by Jayda Marx
"Thanks for everything."
"No problem. Congratulations again on finding Israel. I can't wait to meet him."
"I'm looking forward to that too. Goodnight, Jett."
"Goodnight."
I closed the call and rolled over to shimmy my phone back into my pocket on the floor. When Izzy stirred against me and whispered, "Daddy," I hugged him tightly and kissed his hair.
"I'm here, little one. Daddy's here." With a full heart and a soul at peace, I rested my head on the pillow and let my eyes drift closed.
Chapter Three
I smiled when I woke up and felt the weight of Izzy’s head against my chest. He’d not moved an inch as we slept together, cuddled up in his tiny bed. I promised him a breakfast date, but I thought it might be nice to cook for him at his place so that he could relax a little longer, so I focused my gaze and energy on his small cabinets and fridge, and jerked my head to the side. Telekinesis was a major perk of being a master vampire.
The doors opened, revealing only a package of cookies in his cabinet, and nothing but a box of baking soda and a jar of pickles in his fridge. My boy wasn’t taking care of himself. I wondered if he’d eaten any dinner the night before or if I’d put him to bed hungry, and my stomach ached with guilt at the thought.
Just as I mentally closed the doors, Izzy woke up, nuzzled my chest, and smiled up at me.
“Good morning, little one.”
“Good morning, Daddy. Thank you for staying with me.”
“It was my pleasure. Are you hungry for breakfast? I know a restaurant I think you’ll enjoy.”
“I’m starving,” he answered with a pearly grin. My stomach knotted up further, wondering just how accurate that statement was.
“Okay then; get dressed and I’ll take you to get your belly full.”
Israel scrambled out of bed and knelt beside it, sinking his arms up to his elbows under the bed frame. I sat on the edge of the mattress to watch as he pulled out a pair of pants in each hand; one in dark denim and another in black cotton. “Which one should I wear?”
It warmed my heart that he wanted my opinion on even the smallest thing. “They’re both nice. What shirt will you be wearing?”
He dug around again and pulled out a powder blue t-shirt. “This is the only clean one I have left.” The pile of dirty clothes he had on the floor was very small, so counting the outfit I bought him, he only owned a few. Soon, I’d buy him any and every piece of clothing he wanted.
"Hmm...I think you should wear the black pants so that you're comfortable. After we have breakfast, I'd love for you to come to my home and play." I wanted him to experience a full immersion into little space and truly feel free.
"That sounds so fun! I'd love to!" Izzy's smile faded as his shoulders slumped. "But I have to go to work."
I snarled at the idea of my sweet boy working at a terrible job for a terrible man. "You don't have to," I argued, but Izzy nodded.
"I do. I called off one day last month because I had the flu and Al said if I ever did it again, he would fire me. I have to keep my job to afford my apartment."
That son of a bitch. Though I thought it was impossible, I hated his boss even more. "I didn't mean for you to take a day off." When he narrowed his eyes in confusion, I explained. "I meant that you could quit."
His eyes widened. "But if I quit, I couldn't afford to-"
He immediately calmed when I brushed my fingers through his hair, and he nuzzled his cheek into my palm. "Do you remember the story I told you last night? About how Niko had a castle and riches?" He nodded. "That wasn't just a fairytale. I don't have a castle per se, but I do have a huge home with everything you'd need, and vast wealth to buy anything you want. You can live with me and share all that I have. I can take care of you, Izzy." It was the deepest desire of my heart. I asked hopefully, "What do you say?"
Israel licked his lips in excitement, but ultimately shook his head no. "I can't ask you to do that for me," he replied quietly. "It's more than I deserve."
"Izzy, you deserve the world and I want to be the one to give it to you." I looked pleadingly into his eyes, but once again he said no.
"I don't think I'm ready." My gut told me that he was not telling the truth; that Izzy felt unworthy, or perhaps he was worried that I'd abandon him and leave him with nothing. That couldn't be further from reality, but I'd never force him into anything.
"I understand," I replied with a forced smile. "But whenever you are, the offer stands."
"Thank you."
My smile turned genuine when Izzy's stomach rumbled. "Come on, let's get you ready." Israel stood up and placed his fresh clothes on the mattress. When he grabbed the hem of his sweatshirt, I asked, "May I help you?" I wanted to be as hands-on as he'd allow, and care for him in every way.
Izzy chewed his lip for a moment before giving a subtle nod. "I'd like that."
He dropped his hands and allowed me to grip the fabric. I lifted his shirt over his head, once again getting a peek at his beautiful slim body. He giggled when I gently poked his belly button.
Next, I cupped my fingers over the waistband of his pants and looked up at him for permission. When he nodded again, I shimmied the soft cotton down his legs and onto the floor, leaving him in nothing but a pair of tight white briefs. His slender legs were covered in fine brown hair and goosebumps; his apartment was chilly. I worked the pants off from around his feet and grabbed the new pair lying at my side.
Israel clasped my shoulders to keep himself steady as I held out the elastic waistband of his sweatpants so he could slip each leg inside. The simple act and Izzy's full submission warmed my soul. I told him, "Daddy loves taking care of you," even though it didn't encapsulate the way I felt.
"I love it too," he replied with a sweet grin.
As I settled the fabric around his hips over his undies, a question formed in my mind and I had to ask, "Have you ever thought about diapers?"
Izzy's cheeks flushed and he looked down at the floor. "I've never tried them, but I have thought about them. I'm not sure how I feel about them." His eyes were large and nervous when they met mine again. "Is that bad?"
"Absolutely not," I insisted. I took his hand and explained, "It's okay to not know exactly what you like. I'm happy to try anything you're curious about, but I won't make you try anything. And if there's something you don't like, that's okay too. I just want you to be happy."
His pretty smile returned and he told me, "You make me happy. I feel safe and peaceful with you; like I finally don't have to be afraid. We just met, but it's like my body knows it's been waiting for you and needs to be close to yours. Does that sound silly?"
"Not at all." I tucked his hair behind his ears and gave him a smile. "I feel the same way." It was our mate bond pulling us together.
"Really?" At my nod, Israel inched closer to me. His eyes fluttered shut and his lips puckered. My boy loved kisses, and I wanted to give him one to remember.
I closed the gap between us and nibbled his lips gently. When he sighed happily, I slid my tongue into his mouth. After a moment's pause, Izzy timidly licked against me. Our tongues swirled and tangled together and when he moaned into my mouth, my self control snapped.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled his body flush with mine. Israel was quick to snake his hands around my neck and squeeze me just as tightly. I caressed the smooth skin of his back before allowing my hands to travel down onto his tight ass, cupping a cheek perfectly in each palm.
I moaned when I felt a lump growing within Izzy's pants and pressing into my stomach; he was as turned on as I was, with my own cock nearly bursting through the thin cotton of my underwear.
Izzy surprised me by climbing onto my lap and straddling my thighs. We kissed deeper, pawing at one another and licking like crazy. I squeezed one of his luscious ass cheeks and sank my other hand into his curls. I smiled against his lips when he moaned again…until I realized it wasn't a moan; it was his stomach rumbling once more. There I was
groping him instead of getting him the food he needed. As much as it pained me to do so, I pulled back, parting our lips.
Izzy's eyes were still closed, and his lips glistened. His bare chest swelled with ragged breaths. And when he finally looked at me, his gaze was unfocused and dreamy. "Why did you stop?" he asked in a whisper. "Was I doing it wrong?"
"No baby, it was perfect," I answered quickly. "I would love to kiss you all day long, but I promised to take care of you and right now, that means getting you a good breakfast."
Izzy looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded with a sigh. "Yes, Daddy. But can we do that again later?"
I couldn't help but smile at my adorable man. "I promise." I kissed the tip of his nose and lifted his t- shirt from the bed. "Arms up, little one." Izzy stretched his hands towards the ceiling and I pulled the fabric over his head. "There we go. Can you hop up so that I can get dressed too?"
Izzy nodded and stood upright, keeping his hands folded over his crotch. "Don't be embarrassed," I urged as I stood up as well. Izzy's jaw dropped as his gaze landed on the thick lump between my legs. He swallowed hard and drew his eyes back up to mine.
“Is that...because of me?”
“Of course it is. You’re incredibly sexy, Israel.”
“I am?”
I cupped his cheeks in my hands and looked seriously into his eyes. “You are everything.” I gave his nose another kiss before stepping into my clothes from the previous day. After I slid my shoes on, I helped Izzy into his and tied them up tight. “Where’s your jacket?”
“Oh, um…” He lifted his discarded sweatshirt. “I can wear this again.”
“You don’t have a jacket?” He shook his head no and I sighed. I was thankful I found him when I did. “Here, wear this; it’s thicker.” I unzipped my coat and placed it on his body. He looked adorable with the jacket falling halfway down his thighs and the sleeves bunched up so that they didn’t fall over his hands. “Are you ready to go?” Izzy looked back and forth between me and his bed, where his toy bunny lay on top of his pillow. “Would you like to bring Flopsy with you?”
“I would, but what if someone says something mean? Or what if they ask why a grown man is carrying around a toy?”
Fury tore through me at the thought of anyone mistreating him. “You tell them, ‘Because fuck you, that’s why’.”
Izzy gasped. “I can’t say that!”
“You’re right; you’re much too sweet. But don’t worry; Daddy will tell them.” Or worse.
“Daddies can say those things?”
“When it’s to defend their boys, you bet your cute little butt they can.”
Izzy giggled before grabbing his toy and taking my outstretched hand. “Let’s go.”
We strolled along the sidewalk together until the neighborhood around us became nicer. Izzy and his bunny received a few confused looks along the way, but thankfully no one said anything to him. We finally reached our destination; a hole in the wall restaurant I’d visited many times, and which specialized in breakfast.
I scooted into a booth next to Izzy and opened a menu for both of us to look at. "Let's see; they have eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, waffles-"
"Waffles!" Izzy interrupted excitedly. "Oh, I love waffles! I haven't had them in so long. Can I please get them, Daddy?" He could have any damn thing he wanted when he asked like that.
"Waffles sound great. What would you like on them?" I opened the menu wider so that he could see all of his options.
"Ooh, chocolate chips. And whipped cream. And of course syrup." My boy apparently had quite the sweet tooth, though you couldn't tell by looking at him.
"Goodness. I think you should also get a fruit bowl to balance out all of that sugar."
"Yes, Daddy."
Just then, our waitress appeared with a notepad in her hand. "What can I get for you fellas?"
"I'll have three scrambled eggs, sausage links and white toast with black coffee to drink. My boy will have the Belgian waffle with chocolate chips, whipped cream, and syrup, with a fruit bowl on the side."
"And what to drink?"
I turned towards Izzy for his choice, but he leaned in close to whisper in my ear, "Can I have apple juice?" He was either too shy or too embarrassed to order for himself.
"Sure you can." I kissed his forehead and told the waitress, "He'll have apple juice."
“I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”
Once she scurried away, Izzy studied the table before declaring, “I wish they had pictures to color while we wait for our food.” I was proud of him for telling me what he was interested in.
“Hmm, let me see what I’ve got.” I sank my hand into the pocket of my jacket at his hip and pulled out a pen and a scrap piece of paper. “It’s not a coloring sheet, but I think we can use this.” I flattened the paper out on the table and drew two sets of intersecting lines. “Would you like to be Xs or Os?”
“Xs please.” I passed over the pen and Izzy put his mark in the top right corner of the tic-tac-toe board. We took turns drawing our letters on the board until I realized that Izzy had me boxed in; no matter where I moved, he was set up to win. I looked over and found him giving me a sneaky smile. “I’m good at tic-tac-toe.”
“Yes you are,” I chuckled. I drew my O and passed the pen to him again, letting him claim his victory with a diagonal line across the middle. He clapped his hands together, but stopped when the waitress dropped off our drinks. Wanting him to get back into his happy space, I said, “I don’t think there’s any way I can beat you at tic-tac-toe, so why don’t we try another game?”
“Okay!” Izzy sat up straighter and smiled widely. I loved seeing him so excited about something so simple.
“I’ll draw an animal and you get three guesses to figure it out before I finish.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“I’m glad. Are you ready?” Izzy nodded quickly. “Go!” I pressed my pen to the paper and drew a large oval with four little legs beneath it. “Have a guess yet?”
“Hmm...is it a cow?”
“Nope, not a cow.” I drew a circular head and pointed ears.
“A cat?”
“Nope.” I had a feeling the next body part would give it away; I drew a curly tail on its backside and Izzy gasped.
“It’s a pig!”
“You got it.” I finished out the drawing with a snout and two rounded eyes.
“Aww, what a cute little piggy.”
“Thanks,” I chuckled. “Want to play again?” Izzy nodded and I got to work, drawing an entire barnyard scene while he guessed every animal correctly. Thankfully the waitress showed up with our food just as I’d run out of ideas.
“Mm, this looks so yummy,” Izzy gushed as he stared at his sugar-laced waffle. I wasn’t one for sweets, so it looked more like a toothache to me, but I was glad he was happy.
Izzy hummed and licked his lips all through his meal until his plate was empty. He didn’t even leave a single chocolate chip or streak of syrup behind. When I reminded him to eat his fruit, he was only able to chomp down a couple of grapes before he said his belly was full. I requested that he eat his fruit first at our next meal, and he promised he would.
“What time do you need to be at work?” I didn’t want him to go at all, but I did want to honor his wishes.
“Ten.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket to find that it was 9:30. “I suppose we should get going then.”
Izzy sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.” He rested his head on my shoulder and told me, “Thank you for breakfast, Daddy.” Everytime he said my name, it sounded sweeter.
“You’re so welcome.” I kissed his head and patted his thigh. “Come on, little one.” I paid the bill and left a tip on the table, and we headed outside.
The weather was cool but comfortable as we strolled hand in hand along the roadway yet again. This time, the buildings around us became older and rougher, in various states of disrepair as we walked. In time, we reached Al’s Pla
ce, along with its dirty windows and burned out neon letters.
"This is me," Izzy said with a shrug. For the first time since we woke up, the sparkle was gone from his eyes. My heart ached when he unzipped the jacket he wore and stuffed his bunny inside so that no one would see.
"What time does your shift end?"
"Ten o'clock." Of course I knew that some people worked twelve hour shifts on their feet, but it wasn't what I wanted for my mate. I wanted him to spend his days being pampered the way he deserved.
"Then I'll be here at ten to walk you home." Little did he know, I'd be eating lunch and dinner here, and standing guard outside the restaurant in between to ensure his safety. And because I needed to be near him. "May I walk you in?"
"Thank you."
I gave his hand a squeeze and held the door open for him. The inside of the diner smelled like burnt grease, and questionable characters were seated at the counter.
I barely got the words, "Allow me to take your coat," out of my mouth before a large, sweaty man stormed up to us.
"What do you think you're doing strolling in here at ten o'clock? You are to be in the kitchen, at the sink with your sleeves rolled up ready to work when your shift starts!" It didn't take long to realize this asshole was Izzy's boss Al.
"I'm sorry," Israel replied sheepishly, folding in on himself as if hiding away. "It won't happen again."
"It better not or you'll be out on the street. Any idiot can do your job, so don't think you can't be replaced."
"Yes, sir," Israel said in a whisper. My blood burned in my veins at the sight of this wretched man admonishing my mate and making him feel worthless.
"I'm docking the first hour of your pay to remind you to haul your ass in on time."
I'd heard enough. "You can't do that! He is here in time for his shift." I looked at my phone's clock and added, "He actually has a minute to spare."
Al scowled at me with surprise and anger. "And just who the fuck are you, coming in here telling me how to do my job?"
I didn't feel like explaining our relationship, or think he actually cared about details, so I answered simply, "I'm his boyfriend."