Page 34 of Father Figure

He finished it, and I kept quiet when the waitress refilled it. Let him have his fun, we were on vacation. Tomorrow we would head home, but today, he could drink, eat, and be merry, and I would enjoy watching him come alive.

Of all the exotic islands I visited every year, Key West was one of my favorite places on Earth. It wasn’t fancy or exquisite, but it was hella fun and interesting and openly welcomed the LGBTQ+ community. Sam and I didn’t have to hide here. We could walk down the street hand-in-hand, stay the night at an all-male gay resort, and just let loose and have fun.

For Nicky’s sake, we did all the touristy things, like visiting the southernmost point of the United States, and I took Nicky and Sam's picture in front of the buoy. I paid an artisan to paint the sunset on a conch shell for Nicky, who recorded the entire process from start to finish. His exuberance at everything he encountered restored my aging soul. Quite simply, he made me feel young again.

Nicky reminded me of what it felt like to live.

Sam treated us to a massage at one of the exclusively gay hotels. There were a few of them in Key West, and we always made a point to visit. I was dying to see Nicky’s reaction when he realized it was a clothing-optional resort.

We stretched out on massage tables by the pool, surrounded by men both nude and barely dressed, and Nicky’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he took it all in, while I was taking in his rapidly growing chub. He couldn't hide his excitement or his attraction. Me and Sam opted for total nudity, and Nicky left his briefs on but quickly changed his mind once the masseurs' strong hands touched his body.

“Every place we visit is better than the last,” he sighed, and I hid my grin in the headrest of the massage table. He was so easy to please, easy-going, and full of joy. “Does this massage come with a happy ending?”

Even the masseuse couldn’t hold his laughter inside.

John’s talented hands felt divine digging into the tight muscles in my neck and shoulders, and all the stress I carried melted away on the warm breeze. I might have moaned out loud when he massaged my ass, but not as loud as Nicky was moaning. But unlike mine, his moans sounded decidedly horny.

Sam tapped my shoulder, and when I turned my head toward him, I grinned along with him. He could pretend like Nicky got under his skin all he wanted, but I knew the truth; he was entertained and charmed by him.

After the massage, we sat poolside, sipping frosty drinks as we eyed the gorgeous man candy walking around in little to no clothing. Sam and I were more discreet about our attraction than Nicky was. His little boner poking through his tight shorts was hard to miss, especially because he kept stroking it. By the time we left the resort, Nicky had finished off two more Long Island Teas, and he was very clingy and handsy as we made our way down Duval Street. I was constantly swallowing my laughter as he stumbled and swayed and giggled. This was a side of him I wasn’t familiar with, but as with every aspect of Nicky’s personality, it was just another reason to love him.

Key West rivaled anywhere for the prettiest sunset on earth. They even named their nightly street festival after it. As the big, blazing ball of orange and fuchsia disappeared over the watery horizon, the night came alive with street performers and vendors, the smell of fried foods, and the buzz of the touristy crowd. We stopped to watch a man painted bronze, who was a dead replica of a real statue. I was hard-pressed to tell the difference, and when I turned around to remark on it to Nicky, I realized he was gone.

“Where’d he go?” I asked Sam.

“Probably saw something exciting. He’ll turn up in a minute.”

I learned a valuable lesson that night. One I would never forget.

Nicholas Laurent was a danger to himself and others when he was inebriated.

Eventually, we found him—sweaty and shirtless, and standing on stage, about to swallow a fiery torch.

“Nicky!” Panic didn’t begin to describe the fear that choked me.

“Cass,” he waved excitedly. “Sam! Watch this!”

My heart stopped beating as I watched Nicky open his jaw wide, bringing the torch closer to his mouth. He was really going to do it. He was going to swallow a ball of fire.

“Fucking dumbass,” Sam grumbled, shoving people aside as he jumped onto the stage. How could he move that fast when I was frozen with fear?

Sam wrapped his fingers around Nicky’s skinny biceps and hauled his ass off the stage in a hurry. Nicky dropped the torch and stumbled along behind him, falling into his arms when he tried to navigate the stairs.

“Sam,” he whined.

“What were you thinking?” he spat.

“That fire is cool?” He sounded confused. Christ. “That guy said he needed a volunteer. So I volunteered.”

“Next, you can volunteer to wear a fucking leash, so I don’t lose you again,” Sam said angrily.

“Nicky,” I breathed with relief, hauling him into my arms. “Please don’t scare me like that ever again.”

“But that guy said?—”

“That guy is trained to do what he does. And he uses a special alcohol on his breath to manage the fire. You have enough real alcohol in your system to blow up an entire fucking building.” I tried to lower my voice when I realized I was shouting, and I dragged a deep breath into my chest, trying to slow my racing heart. “I should turn you over my knee and beat your skinny ass raw for that dumb stunt,” I hissed.

“That’s a great idea!” he cried excitedly, and I realized there was no talking sense to him until the alcohol was out of his system.

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