Page 12 of All Tied Up

“You’re still on front desk duty. I need to finish entering expenses and then work on the budget.” Jamie could hear the strain in Daddy’s voice. “But you can play with your friend.”

Ugh. Jamie didn’t even want to think about their budget. Their finances had been a close thing last year, and were looking even gloomier now. It was tempting to march in and pull Daddy out of the stress-hole he’d probably fallen into, but they knew each other’s patterns. Even if the numbers didn’t look good, Daddy would feel better once he finished.

“OK. Neil and I are gonna hang out on the couches. But I’ll watch the door.”

“Don’t get distracted, baby. Neil, you keep him in line,” Daddy growled out, evoking another surprised and dreamy look from Neil. Well, at least Daddy had picked up enough to recognize what Jamie wanted. Hopefully that would give him something to look forward to.

And oh, was it delicious watching Neil react to Daddy saying his name. “No, Sir,” Neil stuttered. “I mean, yes, Sir.”

“Good boy.” Oh, Daddy knew exactly what he was doing.

Neil’s skin flushed an adorable pink.

“Breathe, cutie,” Jamie reminded him.

Neil sucked in a sharp breath, right on command. So obedient. Yeah, Daddy was just going to love him.

Not, of course, that Jamie had actually claimed him for the weekend. But the shy, buttoned-up older man looked like he’d be a lot of fun once he let go.

“Let’s go check out Daddies,” Jamie suggested at a whisper, though his secret was certainly already out. Being naughty made it feel more exciting, though.

He walked around the tall desk, only pausing when he was almost ready to step out from behind it.

He’d forgotten about this part.

He usually didn’t care what people thought about him. And, frankly, most of them checked out the mountain climbing pages of the website where he’d posted pictures of himself so they weren’t surprised.

He just had to hope that Neil would be OK with everything. Frankly, if Neil had an issue with him, then Jamie didn’t want to spend time with him anyway. Better to know now.

With that in mind, Jamie stepped firmly past the protective barrier of the desk and into the atrium. “Ready?” he asked brightly.

He could see Neil’s eyes travel down his body. They lingered first on his right knee joint, the rounded beige and blue plastic framing that housed the hydraulics of his lower leg. They traveled down the exposed metal poles until they reached his cute matching canvas shoes.

Then they traveled upward to the flared black skirt that hung just low enough to cover Jamie’s ass. When he wasn’t bending over.

For an instant Jamie wished he’d worn jeans, but he quickly pushed the thought away. He didn’t often wear the pretty skirts he loved when there were people around, and he’d been waiting for the Daddy-boy weekend for months. No one was going to take that away from him.

He watched Neil swallow, then look up to meet Jamie’s eyes. Most people got nervous when they first noticed Jamie’s disability. Beyond that, reactions to him in a skirt could get awkward.

Surprisingly, Neil looked calmer. Pleasantly surprised, even. It wasn’t a mask either, that sort of social nicety that people gave him when they were trying to pretend they hadn’t seen it. If anything, it seemed more like he was finally seeing Jamie as a real, whole person instead of whatever ideal he’d been imagining before.

“Ready,” Neil answered quietly. “I like your skirt.”

That was the right answer, but it was still a relief to hear. “Thanks! It lets Daddy check if my ass is still red or if I need another spanking.” Jamie winked.

That was all it took to get Neil blushing again.

When Neil didn’t start moving, Jamie marched up to him, linked their arms together, and drew him over to the couch.

He automatically sat to Neil’s right so that his prosthetic would be on the opposite side. It usually helped people feel more comfortable, but it also avoided issues with him missing sensory feedback.

And right now, he wanted all the sensory feedback he could get. Neil was tense beside him, like he didn’t know how to snuggle. But his eyes were practically begging for the connection.

Well, Jamie could fix that. He picked up Neil’s arm and arranged it over his own shoulder.

Neil’s eyes widened and Jamie gave him an encouraging nod. Slowly, Neil’s wide hand curled around Jamie’s upper arm, spreading tingles throughout his body.

Neil smelled like something sweet and spicy, just the faintest hint of cologne that made Jamie want to lean in and scent it off his warm skin.