Page 8 of A Tall Order (Shade Grown Coffee Boys #1)

“You’re in a much better mood this week,” Jason remarks Wednesday morning.

It doesn’t surprise me,. I’ve had a couple of regulars, and even Tyler tell me the same thing since Monday. I am in a good mood, but it isn’t like I can announce to the general public, ‘Hey, yeah, I’m in a great mood because I finally have a Daddy again that plays with me and helps me through some big emotions’. Somehow, I don’t think people would look at me quite the same.

Remi, for what it’s worth, is constantly checking in with me. Before leaving on Sunday, he made sure to prep dinner for Monday and Tuesday. All I needed to do was put it in the oven. He also sent me funny texts throughout the day and called me on the phone to read me a story. It's nice, but I’m looking forward to him coming back to the house to stay tonight .

“It was a good weekend,” I finally answer Jason. He’s sipping on his morning coffee while I open the till. “I got to meet up with a friend and just have a relaxing weekend.”

“The old friend excuse, huh?” He raises his eyebrows over the rim of his cup. I roll my eyes.

“It’s not like that.” Okay, maybe it is exactly like that, but I’m not about to tell Jason about my life outside of work. “We just had a good time hanging out.”

“Well, whatever you millennials call it, you look happier than I’ve seen you in a while.”

I don’t say anything back because I don’t know what to say. I am happier. There’s also a small feeling of guilt in the back of my mind. I know it’s crazy to feel bad for moving on, but I know those that knew Paul and Remington might look at our new relationship dynamic as odd.

It makes sense to me. To us. I never once saw Remi in that light when I was with Paul. He was always the friend that came around and would play with me. Or, if we had company over, he would joke and be the life of the party. He worked hard at his business and helped people whenever he could.

I try my best to not overthink every moment of our weekend and compare it to how my relationship with Paul was. They are similar in a lot of ways, but Remi is definitely not the pushover Paul was. At least not yet. I’m sure I can wear him down. I didn’t lie when I said I’m not typically a bratty Little. Corner time is not fun; I much prefer the praises and rewards. That doesn't mean I won't try and find Remi's soft spots and push those buttons.

The day goes by smoothly. Tyler is more comfortable with the policies for the shop and making the food on his own. I showed him on Monday how to put in for time off, then got concerned when he sent in four different requests, all listed with comments for ‘doc appointment’. I don’t need to know why he’s taking off, but I hope everything is okay and I’m keeping an eye on him.

We stay busy enough that I don’t check my phone but once. I know Remi is meeting with a family today and won't have his phone much either. By the time I’m closing up for the night, there’s a single text from Remi.

Remington

Can’t wait to see you tonight.

I drive home with a smile on my face. There is a large box sitting on the porch, nearly my size, but the living room light is on and Remi's car is parked in the driveway. I park behind him, smiling wider because I know he’s staying tonight.

“You know there is a large package on the porch, right?” I call out when I open the door. The whole house smells amazing. I can hear music coming from the kitchen along with the smells.

Remi pokes his head around the door frame, smiling wide. He's already in his casual clothes for the evening. I can’t help the returning smile at the thought of him being so comfortable in my house. “It’s the chair that I ordered on Saturday. I figured once we eat and get you in your PJ’s, I’ll bring it in and put it together.”

I finally close the distance between us and plaster my body against his back. My hands snake around his waist and squeeze him in a hug. I’ve missed him. It’s only been two days, but call me selfish. “I missed you. ”

“I missed you too,” Remi says. “Do you want to go change while I finish dinner?”

I kiss the back of his shoulder and pull away. I take a couple steps away before stopping. The one thing that has been on my mind all day. I’m scared to ask, though.

“Aussie?” Remi’s voice catches me off guard, but his hand on my lower back settles me. “What’s going on in your brain?”

I don’t turn around when I ask what is floating in my mind. I stare at the table and chairs. “Can we do bath time tonight?”

Remi turns me around and lifts my chin to meet his eyes. He’s smiling. His face tilts down and our lips press together tenderly. His fingers are still holding my head tilted back and I part my lips for him. I can feel everything slipping away. No thoughts of work or how people would see our relationship. Everything slips away but the feeling of being safe and cared for.

I’ve missed that feeling so much.

“We’ll take one after dinner, my little messy eater.” I smile at the words. And then giggle when Remi’s beard brushes against my skin as he kisses down my neck. He nuzzles into my shoulder with his own chuckle. “How about you just go change into some shorts for now?”

I’m well aware that shorts aren’t going to hide what is going on behind my work pants right now. But I remember the talk we had on Sunday, that I need to ask for what I want because Remi- Daddy- isn’t a mind reader. Maybe I’ll ask during bath time.

Dinner tonight is mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken. Healthy? Not really, but the prepped dinners Remi left for me the last two nights were filled with veggies. Steamed carrots, thankfully. Daddy promised to respect my food preferences and not make me try new things unless I ask to.

We sit in our usual seats now, on either corner so we’re close but can still see each other without having to turn our bodies. My food is arranged on a plate that has the different sections so none of it is touching. I have a sippy cup of orange juice tonight. I know Remi saw my mild collection of bottles in one of the boxes, but I only use those on rare occasions, on particularly stressful days when I really need comfort. The week of Paul’s passing, I drank almost exclusively out of one whenever I was alone.

“How is someone so adorable so darn messy?” Daddy asks when he’s wiping my face. I grin up at him as he wipes once more over my chin. So I maybe, might have, intentionally made a bit of a mess because I love the way he always wipes my face off for me. “Let me clear this up and we’ll go run your bath. Do you want bubbles and toys?”

“Yes, please.” I take my own plate to the sink and we wash them together. I don’t have a dishwasher in this house, but the other dishes Daddy cooked in are already clean and drying on the counter.

“Okay, Aussie.” Daddy’s hands guide me back out of the kitchen and to the bathroom. “You sit here and I’m going to run the bath and get everything ready. What do you want to wear when you get out?”

“Um.” I think about it. I try to remember everything I have now that we’ve gone through all the clothes. “I don’t know. Surprise me?”

Daddy checks the temperature on the water, sitting on the edge of the tub. He turns his head to look at me over his shoulder. “Do you want to wear a diaper tonight or training pants?”

The question is asked so nonchalantly. I think about it for a second. “Diaper. If that’s okay.”

“Of course it is, Aussie.” Daddy moves to grab the bottle of bubble bath we put under the sink and squirts some out under the running water. The scent of blueberries fills the room immediately. “Do you need help getting undressed?”

“I can do it,” I say with a smile.

“Okay, then you strip down and I’ll go get your clothes ready. I’ll be right back.”

He leaves the door open and I pull my shirt over my head. Then drop my shorts and boxer briefs to the floor. I look at myself for just a moment before I move to sit in the tub. It’s only a couple of inches deep right now, barely hitting my ankles. But the water is warm and the bubbles are building up so my lower half is hidden by the time Daddy comes back.

Well, kind of comes back. A rubber ducky lands in the water, startling me. I look up to the open door but no one is standing there. I reach for the duck when a second one plops into the tub, hitting a patch of bubbles and sending them flying in the air. This time I catch Daddy disappearing from the doorway and giggle.

“How many of these do you want?” I hear him ask. “Because I have, like, a billion.”

“I don’t have that many duckies!” I call out. He reappears and, admittedly, does have a whole bucket full. Without question, he dumps the contents in the water and I’m surrounded by different colored floating ducks, a toy boat, and three of those fish that squirt the water from their mouths. I grab a ducky in each hand and then look at all the others before looking back up at Daddy. “Okay, maybe I have a few.”

“A few?” He laughs and gets down on the floor. I have a bath rug, but it doesn’t offer much padding. “Aussie, I think you are single-handedly keeping the bath toy market in business. There’s still a whole other bucket. Which one is your favorite?”

Daddy slips out of his shirt and I try not to ogle him. But how can I not? His chest is broad and muscled, solid but also the perfect shape to cuddle against. The hair isn't centered just over his pecs or down the middle, it's all over his tummy too. Soft, dark brown hair, with a trail that disappears under his pants.

“My eyes are up here, Aussie.”

My whole body flushes at being caught staring at him. I look back up and then to the water. Sitting in the water, it’s up to my belly now. I watch Daddy reach over and turn the water off. I pick a duck at random and hold it up. It’s blue and has specks of glitter on it.

“I like this one.”

“And does this one have a name?” Daddy’s other hand brushes up and down my back, splashing water on me. “Oh, let me guess. Is it… Quackers?”

I giggle and shake my head, thinking for a moment. “No silly. It’s Blucky.”

“Blucky?” Daddy tilts his head and squints his eyes at me.

“Yeah. Blue and ducky together.” I hold him up higher and look at Daddy. “Blucky!”

I submerge the duck into the water and continue to play. Daddy joins in, helping me build a story of Blucky and Fred — Daddy named the green one— going on an adventure together. The larger of the squirting fishes is the bad guy. I end up with bubbles on my head and nose and Daddy has some in his beard before the story is over.

“Alright messy one,” Daddy says. “The water is going to get cold soon so we need to get you cleaned up. Can you help me clear all the toys out, please?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

A silence settles over us for just a moment. That’s the first time I called him Daddy out loud. I look up at him, hoping it’s okay. The answering smile and the kiss he gives me is more than enough. I do as he asks, showing that I’m a good listener. He thanks me and gives me another kiss before helping me lean back to get my hair wet. The bubbles are almost gone so when I lean back in the tub, there’s nothing hiding the lower half of my body.

Daddy doesn’t say anything and focuses on washing my hair. I close my eyes and relax into the feeling of his fingers massaging my scalp. I hum in contentment when he does it a second time with the conditioner.

“Do you want to wash your body or Daddy?” Daddy is sitting on the edge of the tub now and I tilt my head back to look up at him. His fingers are still carding through my hair.

“Can you do it?” I ask. I’m having such a fun time and Daddy’s hands on me is relaxing. I like the feeling. “Please, Daddy?”

He narrows his eyes and purses his lips. I bat my eyes at him. “I hope you know that those words won’t always work on me. But tonight, they will. Go ahead and stand up, baby. Let’s get you squeaky clean and then dressed, okay?”

“Okay.” I let him help me stand up in the tub. It’s one of the simple tubs that also doubles as the shower. The house isn’t fancy enough to have separate ones. The shower curtain is simply pulled to the side, out of the way.

Daddy stands up with me and grabs the wash cloth. He starts at my neck and works his way down. My whole body is thrumming with happiness as he goes lower. I know that he can see how his touches are affecting me.

“Daddy?” He’s running the wash cloth over my hips and starting on my legs.

“Yes, baby?” He glances up at me but continues to clean my legs. He wraps his free hand around the back of my thigh, gesturing for me to balance my leg on the edge so he doesn’t have to bend down as far. I place my hands on his shoulders and do what he asks.

“Are you going to wash all of my body?”

I giggle and jerk my leg when he cleans the bottom of my foot. I switch legs and he starts running the cloth over my other foot. His hand travels up my leg slowly. “Do you want me to wash all of you?”

“Yes, please.” Looking down at my Daddy, I can see my dick twitching. I’m already half hard. “I think it needs to be extra clean.”

“Oh, really?” He smirks and motions for me to turn around. I pout, but do as he asks. He adds more soap to the cloth before washing my back.

“Really, really.” I want to sink my body against his, but I don’t want to get him all soapy and wet. I stand still, hands by my side. But I can feel the blood rushing through my body at the thought of someone else touching me again. I’m growing harder by the second.

Daddy takes his time, but I let out a soft moan when he focuses on cleaning my cheeks. He uses both hands, making sure to be thorough. I move my hands flat against the shower wall to keep my balance. I’m growing impatient, but I don’t want to push it with him. He finally snakes his hands around to my front and wraps the wash cloth around my dick. He's quick and efficient, not what I had in mind.

“Let’s rinse you off, shall we?” Daddy’s hands leave my body completely and I pout to myself. The water doesn’t distract me enough. Not even Daddy’s hands back on me, making sure I’m clean everywhere else. “Turn around, Aussie.”

I do as asked. I can see Daddy’s eyes look me up and down and my whole body flares with heat again. I can’t keep the noises in when the shower head is directed at my sensitive area and Daddy’s hand flattens against my tummy to make sure all the soap is off my front. I have a bit of hair at the base of my dick and Daddy makes sure that is clean too before he pulls away once more and turns the water off and opens the drain.

I watch his every move. He turns to grab the towel from the counter and unfolds it, then directs me to step out. I can see the heat in his eyes as he dries me off though, so I don’t ask again. My body jerks when he wraps the towel around my cock just long enough to dry.

I try to not let out a whiny noise, but Daddy is teasing me now. I can see the smirk tugging on his lips even though he’s trying really hard to keep a serious face. “Daddy.” I pout the word and almost stomp my foot at being ignored.

“Aussie,” he warns in his serious tone. “Go lay on the bed and we’ll get you taken care of.”

I don’t know if he means my request or actually just getting me in bed for sleep, but I walk naked the short distance from the bathroom to my bedroom. The first thing I see is the diaper laid on top of a set of clothes at the foot of the bed. I don’t know what to do, but Daddy is right behind me. He swats at my butt and it makes me giggle.

“I think I told you to lay down, Aussie.” I do as instructed, laying sideways on the bed with my feet still on the floor.

“What’s your safe word, Aussie?”

“Pickle.” I say the word quickly. We had this conversation on Sunday. Daddy said that if I can’t remember the word, nothing would happen between us. “Because pickles are disgusting.”

I make a gross face and stick out my tongue, which gets a chuckle out of Daddy. “You are something else, Aussie.”

Daddy, finally, leans one knee on the bed and blocks me in with his hands on either side of my head. He leans down and kisses me, softly at first. But then our tongues touch and it’s a frenzy from there. I let my hands roam Daddy’s chest and stomach, moaning at the softness of his chest hair. Daddy’s fingers trail down my right side and then seek out my dick. The first touch of bare skin wrapped around me sends a full body shiver through me.

“Yes, please.” I beg the words when Daddy pulls away and dips his head to kiss down my neck. His beard is scratchy, but it just adds to the sensations. I wrap my left hand behind his neck and hold him close to me. “Daddy, you feel so good.”

I close my eyes and let him take over everything. He shifts my body further up the bed with ease, a testament to his broad chest and arms because I’m not the lightest guy. And then his lips are exploring every inch of my body. His body rests against mine, not putting all of his weight on me though.

It isn’t until his tongue flicks over my nipple that I realize he’s traveling the same path as the tattoo on my body. “Pickle. Pickle, Daddy.”