Page 23 of Love Me, Daddy
Nathan chuckled. “No.”
“How come?” Robbie frowned.
“I’ve been a good boy.” Nathan leered.
“Doesn’t sound like you. What’s stopping you from being yourself, apart from being unsure?”
Nathan hesitated, biting his lip. He loved being a good boy for Loren. The attention he received was amazing, but…something was missing.
“You don’t want to take things too far and risk him throwing you away?”
Once more, Daisy hit it spot on. Nathan nodded.
“He wouldn’t, you know.” Daisy wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
“You need to speak to him about it. You both need to be on the same page. Is he waiting for you to get home?”
Nathan shook his head, clearing his throat. “No, he went to work at the library today, as he usually does. I felt weird staying there by myself, so I came to see you.”
Robbie’s eyebrows rose as the corners of his mouth turned up. “Did you tell him where you were going?”
“No. I don’t have a phone to message him on, do I?” Nathan frowned, not understanding what Robbie’s expression was about.
“You didn’t think to leave a note on the table or something?”
Nathan’s eyes widened, he scrambled to his feet. “Shit. I best get back. Loren doesn’t usually finish work until around four, I have time.”
“Nathan, calm down. I think you did this as a test. You knew exactly what you were doing when you left. Even if you didn’t realise it at the time.”
He paused what he was doing and stared at Robbie, brow creased. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you said you’ve not had sex yet. You also said you’re not sure how you feel about everything, and you said you have yet to be punished.” Robbie paused and sighed when no one said anything. “I think you are trying to provoke a reaction from Loren.”
“No! I…I’m not used to…I didn’t think…fuck!” Nathan sat back, his hands gripping his hair. He closed his eyes and calmed his breathing, examining his earlier thoughts when he was at the house. Yes, he had been all turned around and hadn’t known what to do with himself, but did he want to be punished?
He worried his bottom lip as he thought through everything. His shoulders sagged, and his head rested back against the wall, hands dropping into his lap. “You’re right. I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was annoyed at Loren for leaving me alone without any idea of what I should be doing. He told me to treat the house as my own, but I have no idea what I enjoy doing anymore. The idea of leaving a note did briefly cross my mind, but I believed I’d be home before he was.” He sighed.
“What are you planning on doing now you’ve realised what you want?” Daisy asked.
Nathan stared at the roof of the shelter, feeling the cool breeze from one of the gaps in the wooden shack as he considered his options. It was unlikely Loren would be home before Nathan, but if he was, did it matter whether Nathan was home earlier…or later? He’d still get punished.
“I’m planning on hanging out with my friends for a while longer, then I’ll head home.” He rolled his head towards them, a smirk crossing his face. “May as well make the punishment worthwhile.”
They all laughed at Nathan’s answer, who, despite his words, was unsure if it was the correct course of action. He guessed he’d see when he returned.
Chapter 10
Loren
Loren entered the house to complete stillness, a complete and utter lack of presence, and he knew instinctively Nathan wasn’t there.
He closed the door behind him, wandering to the kitchen table to drop his bag and keys. Glancing around, he studied the kitchen, seeing nothing out of place. He continued his perusal through the rest of the downstairs, climbing the stairs, a lump in his throat, making it difficult to breathe. He checked the bathroom first, then their bedroom, and when he saw nothing to indicate anyone was here, he trudged towards the spare room.
The door was closed, and Loren stood in front of it, pulse skyrocketing, sweat gathering at the base of his spine. He didn’t know what he wished for: Nathan to be in there or not. If he was, Loren was unsure why he’d prefer the spare room to their bedroom. If he wasn’t, he had no idea where Nathan would be.
Heart pounding, Loren turned the handle and pushed the door open. Standing at the threshold, he saw no one. Shoulders sagging, he caught himself on the doorframe, breathing deeply and stumbling towards the bed, where he fell to his knees in front of the clothes he had dressed Nathan in that morning.
The clothes were thrown haphazardly across the bed as if Nathan had been in a rush. Loren scanned the room for Nathan’s street clothes and his backpack, and, seeing neither, he turned and sat on the floor by the bed.
