Page 126 of Happily Ever After… Again and Again

6:44 PM Nix

Cant wait for you to light me up inside

Nix laughs to himself at his private joke before putting his phone on Do Not Disturb and checking his fit with a critical eye.

While he’s not as voluptuous as Barbara, Nix thinks he looks good.

The pants don’t have any panties, unlike the original character’s, for obvious reasons, but his skin glows in the low light.

He hopes that despite his insistence on this particular roleplay, his mates will like it.

His timer chimes, and Nix bolts from the room, skidding into the adult nest to finish setting the scene. The space had always looked sumptuous, but Grayson had woven in a touch of literal magic, and a steady stream of deliveries had done the rest. Now, the entire nest has transformed into a velvet-drenched dream: deep purple bedding layered with satin pillows in pink and lilac, a massive gold chandelier crowning the center. Gossamer curtains hang in gentle curves, creating the illusion of being inside a genie’s lamp.

He switches on the tiny fog machine. Within seconds, dry ice smoke curls around his ankles and drifts toward the ceiling, tinted soft rose by hidden lights.

At the last minute, Nix darts to the front door and tapesup a sign scrawled on aged parchment:I’m a genie in a bottle, you have to rub me the right way.He hums the song under his breath, then hits play on the playlist for the night.

Heavy footfalls echo on the stairs. Nix flings himself into the mound of cushions and tries to look alluring.

The footsteps stop outside the door. Nix hears Gideon take a deep breath and mutter under his breath, “You can do this.”

Nix grins with glee.

Gideon is giving himself a pep talk because helovesNix, wants to please him.

Pressing a hand to his pounding heart, he kicks his feet with joy.

There’s an audible groan, and then there’s a hard, staccato knock. “Genie?”

“Enter, Master,” he says in his deepest voice.

The first look Nix gets of Gideon Carnell in a military uniform renders him speechless. Like everything he does, Gideon has put his all into it, even if most of his time had been spent texting or calling Nix to try and change his mind. He’d combed his hair over to one side in a vintage style. He’s holding the white cap that came with the suit under his arm, and the jacket of the dark blue uniform fits him like a glove. The pants paint his thick thighs like they were made for him (they were), and the overall effect makes Nix light-headed.

Gideon has a similar look of awe on his face. Frozen in the doorway, Nix can feel his eyes like a physical caress.

“Kitten, you are stunning. This whole thing is…magical.”

“You like it?”

“I do; it looks just like your series, exceptyouare much prettier than that woman.” He says the wordwomanlike Barbara Eden had personally offended him.

Nix goes to his knees, his hands turned palm up and lying flat on his thighs. It’s his chosensubmissivepose, and while he’s not bratting (yet), he wants that headspace he can only get when Gideon is in charge.

“I did it all for you,Master.” Nixlowers his head submissively. Gideon usually likes to see his eyes, but this feels right.

“Fuck me,” Gideon groans. “I could get used to that. Okay, Kitten, I want you to look at me for just a minute.”

Nix looks up, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes; this sounds like it’s going to be one of Gideon’s talks about consent and limits. They’re important, he knows.Safe, sane, and consensual.He doesn’t needthe talkevery time; he trusts Gideon with every part of him. Even his brain, but especially his body and his heart.

“Don’t look at me like that, Nix Rhodes. We do this my way, or we don’t do it.”

“Yes,Master,” Nix sasses.

Sighing, Gideon tries to run his hand through his hair in exasperation, but it gets stuck in the gel he’s used to slick it back. With a grimace, he just smooths it down again. “Any limits tonight beyond the usual?”

Nix shakes his head. “Stoplight system. Two snaps for stop, three snaps for keep going. Can we get on with it now?”

“Genie has a smart mouth,” Gideon growls.