Page 33 of His Middle

Sawyer chuckled then wrapped his arm around Noah’s shoulders. “Come on. Let’s have a seat in the den for a bit and talk this out.”

“We don’t have to.” Noah sighed. “There’s a lot going on today, so we can talk while I’m getting my coffee and stuff.”

Sawyer kept guiding him out of the kitchen. “Arlen has the code and is beginning his official floor management training this week. As long as we notify him, so he isn’t concerned, and we get there before the club opens, it’ll be fine.”

“But…there’s so much to do.”

Sawyer jostled him as they reached the den. “You’ll find that having your own business means there’s always something to do no matter what. One of the hardest things to learn is making time for yourself when it’s truly needed. Otherwise, you get burned out and are less effective at your job.”

“Oh.”

He wished someone had been around to warn him of that. Making T-shirts and creating designs was a business he owned, but not only did he enjoy it a helluva lot more, he wasn’t managing a staff or doing any of the zillion other things that making and shipping T-shirts out of his garage didn’t require.

“Plus,” said Sawyer as he gently brought Noah down with him onto the sofa. “I’m the Daddy.”

Noah snorted, finally calming down a bit. “True.” He bit his lip. “But I still don’t want to be annoying.”

Sawyer sighed as his hand landed on Noah’s knee, his other arm still wrapped around Noah’s shoulders. “I don’t know where you got the idea that you’re clingy. If anything, I wouldn’t mind a little more cling.” Sawyer squeezed his shoulder. “However, the way you are is just fine. What I want more than anything is for you to be yourself. Don’t worry about me and what I want and how you can impress me or any of that other shit.”

Sawyer turned to him. “You’re my boy, my sweetheart. We’re working through everything together. I’m not searching for reasons to run away. I’m relishing getting to know you and hoping you’ll decide to stay withme.” Sawyer gave him a soft kiss. “I’ve dreamed of being with you for a long time, but never thought the day would come, that I’d be so lucky to have a beautiful, feisty, fun and creative boy like you.” He smiled. “I’m the lucky one in this equation.”

Noah stared at Sawyer in disbelief as he tried to process everything he’d said. While Noah searched for the right response, Sawyer kept slowly running his fingers through Noah’s hair, the soothing motion hypnotic and comforting. The hint of a smile graced Sawyer’s lips, his gaze traveling Noah’s face as though he were viewing him in wonder.

“Wow.”That’s all I’ve got.

Sawyer leaned in and rubbed their noses. “I second that.” He straightened. “Are you okay to talk about what’s going on with you right now?”

Noah lowered his head and picked at his jeans. Sawyer had finally insisted that trying to dress up like his dad everyday wasn’t necessary and probably only added to his feelings of being out of place. So now, he’d gone back to denim and his own creations. He figured since the designs all related to age play, they fit the ambience of the club.

“To be honest,everything’sgoing on for me right now. There’s the enormous amount of work at the club still, random thoughts of my dad that come out of nowhere and knock me off my feet…” Noah peered sideways at Sawyer. “And yeah, I’ve been worried about making a good impression on you and scared that you’ll leave as soon as the club is up to speed again.”

Sawyer nodded, his brow furrowing. “I had a feeling it was at least one—if not all—of those issues. But it’s important I don’t guess, that I hear directly from you what’s on your mind so I properly fulfill my role as your Daddy the best I can.”

“Thanks for saying that. Especially the part about your role as my Daddy.” Noah laid his head on Sawyer’s shoulder. “That helps a lot.”

That sat quietly for several moments with Sawyer’s arm still securely draped around Noah’s shoulders, while Noah rested against Sawyer’s solid frame.

Sawyer was the first to break the silence. “Let me ask you something. We’ve bantered back and forth about spankings but didn’t get much beyond whether we’d include them in our dynamic and what your safeword is. Other than that, I don’t know what you desire from a spanking.”

Noah perked up. Spankings always grabbed his attention—in a good way.

“Should I be really, really naughty for you, Daddy?”

Sawyer let out a snort. “Are those the only types of spankings you like? Pseudo-punishment ones?”

Noah cuddled up to Sawyer. “Ooh, punishment. I like the sound of that. Tell me more.” Already Daddy had made him feel better.

“Oh dear.” Sawyer chuckled. “I can see I’ve opened up a Pandora’s box. Clearly, spankings are part of play for you, so discovering a true punishment is something we can work out later. In the meantime, have you ever tried, or wanted to try, spankings as part of domestic discipline?”

“No, I’ve never been domestically disciplined.” He screwed up his nose. “Not sure I want to try it either.”

Obviously, being around a kink club his entire adult life meant he was familiar with all manner of lifestyles and practices. But every time someone had brought up domestic discipline, it had been an instant turn-off. He’d never really investigated the specifics, but with a word like ‘domestic’, his motivation to look further had been zilch. Who wanted to freakin’ do housework all the time?

“Would you be willing to try some with me, see how you feel about it?”

Noah pressed his lips together. Sawyer hadn’t steered him wrong so far. And even if he hated it, he trusted him enough to stop if he used his safeword.

“Will I have to like, scrub the floors, clean the windows and do all your laundry? Because I’ve been kind of exhausted lately. Maybe we could save it for a day off or something.”

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