Page 10 of Just A Little Love

“We’ll need a safe word. Are you familiar with them?”

“I’ve never had a reason to use them, but I know the basics of how they work,” I answered. “Do I need a specific word or will traffic lights work?” The butterflies had moved into my stomach. I liked it.

“Traffic lights are perfect. Green means everything is fine, yellow is slow down to check in with your partner, and red stops everything.”

Gabriel grabbed my right hand and entwined our fingers. His touch surprised me, but it was definitely not unwelcome. It was welcome. Totally and completely welcome.

“Using your safe word, yellow or red, is always okay. No matter what, if you need to use them, do it. I will never be mad or upset, okay?”

I nodded my head, yes, but it wasn’t good enough.

“Sorry, Rory, I need words to make sure you understand?” Gabriel squeezed my fingers and tugged me closer to him.

“Green is go, yellow is slow down, and red means stop. And you’ll never be mad if I want to stop or slow down.” Gabriel looked at me like the proud daddy I needed to pretend he was.

“Perfect! Please be honest if I check in with you and ask what color you are. I never want you uncomfortable about anything going on.”

“I understand. How do we make this happen?” Since I’d decided to do this with Gabriel, I was eager to get started. In my quick research last night, coloring came up. At my desk at the college, I kept a couple of books to help me clear my mind when on a break from grading. One of them had complicated abstract shapes, but the other had cartooned creatures. My favorites were the cute dragons with tiny puffs of smoke and the winged unicorns.

“At the club, we’ll eat dinner, followed by a party in the playroom. They’d expect me to order on your behalf, get your plate ready, and maybe unwrap your silverware.” As if on cue, Barrett brought over a tray with our lunch.

“I don’t think I introduced you guys earlier. Rory, this is my friend, Barrett. Barrett, Rory.”

Barrett was so tall, I had to crane my head all the way back to look at him. After he put down our lunch, I stuck out my handand said, “Hi, nice to meet you.” The giant returned the gesture and clasped my hand in his own. It was the size of a bear's paw.

“Same. I hope you enjoy lunch. We baked the sourdough bread fresh this morning, and the chowder is a family recipe.” The giant man had the most gentle smile, which was at odds with the acres of ink visible on his skin.

“It smells amazing, so I’m sure I will. The murals are so cool. Did you paint them? I love how there are so many scenes, like different storybooks.” It wasn’t empty flattery. The mural was legit spectacular. Whoever the artist was, they were incredibly talented.

“Oh, no,” Barrett laughed. “I can recognize brilliant design, but I can’t create stuff like this. Owen, another friend of ours, designed and painted it. He’s crazy talented at designing spaces. Anyway, enjoy. We source locally, so it’s all as fresh as we can make it.” Barrett turned to leave, but I didn’t miss the pointed look he gave Gabriel or the angelic one he got in return. Clearly, they were having a silent conversation I wasn't invited to join.

“Is he the chef here?” I asked Gabriel when Barrett left the table.

“No, one of the owners. He owns several businesses around town, and this is one of them.”

With our food spread out in front of us, Gabriel picked up the utensils wrapped in the linen napkin next to my place setting. He pulled out the soup spoon and unrolled the napkin. He placed the spoon next to my bread bowl, and the cloth went directlyinto my lap. All I did was sit and wait for him to finish arranging everything. I stilled my mind to analyze my reaction. A tiny part of me suggested Gabriel’s behavior should annoy me. The things he did were all ones I could do for myself. But, I found them sweet and nurturing instead. Which, I guess, was the point. If others observed us, he'd appear overly solicitous but nothing inappropriate.

“Bunny, how do you like your chowder?”

Bunny.

I liked it. The butterflies from earlier returned en masse to my tummy.

“Is that my new nickname?”

“When you first got here, you looked as nervous as a rabbit. If it’s too much for you, you can tell me.” Gabriel paused and added with a grin, “my disappointment won’t last forever.”

“I don’t want to be responsible for your heartbreak, so Bunny it is. And it’s delicious. I can’t believe Anders and I haven’t been in here. May I ask you a question?” At his affirmative nod, I continued. “Why were you upset when I got here?”

Gabriel sighed. “It’s difficult to turn off my caregiver instincts. When you got here, you weren’t dressed for the rain. If you’d been my boy, I want you to dress appropriately for the weather. This time of year means at least a rain jacket and decent shoes. A daddy’s job is to look out for his boy’s best interest even whenthat boy finds it annoying, like swapping out cute Chucks for a pair of wellies.”

Direct shot. “And if your expectations were known but ignored?”

“A consequence for not following established rules would be expected. It's highly dependent on the boy and the relationship boundaries. A spanking? Maybe corner time? Lose dessert privileges? Early bedtime? Writing sentences? Extra chores? Quite a bit could be on the table, but it would depend on what they had negotiated in advance. Safe words always apply, though.”

I couldn't lie to myself and pretend I didn't feel the most delicious tingle in my cock when Gabriel explained the potential consequences to me. Twenty-four hours ago, I hadn't considered any of this, but damn, it intrigued me. My freak streak had been well-hidden because it hadn't introduced itself before today.

We ate in companionable silence while I contemplated and digested what he’d told me. I felt some kind of way about it. My thoughts tumbled over themselves in a mash-up of anticipation, apprehension, and lust. I was so focused on my food, which was yummy, that I jumped a little when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out of my pocket, and wasn’t surprised to see it was Anders. I immediately started typing out my response.

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