Page 59 of A is for Aftercare

I keep kissing him as he finishes drying the dish and then lead him to the sofa that faces the full-height windows. The sun is just setting, and we sit together, my arm around Archie’s shoulders, watching it dip below the horizon.

“It’s beautiful here,” Archie whispers.

“It’s one of the reasons I bought this house,” I say.

“What are the other reasons?” He spirals his finger over my knee.

“The old water tank.”

“You mean your kink den?”

I laugh. “Yes. The moment I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do with it. The particulars of the house reckoned that space could be turned into a home gym, but that would have been a waste.”

“A real waste,” Archie agrees. “I much prefer what you’ve done with it.” He rests his head on my chest. “This is nice.”

I smile and stroke his arm. A contented stillness settles over us, one I don’t feel the need to fill with words. The sky gradually becomes dark, turning the windows into reflective surfaces.

“A fox visits sometimes,” I say. “But not when the lights are on. Sometimes I sit here in the dark, just to see if he stops by.”

“It would be amazing to see him,” Archie says.

I stand and turn the lights off. The moon and stars just about provide enough light to see the first couple of feet of the garden. Archie cuddles up to me, and we stare out in the dark, watching and waiting.

Eventually, movement catches my eye. I nudge Archie and point.

“Wow,” he breathes as the plucky fox trots onto the patio and noses at the furniture.

The fox glances through the window, looking right at us, then vanishes into the night.

“Wow,” Archie says again. “I’ve never seen a fox before. Other than on TV.” He stretches and yawns.

“Tired?”

"A little." He clambers onto my lap, straddling me as he did in the office earlier. "But I'm not too tired for date-night sex." He leans close and kisses me. "I'm not going to settle for a goodnight kiss."

“I think I get to decide what you settle for,” I remind him.

“True. Sorry, Sir. I’ll stop being so presumptuous.”

“I like it when you’re presumptuous,” I tell him before pulling his chest against mine and wrapping my arms tightly around him.

I kiss him, and he rocks his hips back and forth over my groin, making me hard.

“Upstairs,” I say.

“Upstairs?”

“Aye. Unless you want it quick and dirty against the cabinets again.”

Archie shakes his head. “Not tonight, Sir.”

He gets up, and I take his hand. He grabs his bag, and we go up the stairs to my bedroom.

“It’s just as stunning in the dark,” he marvels. “I can see so many stars. Where I live, there’s nothing but light pollution.”

“I leave the curtains open more often than not,” I say. “I like to fall asleep looking at the stars and wake to the dawn.”

"The joys of not having neighbours nearby,” Archie says. "I'd never be able to have sex in my bedroom with the curtains open. Not unless I wanted my nosy neighbours to get an eyeful." He rolls his eyes. "Not that I take guys back there. We've got a no hookups-in-the house rule and, to be honest, even with a boyfriend, it would feel weird having sex, knowing my five-year-old niece is in the room below me."