Avery
I didn’t think I’d ever felt as relaxed as I did after my massage. I’d had massages before, but I’d never had a therapist as skilled as this one. I’d also never been fucked into oblivion right before my appointment and then lovingly washed like I was a prince with a very dedicated servant/lover. Not that I thought Graham was fantasizing about me being a prince as he worked me over with the world’s softest sponge, but it was sure as hell what was in my mind.
I groaned as I slid my arms into the plush robe the therapist had laid out for me. She’d told me to take my time coming back to reality, not that my life felt very real at that moment. The rest of my afternoon was going to be spent taking in the pools and salt room with Graham. That was pretty damn far from my day-to-day reality. I drank the water my therapist had left me as I walked to the locker room and marveled at how loose I felt. I hadn’t even realized how much tension I’d been holding in my shoulders. I really needed to find a way to thank Graham for this, a very dirty way to thank him.
I slipped off my robe and slid on my swim trunks, rainbow ones because why not be obvious. Then I checked the mirror to see how much of a mess my hair was. I repaired it as best I could with the gel I’d brought. Yes, I was sure you weren’t supposed to worry about your hair in the spa, but I had a hot Daddy waiting for me, and I wanted him to thirst for me when I walked in.
I closed up my locker and wound my way around to find the door leading to the hot pool. Graham had texted me that he was soaking while he waited for me. When I stepped out into the pool room, I gasped. I’d heard great things about this spa, but I’d yet to indulge myself. Now that the tourism industry had taken off in a crazy way, day passes were getting harder to come by if you weren’t a hotel guest.
The pools were underground, so the walls were made of rock. I felt like I was in some kind of tropical cave. Steam rose from the pool, and my skin was instantly damp, though the walls radiated coolness. I scanned the edge of the pool until I saw Graham. Damn, he looked fine. He turned as if he’d felt me staring, and I got exactly the reaction I wanted. His gaze fixed on me, and he watched every step I took as I descended the steps into the oh-my-God-that’s-hot water. I moved toward him, my cock taking interest as I studied his broad chest and well-defined arms. I wanted to sink underwater and see if I could hold my breath long enough to suck him; unfortunately there were other people around, a few of whom I recognized from the wedding, so we had to keep things casual.
I settled next to him on the bench that circled the pool’s edge.
“Enjoy your massage?” he asked.
I groaned, and his eyes narrowed.
“Less of the sex noises if you want to keep our relationship secret.”
I laughed.
“So it was that good, huh?”
“It really was. The best one I’ve ever had. Thank you again for… everything.”
He took my hand under the water and squeezed. “I couldn’t be happier to give this to you.”
“I just hope you have more to give me after we enjoy this place.” I smirked at him, and he splashed me.
“Keep that up, and I’ll find us a place to have more right now.”
“You wouldn’t.” I let my mouth drop open in mock horror.
“Don’t fucking tempt me.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, though part of me wanted to see if he really would drag me somewhere semi-private and fuck the hell out of me. “I can’t stop wanting it around you.”
“Me either. I haven’t been this horny since I was your age.”
I snickered. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
His tone told me he was telling the truth. I pulled my hand away and shifted so I could look at him. “This weekend… It’s…”
“I want to see you again.”
“You do?”
He nodded.
“But what about Carter?”
He looked away, and that was definitely not good. “What?”
“Nothing. I… I need to tell him, and you need to tell Felicity.”
“Yeah. If we’re going to see each other again, then we do.”
He looked relieved.
“After the honeymoon?” I asked.
He nodded. “Right after.”
“Okay.” I wished I knew what Felicity would think. I could usually predict her reactions flawlessly, but I had no idea what she’d say about this. If Graham were anyone else, she’d be thrilled I’d found someone I wanted for more than a night of hot fucking, but he was her father-in-law now, and that was… weird didn’t quite cover it. “Can we talk about something else now?”
“Yeah. You’re supposed to be relaxing, but I can see you tensing up again.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, doing my best to shake off my anxiety.
“Turn around,” Graham ordered.
“What?”
“Turn around. I’m going to calm you down.”
“Here?” I squeaked.
“Yes, boy.” I couldn’t resist that commanding tone.
He slid his hands up and down my back. If one of the guests who knew us walked in… No, I wasn’t going to think about that. I closed my eyes and surrendered to him. Daddy would take care of it.
By the time he stopped massaging me, I was back to that floaty place I’d been in after he’d fucked me. “You’re good at this.”
“Rubbing your back?”
“Being a Daddy, taking care of me.”
He looked more uncertain than I’d seen him before. “You mean that?”
I cupped his face, still oblivious to anyone around us. “I do. I don’t know how this happened, but I need you.”
He smiled, looking more settled now. “I know.”
“Not just your cock, you. Everything.” Holy shit, had I really said that?
He held my gaze and suddenly the heat of the pool was too much. The room spun around me. “Um… I think I need…”
“The cold pool.” He stood and pulled me out of the water.
“Can you walk?”
“I’m not sure.” I was dizzy, and my dick was so hard.
He scooped me up with no hesitation. I heard a woman gasp, but I closed my eyes and tucked my head against his shoulder.
“Oh my!” a woman said. I couldn’t tell if she was intrigued or shocked.
“He’s overheated.” Graham’s voice brooked no contradiction.
“Well, I guess he would be,” another woman said.
Someone else giggled.
I smiled against Graham’s shoulder and whispered, “You’d overheat anyone.”
He lowered me to the edge of the cold pool. “Put your feet in.”
I shrieked. “Cold. Jesus, that’s cold.”
“That is the idea.” He hopped off the side, plunging all the way in. After he surfaced and dragged in a few breaths, he grabbed me and pulled me under.
I squealed, and I was sure everyone was staring.
“We’re going to get kicked out,” I protested when I’d recovered from the shock.
He tugged me to the side, and we sat on the edge, me shivering with his arm around me. “No, we’re not. I’ll behave now.”
I raised my brows. “Are you sure about that?”
He winked at me. “Hell, no.”
“Can we try the salt room now? This is way too cold.”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
I walked this time, and we didn’t even touch. Maybe we could be good. I was determined we were just going to talk for a while, so I sat far enough from him that I wouldn’t be tempted to run my hand along his muscular thighs, or through the damp hair on his chest, or… “Pretend you could go to any restaurant in the world. Where would it be and what would you eat?”
He looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Wait. You could like actually do that, couldn’t you?”
“Maybe not anywhere and not any time but… yeah, I could.”
I realized it wasn’t that big of a deal to him to give me a spa day. “Wow.”
He smiled and scooted closer, running his fingers along my arm. So much for being good.
“I want to take you everywhere.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Um…”
“Shhh. We’ll talk about that later. Let me think about your question.”
I watched as he pondered, barely resisting the urge to run my finger along his cheek which was already stubbly despite him shaving that morning. How hot would he look with a salt-and-pepper beard? Fuck, he’d be delicious.
“All right.” His voice startled me. I’d gotten lost in thoughts of his imaginary beard rubbing me as he ate my ass. “I would go to an amazing restaurant a friend recommended on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. He said they have the most amazing mussels and scallops he’s ever eaten.”
“Mmm. That sounds amazing.”
“You like seafood?”
“Yeah, totally.”
“Good. After dinner, we’d go back to a little cottage. There’d be a heated sunroom facing the sea. I’d take you out there and—”
“Any more, and I won’t be able to sit still. We’re supposed to be talking.”
“I was.”
“About sex,” I protested.
“How do you know what I was going to say? I might have been going to serve you coffee or—”
I glared at him.
“Fine. Now it’s your turn. What’s your fantasy dinner?”
I frowned. “I don’t know. There are so many places I want to go.”
“Pick one.”
I shivered. “Damn, I love it when you tell me what to do.”
“Dinner.”
He was way too good at this. “Well, this one is kinda cheesy compared to yours. I mean, it’s such a thing that would be in the top ten international vacation destinations.”
“Tell me.”
“Tuscany. I want to go eat at a villa in Tuscany that’s like on a farm where you have family-style dinner al fresco. Everything would be fresh, and the table would be covered in white linen even though you’re outside. Dinner would last for hours. There would be wine and—”
“I know exactly the place to take you.”
“What? Those places seriously exist?”
“Of course they do. I went on a farm-to-table tour in Tuscany with a friend a few years ago.”
“A friend?”
“Yes. He was the first friend I made when I moved to Charlotte after the divorce. We were lovers briefly, but we make much better friends. I had a chance to travel, and I wanted someone with me who would enjoy it like I would and wouldn’t complicate things.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“It was. Avery, I…”
I shook my head. I couldn’t talk about us traveling together, not when we’d been together one night. My stomach rumbled, and I glanced toward the complimentary snack bar which was just through the doors at the outdoor pool.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“I guess that’s a hazard of talking about fantasy dinners.”
He rose from his chair, and I stared as water droplets ran down his chest, catching at the waist of his swim trunks. I wanted to lick them up.
“Grab us a table and I’ll get something to eat.”
I settled under an umbrella, and he joined me a few moments later with two glasses of prosecco and a plate full of fruit, olives, cheese, and crackers. I reached for a strawberry, but he swatted my hand away.
Before I could protest, he plucked it from the plate and held it up to my mouth. “I want to feed my boy.”
Holy fuck. I bit into the strawberry, then licked the juice from his fingers.
He held my gaze as he handed me a glass. I took a sip of prosecco, then slowly licked my lips. Next he fed me an olive. This time I pulled one of his fingers into my mouth, sucking the salty brine from it and then enjoying the taste of his skin.
“I thought we were going to talk,” he said when he pulled the digit from my mouth.
“We were, but you… you…”
“Am I distracting you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, no, not at all. How would it be distracting to be fed by you?”
“I like taking care of you.”
“I like it too. I never thought I’d find…” I glanced away, my eyes starting to burn.
“It’s okay. We can just talk,” he said.
I nodded.
“Tell me some of your favorite movies.”
I wanted to thank him for saving me from crying again, but I was afraid the tears would come back if I tried. “You’ll laugh at my choices.”
“I doubt that.”
“Bridget Jones. Notting Hill. Most rom-coms, really, but they get extra points if they’re British. What about you?” I asked, not wanting to give him time to mock me.
“Um…” He glanced away toward the outside pool.
“Come on. They can’t be worse than mine.”
He sighed. “Not worse, more like the same.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you fucking with me?”
“What? No.”
“So you seriously like Bridget Jones? Oh my God!”
“Shhh.” He glanced around, face turning red.
“You don’t mind people watching you carry me around, but you won’t admit to liking romantic movies?” I practically shouted the last words, and he winced.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s one of my biggest secrets.”
“Then you’re going to have to tell me more because this one is delicious.”
He sighed. “Frappuccinos. I love them.”
“We are so getting some and watching a rom-com tonight.”
He let his gaze slide over me. “That is not what I had planned for us.”
I shivered. “Okay then, tomorrow.”
“Maybe.”
“Tell me more.”
He shook his head. “Not until you spill something embarrassing.”
I pondered. What could I reveal to him that wouldn’t completely kill me? “At fourteen, I jerked off thinking of Justin Timberlake at least once a day.”
“No fucking way. Seriously?”
I covered my face. “Yes.”
“What else?”
“I have to tell more?”
“If you want more from me, you do.”
“I’ve seen every episode of House Hunters International.”
He shrugged. “That’s not so bad.”
“Hold up. Do you like it too?”
He studied the underside of our umbrella. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You really are perfect, aren’t you?”
He turned even redder than he had when I’d yelled that he liked rom-coms. “I have plenty of faults.”
“Me too, but I… I still…”
He took my hand and squeezed. “It’s okay. Why don’t you tell me how you ended up working at the salon?”
Shit. He’d had to save me once again from getting too sentimental. It was like he’d turned me to fucking mush.
You’re falling for this man.
No. No way, he was just… we had good chemistry and similar kinks and oh God, he really was fucking perfect.
“When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was happy just to have survived and to be able to start being myself a little more freely. My parents were willing to pay for college. Felicity was leaving me to go to Duke, and I didn’t have a good job lined up, so I figured what the hell. Even though I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I went to UNC-Asheville. I met Sean, who’s my roommate now. He was working at the salon on the weekends while he got his degree. I told him I loved doing my friends’ hair and makeup, so he brought me to work with him one day. I ended up talking to his manager during lunch. He loved the ideas I had, but I needed to be certified to work there as a stylist. I was disappointed, but I kept taking classes toward a degree in sociology.”
“What were you planning to do with it?”
“I’d thought about working as a counselor at a health clinic. I wanted to do something to help people.”
He nodded. “I can see that.”
“So summer came, and I needed a job. The receptionist at the salon had just quit, so they hired me. The more I worked there, the more I knew that was what I wanted to do. I quit UNC-A and got certified in cosmetology so I could start working as a stylist. I’ve been there ever since.”
“So Sean still works there, too, and he’s your roommate?”
Was that a hint of jealousy in his voice? I smiled. “After he got his degree, he found a job as a technical writer. And yes, he’s my roommate, but that’s all. Trust me, we would be a disaster as a couple. We’ve fucked for stress relief a few times, but we both prefer bottoming and our craziness feeds off each other. We both need someone to keep us in line.”
“I could keep you in line.”
“Mmm, you sure could, Daddy.”
He glanced toward the edge of the patio.
“What?”
“I’m considering how well those trees would cover us if I dragged you over there for a blowjob.”
I made a choking sound. “Talking. We’re supposed to be talking.”
“Right.”
“What about you? How did you become a real estate mogul?”
He rolled his eyes. “I worked for a development company. They weren’t doing great. I had some ideas on how to improve things. They worked. I moved up in the ranks and eventually bought them out. After my divorce, I expanded and opened an office in Charlotte.”
“Damn.”
He shrugged. “My grandmother passed away. She’d invested well. I used the money to make a gamble.”
“A good one, apparently.”
He nodded. “I’m doing quite well for myself, but you haven’t landed a billionaire or anything.”
I glanced at my phone. “Oh, no. Look at the time. I’d better—”
He laid a hand on my thigh and dug his fingers in. “Boy, you’re not going anywhere.”
I shivered, loving his dominance. “No, Daddy. I’m not.”
We watched each other for a moment. I wondered if he would kiss me. I didn’t even care who might be looking. If I had to be waiting for Felicity at the airport when she came back so I could be the first one to tell her, that’s what I would do.
“Do you see yourself staying here, working at the salon?”
I nodded. “For now, anyway. Not necessarily forever. I love Asheville, but it’s getting more expensive and more crowded every year.”
“You’re happy though? You truly love what you do?”
“Yeah, I am. I have a job I enjoy. Friends. I live in a gorgeous city.” And now I had the possibility of something special with a crazy hot man. “What about you?”
He seemed to consider his answer for a few moments. “I enjoy my job, especially when I can seek new challenges, but sometimes, I feel like something’s missing. Or I did.”
He looked apprehensive, so I reached for his hand. “You… did?”
“For the first year or two after I came out, I was one of the biggest sluts at my friend’s club.”
“Wow. That, um… Wow.”
He rolled his eyes. “So cliché, huh? Letting loose after years in the closet.”
“It is, but it’s become cliché for a reason.”
“True. For a while now I’ve known I wanted something more. Something deeper. I told you I’d played Daddy and boy before, but it’s never been more than that—play. With you, I can imagine it being more than just a game. Not that I want to do it twenty-four seven, but…”
“I’ve wanted someone to take care of me for years. I told myself it was stupid. That I just felt that way because my parents were shit or because I was too immature to be a real grown-up.”
“You seem to be doing just fine supporting yourself.”
“I am. I’m not set for life like you, but I have a nice apartment, a good job.”
“And you’re damn good at what you do.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I would like to have my own makeup line one day.”
“You would?”
I was a little nervous to admit this. I’d only told a few people, but somehow I knew he wouldn’t laugh. “I’ve started making some products. Right now, I’m just playing around, but I’d love to keep developing them.”
“You need to keep working on it. I want to see what you can do.”
I felt warm all over at his obvious excitement. “So you really think this—us—could be more?”
He shifted and looked away like he was nervous, which made me want to comfort him. I took his hand in mine and stroked the back of it with my thumb. He lifted his eyes, meeting my gaze. “Yes.”
“Okay. Me too.” If he could be vulnerable, so could I.
He exhaled slowly. “I’d love to extend this trip, but I just can’t. I can come back in two weeks, though.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I usually work Saturdays but I’m off Sundays and Mondays. I know that’s probably not good for your schedule.”
“I’ve hardly taken any time off in the last two years. I can take a Monday or more. In fact, with a little juggling, I can do some work remotely and take a full week. It is my company, after all.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
He turned my hand over and traced patterns on my palm. “So that’s okay with you? For me to come back?”
“It’s more than okay.” The words came out all breathless; his simple touch was sending shivers up my arm. I was in danger of getting a hard-on that everyone would see.
Heat flashed in his eyes. “Next time I’ll bring more toys for us to try out.”
Now all I could think about was the remote-controlled plug. “Should I be excited or nervous?”
“Both.” His lips curled in an evil smile. “Definitely both.”
“I think I need the cold pool again.”
He grinned. “Let’s go.”