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“Better than yours, I’d say. You look pretty down, and you didn’t go with the others to play. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I might be a little tired. I’ll probably call it a night early.”

“Galan, ahem, sir, there’s a little in there who I am sure would be perfect for you. I think you’d hit it off. Why don’t you forget the drink and go in. It’s pretty lively tonight.”

“That’s nice of you but I’m pretty busy with work right now, and I don’t have time for any real connection.” Plus, if I did have time, I had that one boy in mind. “No, I’m good for now. But I really do appreciate your concern for me. You know me. I’m always fine on my own.”

“If you say so. But if you change your mind, let me know.”

I promised I would, but I hadn’t lied. Work was very busy, so it was probably lucky that certain boy hadn’t come in lately. I needed to focus, and if I had any energy and time left over, I could look into that baseball league.

Chapter Two

Lake

It had been a freaking long day at work. I had meeting after meeting and when that was over, another meeting. If I could sit back and zone out during them, it would be one thing, but my most recent promotion had me running them, and that required me being on the entire time. I was so ready to go to Chained and hang out with my little friends.

I threw some of my favorite little clothes in my backpack and grabbed the leash from the holder by the door. “Does somebody want to go for a walk?”

Dog came running up to me. People looked at me funny when I called him Dog. They expected him to have a name like Fluffy or Toto, but no. Dog, it was.

“Sit.”

Dog tried as hard as his excited self could, butt wagging back and forth, barely hitting the ground. I clipped on the leash.

“Let’s go quickly because I need to meet my friends.”

Dog was great, behavior-wise, but I preferred to help get his energy out before I left for the evening to help avoid any mischief. I didn’t want to have to worry about my fur baby attacking the big bad pillow while I was gone or, worse, being sad or lonely.

We walked around the block, saying hello to a couple of neighbors who were out, Dog sniffing every single fence post, telephone pole, and fire hydrant along the way. It was a nice evening, which was good because I was biking to Chained.

When we got back inside, I went over my itinerary with Dog, gave him a new bone, and promised to be back soon.

It was the perfect night for a bike ride. It would help me wind down before I got there. My plan was not to stay out too late, not when Dog was home alone. I had a business trip coming up, and my neighbor Rico was great about dog-sitting, but it always came with a side of guilt at leaving Dog. When I first got him, I never traveled, and this new time in my career was an adjustment for us both.

Tonight was a mommy-daddy-free night of play. Abbott, Brock, and Rowan were all going to be there. Sammy said he was a big maybe, which generally meant he wouldn’t come. After a week of work, he preferred to be a homebody.

Nearly all my little friends had daddies now, which was great for them and something I hoped someday to have myself. But it made it difficult for us to have these nights where we were all together. I didn’t mind chilling in the little room if their daddies were there, but these mommy-daddy-free events were nice because not only was it just us, but it meant I didn’t have to worry about the stress of whether there was a daddy I wanted to ask to play, or one checking me out, or one that made me uncomfortable. We could just be us and have a good time.

I liked Chained, but my favorite little time with friends was when Abbott, Brock, and I had sleepovers because then there was no need to get big again before we went home. We could fall asleep in little space, and all would be good. At the club, I had to get back into my normal headspace before heading home, and that wasn’t ideal.

I wasn’t a full member of Chained yet, but my neighbor/dog sitter, Rico, worked there and gave me guest passes when he had them. He said it was only fair since I insisted on paying him to watch his “favorite fur baby.” I didn’t quite agree, thinking if anything, I owed him more, but it was nice to have them. We became friends because of Dog—not the same kind of friends as Brock and Rowan but neighborly friends. Then I discovered we had similar interests at Chained, and we became closer. I still wouldn’t call him a bestie, but I enjoyed spending time with him.

He teased me that I was next to catch a daddy. I didn’t know if he believed in a Daddy Fairy or what, but he said one day, a daddy would just appear in front of me and I’d know he was the one. The thing was, I had noticed a daddy, one I really liked. His name was Galan, and he was so hot and sweet and commanding. But was I able to, like, walk up to him and say hi? No. That would take being brave. And I might one day be someone’s sweet boy or someone’s obedient boy or, if the mood was right, somebody’s naughty boy. But I would never be called someone’s brave boy. Not that kind of bravery, anyway.

Galan wouldn’t be at the event tonight, but I was still hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Maybe I’d be brave enough to think about waving. Probably, I’d just stare at him from afar and hope he didn’t catch me being creepy.

The ride wasn’t really long, but there was a lot of stop-and-go today. Traffic was worse than I wanted. I loved my bike. It wasn’t new or really expensive, but it was mine, and it gave me a sense of freedom. It didn’t cost money to use, so even back when I first got it and was too poor for gas or to get much more than instant noodles, I could ride around anywhere. That was no longer the case, moneywise. I was doing really well at work, making a good income. But that sense of freedom still hit me every time I got on and pedaled away.

Chained was in sight, and excitement flooded in. I was going see my friends and play. They never did diamond art, which was my favorite, but there might be sticker art. That was always fun too.

The city bus pulled away from the curb, and I saw too late a bunch of debris on the road from what appeared to have been an accident. A car sidled up beside me. My choice was running into the car or going over the debris. I chose the debris. My bike hit it hard, and I barely stayed upright, but I managed to cross the intersection and stop without making matters worse.

My heart pounded, my breathing heavy, and my stomach threatening to empty when I climbed off and took in what had happened. If I hadn’t heard that car coming up the side, I might’ve swerved out of the way of that debris, and things would’ve been a lot worse.

“Great,” I mumbled. I wasn’t going to be able to ride it without damaging it beyond repair. So much for a carefree, relaxed vibe when I got into Chained.

I picked the bike up and carried it the rest of the way to Chained, grateful I was so close. It was heavier than some of the new fancy models, but not too bad. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get home with it. It wasn’t rideable and I couldn’t really count on a rideshare. Those big rides were few and far between, especially on a clubbing kind of night like this one.