Page 8 of Tempted By her Daddies

Roman was brilliant.

A bit odd. But brilliant.

Roman moved to the fridge and drew out a bottle of water and some grapes. Then he sat at the island.

“So? What are we going to do for dinner?” Roman asked.

“Is that really the first thing you want to ask?” Salem asked.

“Um. Right. I suppose we should think about lunch first.”

“Do you not care about the fact that Alexei is naked?” Salem waved his hand over at Alexei.

“Oh. Uh, right. I just figured it was a new thing I’d forgotten about.”

“You think that you forgot Alexei mentioning that he’s going to walk around naked?” Salem asked him.

“Hmm. Well. Perhaps. I don’t always pay close attention when people talk to me. You know that. I thought perhaps he’d decided to become a nudist.”

“And that would be all right with you?” Salem asked.

Chill.

There’s no point in getting upset.

“Well, I mean, who am I to tell him he can’t be a nudist? I don’t want to sound like I don’t support nudism or am an anti-nudist.”

“Good to know that I have your support,” Alexei said solemnly.

“Whew. I thought I might have said that wrong and offended you. Sometimes I do that.” Roman ate a grape.

“He’s not a nudist,” Salem told him, sitting beside him but being careful not to touch him.

Roman didn’t like touching others or being touched.

“He’s not?” Roman asked, looking confused. “Are you sure? Because he’s naked.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. He’s just an asshole.”

“Are the two mutually exclusive?” Roman ate another grape. “Can he not be a nudist and an asshole?”

“I could be,” Alexei said.

Salem’s headache was deepening.

“So if he’s not a nudist, then why is he naked?” Roman asked.

“Because he didn’t do any washing. And he has no clean clothes.”

“Oh, would you like me to buy you some, Alexei?” Roman asked.

Salem’s phone rang and he drew it out of his pocket, grateful for the distraction.

Except it was his mother calling. He grimaced and set the phone down on the counter.

“Are you not going to answer it?” Roman asked, peering at the screen. “That’s your mother.”

“I know it’s my mother. I’m just . . . working up to answering it.”

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