by G. R. Lyons
His phone lay on the coffee table, obstinately silent. Dirk chuckled and shook his head. Jayden was probably in one of his moods again. It was something Dirk had learned very quickly about his boyfriend over the past couple months. Despite their bargain—that Jayden would sign up for business classes and Dirk would take an art course—Jayden resisted at every reminder. Granted, Dirk hadn't followed through on his end either, but every time he brought up their agreement, Jayden got moody and petulant or just flat-out ignored him.
It seemed today was the latter. Or maybe a bit of both. Dirk pictured Jayden sitting at home, refusing to play the adult, chewing on his lip or the end of a pencil while he lost himself in a new design instead.
A tiny pang of guilt settled in Dirk's stomach. Maybe if he signed up for an art class, it would finally spur Jayden to follow through on his own studies. But when would Dirk even have the time? Between long hours at the magazine and his weekly volunteer work at the vocational training center, he had no idea when he'd fit in the chance to sit down in a classroom and finally learn how to draw.
Maybe Spencer would have an idea. Surely his assistant could figure out how to make something fit within his calendar.
Dirk snatched up his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he got to Spencer's number, then cursed himself and set the phone aside. He was trying to get over his attraction to Spencer. Calling the man outside of work hours would not help with that.
Setting his half-finished dinner on the coffee table, Dirk slumped back on the couch with a sigh. He snatched up a throw pillow and hugged it to his chest, fingering the braiding that ran around the pillow's edge. Dirk had always been prone to falling for the unattainable. Straight guys, in particular. After six years of working with Spencer, Dirk thought he should have gotten over his attraction by now. He'd even asked Jayden to help him with that.
It hadn't worked so far. Then again, he and Jayden had only been officially dating for two months now. Probably just needed more time.
And it didn't even make any sense why he wanted Spencer in the first place. The man was straight, as far as Dirk could tell. Not to mention the fact that Dirk had always been attracted to men who were physically smaller and temperamentally submissive, which was Jayden to a T. Of course, Jayden could brat with the best of them, but he always ultimately did whatever Dirk wanted.
In the bedroom, anyway. Outside the bedroom was a different story.
Dirk frowned in thought. That had to be what it was with Spencer. The man always did what he asked, though their relationship was entirely outside the bedroom. Maybe that was the sum total of explanation as to why Dirk felt like he wanted the man so badly, even if Spencer wasn't physically smaller than Dirk the way Jayden most certainly was.
But then there was the whole thing about Spencer taking care of him…
Snatching up the remote, Dirk switched off the wallscreen, then grabbed his plate and carried it back to the kitchen. He needed to stop thinking about Spencer. Period. It did nothing but make his thoughts go around in useless circles.
Dirk checked his phone one last time—still no call from Jayden—then went to bed. He got up with his alarm the next morning and went through his routine. The apartment felt oddly empty without Jayden in it, though Dirk had to admit it was a lot easier to focus on getting ready for work when he wasn't distracted by the sight of a naked Jayden sprawled out in his bed.
Chuckling to himself, Dirk grabbed his briefcase and picked up his phone. The screen showed a notification for new activity on the text thread he had going with Jayden.
Sorry, Mace and I got to talking late, Jayden wrote. You're probably already in bed. Didn't wanna wake you with a phone call. Talk tomorrow?
Below that—sent an hour later, according to the timestamp—was another message: Missing you…
Followed by a picture of Jayden's hard cock, Jayden's fist wrapped around the base.
“Fuck,” Dirk whispered. I could spank you for teasing me like that, he replied. Dirk hit Send and quickly pocketed his phone, trying not to think about sex when he needed to get to work.
Hours later, while Dirk was eating lunch at his desk, his phone beeped with a notification. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and read Jayden's reply.
Promises, promises.
It took Dirk a second to remember what Jayden was referring to, then his cock twitched in response. It was all he could do to stop himself from scrolling back to that picture, not needing the distraction when he had to go to a meeting in a few minutes.
See you tonight? Dirk wrote back, then set his phone aside, stuffing the last bite of his lunch into his mouth before heading off to his meeting in the conference room just down the hall. When he got back, he found a text waiting for him.
I'll be the hot, naked burglar who broke into your apartment. You might have to punish me.
“Fuck,” Dirk gasped.
“Mr. Cameron?”
Dirk gave a start and dropped his phone on his desk, blushing when he saw Spencer standing there. “Yes. Sorry. What?”
Spencer eyed him with curiosity, then said, “I have those reports you asked for.”
“Right. Of course.” Dirk fussed with his tie even though it was probably fine, then tried to get his mind back on work.
At the end of the day, he hurried home, dropping his briefcase on the entryway table the moment he walked in the door. “Jay?” he called.
An exasperated groan sounded from the next room, and Jayden appeared from around the corner, somehow managing to look stern with his arms crossed over his chest despite being completely naked. And hard. “You know you're not doing this whole role-play thing right if you're checking to see that I'm here.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe I need to punish you instead.”
“Oh really?” Dirk asked, prowling toward him. “You think you're gonna spank me, huh?”
Jayden bit his lip and grinned. “Could be fun.”
Dirk gave him a devilish smirk, crouching slightly like he was going to pounce. Jayden's eyes went wide, then he let out a yelp and whirled away, laughing as Dirk chased him through the apartment.
They reached the bedroom, and Dirk tackled Jayden onto the bed, pinning him down and grinding against him. There was something exciting about being fully dressed while Jayden was naked. Dirk thought about taking him just like that as he kissed the younger man hard and deep, pouring all his tension into dominating the smaller body beneath him.
Dirk sat up and started to loosen his tie, then dropped his hands with a groan when his phone rang.
“Don't answer it,” Jayden gasped, frantically working at the buttons on Dirk's jacket.
“That's my mother's ringtone,” Dirk explained, shucking his jacket and then pulling his phone out of the pocket. “If I don't answer it now, she'll just keep calling until I do.”
Jayden slumped back on the bed. “Yours, too, huh?”
Dirk chuckled and gave a nod, then took a deep breath and answered the call. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie!” his mother practically shrieked. Dirk winced and pulled the phone away from his ear, then slid off Jayden when the younger man covered his mouth and started cackling. “How are you?”
Dirk sat on the end of the bed. “I'm good. How are you? How's Dad?”
He pulled off his tie and settled in to listen as his mother gave him updates on the whole family: Dad was still enjoying retirement, always off playing golf with his buddies; his second oldest brother was doing yet another career change, and Mom was sure this one would actually stick; his third oldest brother's wife was pregnant again and they were hoping for a girl this time.
Jayden slipped off the bed and knelt at Dirk's feet, pulling off Dirk's shoes and shocks. He ran his hands up Dirk's calves, licking his lips and eyeing Dirk's crotch, but Dirk put out a hand and stopped him.
“Are you even listening?” his mother chided.
“Yes, Ma,” Dirk assured her, narrowing his eyes playfully at Jayden as he reached out and pinched Jayd
en's chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You just said Dad wanted to take a trip to Norton and go skiing.”
Jayden pulled free of Dirk's grasp, then snatched Dirk's thumb between his teeth and made a show of sucking on it, slowly bobbing his head and looking up at Dirk from under his eyelashes.
Dirk hissed.
“Speaking of trips,” his mother said, “when are you going to come see me? Am I gonna have to have a heart attack to get you to visit your mother?”
Dirk's eyes went wide. “Mom, don't even joke about that,” he said seriously, knowing his mother's side of the family had a history of heart issues. “You're healthy, right? How was your last checkup?”
“I'm fine,” she insisted with a chuckle. “What? A mother can't guilt her youngest into coming to visit?”
Dirk heaved a sigh of relief, scowling at Jayden as the young man continued trying to tease him, flicking his tongue all around Dirk's thumb. “I'm doing my annual trip in a few months,” he reminded his mother.
“Well, did you ever think I might want to see you more than that?” she scolded him. “Your birthday's coming up in a week and I can't remember the last time I got to see you for it.”
Jayden popped off Dirk's thumb and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Birthday?” he mouthed.
“Hush,” Dirk mouthed back, dragging his wet thumb across Jayden's lips, then told his mom, “I'll see about finding time to make two trips a year. How's that?”
“Family's important,” Mom insisted.
“I know. It's just you guys live so far away, and the magazine won't run itself.”
“You're the one who moved away,” his mother reminded him.
“I know,” Dirk replied, and left it at that. It was a long-standing argument, and dragging it out again never did them any good. He loved being in the fashion capital of the world, while his family preferred the quiet, slower pace of the town where they'd all grown up. Dirk couldn't imagine living anywhere other than Briston, but it meant only getting to see his parents and his brothers once a year. Maybe he really would try to schedule extra trips. He could afford it better than they could, and it was easier for one man to travel than a whole group of people.
By the time he got off the phone, Dirk was tired and hungry while Jayden had finally lost interest in trying to seduce him, having stretched out on the bed with one of his notebooks, pencil dancing over the page.
Dirk gave Jayden a kiss, then got up to take a shower. When he got out, he found Jayden cooking in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a tight pair of briefs with the word Daddy's printed across the back.
“Am I Daddy now?” Dirk asked, grabbing Jayden's ass with both hands as he pressed up behind the younger man. “Because I'm pretty sure this ass is definitely mine.”
Jayden bit off a moan, grinding back against him, then looked over his shoulder, frowning as he studied Dirk's face. “Do you want to be called Daddy?” he asked.
Dirk stepped back so Jayden could reach for some plates, quirking his mouth as he thought. Did he want to be a daddy? He'd known since they met that Jayden was into daddy kink, but Dirk had never seen himself in that role. “Not really?” he replied, the words coming out as more of a question than a statement.
Jayden turned around to face him, tilting his head and chewing on his lip in thought. “Maybe that's what's missing,” he began slowly, like he was working out a thought while he was speaking it. “Because I just can't quite see you as a daddy, and I'm not sure why.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You're dominant, for sure, and you take care of me in a way, but…”
“But there's still some element missing,” Dirk finished for him.
“Yeah.” Jayden bit his lip again. “What do you think?”
Dirk felt as though his mind splintered off into several directions at once. He had no clue what was missing from their relationship, so he didn't even begin to know how to answer.
His stomach growled loudly, both distracting him and giving him the perfect out. “I think,” he began, “if whatever you made tastes as good as it smells, you're gonna have to carry me to bed for a change.”
Jayden threw his head back and laughed. “In that case, the only second helping you're getting tonight is your tongue in my ass. Can't have you going into a food coma when I still need you to fuck me.”
Dirk raised his eyebrows. “I thought you preferred having your tongue in my ass.”
Jayden's eyes flashed. “Don't tempt me,” he growled, then shoved a plate into Dirk's hands. “Eat. Now. And hurry up so we can get to dessert.”
“Brat,” Dirk muttered.
Jayden grinned at him, then picked up his own plate and strutted out to the living room, wiggling that incredible ass of his as he went. “By the way,” he called over his shoulder, “we need to talk about this apparent birthday you have coming up.”
Dirk chuckled and hurried to follow.
Chapter 4
SPENCER NOTICED someone approaching out of the corner of his eye as he simultaneously shot off an email to the art department and finished a call with the head of accounting. He put on a welcoming smile and looked up.
The sight of Jayden made him freeze for a second, but Spencer quickly recovered, wrestling his jealousy behind his professional façade.
“Mr. Wyatt,” he greeted the younger man. “Good afternoon.”
“Hey,” Jayden replied.
Spencer scratched behind his ear as he gave Dirk's office a quick listen. “Mr. Cameron should be off the phone soon if you want to go in.”
“I wanted to talk to you first, actually.”
Spencer's eyebrows went up. “Oh?”
Jayden looked around, then crossed his arms on the short wall that surrounded Spencer's workspace and leaned closer, lowering his voice. “I guess Dirk has a birthday coming up?”
“Next weekend, yes,” Spencer replied with a nod, hoping all the while that he wasn't blushing as much as it felt like he was.
“I've been brainstorming all morning and I have no idea what to get him,” Jayden complained. “I thought maybe you could tell me what he likes?”
“I…Well…I don't–” Spencer stammered.
“I mean,” Jayden went on as though Spencer hadn't spoken, “I thought about maybe making him something.” He waved a hand at his jacket—clearly custom—by way of explanation. “Except I don't know his measurements and I'm not sure there's time to make something anyway.” He paused, turning his head slightly to one side. “Unless you have some magical way of getting that information from his tailor?”
Spencer paused. Magical? Jayden didn't know, right? No, he couldn't know. Spencer was always careful. Not that there was anything wrong with him using magic—the Jaduan High Council allowed it even though he hadn't completed his training—but it wasn't something he flashed around. People either got jealous and angry that he had powers they didn't or they started demanding odd favors. He shoved the thoughts aside and shook his head. “I do have his measurements, actually,” he admitted.
Jayden started to brighten, then frowned and let out a sigh. “But there's not enough time,” he muttered again, chewing on his lip as he gazed off down the hallway.
Spencer itched to reach up and tug that lip free of Jayden's teeth, then cursed himself for even thinking of it.
Jayden groaned. “I just wanna get him something nice, you know?” He snorted a laugh. “Maybe it'll get him off my case for a few days.”
Spencer was tempted to ask what that meant, needing to fix whatever problem Dirk had, but it wasn't his business.
But Jayden went on as though Spencer had asked anyway: “He keeps pushing me to take business classes, and I want to. Sort of. But it all just sounds so boring, you know? And we keep fighting about it.”
Spencer gave a slow, polite nod when all he wanted to do was groan. That was the same argument he kept overhearing between the two whenever they were in Dirk's office or on the phone. If only he could tell Dirk to put Jayden over his knee and make him sign up f
or classes. Hells, Spencer was tempted to do it himself, wanting to spank the boy until he did as he was told. Then maybe reward him once he'd behaved.
Father's love! Spencer inwardly cursed. Where the hells had that thought come from? He squeezed his eyes shut and rapidly shook his head while Jayden wasn't looking. Spencer didn't need to be thinking that way about Dirk's boyfriend. Still, the daddy in him was itching to come out and play, to give both Dirk and Jayden what they needed.
He cursed again and shoved the thought aside. The only thing Jayden needed right now was gift advice. Better to stick to that.
Spencer blurted out, “How about a custom watch?”
Jayden perked up. “Yeah?”
Spencer hesitated, his heart picking up speed as he thought of the watch band he'd been making for Dirk. A part of him hated the idea of handing it over to Jayden to give as a gift, but how else would Spencer ever be able to see Dirk wear the thing? At least he'd have the satisfaction of seeing something on Dirk's body that he'd made with his own two hands, even if he could never take credit for it. It was the closest he'd ever be able to get.
“I saw one just the other day,” Spencer said, not entirely a lie, then went on to describe the watch face and the design of the band. “I think he'd like it.”
Jayden bounced with excitement. “That sounds perfect! Can you tell me where to get it? Or you can get it for me and I'll pay you back?”
“Yeah, sure,” Spencer said, a bittersweet pang shooting through him. “I can have it for you tomorrow or the next day at the latest.”
“Oh, you're a darling,” Jayden gushed. “Thank you!” He flashed Spencer a grin, then let himself into Dirk's office.
Spencer waited until the door shut between them before he let out a heavy sigh. What the hells had he been thinking? He now had a day, maybe two, in which to find time to finish the thing, and then he was going to have to hand it over to the man who occupied the place he wanted to be.
But there was nothing for it. Spencer went home that night after work, took care of Rey, then snuck an extra pinch of daevaak to give himself a boost before he closed himself in his bedroom and got to work.