Page 24 of Controlled Burn

“No, it’s not. That has everything to do with physical appearance and nothing to do with who I am as a person.”

“Okay, I’ll concede the point on that one. But I don’t think I’m wrong about you being a boy. At first, when I saw you in the club, I didn’t think it fit because all I saw was Robert’s son. I didn’t see you. Caleb Hunter Callihan. But once I did, I realized you’d be the perfect boy for some very lucky Daddy out there.”

“Okay, and just where am I supposed to find this very lucky Daddy? Because I’m not going back to that club looking for one.”

“Especially not by yourself,” he muttered under his breath, then he shook his head and looked at me. “I wasn’t suggesting you go back to the club. I think you need a safer way of testing it out and finding out if having a Daddy is for you.”

“A safer way?” I asked, not sure exactly what he was getting at.

“Yeah, with a Daddy you already trust and know isn’t going to lead you wrong. Trust is the key to a good Daddy/boy relationship. If the boy doesn’t know that he can count on the Daddy to always have his best interests at heart, how is he supposed to give him control? And make no mistake about it, there’s a power exchange involved in this relationship dynamic.”

I’d read enough Daddy books to know that was for sure part of it, and it also made sense to me that trust would be a necessity. But I still didn’t understand how I was supposed to go from a proposition for a three-way and totally douche behavior to trust.

“I understand that, but what I don’t get is how do hook-ups at the clubs work when you don’t know them well enough to trust them?”

“There are different end goals at play with the hook-ups. A lot of them aren’t there to find a relationship. They’re just there to pretend for a night. In that case, the rules are different. That’s what those guys at the bar were after. But you were looking for something totally different, weren’t you?”

I nodded, still thinking about what he’d said. “That makes sense, but it also supports my decision to give up because if I don’t want hook-ups and I don’t know how to find someone I trust to try it out with, it’s pretty hopeless, now isn’t it?”

“There are a lot of Daddy/boy couples who manage to find each other, Caleb. It isn’t hopeless at all.”

It didn’t look like Keith was going to let this go easily. I downed the last of my wine and then let out a sigh. “I think I need a refill.”

I stood up quickly and went to the kitchen. I opened up my empty fridge and started to reach for the wine bottle, but then I remembered my chocolate shake in the freezer. Wine was good, but in a time of crisis ice cream was better.

Keith

I sat there waiting for him while he went back to the kitchen. He wanted a Daddy to take care of him, and lord knows he needed one. When I got myself that bottle of water, I could have counted on one hand what he had in there that wasn’t a drink or a condiment.

He had good ideas, like the meal planning, for example, but his execution was pretty much shit, and I had no doubt that extended into other parts of his life besides the food.

I thought back to the day in the library when the other guy gave him a hard time about living by his calendar. It seemed he was trying to be organized. He just needed a little help to get there. I tried to think of any Daddies I knew who would be a good fit. They would have to see how special he was… and how smart. A gentle hand to guide him without making him feel stupid or like a failure would be important. But most of all, it would need to be someone who wouldn’t take advantage of his sweet nature.

I couldn’t think of anyone who was good enough for Caleb, and I knew most of the Daddies in town. Dammit. I knew what I was going to have to do. There was no way around it. I would just have to hope if Robert found out, he would understand that I did it for Caleb’s own good.

He came back in with a milkshake and plopped down on the couch. I had no idea how he was going to follow up that steak sandwich and extra-large order of fries with a milkshake without getting sick, but that wasn’t my business, at least not yet.

He saw me glare at his milkshake, and he squirmed in his seat. “Oh, umm, I know you said you didn’t want anything to eat, but if you want some, I can get you a cup and give you half.”

“No, I’m good. I’m just trying to figure out where you’re putting all that food.”

He chuckled. “My mom says my stomach is a bottomless pit.”

“I believe it.”

I watched for a minute while he struggled to suck the frozen milkshake through the straw and then gave up, switching to the spoon he’d brought with him.

After he’d taken a big bite of the ice cream, he let out a long sigh. “Okay, anyway, you were explaining to me why this whole situation isn’t hopeless.”

“It’s pretty simple, really. You need a Daddy you trust to try it out with.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “Okay, and where would I find him exactly? Because, like I said earlier, the club is out.”

“I know, and I don’t blame you. But, Caleb, you already know at least one Daddy you trust.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“I think you do. You’re way too smart not to. But I’ll go ahead and say it. I could be your Daddy. Not forever.” I held out my hand in a stop gesture. “That’s not what I’m suggesting. But I could give you a safe place to find out what having a Daddy is like. A way to sate that curiosity you’re so full of.”

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