Chapter 2 Nate
NATE
There were meetings for the Lactin Brotherhood all the time, but I didn’t go to most of them.
Running my business took up most of my hours, but right now, I only had two jobsites running, so I felt I should at least make an appearance.
If it was uncomfortable, I could easily bug out with an early-morning-meeting excuse.
We were meeting at Top Golf. Though I didn’t care much for the game itself, there were at least food and drinks and watching the others play.
I liked the fun, casual atmosphere even if the sport wasn’t for me.
After showering, I pumped to lighten the tension in my chest. The guys from Lactin would understand, but I didn’t want to deal with unnecessary leaking.
My milk was stored into the freezer for either selling or donating later, and I pulled on a nice polo shirt and jeans, determined to enjoy a rare evening out.
The sign above the venue was shining in bright blue lights, calling out to passersby. Inside the lobby, the main bar was off to the right, which was where I found the majority of our party, sitting around the underlit counter. I joined them and ordered a beer.
“Hey, Nate. How are you?” One of my Lactin Brotherhood friends bumped shoulders with me.
“Haven’t seen you around.” Preston Shockey was a pharmaceutical sales representative, and he made damn good money.
He was also very outgoing and usually the life of the party, attending more of these meetings than anyone else.
“I’ve had a lot going on with work.” I shrugged it off since I was here now.
“I get it, but I was actually hoping you’d be here tonight. I was going to call if you didn’t show up.” He pointed at me with the index finger of the hand holding his bottle of beer.
“Call me? Why? What’s up?”
Preston ducked his head, looking shy, but then he leaned closer, lowering his voice. “I met someone, and he has the cutest roommate.” He pointed again. “Perfect fit for you.”
That got my head shaking, and I purposefully chuckled to soften my answer. “Not interested.”
“What? Why?”
I didn’t do relationships for many reasons.
They required too much time that I didn’t have and dedication I couldn’t muster.
Occasionally, when I had the time, I hung out at the club and acted as surrogate for some of the boys who didn’t have a Daddy, but that was because it was safe.
It was people who knew exactly why I was there, so I didn’t have to explain or make excuses.
I also didn’t have to take anyone home, and I never did.
No commitment.
No expectations.
“Nate, man. You never date anyone, but you’re such a cool dude. Hell, if I wasn’t a Daddy myself, I’d hit on you.”
While I preened under his compliment, now wasn’t the right time for me to venture into any sort of relationship. “I don’t have it in me to make that much of an effort.”
“But you’ll love this guy…” If I wasn’t mistaken, my dear friend had developed a whine.
“What’s in this for you? Can’t keep dating the roomie without hooking up his loser friend?”
“Geez, dude. It’s not like that at all.” He drained his beer and ordered another.
“I’m going to keep seeing Bobby. I like him.
Doesn’t matter if you take this guy out or not.
But…” He held up that damn accusing finger one more time.
“Gilly is nice. Big puppy-dog eyes that pull you in. Who knows, maybe he needs a little fun in his life, which is where you come in. He’s had a rough go of it from what Bobby says. ”
“I’m not—”
“Look, I’m not asking you to marry him. Just go out on one double date with us and keep an open mind. You have a lot in common, and honestly, you will love this guy.”
Love him? Doubted it. But what would it hurt? At a minimum, it could be fun. Maybe I’d get laid. Maybe not. But… “You’re buying.”
“Deal!”
I saw Eric Thompson across the room and waved at him. He smiled and came over to the bar. “Hey, long time no see.”
“I know. Things have been pretty busy with work. Running a business can be stressful. I hardly have time for anything.”
“Same here, but it’s still important to make time to have fun. We should totally hit the gym.” Eric was right, it had been too long since we’d worked out together, and I hadn’t been doing anything else for fitness either. “Let me know when, and I’m in.”
“You know, that’s a great idea. I’ll call you when I get a look at my schedule.”
“Perfect. Here’s to friends and health.” He raised his glass, and I tapped mine against his.
“Friends and health,” I repeated and took a swig.
We chatted a bit longer before a few other guys came over, bragging about their games and ribbing each other.
Sitting there, I realized that more and more over the last few years, my social circle had evolved to mainly consist of Lactin brothers.
I didn’t associate much with others outside them except at work, and that kind of included my parents as well.
They worried over me too much, and I didn’t have the mental capacity for it.
I preferred to hang out with people who didn’t require anything from me, no explanations, no demands, just hanging out and having fun.
Maybe that didn’t leave me as content as I thought it had. Maybe it would be fun to meet someone new. Preston was right, we didn’t have to jump into a relationship just to have a fun evening out.
It only took a few days for Preston to set up a date for Friday night. Thinking about what Eric had said at our gathering about making time for fun, I took off early to get ready, since I could finish anything else I needed to do in the morning.
The initial meeting would take place with Preston at the boys’ apartment in about an hour.
I wanted to bring a gift for Gilly, but I didn’t know him or what he’d like.
So, I didn’t get anything, but I felt bad about it.
Blind dates were hard enough, and normally I didn’t do them, but if he was a Little, it was customary to show up with a prezzie.
I pulled up to the address Preston gave me and shot him a quick text, letting him know I was here.
The boys lived in a quaint complex right behind a row of shops.
I admired the architectural style of the multi-colored buildings with soft yellow and peach exteriors.
Since I built commercial structures for a living, great buildings always caught my eye.
Preston met me out front with a friendly high-five. “Let’s do this.”
His boyfriend, Bobby, buzzed us up, and soon we were standing in their living room.
There were a ton of windows, which would bring in the natural light during the day, but now, it was dim with a few low lights on and a brighter one coming from around the corner.
I suspected that was where the kitchen was.
Bobby dashed over to Preston and kissed him. “Hi, Daddy.”
Before they got any smoochier, I cleared my throat, reminding them that they weren’t alone. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, sorry. Hi.” He stuck his hand out for me to shake. “Let me get Gilly.” He dashed off, and I barely had time to raise an eyebrow at my friend before they returned.
Bobby shoved Gilly forward, and I got my first look at him.
Soft curls of the lightest dishwater blond, eyes a golden brown with a hint of eyeliner on, though I didn’t think he needed it.
He looked younger than the twenty-two that Preston swore he was.
Damn, if those puffy lips didn’t look like he’d been nervously biting them.
The attraction was off the charts, at least on my side, though I didn’t dare tell Preston that. I’d never hear the end of it.
Then Gilly shyly smiled, “Hi,” and wiggled his fingers.
That was all it took. I was done for.
Damn Preston and his intuition.
Gilly was slightly shorter than me, and I topped six-two, but he was slim while I was a bit thicker.
My internal Daddy had the overwhelming urge to feed him.
“Nice to meet you, Gilly. Should we go?” I glanced over at Preston, barely able to take my eyes off Gilly, but I couldn’t stand there ogling this gorgeous boy all night, even though I wanted to.
“Sure. Yeah. I brought the sedan, so we can ride together.”
“Ooh. I like that, Daddy, thank you. Where are we going?” Bobby wrapped his arm around Preston’s.
“You’ll see.” He kissed Bobby on the top of his head and waited patiently while his boy locked the door before we headed out to his car.
The restaurant Preston had chosen was a good pick, Scoreboard Café.
It was actually a pub with upscale bar food, but unlike your normal sports bar, it had arcade games, darts, pool tables, and a double line of pinball machines right down the center of the place.
When Preston pulled into the parking lot, Bobby hooted and cheered.
I glanced at Gilly, and his eyes lit up with excitement. “Gilly? Do you like the games here?”
He nodded. “Yes, sir.” Such a shy, but polite boy.
“Great. Let’s go in.” I opened the door and stepped out then helped Gilly do the same, keeping hold of his hand after we’d emerged. He smiled at me. I wanted to tell him he was being such a good boy, but it was way too soon for that.
Once seated, we quickly ordered food and drinks.
While Preston and I chose steaks, the boys picked popcorn chicken and fries off the kids’ menu.
I leaned into Gilly’s side and whispered, “You sure that’s what you’re getting?
You can have anything you want.” I didn’t want his friend to influence him and Gilly not be happy with his meal.
“I’m sure. I’ve had that here before. It’s really good.” His bright smile sucked me in even more, and I nearly pressed my lips to his.
“Okay.” The server left to put our orders in, and I wanted nothing more than to learn all I could about Gilly, but I also wanted him to have a good time, free from the barrage of questions that flooded my mind. I needed to let it be his choice. “Would you like to stay and talk or go play games?”
He sucked that plump bottom lip into his mouth and rolled his eyes like he was thinking hard about it. “Hmm…I’d like to play. Will you come with me?”
“Sure. Sounds fun.” We played a few of the pinball games, while Preston and Bobby shot pool. “What do you want to do next?”
He nodded to the arcade games set along the far wall. “I like video games. Don’t you? Can we try them?” Gilly bounced on the balls of his feet, and for a fleeting moment I saw the Little peeking out that he was hiding. Would he let me draw him out of his shell?
Trust needs to come first, Nate.
A stark reminder but one I’d remember, nonetheless.
“I’m probably better at pinball, but come on.” I led the way. “Do you play a lot of video games?”
“Yes. I’m not like an official gamer or anything, but I like Fortnite and Minecraft. Look at this one.” It was an old, refurbished Pac-Man game. “It’s so much fun chomping away at the neon dots. Munch, munch, munch,” he chanted.
“I know this one. I challenge you, Gamer Gilly.” I pretended to knight him with an imaginary sword, and his hand flew to his mouth as a giggle escaped.
Ah, Little for sure. He beat me in the first game, but I won the second one.
“I’ve got this now. Best two out of three? ” He nodded. “Okay, are you ready?”
“Let’s do it.” Excitement coursed through him as he jumped up and down.
“Alright, but they just delivered our food, so it’ll be time to eat when we’re finished.”
“Okay, Da—” Now wasn’t that adorable, almost calling me Daddy.
I didn’t want to comment on it, though, and risk embarrassing him or making him feel like he had to call me that.
The last thing I wanted was for him to think it’d been a mistake to say it, let alone think about it.
I could assure him it was anything but that.
Still, I was hesitant because I had no clue how he would react to finding out about the lactation.
Did he even know what that was, and would it change how he saw me?
Though I saw Gilly’s Little naturally peeking out, that didn’t mean he was into nursing, and he may never be.
But that was a conversation for another day, since at this point, it was more important to simply get to know each other.
I started up the game, and it thrilled me to see how eager he was to play. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet as he grabbed the joystick. “Pac-Man is so cool. I love all the eighties video games, though. Can we play more after dinner?”
“Of course.”
“Look out, Imma get you, ghosties!”
“You’re cute, Gilly. Can’t believe you don’t already have a boyfriend.”
Gilly scoffed. “I don’t date much. I work a lot. But what about you? I mean, you seem super nice, and Preston said good things about you. Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“Same reason, Gilly. I work too much.”
He moved the joystick around as he continued to play. “We should do less working and have more fun.”
“Agreed.” That was the second time in as many days that I’d been reminded of that. It was high time to take that advice.
After Gilly beat me in the final game, we headed to the table.
I pulled his chair out for him, and he sat down, smiling from ear to ear as I sat next to him and promptly cut into my steak.
It was perfect, slightly pink in the middle with a nice char on the outside.
I cut a couple of smaller pieces and slid them onto Gilly’s plate, along with a breadstick. “Try this.”
“Mmm, it’s so good. But I like the chicky-pops better.” He popped a piece of chicken into his mouth, following it with a French fry, smiling and wiggling as he ate.
Preston winked and nodded from across the table. Smug bastard was right in assuming that I would like Gilly. Hell, I was entirely too into him already.