Page 8 of Wylan

A wicked smile covers his face. “You know I can’t disclose who might be up for auction. Not until their names are revealed after they unmask themselves.” He pauses, his smile growing wider. “Who knows, maybe I’ll bid on the beautiful boy for myself.”

I stand abruptly, toppling my chair over with a loud crash. “Like hell. No one gets to move in on my boy. Not until I make my feelings clear!”

“Easy, now, big guy.” Hunter pats me on the back. “I knew you’d come around.”

Then, to my utter embarrassment, Hunter laughs. “He’s in!” Hunter calls out to Cal.

Chapter three

Wylan

“Oh no, oh no, oh no. What have I gotten myself into?” I mumble through my nerves as I pace backstage. Pulling back the curtain, I peer out at the gathering crowd. Dark Satin is buzzing with excitement, even more so than their typical Masquerade Night. How many members does Dark Satin have? Jeeze. Are all those men Daddies, or are they just here to help support the fundraiser? I shove the curtain back in place.

Is it too late to back out of this auction?

As soon as the thought comes to mind, I bat it away. I want to be here. If there’s even a small chance Seth is here, I want to see if this auction is the little push we need. There’s no way that whatever is building up between us is all in my head. And even though Grandpa said I should just ask him, I doubt I have the guts to directly ask my boss out on a date.

But does it count if we were friends long before he hired me? Because in all honesty, this little crush blossomed way before I started working at Silk.

“Stop peeking at all the people out there. You’re going to make me nervous too.” Riley rubs his tummy with a pout, and I instantly feel bad. All my worries vanish the moment I take in my best friend’s appearance. I can tell he’s hovering somewhere between adult and little.

My eyes drop down to his hand that’s currently trying to soothe his stomach. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Riley tends to get really nervous around big crowds. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to skip tonight’s auction.

Riley nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just ignore me. Maybe it was my lunch,” he lies. “Let’s just head back and see if our elf costumes are here yet.”

Reaching for Riley’s hand, I squeeze it once before I guide him to the locker rooms. Sure enough, there are several boys already back here changing into their colorful outfits.

Ash rushes forward when he sees us, his wavy black hair flopping in his face. He’s holding up a bright outfit that’s mostly red with green trim. “How freaking cute are these?” He squeals. I chuckle at his enthusiasm, feeling my own excitement flutter through my stomach.

I run over to the racks of clothes and flip through them until I find a green crop top that looks familiar. The matching shortsare pinned with a cute gift tag on the front. My full name is scrolled on top of the tag with pretty cursive on it. I pluck it off the hanger and hold the outfit up to my body.

The shorts are a little revealing, but still playful with all the sparkles. It’s perfect. I love dressing up. When I told Jules that I have little tendencies, dressing up is part of it. While I don’t regress completely, certain outfits evoke different feelings—more confidence, a touch of silliness, and a sense of fun.

“Well, don’t stop on my account. Put it on,” Riley says with a shaky smile. “Maybe seeing you dress up will soothe my nerves.”

I tug Riley into my arms and give him a comforting hug. “Don’t feel any pressure to join me on stage. If you don’t want to go up there, we can have a playdate when I’m done.”

Riley gives me a thankful look. “I’ll think about it. Thank you, bestie. Now, get dressed, you have a certain man to impress.”

Oh my god, this is really happening. Despite my nerves, I shimmy out of the rest of my clothes with a smile, eager to get into the elf outfit. The smooth glide of the thin red stockings sends an extra thrill of sensation against my skin as I roll them up my legs. I hop into my shimmery green short-shorts and throw on the top.

“Don’t forget your mask,” Jules says, suddenly by my side.

“Thanks.” I grin, looking at the pretty black lace. “Can you tie it for me?”

“Sure thing. Turn around.” Jules places the mask over my eyes as he hums along to a Christmas song. “Your prince charming is here, by the way,” Jules whispers into my ear so no one else can hear.

My heart skips a beat. “Does that mean he’s actually a Daddy?”

“I’m still not entirely sure. How did the flirting go?”

A blush creeps onto my face. “Oh my gosh,” I groan. “Good, I guess.” An image of Seth checking me out from behind comes to mind. Shit. I can’t believe I did that. I bent over hoping to be seductive, but once I realized I was supposed to pretend to be doing busy work, it was too late, and I kind of just…froze.

Jules tickles my side. “Oh my god, the look on your face. You did something crazy. Didn’t you?”

“Hey!” I swat his hands away.

“And what kind of answer is that? Good, you guess? What does that even mean?”

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