Chapter Twelve
My bed was made, check, my clean clothes all stacked, double check, now all I had to do was set the table and wait for Daddy.
I couldn’t stop the huge grin that spread across my face.
How had everything been flipped on its head in the space of two days?
Two days ago, I was certain that my wish to find a Daddy was over.
I’d accepted that maybe finding a partner and a Daddy was just not in the cards, but there Perry was wanting to be both my Daddy and my Master.
I needed to get downstairs. My small dining table was covered in medical journals and comics, and I’d not cleaned it off in ages.
I’d not needed to in ages. When Mouse and Rhys visited, we always sat in my big, comfortable sofas, the one thing I’d spent money on in recent years.
It was huge, nearly filling the small sitting room I had, but I didn’t care; the cushions were so soft it felt like you were sitting on cotton balls.
I’d gone through all the fabric selections the store had available and eventually settling on a dark, stain-resistant faux suede that felt buttery soft to the touch and would put up with my occasional accidents with drinks and markers.
The temptation to run down the stairs was strong, but I walked down them slowly, mindful that I had my socks on, and I didn’t want to slip, which could be bad, especially if it got in the way of me serving Daddy tonight the way I wanted.
I really wanted to do something nice for him.
He’d been so patient and kind, and let’s face it, he was sexy as hell.
It would be no hardship to spend the night worshipping his cock.
Still, those thoughts were distant as my middle mindset grew deeper.
I wanted to curl up with him on the sofa and watch my favourite anime and then show Daddy my favourite comics.
Still, I first needed to get the table set and show Daddy what a brilliant boy I could be.
First things first, I needed to find somewhere to hide all my medical journals and the other junk that had accumulated on the dining table.
I looked across the room to the small cupboard under the stairs.
That would do it. It might be a squeeze with everything else I had hidden in there, but it would have to do.
I’d shoved the last of the junk from the table into the cupboard just as I heard Daddy open the back door.
I darted into my small kitchen and grabbed knives and forks and plates, carrying them out in a rush to the dining room, nearly running into Daddy as he came into the room with the bags of food.
“Whoa there, little one, you nearly knocked me on my arse.”
“Sorry, Daddy, but the table is not going to set itself.” I rushed past him, ignoring the heavenly smells coming from the bags he carried, and got busy setting the table.
Shoot.
I realised we needed vinegar and bread so I could make chip butty.
Daddy’s arm was around me. Somehow, he could still manhandle me while carrying a bag of takeout.
“Okay, my frantic little princess, I need you to slow down.”
“I just wanted it all done before you got back, but then I saw how messy the table was, and I had to try and find a spot for all my papers and junk, and then I took so long that I had to rush and get the knives and forks,” I said in a breathless rush, my anxiety ramping up.
The fear I held onto of being a terrible boy for Perry was raising its ugly head again.
“Cullen, look at me, please.” Oh no, I could already hear the disappointment in Daddy’s tone. Stupid Cullen, I knew this wasn’t going to work out. I reined in my need to snap back with some caustic response.
“No, seriously, Daddy, the table is not going to set itself, and I promised to be a good boy and do it.” As I tried to move away, Daddy grabbed my arm, firmly pulling me to a stop.
“Cullen, come with me.” Daddy placed the bags of takeaway on the table, then took the cutlery and plates from my hands and set them down.
“Won’t the food get cold?”
“It will be fine for a minute. I'm more worried about your reaction just before.”
I slumped my shoulders and looked at my feet.
“Oh.” The soft, carefree feelings from my middle space were evaporating.
I didn’t like feeling like this, like I had let Daddy down, no, Perry, I shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking Perry was going to be my daddy.
The illusion was nice for a little while, but I knew he’d grow tired of my shenanigans soon enough.
“Cullen, eyes up here now!” Perry's voice had a snap to it, a tone of a Master at his wit’s end, and I had to obey.
“I’m sorry, Sir.” I looked into his eyes and saw none of the disappointment I thought would be there; instead, I saw concern etched into his blue eyes.
“Why are you sorry?” Perry gently sat me down on the sofa and sat alongside me.
I looked up towards the ceiling, then back down at my hands. “I wanted to have the table set and downstairs tidy before you got back.”
Perry looked around the room, then back to me “Sweetheart, the table is clear, and the room is perfectly fine. I didn’t expect it to be perfect for me, I wanted you to be able to relax tonight.”
“I wanted it to be perfect. My brain kept screaming that if I was perfect, then you’d enjoy the time with me and not want to find another sub.
It's crazy since we’ve only just gotten over calling each other names and being unpleasant to each other.
” I smiled sadly. It really had been me who’d done most of that.
Perry had dealt with it all with a bemused, good-natured smile.
Perry sucked in a breath, then reached out and touched my cheek, “You really believe that you’re that hard to be around?”
I blinked hard a few times. It wouldn't do for me to collapse in tears right now. “I do, I know what I’m like.”
Perry closed his eyes and gathered me against his chest. I was incapable of resisting.
“Sweetheart, I will tell you this every day until you believe me. You are perfect the way you are. And those idiocrasies you think that will send me running? They won’t.
Yes, I asked you to set the table, but my mistake was not realising you would need to tidy it up before you could do that. If there is any fault, it's mine.”
Perry tucked a finger under my chin, lifting it, so I met his eyes. “Now, would you like to continue? I was hoping we could have some dinner, then cuddle on the couch.”
He really wanted to continue. I nodded eagerly. I honestly didn’t want the night to end.
“Good, now give me a kiss and let’s get our dinner.”
I reached up to kiss Daddy, and he pulled me closer, slotting our mouths together and taking control as his lips slid against mine.
He tasted faintly like mint, but that thought left my mind as his tongue slid languidly against mine.
One of his hands cupped my cheek, the other rested on the small of my back.
I felt his fingers tracing patterns on my lower back as we kissed slowly, no hurry, just enjoying the moment.
Perry broke the kiss with several smaller pecks to my cheeks and forehead. “Do you feel a bit calmer?”
I did. The usual urge I had in these moments to push my partners or Dominants to try and take control didn’t exist, well, that wasn’t entirely true, it did, but in a playful way.
Perry made me feel calm, content, but also like I didn’t have to hold on so tightly to everything, and he kissed like a fucking world champion.
“I feel good. Maybe a little foolish for ruining our night with my theatrics.”
“You did no such thing, Cullen, and besides, the night is still young.” Perry gave me a devilish wink and stood, and lifted me to my feet.
I eyed the bowl of salad suspiciously. “So if I have some salad with my fish and chips, I earn a reward?” I had slipped easily back into my middle space after we’d talked.
I believed some of that was because of how easily Daddy accepted my middle side, and I didn’t feel the urge to hide it from him.
Daddy lifted his fork to his mouth, taking a big bite of his battered halibut. The moan he made went straight to my cock. Currently, anything Daddy did went straight to my cock, except maybe making me eat stupid salad.
“Well, for now, the reward could be a new comic or extra play time with your Game Boy, or it could be something sexual.” Perry took another bite, and smiled around his fork.
“It’s not a Game Boy, Daddy, it’s a Steam Deck.
But rewards like that and sexy ones would work.
I like sexy rewards.” I smirked, grabbing another chip to lay on my bread.
It was nearly a perfect butty. I just needed more sauce.
I grabbed the squeezy bottle and squirted a huge dollop on my chips. A large blob ended up on my shirt.
“Oops. I got sauce on my shirt.” I ran my finger through the sauce, then brought it up to my mouth, ignoring the look of horror on Daddy’s face.
“I’m almost tempted to tell you to take off your shirt and skirt, but I somehow think that would be playing into your hands.” Daddy gave me a wink, and I did an awful job of hiding my laugh.
“I have no idea what you mean.” I feigned innocence, taking a bite of my butty to try and stave off a burst of giggles.
“Oh, I’m sure, sweetheart.” My heart did that weird flutter thing when Perry called me that.
I’d heard that endearment from Cal and Simon when they were talking to their boys, but I never expected to hear it used towards me.
The smile I had must have looked ridiculous, but I couldn’t keep myself from doing it.
“Eat up and don’t forget the salad, then we can cuddle on the sofa and talk some more.”
I blew out a breath and looked over at the salad. I stabbed a piece of tomato and cucumber onto my fork. Maybe I was making a little bit of a show of it, but I really didn’t like salads. I mean, who had a salad with nice, greasy fish and chips?
“You really do like to talk,” I said between mouthfuls of butty and handfuls of chips.