Page 16 of Daddy’s Little Chaos Gremlin (The Lactin Brotherhood)

16

ROWEN

Day two and I was already regretting the devil’s bargain I’d made with Tristan. My boy had been distracted at every meal, barely finished his food, and forgotten to eat the snacks I’d deliberately put in the mini-fridge I’d had installed in his workshop. I checked it constantly, stocking bottles of water, juice, and iced tea when he forgot to put them in there. I also removed the energy drinks he didn’t need but occasionally tried to sneak in with his online orders.

An overcaffeinated Tristan was a force to be reckoned with and not one I was equipped to handle when I was still cleaning up the mess one stupid decision had gotten my company into. Now it was looking like the teenager that Ryan had allowed into Katana’s dressing room had stolen a ring and a necklace, both of which held a great deal of monetary as well as sentimental value. Needless to say, we were on the hook for them if we weren’t able to retrieve them, a task I’d assigned Sebastian to handle personally, which meant I needed to get more manpower to him, like yesterday. Suing Ryan to recover costs had already been one of several things I’d discussed with my attorney this morning, and I would be pulling the trigger on that option if we were unable to retrieve the items in the time frame Katana’s management company had given us.

Two weeks.

I should have just said fuck it and started the lawsuit, but if anyone could pull off a recovery in that kind of window, it was Sebastian, though I’d had rather have had him use that time fulfilling his duties as head of the security team. All the calls, the promises, the assurances and emails I’d been forced to pen had left me no room to insist that Tristan spend a couple hours in the playroom today with Zephyr, not when I needed my new boy in the office with me. I had interviews lined up all morning, and the bench behind my desk already set up for him, once I figured out where he’d gotten to the moment he’d been excused from the table.

I probably should have mentioned to him that I was looking forward to having him with me for the afternoon before I cut him loose. That was on me, but I’d been distracted watching him and Tristan share a buttery, dripping French toast stick. Better than spaghetti and meatballs any day, at least in my opinion.

Now, I poked my head into the den in the hopes of finding him sprawled on the couch watching a movie, but the room was silent and dark. I should have known he’d be engaged in some outdoor activity, with as beautiful as the day looked.

I could have kicked myself for not checking poolside first, where I found him seated naked in the grass in what I was certain was a yoga pose, with his feet tucked beneath his behind and his hands resting on his thighs while he soaked in the sun. It was easy to see why Tristan found his grace so inspiring. My feet felt rooted to the stone path as I watched him lie back until he was flat on the grass, his legs still folded beneath him, only now, he cradled his head beneath his hands and closed his eyes as he lounged beneath the warm rays.

He was the picture of grace and contentment. That light, laid back way of his was like being in the presence of a walking weighted blanket. A calm, soothing energy seemed to follow him everywhere he went, making me long to seek him out, even when I didn’t need anything.

Today I did.

I really did.

Azure eyes popped open the moment my shadow fell across him, and he smiled up at me and drew one of his hands from beneath his head so he could wave.

“Are you goin’ swimming, too, Daddy?” he asked. “I set the alarm on my phone so I wouldn’t go in before the half hour was up. I was going to play some music while I waited, but the fountain sounded so beautiful that I didn’t want to drown it out.”

“This is one of my favorite spots to just sit and listen to the water flow and the bees buzz around,” I replied as I sat beside him in the grass. The sun had burned off the morning dew, leaving it warm beneath my fingertips. “I wish I could stay out here for a few hours and get lost in it.”

“Do you have a busy day today?”

“Unfortunately. Conference calls and interviews. I prefer conducting them in person, but with the time crunch I’m under and Tristan’s upcoming reveal, that just wouldn’t be feasible.”

“Do you need me in the office with you?” he asked, already beginning to sit up. “I can swim after supper.”

Bless him for not making me ask. My boy’s sweet offer erased the guilt I’d begun to feel the moment I’d spotted him enjoying the soothing trickle of water and the sweet scent of the honeysuckles on either side of him.

“That’s exactly why I came out looking for you, though I hate to pull you away from all of this.”

“It’s not going anywhere,” Zephyr replied as he stretched his legs out in front of him and bent to touch his toes. His swim trunks sat several feet away, folded neatly on the end of a deck chair, though why he’d bothered wearing them out was beyond me.

We all enjoyed swimming naked here. With no neighbors for miles and plenty of hedges and a stone fence, we were truly protected and enjoyed all the privacy we could ever want. He certainly wouldn’t need to wear them in the office. He wouldn’t be on camera, unless his hair slipped into view, and I rather enjoyed having his body bare for me, where I had unlimited access to touch wherever I wanted to.

“How soon do your meetings start?”

A glance at my phone showed that I had less than twenty minutes, which didn’t make me happy now that I’d gotten comfortable.

“Fifteen minutes, but I feel like wasting five just sitting here with you.”

“Then how is it wasting?” he asked as he leaned to pillow his head on my thigh, letting out a contented sign as he got comfortable.

He was right. We might only have five minutes to enjoy the space, but it was our five minutes, and nothing more needed to be said. As I let my fingers slide through his hair, I listened to the fountain, and started letting go of all the things that were upsetting me about the process. It wouldn’t do to go into an interview immediately putting the interviewee on the defensive. I’d always prided myself on being able to learn more about a person’s values and commitment to a job through conversation, not a bullet point question and answer session. I wouldn’t be doing myself or Sebastion any favors by going that route today. We needed to fill those slots with reliable individuals who would stick with the company for years, not use it as a steppingstone to something better. We were as good as we were because we cared about what we did and being the best at it. If everyone didn’t share the same belief and wasn’t working together toward that same goal, then I needed to know before I put them on the payroll.

We sat in silence as I used him as a touchstone, breathed in the scent of those honeysuckles and let myself think about how fortunate I was to be right where I was this morning. No matter what else the day brought, the headaches, the frustrations, the people who really should have thought twice before sending in a resume, nothing could take this moment away from me.

I thought about what Zephyr had said, about coming out after supper to swim. Some laps would be a smooth, rhythmic way of putting the day behind me so that I could enjoy the night with my boys.

Mandatory playtime.

That’s what we all needed and that’s what we’d get. I was Daddy, dammit, and if I felt a break was in order, and I knew one would be by the end of this afternoon, then it was my job to impose one and make sure my boys were in the right headspace to enjoy it. Zephyr and I might need to do a bit of tag-teaming on Tristan to get him to come around to my way of thinking, but something told me Zephyr would be more than up to the challenge. All he’d have to do was bat those baby blues up at his big brother and beg for some playtime, and I knew Tristan would fold.

He needed to.

He’d already pushed the limits of his work hours by starting before breakfast, even if it had been with the notebook and sketchpad he kept in the nightstand on his side of the bed. While working in bed was frowned upon, he hadn’t technically been breaking any rules, so I’d let it slide. What I would not let him do was let him linger in his studio past eight tonight the way I’d done last night. I’d only given him that extra hour because he’d been in the middle of a crucial step and there was no way to pause without wasting materials.

The alert on my phone chimed and I sighed and ran my fingers through Zephyr’s hair one last time. I didn’t have to tell him it was time to go in, as soon as I stopped touching him, he stood with far more grace than I managed. I loved the way his smaller hand fit in mine as we walked to the office, where he hesitated at the door.

“Do I have time to grab a few things from our room?” he asked.

“As long as you make it quick.”

“I will, Daddy,” he replied, then he kissed me on the cheek and in a flash, he went dashing bare-assed up the hallway, while I chuckled as I watched that perfect bottom bounce.

I had a few surprises I needed to get ready, too. I’d taken them out of the playroom this morning and placed them in the center drawer of my desk. Now I retrieved them and laid them out beside the files I’d carefully organized, ready to add a little thrill to my day. I was curious to see how long it took before Zephyr noticed them.

I’d barely taken my seat when he returned, hair tousled like he’d been running his fingers through it. I wondered if he’d struggled to remember where he’d put his things, since everything here was still so new to him.

“Was that fast enough?” he asked, as he placed a book, his phone and a pair of earbuds on the bench, on top of the blankets and pillows I’d already arranged for him.

“It sure was.”

He added the little notebook and two googly-eyed pens he’d gotten in Blackpool to the pile, then climbed up and pulled a furry purple blanket up to his chin.

“Is it warm enough for you?” I asked.

“It is now.”

“Good, you let me know if that changes, okay? I have a thermostat in here that I can easily adjust, and look right here, under my desk, is a mini-fridge you can easily reach. It’s already got some of your fruit cups and two juice smoothies in it if you need them. There are other things to nibble on in there, too. You just help yourself to whatever you’d like. You don’t have to ask, the same as if you need to use the bathroom. You just slip away and do whatever you need and come back when you’re finished.”

“I will, Daddy, and I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”

“Oh, I know you will, even when it’s difficult,” I said, grinning at him as I tapped the desk to draw his attention to the little bullet-shaped vibrator I’d placed there beside the remote control I intended to use to torment him.

The tip of his pink tongue poked out and his eyes grew wide, right before his face broke into a wide, excited grin as I stood and picked up the vibrator and lube.

“Do you see that candy jar on the edge of my desk?” I asked, pointing to it to make sure he wouldn’t miss it.

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s filled with little maple stars. They are a very special treat that I only keep in here because keeping them in the kitchen means they vanish too soon. Every time you stay quiet when this toy is on, I’ll feed you one as a reward for how well you’re doing. If you’re a super good boy, I will have an even bigger reward for you after I’ve concluded business for the day. Is that acceptable?”

“Perfectly acceptable, Daddy,” he replied as he spread his legs for me, leaving me little to do but fold back the blanket and reveal that pretty cock and perky ass I wished I had time to play with.

Time was of the essence, though, so I prepped him fast, leaning over him to suck his cock several times, just to tease him a little as I worked the toy in. The heat in his eyes nearly made me cancel my whole afternoon, but I was an old hat at this, dammit. I knew how to rein myself in while keeping him on edge.

Until he nuzzled up beside me with those earbuds in his ears and his book open in front of him. The shirt I’d chosen was one of several specially designed for me. It had buttons on the side that allowed the front to stay closed, even when I had a boy burrowing beneath it. While I wasn’t in need of that attention yet, I’d deliberately put it on knowing I’d need him to nurse before my meetings were through. Getting too stressed always made it difficult for my milk to release, which led to discomfort and irritation I couldn’t afford. I hoped that having him beside me, getting to touch him and play with him during my meetings, would keep me from losing my shit completely, but it was always best to come prepared.

Ten minutes in, I was glad I had. The first interviewee had obviously failed to do his homework about the company or what his duties would entail.

“Let me interrupt you right there,” I said as I hit the button on the remote control and felt Zephyr stiffen beside me.

He didn’t make a sound, though. His lips pursed, his eyelids fluttered, but he was perfectly silent as I caressed his cheek, then ran a fingertip over his lips. As I’d hoped, he opened right up and sucked it in, allowing me to soften my expression a little as I sought to bring an abrupt end to the interview.

“What we do is far more involved than escorting cash drops to the bank and protecting clients while they transport valuables or spend time at a casino,” I explained to the man on the other side of the screen while Zephyr steadily sucked away on my finger until my pants started feeling tight and I had to ease my finger out from between his lips and turn the toy off so we could both settle back down.

“There is no going home at the end of a shift, there is only endless preparedness, daily briefings, constantly shifting schedules and a variety of engagements I cannot begin to describe. You aren’t a proper fit, nor are you ready for what a detail like this entails. Thank you for your time, but this interview is over.”

I didn’t wait to hear what he sputtered, I just clicked the curser on the button I’d already poised it over, and the screen went blank.

Fuck, I was hard.

There were still five more interviews and a conference call to get through, but cutting things short meant I had a good forty-five minutes before the next interview was set to kick off. Zephyr had relaxed and even gone back to reading his book, oblivious to what was about to happen. I mashed the button the remote as I spun out of my chair, anticipation making my fingers clumsy as I fumbled with my belt. The book fluttered in his hand, his finger barely keeping the page marked as he struggled to hold on to it. I plucked it from his grasp and slid a sticky note between the pages, dropped it on my desk and shed my pants.

Though the blanket concealed my boy’s body from my view, I could see him writhing, please on his face as he squirmed. The bullet was going back in, just as soon as I’d finished with him. Hell, he’d probably be stuffed with my cum before the end of the day. When he raised his hips and whined I shoved the blanket back, tugged the string to pull it from him and watched his body fight to keep it in and retain the pleasure.

I’d give him enough to send his eyes rolling back in his head, if he’d relax, for just a moment. Pinning his hip in place helped, he couldn’t buck and when those trusting azure eyes sought mine, and he saw my state of undress, he let his body go lax and the vibrator just slipped right out of him. Gods, the look on his face when I popped the head of my cock inside of him was almost my undoing. His lips formed a perfect ‘o’ as his eyes widened more with each fraction of an inch that disappeared into his body.

“Daddy!” he cried, letting me hear his voice unrestrained for the first time since he’d come into my life.

It was like a song, the way he wailed for me. I’d had the bench specifically built to be the perfect height. One tug brought him to the edge and impaled him completely. There it was, the sight I’d been longing to witness. His eyes rolled back, his body shuddered, then my boy rolled his hips and ripped the control right out of my hands with the way he started riding my dick. All I could do was clutch his hips and let him pleasure us both as he undulated against the blankets, moans spilling from his lips as he sent us spiraling through the galaxy.