Chapter Eleven
Caelum
My shopping trip had me thinking that I needed to do something special for Star.
We still hadn’t found time for an evening together, and his voice held more and more strain every time we talked on the phone.
It made me sad because we both knew what he needed.
What would help with his tension and stress.
Finally, I pinned him down to a day when he’d be able to steal some time, and then I went off to make the arrangements.
I was pleased with the toys and things I’d bought for Star, and they would be great to play with at my home, but I didn’t have a playroom or a nursery set up, and I thought it would be amazing to spend some time at Chained.
It had been where he was going that night he’d stumbled onto my office, so how appropriate would it be for our first time together to be there.
At first, I’d thought about bringing him in the evening, when we could play with others, but a quick call confirmed he had filming or other obligations every night, and he wasn’t able to get away when the club was open.
Sometimes there were little events scheduled for the afternoon, but a quick check of the app showed nothing in the next week, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.
Running out of ideas, I stopped at a coffeehouse down the block from Chained to sip a macha with a shot and try to come up with something.
Star’s time was so limited, and when he finished with this production, he’d be headed back to Hollywood or New York or wherever his next project took him.
We needed to make use of our time together.
See if we were really meant to be together.
As long as I’d been without him, I’d assumed it wasn’t meant to be.
I’d grieved and never forgotten. Maybe even wished a little but never allowed myself to hope.
This was a second chance I’d never seen coming and if there was any way we could make it work, I wanted it with every fiber of my being.
My house wasn’t special enough; the little room wasn’t available unless…
I went to see Ms. Lily with a big ask.
“Well, yes,” she said. “It is possible to rent the room out, but it would have to be in the morning, if that works for you?”
“That works perfectly.” I worked out all the details and by the time I left to go home, we had the use of the little room just for ourselves on a midweek morning.
It was pricey, but since they had to open the place for us and have some staff on hand, there was nothing wrong with being charged a fair amount for the opportunity.
We could make a memory together. I didn’t kid myself that even if we did have a future, he’d likely be traveling a lot, I might need to move.
Maybe I could open a second office? It was something that I’d been thinking about, not necessarily in a big city, but I’d do whatever I had to do. If…there were so many ifs.
I texted Star on the way back to the office to tell him I had made arrangements for our special date on the day he had the time off. Set up a distraction and I will pick you up at the side door of your hotel at nine thirty.
Where are we going? How should I dress?
It’s a surprise and casual is fine. He’d be changing as soon as we got to Chained anyway, if he agreed to play with me. Of course, it was up to him, but we had talked a bit about a playdate in the future, and if I’d ever seen a little in desperate need of a scene, Star was the one.
Although it was only a couple of days away, time slowed to a crawl.
I packed a cute backpack with a couple of outfits I’d picked up at the boutique/gallery, a sippy cup, a bottle, a paci with clip, and both diapers and training pants because we hadn’t gone into detail yet about his little age and I wanted to be prepared.
Star was working hard, but he texted me at least a dozen times a day, begging for hints, but I held firm.
Then, on the morning in question, I dressed in my own outfit, grabbed the backpack, and headed for the hotel.
Halfway there, it occurred to me that if I didn’t want to be a distraction myself, I probably should have changed at the club.
But I’d been so enthusiastic about the whole surprise element, I slapped on the red suit first and thought about possible repercussions later.
I pulled up at the hotel and picked up my phone to let Star know I’d arrived, but before I had a chance, he was at the passenger door, hoodie cinched close around his face, pointing at the lock.
Star jumped in. “Let’s go. I don’t know how long before they figure it out.”
“Gotcha.” I left the curb and drove to the end of the street, signaling for a left turn. “I’m glad to see you.”
“Me, too…Santa?”
“Took you long enough to notice. I don’t usually have a long white beard, you know.”
“I was frantic. There were more paparazzi than usual out front, and I called in sick.”
Steering the car toward our destination, I stole a glance at him. “I thought you had the time off.”
“Me too, but then I got a call this morning telling me they needed me in to reshoot a scene.”
“So you said you were ill?”
“Told them I had one of my sick headaches. I always get them when I work too hard.”
He’d never had headaches when we were together. Sounded like stress and like I’d gotten him away for this date just in time. “Do you have a headache?”
“No, but it feels like it’s looming, wanting to come on. I need this time with you, and I wasn’t going to let anyone steal it away from me.”
He had no idea. “I appreciate that, Star. I understand your work is important to you, but I would have been disappointed to miss our time together.”
We drove on for a few minutes before he said, “Now will you tell me where we are going? Are you a mall Santa on the side or something?”
“No and no. You’ll find out soon enough.” I chuckled.
He growled a little deep down in his throat. Or maybe it was a whine. “You’re a strict daddy.”
“I can be if that’s what you need, but probably not today.” Driving past Chained, I turned into the rear parking area. Ms. Lily had instructed me to park in the employee section this morning.
“Chained?” Star got that adorable line between his brows. “Aren’t they closed at this time of day? The clubs I have gone to were pretty much all nighttime. Is there a special event?”
“You might say that.” I parked and climbed out then opened the back door and got the backpack.
Covered with stars and snowflakes, the red pack was about as Christmasy as I could find.
If he needed another for the rest of the year, I’d take him shopping and we’d pick it out.
But for now, it was exactly right. “Let’s go in. ”
“Wait.” He dug his heels in next to the car. “This is the employee entrance. Won’t they get mad?”
“Let’s find out.” They would not be mad.
Star had, it turned out, joined Collared, Chained’s sister club at some point, so he hadn’t even needed to be screened, and Ms. Lily asked if we’d mind coming in this way so they didn’t have to interrupt the cleaning crew and others in the front areas. “I’ve got you.”
“I’m so confused,” he muttered. “But intrigued. Very intrigued.”
“Then my evil plan is working.” I tapped the button by the kitchen door and a buzzer sounded, admitting us.
Before we took two steps inside, Ms. Lily herself appeared, dressed in jeans and a button-down flannel over a casual light-blue T-shirt.
Only her boots, black with heels, showed who she really could be.
In the little room, she was a mommy, the mommy in charge, but I’d heard rumors that she enjoyed other parts of the club as well. “Hi!”
“Welcome!” Ms. Lily took my offered hand and gave it a squeeze. “Come right in. And you must be Star. I’d know you anywhere.”
He flushed, tensing, no doubt thinking it was a fan thing, but Ms. Lily—who hosted some of the biggest names in the country and even from farther away—would not feel that way.
“He’s just as adorable as you said, Caelum.
Taking his hand as well, she patted the back of it then released him.
“Okay, even though nobody else is here except employees, you’ll need to leave your phones behind. I have an empty locker here.”
We turned over our devices and followed our hostess through a series of back halls.
I was lost until we arrived at a familiar set of doors.
A changing room had come with my booking, and Ms. Lily slid a card through a feeder.
“Now, each of you place your thumb on this pad and it will record the print so you can come back here anytime during your visit to change or…or whatever.”
Once we had followed her instructions, she gave us a big smile.
“I’ve got things to do while you’re here, but if you need me, just ask anyone and they will get me right over there.
You have a nice daddy, Star, to set up such a special time for the two of you.
Or maybe you’ve just been a very good boy. ”
“I’m not—” I began, but Star cut me off, speaking in a different tone than I’d ever heard from him before.
“I try to be a good boy.” My heart squeezed as his little began to move into place.
“I’m sure you are. Now, as you requested, I had refreshments set up for you as well as games and a couple of crafts. We are all ready for Christmas around here. I hope you like it.”
Then she was gone and we were standing alone in front of the changing room door. “Ready to go in?”
He nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”