Baby Bear

by Brina Brady

  He fluttered his eyelashes as if he were flirting. His lashes were darker than they were at dinner. He’d probably put on mascara when he changed his clothes. He was darling.

  “We just met,” Darius said. He didn’t like to sound negative, but he needed to be clear with Abel. “We need to do a few things together first and see how it goes. When the time is right, we might venture into sexual activity, but we’re taking it slow.”

  “Most guys want to have sex with me when they meet me. You know, the same day we meet. Do you like me at all?” Abel asked.

  “Um…I like you very much.” Darius subtly traced the features of Abel’s pale face, letting his gaze return to his eyes. He held Abel’s gaze for a second, then looked away. His Baby Bear was interested and wanted Darius to fuck him tonight. If only he could.

  “Why won’t you come on to me, Daddy Darius?” Abel asked.

  The boy lifted his chin and tipped his head to one side while dropping his lids so his lashes half covered his eyes. His mouth quirked up in a smirk. Calling him Daddy Darius went straight to his balls. He wanted to fuck the boy, but he wanted to establish the rules first and make sure he understood what he expected from him.

  “Because I want you to know me first, and I want to know you better.”

  “Do you always take this long to have sex with someone new?”

  “When I see a boy I really want, I do. If I don’t care one way or another, then I’d jump on him much sooner. Of course, that would be with our agreement, but with you, I want more than a one-night fuck.”

  “Do you think I have a chance?”

  “Do you know what I want right now?” Darius avoided Abel’s question. He didn’t want to commit until he learned more about him. He refused to make promises he might not be able to keep. As much as he wanted to tell Abel he had a chance, a good chance, he needed to explain the type of relationship he wanted.

  “What, Daddy Darius?”

  “I wish you’d make Daddy Darius happy by sitting on my lap.”

  Abel practically jumped out of his chair and gently landed on his lap with his arms around Darius.

  “I like this, Daddy Darius,” Abel whispered in his ear.

  “I like your sweet ass on my lap. Would you like to discuss sex?”

  “I’d really love that.” Abel rested his head on Darius’s shoulder.

  “Have you been tested for any diseases?”

  “Mr. Benson made us take a test once a month, and I haven’t been with anyone since the results of the last test which was four days ago.”

  “That’s nice of him to make sure his employees are safe.”

  “He was good to me. I thought he liked me a lot. Much more than the other dancers. He made me believe I was special to him, but when he fired me, he betrayed me like everyone else has done in my life.” Abel’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Don’t take it personally. You’re better than that job.” Darius ran his hand down Abel’s back and held him closer. “You have more to offer than dancing, not to say that dancing is a bad thing.”

  “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not just the dancing, but it was Mr. Benson. I trusted him to have my back, but he betrayed me in the worst way. I’m sorry I brought that mess up. That’s all in the past, and it has no place here.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s best to get it all out so you feel better. Did you have a relationship with Benson?”

  “Sort of, but it was over so damn fast. He flirted with me for a year, leading me to believe we had something, but when we really got together, it lasted for a weekend. That is a total of forty-eight hours. He didn’t want me after that. That’s probably why he fired me. He never asked anyone to work the back rooms. The dancers always asked him if they could. But he fired me for not doing it when I’d never even asked. I’m the only one who was fired.” Abel sobbed between his words. He was clearly shaken up about Benson.

  “Wasn’t your boss much older than you?”

  “He told me he could be my grandfather, but I didn’t care about that. Anyway, I’m over him. That’s why I know I need someone older like you.” Abel fisted his tears away.

  “Do you know that just because a man is older than you, it doesn’t mean he’s an automatic top?”

  “I didn’t know that, but I don’t have much experience. But I can tell you Mr. Benson was no bottom. Are you?”

  “Absolutely not. I’ve never bottomed for anyone. Been that way since day one.”

  “That’s good to know. Actually, it makes me happy.”

  “We’re off to a good start because you’ve been very honest. Two things I need from my boy are loyalty and honesty. If my boy breaks either or both of those rules, I’ll whip his ass. You need to know what you’re getting yourself into. As things come up, I’ll explain them to you. What’s important to you?”

  “A man who cares for me and makes me his number one. Someone who never cheats on me and tells me what I should do to stay in his good graces.”

  “Cheating isn’t allowed in my relationships, and if it ever happens, the boy is gone.”

  “That’s how it should be. No one wants to be replaced.”

  “Do you want another dancing job?” Darius asked.

  “I loved my dancing job because dancing makes me feel alive. When the men are watching me and clapping, I feel happy and free. I wasn’t allowed to be me when I lived in the compound. Men didn’t dance unless it was their wedding day. The teens weren’t allowed to dance at all.”

  “You could always dance for me.” Was he asking for trouble by falling for a dancer who liked other men watching him dance? He needed a boy who was happy with his praises alone without others adding to the mix. He’d never share Abel. Was Abel going to be another mistake? Another heartbreak? It was too late. He wanted him.

  “I will. Just ask me.”

  “I was thinking about asking you to come to the lodge to meet the Papa and Baby Bears. Would you like that?”

  “I’ll go anywhere with you.” Abel kissed his cheek.

  “How about going to bed now?”

  “With you?”

  “No, we’re not ready. We’ll talk more tomorrow after work.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Abel

  Daddy Darius took Abel to the diner and ordered the breakfast special for them both. Eating together instead of sitting in separate booths and wishing he’d talk to him, felt so right. If Darius hadn’t come over to his booth, would he have had the nerve to begin a conversation with him? Daddy Darius was so much more than what he had in his mind.

  “Sammy is coming to the cabin at eight. Please don’t be rude to him in any way. He doesn’t have many friends.” He picked up his coffee mug.

  “I don’t have many friends either. It’ll be nice to have a friend. Most of the dancers aren’t talking to me anymore since I messed up big-time with one of them.”

  “I can’t imagine what you could’ve done to deserve all the dancers shunning you.”

  “You don’t want to know. It’s not good. Anyway, I miss dancing. I hope you let me dance for you sometime.”

  “Do you need a pole to dance?” Daddy Darius grinned as if he knew something Abel didn’t.

  “Daddy Darius, have you seen me pole dancing? I mean, how did you know I’m a pole dancer and not just a stage dancer? I might add I’m one of the best, or so Mr. Benson told me.”

  Daddy Darius laughed so hard he spat some of his coffee into his hand.

  “What’s so funny?” Abel asked.

  “You make me laugh. I love being around you. Every gay man around here and for up to five hundred miles away knows Boka Boys has hot pole dancers. There’s a sign outside the club advertising them.”

  “So, are you saying you never saw me dance?” Abel hadn’t forgotten those matches.

  “I didn’t say that. As a matter of fact, I’m not saying if I did or not.”

  “Please tell me if you did?”

  “No.”

  Another server topped th
eir coffee. “Good morning, Uncle Darius. I see you have company this morning.”

  “This is Abel. He’s working for me.”

  “Hi, Abel. I’m Emma Eriksen. It’s nice to see you eating instead of just drinking coffee.” She looked a lot like Darius. So that was why Daddy Darius had kissed her and seemed so friendly with her.

  “Hi, Emma. I’m going to be painting the cabin porch today.”

  “Oh, that’s great. I guess Uncle Darius can help us then since we don’t have Pedro anymore.”

  “I’ll be back after I drop Abel at the cabin.”

  “It was so sad. He was crying when they picked him up.”

  “I know. There’s nothing I can do. They’re deporting him to Mexico today. When they left, they gave me a hefty fine.”

  Emma turned her attention to Abel. “If you ever get bored, Abel, I’m available to hang out after six.” She stopped to write her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Just give me a call.”

  Abel shoved the tiny paper into his pocket and smiled. When she left, Darius laughed.

  “What did you think of Emma?”

  “How is she related to you?”

  “She’s my niece, daughter of my brother, Mikkel. She’s only seventeen and flirts a lot.”

  “She’s very pretty and looks like you. I almost thought she was your daughter.”

  “She’s like a daughter to me. I worry she’s too free with herself when it comes to boys. I guess she likes you and has no idea you’re gay.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “It’s not for me to tell. It would be up to you to say something, but she’d make a great friend.”

  “She would. You wouldn’t mind if I called her?”

  “No. I’ll trust you, boy, until you prove me wrong. I don’t think you want to get on my wrong side, do you?”

  “No, Daddy Darius. Never on purpose.”

  When they finished with breakfast, Daddy Darius drove to the cabin. He leaned over in the truck and kissed Abel on the cheek.

  “Wait on the porch for Sammy.” He handed Abel another key. “Put this on your keyring. It’s for the shed in the back, where all the supplies are. Change into work clothes while you wait.”

  “Yes, Daddy Darius.”

  “I’ll be back from the diner around six. I want you two to work until five. Take a thirty-minute break for lunch. I expect a lot to be done when I return. Noah will bring your lunches. Don’t drink any alcohol and never smoke in my cabin.”

  “I don’t smoke, Daddy Darius.” Abel kissed him quickly on the cheek, dashed out of the truck, and rushed into the cabin.

  After changing his clothes, Abel removed two large paint cans from the shed and carried them to the front porch. He made a second trip to get all the painting supplies. Then he sat on a rocking chair and waited. In his mind, he replayed Daddy Darius kissing his cheek. When would he find his lips to kiss? How long would he have to wait for a real kiss from Daddy Darius?

  A dark green SUV pulled up behind Abel’s beat-up car. Two men got out of the vehicle: a hot silver fox and a younger man with curly golden-brown hair and tanned skin. He wasn’t quite brown, but then he wasn’t white either. He was probably biracial. His father had forbidden him from talking to anyone of color, the words still bellowing in his ears. Black people won’t have eternal life. This has never made much sense to Abel.

  One day, when his father and the men were working off the compound, Abel met a young black worker and they had become friends. When Abel had gotten home, his father took him in the woods, away from the family, and beat him with a belt for talking to his new friend. His father banned him from the worksite and made him work with the women until they had another big job. He’d learned a tough lesson about mingling with others who were different from the compound members, but now he could talk to anyone he wanted, and he did.

  The sexy, silver-haired man looked at Abel. “Hi! I’m Daddy Noah Walker, and this is my Baby Bear, Sammy Ward. I suppose you’re Abel?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m Abel Gardner.”

  “You two are to paint. No drinking on the job. I’ll pick you up at five.” Noah took Sammy in his arms and kissed him while he ran his hand down to his ass.

  When Daddy Noah left, Abel showed Sammy the paint cans and brushes.

  “Are you Daddy Darius’s Baby Bear?” Sammy asked.

  “No, we just met yesterday. He hired me to paint, but maybe something will happen.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “Here in the guestroom until my lockout is over.”

  “Lockout sucks, doesn’t it?”

  Abel nodded. “I rent a room at Merit Motel. We can stay for a month. Then we have to move out for a week before we can return.”

  “That’s a dump. Bad people live there. Maybe Daddy Darius will let you stay here until you get back on your feet again. You could be mugged. I’ve heard some scary stories about the lowlives living there.”

  “For your information I’m not one of them.” In a second, Abel went from relaxed to red hot. “I may look like one to you, but that’s not me. I don’t make enough money to rent an apartment.”

  “I didn’t mean you were a lowlife. The people who live there are. Do you know how I know?” Sammy’s eyebrows raised a notch.

  “It sure sounded like you meant I was.” Abel crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t pleased with Sammy at all.

  “I lived there for six months before Daddy Noah saved me.”

  “Where did you meet Daddy Noah?” Abel asked, changing the subject.

  “At the Blue Diamond Diner.”

  “Really?”

  Sammy nodded.

  “That’s where I met Daddy Darius. Is that diner a gay pickup joint?”

  “No. Daddy Darius owns it, and he’s gay, so gay people go there because he’s good to them.”

  “We should start painting.” Abel pointed to the porch. “I’ll start on this end, and you can do the other side.”

  “Hey, I hope you’re not pissed at me. I didn’t mean you were like the others at the motel.”

  Abel ignored him. He wanted him to be quiet so he could think about what he’d said. Sammy was so damn lucky he had Daddy Noah to take care of him. If only Daddy Darius made Abel his Baby Bear. After talking to Sammy, he didn’t want to return to the cheap motel.

  “How did you get Daddy Noah to make you his Baby Bear?”

  “Oh, he talked to me about the Bearded Papa Bear Club. He asked me lots of questions about sex. After we talked, he took me to the woods and fucked me. Then he asked me if I wanted to be his Baby Bear and live with him. Of course, I said yes. Love at first sight.”

  “He fucked you right after meeting you?”

  “Ah, sort of. We’d sat in the diner for four hours, and he bought me breakfast and lunch. We covered a lot of ground in those four hours.”

  “Was it the first time you ever saw him?”

  “No. I’d seen him at the diner several times. Then one day, he asked me if he could sit at my booth and talk. It was so romantic.”

  “You were lucky to snag him so soon. I wish Daddy Darius would be my Papa Bear. If he were into me, he would’ve fucked me last night. I don’t think he’s interested in me.”

  “He’d be a good Daddy for you.”

  “Do you know who his last Baby Bear was?”

  “Lucas Foster. He’s with Papa Chaska now. That was one big fuckup.”

  “What happened?” Sammy looked like he didn’t want to repeat what Lucas had done to Daddy Darius.

  “Papa Chaska is one hot papa. He took one look at Lucas, and it went from there. Daddy Darius left the group for two years, but I heard he went to the lodge yesterday and had a fight with Papa Chaska. Don’t say anything to Daddy Darius. Daddy Noah would blister my ass if he finds out I said anything. I overheard him talking to another Papa on the phone last night.”

  “Were they fighting about Lucas?” Abel continued painting as if he wasn’t that interes
ted in what Sammy said, but inside, he was dying to know everything.

  “I think he said he wanted to go after you since Daddy Darius returned. In that club, you have to become a Papa’s Baby Bear, or you’re open to any Papa who wants to go after you. I know it all sounds crazy, but the club is really fun.”

  “So, did Lucas cheat on Daddy Darius?”

  “Yes. Most of the Baby Bears hate him because of what he did to Daddy Darius.”

  “That’s sad. Do you think Daddy Darius still wants him back?” Abel knew how Lucas must feel when a group hated you for a slipup.

  “Nope. I heard him talking to Daddy Noah. There’s no way he’d ever take Lucas back. The worst thing you can do is cheat on your Papa Bear. Would you ever do that?”

  “Never. It’s not right. I saw what my mother went through with my father.”

  “Did he cheat on your mother?”

  “Yes, in the worst way too. He took in two teenage girls as wives.”

  “That’s some crazy shit.”

  “He’s the spiritual leader of a crazy cult. My mother suffered so much because of that bastard. Then he forced my fifteen-year-old sister to marry an old man from the church. He’s a sick fuck!” Abel used too much pressure on his brush, and some of the paint splattered on his face. He wiped it with the bottom of his T-shirt.

  “I’m sorry, Abel. How did you get out?” Sammy stopped painting and faced Abel.

  “The boys are removed from the compound when they turn eighteen. Some are kicked out earlier if they talk to a girl or kiss one. All sorts of dumb things will get you thrown out.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “My mother drove me to the city and gave me five hundred dollars. I found some of the other guys who were removed from the compound. We all lived together until we got on our feet. Then I saw on the Internet that Boka Boys were looking for dancers. I called Mr. Benson and asked him if I could have a job there. He wanted a video chat to see me dance. After our chat, he not only offered me the job, but he also helped me move here.”

  “I’m glad you’re here with Daddy Darius now. He’ll take care of you. Just don’t hurt him like Lucas did.”

  “I’d never do that. How long do you think it’ll take for him to ask me to be his Baby Bear?”