Page 73 of All Tied Up

Sebastian chuckled. “Get on back to your boy. I’m sure he misses you.”

The two men nodded at each other. Neil couldn’t describe it as anything but a Daddy nod, a sense that the two of them shared something in the way they took care of their boys.

With a final word of thanks, Remi departed up the elevator.

“Hey, baby boy.” Sebastian’s voice was deep and husky, meant just for Neil. He beckoned with his fingers.

So apparently Neil was allowed behind the desk again. When he reached the office, Sebastian gave him a thorough kiss. The Dom smelled of something spicy and masculine, and the things he did with his tongue were sinful. Oh, Neil could so easily get used to this.

He blinked up at Sebastian and whispered, “Hello, Sir.”

That earned him another kiss. “God, you’re just adorable, aren’t you?”

Neil couldn’t see how that could be true. He let himself believe it, though. Just for a moment. He leaned in, hoping for another kiss, and got that one, too.

“How’s your day been, baby boy?”

It had been a really long time since anyone had asked Neil how his day was. And adding that Daddy Dom vibe to it made this extra special.

“I had a good day,” he reported. “I helped Jamie with the path, then he sprayed me with the hose.” They’d missed Sebastian earlier, though Jamie had dragged Neil through the building looking for him and dripping water everywhere.

Sebastian grinned. “I just bet he did. If he gets to be too much, just tell him to stop.”

“No, I like it. I haven’t had so much fun in… maybe ever.”

“Good.” Sebastian looked pleased. “I like seeing you smile. Did you want to go find him again now?”

“Actually, Sir, I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner.”

Sebastian cringed. It wasn’t just a signal of confusion, but he actually looked like he was bracing himself against an assault.

“I mean, just as a thank-you,” Neil quickly added.

That didn’t seem to help.

“Sorry,” he said more quietly. “I didn’t mean to overstep. You two have been so good to me and I wanted to do something in return.”

Sebastian shook his head, like he was finally returning to the present. “No, you didn’t overstep. It’s just… Well first, practically, we can’t both leave the lodge while it’s open unless we have someone to cover the shift. Ty already left for the day, and I don’t want to call Maria in.”

“Got it. I should have thought of that.”

“Also,” Sebastian looked abashed, “Jamie and I try not to go out to eat anymore, at least not while our finances are so low. And, uh, it doesn’t really do anything for my Daddy image that you know how bad our financial situation is. So, I’d like to tell myself that I’d be fine with you paying, but it’s kind of a weird thing for me.”

“Because you’re the Daddy and you should pay?” Neil considered it. The idea sounded sexy, but the practicality not so much. Neil knew he wanted to be submissive, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be an equal in other ways.

Sebastian considered, like he was trying to choose his words. “Not quite that. It’s more just… I’ve been thinking about someone in our past recently. You’re actually nothing like him, but he was submissive and he also used to pay when we’d go out to dinner. We had a very specific arrangement that… never mind.” Sebastian looked distant and sad at the memory.

“I’m sorry,” Neil said again.

“No, it’s long over. I don’t miss him anymore and I don’t want him back. He really hurt Jamie, though, and I don’t think I’ll ever really forgive him for that. And… yeah. He used to ask me out to dinner just like that. Sometimes both of us, but more often me without Jamie. It was… I felt like I had to choose, and I promised Jamie that I would never choose anyone over him again.”

“I’m glad you made that promise,” Neil said, hoping that Sebastian would know how much he meant it. Every time this ex came up the stories got worse. “If it helps, I was looking forward to dinner with both of you, but… I guess I kind of walked into a landmine with that one. I was just thinking that you two hadn’t seen each other much today, and I wanted to do something special for you two. I mean, if it wouldn’t stir up bad memories I could order something in, too.”

Neil had seen a few sides of Sebastian at this point, the doting Daddy, the confident hotel owner who worked his ass off every day delivering excellent service, and also the stressed out young businessman who was in over his head with finances. Sebastian deserved to have an evening off, but of course Neil wasn’t going to press.

Sebastian gave him a soft smile. “Thank you for that. I think I forgot it could be this easy. I’ve enjoyed watching you and Jamie together.”

Neil wasn’t sure where this was going. “Yeah?”