Marek said, ushering us over. “Come take a seat. Sorry we couldn’t help when you texted us. We were in Melbourne, up to our eyeballs in litigation. You know how that is.”
Yes, Nolan and I knew all too well.
“Did you still need some advice?” Marek asked.
I sipped my whisky and shook my head. “I think I have it figured out. Sort of. It’s ongoing and there may be questions at some point.”
Both Marek and Leon stared at me, suspicious but not taking the bait.
“He’s got himself a boyfriend,” Nolan said. “Emphasis on the boy part.”
Leon quirked an eyebrow. “A boy?” He almost smiled but managed not to.
“He’s a bratty handful,” Nolan added.
I shot him a look. “Calling him that comes with privileges you do not have, my friend.”
The three of them laughed, and Marek’s eyes softened. “I’m happy for you. Do tell,” he said with a smirk. “And spare no details.”
“He’s friends with Nolan’s new guy. Though it’s a long story in which details cannot be shared, legally, I’m afraid.”
“Jesus, please tell me he’s legal,” Leon muttered. “Because I will inform the police, Dominic.”
I chuckled. “He’s almost twenty-one.”
Nolan sighed. “They’re deeply in love. It’s appalling.”
“Like you can talk,” I shot back.
Nolan pointed his chin at Leon and Marek. “Show them the photo,” he said, just like we’d planned.
I took out my phone and found the photo in particular. It was of the three of them on Nolan’s couch, though Benji’s face was hidden behind a cushion, Fitch’s face certainly was visible.
And Ky’s.
“Nolan’s boy’s laughing behind the cushion,” I said. “Fitch is the one wearing the shirt with Daddy’s Number One Boy on it. The other boy—” I paused. “—is their friend.”
We watched their reaction.
Stoic, calm, but Leon’s eyes widened a mere fraction, and Marek’s moustache twitched.
“I hope you two don’t ever play poker,” I said.
Their eyes met mine in unison. The cool and impassive stare would have made other men look away, but I knew them better than that.
“I take it you both know exactly who he is,” Leon said. “How? Did he say something?”
“Oh, heavens no,” I replied. “He wouldn’t say a word, not even to his friends. Nolan and I guessed. Assumed, perhaps. Though your reaction just now was all we needed.”
They still didn’t seem overly pleased, so Nolan put his glass on the table between us and explained. “We were all at my place and I happened to mention that Dominic should give you guys a call. I mentioned your names, and Ky turned around. As simple as that. Now, that kid can school his reactions on any subject, better than you two. But this was... reflex?” Nolan shrugged with a smile. “He gave nothing else away, though there was mention of him having two daddies, and Dom and I put two and two together.”
“We knew you had a regular boy,” I said. “And have done for some time. It just turns out that he is best friends with ours.”
“Small world, huh?” Nolan said, smiling.
Marek sighed dramatically. “For the sake of transparency and our friendship, we have an NDA in place and cannot divulge any details.”
Fitch had mentioned the NDA, and I couldn’t say I was surprised. I wasn’t sure what they could or couldn’t talk about, so I went with something safe.
“So you know about the Only Fans?” I hedged.
“Yes,” Leon said. “Of course.”
Marek smirked. “I’m looking forward to watching.”
I snorted. “Same. I’ll only be watching Fitch, of course. Would feel weird to watch the other two, sorry.”
Nolan laughed. “Thank god you said that.”
Leon sighed, leaned forward in his chair, and held up his glass. “To the Wylde Street Boys,” he said. Their channel name was fitting and clever, given the play on words.
We all reached our glasses in, clinking in cheers. “To the Wylde Street Boys.”