Chapter Eight
Ishould have asked for his number , I sigh, sinking into the plush booth seat of one of the tables lining the outside of The Grove’s main club floor. I’ve turned up every other night for two weeks straight, but I’m yet to catch a glimpse of Miles.
He had been subdued during our shower, and even more so when we’d gotten dressed in our street clothes, but not to the point where I’d worried about sub drop.
We’d chatted and he accepted my compliments on how fun it was to work with him with a sweet blush and dip of his chin…
and it wasn’t until after I’d walked him to his car and watched him carefully back out of the park and drive away that I realized I hadn’t asked for his number.
The first sub I have felt a spark of something special with in God-only-knows how long and I let him slip through my fingers.
Now, I know I could call Jake and ask him to shoot me Miles’s contact details under the ruse of wanting to talk about work with him, but that would be disingenuous and unprofessional.
So, instead, I’ve been visiting The Grove regularly…
which seems mildly stalkerish and possibly a little sad, but somehow that is still better than being unprofessional.
Marginally.
“Who pissed in your Fruit Loops?” a cheerful voice asks, and I turn my head to find Josh Walker sliding into the booth seat across from me.
He’s kind of notorious here at The Grove for being a Grade A brat.
Such a brat, in fact, that he has two Daddy Doms to keep him in line.
Young and buff, just like Miles, Josh is not the kind of person you’d assume is a sub at first glance, and you’d never guess that he’s also a Little.
Especially when you find out that he’s a Detective on the local police force.
“Josh,” one of his Daddies, another cop named Max, warns. I’ve known Max for years, having been Doms in the same scene together since I landed in town, but I can’t say we’re close. Still, he smiles easily at me and says, “Sorry, Big D. He’s angling for an epic punishment tonight.”
Josh just shoots me a cheeky smile and a wink. My heart gives a little pang, unable to ignore how similar this behavior is to Miles’s bratting.
Max, being shorter than his Boy, just folds his arms and looms over the table at him. “Say sorry, monkey.”
Josh’s brown eyes glimmer with humor and I watch the moment Max clocks it and realizes his mistake. But it’s too late, Josh is already smirking back and parroting, “Sorry monkey.”
I hide my own smile behind my hand, but Max still turns his glare onto me. “Don’t encourage him.”
“But he’s smiling, Daddy,” Josh says, sounding particularly proud of himself. “I’m just trying to help.”
“We both know you’re acting out because Em had to work late with your brother tonight,” Max replies. “Just think about how Daddy Em is going to react when I tell him what a pest you’re being.”
Josh’s eyes widen with dawning horror. “Not the cage, Daddy, please. I hate wearing the cage.”
“That’s why it’s a punishment, baby. And you’ve earned at least half an hour of it already. Maybe even while sucking my cock.”
“No! No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he draws the plaintive word out, before turning to me and begging, “I’m sorry I was rude. I just saw that you looked all grr and I wanted to cheer you up.”
I don’t spend a lot of time with Littles, and while Josh isn’t the type to regress super young, he’s still clearly fallen into headspace. I turn to Max, silently deferring to him. He’s Josh’s Daddy, after all.
Max sighs. “You had good intentions, monkey, but the delivery needed work. You didn’t even ask Dmitri if he was okay with you joining him.”
“Shi—er—oot. Shoot.” Josh bites his lip and gives me a baleful look. “Sorry about that, too.”
Damn, but he reminds me of Miles. So willing to please, but with a playful side which needs a firm hand sometimes. Thinking this way makes me softer and more lenient than I would be with any other bratty sub.
“It’s fine, Josh,” I respond gently, then tilt my chin up towards Max, “but your Daddy’s right: with anyone else you might be in big trouble.
However,” I hope I’m not overstepping, “because I know you’re just missing your other Daddy, and I know how grumpy missing someone special makes me, maybe Daddy Max might consider cutting that cage time in half if you promise to be good for the rest of the night. ”
Max snorts. “Oh, good; another big, tough-ass Dom going soft for him,” he teases. “Don’t let those puppy eyes fool you, D, or he’ll walk all over you.”
I’m back to thinking of another sub and his big, round, pleading eyes, and kisses that stole my heart in one fell swoop. “Yeah,” I smile, glancing between the pair of them, imagining Josh doing the same thing to his Daddies, “I’d believe that.”
Except Max and Emmet, the huge bear of a man who completes their triad, weren’t stupid enough to let Josh disappear right under their noses.
When another glance around the dimly lit club space doesn’t miraculously produce the Boy I’ve been hoping to see again, I gesture to the seat across from me.
“Sit, Max. Have a drink with me.” I tilt my head to the side.
“Unless you’re doing a scene tonight?” The Grove has a strict sobriety rule for anyone participating in scenes involving bondage, or pain or impact play, among other things.
The bar is for people who want to hang out in the nightclub, but for anyone indulging in kinky scenes, it’s expected that we stay sober for safety and consent.
“Outside of putting a cage on my naughty Boy, no. But I’m not a big drinker anyway.” He pulls out his phone to scan the QR code on the table, which will bring an order directly to our booth. “Still, a beer sounds good.” He turns to Josh. “Would you like a soda? Juice in a sippy cup?”
“Soda please, Daddy.” All traces of Josh’s earlier cheek and sass have been replaced by sweetness.
“Good boy,” Max praises.
Watching the answering smile bloom over Josh’s face as he revels in the praise, it’s hard not to recall just how much Miles loves being told how good he is. How much he so obviously craves it.
Ugh.
I’m starting to think I will have to ask Jake for his contact details after all.
The three of us make small talk while we wait for our drinks to arrive, and it distracts me enough that, even when Max asks how work is going for me, my thoughts don’t immediately circle back to Miles.
Instead, I talk about the few projects I’ve been involved in, and answer Josh’s carefully worded questions about working in the adult entertainment industry.
I appreciate that neither of them are at all fazed or judgmental about my chosen career, and that Josh has clearly taken Max’s instruction to think through his delivery to heart.
“…and I just wrapped a Christmas themed shoot the other week,” I finish, shaking my head with a rueful smile. “Tacky puns and all.”
“Please tell me you were dressed as a badass elf,” Josh begs with a laugh. “Or…oh! Instead of puppy play, was there reindeer play?”
“I was a badass Santa, actually,” I grin, but I feel my expression fade as Miles’s adorable words (“You’re Father Christmas…and you look like a Daddy.”) replay in my mind. Clearing my throat and giving my head a shake, I add, “And no, there wasn’t any pet play of any kind.”
“Pity,” Josh sighs, running his finger around the rim of his now half-empty glass. “Reindeer play sounds like fun.” Then, as if a lightbulb has lit up above his head, he straightens and beams at his Daddy.
Max is already a step ahead of him. “Yes,” he says in an exaggerated ‘you don’t even need to ask’ kind of tone, “we can try it out. I’m sure Daddy Em will also be happy to let you experiment if you want, monkey.”
“You’re the best, Daddy Maxxie.”
The way Josh stares at Max with hearts in his eyes makes me avert my own. In the next moment, I’m glad that I did, because I catch a glimpse of a familiar face as Miles eases his way around the main club room.
Pushing to my feet, I make my apologies, refusing to take my eyes off Miles in case I lose him in the crowd. But he’s wearing a neon-yellow safety vest, so I hardly think that’s going to be an issue.
Dimly aware of Max and Josh saying goodbye, I hurry after my sub.
This time, if nothing else, I am getting his number.