Page 160 of Bad for Me

I don't even like the little prick. And I let him…

Him.He's a man. Fuck, not much more than a boy when I remember that he's the same age as my own kid. Becausehe's my son's best friend.

Am I really this desperate? I mean, sure, it's been a while, but I've been perfectly happy on my own, focusing all my time on the restaurant and my few hobbies. I run and cook, making up new specials for the restaurant, and I play poker with the guys every so often. I suppose I get lonely sometimes, because I miss my son. Michael has always been my partner, my buddy.

But relationships? I have no desire to date. I've been perfectly content with my own company, and my hand has suited me just fine every morning in the shower.

It has to be the stress of having someone else in my space, but Ian is impossible to ignore; he fills every room with his larger-than-life personality and cocky confidence. If I'm honest with myself, I'm a little jealous he gets to spend so much time with Michael. And he pisses me off so much.

He caught me in a rare moment of weakness, and I took it out on him. I haven't been sleeping well since he got here, and I very pointedly did not jerk off in the shower this morning after seeing him in his ridiculous Speedo. So it was just a fluke, brought on by stress, lack of sleep, and a need for physical release. That's all.

* * *

My eyes open,and I stare at the ceiling for a while. It's still dark out, which means it's probably very early. When I turn my heavy head to look at the clock on the nightstand, I confirm that it's not quite five. An anguished sigh heaves from my chest, and I give up pretending that I’ll get any more sleep. I've dozed a little in between bouts of panic, where I wake up sweaty and erect, aching for something that I need to put far, far from my mind.

Choosing exhaustion over being worked up by thoughts of Ian, I lurch out of bed and get dressed for a run, resolved to sweat out my restless energy. The moment my shoes hit the pavement, I begin to relax. By the time I pass my fifth mile, which is more than double my typical daily run, my lungs and legs are burning enough to give me some blessed peace of mind. I run until I can't think of anything but the pain, and the sun has risen past the point it normally does when I end my daily runs. Avoiding my usual routine so I don't have to run into Ian, I opt to take a few walking laps around my neighborhood before heading straight upstairs for a shower. I don’t want to jerk off in the shower thinking about Ian's hot mouth, but I think it's best not to leave myself on edge. It's inevitable that I'll have to see him today, and the last thing I need is to start the day hard and wanting.

Despite soaping myself up and painting the tile with more force than usual, my dick doesn't seem to want to deflate to anything less than half-mast. I leave my button-up shirt untucked and wear one of my darker pairs of jeans to try and disguise it.

Straightening my spine, I head into the kitchen where Michael and Ian are loading their breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and pour my coffee into a travel mug.

"Morning Dad," Michael says with a strange expression. "Long night?"

"Nope, all good. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, we're ready. Are you?" he says, and motions to his shirt like I'm missing something obvious.

I startle, finally noticing what's right in front of me. Michael is wearing a crisp, black button-up shirt with a gorgeous logo printed on the breast. It hasThe Sunrise Bar and Grillewritten in light blue, sloped font. Behind and over the text is a stunning gradient of colors that seem to grow off the blue of the letters, and a large orange sun. A perfect sunrise.

"What is this?" I exclaim. "Michael, did you make this? It's amazing!"

"Actually, Ian did. I gave him the idea, and he did the artwork. We had them printed on iron-on patches, so all the employees can put them on their existing shirts. If you like it, that is. I was thinking that, since you already have all the staff wear black shirts, this would be an easy way to incorporate a logo. We can make adjustments or do something completely different if you'd like."

As much as I don't want to give Ian credit for anything, it's a beautiful logo. "I love it, son. Truly." I even cut my eyes up to Ian briefly. "Thank you both. I can't wait to show them off."

"Well, in that case, you should wear yours. Take your shirt off and I can iron on your patch real quick. It'll only take a second."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Strip, Mr. B," Ian says.

I stare blankly at my son, pointedly avoiding thinking about the hoarse tinge of command in Ian's voice.

"Take off your shirt so I can put your logo patch on. Who better to show it off than the boss, right?"

"Oh. Right. Of course." Not wanting Michael to think I'm not excited about the new logo, I unbutton my shirt. I'm wearing a white undershirt underneath, but I still feel weirdly exposed. I hand my shirt to Michael, and they place it on the tabletop ironing board I hadn't noticed when I entered.

I overhear Michael talking to Ian while they attach the logo. "Dude, you sure you're feeling okay? You sound rough."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just a sore throat."

"If you're not feeling well, maybe you should stay back," I suggest hopefully, before I can think better of it.

"It's nothing I can't handle. Just not used to using it as much as I have recently."

I cough. Michael, thankfully not picking up on any of the innuendo, laughs. "I've literally never witnessed you shut up," he says to Ian before patting me on the back. "You alright there, old man? I feel like I should drink some extra vitamin C if both of you might be coming down with something."

"That's a good idea," Ian says, bringing my shirt over and holding it out for me to slip my arms into. I want to tell him off, snatch my shirt back and inform him that I can dress myself, but I don't want Michael to catch on to any unusual tension. Ian slips the fabric over my shoulders, his fingers lightly brushing against the back of my neck, raising chill bumps. I raise my shoulders to suppress a shiver and move away. "You know, I heard vitamin D is just as important for the immune system."

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