Page 33 of Stetson

He took a step away and led me over to a table, pulling out the white cloth chair for me. As I took my seat, I thought of a thing or two I could imagine would be prettier than the Manhattan Skyline.

We started with drinks—sparkling cider, since I was under strict instructions not to have any alcohol. Not that I needed it. Between the greeting I got from Levi last night and Barrett treating me like a prince now, I was drunk off of those two alone. I sipped at my sparkling rosé, wondering how in the hell I got so lucky, when Barrett reached across the table and took my hand. “Don’t,” I pleaded, giving his fingers a squeeze. “Don’t tell me if it’s going to ruin this. Let me enjoy it a bit longer.”

Barrett smiled, rosy cheeks complimenting the image. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

I shrugged, bringing my glass to my lips. “The company’s not bad either.”

We paused as a server came by and dropped off a bowl of salad. “What I have to ask you isn’t a bad thing, Stetson. I promise.”

Not entirely believing him, I smirked. I set my drink down and drew an “X” over my chest. “Cross your heart?”

Biting his lip, Barrett returned the gesture. “Cross my heart.”

“Okay.” I cleared my throat. “Let me have it.”

Nerves etched their way across Barrett’s features. It was almost as if I could see the waves of emotion cross before he steeled himself. “You’re okay with this, right? Us?”

“Do you think I’d be here if I wasn’t?”

“Fair enough.” He brushed a lock of hair behind his ear. “But I meant the whole dominance thing; calling me ‘sir.’ I know I kind of dropped that on you in the heat of the moment.”

We chuckled to ourselves as clattering echoed behind us. Hopefully that poor bartender learned his lesson about eavesdropping.

Another smart comment sat on the tip of my tongue, but I choked it down.

See? Improvement.

“Barrett…” I admired our entwined fingers, skimming my thumb across his knuckles. “I’m asking you this as seriously as I can: do I strike you as someone who does anything he doesn’t want to do?”

“I guess not.” Then he sighed. “But when Levi brought you in, I know you might not have expected to enter such a dynamic with someone else. Most boys, they have their Daddy and that’s it.”

I shrugged, dropping my voice to avoid listening ears. “So I happen to have a Daddyanda Sir. I’m oneverylucky boy.”

“But,” Barrett started, “you know this could get messy, right?”

“Mmhmm.” I took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter. “But I also know that Ireallylike you. I think I can handle messy. I couldn’t handle losing either of you for some ancient, mysterious baseball rivalry.”

A smile teased the corners of Barrett’s lips. He kissed my fingers, then dropped my hand to serve me some food. “You know your safewords apply at any time, right? And that you can get out of this whenever you want?”

“I’ll agree to that as long as you do the same. You were right: this needs to go three ways if we want to make this work.”

“Deal.”

From that point on, we simply enjoyed the rest of our date. I’d never truly gotten to know anyone beyond what they looked like naked. But Barrett? There were so many layers there, and the longer he talked the more he revealed. He had a big family—six siblings, and he was the only athlete. The rest were doctors, lawyers, and music prodigies. He said his parents were the kind to encourage them to go after whatever they wanted, no matter how bizarre. He wasn’t rich growing up, but his parents worked hard to make sure he and his siblings had the life they deserved.

His favorite color was purple, his favorite movie wasRamen Girl, and his ultimate goal in life was to settle down with the man—ormen—he loved.

I could listen to him talk for hours, and I did. Our salads were whisked away, replaced by one of the best steak dinners I’d ever had. Finally, during dessert, the sun slowly sank behind the horizon and the city came to life. I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth, watching the lights flicker on and light up the night sky. “Wow…” I breathed.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I regarded the man across the table, and the light in his camouflage eyes put Manhattan to shame. I let my gaze roam Barrett’s body until he squirmed under the attention. Only then did I answer him. “Stunning.”

Suddenly, the twinkling skyline in front of me and the warm cookie dough weren’t enough. Heat pooled low in my belly, and I’d reached my limit. I dropped my fork with aclangthat reverberated throughout the quiet space. After making sure my mouth was chocolate-free, I stood. “Can we go?”

Barrett laughed, but threaded his fingers through mine. We didn’t stop moving until the bartender let us into the service elevator and it was plummeting toward the ground floor. I pounced, and Barrett hit the side of the car with a surprised grunt. With a leg wedged between his thighs, I tipped my head back, humming in satisfaction when our lips met. His tongue speared through my lips, and I welcomed the taste of him. The tart flavor of the sparkling wine on his lips, the bitter coffee from his tiramisu, and something so uniquelyhimthat it nearly had me bending over right then and there.

But with my cock grinding into Barrett’s hip, he gathered a fistful of hair and tugged me back. “Can’t wait, baby?”

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