Page 10 of A Tall Order (Shade Grown Coffee Boys #1)

I meet Austin at his job after work. We’re planning on going to the club tonight. It's a Halloween theme night. I pack him some clothes and a few toys to bring along before I leave for work. I try not to think about how comfortable I am at his house when he isn’t there or the fact that he’s more than okay with me being there.

The shop is about ten minutes from closing when I pull up in the parking lot. The front of the store is facing a side road off the main in the downtown area, but it still gets pretty good traffic. I walk around the side of the building and let myself in through the main door. The inside of the coffee shop smells amazing. The lighting and wooden accents throughout give the whole place a golden glow in the setting sun outside.

There’s a short line of people standing by the coffee counter. The side wall to the left is where the simple foods are sold, pastries and sandwiches mostly. Occasionally, from what Austin has told me of his job, they sell desserts like cheesecake or pie slices.

Austin’s back is to me when I spot him. I'm more than proud of all he's done for himself the last couple of years. I get in line to order a hot chocolate. Coffee this late for me, even if we are going to the club tonight, will have me wired for hours.

I take the chance to admire my boy at work. One worker is taking drinks orders while Austin is moving back and forth, making them. He’s wearing one of his many pairs of black pants and I definitely admire the view until it’s my turn to order.

“Welcome to Shade Grown,” the guy taking the orders says. They don’t wear name tags here. I've seen him here before, in the times I used to stop by. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Can I just get a hot chocolate?” I can’t hide my laugh at the way Austin spins around when I talk. He nearly spills the coffee he’s making all over his own hand and I want to reprimand him for not being careful, but I won’t do that in public. He does look sheepish and finishes the drink before turning his attention to me.

“What are you doing here?” Austin asks. “I still have to close and everything.”

“Boss, is this mystery man?” the other guy asks. I look between the two and smile at the way Austin’s cheeks flush.

“Mystery man, huh? I think I’d like to hear more about what you tell people.”

“I don’t tell them anything,” Austin says. “Someone is just nosey and should probably go clean the coffee pots.”

“This is why no one likes the manager,” he calls out as he walks away. It’s playful. I turn my attention back to Austin once the guy is out of hearing range .

His hair is pushed back with a hairnet. The lights above reflect in his eyes and his smile is genuine and wide. I helped him pick out the shirt today, a faded red, long sleeve one that hugs his arms nicely. He has the sleeves pushed up a quarter of the way.

“Seriously, what are you doing here so early? I still have at least forty minutes before I’ll be ready.” He taps something on the register and flicks his eyes to me. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, because I am. But you’re going to be waiting for a while.”

“Oh no,” I say sarcastically. I lean over the counter and lower my voice. “I guess I’ll just have to sit at a table and watch my boy work. Maybe picture him making me coffee with nothing but an apron on.”

Austin coughs to hide the noise that tries to escape his lips. I find it adorable. “Let me get that hot chocolate for you. Do you want anything in it?”

I stand up straight and move to pull my wallet out of my back pocket. “I’ll take dark chocolate in it. And some whipped cream if possible.”

“Was work good today?” Austin asks as he starts on my drink. I'm not ashamed to admit I sneak another glance as his ass, thinking about this morning.

“My morning was better.”

Austin looks at me over his shoulder and attempts to glare, but I’ve seen him cuddled up on the couch with his stuffies, watching cartoons. His glare is just cute to me. He doesn’t respond to my quip and I go back to watching him work.

He’s efficient, good at his job. The way he talks about running the place, I know he enjoys it. He has the days, like everyone does, where it’s harder than others, but overall he says he’s happy he got it. I’m happy he found something. His job before Paul passed away didn’t pay a lot, but it was a call center and it allowed him to finish getting his Bachelor’s degree online. Paul was so proud of him and I attended the little get together graduation party the summer before he passed.

He turns back with a smile and slides the drink over. “I steamed the milk so it’s really hot. Be careful. If you want to hang out over at the tables, I just have to close out the registers and then clean the dining area and I’ll be good.”

“Take your time,” I say. “The club is open all night and we don’t have any other plans this weekend. I'll pass the time checking some emails or something."

His face scrunches up for a split second. I see it before he schools his expression again. That was worry. I don't walk away from the register and we stand in silence for a second before he lets out a sigh. "I guess I'm still worried that someone is going to say something tonight. About us and… Our relationship."

"You leave that worry to me, okay? Whatever anyone says, I'll handle it. Tonight is for you to have fun, okay?" He looks over my shoulder and I note he's picking at his nails. I'm trying to break him of the habit. I reach a hand across the counter and rest it on his. "Has someone said something to you?"

He opens his mouth to say something and then closes it. I can feel my heart dropping to my toes. I didn't think he spoke with anyone from our old circle. Or that any of them would be cruel enough. "Austin, tell me."

"It's no one from the club or anything," he says quickly. His eyes go wide and I hate seeing him fight back tears. "I just got a text from my mom asking if I was going to be coming to the Halloween thing tomorrow night. My niece is old enough now to actually understand the concept of trick-or-treating. When I told her I had plans with you, she sort of brushed it off as nothing serious."

I know he doesn't have a good relationship with his family. He's mentioned them a few times, but only ever in passing. "I'm sorry, Austin. Did you want to change plans tonight?" I know he's been looking forward to going to the club tonight and the Daddy in me wants to tell him to just push it away and not worry, but I also know my boy. He's such a sweetheart and doesn't like confrontation.

"No," he says easily. "I wanna go to the club."

I smile, squeeze his hand. “Good, because I brought Koka with me.”

Austin’s eyes light up for a split second before he remembers he’s at work. I smile at the expression and hold my drink up. “Thanks for the drink.”

“I’ll try to get done as soon as I can.”

I settle at one of the tables and take a tentative sip of my hot chocolate. It’s delicious, but hot, so I let it cool for a few minutes. I pull my phone out, not lying to Austin when I said I had a few emails to sort through. Running your own business means the 9-5 life isn’t always doable. I have several emails waiting for me, most are just recaps for the week and calendar invites for meetings next week.

There’s one, buried among the others. It’s from a sender I don’t recognize and I almost think it’s spam. But there’s a name mentioned in the subject line that I do know.

REFERRAL FROM MARKETING EVENT

I'm surprised that someone has reached out. I got an update from Josiah that the event went well the other day and they spoke to a handful of people that seemed interested, but they couldn't tell if it was serious or not. There were two other, larger, names at the same event that do the same things.

I glance up when I hear Austin’s laugh. The doors are already locked and there are no other customers but me. Austin is walking toward me with a bucket in his hand. The other guy, the one that took my order, is shaking his head behind the coffee bar. They have music playing somewhere on the other side. It’s not loud, but I recognize it as a recent pop song thanks to Austin's playlist.

“You really didn’t have to meet me here,” Austin says. “I could have met you back at the house.”

“And deprive myself of seeing you working in those pants?” I give him a wink, knowing that the table I chose is far enough away from the other workers. His pants do fit him well. My mind supplies me with the memory of this morning for the twentieth time; my face so close to his ass, my hands on him.

Austin rolls his eyes at me and continues wiping down the tables. I go back to the email on my phone.

Remington Higgins,

I hope this email finds you well. I was given a business card with your email and wanted to reach out. I have a set of land I'd love for you to take a look at. It's about a two hour drive from the city. Couple hundred acres of land. It's a campground of sorts that hasn't had any TLC in a couple of years. I would love to meet with you and get some prices. My number and everything is included below.

Take care,

Eugene Patterson

Huh .

Remington Properties is primarily a city endeavor. We have three companies, two apartment buildings, and a handful of houses in the city limits the landlords rent out. But something outside the city and with that much land? That is a whole other ballgame when it comes to property management.

“What’s wrong?” Austin is standing next to me. I tilt my screen for him to read the email. It takes him only a minute. “Wow. Is that good?”

I tilt my head back and look up at him. His hand lands on my back, just below my neck. “It could be,” I say. “I’ll have to bring it up on Monday in our meeting. I’m not going to worry about it this weekend.”

“Are you sure? It seems like he’s wanting—”

“Austin,” I interrupt. “I love my job and I’ve worked hard, but I like to keep work and my personal life as separate as I can. It can wait until Monday. This weekend is for us.”

I fix him with my ‘don’t argue’ stare and he concedes easily. “I just need to sweep and I’ll be good to go.”

I clear through a few more emails before Austin is ready. I make sure he puts on his coat, since the weather is getting colder by the day, and lead him around the back to the parking lot. I don’t like thinking of him walking this short path on his own when the days get dark so early. I know he’s been doing it for years, but I don’t like it. Not in the city, with the hospital just a few blocks away.

I help him buckle in before adjusting the heat in the car and heading out. The club is a good thirty minutes through the city streets, with the traffic and all the stoplights. We talk about our day and what we want to do this weekend .

The closer we get to the club, the quieter Austin becomes. His answers are a max of five words and I can see him struggling to not pick at his nails.

I find a spot to park a block away. I place a hand on Austin’s knee before he can reach for the door handle. “Talk to me.”

“About what?” Austin keeps his hands close to his stomach. I squeeze his thigh gently.

“Aussie,” I start. I don’t really know about what either, but I can tell something is on his mind. I know he isn’t going to fully enjoy himself tonight if he doesn’t talk about whatever is swirling in his mind. “What’s going on?”

He mumbles something against his chest and I jostle his knee lightly to get his attention. “I can’t hear you, baby.”

"I'm just remembering the last time I was here," he says a bit louder. When he looks at me, I can see him fighting back tears. I wish like hell I could take all his pain away, but I know that's something he'll have to work through. All I can do is help give him new memories and be there when he needs to let it all out.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Four years, I think." I lift the console between us, grateful that my truck can turn into a bench seat, and pull him closer to me. I kiss the side of his head. I reassure him once again that I'll handle anyone that says something. He lets his body sag against mine. "We came for the dance party they had."

I smile. I don't remember if I was there that night. "I'm sure you blew everyone away with your awesome dance moves."

The truck fills with Austin's guffaw and I laugh at his reaction. "My dancing is bad when I'm not in Little space. It only gets worse. "

"I don't know." I draw the words out. "I think that little elbow, booty shake thing you do is absolutely my favorite dance move, ever."

"Oh no." Austin smacks his forehead and shakes his head. He's smiling, though. "That's… I'm never doing that again. No more music."

"I beg to differ," I say quickly. He's blushing so hard I can see it in the lighting coming from the businesses around us. I give an internal fist pump in the air when he giggles. There are no more tears or mumbling words. “Are you ready to go inside?”

He takes a second, but then nods. I tell him to wait while I grab our stuff and then walk around to open his door. I take his hand in mine and set the strap of the duffel bag on my other shoulder. I packed it full of his things for tonight, not sure what kind of headspace he would be in around others.

The club is set in a part of the city that isn’t too busy. There are other shops and businesses around, but it's more restaurants or specific shops. Places you wouldn't go unless you had a reason. The outside is white brick with no windows. There’s a stripe of black brick offsetting the door, giving the whole facade a modern, nondescript feel. I hold the door open for Austin, sighing when the warmth hits my face.

The lobby isn’t crowded, but we do have to wait in a line. Austin’s hand tightens in my grip as we move up in the line. “They’ve added a few things since you were here last,” I say. “They have a room dedicated to Littles now instead of just the themed nights. It’s not big, but they have a ball pit, some coloring stations, toys, and a snack station.”

He nods, but doesn’t say anything. We step up in line. I use my right hand to unzip the top of the bag and pull out Koka. Austin’s face lights up and he reaches for the stuffie quickly. I watch him bury his face in the fur between the ears. It’s a comfort thing for him, I’ve learned. He does it when falling asleep too for his naps. When we go to bed, my chest is the thing he buries his face in.

“Hi, welcome to Club Thrive. Are you a member or visiting for the night?” The lady behind the counter is at least fifty, if not older. She has soft, blue eyes and gray hair braided loosely over her shoulder. She’s wearing a complete leather suit that molds to every curve of her body. She looks amazing, even if I’m immediately wondering how hot that suit gets.

“I’m a member,” I say. I pull my ID out of my wallet and hand it over. “I’d like to add him to my account, please. Baby, can you hand her your ID?” I look back at the lady. “He’s been here before, but it’s been a couple of years.”

“We hold all of our details for five years,” she says with a smile. “Hi, honey. How are you tonight?”

Austin looks at me for reassurance. He’s sinking into his little space already. “I’m good. Thank you.”

She gives him a smile and then turns back to me. “Are you looking to play with others tonight?”

“No, ma’am. Just the two of us.”

“Any specials rooms you’d like to reserve?” The lady is typing away on the computer, most likely inputting Austin’s information. Her smile falls just a moment and her eyes dart between the two of us.

“Aussie, how about you take the bag and pick out which outfit you want to wear, okay? I’ll be right there.” He nods and moves across the room to sit in one of the chairs. The lobby is clean, well lit with fluorescent lighting. I turn back to the lady. “I know his name is listed with another caregiver. Paul passed away three years ago. Austin hasn’t been here since with anyone else. If we can, I’d like to switch him under my account.”

The lady’s face falls completely at that news. I’m not trying to play the death card or anything, but I want the lady to know the truth. They can close Paul’s account. I never thought about doing that until now. She nods and grabs a piece of paper to hand over.

“I can tell he’s already slipping into his Little side, so when he can, have him fill this out and send it back. You can email it if needed or bring it in person. Until we have that, I can’t let you reserve a special room with him, but we’ll let you go to the Dreamland room since it’s public.”

“I understand,” I say and thank her.

“Enjoy your night,” she says and moves on to the couple standing in line behind me.

Austin has an outfit sitting on top of the bag. It’s a forest green shirt and shorts combo, with designs of ivy printed all over. There are different animals printed as well: koalas, of course, kangaroos, and an animal I had to search, Quokkas. It doesn’t surprise me that he chose that one.

“Are you ready, Aussie?” I fold the sheet of paper the lady handed me and tuck it into one of the side pockets before picking up the bag. “Let’s go get you changed and play.”

“Okay.”

He takes my hand once again and we head into the main hub of the club. It’s fairly standard, with a bar in one corner, chairs and tables spread around the space, and hallways and doors that lead to specialized rooms. I tug on his hand to guide him to the right. We’re taking the second hallway. There are six private rooms, which can be reserved ahead of time, and then Dreamland, the public playroom for Littles, is at the end of the hallway. There are larger clubs within driving distance, but I love this one for their security and the other members.

“Whoa,” Austin says beside me when I let him inside the room. There aren’t many in the room right now, but it’s barely nine, so more are bound to show up. The walls are a split color, a soft yellow on the bottom and cream on top. The floor is carpeted, but there are also those little foam pieces that hook together covering most of the space. The ball pit is exactly that, PVC pipe covered with foam noodles and net strung together. Hundreds of colorful balls fill the pit and there are two others already in it. The room has Halloween decorations strung all over the place. Streamers from wall-to-wall, purple, black, and orange balloons floating around. The usual snack table is filled with cutely spooky treats. Even the two security guys walking around have some sort of costume on. Half the Littles are dressed up while the other half are just in play clothes. "This is cool."

Three doors blend into the left wall. I direct Austin to one of them and knock, hoping that it’s empty. When there is no reply, I try the handle and open it. It’s a small locker room of sorts. There is an outfitted changing table, a set of lockers for personal belongings, and a rocking chair in the corner. It’s a comfortable room and I can hear Aussie sigh next to me. I lock the door behind us.

“If any of this is too much for you, I need you to tell me. Do you understand, Aussie?” I don’t have to make him look at me this time. He nods and smiles.

“I’m okay, Daddy. I’m sorry I got nervous.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, baby. How about we get you changed and we can go play for a little bit? ”

I help him out of his clothes easily and stick them in a lower locker. I wipe down the pad on the changing table before helping Aussie up on it to lay down. I look at him, in all his naked glory. My hands, on their own accord, brush over his body. I watch him tuck Koka to his side and his other hand reaches for one of mine that’s traveling very close to his groin.

“Daddy, please?” His eyes are saying more than just those words. I can tell he’s still a bit in his head and I want him to really sink in and enjoy his night. My right hand travels up his thigh, fingers dancing lightly over his smooth skin. His eyes flutter and his lips part slightly when I brush against his balls.

“What would you like Daddy to do, Aussie?” I ask but I continue to rub my hands over him, giving him just a little bit of pleasure. “I need you to use your words,” I warn when he goes to grab my hand again.

“I want you to make me feel good,” he says. “I want to feel Daddy’s fingers inside me.”

I can feel the blood rushing to my cock at those words. I thought he was going to ask for a hand job, not finger fucking. His eyes and words are clear. He moves his legs, splays them out, so I have direct access to his hole. I curse myself for not packing the lube today.

I turn my head to look at the little cabinet in the opposite corner, hoping that they have some supplies. “Hold on, Aussie.”