Page 9 of Daddy on Tap

I finished my meetings, and when Chad invited me to dinner with him and his boy, I begged off with a rain check and went straight up to my room. It was close to 5 o’clock, so I sent a text to Riley.

Keeping up with our visual conversation from earlier, I found a meme of a purple hippo and asked if he was hungry, hungry.

He reacted with a laughing emoji and sent back a kitty cat holding up a fork in one hand and a knife in the other.

It only took me a few minutes to search the local restaurants and scan the reviews to see which would be somewhat quiet if we went early. There was a steakhouse in the casino I usually ate at a few times when I was in town, but I wasn’t sure if that would be too overwhelming for him. If he needed some time to be Little, dinner was as good a place as any to start.

I considered what kind of gif I could send and quickly shut down the idea. Some conversations needed actual words, and this was one of them.I’d love to have dinner with you tonight, Riley. Are you up for it?

Yes, please.His response was instant, as if maybe he’d been expecting it.I’m hungry like a hippo after my nap.

Do you have a place in mind?Before I hit send, I decided to make it easy for him and provide some options as well.There’s a steakhouse I like if you’re up for a nice restaurant, but I would also be fine ordering chicken nuggets or pizza to one of our rooms for a more casual night. You could even wear your footie jammies, if you’d like.

The typing bubbles popped up instantly, but after a few seconds, they disappeared.

I furrowed my brow, hoping I wasn’t being too forward or presumptuous with him. Instead of panicking and forcing a quick response, I put my phone down and opened up the drawers I had unpacked into to remind myself of what I brought. I didn’t usually go out with anyone when I was on a work trip, so my wardrobe was somewhat limited.

Eventually, I decided on a light blue dry-wear shirt that would absorb any leakage if I ended up staying overnight and a pair of jeans. Just as I was about to change, my phone buzzed with a response. That had taken a lot longer than I expected, but I was happy that Riley had spent a few minutes thinking things through.

Mac & cheese in my room sounds good. Do I have time to take a bath first?

Of course you do. Send me your room information and I’ll be there in 30 mins. Does that work?

Yes, Daddy.Immediately after I received that text another came in.I mean, Adam.A third message immediately followed.What should I call you?

Whatever you feel comfortable with is fine, but I love when you call me Daddy.

He sent back a drawing of a cartoon kitty with blushing cheeks and its front paws behind its back as if embarrassed.OK. See you in 30, Daddy.

Looking forward to it.I waited a few seconds to see if he would send his hotel information, and when he didn’t, I sent one last text.Send your room information to me then put your phone on the charger before you get in the bath.I don’t want you to be tempted to bring it into the tub with you.

He reacted with a smiley and then immediately typed back to me.How do you already know me so well?

The text I had been anxiously waiting for immediately followed.Emerald tower room 734.

I hearted that message then put my phone on the charger before jumping in the shower. I didn’t expect anything to get physical with Riley, but a Daddy was much like a Boy Scout in that he should always be prepared.

Chapter 9

Riley

I’d slept longer than I planned, which was good because I finally felt more like myself. The sensory overload I’d been struggling with had lessened greatly, and I wasn’t counting the minutes until I could sleep. It wasn’t just the nap that helped, though. Having breakfast away from the hotel and all the chaos that entailed had been great. Sure, it was at another hotel, but it didn’t feel like it—not in the restaurant Adam took me to. It was like he knew I needed to be away, just like he knew I’d need a nap and that I’d want to stay in tonight.

Adam saw me…all of me.

He probably wanted to go to the steakhouse tonight. Who wouldn’t? But not once did he make me feel bad about telling him what I needed, even if it was mac and cheese in my hotel room. I plugged the phone into my charger like he asked and then took my bath. The tub wasn’t as deep as mine at home, but it felt great to soak in the warm water and relax.

I didn’t need to worry about anything tonight. I had a Daddy who was bringing me dinner and helping me figure out what to do from there. A movie, probably—that’s what he mentioned.But even if it was just snuggling on the couch, it was going to be pretty great.

Once the water chilled, I got out of the tub and dried off enough to go into the next room. And then I saw the time. I’d been in the water a lot longer than I thought, and I needed to hurry up and get dressed because Adam was going to be here any second.

Of course, Adam picked that exact moment to knock at the door. I wrapped the towel around me, looked through the peephole to make sure it was him, and then let him in.

“Sorry, I’m early. Do you want me to come back?” He closed his eyes, giving me privacy. It wasn’t disgust or not wanting to see me—it was him being respectful, and I appreciated it more than he probably realized.

“No, no, come in. I just need to grab some clothes and get changed. I guess I liked the bath more than I thought I would.”

He came in and put the bag of food down on the desk while I went to my suitcase and pulled out a pair of pajamas and some boxer briefs. They weren’t my footie jams, but I had worn those last night. For some reason, it seemed like it would be better to have clean, fresh clothes. It wasn’t that I thought Adam would care…he wouldn’t. It was a hotel, and you didn’t change your pajamas every night at a hotel. At least, I didn’t, but I wanted to be snuggly close to him, so fresh was better.

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