Page 3 of Soothe Me, Daddy
Katy Perry blared through the silence at five o’clock the next morning. Instantly awake, Henley sat up, rubbing his face free of sleep before dismissing the wake-up call. Knowing if he sat there too long, he’d fall back asleep, he flung the covers off and got ready for the gym.
Henley worked hard on his body and wouldn’t let anything mess it up. Not even interested in the vanity side of exercising, he did it because he liked how he felt after he’d worked up a sweat. Energy pulsed through his muscles, giving him a buzz. He usually had a lot of get-up-and-go anyway, but the gym amped it up further, and by the time he arrived at work, he was ready to take on the world and win.
Unfortunately, the day didn’t agree with his outlook and time dawdled. Several times, he requested additional work to keep him busy until he received a request for his presence in the manager’s office. Taking a deep inhale, he danced his way down the hallways and staircases, expending far too little energy before arriving at the door. Mr Sanders called him in, and Henley sat in the same seat he’d sat in not even twenty-four hours prior.
“Okay, Henley. I have good news. I would like to offer you the position.” Mr Sanders sat back in his seat, resting his linked fingers on his stomach.
Henley beamed. “Seriously? That’s fantastic. Thank you so much.”
“You’re more than welcome.” He leaned forward again, reaching for some papers. “We will get you sorted out with a new contract shortly, but in the meantime, I thought I’d run through a few things with you today if that’s okay?”
“Definitely.”
“So, you’re starting date will be two weeks on Monday, and you will be trained by the same person for eight weeks and then given free rein to work by yourself. During your training period, you will either be picked up by your trainer, or you will need to meet him at a designated point, but you can discuss those details with him.”
At the word “him,” Henley sat up a bit straighter. There were only three guys on the executive team: Isaac, Blake and Leon. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Can I ask who my trainer will be?”
“Of course. Sorry, I should’ve mentioned that. Isaac will be training you.”
Henley inhaled through his teeth slowly, hoping to withhold his reaction to those words. When he’d applied for the position, he never actually thought Isaac would be training him. He’d only ever seen Trish train executives before. There was no way on this earth he was going to complain about it, though. He was about to spend eight hours a day, five days a week, for eight weeks in the company of the one man who intrigued him so much, he applied for a new job.
If that didn’t show his interest, he didn’t know what did.
****
Chapter 2
Isaac
Isaac Chapman coughed as he reached the third floor of his apartment building, breathing in much-needed air. He’d let his exercise regime go after his last failed relationship, not caring about anything for such a long time. Unfortunately, he was feeling the effects now and needed to start doing something about it.
If only he could find someone like Lisa had. He smiled as he remembered the expression on her face when he gave her some flowers. The previous day, she had announced she was expecting her first child, and everyone was ecstatic for her. Anyone who carried a human being inside their body for nine months, or however long the baby decided to stay in there, deserved to be treated throughout, so he would ensure to grab her little gifts over the coming months to keep her upbeat and comfortable.
Doing little things for his colleagues settled something inside him, something that was usually centred around having a boy to take care of. Being between relationships made him feel a loss that was not easily filled.
It was not easy for boys to accept Isaac’s need to be a Daddy all day long, inside the home environment and outside in the world. He was particular about the boy he needed, too. They had to be on the older side of the scale, not young enough to be infants. Isaac had attempted that type of relationship before, and it didn’t fit in with his personality. Every Daddy was different, as every boy was different.
Unlocking his front door, he exhaled heavily, finally regaining enough calm to breathe unhindered. He needed to start at the gym again. Maybe it was something he could begin after he’d finished training the newbie executive.
Isaac had seen him around the office—who could miss the shock of blue hair—but hadn’t been introduced until today. Henley certainly wasn’t shy, which would be a benefit, but he seemed…fidgety. Isaac couldn’t put his finger on it, but he supposed he’d find out next week. In three days, he would be collecting Henley for his first day of training.
Flicking the light on, Isaac divested himself of his coat and shoes before shuffling to his kitchen to shelve the leftovers his mother had foisted on him earlier that evening. Friday night was family night, and he and his three siblings and their families all congregated at their parents’ house for dinner. Isaac rarely missed them, only on the occasion when his work nights out couldn’t be organised for the Saturday as they usually were. Most people would think him strange for bowing out of a family dinner to go on a work night out, but for him, family nights happened every week, whereas the work nights were bi-monthly, and he believed it was important to ensure a good working relationship with those around him.
His thoughts took him to Henley again. Isaac wondered whether Henley would continue to go out with the customer service staff as well as the executives. He appeared to have a good relationship with them, so Isaac would be surprised if he brushed them off now he’d changed jobs. Not that Isaac knew Henley well yet.
He stretched his arms above his head as he strode down the hallway to his bedroom. It was only ten o’clock, but he was shattered. It had been a long week of driving to the extreme edges of Britain. Most of the time, he was able to schedule appointments that were close together in location, meaning he could get a hotel and save himself some driving. Unfortunately, this week hadn’t been one of those weeks. He’d been in Sheffield, Brighton, spent two days in Cardiff and then up to York. Sleep was the first thing on his agenda this weekend. Starting after he’d had a shower.
****
“We wanted to see if you’d come for breakfast with us.”
Isaac blinked his eyes blearily as he tried to decipher the time on the clock beside him. As the number eight swam into view, he groaned and rolled to his back. “It. Is. Eight. On. A. Saturday. Morning. Felicity.” Every word was punctuated with a growl.
“I know! We’ll buy you breakfast, though. We’re at Pete’s Café on Main Street. We’ll have coffee waiting…?” Felicity sing-songed the last sentence, earning another growl from Isaac, although he wavered.
“Fine. Give me half an hour or so.”
“Yay! See you soon, Is.” Her nickname for him made him smile despite the early wake-up call. She must have something to tell him if she was waking him up as the sun barely peeked over the horizon when she knew he normally slept in on a Saturday. He blew out a breath and pushed to a seated position. With his eyes still wanting to close, he rubbed a hand across them, bringing his fingers towards the middle to wipe the sleep away.
