Page 8 of Hiding From Laughter

Micha

He was very good at avoiding anything he didn’t want to acknowledge, but he was also very obvious.

And doing a wide circle around the shelf in the bedroom where I’d put the diapers was beyond obvious.

“I…”

The way he kept stuttering and losing his train of thought was also not terribly subtle. “I told him that we couldn’t do a fountain like that because well…gravity… He didn’t seem to like that answer but he doesn’t have the money to fight gravity.”

Some people’s desires were bigger than their budgets.

“I can imagine he probably didn’t like that answer.”

I was hoping Ashton had explained the gravity versus money problem with more tact but I wasn’t going to hold my breath. “How is he still not happy with the plans?”

With the number of extra hours Ashton had put in avoiding the whole diapers and tickling thing, he should’ve been ahead on every project imaginable.

His sigh and the way he finally managed to look away from the new shelf by my chair said he agreed with me. “I have no idea. We’ve redone them three times. I’m at the point where I’m going to call his wife and ask what the fuck is going on. They both said he’s the contact but he can’t make logical decisions.”

Ashton’s client wasn’t the only one who couldn’t handle logic, but that was okay because it was cute on him. “Maybe drop off paperwork when you just happen to know he might not be home.”

I shrugged in an oops kind of way as he grinned.

“It’s not an ignoring the contact thing if it’s an accident.”

Looking brighter and clearly having forgotten the diapers for the moment, his smile turned devilish. “And I have to make small talk or I’ll be rude. If she does something like invite me in for coffee I’ll have to talk to her. It’ll seem fishy if I don’t.”

His office was weird enough that I could see it going sideways with some kind of strange cheating scandal popping up, so I nodded. “Agreed. You don’t want to be accused of hiding anything.”

Head cocking, he frowned. “Something like that happened a few years ago. So you’re right.”

Yep, they were all very normal looking but everyone who got hired was interesting in some way…even if they didn’t know it when they first started there.

“Then it’s only polite to be open and friendly.”

Hopefully that wouldn’t lead to any problems we hadn’t thought of. “Does that mean you’re probably going to be late tomorrow night?”

It wasn’t an intentionally leading question but he frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “I apologized about that.”

Well, kind of.

“I’m not sure mumbling that you were a dick and then sucking on my dick is actually an apology, but that wasn’t what I meant.”

Clearly it was still on his mind, though. “I was thinking about dinner. I wanted to grill those steaks we got, so I need to time them right.”

And since we didn’t have any plans for the weekend, I’d been going to make a ridiculously sized pitcher of something alcoholic and fruity.

That took the winds out of his disgruntled sails. His arms came down as he deflated and looked like a scolded puppy. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

He’d said that entirely too often lately.

“Thank you.”

Heading over, I scooped him up in my arms and tucked him in a baby carry against my chest as I took him over to my chair. “But I think getting to the bottom of your feelings will be better than you having to constantly apologize.”

He’d gotten very good at it lately, but blow jobs couldn’t magically fix everything no matter what interesting logic he’d found in a book. Because no matter what that author had written, apologies didn’t always start on someone’s knees.

“This is much better.”

Settling him against me, I shifted him so he was curled into my chest and didn’t even try to put him in a more grown-up position. “Now, no more worrying about me being frustrated with you for overworking and no more feeling guilty. I understood what you were doing, and if I’d been upset, I’d have talked to you about it sooner.”

He’d needed time to stew in his worries to distill them a bit.

I thought it was a crazy process but rushing him had never helped situations like that. He was worrying about it entirely too much, though. So as I rubbed his back, I kissed his head and tried to decide how to fix it. “When I got to the point where I knew something needed to change, I bought the diapers. If you’d upset me, I promise I’d have told you.”

As it was, I’d just been bored and had gotten entirely too caught up on my paperwork. His sigh said he wasn’t happy with that answer, though. I wasn’t sure what else I needed to say, but he didn’t make me read his mind that time.

He did, however, sigh and pout. “But I was mean to you.”

With anyone else I’d have said we needed to agree on disagreeing, but Ashton wasn’t like anyone else I’d ever met. “I think you were mean to yourself more.”

He’d stressed himself out more than he’d been mean to me, but he didn’t see it that way. Maybe I could help him with that, though. “You stressed out my baby. You gave him too much soda and not enough sleep. You even worked too much and hid from me.”

No one spent that much time in the bathroom without there being serious issues.

That’d actually worried me until I’d listened at the door and heard the sounds of his favorite app game. The brat had probably gone up several levels as he’d tried to avoid having conversations about what he was curious about.

And once we got through our current rough patch, we were going to update our contract to give me more control over shit like that.

I’d seriously underestimated how badly he took care of himself when he worried and how well he reacted to having a Daddy in his life.

He just didn’t understand that yet.

“So the way I see it, you were worse to yourself than you were to me.”

Shrugging, I let out a deep breath and did my best to sound sad about it. “You weren’t nice to my baby.”

Muttering something about me being ridiculous, he quickly quieted his grumbling as he buried his face against my chest. “You should’ve made me be better. I don’t have to feel guilty about that.”

Ashton logic was always fascinating.

“So we’re in agreement that you need me to step up and take control of your choices in situations where you’re struggling?”

That had the smart drama queen going very still as his brain started to whirl. “Am I reading what you’re saying right?”

He wanted to say no, but he’d blamed me first, so he couldn’t.

“I…I don’t…”

When he couldn’t figure out how to get himself out of the hole he’d dug, he started to squirm. “I’m going to say sorry again.”

“Nope.”

Tightening my grip on the wiggly nut, I made him good and stuck which helped his brain slow down. “I’m going to use your ass later. So that lovely mouth will have to wait for another time.”

Oh, the asshole Dom comment had him melting and turned his brain off even more. Ashton tried to fight it and find a response, but he didn’t try very hard. “I…but I…”

He was too busy to manage a complete sentence as he rubbed his face against me, doing his best not to moan. “I’ll…”

“That’s right. You’re going to be good while I help you to remember that I’m going to be in control more and that you’re going to learn to depend on me more.”

Yes. I liked that plan. “You’re very smart, baby.”

And he was wonderfully articulate as he gave an I’m fucked groan and huffed. “Yeah, I’m smart.”

Sarcastic too.

But I ignored it as I kissed his head. “You are.”

He made more whines and sighs I mentally sorted through, but when none came close to a safeword sound, I kept going with my confident, pleasant Dom tone. “I’m going to help you, though.”

No worries about that.

Before he could work up the courage to ask what I had planned, I decided to explain because the apocalypse might come before he got to that point.

And at the very least we’d miss dinner.

“I’m going to get you dressed up as my helpless boy tonight and then this weekend you’re going to spend even more time helpless. I think depending on me for anything you need will help make an impression on you.”

It’d also turn him on even if he couldn’t figure out why quite yet.

“You…”

The word trailed off as his brain whirled like the thinking screen on the computer. He didn’t crash, though. He just eventually sighed and frowned. “You’re kind of evil.”

“Aww. Thank you.”

Kissing his head, I made long strokes over his back and made sure he didn’t hear any frustration or second-guessing in my voice. “I’m glad you seem to understand how important this is going to be to me.”

Mumbling something about me being a dick, he quieted the grumbling and pressed his face tighter against my chest. “I understand.”

Possibly…but at the very least he’d grasped that I was going to push him again.

“But I’m not going to make you talk about your feelings or about being controlled.”

I was fucking with him a bit…not torturing him. That would come later. “So I have a few ways we can both help to remember that you don’t have to talk at all.”

He went still again, but my boy was too curious to stay quiet for long. “You…you bought something.”

It wasn’t exactly a question, but I nodded. “Yes.”

Reaching over, I pulled a new grown-up-sized binkie out of the box I’d bought. “You can use this special toy to help me remember that you don’t have to talk or you can use your thumb. If you can’t pick or don’t want to pick, I’ll decide. Because tonight is about me taking complete control for a few hours.”

Ashton was utterly silent for several long moments as he turned his head to peek over at the blue binkie. “And this weekend you’re going to do it again.”

Still wasn’t a question, but I treated it like it was. “That’s right. Friday night we’re going to grill and have drinks and I’m going to have fun with my partner or sub, but Saturday I’m going to start the day with complete control.”

It would be a good way to help him figure out what his favorite parts were without him actually having to think about it…or worse…articulate it.

“You…you like control.”

Still focusing on the easy aspects of it, he didn’t sound too surprised at the plan. He even started to relax as he rubbed his cheek against my chest. “And you…you like taking care of me.”

“I really do.”

It was so obvious in my voice that he giggled. “So we’re just going to say that I’m going to enjoy the consequences of your actions.”

“You’re so ridiculous.”

His tone was resigned with a bit of curiosity, so I waited while he dragged out the moment. “That.”

Nodding toward the binkie, he glared at it like he was personally offended by it. “You might want to use the mittens. I don’t want you to forget that I don’t have to talk.”

Oh, interesting logic.

“That’s a good call.”

It’d help remind him not to grumble about me being a dick too. “And you’re right, I like the mittens.”

I even had new ones.

“And did you know that there are even…quiet toys that are strapped on so that the sub can’t take them off. Then there would be no way either of us could forget.”

That had my curious nut’s eyes going startlingly wide, but the way his mouth dropped open made it easier for me to bring the clean binkie up to his mouth and pop it in. “I thought we could start with the simple version first.”

My mental debate on that aspect had been interesting, though.

I wanted him to maintain some level of control at first, but he didn’t always do well with it. He was generally happier when I forced him to do what he wanted to do in the first place. It was fucked-up logic in a variety of ways, but as he started sucking on the binkie, it felt like I’d made a good call.

So far.

His sucking seemed slightly frustrated but that might’ve been because he was managing to glare and grumble around the binkie.

It was hot.

Stroking his cheek, I snuggled him lower in my lap so he was back in more of a baby position. Ashton huffed around the binkie but he rested his head on my chest and gave up too quickly. I rewarded his good behavior by stroking his cheek and making a pleased sound. “I love watching you suck on things. I thought your thumb or the quiet toy would be fun but this is almost as good as seeing your lips wrapped around my dick.”

Ashton always felt guilty about yucking on my yum, so he just sighed and shrugged as he sucked faster.

“Oh, that’s…”

I wasn’t sure what word would’ve been appropriate, since he was still working on what his headspace looked like, but I knew he heard happy things in my tone because he giggled. So I gave him a big sigh and shrugged, too. “I can’t help it. I love everything about you but some things are just amazing, baby.”

Him giggling around the binkie was one of the sweetest and sexiest things I’d ever heard. And since it was obviously a positive sign, I took the next step in my plan as I stood up, holding him tight. “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy controlling everything tonight, and you don’t want to know how excited I am for the weekend.”

He managed to groan around the binkie and hide his face against me, but our contract said that wasn’t a safeword either.

“I know you’re going to be a good boy and let me have fun, though. You need to remember I’m in control and how much I enjoy that.”

Somehow he kept forgetting that, but it was clearly deliberate, so I was going to stop being so fucking subtle.

It was just stupid to try to do that with Ashton.

“But for you, that means you don’t have to talk. You don’t have to make decisions. You don’t have to argue with me because I’m going to win. Period. From now until you wake up in the morning, I make the decisions and you’re helpless.”

As I set him down on the bed, I looked down at his lap and nodded as I saw the proof of how much he approved of that plan.

It got another huff as he pulled his legs up and rested his head on his knees, but he kept sucking on the binkie as he glared at me, so I knew we were still good.

Drama and erections meant there was nothing to worry about…yet.