Page 2

“They’re required to notify next of kin,” I pointed out.

“He was off the grid way up in Alaska. No phone, no internet. He got satellite internet once it was available without costing an arm and a leg, but none of that existed twenty years ago, Master.”

“I asked Panda to have the Drake geeks do a deep dive on your grandparents. I’ll let you read the report when it’s available.”

“Thank you Master. It feels like you’re still unhappy with me.”

“Oh, I am, and you’ll be filling a whole lot of hours writing lines between now and when I get home. Here’s your first, and I’ll text it to you to be sure you have it right, but I want athousand iterations of “Anything that upsets me is my Master’s business.”

I considered how I wanted to implement this, and told him, “You’re going to need to go out tonight, somewhere you can purchase colored ball-point pens. Preferably green, purple, and blue. No yellow, red, or orange, and the colors you buy should be dark enough they show up well on white paper. Purchase a spiral-bound notebook with high-school lines, not the small college ones. You’ll alternate the three pens — a different color every line. Take a picture of the first page when you finish and text it to me, so I can make sure you have it right.”

He actually seemed pleased with the pronouncement, and he gave me a big smile. “Thank you, Master.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“You’re giving me a way to make things right, Master. I love you, and I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“You’ll have other lines to write, but I’m going to take a day to narrow down the wording I feel will be most beneficial. Do you think you’ll want to visit your grandfather?”

“I think I might, Master.” He sat up a little taller. “I have an answer for you, on the other. I’m going to change my driver’s license address to the main address of the Beast Castle.”

I laughed. “The Beast Castle?”

He blushed a little. “Did I say that out loud? I mean, it’s kind of what I thought from the start. I guess I’ve thought it in my head so long, it finally came out. You laughed, though, so is it okay, Sir?”

“Yeah, anything else floating around in your head you haven’t told me?”

The smile went away. “I don’t know off the top of my head, Master. I mean, I’m sure there is.” He paused and said, “Sometimes I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying Charlie Brown instead of just Charlie.”

I closed my eyes a second because now that he’d said it, I couldn’t unsee it. Charlie is kind of stocky with brown hair, and he wears a lot of sweaters in the winter. He isn’t a dork, but there are physical similarities. “You aren’t wrong, but I’m glad you haven’t said it to him. Anything else?”

“I’ll tell you when I think of them, Master.”

“Text them to me if we aren’t around each other.”

“Yes, Master. If it’s something that needs a whole lot of explanation, is it okay if I text you I remembered something, and I make a note to myself so I’ll remember what I texted you about?”

“Yes. Get your dick out and work yourself up.”

I made him get close to an orgasm, close enough he begged for it, and then ordered him to go soft. When he couldn’t manage it, I made him flick his balls with his finger a few times. When he was finally soft, I told him, “I love you, Davy. Nine days until I see you. Text me a picture of your first page when it’s finished.”

Chapter 2

Will

The last concert of a tour is bittersweet. On the one hand, we’ll never do this exact set again, with these special effects. On the other hand, I was beyond ready for some downtime, and my own bed, my kitchen, my workout room.

Okay, so the truth is, I missed Davy something awful. The time he’d spent with me on tour had been great, but it hadn’t been long enough.

And I’d fucked two women in the five weeks since I’d last seen Davy.Two. That’s it.

I was no longer interested in fucking for sport, apparently. Didn’t matter I was hard as a rock after a concert, just any woman wouldn’t do. I was looking for our third, and that was a heady feeling.

Going home meant something different now. I’d be going home to someone waiting for me. Someone who isn’t part of my musical life. Someone I hoped would be a life partner, and someone who hoped I’d be his life partner. Would we still be together when I was sixty-five and Davy was fifty-nine? I didn’t know, but I hoped so.

And I wanted us to have a woman, too. Three people sharing a life.

I stepped into the shower as soon as I hit my dressing room, and washed all Lord Byron’s stage makeup off. I’d have to put the eyeliner back on before the after-party, but the restonly works on stage. I’m still mostly Lord Byron for an hour or two after a concert, but a little of Will would have to peek out here and there because so many of Will’s friends would be in attendance.