Page 68 of Say Uncle

Discreetly, I shared a look with Sam and Cass. We’d already chosen his new stuffie, and I had a feeling he wouldabsolutelylove it, just like he claimed.

It wasn’t until after dinner, and a walk along the beach to watch the sunset, that we finally made it back to the boat to enjoy the process of gift-giving. Nicky assumed he wouldn’t get his prize until we got back to Cooper’s Cove, but he was so wrong.

We had a little more than an hour before our guests were due to be picked up, and I knew Cass wanted to make the most of the time we had left. He offered Nicky a gift bag filled with colorful tissue.

“This is for you, little one. For all of your hard work being a good boy.”

“For me?” He looked like a little kid on ChristmasEve with the way he squealed and stomped his feet, tearing through the tissue and sending bits of it flying into the air. What happened next was absolutely priceless, and it was a memory I was sure I would never forget. Mostly, it was the look on his face that would stay with me. Nicky reached into the bag and pulled out the stuffed fish, turning it as he examined it, trying to make sense of what species it was.

He was too polite to lie, but despite his words, his face gave him away. “Daddy, I love it! Because it’s a fish. I just don’t know what kind.” I could see his struggle not to show his disappointment and confusion that his Daddy thought that what he would love the most would be the ugliest fish in the store. It looked absurdly comical, with its fat lips and huge, googly eyes.

“What kind of fish is it, Daddy?”

I had to hold my breath and clamp my lips together to keep from busting out laughing.

“It’s a blowfish, sweet boy.”

Nicky nodded, and then it must have sunk in, and his eyes went wide, and he giggled—his signature sound. “Ablowfish? You’re too funny, Daddy.”

“That’s not the best part,” I added. “Look in its mouth.”

Nicky pried the fat lips apart and gasped. “What is that? Why is there a hole in my fish?”

I’d lubed the thing before I’d inserted it into thefish and wrapped it up. “Stick your finger in there, Nicky. Tell me if it bites.”

“Blowfish don’t bite, they…” His words died off when he stuck his finger into the fish’s mouth. “What is that?”

I couldn’t answer, because I was laughing too hard. I laughed until my stomach cramped and my eyes burned with tears.

“Look at that,” Cass mused, feigning ignorance. “Someone stuck a fleshlight in that fish’s mouth. What a naughty thing to do.”

“Daddy!” Nicky looked horrified. “It’s just a stuffie, an innocent, sweet little fishy toy for good boys.”

“Is that right?” Cass questioned. “Well, the way I see it, good boys say thank you when they receive a gift.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” Nicky wrapped his arms around Cass’s neck, but he untangled him gently, chuckling. “That’s not exactly the kind of thank you I had in mind. The best way to show your appreciation for a present is to make good use of it.”

He looked pointedly at the toy, and Nicky’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “No! Nooooooo way!”

Cass smirked. Sam arched his brow. I swallowed my last laugh and gloated.

“Good boys would never tell their Daddies no,” I insisted. “Pull your pants down, Nicky.”

He shook his head vehemently. “I don’t want to do naughty things to my stuffie. I love him.”

“I can’t think of a better way to show your love for Mr. Blowfish than to let him blow you. Just look at those lips; he was made for blowing.”

Sam’s shoulders shook, and I knew he was battling to keep his laughter in check. “He wants to give you special kisses, little one.”

“You’re all terribly mean!” His tone sounded like he was admonishing us, yet his tiny little prick poked through his shorts, a dead giveaway that he was aroused.

“Nicky, stop your false protestations and drop your pants,” Cass insisted in his best Daddy voice.

Nicky made a squeaky sound, held onto the fish by biting its fin, and wiggled out of his shorts. He was definitely hard, all four and a half inches of his baby pricklet poking in my direction. He really had the cutest little prick, smooth and pink, with a perfectly cut head that reminded me of a pencil eraser.

“Let me help you, little cousin. You look lost.” I grabbed the fish from between his teeth and positioned it in front of his prick. “I’ll hold it still for you. All you have to do is push inside his mouth. Just give him a little taste of your sweet pricklet.”

Nicky’s cheeks pinked with embarrassment. “I don’t… I feel…”

---