Page 46 of Spencer's Satisfaction
Ted tucks an errant strand of thick, dark hair behind Zephyr’s ear and smiles softly, “Because you were a good boy and you deserved a treat.”
The pair share another look that makes my insides squirm with pleasant warmth. It’s obvious -even to me- that they adore each other, and it instantly makes me happier to be around them, as though their bright energy is rubbing off on me.
As Ted and Zephyr continue to talk about Ted spoiling his Boy, we follow the two men through the house, past a formal living room and then into a wide-open living-dining-kitchen space. Beyond that, there are large sliding doors which open out to an outdoor entertainment area and a sparkling blue pool. It’s too cold right now to consider swimming, but it looks inviting all the same.
The entertainment area is paved beautifully, and the roof extends over it, making it a usable space in most weather. Ted has a couple of big, square timber outdoor tables pressed together with matching seating for sixteen (it takes me a moment to count all the chairs) arranged around them. There’s a large outdoor kitchen with an inbuilt grill off to the left, and professional grade patio heaters, too – the umbrella kind you see outside fancy restaurants.
At the table, there are four other men nursing beers and snacking on chips and dips. I recognize two of them as Chance and Josh, the latter being around my age and built like a linebacker with biceps I don’t think I could wrap my hands around if I tried.
The other two are new faces and both seem to be as large as Josh. One is older, with a graying beard and shaggy brown hair liberally streaked with silver. His arms are decorated in darkly inked tattoos and, if he didn’t have such warm, green eyes, I’d probably be more intimidated by him. He’s the more muscular of the pair. The younger guy, also around Josh’s and my age if I had to guess, is stockier, with black hair styled into a coif and a squared, clean-shaven jawline.
Spencer’s hand finds the small of my back and he gently nudges me closer to the table, making introductions.
“Tony, this is Matt,” he gestures to the guy who looks like he’d be right at home in a biker den, then at the younger guy, “and his Daddy, London.”
Say what now?
My surprise must show on my face because both men chuckle at me.
“Yeah,” says the older one.Matt, I remind myself, determined to remember their names. “We get that reaction a lot.” He snuggles into London’s side, and I watch as London smooths his hand up and down Matt’s thick arm during the sideways hug. It’s such a comforting gesture; both to Matt physically and for me to see. “But it works for us.”
I press in closer to Spencer’s side, offering them a shy smile in return. “Sorry. This is all kinda’ new to me. I mean, I read a lot of kinky romance, but never…” I close my eyes and curse myself for babbling.
It’s like I have two modes when I’m nervous: shut down or TMI.
The guys don’t treat me like the oversharing weirdo I am, though. Instead, they just roll with my random confession.
“Huh,” Josh says, leaning forward from his seat on Matt’s other side in what seems to be an earnest expression of curiosity. “I never thought about reading age play stuff.”
Chance snorts. “You’re friends with Spence and you’ve never thought about books?”
Josh shrugs. “I guess I’m easily distracted.”
“That I’ll believe,” Ted puts in his two cents’ worth, handing Spencer a beer and cocking his head at me. “What would you like to drink, Tony?”
“Uh…” I glance around the table. Everyone’s got a beer in hand, except Zephyr, who has taken a seat down the end of the table in front of a cocktail glass containing something that looks fruity in nature. “Um, water? Please?”
Ted doesn’t comment on my stammering or the unsure way I asked. He just smiles at me and says, “Coming right up.” He juts his chin towards the tables. “Take a seat. Eat some snacks before these guys demolish them.”
Josh smirks, looks Ted dead in the eye, and takes a large handful of chips with a decidedly challenging air about him. I giggle, then stop abruptly when I realize it’s brought everyone’s attention back to me.
“Here,” Zephyr says, patting the tabletop in front of the seat to his left. “Come sit with me. Josh can be trouble.” The words are chiding, but he says them with a smile.
For his part, Josh just laughs. “This coming from you?” He shoots at Zephyr, shaking his head. “Don’t think we haven’t seen you get bossy withyourDaddy.”
There’s something almost secretive about the smile that curls the corner of Zephyr’s lip when he casts his gaze towards Ted. “Daddy likes me bossy.”
“Damn straight, kitten,” Ted agrees, dropping a kiss to the top of Zephyr’s head as he places a cold bottle of water in front of me.
I thank him, but he waves me off and takes the seat on Zephyr’s other side. Spencer takes the other one next to me.
For the next little while, conversation flows easily around the table. Even though I know Spencer’s friends are curious about me, it’s a relief when they don’t bombard me with questions. Occasionally, one of the guys will stop to ask my thoughts or opinions, but there’s no pressure to give detailed answers.
Spencer slings his arm across my shoulders, and I lean into him while Chance teases him about the book series he’s just been signed to narrate.
This is a novel experience for me. I haven’t had a friendship circle since…well, since grade school. And even then, I only had one or two friends, an outcast from the very start. But watching Spencer and his friends laugh and joke with each other causes tendrils of hope to unfurl in my belly.
Maybe…maybe one day these guys will be my friends, too.
