3. Wallace
Wallace
Wallace clung to Volt’s shoulders, barely believing this was real.
This morning, he still hadn’t quite expected to be dating the man of his dreams. Even when he’d invited himself over to Prism to wait while Volt fixed the heater, he hadn’t quite trusted that Volt really wanted him there.
That might have been a little part of the reason he’d stayed up so late working on the bots. As long as he was down in the basement, Daddy kept checking up on him with little phone calls and texts, or stopping by with snacks and kisses.
He’d wanted to make Daddy proud, but he also hadn’t been sure if he would need to go home when he was finished.
But now he was sleepy, full of delicious food that his boyfriend kept plying him with, and being carried to the elevator like he didn’t weigh a thing.
Because Volt had asked him to spend the night. Their date still wasn’t over.
Volt sucked hungrily at his neck, hopefully leaving a mark. “Gonna eat you all up, baby,” he whispered between kisses. “Daddy needs you so bad.”
Wallace whimpered, every inch of skin tingling with desire. He ran his fingers through Volt’s silky brown hair.
It was the first time he’d really touched Daddy like this, running fingers across his broad shoulders and tangling them in his hair, and he couldn’t get over the idea that so much magnificence was his to touch. That he was just allowed to touch Volt whenever he wanted to.
Because they were boyfriends.
Because Daddy said he needed him. And even if that wasn’t strictly true, he definitely needed his Daddy, too.
Especially after that intense conversation in the kitchen. He’d known what Volt would decide about his work—it wasn’t like Volt could just stop his career because they were dating. So hearing that he would be Daddy’s only boyfriend, his only sub, eased something inside him.
He clung to Daddy tighter, getting lost in the joy of touching all of that magnificence.
Even if Volt had sex with other people for pay, no one else got to experience the way that Daddy looked at him.
The way that Daddy replied so lovingly to his texts, making him feel like he was the center of his world.
They were going to go back to sending those texts, right? He wasn’t sure if Daddy understood how important those were to him. How they were a lifeline to get through his otherwise horrible weeks. How they made him feel seen in a way that felt crucial to his soul.
He’d barely been able to function this past week without those texts.
Volt’s teeth scraped across his neck, and he keened.
Fuck. Who cared about texts right now? “Daddy!” he gasped out. It was hard to think about anything when Daddy was nipping and licking along his neck. When he got to grind back against the magnificently hard dick that he still hadn’t seen and run his fingers through that silky hair.
He didn’t even look up as Volt turned to push open the door to the rose room with his back. Or when Daddy set him on his feet without allowing a single inch of space between them.
“Sorry again that my room doesn’t have a bed,” Volt told him, clearly still worried about it.
Wallace shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, Daddy,” he swore.
Even if it was the same room that they’d used when he was paying Volt by the hour, and that felt a little icky, he would sleep anywhere if it meant more time with Daddy.
If there was a cardboard box out in the back alley for just the two of them, he would take it.
“I could get a bed,” Volt suggested, gazing down at him. “Maybe I’ll even get some soft pink sheets for my princess. And a dresser for all your pretty things.”
Wallace felt his eyes start to prickle. He’d tried to imagine what it might be like if this were all real, but this was more than he’d ever dreamed of.
“You don’t have to do that,” he suggested, even if he wanted it more than anything.
“Of course, I do,” Daddy promised stoutly. “I will.”
He gave a little sniff and hid his face in Daddy’s chest.
Daddy was getting a bed for him. And somewhere to store all of the pretty clothes that he still didn’t quite trust himself enough to wear.
It shouldn’t have been so important, but it felt like his heart was going to beat out of his ribs. Volt was making room for him in his life. Giving up some of the space that he used for dancing while he charged up each night.
Nobody—nobody—had ever changed their life around to give Wallace a place in it. Nobody had ever thought he was not just attractive, but pretty. Beautiful.
Even when he wanted to wear pretty, lacy things that men weren’t supposed to want to wear.
Daddy thought he was beautiful.
He pressed his damp eyes to Daddy’s shirt. Maybe someday soon, they would curl up together in that special bed. He could fall asleep on Daddy’s chest, not for a nap, but for a whole night.
At the thought, he found himself yawning and pulled back. God, he was a wreck.
Volt chuckled fondly.
“Sorry, Daddy. I guess I haven’t been sleeping very well this past week.”
Volt squeezed him tight. “You should have seen me. I’ve been miserable without you. I kept worrying that you weren’t sleeping or eating enough.”
Really? Volt had said it before, and Angel had backed him up, but Wallace still found it hard to believe.
Maybe Volt really did need him just as much as Wallace needed him in return.
“I wasn’t, Daddy,” Wallace said, still feeling shy. But he wanted to put all of his feelings out there. To let himself be vulnerable and know that Daddy would catch him. “I needed you to take care of me.”
Volt’s eyes fluttered closed, like he was savoring the words. “Always, baby. I haven’t been a good Daddy to you at all.”
“No, you have, Daddy! I was the one who didn’t follow through. I was… I was hurt, at first. And then I was scared. I just… Oh, Daddy, I just missed you so much. Weren’t you going to p-punish me? Since I didn’t text you?”
He couldn’t figure out why he was suggesting it. Who wanted to be punished? Except that, well, Daddy had promised him thirty spankings. And the first time had been so good, even though he’d cried and snotted and totally broken down. After he’d come, that is.
Yeah, he was probably crazy, but he wanted Daddy to punish him, even if he didn’t fully understand why.
Daddy swept Wallace up, pulling him onto his lap as he settled into the padded chair. “I’ll punish you if it’s what you need, baby boy. But I think this last week has been enough of a punishment for both of us. I’d much rather start with a clean slate. Then I can give you a spanking for pleasure.”
Wallace gasped. He could feel his face turning pink. “Oh, uh, okay, Daddy.”
“But I’m going to need you to be a good girl and follow Daddy’s rules.”
Wallace found himself nodding, words caught in his throat. Fire raced through his veins.
He didn’t know why this did it for him—having rules laid out for him.
But it was like every atom of his being attuned toward his Daddy, making him go all soft and floaty inside, while his heart seemed like it was beating out of his chest. Especially when Daddy saw that scared, fluttering thing inside him and called him pretty girl.
“Tell me what the rules are,” Daddy demanded, seduction wrapped around his words.
Wallace shivered. God, he needed this. He needed it so much. He needed to know that Daddy was there for him. Taking care of him. Thinking about him as often as he was thinking about his Daddy.
Chin held high, he recited the first rule, letting the invisible chain of his submission wind around him. “I eat a healthy lunch and show you a picture.”
“Every day, baby,” Daddy agreed. “Every single day.”
Wallace nodded emphatically. “Every day, Daddy. And I take a walk every day for at least fifteen minutes and show you a picture of that, too.” Every rule was a promise between them. Twining around them both, sweet as honey.
“That’s right, baby. Daddy needs those pictures.”
His heart felt light and fluttery. “And I get in bed by nine-thirty and turn out the light by ten-thirty.”
“My sweet girl needs her beauty sleep when I’m not there to take care of her,” Daddy crooned.
Wallace wanted to melt. Just fall apart in Volt’s arms and trust Daddy to put him back together.
“Nine-thirty every night,” Daddy repeated.
Which made Wallace giggle. He was giggling! Because it was so much later. Nine had flown by hours ago while he was working and wouldn’t let Daddy coax him away from the bots. He glanced at the window, though the curtains were too thick to reveal the night behind them.
“And look at me now, keeping you up late,” Daddy cooed.
“So does that mean I don’t have a bedtime when I come to visit you?” Wallace teased. Or at least he hoped he sounded like it was teasing. He’d never done it before.
He wanted to flirt. To be cute and fun and playful.
Fortunately, Daddy seemed to take it that way, his eyes lighting up like they had when he’d joked around with his family earlier. “Hmmm… maybe that means that I’m going to have to be a better Daddy and start taking better care of my little hamster. Maybe I’m the one who deserves spankings.”
A laugh bubbled out of Wallace’s chest. He was really doing it, this teasing thing. “No, Daddy!” he protested. “I should get the spankings!” He still didn’t quite know why he wanted them, but they were definitely his.
“Hmmmm…” Daddy pretended to ponder. “Then let’s make a new rule that you either need to be in your bed, calling me at nine-thirty, or in my bed, or at least with me, by nine-thirty each night. How does that sound?”
Wallace wasn’t sure he could breathe with how good that felt. Like their rules were real. Like they meant something.
Like they were really, truly dating.
“But I might get greedy with you,” Daddy warned. “I’d need you to call me every morning that you aren’t here, too.”
Wallace’s heart swelled. “Is that another rule? Can I brush my teeth and have coffee first?” he asked. He would much rather have it that way, when he was a bit more awake to have a rational conversation… but he adored that it wasn’t his choice.