Page 39 of Mr. Naughty List
RJ sent an eyeroll emoji back and was rewarded with a kiss emoji in return. Maybe he and his mom would figure out how to be in each other’s lives again, and maybe they wouldn’t. But he supposed this was a good start.
He swung by the condom aisle after getting what he needed from the school supplies, electronics, and holiday sections, and picked up a fresh box, along with his favorite lube. He had just one more stop to make, this time at a local sex shop.
RJ hoped Mr. Danvers was ready for a night of Christmas kink. Because he sure as jingle-hell was.
Chapter Thirteen
Middle school danceswere pretty easy to chaperone. No girls or boys really wanted to be anywhere near each other, so it really was all about making sure the guys didn’t come up with a dumb idea that would endanger them physically. Like, say, doing a back flip off the top of the gym’s bleachers or something.
Aaron stood off to the side of the basketball-court-come-dance-floor sipping red, fizzy punch and trying not to think about RJ and what sexual pleasure might be waiting for him after the dance was over. Despite ruthless attempts to corral his thoughts, jittery excitement still climbed around inside him like a five-year-old on a jungle gym.
He couldn’t wait for the dance to wrap up, and he hoped to duck out before he could get roped into any kind of cleanup. With his mother present, though, he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to escape her clutches.
Carter Ward danced—if that’s what all that flailing could be called—with his pals near the middle of the court to the latest dreadful song-sensation. There always seemed to be a new one, ever since the long-lost “Macarena” hit the charts when Aaron was just a baby. At least this one didn’t have a required dance to go along with it or ask questions about what red-furred animals might say, though the repetition of a high fashion brand turned slang-word was a bit boring. It was only the fourth time the song had been played tonight. Aaron figured he’d have to endure at least two more.
The saving grace was that he knew old-school Whitney Houston had been cued up. He’d made sure of that himself, placing the request with the DJ during his last pass that direction.
“Nice tie,” an adult male voice said from his left. Aaron turned to find Doug Ward wearing a green polo shirt and khaki pants. Tall and fit, he was handsome for a harried father. And if Aaron remembered correctly, he was a doctor, too. He wondered when Doug found time to work out.
Doug lifted his cup of punch at Aaron and asked, “Get it around here?”
“Picked it up in Atlanta, actually,” Aaron said, glancing down at the subtle weave of color through the silk. Greens, reds, and whites. A Christmas tie for sure, but not an overt candy cane of stripes. “Can’t recall the store. Sorry.” He’d been there with a hookup, actually. A long weekend trip to Atlanta over his last Christmas break had satisfied his needs for nearly six whole months.
During the trip, he’d indulged in a series of Grindr fucks with a few different guys, but the real reason he’d gone down to the big city had been for a paid session with a Dom with a very good online reputation. And well-deserved, as it turned out. The man had spanked Aaron until he’d cried, made him come, and then took him shopping at a very fancy mall for silk ties as his reward for taking the pain so well.
Aaron hadn’t even gotten fucked by the guy, and yet he still counted that experience as one of the most satisfying encounters of his life. Topped only by his night with RJ Blitz. Man, he was a kinky bastard, wasn’t he? And he shouldn’t be thinking about that now with Carter Ward’s dad standing next to him watching the kids with a small smile on his face. This was a night for innocence. Aaron should have worn a different tie.
“So, how’s Carter doing?” Doug asked. “He’s been sullen around the house lately. I can’t make heads or tails of it. Wondering if I should brace myself for his report card.”
“His grades have held steady in my class. I can’t speak for any of the other teachers, but I get the impression that it’s not school that’s bothering Carter,” Aaron said carefully. He couldn’t violate Carter’s trust by revealing the content of their conversation to his father, but he might be able to hint around at it.
Doug nodded. “Me too. He’s been squirrely lately. Do you think the other guys are bullying him? For being…” Doug trailed off and frowned. “He’s never said the words to me. I don’t know. Maybe he’s not.”
“Not what?”
“Gay. Or bi, like me. I don’t know. I’ve just always thought…” Doug glanced around, confirming they were still mostly alone and that no kids were lingering nearby listening. “When he was a kid, he had a pretty big crush on his mother’s male tennis instructor. I just assumed…”
“You’re bi?”
Doug nodded. “Prefer women for the most part, but I’ve dabbled.”
Aaron also confirmed their relative privacy before asking, “And Carter knows about that? The, uh, dabbling?”
“No! No, why would I worry him with that? If I’d started seriously dating a man after his mom and I split up, I’d have told him, of course. But I met my current wife and fell for her pretty fast. She’s a great woman.” His eyes went distant and happy, and Aaron felt they were in danger of losing the thread, so he directed Doug’s thoughts back toward his son.
“If Carter is…how should I put it…not-straight—and I’m not saying that’s his truth, because the thought never crossed my mind, frankly—but, let’s say he isn’t entirely straight, then it might help him to know that a man he admires and looks up to isn’t either.”
“He does look up to you,” Doug agreed, nodding thoughtfully. “I think you’re a good role model for him. I mean, from what I can tell. He speaks so highly of you at home. It’s always Mr. Danvers this, and Mr. Danvers that. You’re his favorite teacher.”
How could the man be so oblivious? And given such an obtuse man had guessed his sexuality, it was clear that as Aaron had aged he’d become more obvious in his preferences despite his best attempts to keep it covered up. Was it his voice? His mannerisms? Or, fuck, the tie?
“I mean, I’m sorry.” Doug flushed. “I assumed…youare…” He cocked his head, observing Aaron’s discomfiture. “I’m not usually wrong.”
“You’re not wrong,” Aaron said quickly. “But what I meant was that Carter could use a role model closer to home.”
“His mother’s brother is gay,” Doug said thoughtfully. “Maybe I could ask him to talk to Carter.”
“Maybeyoushould talk to Carter,” Aaron suggested. “You don’t have to confront him about his feelings but telling him about your own might help him feel safe to volunteer information about his, if he has any.”