Page 18 of His for Hanukkah

“That’s not enough, sweet boy. I want you to go to the kitchen now and have something else to eat. You may choose either the Thai leftovers, a sandwich with real ingredients, or the leftover lasagna on the bottom shelf.”

“Yes, Da–, um, Tate.”

Tate grinned. That had to be the fourth or fifth time Adam had almost called him Daddy.

“Alright, what are you going to eat?”

“Um… can I choose later?” So much wheedling! He always made Tate want to laugh.

“No. You’re going to be busy later, so you need to choose now. If you cannot choose, I’ll choose for you.”

“Um, you choose.”

“Good boy. I want you to heat up the lasagna. It’s vegetarian, by the way. It will be a nice change from the Thai, and I made it myself. Please also choose a vegetable. There should be some carrots in the drawer.”

“Alright.”

Tate let himself drift for a moment, envisioning Adam in his kitchen, so readily doing everything he commanded. He hadn’t realized he’d kept quiet on the line for so long until Adam spoke up.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” he said quietly.

His heart was going to burst. “You don’t ever have to thank me. It’s my pleasure.”

“Are you coming back soon?”

They hadn’t even been apart for three hours and that made his heart swell even more. It was crazy how gone he was for Adam after less than a day. “I’ve got a quick errand to run, and then I’ll be heading back. I’ll call you in about twenty minutes with more instructions. Now go eat.”

“OK. Thank you…” Tate could almost hear the Daddy at the end of the phrase.

“Bye, Little Star.”

“Bye, Tate.”

* * *

The next call was even better. “Hey, Little Star.”

“Hey Tate!”

“Did you enjoy your lunch?”

“It was delicious. You’re a great cook. I washed everything up and put it away, too.”

“Thank you, baby. I appreciate that.” He imagined Adam’s face, already familiar with the quick, small smile he would find there whenever he was praised. “Are you ready for your next instructions?”

“Yes, Sir.” His boy had noticed very quickly that he was leading him into a scene, even though he’d kept his voice light and casual.

“I’m going to be home in about ten minutes, and I want you to get ready for me. Before that, though, I want to remind you of your safe words. What are they?”

“Red for stop, yellow to pause or slow down.”

“Good. This is going to be low-key, but you can still always, always safe word, inside a scene or out. You’re also allowed to ask questions. Got it?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Alright. Here are your instructions. In my bedroom, there’s a bin of toys that you can slide out from under the bed. You’re welcome to look at everything.”

The idea of Adam looking at something as personal as his toys and imagining everything that might come next was exquisite. “But you’re only going to take out the blindfold.”