Chapter 15
August
“There we go,” I say warmly, fixing Oliver’s bracelet back around his wrist.
He and I have collapsed on the sofa in our living room.
We’re freshly showered and wrapped in fluffy robes, hair still damp and limbs deliciously sore.
Tallis is seeing out the last of the guests from our party after the festivities naturally wound down.
Some of them, namely Rafferty McKenna and his doll, Kiki, took advantage of our downstairs bathroom before departing.
But Tallis made sure Oliver and I only had to worry about our own clean-up.
The guests were all properly taken care of by my husband in our absence, I have no doubt.
That’s what makes him such a good Master.
My boy turns his arm this way and that, marveling at his bangle as much as the first time I put it on him. “We should add a charm to it,” I comment, grinning when Oliver raises his eyebrows questioningly at me. “To commemorate this evening. Perhaps a bunch of grapes?”
Oliver snorts. “Is that because grapes represent wine, and wine represents orgies? Or because I had several different bunches of grapes in my mouth tonight?”
I laugh and tickle his sides, wondering how I can feel so exhausted yet so light simultaneously. “Why can’t it be both, baby boy?”
He hums and flops his head against my shoulder, looking up at me with such adoration it steals my breath away. “It can be both, Daddy. If they even make a charm like that, I’d like one. To remind me.”
“There must be a charm like that,” I assure him, kissing the top of his head. “I’ll order one as soon as I can. We don’t want you forgetting about tonight.”
For a second, he just holds my gaze, a small smile on his face. “I’ll never forget tonight, Daddy,” he whispers.
My heart.
Tallis and I were mostly confident in our little scheme.
But we both had a niggling doubt in the backs of our minds that we might have horribly misjudged the situation.
There was no way to know until we got Oliver here and saw his reaction.
I was confident enough that if he wasn’t on board, he’d tell us.
Even still, it wasn’t until I saw him surrounded by those other hungry Daddies, the shy excitement on his face as they began to touch him, was I finally able to relax.
I should have known it would all work out the way Tallis predicted. That the scene would give Oliver confidence and prove to him beyond all doubt how serious we are about him.
None of that matters now. The only thing I care about in this moment is that he’s here in my arms, snuggling like he knows this is where he belongs.
“So you had fun?” I whisper back to him. I saw it with my own eyes, but I want to hear his thoughts as well.
For a second, he worries me when his brow creases and he bites his lower lip.
But once he releases it from his teeth, he grins bashfully.
“Fun doesn’t quite cover it, Daddy. It was…
transcendent. I never imagined a feeling like that, so I’m still processing it.
But I’m mostly just so honored that you and Daddy Tallis would make such a fuss for me. It…it means a lot.”
My heart flips in my chest. Not just because of what he’s telling me. But at hearing him call Tallis ‘Daddy’ in this instance instead of Master or just by his name. It warms a part of my heart I didn’t even know existed.
I never wanted Tallis to be my Daddy. He’s always been my Master and that’s perfect. I’m Daddy. And he’s one thousand million percent not my boy. For the longest time, I truly believed I was content to be a once-in-a-while Daddy for a night or even just a few hours.
Oliver has shown me that I want to be his Daddy twenty-four seven. But never in my wildest dreams did I think that this special boy would also bring out something new in my husband as well. That Tallis would also enjoy being Daddy for the softer moments.
Not that he’d ever admit to being soft.
I nuzzle my nose against Oliver’s and am rewarded with a sweet kiss on the lips. “You’re worth making a fuss over, baby boy,” I tell him, our faces still close to one another.
“I think I’m really starting to believe that,” he says, sounding almost incredulous at himself.
My insides feel like they might burst from happiness. “Good,” I say, booping the tips of our noses together.
“Well, isn’t this a beautiful sight?”
We turn to see Tallis leaning in the doorway, dressed in only a pair of black sweatpants that cling to his hips. Now that the party has dispersed and he can relax, I’m not surprised to see that he’s holding a glass of red wine. He keeps his warm gaze on us as he takes a sip.
“My Augie Pie and my Ollie Pop,” he says proudly.
I feel Oliver tense against me in surprise. I can’t blame him. I don’t know when he came up with that nickname, but I love it. From the way he then melts against me and stares at Tallis in awe, I think Oliver loves it, too.
“I’m Ollie Pop?” he asks sweetly.
Tallis grins. “Yes, little treat. My Ollie Pop, cuddling with my Augie Pie. It’s a very delicious sight.”
For a moment, the two of us bask under our Master’s gaze. Then Oliver squirms against me, grinning shyly.
“There’s room for one more,” he says cheekily, patting the sofa beside him.
I adore seeing him be playful. It shows that he’s not intimidated by Tallis’s authority. My husband likes a bit of a challenge, after all. It wouldn’t be fun if Oliver cowered in his presence.
But Tallis does like being right very much, and I can tell from his smug grin that he’s extremely pleased that Oliver responded the way he did to our scene tonight.
He saunters over to us, carefully placing his glass on a coaster on the table before settling himself on Oliver’s other side so our boy is sandwiched between us.
He touches his thumb and finger to Oliver’s chin, looking him in the eye.
“You were magnificent this evening, little treat,” he murmurs.
“He was just telling me how much he enjoyed it,” I tell my husband fondly.
Tallis arches an eyebrow. “Of course he did. Otherwise, he would have used his safeword. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” He lets Oliver’s chin go.
“Yes, Master,” Oliver replies earnestly. “I promise if I ever need to safeword out of a scene, I will. You can trust me.”
I watch as Tallis’s gaze flicks over Oliver’s face, something going on behind his eyes.
If he’s feeling anything like me, he’s probably marveling at how just a few weeks ago, our boy had only ever been vanilla.
But now, he gets that with kink, we need to trust him as much as we want him to trust us.
“Good boy,” Tallis murmurs.
He shifts his position, leaning back on the sofa and opening his arms out to welcome Oliver in. Our boy snuggles against Tallis’s chest, and I cuddle against Oliver’s side, breathing in the scent of both men.
“Thank you…Daddy,” Oliver says, looking up to see Tallis’s reaction. Almost as if he’d asked a question.
Tallis smiles, his eyes sparkling. “Who knew there was a boy out there who could turn me into a lifestyle Daddy?” he remarks.
Oliver grins and glances back at me before answering. “I think you knew, Daddy Tallis. You know everything.”
Tallis laughs and kisses the top of Oliver’s head. “This is very true.”
I watch as Oliver appears to think something through. “Just like,” he says tentatively, “you knew I needed a grand gesture to convince me that you guys really wanted to date me.”
My eyebrows raise as hope flutters in my chest. “Does that mean you’re saying yes?” I ask, heart in my mouth. It’s ridiculous, but I haven’t been this invested in a relationship since I met Tallis all those years ago. “You’ll be our boyfriend?”
He blushes as he looks between us. “Um, yes. Yes, please, Daddy.”
It’s probably highly undignified, but I hoot and punch the air. “Did you hear that, Tallis? We got ourselves a gorgeous boyfriend!”
My husband laughs and leans over to kiss my smiling mouth before capturing Oliver’s lips as well. “I knew it would all work out,” he says with a grin. “You just needed a little time to see sense.”
Oliver rolls his eyes. “You’re so smug, Daddy Tallis. It’s a good thing you have Daddy August to keep you humble.”
I hum and kiss Oliver’s neck. “And now you, too, little bratty boy. I have a feeling you’re going to keep us both on our toes, aren’t you?”
He giggles and squirms between us. “That’s the plan.” He’s caught out by a sudden, violent yawn that infects both me and Tallis. “Urgh, as much as I don’t want this night to end, I should probably go to bed soon. I have work tomorrow.”
That makes me frown immediately. “Work? Surely the only thing you should be doing now is focusing on graduating.”
“And getting deliciously fucked at every given opportunity,” Tallis adds, waggling his eyebrows.
But Oliver looks uncertainly between us. “Um, I can’t just quit…can I?”
I shrug. “It depends. Do you like working there? It’s a restaurant, right?”
He nibbles his lip for a second. “It’s not bad,” he says like he’s trying to justify or defend it.
Tallis scoffs. “Unless it’s your life passion or you feel you have some moral obligation, you can quit, little treat. Are you just working there for the money?”
“Yeah,” he admits with a wince. But that only makes Tallis smirk and my heart lift.
“Did you forget you’re a sugar baby now, sweetheart?
” Tallis asks Oliver. “You don’t have to worry about money anymore.
If you feel it would leave them in the lurch, I’ll accept you working your shift tomorrow.
But after that, no more slaving for tips or minimum wage.
Your Daddies are here to take care of you.
I know you aren’t sure what you want to do after college.
Now, you’ll have room to breathe and think about it properly. ”
“Oliver,” I say to get his attention. Tallis means well, but he does need to remember he can’t boss his way through every situation. Oliver had some strong views on money when we all first met. “How do you feel about that?”
“I think,” he says slowly. “That it’s okay to accept help and be taken care of. Especially by people who, um, who might, um…who care about…”
“Who love you,” Tallis supplies.
Oliver’s eyes go wide as my heart leaps.
“Who love you,” I repeat. I thought it was too early to say those words or even to feel like that. But it’s true. I love my tasty little baby boy so much, and it’s clear Tallis does as well.
Oliver’s eyes are filling with tears, but judging by his beaming smile, they’re happy ones. “By people who love me and I love them,” he says thickly.
“Oh, darling,” I cry, enveloping him and Tallis in a hug as my own tears fall. “You’ve made us so happy, you have no idea.”
“I think he finally does,” Tallis says, stroking my back and resting his cheek on top of Oliver’s hair. “You’re our one in a billion, little treat.”
“Thank you, Daddy Tallis,” he says with a sniffle. “Thank you for finding me to be Daddy August’s present. Thank you for accepting me into your lives and your hearts. I’m the luckiest boy on the planet.”
“I think we’re the lucky ones,” I say with a laugh as I wipe my eyes on my sleeve.
“Agree to disagree?” Oliver suggests.
“No,” Tallis says in his Master voice. “I have the last word and I say that you’re both the lucky ones that I orchestrated this whole thing. Without my brilliance, we’d all be very unfortunate.”
I snort and thump his arm. “So modest, sweetheart. So humble.”
He flicks an eyebrow at me. “You wouldn’t love me if I were either of those things.”
My heart aches with happiness, and I can’t help but let mirth segue to sappiness.
“I think I’d love you however you are, husband of mine.
” I glance down at our boyfriend, my gratitude overflowing.
“I can’t wait to love so many versions of you, too, baby boy.
I’m so excited to see who you’re going to become. ”
Because he might not know it yet, but I plan on loving him for an extremely long time to come.
Maybe even forever.