Hear Me, Daddy: Rainbow Room Book 2

by L. Michael

  “Who decides your punishment?”

  “Umm…you?”

  “Do you want to rephrase that, Henry?”

  “You, Daddy.”

  “That’s right. Sit down.” Swallowing hard, I did as he said and watched Caden get up. He walked over to my desk and came back with a pen and one of my notepads. My mouth dropped open.

  He can’t be serious, can he? He won’t make me…Caden tapped my shoulder, and I looked up at his lips.

  “You’re going to write. I will not mock my friends or talk back to Daddy until you’ve filled the page.”

  “Why can’t I go and stand with Sam in the corner?” I couldn’t hear myself, but I hoped my voice was whiny enough to get my point across.

  “Two pages.”

  “But—”

  “Do you want to make it three pages?”

  Caden raised an eyebrow, and I quickly shut my mouth and shook my head. I didn’t want to write at all, because I hated writing. Mostly I just used my notepads to write down notes, but whole pages? It was going to suck so much. Glancing over at Sam, I felt a bit of jealousy because he got corner time and I had to write lines. Caden tapped my shoulder, and with a deep sigh, I looked at him.

  “You better start writing. There will be no ice cream until you’ve finished.”

  “You are so mean.”

  “Keep up that attitude, and you’ll find out how mean I can be.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I stared up at him. I was equally shocked and turned on. Yeah, okay, I was more turned on than anything. Then Caden pointed to the notepad, and with another deep sigh, I started writing.

  By the time I finished, my hand had started to cramp. Dropping my pen on the table, I moaned and sat back.

  “Done.”

  Caden was at my side within a second and kissed my head before making me look up at him.

  “Good job, Cupcake. Now apologize to Sam for mocking him, and your punishment is over.” Caden pointed to the other side of the table, where Sam now sat.

  “I’m sorry, I made fun of you being messy, Sam.”

  “I’m sorry, I stuck my tongue out at you.” Sam smiled at me, and I grinned back at him. It made me smile more when he asked, “Can we have our ice cream now?”

  “Yes, ice cream.” I turned back to Caden, who shook his head. But I could see he was laughing. He bent down and kissed me full on the lips. Mmmm, maybe punishments weren’t so bad if I got ice cream and kisses afterward.

  “I’m very proud of you for taking your punishment so well, Cupcake,” Caden signed.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” I signed back and beamed at Caden. Looking after him, I watched him walking into my open kitchen to get our ice cream. But then I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked back at Sam, who waved his hand to get my attention.

  “While I was in the corner, I was thinking about the lower floors.” Jakob must have said something to him because Sam turned his head a little. I still could see his lips, so I saw what he was saying to Jakob. “Yes, Daddy. I know that corner time is supposed to be thinking about what I did. I just couldn’t stop my thoughts. Wait till you hear what I was thinking about.”

  Frowning, I waited till he looked back at me again. “What were you thinking about?”

  “The lower floors are empty, right?” Nodding, I wondered what he was thinking. “I was wondering if you ever considered renting it out.”

  “No. I don’t want strangers in my home.”

  “I understand. But Jakob and I aren’t strangers, right?”

  “Um, no?” They weren’t strangers. According to Sam, they were family, and after today I had the feeling that I had found a friend in Sam. He was kind, and I liked him.

  “So, I was wondering if you would consider renting the ground floor to us.”

  “To you?”

  “Yeah. It would be the perfect place to start our private investigation company. We started looking for office spaces, but we haven’t found a good one yet. If the ground floor layout is similar to this one, it would be perfect.”

  Jakob frowned but looked around my apartment with an apparent interest in his face. This floor plan was a little different because the offices had been on this floor. Downstairs was where they kept all the machines. It was more industrial than what was my apartment now, but I could picture an office in there. The thought of renting the place out had never crossed my mind, but the more I thought about it, it wasn’t a bad idea at all.

  With the possible threat from my family, I loved the thought of not being alone in the building anymore. The idea of having two former police officers in the building would probably be good to calm my nerves. I was thinking about it so hard that I jumped a little when Caden sat back down beside me and touched my leg.

  “You don’t have to decide anything right now, Cupcake. But I think it’s a great idea.” Caden smiled before he continued, “Jakob and Sam are working for my law firm, for now. It would be convenient to have them in the same building as my boyfriend. Not to mention I would feel much better about you not being alone in this building the whole time. Not to mention that Sam is right, the place would be perfect for their needs.”

  “But it’s an industrial building. The ground floor hasn’t been touched yet. It would need a lot of remodeling.” My eye caught a flurry of movement on the other side of the table. When I looked back at Sam, he was waving like a windmill in my direction.

  “It doesn’t matter. We can renovate it. Right, Daddy?”

  Sam’s gaze snapped to Jakob. Jakob blinked, and, by the movement of his Adam's apple, he swallowed hard. Then he smiled and made sure that I could see what he was saying to Sam.

  “Sam. Slow down. Henry hasn’t even decided if he would be willing to rent it out. You can’t just dump this idea on him and—”

  “You can rent it,” I said before I could change my mind. It would be great to have someone else in the building. If it also meant I got to see Caden more often…yeah, well. “I mean…if you want. If you like it.” There went the windmill again until I looked back at Sam.

  “Can we see it? I have so many ideas already.”

  Caden tapped my leg to get my attention. “You boys eat your ice cream. Then we can go look at the space.”

  Sam dug into his ice cream. He was going to get an ice cream headache if he ate it so fast. Not wanting to be left behind, I dug into my dessert as well.

  Sam hadn’t been exaggerating about having ideas. When we walked into where the production area used to be, Sam was fluttering around the place like a hummingbird jacked up on caffeine. He chattered on about colors and setting up workplaces and offices. By the end of the afternoon, Caden promised to draw up a contract and send it over to them, and I had a headache from watching lips all afternoon. After I said goodbye to Sam and Jakob, I went into my nursery and lay down on my daybed. Daddy had the duty of showing them out. Sucking on my binky, I replayed the events of the weekend in my head.

  It was so weird and so hard to comprehend everything that had happened. I had a playdate with my perfect unicorn Daddy, learned about Robert's parole hearing, found new friends, and rented out the ground floor of my building. Who would have guessed that I’d be a landlord after one playdate? Not that I needed the money, far from it. After I sold the rights for my Lucian Holston thriller, I was set financially for the rest of my life. That brought more thoughts to mind. Then the bed dipped. Caden joined me but had a worried expression.

  Since my head hurt and I was too tired to read lips, I turned on my side and signed, “I was just thinking about the rent money.”

  “Why did that have you frowning.” Gently reaching over, Caden stroked my forehead with his thumb and signed with one hand, “It was a lot today.” After I nodded, Caden switched and stroked my cheek. “What about the rent had you frowning like this?”

  “I don’t need the money, but I have a feeling that Jakob is way too stubborn to get the place rent-free.”

  Caden threw his head back, and I watc
hed him laugh. Judging by how much the bed shook, it was a full belly laugh, so I must have been right with my impression of Jakob. After a few seconds, Caden drew in some air and looked at me again.

  “You figured him out pretty quickly. You are right. He would never agree to that.”

  “What if I don’t keep the money?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Would it be legal if I gave the rent to a good cause?”

  “You can donate anything you want.” Caden smiled proudly at me, kissed my nose, and then went back to stroking my cheek. “Do you have a charity in mind, or do you want me to help you find something?”

  “Can you…Can you find out if there is something like…like for victims?”

  “There are lots of charities for victims, Henry. Why don’t you tell me more about what you have in mind and I’ll see what I can find?”

  “Back in Kentucky, you know, when I lived with my family…” Swallowing hard, I reached out and toyed with the collar of Caden's shirt. Then I closed my eyes and spoke. “There was a ritual, like a rite of passage, when you turned sixteen. That was when you had the opportunity to earn your tattoo.” I shivered, and Caden went from stroking my cheek to gently running his fingers through my hair. “I was twelve when Robert had his ritual. You had to be twelve to be a spectator. I didn’t want to be there, because…by that time, I had met Collin and was questioning my whole life. But…I had no choice. Robert was away for two days with three other men from our compound. When they came back…he got his tattoo.”

  Caden tapped my chin so I would open my eyes and look at him. “What did he do to get it?”

  “They went to Louisville. The day after he got his tattoo, Collin showed me this article about a Jewish bakery that got vandalized, and then they started a fire. They…they destroyed the whole place. The bakery…it was their home and where they worked. They weren’t hurting anyone, and Robert destroyed it. He stole their livelihood to get that damn tattoo.” I sobbed when I remembered what I found out years later. “They lost everything that night. Their home, their work, everything. Just because Robert wanted a stupid tattoo.”

  Caden stroked my cheek to get me to open my eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, Henry. You don’t have to pay for the misdeeds of your family.”

  “I know, it’s just…it was my family. I just want to…I just want to do something to help.”

  For a moment, Caden just looked at me, and then he kissed me. He pulled back and made sure that I could see his lips again. “I think I have the perfect charity organization. The Survivors of Swastika help victims of these hate crimes with therapy, financial help, and legal costs. I’ll look into it when I’m back at the office, okay?”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re more than welcome. Now, I think you need a nap. Do you want to be in my arms, or do you need some meds for your headache?”

  “No pills, Daddy. My head is already much better with you holding me.” A nap in his arms sounded heavenly. “Caden?” I had to pull back from his arms to see his lips, but it was worth it. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Cupcake. Now close your eyes and let Daddy hold you while you nap.”

  Chapter 18

  Caden

  Tuesday, I was leaving the courthouse when my phone rang. For the last few hours, whiny messages from Henry had flooded my phone. Each message increased in drama, and I expected this call was from him. The cock cage we ordered had finally arrived yesterday. Henry was over the moon about it when I put it on after his change this morning. At first, he stared at it in wonder, curious about the feeling of the cage against the diaper. But when he realized that I wouldn’t take it off until I got home, his excitement had quickly faded.

  My little sex-driven Monkey had learned that a cock cage wasn’t as much fun as he thought. Two hours after I’d left him, I got the first message from Henry, complaining that he was horny but couldn’t get hard. Even though his texts got more desperate as time went on, he never once used his safeword or asked to use the emergency key. Complaining or not, Henry liked the thought of his Daddy having control over his cock. My phone rang from my pocket, so I reached in and grabbed it. I pushed the thoughts about Henry and his locked cock away and concentrated on my day. The sooner I was done with work, the sooner I could go back to my Boy and reward him. I answered the phone without looking to see who was calling.

  “Evans here.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Zach?”

  “Yes. Where are you, Caden?”

  “I’m just leaving the courthouse.” Frowning, I walked down the steps. Zach and I had been friends since college. We both graduated and went to work in different law firms that we hated. We decided to open our law firm with Noah, another friend, only a year after graduation. Meaning, I knew him long enough to know that something was going on based on his tone. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need you to get back to the office right away. We need to talk.”

  “I’m already on my way. Zach, what’s going on?”

  “Former Detective Jakob Lannister is here. He wants to talk to you. About the Altmanns and their son, Michael.”

  “Yes, he wanted to do some…” I nearly tumbled down the last few stairs when I realized what he just said. “Wait. How do you know what it’s about?” I was pretty sure, no, I was positive that Jakob wouldn’t walk around, revealing Henry's secret to anyone.

  “Just come back to the office. There is someone you need to meet.”

  “Zach?” But Zach had already ended the call. I looked down at my phone. Yep, he hung up on me. What the hell?

  The whole ride back to the office, I racked my brain about Zach's call. Had Jakob talked to him about Henry? No, I couldn’t believe that Jakob would have shared Henry's secret. Not with Zach or anyone else for that matter. But how could Zach know about Michael Altmann, and who was I supposed to meet? I rushed back to the office as quickly as the cab driver would drive without getting a speeding ticket. It was impressive. My driver still made it under fifteen minutes when a usual trip took twenty-five minutes. That earned him a generous tip.

  “Welcome back, Mister Evans.”

  Misty, the best office manager in the world, greeted me as soon as I left the elevator. She started with us when we opened our law firm, and it was the best hire we ever made. At first, Misty was just our receptionist, but over time she took on a much larger role. Now she was our office manager. Misty was a wiz with all the other employees, but also kept Zach, Noah, and me in line. Misty was a real treasure, and I hated to think about her retiring.

  “Thanks, Misty.” I looked down the hallway, and I could see Zach’s office light was off. “Hey, do you know where Zach is?”

  “Yes. He’s in one of the private conference rooms on the tenth floor. Mr. Levy told me to send you down as soon as you arrive.”

  “Okay, thank you. Oh, and please…”

  “No phone calls or any other disturbance as long as the world isn’t falling apart.” She ended my sentence with a smile and winked. “I got your back, don’t worry.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be downstairs then.”

  I forced myself to smile at her, then turned and went back to the elevators. Instead of taking it, I opened the door and took the stairs. Five years ago, we moved into this building, where our law firm stretched between two floors. We grew from just Misty and the three of us to fifteen full-time employees and interns over the years. We were damn proud of the progress. But now I wished the conference room was closer. When I finally knocked on the closed door, my collar was soaked in sweat, and I was a little out of breath. Man, I needed to start running again.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s me.”

  “Just a second.”

  I could hear Zach as he walked over to the door. The doors of the private conference rooms were locked from the inside so no one could enter. It gave our clients a sense of security in sometimes scary situations. Zach opened the door a second later and ushered me into the
room.

  My gaze found Jakob at the conference table with a cup of coffee and a few files in front of him. He didn’t seem worried, and I relaxed a bit. If Jakob was calm, whatever this was couldn’t be that bad. Then I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked at the windows.

  A tall, blond Viking-looking man stood looking over the streets below. When he turned, I spotted the tattoo on his neck right away—a small, swastika made of thin, black lines. I snapped.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “The man who can help you save Michael’s life.”

  “What?”

  My breath left me, and I stood there and stared at him. He was tall, with lots of muscles. When he moved, I could see more dark ink peeking out from under his sleeves as he flexed his arms. Tattoos, I didn’t want to see—not after Henry had told me how they got them.

  “Sit down, Caden,” Jakob spoke up, and I whipped my head around to look at him.

  “I’m not going to sit down. I want to know what’s going on here. Who the hell is this, and what did you tell them?”

  “He didn’t tell us anything,” Zach said from behind me, but I kept staring at Jakob. Why the hell was he so relaxed and calm? Jakob knew about Henry and his psychotic family. Now he sat there, with his coffee and looked as cool as a fucking penguin in an ice bath. Not to mention, there was a Nazi in the same room.

  “Ok, great, you didn’t say anything. Then why are we all here?” I glared over my shoulder at Zach before I glared at Jakob. “And how does he know about Henry?”

  “I saw his tattoos and knew that we needed to talk.”

  “Jakob, stop being so fucking cryptic,” I snapped and pulled my arm away when Zach tried to reach out to calm me down. Zach sighed. Then he walked over to the man at the windows.

  “Caden, this is Special Agent Marcus O’Hare.”

  “What?” I stared so long at the man that my vision started to blur. “Wait…what?”

  “I accidentally arrested him a couple of years ago, while he was undercover with a human trafficking ring. I recognized him when he came out of Zach’s office. Then I saw the tattoo and knew that he might have helpful information.” Jakob explained the whole situation.