6. Reece
Chapter 6
Reece
The water lapping up against my feet, and the soft sand between my toes, I feel like I could be back in Italy or Spain.
Except, of course, I’m not.
My days of living in Europe are behind me.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t hang out at the beach with my best Daddy friend Trent. And being a surfer, Trent just so happens to know all the best hidden coves and secluded beach spots in the area.
‘Bro, I don’t know how you do it,’ I say, looking around at the well-worn cliffs and ancient rocks that surround us. ‘You’ve brought me to yet another killer beach.’
‘Hey, it’s what I do,’ Trent laughs, handing me a cold bottle of beer. ‘When it comes to soccer tactics, you’re the man. Me? I think I could tell you just about every single beach up and down the west coast.’
‘Yup, we’re certainly different when it comes to our specialist knowledge,’ I say, gladly taking the beer from Trent. ‘But… we’re also the same in other ways.’
‘Hell yeah,’ Trent replies, a knowing look on his face. ‘So… this boy. You think he could be something?’
‘I think he… could be something special ,’ I reply, not even bothering to try and hide my feelings.
We bump bottles and toast to the moment.
‘I can’t remember the last boy you were into like this,’ Trent says, watching as a big wave breaks in the distance. ‘In fact, I don’t think I can remember a single boy who gave you that look in your eyes.’
Trent’s got a point.
I’ve been single for most of my adult life.
True, there have been plenty of one night hook ups over the years.
And there was Matteo, a wonderful boy I dated for a few months back when I spent a season of my career playing in Rome. I still think about Matteo sometimes and wonder what he’s up to now – I hope he’s found himself a Forever Daddy, and I hope he understands that with my career, I just couldn’t make that commitment at the time.
Matteo was similar to Xander in that sense that he was a big boy. Matteo might not have been quite as big as Xander, but he was close. Matteo was training to be a professional boxer and had so much power packed into his body it was hard to believe at first that he was a baby boy.
But being with Matteo showed me that Littles come in all different shapes and sizes – and as far as my preferences go, the bigger and more macho the better!
Whatever Matteo’s doing now, I hope he’s happy.
But my real focus is only on one boy, and that’s Xander…
‘You know, he sassed me at the construction site,’ I laugh, rolling my eyes. ‘I had to give him a hand spanking. And damn … that boy’s got an ass made for spanking.’
‘Hell yeah,’ Trent says, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. ‘That’s what I like to hear. Hell, I might even need to check out some of these so-called Blue Collar Boys sometime. Only problem is, I don’t have a building project I need working on right now!’
‘Ha!’ I laugh. ‘I don’t think you have to employ them to be their Daddy. That’s a whole other thing …’
Trent and I laugh and watch as a pair of fellow surfers walk past us and make their way into the water.
‘You think you’ll ever quit surfing?’ I say.
‘You mean professionally? Sure,’ Trent replies. ‘a day will come when my body just can’t compete with the young guns anymore. But I’ll be riding waves for fun for the rest of my life, bro. A day won’t go by when I’m not getting radical in the ocean.’
‘That’s so nice,’ I reply, my mind thinking back to my career. ‘I wish I could play soccer again. Even just for fun.’
‘What’s stopping you?’ Trent replies, arching his eyebrow. ‘Your injury is all healed up. I’ve seen you run, you’ve still got pace to burn.’
‘I know… it’s just… I’m not there yet, mentally,’ I reply. ‘I was a champion. One of the most celebrated players in the world. But the world remembers me going off injured in my final game. I don’t know if I want to step onto the grass again and risk injury and feeling like total crap again. You know?’
‘I hear you, brother,’ Trent replies. ‘You do you. When the time’s right, you’ll know. But right now… how about a swim? Last one in has the smallest cock…’
Just like that, the pair of us spring up onto our feet and sprint toward the water.
We may not quite be the athletes we were in our younger days, but we’ve both still got more speed than the average dude that’s for sure – and if Trent thinks that I’m finishing runner up in a smallest cock race, then he’s got another thing coming!
The hangout and impromptu swim with Trent was just what I needed.
Sometimes I feel down about the end of my career, but spending time with Trent always brings me out of my funk.
When I was playing soccer at the highest level and experiencing new countries and cultures I honestly never thought those days would end.
I guess it’s the arrogance of youth, but when I was in my twenties I felt like the world would be at my feet – literally – for the rest of my life.
But when my career drew to a close, I suddenly realized that I had been living a life that most people could only dream of. It wasn’t that I had been ungrateful at the time, it was more that I simply didn’t realize how fortunate I was.
Anyway, that’s in the past now.
My new life is slowly beginning to take shape. I’ve got active business investments, great friends, and a wonderful home being built too.
Oh, and I might just have a big, strong, wonderfully sassy boy too.
But I’m not going to rush things with Xander. As much as I think he could be something special, I’ve got all the time in the world to see how things develop between us.
‘Okay… so how about a little nightcap?’ I say to myself, smiling as I walk into the kitchen of my rented beachside villa. ‘Don’t mind if I do!’
I case my eyes over the selection of drinks.
‘I think… a mojito sounds good,’ I chuckle, putting together a mojito in no time at all and topping it off with just the right amount of fresh lime juice. ‘Perfection!’
Taking my mojito, I wander out onto the villa’s balcony and stare out onto the ocean. I love living by the sea, there’s something about the sound of the waves lapping up against the rocks that sends me to a whole other place.
But as much as the sights and sounds of the beach make me feel at peace, there’s something not quite right.
I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but I can’t help think about whether I’m being watched. After the two incidents with Tony Ripper, I don’t feel as private and comfortable as I should.
‘Asshole,’ I mutter, sipping on my drink and thinking about Ripper’s smug, entitled face as I confronted him at my construction site. ‘Well let’s see about putting the spotlight on you, pap-man…’
An idea sparks in my head.
I turn and walk back into the villa and immediately open up my laptop. With my mind a flurry of ideas, I decide that if Tony Ripper thinks he can follow me without any consequences, he’s got another thing coming.
‘Now let’s see exactly what I can find out about you, Ripper,’ I growl, tapping away on my laptop and seeing exactly what kind of dirt I can dig up.
But after searching through a few Google search pages of Tony’s articles and biggest scoops, I begin to realize that this is one paparazzo scum trash journalist who covers his tracks pretty damn well.
‘Jeez, nothing ?’ I say, finishing off my mojito with a sour taste in my mouth. ‘How the hell does one man cause so much shit and not leave any traces of dirt behind him?’
I shake my head in frustration.
This wasn’t the outcome I wanted, that’s for sure.
I feel irritated and like I could do with a good session on my personal trainer’s heavy-duty punch bag. But with my trainer being away on vacation for the next two weeks, I know that there’s no realistic option for that any time soon.
No, if I’m going to break out of this mood I’m going to need to lift my focus my attention in another way.
And then it hits me – after the issue with Xander making the adjustment on the house plan without my permission, I decide that what Xander needs is a nice long list of specific instructions for the build.
I open my laptop and begin typing a series of very clear instructions for a variety of specific details relating to the build. I’m not the kind of guy to leave anything to chance, and Xander needs to understand that in the clearest terms possible.
Oh, and if Xander is still in any doubt about my intentions, then the final line of my email should make things very clear indeed…
Failure to meet these instructions will lead to severe punishment – the type of punishment that I will administer at my discretion, and you will receive without complaint. I hope this is understood, boy. Yours, Daddy.
I smile and send the email over to Xander. It might have been presumptuous to sign my name off as Daddy, but instinctively it feels like the right thing to do.
In fact, something tells me that Xander is going to enjoy reading the last lines of the email far more than what comes before.
And speaking of enjoyment, it’s time for me to hit the shower and soothe my body under the hot water with thoughts of Xander’s hunky body, handsome face, and perfect baby boy booty…