Page 30 of All Tied Up

Then the little in the dino PJs repeated the words with a giggle. The Daddy standing in front of him looked like he’d forgotten how to breathe, which was adorable to watch.

The next boy was all seductive purr, luxuriously leaning forward onto his hands to press his ass into the air.

Neil didn’t really pay attention to the next two because after that it would be his turn.

How hard could it be to say it? He’d been dying to say those words for years. Anyway, it wasn’t like it meant anything. It was an ice breaker activity, like all the ones he’d done in corporate trainings over the years, except for way dirtier.

He could do this.

No, he really couldn’t do this.

He looked up at Jamie, who was still holding the sign. Jamie gave him a little nod and a wink. Then he wiggled his ass, like he was reminding Neil how good that spanking would feel.

Neil couldn’t help but smile. Jamie was in his corner, giving him a little reminder not to take things too seriously. While being sexy.

Neil looked over to Sebastian, who just smiled at him with all the confidence in the world. Just like Neil hoped someday his real Daddy would.

He sucked in a deep breath and spoke in a clear voice, just like he did in any professional situation, eyes fixed straight ahead near Sebastian’s elbow. “Spank me, Daddy. I’ve been naughty.”

There he’d done it. It probably wasn’t suggestive at all. Probably embarrassingly flat and boring. But he’d managed it.

Sebastian and Jamie both beamed at him, filling him with warmth.

The other guy, Mario, looked amused, but not in a bad way. More like he thought Neil’s awkwardness was cute. Did that mean something?

When the round finished, Mario and Sebastian both scribbled on their little papers, and he wished he knew what they were writing.

Actually, he was pretty sure he knew what Sebastian was writing. Obviously, if Jamie were in the line up he would get Sebastian’s vote. But since Jamie was facilitating, Neil was pretty sure the point was his.

It was Mario that he was curious about. Neil didn’t know much about him except that he spoke in a calm voice and seemed kind. And that watching those nimble fingers tie knots was hot as fuck. That wasn’t a bad start to a relationship was it?

The next round began, this time starting at the other end of the line. “Daddy, do I get a reward for being good?” asked the first boy, all innocence and coy glances. The next one turned up the sex appeal, pausing after the first word to look every Daddy in the eye and promise dirty things. The third one made it sound like a game, like his Daddy might have to work for it.

Soon it was Neil’s turn. The last one hadn’t killed him, so he felt like he could put a little more into it this time. “Daddy?” he asked, imagining how it would feel to really say it. “Do I get a reward for being good?” his voice trailed off at the end. He’d folded his hands in his lap, wanting to convey his goodness to this idea of a Daddy. Wanting to let that Daddy know that it was all up to him to decide. That Neil would just be so pleased about having a Daddy that the reward wouldn’t even matter.

He didn’t even realize that he’d shut his eyes until he blinked them open when the next boy went.

Phew. That hadn’t been so bad.

He watched the question travel down the line. The blond-haired little in jammies completely ignored the script and just bounced up saying, “Daddy? Pressies for me?” and the Daddy in front of him had answered “yes, baby” and then everyone had laughed.

So, Neil had made it through. He hadn’t won, which he didn’t expect to at all, but Jamie slid up beside him to whisper that he’d gotten five points. That didn’t even seem possible. Two of them were probably from Sebastian. But the other three? That meant that either Mario had given him two and someone else liked his delivery of that second line, or that three Daddies thought he had done well.

He tried not to smile, but he was grinning inside. Maybe Jamie and Sebastian had been right and he did have what it took to find a Daddy.

Everyone was mingling now, so once Jamie left his side, Neil decided to get himself a snack plate. He’d been too nervous to get one earlier, but now he figured it would give him something to do with his hands.

Before he took a step, one of the Daddies, a thick, hairy man with ebony skin, all decked out in leather, sidled up beside him. “You’re a shy one, aren’t you?” His voice was deep and Neil felt shivery from the attention.

“Yes, Sir,” he admitted. “I’m usually not in real life, but… this is pretty new to me.”

“Well, you did well up there,” the Daddy praised, sending another flush to Neil’s cheeks. Now he knew who gave him that point. “I’m Moses,” he introduced himself. “And how about you tell me your name?”

“Neil, Sir.”

“Where are you from?”

“Portland,” he shrugged. “Not too far away.”