Page 18 of Their Perfect Daddy

MONTY

G rizzly gives me a hearty pat on the back as we leave the studio. I wince as his meaty fist collides with my shoulder blade. I can take a hit, but dammit if I’m not used to being padded up when I do.

“You did great in there, Monty! Those shoes are going to go flying off the shelves.”

The original plan to shoot as soon as we could didn’t work out. Something about the photographer getting delayed with another project. Since they only wanted him, we had to wait.

“Sure hope so. I want them to earn back what they put into the deal. Only seems fair.”

“Even if they don’t, it’s a business risk. Your contract is airtight, so everything is good. I made sure of it. You know I always take care of you.”

I smile at his words. Not for the reason he’s probably thinking I am.

Being taken care of makes me think of two certain men I’ve been missing. After talking to Skye and Danny about our relationship plans, I became better with my communication. I make sure to text Skye daily, along with sending him messages as I can.

For Danny, I send him funny videos and things that remind me of him throughout the day. I want to ensure he knows I’m always thinking of him, and that the softer side of him isn’t off-putting.

I don’t want him to think this is all sexual for me.

It’s not.

The dynamic we have is about our time spent outside of the bedroom as well. It’s about the meals we’ll share and the holidays we’ll get to spend together. Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. I’m hopeful we’ll all be in the same place to be able to celebrate the special day.

Then again, if the season keeps going how it is, I might be at an away game. We’re close to earning a spot in the Championships. If we do, my season extends to an unknown amount of time.

I try not to think about that right now. I’m feeling too good after a successful business venture.

“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” I ask Grizzly when we reach the parking lot. “Anything fun?”

He shakes his head. “Not really. Going to head back to the office for a bit. Maybe catch up on paperwork.”

The way he says it makes me think he doesn’t really want to do that. And yeah, I can understand not wanting to work after a day like we’ve had.

“Why don’t we go to lunch and then plan out some other business things? You can say it’s a working afternoon despite it being more of a chill session.”

His eyes go wide. “For real?”

I laugh. “Yeah, let’s do it. I’ve got some ideas about how I can further my reach and impact. My days of partying and being the reckless rookie on the team are done.”

“Well, shit… that’s awesome. I’m proud of you, Monty. I’m down for food and chatting. Do we want to try to go somewhere, or do you want to hit up one of our places? Mine is actually only a few blocks away. It’s why I walked.”

It’s only after he says the words I realize he did in fact walk here. His car is nowhere in sight. The bright yellow SUV is noticeable everywhere he goes. It’s a wonder I hadn’t picked up on its absence.

“Then let’s do that. I’ll drive us there, so my car is closer. If we get to talking too late into the night, I don’t want to have to come back over here to get it.”

He agrees easily, then climbs in the passenger seat. We make the short drive to his place while he orders food through the app on his phone.

“It’s not much,” he tells me as we make our way up the stairs to the second floor. It’s then I realize I’ve never been to Grizzly’s place. Anytime we’ve met up, it’s been at his office, at a restaurant, or at my house.

Why did I never notice it before? What kind of friend am I that it hadn’t crossed my mind?

Raising my hands, I make a move to say I’m innocent. “You won’t hear me complaining. Everyone’s life is different. I’ll admit I’m curious what Grizzly at home is like.”

When he opens his front door, I get my wish. Though, I don’t think I’m prepared for what he shows me.

Rather than a man cave bachelor pad like you’d think someone of Grizzly’s size and station would have, it’s the softest home I’m ever seen. Like, literally soft.

There are rugs all over the floor, furniture that looks more like clouds than seating, and shades of color so pleasant and relaxing all I want to do is nap. It’s fascinating.

Grizzly rubs the back of his neck. “I probably should have warned you.”

“Warned me?! This place is epic, dude. It’s like a cloud house or something. If you had string lights and greenery I’d call it a fairy castle.”

His expression turns from pained to curious. “You think so? I’ve been considering some softer lights. The bright stuff hurts my eyes sometimes.”

“You have to do it! I would love to help you put them up. And my boyfriend Skye is super tall. I bet he’d come help us so we don’t have to get on a ladder or anything.”

“I think I need to meet this Skye person. He sounds interesting. I can’t quite picture the two of you together.”

Immediately I want to prove to him that we fit, but I realize I don’t have any photos of us together. I also don’t have any pictures with Danny.

Needing to rectify this, I pull out my phone. “Let me just make a reminder,” I mumble as I shoot a text to the group chat.

Brat:

I’m with a friend and talking about you both. Realized we don’t have any pics together. We need to get one ASAP. Daddy, when you come home, we’re doing a photoshoot. K?

Since I don’t expect immediate replies, I toss the phone on the couch and slip off my shoes. “Is it ok if I wander a bit?” I ask Grizzly.

He nods happily. “Sure! There’s… ok, well, there’s some stuff that you might find that isn’t necessarily… I don’t know how to… Shit.”

At his frustration, I walk over to him. Taking his hands in mine, I squeeze them. Despite him being taller than me, I console my friend.

He can be my agent next time we’re in the office or at a meeting. I think we both need this deeper level of connection today. The invite into his oasis should have been my signal that intense bonding was on the horizon.

“Why don’t you show me whatever it is that has you nervous? I doubt it’s as bad as you think it is,” I say with a smirk.

Unless he’s got a murder room or some kind of taxidermy fetish, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing he can do to scare me away. Besides, someone with a home this inviting can’t be a psycho, right? Logic dictates as much.

Grizzly takes a deep breath, then drops my hands. “Follow me.”

He spins and takes off for the short hall behind the kitchen.

There’s a couple of doors this way, one of which is open to show a bathroom.

The other is closed and has a keypad on it.

Grizzly punches in a sequence of numbers, then turns the handle.

He glances back at me once more before pushing inside.

“This is it,” he whispers.

Peeking through the door, I find myself even more shocked. Because this room is NOTHING like I thought it would be. In fact, it’s the complete opposite of a murder room.

It’s a playroom.

There are stuffed animals in a huge pile in one corner. Another has an art station setup, though it looks more like finger painting and Play-Doh than the kind of stuff adults would use. Another space has a food and drink station, with sippy cups, plates, and snack-sized bags of treats.

I take it all in with a huge smile. “This is so cool, Grizzly!”

He chokes out a laugh. “Really?! You don’t think it’s strange?”

His words make me realize how much I haven’t shared about my personal life with this man yet. I know he heard me on the phone the other day, but he has no clue about my new Daddy or the exploration of kink I’ve come to be a part of. To him, I’m simply the jock jokester that he manages.

Trusting me with a secret like this is huge.

“I do think this is cool, not strange. My princess would probably love it here, though there aren’t enough dolls to his liking. He prefers them over the toys you have here.”

“Princess?”

The way he utters Danny’s nickname is heartbreaking. He’s so hopeful, as if he longs to be called by the same moniker.

Could that be it? Is my friend in need of his own Daddy?

“Yeah. He’s a princess, I’m a brat, and we have a Daddy we share. I know that’s probably oversharing given our work relationship, but since you brought me here…”

My words trail off as I shrug. There isn’t anything else to say. Either he sees the correlation, or he doesn’t.

He obviously does, because in a flash, he wraps me in a hug and begins spinning in a circle. I laugh as I send up hope I don’t get too dizzy. I used to puke as a kid anytime I spun around too fast. It’s better now that I train consistently. Still, I’ve been known to get queasy every now and again.

When he puts me down a minute later, I wobble on my feet. His hands on my shoulders steady me, as does his wide smile.

“I knew there was something special about you this whole time, Monty. I’m glad to know this doesn’t bother you. And your princess is welcome here anytime you want to come. I don’t have a Daddy right now to play with. It’s hard to find one when you look like I do.” He motions to his body.

Tilting my head, I raise a brow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“How new to this lifestyle are you?”

“It hasn’t been long,” I admit.

Grizzly nods. “That makes sense. If you’d been in it for any good length of time, you’d know there are stereotypes out there about what Daddies and their boys should look like.

Usually, the Daddy is the big, strong guy and the twink is the smaller, gentle one.

It’s dumb, but a lot of people hold on to the notion. ”

I roll my eyes. “Well they’re all idiots. Because my Daddy isn’t some big, muscled guy. He’s really lean and tall. I like him that way too.”

Stomping my foot for added effect, I cross my arms and scowl. This sends Grizzly into a fit of giggles.

I nearly smile, but then a thought crosses my mind. “It must be hard too with your name, huh?”