Full Service : (Franklin U 2 Book 5)

Chapter 16

Well, I didn’t realize I could be so happy. Who knew that I just needed an Everly in my life to make me smile? My mouth doesn’t know what to do with itself. It positively hurts.

But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s only been a few weeks since this all started, but fuck, it’s all gotten so much more intense since he moved in and started sleeping in my bed. I love coming home and knowing that I’ll get to see him. Even if it’s just for a little while late at night.

Some days he works late at the club, and I end up dozing, trying to wait up for him. But when he has those late nights, he sneaks in and slips into bed beside me, pressing kisses to my shoulders and neck.

How I ever thought I could keep this professional is beyond me.

Everly is addicting.

I would snort him like a drug if I could.

“How about we go away this weekend?” Everly suggests. “We could go to Monterey Bay and go skinny dipping in the sea.”

“I can’t. I have plans,” I say, feeling my stomach drop at the missed opportunity. No, I wish I could go away this weekend, but sadly this weekend I have that ungodly ribbon dance with Lee. I can’t cancel on him. I just fucking can’t do that to him. He’s been so looking forward to this.

God knows why.

He probably enjoys seeing me blush.

“Aw, what are you doing instead? Can I come?”

“Absolutely not,” I mutter. “You are forbidden from coming anywhere near it.”

I will not have Everly see me on stage waggling ribbons around my head. That is too unhinged and so damn mortifying. I will never live it down.

“Why not?” he asks, leaning up on his elbows and staring down at me as we lie in bed. He positively glows in the dim light of my room. Or maybe that’s the body glitter he can’t ever quite scrape off his skin after a night of pulling his clothes off for a living.

Can’t say I disapprove though. I quite like how shimmery he is.

“Why not? Well, for one, it’s embarrassing.”

His eyes widen. “Is that so? Well, now I want to go even more.”

I roll my eyes and pull him down for a kiss, hoping to distract him long enough for him to forget about this damn thing. But of course, he doesn’t. He brings it back up again minutes later, causing me to sigh.

“Fine, I’ll tell you what it is, but I won’t tell you where it will be. I won’t have you showing up and witnessing it.”

“I mean, this only makes me more intrigued. And I have been known to stalk people I’m interested in.”

“Since when?”

“Since I met you.”

I feel my chest constrict, and I pull him in for another kiss. Can’t help it when it comes to this man, apparently. I’m a weak soul.

Everly sighs and then nuzzles into me. It’s addicting. I love how cuddly he is. “Now tell me your dirty little secret, Professor. I need to know or I will die.”

I hold my breath for a moment and then blurt, “Fine. I was roped into a ribbon dance with LoveJoy.”

His head comes up, and he eyes me. “A ribbon dance? With AlmondJoy. Why is this the first I’m hearing of it?”

“It’s not something I like to advertise. This entire thing is the bane of my existence. Every time I think of it I want to die.”

“And how is AlmondJoy involved?”

“He is directing this horrific dance that he created while high in the woods. So I’m not dancing with him, but I’m doing some kind of coordinated ribbon thing with an older man I met at the grocery store. Don’t ask me more. I can’t cope with the reality of this. I really can’t.”

His lips twitch, his eyes alight with something I don’t recognize.

“An older man? Should I be jealous?”

“God no. No. He could be your grandfather.”

“Ah, so if he’s a grandpa, why doesn’t he ask his family to do it?”

“Well, they flaked, so it was left to me.”

“Hm, they sound like real assholes.”

“Probably are, to be honest. And to think…”

I cut my train of thought off, but it only makes Everly more curious.

“What? You can’t end a sentence like that.”

Everly continues to gaze at me, and I sigh. “Fine, he has a grandson he wants to set me up with. He’s always harping on about it, but don’t worry, I always refuse.” Everly’s eyes narrow, and I press a hand to his chest. “Really, Everly, I won’t be seeing Junior no matter how much Lee begs me to.”

Everly bites his bottom lip and glances away from me.

“Junior? Hm. Has a nice ring to it.”

I sense the insecurity on his face and cup his cheeks gently. “Really. Don’t you worry. I’m not interested in that man. I’ve never met him and don’t plan on it. Not at all.”

“But you never know. He could be devastatingly handsome. All your dreams come true.”

Well, that’s impossible, I think. Because the only man of my dreams is right here on top of me. Not that I say that. Everly is young, impossible to tie down. I will not be scaring him off with grand propositions and feelings when I just got him.

Fuck no.

I’m going to keep him as long as I can by staying quiet.

Until he finds out that boring and stable isn’t what he wants.

Then I’ll deal with the broken heart, lick my wounds, and move on.

“I’m happy here with you,” I reply and then roll us over until I’m straddling him. He blinks up at me, my hands sliding down his chest until my fingers curl under the waistband of his boxer briefs.

“You sure?”

“I’m fucking sure. Now forget about ribbon dances. I would very much like to pretend that it never happened.”

He nods up at me and rolls his lips between his teeth. “I can do that.”

“Good because we have more important matters to discuss.”

He raises an eyebrow as I scoot down his body, my mouth right at his crotch. I pull the fabric of his boxers down and stare at his weeping cock.

“Very important oral matters.”

“Oral matters are very dire,” he agrees, and I let out a laugh.

“I think so too. It would be so unethical to ignore this.”

“So unethical.”

The day leading up to the ribbon dance sours my mood more than it should. By the time I enter Lee’s residence at the retirement home and see him decked out in hot pants, I nearly keel over and die. My heart can’t cope with this.

I’m in a near state of panic. I can feel my heartbeat in my eyeballs.

“I refuse to do this, Lee,” I hiss as I come to a stop, trying not to look at his bare legs in those bright pink shorts. “Absolutely refuse. If you make me, I will never bring you to the diner to get french fries again.”

“Pfft, stop being ridiculous. You’re here. You’re doing it. Now change into these.”

He hands me a pair of bright purple shorts that are far too short, and I shake my head.

“Fuck no.”

“Sun’s out. Bun’s out,” he says with a clap of his hands and a high-pitched cackle. “And when you get changed, LoveJoy will be by to help us put on ribbons. They’re even color-coordinated with our outfits.”

“Good fuck,” I murmur as I take the shorts from him.

“And where is the shirt, Lee? Hm?”

“No shirt. Just ribbons.”

“Good God. I want to die,” I grumble as I move into the bathroom and change. There’s no point in arguing. Lee knows this. I know this, but when I catch a look at myself in the mirror, I clasp my hands in front of my crotch and squeal.

“Lee! These are more than buns out! My balls are dangling.”

“Oh, really? Show me,” he says, and I peer out of the bathroom at him.

“There is no way I can wear these out in public. This is indecent.”

“Well, how can I decide if they are if you hide in there?”

I glower at him and watch as his eyes positively twinkle. “Fine, Lee, you pervert. You want to see my nuts. Go right ahead.”

I step out and let them dangle. Like ornaments on a tree.

Lee giggles and slaps a hand over his eyes. “Good lord, boy. Put those away.”

“I don’t think I will!” I reply, feeling defiant now. Maybe I should make sure everyone sees my balls. Maybe this is what they get.

A ball sac ribbon dance.

“Silas!” Lee says with a wheeze. “Change those shorts. You are going to scare everyone away.”

“Good. Let them see my goods. You bought me these shorts and insisted I wear them. This is your fault.”

“It was a joke.”

“Yes, well, joke’s on you, old man. I quite like them,” I lie. “I just need the ribbons to complete the outfit. I can put some on my balls too.”

“Do not do that!” Lee says with another wheeze.

“I will!”

Lee’s face is red, tears streaming down his face.

“You wouldn’t.”

But oh, I will. I’m fully committed now. Damnable Lee and his silly shorts.

LoveJoy is thrilled with this new development though. Of course he is. He’s not bothered at all by the fact that when he appears, I ask him, straight-faced, to put ribbons on my privates.

He grins widely and waggles his eyebrows.

“Fabulous! I love your imagination. And I love the shorts. Very indecent, Dr. Sinclair.”

I frown at him, hating that he’s reminding me that I’m a professor and should most definitely not be prancing around in hot pants with ribbons on my balls, but here we are.

It’s not like my students hang out with these old people.

I can wear my ribbons with dignity.

“Yes, I’m very imaginative. That’s me.”

LoveJoy grins widely at me. “Wonderful. Now let me decorate the rest of your body with these. You two are going to make waves.”

“I hope I drown,” I say, watching as LoveJoy attaches ribbons to my arms and legs, and when he gets to my balls, I just roll my eyes to the ceiling and let him have at it.

I have made a terrible mistake. A huge, no-good mistake by letting LoveJoy tie these ribbons to my balls. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn, but here I am, waiting to go on stage with Lee and regretting all my life choices.

“I need to go back and change out of these,” I say, the ribbons tickling my inner thighs as they blow in the slight breeze from the open windows.

“You can’t. We go on next,” Lee says, pulling a comb from the pocket of his walker and brushing it through his hair.

“Good lord,” I murmur and wish I could just disappear into the earth.

I’d very much like to sink into the floor and reappear in another time. A time when I’m not enrolled in the ribbon dance and didn’t get stubborn and have LoveJoy tie ribbons to my balls.

He enjoyed that far too much.

Really had a lot to say about them.

Apparently, they’re very lopsided and in need of a good trimming.

I’ll have to ask Everly about this. He will be honest and tell me if they should be examined. Or maybe altered.

Because, quite frankly, if he likes them, then I don’t fucking care about anything else.

I feel the beat of the music beneath my feet and the cheering from the crowd. I can’t even watch what the others are doing up on stage. The couple performing now is the young woman I met a couple weeks ago and her grandmother. The poor woman just stared at me and sighed as she walked past me to the stage, ribbons in her hair, on her fingers, and her ankles.

I have no idea what she’s been doing up there. I haven’t been looking.

All I know is that she’s most definitely not showing off her lady bits.

“Let’s raise the roof for these incredible dancers!” LoveJoy shouts, and the sound of his voice makes my ears ring. Oh god. This is terrible.

I need to run away and hide. But then again, the look of pure joy on Lee’s face makes me stay put. He’s living for this, for my utter humiliation.

All too soon, the music fades and Lee hops around on his feet. Well, as much as he can hop. And then he’s squeaking onto the stage, a bright grin on his face. I follow forlornly, tugging my shorts down as far as I can to hide my balls. No one wants to see them.

Really, they’re not that great.

“And now for the stars of the show, the crazy and wild Lee and Silas!” LoveJoy hoots into the mic. He’s flapping his arms around, directing all gazes toward us. Garrett is standing in the audience, waving his arms around in a sensual wave, waggling his head to the sound of an upbeat Enya. Everyone is enjoying this more than me.

Every-damn-one.

I close my eyes and feel my nostrils flare just as a round of applause picks up. I’m trying like hell not to glance at the dozens of onlookers, staring at us as the music grows louder.

“Let’s make some fucking noise!” Garrett shouts, his words in great contrast to the music currently bellowing through the speakers.

Not that anyone seems to care about the foul language. This is a den of heathens and sinners.

Lee is wiggling around, his head bobbing ferociously, his butt bobbing as he holds onto his walker. And I can’t help but join in. Because we rehearsed this. It’s only three minutes up here. It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

My arms flap upward and flutter around me, the ribbons whipping around as I move, and close my eyes once more, trying like hell to not think about what I’m doing. But curiosity gets the better of me and I peek an eyeball open, only to see Lee grinding on his walker and immediately shut it once more.

I don’t need to see that.

I really don’t. Then again, no one needs to see me either. I bet they’re all closing their eyes as well. They probably don’t want to see the ribbons on my balls and dangling down my thighs.

“Look at that ass!” a voice suddenly shouts from the audience.

My heart stutters, and I stop moving, my eyelids fluttering open. I know that voice.

I fucking know it.

“That’s my man! Mine!” he shouts.

My eyes pop open all the way, and there he is.

Everly.

I feel my entire body set aflame at just the mere glimpse of him. If I get a boner on stage, I will have to retreat to the mountains of Tibet and never return.

Fuck, why is he here? How did he find me, and why the fuck is he holding a sign?

One that reads, “Ribbon dancers do it better!”

He grins widely at me and winks.

“Shake that ass, Dr. Sinclair!”

My mouth drops open and my hands cover my groin, trying to hide my balls from him. Which is ridiculous. They were in his mouth earlier. He rolled them around his tongue quite nicely.

When I don’t shake my ass like he wants me to, Everly moves through the crowd toward me, hopping on stage with far more coordination than is necessary, and pulls me into him, grinding against me, using those stripper moves that he knows so well. Everyone is screaming now. Even Lee is hooting, throwing ribbons at us while LoveJoy growls lowly into the mic.

It’s insanity. This entire thing is ridiculous, but I don’t move away. I just stand there as Everly drags his hands down my bare chest and squats, his face right there, peeling my hands away from my crotch.

His eyes slash up to mine as he tugs on the ribbons and a sensual pain lances up my thighs.

Fucker. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

But before I can tell him off, he spins around and drags his ass up my legs before standing up, his left arm weaving around my neck as he uses me like a pole. I let out a low groan as he plays me like an instrument. And fuck, I don’t mind being played.

He can play me all goddamn day.

“Look at that. Two lovebirds grinding on stage! Isn’t love grand?” LoveJoy coos, and a second later, the music finally comes to an end. Thank God it’s over, despite everyone hollering for more, for an encore.

But I refuse. I won’t be on this stupid stage for one more second.

And Everly shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here.

“What are you doing here?” I growl into his ear as he leans back against me, his chest heaving slightly. Like he’s run a marathon.

I thought he was more fit than this.

Everly doesn’t answer, just spins around and presses a kiss to my lips, right in front of the crowd. It only makes them more feral, hungry for more of a show.

These are horny fuckers, it seems.

“I had to see my boo dancing on stage. The famed and infamous ribbon dance you told me about. I just couldn’t miss it.”

“How did you know where I was? I never told you. Did you put tracking software on my phone?”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Lee meanders up and pats me on the back.

“Ah, so I see you two have met, Silas.” He pulls Everly into a hug and then turns toward me. “This is Junior.”

I blink and blink some more, my brain spinning. What the hell is going on? Who the fuck is Junior?

“Yes, he’s my grandson,” Lee says with a wide smile. “Seems you two know each other very well.”

I stare at Lee and then back at Everly, still trying to wrap my mind around it all.

“Did you know about this?” I ask, and Everly shakes his head.

“No, I promise I didn’t. I had no idea you were doing the ribbon dance with my grandpa, until you said something the other day. Then it just clicked.”

I glance between them again, trying to see the resemblance, but come up short. I’ve got nothing. I would have never been able to tell they were related.

“And you didn’t tell me when you figured it out?” I ask.

“I wanted to surprise you.”

I glower at him, and he pecks a kiss to my nose. Well, I can’t be mad when he does that.

“But wait, you two have different last names.”

“Not really, actually. I’m Everly Winslow-O’Conner. I just shortened it to Winslow on my college applications. The hyphen and apostrophe were too hard.”

I scrunch my nose and frown at him. “Too hard?”

“Look, we can discuss this later. Let’s get you in some clothes,” Everly says. “I don’t like everyone seeing your pretty balls. Especially Garrett.”

Oh fuck, Garrett’s a student. He’s seen my balls.

This is not going to end well.

I look over at him and see him wink at me. Oh, fuck me silly.

“Is Garrett going to tell on me?” I ask, and Everly shakes his head.

“No, he’s cool. Don’t worry. No one will know about this. I promise.”

I sigh and let him lead me off stage, Lee following behind. As we move, people clap us on the back and whistle, but I barely hear it, barely feel it. I’m just amazed that Everly showed up here, that he’s Lee’s grandson.

What are the fucking chances of that?

I can’t quite comprehend it. This is like some kind of ridiculous movie, the kind I hate so much.

When we’re back in Lee’s room, Everly hugs his grandpa before pulling me into the bathroom and shutting the door.

As soon as it clicks shut, the air is sucked out of the small space. It’s just me and him, the two of us breathing heavy together in the small space.

“Okay, so as ridiculous as that was, you looked so fucking hot up there,” Everly says at the same time I blurt, “I can’t believe you saw that.”

We grin at each other, and he takes a step closer to me. What little air is left evaporates right out of the room. All I can sense, all I can feel is him.

“It was so worth it. That was three minutes of utter sex,” Everly says as my cheeks redden.

“You must have been hallucinating. That was three minutes of pure humiliation.”

“Nah, I got to see ribbons on your balls. I take that as a win.”

He’s flush with me now, his lips trailing across my neck, his hand snaking between my legs and sliding down my shorts. He cups my balls, his fingers gingerly touching the ribbon tied loosely there.

“Let me see it,” he whispers, and I groan in acceptance. “Say it. Say I can see.”

“Yeah. Yes. Okay.” It’s all I can do to formulate words when he’s touching me like that.

He bites at my neck before tugging my shorts down and stepping away.

And there they are, my lopsided balls with glittering ribbons trailing across my thighs.

“Fuck, that’s hot. I didn’t know ribbons would do it for me, but they so do.”

He kneels before me and rubs his face across my cock. His fingers tug on the ribbons gently, making my balls sway between my legs, like pendulums in a clock.

“When I get you home, I’m gonna suck your dick and then fuck your ass.”

The way he says it, those inappropriate words, makes my cock leak.

“Who says I’m going to let you fuck my ass?”

“Me. I say so.”

He grins up at me and my fingers trail over his cheeks and into his hair.

“Fine, if you insist,” I grunt as he kisses the tip of me before loosening the ribbons and tucking them in his pocket.

He pushes himself up and meets my gaze. “But we’re not doing anything right now. Grandpa will never let us live it down.”

He presses his forehead against mine and pulls my body against his. I’m completely naked against him now, my skin scraping against the fabric of his clothes. I want him bare as well, want to feel that warm, smooth skin against mine.

But he’s right. We can’t. We can’t do anything now.

“I can’t believe you’re Junior. I can’t believe that he’s been trying to set me up with you this entire time.”

“I know. It’s fucking nuts, right? He did mention an older man he met. But I told him I wasn’t interested.”

I scoff and arch my cock against his. It’s hard, needy, just like mine.

“Of course you weren’t. I’m sure Lee told you how boring I am. It put you off.”

“You’re anything but boring, Dr. Sinclair. You’re so fucking opposite of boring I don’t know what to do with all the excitement inside of me right now.”

I huff a laugh at that. He couldn’t be more wrong. I’m not exciting in the least, but fuck, if he thinks so, then so be it.

“But to be honest, I wasn’t interested in this random man because I was interested in you. Have been for quite a while.”

When he says things like that, it makes my heart fluttery. It gives me wings.

I could fly, soar. Don’t tie me down, Earth. Let me live.

“Come on. Let me get you your clothes and then let’s go take Grandpa out for some food. All that gyrating up on stage probably made him hungry.”

I nod and then hold on to him a little tighter when he tries to leave. I don’t want him to move away from me. But eventually he has to. He extricates himself from my arms and makes his way out of the bathroom, only to return a moment later with my clothes. I hurriedly pull them on before stepping out, seeing a fully clothed Lee as well.

Thank fuck for that. I never want to see another pair of hot pants or ribbons again in my life.

“Junior said something about lunch. I’m famished,” Lee says with a knowing grin. “I’m sure you are too. All that sexual tension looming.”

Everly beams over at me and sends me a knowing wink.

“Plus, I need all the gossip on how you two got together,” Lee adds.

Everly pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.

“We’ll tell you everything,” he says with a grin.