Page 8 of Daddy Marc's Gem

A soft knock interrupted them as one of the club’s servers arrived with their food. They paused their conversation while the young man set up their meals—steak for Zane, pasta for Marc—before thanking him and returning to their discussion.

Zane unrolled the cutlery wrapped in a purple linen napkin. “You know what I'm going to say.”

Marc nodded, his fingers tracing the edge of his own napkin. “That I need to be honest with him. That hiding who I am will only lead to more pain later.”

“Precisely.” Zane cut into his steak with surgical precision. “This is what I was trying to warn you about the other day. How many times have we seen people in the community try to suppress that part of themselves for a relationship? It never ends well.”

Marc twirled pasta around his fork without bringing it to his mouth. “I know. And I've counseled enough clients through similar situations to understand the importance of authenticity.” He finally took a bite, chewing slowly before continuing. “But I can’t help wondering if I’m jumping ahead. We’ve only just met.”

“Yet here you are, in my office, instead of enjoying the club or going home after work.” Zane raised an eyebrow. “That tells me this isn’t casual for you. Besides, not every vanilla person runs screaming when they hear about BDSM.”

“It's not only BDSM, though, is it?” Marc laid down his fork, no longer very hungry. “Being a Daddy is... it’s different. More intimate. More likely to be misunderstood.”

Zane’s expression softened, a rare sight that few other than Marc ever witnessed. “It’s also who you are. I stand by what I said when we had lunch. Don’t let your desire for a relationship cause you to make a hasty decision.”

Marc’s shoulders dropped. That was it then. He’d drop the bomb on Foster at the park. He glanced up at Zane.

“Now I know why my clients get so annoyed with me when I give them the brutal truth.”

They both broke into laughter, but it didn’t brighten Marc’s spirits. As soon as he finished having dinner with his friend, he’d leave. He had some serious thinking to do. Now that he’d expressed his feelings aloud and gotten out of his head, it was time to decide how to reveal his lifestyle to Foster.

“I hope I didn’t ruin your evening.” Zane regarded him with a wrinkled brow.

Marc shook his head. “No. You helped immensely by being my sounding board.” He sighed. “I just need to find the right words, the right moment. Something that won’t terrify him but won’t mislead him either.”

“That’s the challenge, isn’t it?” Zane took a sip of his water. “Finding that balance between honesty and sensitivity.”

“Thanks for hearing me out, man. I appreciate it.” Marc lifted up his glass. “You’re always there for me.”

Zane held up his glass, too. “As are you for me.” He clinked his glass with Marc’s “Here’s to our mutual admiration society.”

This time when they shared a laugh, Marc felt lighter. Perhaps everything would work out Foster after all. He sure as hell hoped so.

Chapter Four

Foster checked the time on his phone, his anxiety building. He stood outside near the entrance of the museum, admiring the well-tended gardens. Sure, it was still ten minutes until noon, but that didn’t quell the fear that he’d be stood up.

He fidgeted with the sleeve of his green button-down, smoothing imaginary wrinkles. The light breeze carried the scent of roses from the garden, but he couldn’t fully appreciate the sensation while consumed with worry.

“Hey,” came the deep and now familiar voice behind him.

He turned quickly, nearly losing his balance. “Marc! Hi. I—I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” Foster winced at his own words. “I mean, I know you said you would, but...” He trailed off, mentally kicking himself for rambling.

Marc tilted his head, a small crease forming between his eyebrows. “Why would you think that? I was the one who invited you.”

Foster chuckled shakily, running a palm across the top of his head. “I dunno. You said we should talk before Friday, that’s all.” He shrugged. “I need to confess that my thoughts tend to drift to the worst-case scenario in most things.”

Marc rubbed his chin. “Hmm, I’m guessing you assumed I might be looking for an excuse to break our date?”

It is a date!Foster bit his lower lip. “Maybe. I thought after spending some time with me, you’d decided I wasn’t your type or something.”

Marc sighed, stepping a bit closer. “Not at all. To be honest, it’s the opposite of that. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.”

A cloud passed over Marc’s features, and Foster returned to worrying. If Marc truly was interested in pursuing a relationship but also had something dire to tell him, whatever it was couldn’t be good.

Foster’s shoulders fell. “Oh no. You’re already taken.” His eyes widened. “Are you married? Or living with someone?”

His stomach twisted, nausea threatening. Edward had done the very same thing to him, cheating on him with another guy before abandoning him. Nowaywas he going to be the person that destroyed someone else’s relationship.

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