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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LEVI

After lunch, Nico lay down for a nap. He tried to tell me it was unnecessary because he wasn’t tired at all. But after starting a story about mice and creaking noises from the people above them, he was asleep before I finished the book, so that was clearly a fib. The good news was that it gave me time to get some work done.

Unfortunately, after running out earlier, I had emails and voicemails piling up. Most of the things could be handled remotely, but there were a few appointments that I’m certain were going to leave at least one partner pissed. Family takes priority, and Nico felt like mine. He might not agree with me, and I didn’t need his permission to feel how I felt, but it sure as hell would be nice if he felt the same.

Jack

Hey, I wanted to give you a heads-up that Mr. Weatherly was here and just left.

Levi

Did he say what he wanted?

Jack

No, he just went into your office, slammed the door, and left with a couple of files.

Levi

What the fuck! He didn’t tell you which ones?

Jack

When I asked, I said it was so we could keep track of the files, but he told me to mind my own goddamn business.

Levi

He used those words with you?

Jack

Word for word.

Levi

I apologize on his behalf.

Jack

Meh, don’t worry about it. Is everything OK?

Levi

It’s fine. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.

Jack

No worries. If anyone else comes by, I’ll let you know.

Levi

Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Fuck me.

* * *

“Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself. Feel better?”

Nico stood in the doorway, looking every bit a little, clutching his stuffie and barefooted, but I knew from his tone and greeting he was back in a grown-up space. I pushed back from my desk to create room and beckoned him closer. I opened my arms when he was closer and he collapsed onto my lap. Cuddled up close, I felt his even breathing on my neck. We soaked in the fading afternoon sun together while lost in our thoughts.

“Thank you for coming to get me today. I’m not sure how Gabe knew to call you, but I’m glad he did.” Nico spoke softly into the crook of my shoulder. He was more subdued than I had ever seen him. Truthfully, I didn’t like it very much. He seemed weighed down by something much bigger than an off day at work.

“I don’t think he actually intended to call me so much as he’d hoped you’d introduced me to someone named Babbo. He was worried they’d have to call your mom.” While I spoke, I kept what, I hoped, were soothing hands on Nico. One of my hands played with his fingers while I sifted through strands of his hair with the other. Nico made no move to get away. Instead, he sighed contently. I didn’t like his distress, but I sure as hell liked that I helped with it.

“Oh god. I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like. One of us—either my mom or me—would have died of embarrassment. Honestly, it would probably have been straight to the finish line for both of us.”

“Sunshine, you and me both. My mom is cool, but she’s not that cool. Can you tell me about what happened?” It was impossible to miss Nico’s grumbling noises. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I really think you would feel better if you let it out. You may not know this about me, but I get paid to listen for a living.”

“I thought you went to court for a living?”

“Sometimes I do, but I try to avoid it when possible. Nine times out of ten, when you go to court, it’s not gonna work out the way you want. If you can settle it before, it’s almost always better for your client. But if the other side won’t settle or your client is stubborn, we end up there.”

“Where does the listening part come in?”

“In my professional opinion, most people know the answer to their problems before they say them aloud. But there is power in talking it out. If they don’t have a person in their life they can talk it out with, for whatever reason, they come to people like me. A therapist probably would be a better choice, but that’s beside the point. It’s not unusual for them to come in with a question, talk out the issue they’re having with their ex, and figure out a solution with a few questions from me to help them work it out in their head. It’s when it doesn’t work that I end up hired.”

“I feel like I’m bugging you with my problems.”

“Stop right there. There are hardly any places in my life where I feel like I’m honest to god useful lately. But when you trust me with your problems? I feel useful. And I don’t mean solving them, but allowing me to be a sounding board for you feels pretty damn good. You could have gone to someone else, but you chose me, and I like it.”

Nico studied me before he finally said, “Gabe offered me an opportunity I never even imagined he would, and it scared the shit out of me.”

“What was it?”

“Gabe does architectural work for his friends. Most of his stuff is commercial installation at, like, art museums or public spaces or whatever. His specialty is doing add-ons that blend with the historical architecture already there.”

“Yeah, I think I read something about it.”

“He likes to do rehab projects for friends. Natalie was the project manager in his office for the big projects, but she didn’t have time to do the ones for friends. Those are the ones I do, and they’re usually small jobs, so not really a big deal.”

“Wait a second, aren’t you project managing the lodge Owen and Barrett are working on? I’m ninety-nine percent sure that that’s what Owen told me.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think Owen and Barrett count because they are in the friend category.” I made a noncommittal noise, and he continued, “Anyway, we did a proposal for the botanical garden, and Natalie moved out of state, so I had to step in because Gabe hasn’t found a replacement for her yet. Gabe told them we’d be hiring a new project manager to replace Natalie, and they were confused because they thought I was the project manager.”

“You must’ve impressed the hell out of them.”

“I don’t know about that part, but they did ask Gabe to keep me on as the project manager, which he agreed to do. He even offered me a separate contract, like he used to do before Natalie came on full-time with the office.”

“What do you mean a separate contract?”

“Yeah, so in addition to my regular job, I would get paid separately for this since it’s above and beyond.”

“Is this not something you want? Because I think it sounds pretty fucking amazing.”

“But I’m not qualified. What if I fuck it up, and then I’ve lost this other thing and potentially my regular job. I’d be left with no job.”

“For the record, that’s a giant leap. Have you considered that Gabe wouldn’t trust you with his livelihood if it wasn’t deserved?”

“What if I’ve fooled him into thinking I’m competent?”

“What makes you think you aren’t competent or qualified? “

“I don’t even have a degree, which is a whole other set of problems.”

“If you were going to a new office, I’d get the concern, but why does it matter in this one? Gabe obviously thinks you’re qualified and confident, or he wouldn’t have had you do the work for his friends, the work on the lodge, or the work on this new project.”

“I just think you need a degree.”

“Was there something that stopped you from going to college?”

“Copy and Paste kept me from going.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“That’s not exactly fair. They didn’t stop me from going to college, but they’re the reason I stopped myself from going.”

This conversation had fallen down a rabbit hole. “How?”

“Growing up, they were super close. I mean, they’re twins, so that makes sense, but they did everything together. They understood the assignment when it came to what my parents wanted from us.”

“What do your parents want?”

“Both of my parents are and come from working class. They wanted us to be in positions where we wouldn’t struggle and worry about layoffs. To a certain extent, nobody can prevent that, but some jobs are more stable than others. My brothers fully understood their hopes and dreams. They ended up going to school for nursing, and now they’re both finishing their nurse practitioner licensing. My parents are absolutely over the moon about it.”

“And you don’t think they’re over the moon about what you do?”

“I’m a personal assistant. I assist the person they’d be over the moon about.”

“Do you want to go to school and become a nurse?”

“Absolutely fucking not. I hate blood, and I’m pretty sure there’d be a lot of blood.”

“I don’t know about a lot, but there’s probably some. What do you like about your job?”

“I like seeing it from start to finish. I like opening a file, and it’s blank, but when I close it, there’s a whole building there that’s well-designed and preserved. Plus, I can find anything I need to know about that building, from the specs to the budget, in that file. And I can look at it and see that I helped make it happen.”

“It really does sound like you enjoy project managing.”

“I like being responsible for those files. I’m a little proprietary over them.” Nico fell silent, and I could feel his brain working overtime. I didn’t want to press him for more information but rather give him a chance to process everything he had managed to articulate this afternoon. Nico needed a distraction.

“Well, I can appreciate a good file, but I’m tired of sitting here staring at mine. Play a game with me? Are we keeping score?”

“Only to see who needs to pay up at the end of the afternoon,” Nico answered with a wink.

* * *

The sounds of crashing and laughter filled the living room while Nico and I battled it out for supremacy. The racing game wasn’t complicated, but it was enough to take our minds off our respective worries. I knew there would be a reckoning at my office tomorrow, and as much as Nico was worried about his promotion at work, I was worried about being fired from the firm. If that were to happen, I’d be fine. Over the years, I’d put aside enough for a decent rainy day fund. But being a single parent, Jack didn’t have the same options.

“Babbo, you know what we never got a chance to decide about the other day?” Nico stared down at the cloth of the couch and picked at the fuzzies off the throw pillow next to him.

“If you mean confirm the structure of what this looks like between the two of us, then yes, I do know that. You want to talk about that?”

“Yeah, I do,” Nico agreed.

“You already know I wouldn’t feel comfortable with you sleeping with someone else. I understand it’s casual, but it really is a health and safety issue for me.” This, ultimately, was the thing that ended my three-year relationship, and I wanted to address it head-on.

“Yeah, I understand. If I wanna go outside of us, I’ll let you know before I do it, but what do you need from me?” Nico asked.

“I’m gonna need to be allowed to take care of you. Whether it’s when you’re little or middle doesn’t matter, so long as I’m the one who’s there.”

“I’ve been thinking about things…”

“Yeah? Come to any conclusions?”

“Maybe I’m not a middle.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because when I started experimenting with age play, I assumed I was a middle, so that’s what I said I was. I liked the middle sort of things, so good enough was good enough,” Nico said with a shrug.

“They’re not mutually exclusive.”

“When I fell into little space, it felt like that’s where I needed to be and the part I’ve been missing. So, yeah, I don’t think I’m much of a middle.”

I pulled him close to me. I ruffled his hair and kissed his temple. “Sunshine, you can be anything you want to be with me.”

“There is one thing I read about that, I think, might help me…umm…center myself.” Nico sounded hesitant enough when he said it that my curiosity was piqued.

“What’s that?” I tried hard to keep my voice neutral, but I didn’t think I was entirely successful because Nico gave me a knowing smirk.

“You sound very curious, Babbo.”

“I just want to make sure I’m helpful to you,” I said primly and then promptly ruined it by bursting out laughing.

“I read about… this is embarrassing …maintenance spankings.” Heat bloomed on Nico’s cheeks, which was adorable. But if he wanted them, I’d be more than happy to provide them.

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed about that. I thought it was something truly terrible, like you wanted a rule that said only socks could be worn with your Birks.”

“You would not dare even suggest something like that. I don’t even own Birks, and even if I did, I damn sure wouldn’t wear them with socks.”

“Hmm, looks like I found an effective punishment.”

“I can’t even imagine what I could do to warrant something like that.”

“Oh, I can absolutely think of something, but I guess you’ll have to wait and find out.”

“I don’t think I like this plan.”

“That is the point. But back to this maintenance spanking… Is it something you want to start your day with?”

“I think so. It would maybe center my mind before I start my day, but I don’t want to bother you.”

I contemplated Nico with a new understanding. For all of his bravado, sass, and fabulosity, he worried about taking up too much space in someone else’s life. He claimed his own space, but he worked hard to never impose on anyone else’s. What he didn’t understand was that I wanted him to impose his expectations on me and demand the attention he deserved. Nico didn’t believe he had the right to take up space in someone’s life.

There was no telling where that came from. As far as I could tell, he came from a loving family. I got frustrated with his brothers, but he loved them too. Maybe it was just one of those flukes he got into his head at some point, and then the intrusive thought took over. It didn’t really matter, but I knew getting him to understand how much space I wanted him to take up in my life—which was as much as he wanted—wouldn’t be the easiest thing.

“Every morning before you go to work, I want you to come find me. If I’m still asleep, wake me up. When you walk into my bedroom, my office, or my kitchen, I want you to know that you have the absolute right to be there. Tell me you are there for your spanking. Demand my attention. You get to take up space in my life.”

“Babbo, is that really necessary?”

“Yes, it’s absolutely necessary.”

“What about rules,” Nico asked. Hesitation mixed with bravado in his voice.

“For now, I’d like you to go to bed at a decent hour and eat proper food. You can’t live on takeout. You need real food.”

“But I can’t cook,” Nico whined.

“Then come eat with me because you have a standing invitation.” Nico gave me an abrupt nod, but I saw the relief in his eyes. “And there’s one more thing I want you to do this week.” Nico looked at me expectedly with raised eyebrows. “I want you to research the various degree options a project manager has to get that title.”

“That’s not fair. I don’t want to do that.”

“What a fantastic segue to safewords.” Nico’s only response was to groan and throw himself back on the couch. I ignored his eye roll when he did it. “That’s a lot of drama for a safeword. We need them.”

“We’ve done just fine without them. If I don’t like something, I’ll just say stop.”

“There’s a difference between stop except keep going versus get the fuck away from me .”

“You’ve figured it out so far.”

“Going from playing around for a scene or two in a hotel room when we know it can’t go too far and playing regularly changes things. And for the record, this isn’t a discussion. I’m telling you we’ll have a safeword, so unless you plan to use them today and put a halt to this whole thing, I suggest you stop arguing about it.”

“Ugh, fine. Stoplights?”

“Red stops everything, yellow means slow done, and green is good.”

“Fine,” Nico agreed grudgingly.

“Good boy. Thank you for listening and not arguing.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but I ignored this sass. He had acquiesced to me, and I wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to brat his way out of it.

“One more rule—lay off the sass.”

“Gah! Babbo, wanna play the dance game?” I appreciated Nico’s effort to change the subject even though he suddenly seemed shy. It was fucking adorable. I knew he was trying to distract me, but I was happy to move to something else instead of squabbling with him on the absurd point that he didn’t need a safeword.

“I won’t make promises to do it well. It’s been approximately never that I’ve danced.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t think you understand just how bad of a dancer I am. I’m amazingly uncoordinated. It’s a wonder I can even walk straight.”

“Maybe you need to walk a little gay.” Nico collapsed and laughed at his own joke, and it wasn’t polite laughter either. It was a belly laugh, complete with snorting.

“You think that’s funny?” Nico nodded between his peals of laughter. “This is what I think is funny.” I grabbed him and began tickling him. Turned out directly underneath his rib cage was his spot. He squirmed and laughed. I paused every once in a while to let him catch his breath and then did it again.

It was a few rounds of starting and stopping for him to catch his breath before he told me to stop for good. The uncertainty and worry from the earlier conversation had been erased from his eyes, and instead, he looked at me with clear, focused ones. The laugh faded from them and was replaced by something entirely different. Nico sat up straight before giving me a direct, pointed look.

“Babbo, I need something from you more than dancing.”

“What do you need, sunshine?” I asked softly. The way his nose flared and breathing hitched stirred my cock.

“Can I suck on you?”

“Baby, you never have to ask. C’mere.”

Nico raised his face to mine, and I placed a sweet kiss on his lips. That lasted half a second before I threaded my fingers through his hair and held him steady to return for a much less chaste version. Nico’s lips parted and my tongue plunged inside his mouth. I explored every nook and cranny while Nico’s sweet moans spurred me on, but it was my turn to groan my disappointment when he pulled away.

“Babbo, you’ll like this better.”

He pulled my pants down and my cock sprung free. He chuckled a bit, but sue me, I liked free-balling when I was home. With some maneuvering, he got my pants off. I helped things along with a toss of my shirt. By toss, I mean I pulled it off and folded it. Nico, bless him, stopped long enough to fold my pants. It was wholly unnecessary but incredibly sweet. When I cupped his cheek, Nico leaned into my hand with a lazy smile for a brief moment before returning his attention to my cock.

“Fuck, baby, you are so fucking sexy on your knees. Get naked for me too.” Nico scrambled out of his clothes, tossed them aside, and fell back between my legs. With a quick nudge, I moved my legs farther apart, and Nico wasted no time in swallowing me down. My shouted surprise caused him to shake his shoulders in silent laughter.

This was the life I wanted, one that revolved around easy laughter and casual moments. It was everything I’d always wanted. It hadn’t been what my ex wanted and one of the reasons we split. Beyond the divide of age play, he wanted to go to places my partners would be at. I wasn’t rich enough to be a patron of the arts, and my golf game was crap. I’d much rather putter around my backyard garden and listen to a book when I could get away from my job long enough to get more than a chapter in. None of that mattered right now, though, because this boy I wanted to make mine was doing his damnedest to swallow my cock in one motion.

My hands found their way to Nico’s hair while he sucked and licked my shaft. The obscene sounds of slurping were better than an orchestra. One of his hands rolled my balls between his fingers while the other jacked his cock. It took every ounce of self-control to allow him to set the pace rather than tighten my hands around his head and fuck his face.

I’d be embarrassed about it later, but it wasn’t very long before I was ready to come straight down his throat. I groaned when I almost lost control of myself. “Baby, I’m not sure how long I can hold out.”

My muscles went rigid when all the blood in my body pooled in my dick. The need to come was almost painful, and I couldn’t decide what would be better—painting his face with cum or shooting it down his throat.

Nico pulled off long enough to say then don’t and resumed his ministrations without missing a beat. I gave up all semblance of control, steadied his head, and thrust into his mouth. I fucked his mouth while he frantically jacked his cock.

“Don’t come yet, baby. Your cum is mine.” I distantly heard Nico groan, but I was too far gone to stop. With a few more erratic thrusts into the wet, warm heat of his mouth, I lost control. My cum spurted from my cock, and Nico valiantly tried to swallow it all.

Some leaked from the corner of his mouth, and I used my thumb to scoop it up and feed it to him. He sucked my thumb into his mouth while never taking his eyes off me. I wanted to believe there was a message in the hidden depths, but just when I thought I understood the meaning, Nico blinked and looked away.

“C’mere, sunshine.”

I urged Nico to move up from the floor and lie back beside me on the couch. I shifted until I kneeled between his splayed legs. His beautiful body was laid out like a buffet. His light natural tan glowed in the bright afternoon sun, giving him an otherworldly glow. Nico’s cock was flushed dark red and jutted straight up from a nest of dark curls. He manscaped but left enough that I was able to bury my nose in the wiry thatch.

“Babbo?” His voice was hesitant, as if something was wrong.

“I’m just admiring the view.” I trailed my fingers across his lightly rounded stomach and the tops of his thick thighs. Nico squirmed under my fingers and tried to maneuver his cock into my hands. “You okay there, love?”

“I’d better if you used your mouth on me.”

“Oh my goodness, so much sass.” I chuckled. “Best be careful, Sweet Boy.”

Nico decided he’d rather come, so he laid off the snark and lay back on the couch. He wasn’t relaxed enough yet, with his muscles tensed in anticipation. Nah, my baby needed to enjoy himself, and I would make sure he did.

“Christ, you’re going to have me coming again,” I said with a chuckle. My cock really was making a valiant, likely unsuccessful, effort to rally. How could it not when there was such a display of beautiful skin laid out before me? Precum beaded at the tip of his cock and made the spongy head of his dick shiny. I lowered my mouth to taste the salt, and Nico’s body shivered.

The tension in his limbs dissipated a little. I returned to stroking him from his shoulders, down his arms, and across his chest, sometimes finding his nipples and sometimes not. I moved across his soft tummy to the juncture of his thighs but didn’t touch his cock. Nico’s breathing stopped and stuttered at each touch and his cock grew harder and harder, leaking a steady stream of precum. His hooded eyes were half-closed as he sought to control his breathing. My own cock decided it still had some life left.

I had to go back for another taste. I swirled my tongue over the spongy head and then sucked him, inch by inch, into my mouth. Nico squirmed underneath me. I moved my hands to his hips to hold him still while I swallowed around his cock. His gasps and moans became more and more raspy. He was finally starting to lose that control he held so tightly. It might be disguised most of the time, but he was wound tighter than a drum.

“Babbo, Babbo, Babbo,” Nico chanted as he thrust hard into my mouth. His head thrashed on the cushions while his hands moved to grip my hair tightly. He wasn’t capable of warning me, but his arched back was quickly followed by his salty release pouring down my throat. I swallowed every damn drop. A wave of pleasure washed over me before my cock spurted a small rope of cum.

“Holy shit, Sweet Boy. I haven’t come hands-free since high school,” I told him when my voice worked again.

Nico rewarded me with a smug, lazy smile. The tension in his body was nonexistent and entirely replaced with languid relaxation.

My work for today was done.