Page 3 of All Tied Up

“Don’t even try to pull that,” Levi shot back. “You’re an amazing dancer.”

No, he really wasn’t. He loved dancing, but he definitely wasn’t anything special. Even in college he’d only gone out when his friends pulled him away from his computer. And he’d never been the type of guy who had attractive men panting after him.

Now he had another twenty years and seventy pounds on his body. The only time he danced, really, was when Levi strong-armed him into going out. That first night when they met had been a fluke, his one shot of courage that had netted him a best friend, even if he still didn’t have a partner.

Levi poked and clicked a few things, with Saul occasionally pointing and making little incomprehensible comments.

“Alright, here it is. I remembered this one because I want Daddy to take me there sometime. It’s the closest one to Portland.” He thrust the phone at Neil.

Neil grabbed the phone, but didn’t even look at it.

“Oh? Is that so?” Saul looked amused. “Were you going to tell me about that sometime?”

“Of course, Abbale.” He twisted around to gaze up at Saul with wide, innocent eyes. “Otherwise you can’t take me there for a romantic getaway when I’m extra, extra good because you love me so much.”

Neil and Saul both cracked up, but Levi still got the kiss he’d no doubt been aiming for.

“We’ll see, baby boy.” Saul hedged when he could finally keep a straight face.

Levi beamed, confident that he’d already gotten his way. Or if not, he’d be getting something just as good.

Seeing them so happy together was almost painful sometimes.

Levi turned back to Neil. “Look at it! Look at it! It’s along the Columbia River and it looks like they have mountain climbing. Isn’t it just adorable? You could be there in just over an hour, well a bit further to your apartment.” He turned to Saul. “We could be there in just over an hour.”

Saul chuckled. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

Neil looked down at the phone. The photo showed an A-frame lodge constructed with exposed pine logs and soaring windows, glowing with a warm light from within. It was surrounded by thick green forest, almost like an enchanted home that had sprung up from some fairytale realm in the middle of nature.

This was a picture that Neil could definitely appreciate. Even the name sounded charming and outdoorsy: the Meadowlark Lodge. If he were to take a vacation, it would be somewhere like this.

“Check out the hosts. It says they’re a Daddy and boy.” Levi thrust the phone in his face again. Neil reluctantly looked at what he figured would be another happy couple who had figured everything out. What he hadn’t expected was to see a hot young Latino Daddy in leather pants and a chest harness with a blond, lingerie-clad sex kitten giving him a smooch on the cheek.

“That’s their business profile?” he asked.

Levi cackled. “On Cuffd it is.”

Neil looked again. He could bet they’d get a lot of business on that photo alone. The Daddy had a thick mat of hair over his bronzed muscular chest and thick belly. His dark eyes shone with a soft kindness that drew Neil in, even though it was obviously meant for his boy.

The boy, meanwhile, looked somehow both elegant and naughty, with something lacy and pink hugging his slim, muscular frame. He looked mischievous, like he was getting away with something by kissing his Daddy in the photo.

God, Neil could only wish he found something like what the two of them had. The awkward angle of the photo told him it was a selfie, which was even more endearing. Here was a couple who had made their whole lives together, running a successful business while embracing a kinky lifestyle.

It was more than Neil could hope for. And the two of them were so painfully young. Was that what the whole kink scene was? Levi and Saul were both a decade younger than Neil at least. So was almost everyone he saw when Levi convinced him to come out dancing.

Neil pushed the phone away from him, but Levi was undeterred. He flicked excitedly through the profile. “The best part is, they have a whole secret playroom in the basement. They host kink nights sometimes during the slow season, but Gabby convinced them to reserve some entire weekends for Cuffd events this summer. I think they only have twelve or fourteen rooms. Oh hang on, a few more if you’re willing to share a bathroom in one of the cabins. But they’re filling up. You should make a reservation soon.”

Neil had no idea who Gabby was—presumably one of Levi and Saul’s kinky coworkers—but that wasn’t what he was trying to wrap his mind around. “Seriously? This place has a dungeon? It looks so… outdoorsy and wholesome.”

“Yep,” Levi let the word pop. “I bet the owners get into all sorts of naughty fun in those woods…” He let the words drip seductively off his tongue. “Wait! O.M.G., Daddy!” Levi spun to face Saul. “We could have a corporate retreat there! Long-term planning by day, kinky shenanigans at night! It’s perfect.”

Saul kissed his nose. “No.”

Levi pouted. “But listen! Instead of team bonding, we could have team bondage!”

Saul laughed, but he still shook his head. “Definitely not. I can’t even imagine how many regulations that would break. And the opportunity for sexual harassment, intended or accidental, just… no.”

“But you’ll take me sometime?”