Page 3 of Love Me, Daddy
“See you soon, you two.” Loren dragged his coat on, shouldered his laptop bag and leaned down to kiss Karen on the cheek before striding to the exit. He didn’t want to be accompanied tonight. He would bring the others’ jubilant mood down.
Buttoning his coat as high as it would go and lifting the collar to cover his neck, Loren drifted towards home. Despite his assurances to his friends, he had nothing waiting for him, not even work.
By the time he’d made the twenty-minute walk, Loren had lost the feeling in his fingers. His gloves had been misplaced at some point in the last week, and he had yet to replace them. He struggled to unlock his front door, and, once he’d entered, struggled to lock it again.
He pivoted but stayed frozen in the hallway, surveying his home. It was in a prestigious area, not extremely wealthy, but not bad either. He had bought it when property prices were low and had reaped the benefits of the choice now the market had risen. His bedroom was to the left off the main hallway, and he headed there first to drop off his laptop and paperwork; he’d sort everything out later.
Returning to the hallway, he removed his coat and shoes and trailed to the kitchen. More coffee was needed. It was only five-fifteen, but Loren felt like he’d been awake for days.
As the drink brewed, Loren thought back to Ben’s words: he needed to go further afield. It wouldn’t hurt, but Loren wasn’t sure he had the energy. Not tonight, anyway. He was too tired of the emotional toll it took.
Taking his doctored coffee to the sofa, he sat, sipping the brew, waiting for the heat to warm his bones. He wrapped both hands around his mug as he sat in the corner and tucked his legs up underneath him. Staring at the blank TV, he tried to figure out what he was doing wrong. There must be something about him different from the other Daddies around; otherwise, one of the boys would have stayed.
Evan had been the latest of four boys Loren tried having relationships with. The first two had not wanted an all the time Daddy and boy situation, and Loren had agreed to try. Both went wrong because it wasn’t who Loren was. Hugo had been a delight; he was a boy through and through. Loren had thought they would be together forever because they seemed to mesh so well into each other’s lives. They hardly needed to change anything. Unfortunately, Hugo hadn’t understood the monogamy of the situation, and as soon as Loren found out, he had ended things with Hugo. That had devastated Loren.
By that point, he had lost his “mojo,” as Ben said. He hadn’t wanted to risk trying again with anyone, but one night, several months later, Ben had convinced Loren to accompany him to a Daddy and boy night at the club. Loren had gone, under protest, and had found Evan. Evan had been new to the city and finding his feet as a boy. Loren had happily taken him under his wing and explained everything he could about the lifestyle. Evan agreed to Loren’s terms and added a couple of his own, and their relationship began.
Everything had been going swimmingly until eleven months later, Evan told Loren he was too overbearing, too much, too there all the time. When Loren had asked what had changed from the beginning of their relationship to then, Evan had avoided the question.
Loren knew he could be overwhelming at times, but he couldn’t change who he was. He had tried previously, and it hadn’t worked either.
He exhaled, gripping his mug tighter. Loren knew himself. He needed a twenty-four-seven Daddy and boy relationship, or nothing. He’d have to live with being alone.
Chapter 3
Nathan
The coughing woke him. He pushed up onto his elbow and squinted across the moonlit room to where Robbie and Daisy were laid. “You okay, Daisy?”
He heard rustling. “She’s not doing so good, Nathan. She’s burning up.” Robbie’s voice trembled.
Nathan sat upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes then from his whole face. He cleared his throat and tried to wake himself properly. “Have we got any antibiotics left?”
“No. We used them when I was down a few weeks back if you remember.”
“Shit, yeah. I forgot about that.” He exhaled. “Okay, let me get sorted, and I’ll go see if I can find something.”
“It’s okay, I’ll go.” Nathan could see shadows moving and knew Robbie was getting up. “No, Robbie. I’ll go. You stay and comfort her.” He stood up, shivering in the chilled air. “You know the rules. If I’m not—”
“Back by six, you’re not coming back. Yes, I get it.” Robbie’s voice was harsh. “You wouldn’t have to give me those warnings if you didn’t do what you did.”
“Robbie…there’s not much else I can do to get the kind of money we need to keep going out here.”
Robbie sighed. “Sorry. I know. I’m worried about you. There are too many creeps out there.”
“I’ll be fine. I say it as a precaution, that’s all.” Nathan passed over his share of the remaining food and drink from the shopping two days ago. “See if you can get her to drink something. I’ll grab some more on the way back.”
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
Zipping up his jacket and pulling the collar up as far as he could, Nathan braced for the cold, slipping out the door and closing it solidly behind him. The shack was drafty as all hell, but it sheltered them from the worst of it. Quickening his footsteps in the shadowy night, he hustled through the streets to his usual workplace. Stopping at a public toilet, he spent a few minutes preparing himself—some men were too impatient to be kind—then carried on his way. Inhaling deeply before turning into the alley, he altered his stroll and opened his jacket, pasting a serene smile on his face, masking his real feelings.
Antibiotics were not easily found on the streets, and he knew he would have to pay over-the-odds for them. Because of the price issue, his work would have to be the kind he refused for the most part—he had a little dignity after all was said and done.
Scanning the clients, he chose his target, sauntering over with an enhanced sway to his hips. “Hey, handsome. You seem like someone who could rock my world.” He paused in front of the guy, licking his lips suggestively and stroking his arm.
The guy’s pupils blew wide, and his breathing increased. “Hell, yes.”
