Page 40 of Losing his Daddy

Eventually, he’d have to face his past. If he didn’t, well, things wouldn’t keep up the way they had. He’d likely relapse. Or maybe he’d find another addictive substance to latch onto.

I hoped neither would happen. I wanted to be there for him. A part of me longed to hold him as he spilled his pain out. I wanted to piece him back together and show him another way to deal with the pain. A way that would allow him to tap into that submissive side of himself. I had a feeling if we got together, it would be explosive.

At least, I hoped it would be.

Gerald had no clue the amount of space he took up in my mind. It was a daily battle to keep myself focused. Even when he wasn’t around, my thoughts went to him and wondering how he was.

Like this particular moment when I should have been wrapping up the project meeting I was in so I could be ready for lunch. Rather than focusing, my mind was already thinking of what he’d look like and how he’d light up the second he got off the elevator. His lips would curve slightly, not too much, though enough to be noticeable. There would be a bounce to his step. A relaxed pose to his body despite his formality of treating me like his boss.

Sometimes I wondered if he was treating me like his Dom. Of course, that was mostly hopeful thinking.

I doubled down my attempts to focus on work. Time would only continue to move slowly if I let my mind wander further into the imaginary world I’d built up. The one where Gerald and I were so much more than work partners.

Doubling down my efforts to get back to the meeting worked a bit too well. Before I knew it, the half hour passed with ease. I hadn’t even known how much time passed until a knock came on the conference door and a delivery guy showed up.

“Mr. Weston?”

Frowning, I nodded. “That’s me.”

The young guy approached with the food. “Tip was covered. Thanks.”

He left before I could ask anything further. The rest of the staff left, likely because of the scowl I sported. It wasn’t like I was trying to be a jerk. It was just… today was a Gerald sighting day. He was supposed to come in so we could eat together. It was the routine. Messing with it now meant something wasn’t right.

I took the food to my office, then dialed his phone. Normally, he would answer by the second ring. When the third came and then the fourth, worry burrowed within me. The beep sounded, so I left a message for him to call me as soon as he got it.

Maybe he was preoccupied. Maybe he had other things to do on his lunch.

Before I could dwell on it further, there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I called out, my heart racing at the thought of it being Gerald running late.

When Vivi stepped into the room, I deflated. I shouldn’t have been so devastated at the loss of Gerald’s company. It wasn’t right for me to be this invested. I had to get control of myself.

“Is everything ok, Vivi?” I asked after a long beat of silence.

She shook her head. “No, sir. Not really.”

Thus began a torrent of information that took my mind completely away from the worry I had over the man I missed. I had to step in to put out fire after fire, all of which grew more urgent than the last. By the end of the day, I’d had to fire one person, reorganize the points of contacts for half the team, and write up multiple reports for behavior complaints for HR.

I was so worn out that I never registered the dinner delivery or how odd it was that Gerald was still nowhere to be found. It wasn’t even a thought in my mind. Not until I got home, and my doorman told me he’d tried to deliver a package.

“Normally, Gerald answers right away. I figured he might be taking the day to rest or something. Here’s your package.” He handed it over, then took off to open the door for another resident.

As I walked into the elevator, my brain went haywire with thoughts of what could be going on. If no one had seen him, and he didn’t answer the door or his phone, there had to be something terribly wrong. Was he hurt? Did he need me, and I’d ignored all the warning signs throughout the day?

I couldn’t exit the elevator quickly enough once it reached my floor. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside to listen for any sign of him. The apartment was silent, giving off tomb-like vibes compared to the normal jovial greetings I’d gotten since Gerald came in my life.

“Gerald!” I cried out his name as I swept through the house. Each room proved to be empty, which only increased my worry. “Gerald! Where are you? Fuck!”

Once I’d checked every room in the house, my own included, I went to his bedroom. The door was open, and the space was just as empty as the rest of the house. I couldn’t fathom how he’d made it outside without anyone seeing him, but what else could be the answer?

“Where? Where would he be? Did he mention family or friends? I know about the place — the ranch — but I don’t know where it is. Should I call Robin? No, that’s dumb. What would he know? It’s not like all small towns know one another or something.”

I rambled endlessly as I tried to figure out what came next. Pacing the length of the living room, I dialed the police and then waited for an officer to assist me. They’d had to forward me since my call was considered a non-emergency.

It really felt like a fucking emergency to me.

“Sir, we are unable to assist you at this time. Are you sure he’s not in the home?” The gruff voice said across the line.

“Yes, I understand you have a policy about how long it takes before a missing person report is filed, but this is urgent.”

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