Page 26 of Milked

“Did you sleep well?” I asked quietly so as not to wake Finn, who always needed his sleep. His job kept him sleepless and starving most of the time. It was irritating as fuck, and I kept telling him he didn’t need to work, but he insisted. Finn loved being a model—despite the hard work—and being independent, even if he lived with me. But I understood the need to make your own money.

“God, yes. I can’t remember when I’ve slept that well. Your bed is so comfortable. I’m not used to sleeping with people, but it was oddly comforting. Even better, I didn’t have any…”

“Have any what?”

He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “It’s nothing. I… just feel rested. Thank you.”

“Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, please. Thank you, sir.”

I passed the full mug to him, and he poured enough cream in it to turn it white, then added four teaspoons of sugar. Jesus. I chuckled inwardly. Then he took a tentative sip, testing the heat level.

“You don’t have to call me sir outside the bedroom.”

He looked at me over his mug, his hazel eyes sparkling like gems in the morning light. “I want to.”

My smile turned crooked. “Does that mean you have no second thoughts about last night?”

“I keep thinking I should, but… no, I really enjoyed it. It was definitely enlightening, and I did things I didn’t even know I could do.” His laugh was self-deprecating as he stared out the window. “It’s exactly what I need.”

“How so?”

He shrugged again. “To… explore, I mean.”

I understood that part, but he was also lying. Why?

“Ryder,” I said his name in a firm tone, yet soft enough not to wake Finn, so I could get his attention. “What did we talk about last night regarding communication? This won’t work if you’re going to lie.”

His cheeks pinked, and he winced. “Yeah… caught me. It’s…” He sighed and ran a hand through his wrecked hair from sleep. “Can I just not talk about it? It’s not that I’m trying to lie to you or hide things… I just want to forget. Would that be okay?”

“If the truth comes out, will it cause problems for Finn and me?”

His eyes grew wide, and he shook his head. “Oh, no… nothing like that. It’s just deeply personal is all. It will all catch up to me eventually, but I’m just…”

“Keeping it at bay for now?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Okay. That’s fine for now. But just know that Finn and I aren’t just here for you sexually. If you need to talk, we can listen.”

“Thanks, sir. I appreciate that.”

Finn and I sat in my office with the monitor on so we could watch Ryder work, serving drinks. I sipped some scotch as Finn sucked on one of his favorite lollipops.

As much as I wanted to be out there on the floor, staring at him or chatting, I had to be careful. Engaging in sexual conduct with one of my employees was against my own business rule, and my observant manager, Silas, would take note. But so far, Ryder had been perfect enough to break it. Regardless, no one could find out.

My bartender moved about the space with ease and grace, chatting it up with patrons and always wearing a pleasant smile. He was attractive enough that he kept the people flirting with him—men and women alike—resulting in higher tips.

Ryder was a quick learner, only having worked at a bar in some Podunk town, but he wanted to succeed here, so he strived to be the best. At least he had some formal training, too.

“So, what’s the plan, Father? I can see those gears running in your head, thinking about the next time Ryder comes to us again.”

I chuckled. “As are you.”

“It’s been two weeks, and he’s really opened up to us, but I want to see what else he’s willing to do with us.”

I nodded and took a sip of my drink, feeling the burn going down. “I have a feeling he’ll go quite far with us. He’s more than eager, which is a pleasant surprise.”

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