Page 19 of Controlled Burn

“I saw the flyer about the Daddy Night, and I wanted to check it out, okay? I was just curious.” He didn’t need to know anything about my reading habits or my friends’ insistence that I needed a Daddy.

“Curious, huh?”

I was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question, and I wasn’t in a hurry to take the conversation further, so I didn’t answer.

He didn’t say anything for a minute, but he just couldn’t let it go. “If you were curious about Daddies, does that mean you think you might be a boy?”

I flopped my head back against the seat and let out a big sigh. “I’ll only answer that question on one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“My father can’t hear a word of this. Not about me being at the club and not about this conversation.”

“Caleb, I would never tell Robert anything you told me in confidence.”

“Anything?” Those two were thick as thieves, so I probably shouldn’t trust him to keep a secret, but for some reason, I did. If he told me he wouldn’t say anything, I believed him.

“Not unless it was something that was life or death. You have my word.”

“I don’t know, okay? Like I said, I was curious. There are things about having a Daddy that sound great in theory, but I have no idea if I would be a good boy or if I even want a Daddy. That’s what I wanted to figure out, but I didn’t expect to get so much attention just by showing up.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “You didn’t expect to get so much attention. You’re kidding me, right?”

“No, why would I? I’m just me. I’m a geek who loves books and doesn’t know the first thing about being a boy. I’m not sparkly or silly or sexy.”

“Damn, Caleb. You really have no idea, do you? You walked in there tonight looking like pretty much every Daddy’s wet dream.”

“Me?” I asked, stunned. That made no sense.

“Yes, you.”

On the one hand, I wanted to ask him to explain more, but on the other hand, I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to know.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. After tonight, I’m pretty sure I’m not cut out for it.”

“Sebastian isn’t your typical Daddy, Caleb. As a matter of fact, I would say he isn’t a Daddy at all. He’s just a poser trying to find a sweet, submissive boy to take advantage of.”

“I believe that.” I paused for a second. “Is that what you meant about me being what the Daddies want? That I seem submissive?”

“Aren’t you?”

I shrugged and then realized in the dark of the car, he couldn’t see me. “I don’t know. I mean, maybe. I’ve read about stuff like that, but I’ve never tried it.” That seemed like a stupid thing for a twenty-six-year-old man to say. In a fantasy world that I’d created in my head based on books I read, I was sexually adventurous, but in reality, I was as vanilla as soft-serve ice cream.

We pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex, and he parked right in front of my door. He’d only been here the one time when he and my dad helped me move in, but apparently, he remembered which unit was mine.

“Well, either way, next time you decide to get curious, take some friends with you to watch your back.”

I chuckled. “That’s what the bartender told me. But the warning isn’t necessary. My curiosity has been sated.”

He turned on the overhead light and looked at me, like he was trying to decide if I was telling the truth. Then he cleared his throat. “Okay, I need to get back to the club, since I’m the designated driver. You gonna be okay?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for the rescue, though. I appreciate it. And for not telling my dad.”

“Not a word, I promise. Be sure and lock up.”

I nodded and got out of the car. I hurried up to the door with my keys out. After I’d unlocked the door and opened it, I turned back to see him patiently waiting until I got safely inside. Too bad a Daddy like that hadn’t been as interested in me as that toxic asshole Sebastian.

Chapter 8

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