Didn’t he know I was not good enough? Wasn't there a Little Boy waiting for him? Didn’t he come here to have a fun night with his friends? Those questions tumbled in my brain.
“You came here because you're a Little, right?” Caden signed. This time I was able to nod. “Then you know that Daddies mean what they say, and they don’t mess around. I will ask again. Would you like to have dinner with me, Henry?”
“I’m broken,” I signed back out of instinct. It was a stupid answer, but it just popped out.
“Why would you say that?” Caden signed back with a confused frown.
“Because it’s the truth.” I swallowed hard and glanced at the door. I should make a break for it, but Caden stepped in front of me. When I looked up at him, I saw a raised eyebrow. “I’m broken, and Daddies don’t want broken Littles.”
“How about you let me decide what I want,” Caden signed in a rush before he slowed down again. “Sit down, and I’ll get us something to drink and dinner. Then we’ll talk. Is there anything you are allergic to or things you don’t like?”
“I don’t like fish, and I’m allergic to apples.” Caden smiled and nodded at me.
“No apple juice and no fish then. I’ll be right back.”
With that, Caden turned and walked over to the bar while I stared at his back. Who the hell was this guy? He was placing our order, so that would give me a chance to make a run for it. But instead of running, I sat down and waited for him to come back. Maybe this would work out.
Chapter 2
Caden
It had been a tough day at the office, and all I wanted to do was go home, maybe have a drink, and fall into bed. But it was Wednesday, and I promised Jakob and Sam that I would meet them at the Rainbow Room tonight to discuss their new business idea. They wanted to go into business as private investigators and support the victims I represented. Both of them had recently quit their jobs, and honestly, I could use their help. Sam was a huge tech geek and could find out information on anybody. Hell, Sam could probably tell me who killed JFK if I asked him, not to mention Jakob was the best detective I had ever met.
The case that sucked the life out of me today was about an abusive husband and his wife. The kicker was they had kids. The husband became even more of a dick when he got served divorce papers. Surprise. Surprise. It took all day to process the restraining order, and then find her and the kids a safe place for the night. It was so draining.
I got home, showered, and changed before I got in my car again. Somedays, my life just sucked. Wake up in the morning, go to work. Then home to an empty apartment. To add a bit of variety, I visited my mom from time to time. To me, it sounded pathetic. Yeah, I was throwing myself a pity party. But that was my life; work, home, sleep, repeat. I loved my life, but I was not too fond of being alone.
Taking care of people and victims at work was not enough to satisfy my Daddy personality. For goodness sake, I needed a Boy in my life that I could cherish and love. Recently I watched fellow Daddies find their Boys. First, Darrell found Josh, and then Jakob found Sam. Granted, Darrell and Josh had been a couple for years. But when Jakob found Sam, Josh and Darrell had begun hanging around the Rainbow Room more. Both couples were so disgustingly happy together that Des and I started to make gagging noises whenever they came to the Rainbow Room. But in my heart, I was incredibly jealous of them. Des played the fun uncle. Sometimes it seemed that he thrived on that attention and appeared happy. Not green with envy like I was.
Trying to concentrate on why I was here instead of being the old, jealous Mister Scrooge was almost working. As I walked up the sidewalk from the parking lot towards the bar, I spotted him—a perfect Little. Or at least I assumed he was a Little. It was dangerous to make that assumption, but only Daddies and Littles made their way to the Rainbow Room on Wednesdays since it was closed to the public.
He had just stepped out of a cab and stood on the sidewalk outside the Rainbow Room. Nervously he ran his hand through his unruly, blond curls. He looked up at the building like he was debating something. As he stood under the glowing lights of the bar, I noticed everything about him. My mind cataloged it all. He was shorter than me with a lean body, lovely blond curls, beautiful high cheekbones. Everything about him screamed Little to me. The way he held himself. The way he bit his lip while he stared at the entrance of the bar. Besides, he dressed like a Little. He was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and shorts, with light blue converse. Most would think that he was just geeky, but I knew better. Or maybe I’d spent too much time with Sam lately.
It looked like he made a decision, and he made his way inside. Mesmerized, I followed him into the bar. As I entered the bar, he suddenly turned around and ran into me. For a long moment, he just stared at me, but then he seemed to be freaking out.
“Are you ok?”
No answer, and I frowned. He started to shake, and I could see tears in his beautiful, blue eyes. “Oh no, Little Boy. Don’t cry. You’re ok, nothing happened.” That seemed to trigger full-on sobbing.
Suddenly Des was at my side. He
