Marcus
I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I’d been out on a real date, especially one with this much on the line. Eric was so close to bolting that if it didn’t go well, I was afraid he’d give up altogether.
It was a lot of pressure for a first date.
I’d continually debated for the last couple of days about my choice of location. Maybe I should have picked something closer to home or something more traditional, like dinner. No, it was a good idea, and it sent the right message.
At least, I hoped it would.
The zoo might not have been typical, but I wanted to give us a chance to get to know each other in a more casual environment. Something that said fun and that could remind him of being little. I didn’t think he would come right out and admit what he wanted, and it wasn’t like I was expecting him to jump right into his persona. However, it seemed like a good way to show him how I envisioned things and not just tell him about it.
Eric had become more relaxed after I’d started taking charge last week. He’d clearly been looking for me to lead and hadn’t balked when I’d pulled him down to sit on my lap. I wasn’t going to hide the fact that I wanted the more dominant role in a relationship. That would be setting us both up for failure.
It’d been about five minutes since Eric had texted that he was almost there, and my patience was starting to wear thin. When a blue sedan pulled in beside me, I knew it was him right away. Climbing out of the car, I locked it, then walked around to open his door.
I got a cautious grin as he stepped out. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now, because I have to ask, you weren’t texting and driving, were you?” I gave him a teasing look so he’d know I wasn’t serious.
He grinned and shook his head. “Of course not. I’m a very good driver.”
“I hope so.” The look he gave me made me push things a little further. “I wouldn’t want to have to punish you.”
His cheeks flushed, and he coughed like he’d swallowed something funny, but he didn’t say anything negative. “Um…I’m a good driver.”
Trying to hide my smile and failing miserably, I took his hand. “I bet you’re a very good…driver.”
He was also probably a very good boy, but he wasn’t ready for me to say it yet. Just the teasing hint of it was enough to make him look away and tighten his grip on my hand. Someone had done a real number on the sweet boy. Hopefully, he’d come to realize that he could trust me.
“Are you ready for the zoo? I hope the drive wasn’t too bad.”
“I’m excited. It’s been years since I went to one. And it wasn’t bad at all. The traffic was pretty good for a Saturday. It probably helps that it’s still early.” Eric’s eyes lit up, and the way he looked around showed how excited he was.
“I’m glad I get to take you, then. Do you need anything from your car before we go?”
Eric shook his head and locked the door, pocketing his keys. “All set.”
“Let’s go, then.” Walking up to the front of the zoo, still holding hands, Eric didn’t seem to have any issues with the contact. DC was such a mix of cultures that I wasn’t going to worry about it. Besides, I was big enough and just looked “cop” enough that most people wouldn’t have even thought to say anything.
“You can pay today, but next time will be my treat.” He tried to keep his voice light and teasing, but I could hear the nervousness that was creeping in.
“That sounds reasonable. And I respect that you want to pay, but I like taking care of you, so keep that in mind.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.” One potential issue averted—or at least postponed. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me by any means. I knew he could buy things for himself, but the fact that he was willing to consider it meant a lot.
We wandered around the zoo with very little purpose. Eric was having fun seeing the animals, and I was having fun watching his reactions. There wasn’t an animal cute enough to compete with his pure enjoyment. It was the most relaxed I’d seen him.
After we’d been walking around for about two hours, I decided we probably needed a break from the heat. It wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t want him to get dehydrated. “Let’s get you some water and we’ll go relax for a while. Then we can go through the aviary and explore the other side of the zoo.”
He tried to behave, but I could see the devilish little grin that wanted to escape. “It wasn’t a question so I’m not sure what to say, but yes, water does sound good.”
I shrugged. “I’m not going to apologize for wanting to take care of you. Besides, you wouldn’t have believed me if I did.”
Eric laughed and followed my lead as I steered us toward a small restaurant. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“You should just be grateful I’m not putting sunscreen on you every hour or doing anything else over the top.” Subtle was not my natural state.
Trying to cover his giggles, Eric sputtered. “I’m glad you’re restraining yourself. I’m not sure the other people here would understand.”
“So you wouldn’t have a problem with it, but other people might?” I was teasing him, but I also wanted him to understand I’d realized exactly what he’d said.
Blushing a fire-engine red, Eric seemed to be ignoring my statement. “It’s not lunchtime yet, but did you want to grab anything else here?”
Letting him hide behind the question, I looked up at the menu. The restaurant was mostly fast food in a casual eatery. “There’s another restaurant on the other side of the zoo that has a more diverse menu. Let’s just get water for now and then we’ll look at something bigger later. Unless you’re hungry now? Do you need a snack?”
There wasn’t much there I wanted to feed him, but looking around, I noticed a display of snacks. They were designed for children, but I could easily see Eric sucking on one of the applesauce pouches. He must have seen what caught my attention because his eyes were wide and he’d gone very still.
So we weren’t ready for that yet.
Looking at his expression, I got the feeling his fear was more about admitting that he wanted it and less because it would seem like an odd snack for a grown man. Giving his hand a squeeze, I let go and walked up to the counter.
Ordering two bottles of water, I let the snack discussion drop. I’d bring it back up another time when he was more ready. I got the feeling that it would never be easy for him, but he was so much more open than when we’d first met. So I knew we’d get there eventually.
He’d managed to recover by the time I walked back over with the drinks. His color was back to normal and he’d lost the shocked expression. There was a huge part of me that wanted to pull him into my arms and tell him it was okay and that I wouldn’t push him, but this wasn’t the time or the place.
Eric followed me as we walked over to a corner table that was reasonably clean. He must have seen something in my expression because he grinned and shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“It’s dirty, but it’ll work for now.”
Laughing, he sat down across from me and reached for his water. Opening the top, I passed it to him. He had a strange look on his face, but he took the bottle and drank. Had my loosening the top been too much for him? I hadn’t even thought about it when I’d done it. Tending him was mostly instinctual and not something I could easily curb.
Not that I thought he wanted me to.
If I was the first Dom he’d dated, and the first Daddy Dom he’d encountered, there would end up being little things that would catch him off guard. But it didn’t mean that he had a problem with it. I was going to have to trust him to let me know when I went too far. He wasn’t sharing much, but he wasn’t desperately fighting to keep his face blank all the time. So I was taking that as his attempt to open up.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
We both relaxed in silence as we drank. It wasn’t awkward and his mind seemed to be busy processing things, so I let the quiet continue. When he was finished with his water and was fiddling with the wrapper, I thought he’d had enough time to think. “You ready?”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Yes.”
One day, I hoped to hear “Yes, Daddy” from the boy. And one day, I hoped to be able to call him my boy and not just Eric. “Good. Let’s go find the birds.”
****
“So do you want to come back and do the zoo again another time, or should we go to some of the museums by the Mall next?” Our time at the zoo had gone much better than I’d hoped. Eric had relaxed his guard and even flirted a bit.
His brain would start to race if we touched on something that seemed related to the lifestyle, but he’d lost the deer-in-the-headlights look. By the time we sat down for a late lunch, I was very pleased with the way things were going. He even worked up the courage to tease me about the food.
As we started going over the menu, he looked up with a cheeky grin. “Do I get to order for myself?”
I laughed softly and teased back. “As long as it’s healthy.” I wanted to add “and as long as Daddy would approve,” but I thought that might have pushed it too far.
His smile got bigger, and he went back to looking at the menu without commenting. He probably wasn’t sure how far I’d push the daddy bit if he kept teasing. It was a good idea on his part. I wasn’t used to watching what I said as much as I needed to around him.
With other subs, I would have teased and flirted, but my natural reactions were to respond as a daddy and not just as a regular date. I’d gotten to know subs who were newer to the lifestyle, but never one who was as reluctant as Eric.
Not wanting to push him too far or make him uncomfortable, I had to monitor my words and actions more than I was used to. It just went to show me how many of my responses were off the cuff. I was going to have to work on that.
As we finished lunch, Eric looked up at me. “I had a good time today. Thank you for asking me.”
“I’m glad you said yes. I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know you, and I’d like to do something like this again.” Pushing my luck, I kept going. “And I’d like to spend time with you somewhere we could talk more privately as well. Getting to know more about what you’re looking for in a relationship is a priority for me.”
I didn’t say an age play relationship or even a Dom/sub relationship, but he knew what I meant. The hand that had been resting on the table started fiddling with his fork and rearranging the silverware around his plate. Giving him time to process what I’d said and what I’d implied, I drank more of my iced tea and waited.
It took a few minutes before he was ready to answer, but I was very proud of him when he did. “I’d like that. Maybe we could have dinner tomorrow night? Like, my house or something? Just, you know…casual.”
He was rolling the fork in his hand over and over and I was getting a bit concerned that he was going to stab himself accidentally. Reaching out, I took the silverware from him and set it down on the table, then wrapped my hand over his. Rubbing his fingers softly with mine, I let him take a couple of deep breaths before I spoke.
“I think that would be a wonderful idea. Would you be comfortable coming over to my house? We could grill and I could show you the room we were talking about the other day.” Not wanting to make him needlessly uncomfortable, I didn’t say nursery. He got the point, though, because his cheeks pinked up a bit and he looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“Um…that’ll work.”
It wasn’t a ringing endorsement, but he accepted the date so I was going to take it as a win. “Wonderful.”
We spoke about times and I gave him my address. We both thought it was funny that we only lived about twenty minutes apart from each other. But being on opposite sides of town, we might never have met if he hadn’t taken the chance and come to the club.
As the waiter came over to drop off the check, he let go of my hand and reached out for it, then paused to glance up at me. I knew he was thinking back to our conversation earlier, and so was I. Yes, I was controlling enough that I wanted to pay for the meal, but I knew it was important to him, so I nodded and leaned back in my chair.
Shaking his head, he gave me a look that clearly meant he thought I was crazy. “That was hard for you, wasn’t it?”
“You have no idea.”
Setting the black case down, his card now tucked inside for the waiter to pick up, he seemed to appreciate my restraint. “Thank you, then.”
“I can negotiate points occasionally.”
“Negotiate, huh? Why does it sound like I’m going to owe you something for you letting me pay?”
“Because you’re a very smart young man.”
Color rose on his face. “I’m not sure I agreed to that.”
“You need to read the fine print, then. Not my fault.”
“Fine print, huh? I’ll keep that in mind.” Then his mind seemed to change tracks completely. “Do you mind?”
“Mind what?” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Whatever it was had him concerned, though, because his brows were drawn together and he was watching me seriously.
“The fact that I’m younger.” It was clear he was hesitant to broach the topic, but he charged in anyway.
“Oh, the young man comment. No, not really. I’m not going to forget that I’m older than you, but letting it prevent me from getting to know you would be ridiculous. Does it bother you?” And maybe it made me a dirty old man, but I liked his young looks and the innocence that clung to him.
Yeah, dirty old man.
He fiddled with the silverware for a moment before he answered, “No.” Then, to my surprise, he kept going. “I like the idea that you’re older. A more mature…figure is what I’m attracted to.”
It was close enough to “father figure” that I got the message. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
He mumbled a quiet, “Thanks” before sighing in relief as the waiter brought his card back.
“You were saved.”
My teasing broke the tension, and he laughed. “Yes, and I’m very grateful for it.”
Both smiling, we stood and walked toward the entrance of the restaurant. “What else do you want to see?”
He gave me a tender look, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher. “It doesn’t matter. I just like spending time with you.”
He was my sweet boy. He just didn’t know it yet.