this bookstore. The guy who owns it said he needs help, and he hired me right on the spot,” he explains. “That’s okay, ain’t it?”
It takes me a few seconds to wrap my head around what he’s saying—a job at a bookstore. It sounds perfect for him. Pride swells in my chest that he was able to do it so quickly. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; he’s been taking care of himself for a long time. I never realized before how satisfying it could be to have such an independent, capable boy. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always an appeal to needy boys that speaks to my inner Daddy, but the fact that he’s willing to let me take care of him when he’s more than able to do it himself…it feels special, precious.
“Of course, it’s okay,” I answer, kissing him again gently. “Let me know your schedule, and I’ll make sure to have the driver available.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Chapter 13
Sterling
I tug at the hem of my t-shirt, scowling at it.
“I can’t wear this,” I tell Barrett for the third time today. The first two times he was plenty understanding; this time he groans.
“Sweetheart, I’ve told you twice already, you can wear whatever you’re comfortable in. I have dress clothes in my closet or you can wear what you have on.”
“They’ll never think I’m good enough,” I tell him, glancing toward the closet and weighing my options. I wasn’t this nervous the first time I thought I was meeting his friends, but now I know they hate me.
“You’re good enough,” he insists, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. He slides one hand down to the front of my pants, cupping the cage and tugging at my trapped cock. Since he put it on a few days ago, I’ve been turned on non-stop. I can feel the weight of it every time I move, and when I swell against it, I remember all over how good it felt when he put it on. I shiver at the memory and feel the curve of Barrett’s smile against the back of my neck. “You’re mine,” he reminds me, and I nod.
I can do this. If I can uproot my life like nothing, I can face his friends. And if they want to keep hating me after this, there ain’t much I can do about it.
I eye the closet again and try to talk myself into wearing whatever he’s offering.
“Were they…I mean, did ya get ‘em for…” I pause, licking my lips, trying to decide if I even want the answer.
“They’re not anyone else’s. I got them for you.”
I let out a relieved breath, finally reaching for the closet door to open it. There’s a row of clothes that look to be about my size, so I grab a few things and start putting them on.
Barrett follows me in, leaning against the edge of the door to watch me dress.
“It’s dumb,” I tell him, rolling my eyes at myself. “I know you ain’t no virgin; I just like to pretend I’m special.”
I pull up my pants and look up to see Barrett closing the distance between us. He takes my face between his hands and waits until I’m looking into his eyes to speak. “You are special.”
I nod against his grasp, and he leans in to press a kiss to my lips.
Once I’m dressed, I pause in front of the full length mirror that’s hanging on the far wall of the closet, admiring the nice clothes and smoothing down a few barely noticeable wrinkles while I work up my courage to glance at my face. What will his friends think when they see me? Will they give me pitying looks or downright disgusted ones? I look away from my reflection quickly so I don’t end up talking myself out of going to dinner at all.
“Ready to go?” he asks, and I sigh.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I decide.
I shouldn’t be surprised that the restaurant we step inside a short while later is even fancier than the fish place he took me on our first date. At least this time the hostess doesn’t stare, but that don’t stop me from fidgeting and ducking my head as she leads us to our table. I couldn’t belong here less if I tried. Even in these nice clothes, I feel like I might as well be barefoot and muddy compared to everybody else.
“I can’t believe you almost let me wear my ratty clothes in