Page 28 of Stabby Little

“I'm not great at multitasking.”

“Benedetto helped burn down the Diavolos' warehouse while we were together.”

“I'd like to focus on one thing at a time.”

“Why did you call again?” Callum issues me a groan. “I'm enjoying a beach day with my Daddy.”

“I wanted to know if you could meet in Manhattan later this afternoon.”

“Why?”

“There's something I need to run by you.”

Callum clears his throat. “Daddy, can I travel to Manhattan after our beach party?”

“Only if you stay close to Ollie.” Benedetto's voice is fierce. “He's the only person I trust to keep you safe.”

“That's a yes.”

“Meet me at Dino Tracks at four,” I order. “I'll be in a dark hoodie by the back.”

* * *

Dino Tracks is a chain of dairy-free ice cream shops in New York. Their flagship store is in Manhattan and it boasts full-scale replicas of cartoon triceratops and tyrannosaurus rex binging on ice cream. It's popular with the age play community, which is no surprise.

It must be the dinosaurs. Every boy loves dinosaurs.

A boy named Christian started it while he was a student at CUNY. His Daddy, Nikolai Antonov, funded the store and taught him how to run it. Christian always wanted to start a business because he didn't have money growing up.

I've swung in here a few times this past week for a quick pick-me-up. That's how I met Christian.

“Heyo, Ollie.” A blond boy with dazzling blue eyes raises an ice cream scoop and waves it at me from behind the serving counter. “It's nice to see you again.”

Christian is hard at work today. With the recent change in weather, I bet he's been busy.

“Hey.” I walk to the serving counter, then peer at the flavors of dairy-free ice cream. There's chocolate fudge, rainbow sprinkle, lemon brownie, and even cotton candy. Good Lord, there are so many and they all look good. But shit, how am I supposed to decide on a flavor?

We didn't get ice cream in the warehouse. Michael, Anton, and Zaire sometimes rewarded Callum with mint chocolate chip cones, but only because he was the exclusive top. The rest of the boys had to deal with typical food.

This past week, I've embraced my inner child by eating more ice cream cones than I can keep track of. It helps me get in touch with my childhood that my abusers stole from me.

“What can I get you today?” Christian gestures to the flavors. “Oooh, let me hook you up with a free sample!”

“What is it?”

“We're testing out a twist on bubblegum and banana.” Christian waggles his eyebrows. “I promise you'll like it. It's a smash hit.”

I make a face. I'm not the biggest fan of banana. It was one of my trigger foods in my cage because one of my clients loved fucking me with one. He had a food kink and only used unripe bananas to penetrate me.

“No banana.” I shake my head. “I'd kill for a waffle cone of orange creamsicle, though.”

“Sure!” Christian dips his ice cream scoop into a tub of hot water. “Head to the table by the window. I'll bring it to you when I finish scooping.”

I do as Christian says and walk to the table by the window. I plop down, then glance at the picture wall to my right.

Imagine my surprise when I see Christian and a bunch of rowdy boys posing with stuffies at Little Land. Christian's wearing a dino onesie along with two boys whose nametags readRowanandKarter. The rest of the boys wear everything from reindeer PJs to unicorn onesies, and one even dons a shirt that saysI Love Daddy!

Christian walks over with my ice cream cone. “Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else.”

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