Ask Mister Rigger about his favorite music and TV shows.
Ask Mister Rigger what he thinks about ducks.
Dig for clues about what to put on Mister Rigger’s door sign. Maybe something for his office? Be mindful of the nature of his work.
Does Mister Ash want a door sign for his office too? Dig for clues!
“You have to tell me if I should advise him to ease off,” James said quietly. “I understand we’re lookin’ to start a kink dynamic here, but he’s so focused on getting everythin’ right, and he cares so deeply already. And this is happenin’ on top of everythin’ else—work, friends, family, me. He ain’t neglectin’ anythin’. He’s just takin’ more on.”
That sweet little boy. Christ, my heart took a hit at this. The list went on for several more items, but I felt it wasn’t for my eyes. So I handed it back to James.
“He doesn’t have to ease off one bit,” I murmured. “There’s room for all this in a kink dynamic. We want to know everything about both of you. The—yeah. I guess the one thing you canremind him is that we can’t set aside several hours every day. But as long as he’s patient—we’ll get there.” I pointed to the list in his hand. “I appreciate you showin’ me that, but he ain’t the only one compiling lists. I promise.”
I’d show him. Now that Nate and I were back together, James and Jordan would see for themselves that we needed them in our lives. And we weren’t in it for instant gratification or just to satisfy ourselves.
James nodded once and appeared to relax. “Thank you, boss. Maybe I’m overprotective because I know Jordan’s folks.”
“I’d say you’re the right amount of protective.” I squeezed his leg.
I’d heard more than one story about Jordan’s parents from James, so I didn’t blame him for looking out for his husband.
It wasn’t one of those horrifying stories of abuse and neglect, but rather the low-key heartbreak that flew under the radar for so many kids all over. One parent having narcissistic tendencies, another drinking just a bit too much on the weekends, too much fighting, another parent using the children as therapists, using guilt as a tool to gain sympathy and assistance, anger issues, broken promises, and on it went.
Jordan was closer—much, much closer—to one of his uncles and his wife. Some cousins too. He had family he loved, and he had family he avoided.
From an early age, Jordan had turned to arts and crafts to shut out the world. To build his own universe, in which he felt safe. It was why he used it to show his appreciation as an adult. The gifts he gave, he’d made himself. He hadn’t invited me to his hobby room at home yet, but he’d shown me pictures. The guy had it all. Lily would take one look at the room and scream at the top of her lungs that she wanted the exact same setup.
I leaned closer to James and kept my voice down.
“But yeah, I want a door sign for my office. Tell him I’d like two penguins and two black swans on it.”
This time, there was no hesitation in his smile. “I will.”
“Good.” I leaned back in my seat and left my hand on his leg. Nate was welcoming everyone to tonight’s event, and I didn’t wanna miss anything. “Now, let’s watch our boy get tied up by the best rigger in the world.”
James chuckled. “No bias, right?”
“Absolutely no bias.” I smiled to myself, knowing full well that Nate would cuss me out for what I’d said. With the mandatory smack to my shoulder too. “What’s your first impression of him anyway?”
He let out a low whistle. “Very easy on the eyes. A bit intimidatin’. I reckon I need to watch myself around him.”
Smart observation. Definitely accurate. Nate saw it all.
And yeah, he was very, very easy on the eyes…
“…happy so many are here,” Nate was saying. “I’m Nathan Riley, for those of you who are new at Mclean. You can call me Nathan, Nate, Mr. Riley, Sir, whatever makes you comfortable.”
Jordan instantly raised a hand.
Nate smiled faintly, curious. “Yes, Jordan.”
“Can I call you Mister Rigger, Sir, and be the only one who gets to call you that?”
I stifled a laugh and scrubbed a hand over my mouth. Cheeky brat was ready to stake a claim in front of the other boys.
Nathan chuckled and inclined his head. “I’m fine with that. It’s settled.”
Jordan looked back at us with a beaming smile and gave two thumbs up.
