Page 39 of All Tied Up

“Yep,” Jamie agreed happily.

“Which one is he?”

“The bear with the beard,“ Jamie grinned. “White guy, bald, sexiest beard in the history of ever, except Daddy, of course. Slate blue eyes, darkish hair but a bit of a ginger. Late forties, maybe fifty? Thick arms and a cute little bit of a belly. I mean, really, all you have to do is watch him blush when Daddy even looks in his direction and you’ll know who he is.”

“He sounds like fun. No wonder you’re extra tired this morning.”

“Actually, we didn’t sleep with him last night.”

Ty looked confused. “Seriously?”

“Yep, just flirting so far. He’s thinking about it.”

“Ah, got it. Well, head out there and get your man! Oh, hang on. Where’s he sitting?”

“Twelve,” Daddy answered. Each of the chairs on the two long tables had a number that matched the plastic tents Ty was placing on the cart.

Ty dug into a drawer and pulled out some mini-cookie cutters. “Heart, flower, or star?” The lodge usually used them for special events, or weekends like Valentine’s Day or the Fourth of July.

“Ohh! That’s cute. Maybe a star?” Jamie suggested. It would probably brighten Neil’s day to get something special that no one else got.

Ty grabbed a piece of cornbread from a cloth-covered basket and sliced it to about half an inch thick. He snickered as he pressed a heart into the bread, intentionally ignoring Jamie’s request. Then he added a second one, nestling them together on the rim of the plate.

Daddy nodded his approval.

Jamie felt a moment of… apprehension? “He’s just here for the weekend,” he told Ty weakly.

Ty and Daddy both gave him startled looks.

“I don’t want him to get the wrong idea,” Jamie tried again. It was true in a way. They’d barely met yesterday and Neil would be leaving on Monday. The older sub was already so convinced of his own undesirability that doing anything to lead him on would be hurtful, and Jamie didn’t want to see him hurt.

But honestly, it was something else. Normally Jamie would have rolled his eyes at Ty’s attempts to play matchmaker and delivered the plate with a grin. Everyone involved would know it was a cute little symbol of absolutely nothing and forget about it a moment later.

It just felt different with Neil.

Jamie usually loved getting to know new people, chatting them up in a dance of planned seduction. He was the one who found other boys for the two of them to play with, and Daddy generally went along with whoever he chose. Jamie might hang out with a hook-up the next day and chat for a bit, but Daddy kept things more cut and dried when they added a third.

Maybe that was what was different. They hadn’t actually had a scene with Neil last night, so it was this thrilling and hopeful thing hanging over them. More than that, Jamie had never seen Daddy snuggling with another boy while they talked on the couch. He’d never seen Daddy bring one of their playmates dinner and tuck him into bed.

Daddy was always respectful with temporary playmates, of course. He carefully went over limits and loved building up a scene that the visitor and Jamie would enjoy together. He gave solid aftercare, but it was clear that after a sub was physically and emotionally steady, Sebastian was ready to gently send him on his way.

But last night, Daddy had looked positively blissful walking Neil up to his bed, waiting for him to brush his teeth, and pulling the covers up around him.

Jamie had kissed Neil on the cheek, too. Well… maybe the ear, with a dirty thought whispered just for the two of them.

When Jamie left the room, it had been hard to close the door, leaving Neil alone in that big empty bed. He knew that Daddy felt it too.

And now, Jamie was freaking out about pieces of cornbread.

He was confident about his own position in Daddy’s life in a way that he hadn’t been during the tangled and tumultuous relationship with their ex. They’d both fallen hard for Henri when he danced into their lives, an exchange student from France all wide-eyed and eager to please. He’d been painfully young—all three of them had been, really—and looking for direction. Daddy had doted on him, taken care of his every need, and for a while it had been bliss.

Jamie’s heart still hurt thinking about how it had ended, but was that what Daddy needed again? That sweet submission that had, at least initially, complimented Jamie’s bratty ways so well?

Jamie knew how much Daddy loved him and he was sure… well, almost completely sure… that it would never change. But was it time for the rules to change? They’d put them in place after Henri to protect both of their hearts and give them a chance to heal, but that didn’t mean they were fixed in stone.

Should Jamie start looking for occasional partners who were more like Neil, with his good-boy submissive energy? Could they even consider adding a long-term third?

Jamie had always imagined he’d be happier in a committed poly relationship, but he’d succumbed to jealousy more quickly than he could have imagined. He didn’t think he could put either of them through that again.