The Diva and his Daddy

by James, Rebecca;

  “I promised I would.”

  Nick and I stared at at each other, faces barely an inch apart, until Nick wrapped his legs around my middle and kissed me lightly on the mouth.

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “You’re welcome, boy.”

  The cold water felt pleasant on my heated skin, and Nick’s body felt even better pressed against mine. Our eyes locked, and I leaned in to kiss him.

  Gavin shouted, “Cannon ball!” and a cascade of water splashed over our heads. Nick laughed and pushed the wet strands of hair out of my eyes.

  “Give us a little warning next time!” I called to Gavin. When I looked at Nick again, he was smiling, and I couldn’t resist pecking him on the mouth. “Your grandmother seems like a very nice lady.”

  “She’s the best.” Nick pressed his forehead against mine.

  “Your dad, on the other hand, seems like a douche.”

  “That’s a pretty accurate assessment too. Thanks for coming with me today.”

  I squeezed Nick’s ass under the water when Gavin was busy diving for a penny.

  The afternoon wore on. Morris good-naturedly agreed to a game of chicken, and he hoisted Gavin onto his shoulders while Nick climbed on mine. The ensuing battle finally ended with Nick knocked off my shoulders into the pool.

  After the game, Julianne and Jim hung out in the water with us, chatting. I would have forgotten the presence of Nick’s father if it hadn’t been for the occasional glances Nick shot the man’s way.

  By the time we ate, I was famished.

  If it weren’t for the kids, I would have walked around in the wet thong just to irritate Nick’s father. As it was, I secured a beach towel around my middle before heading for the picnic tables.

  “This is quite a spread.” I looked over the bowls of slaw, potato salad, baked beans, and other dishes.

  “Julianne, you brought a cold watermelon!” Nick exclaimed.

  “Well, I didn’t want to hear you whining about it if there wasn’t one here,” she teased. “This early in the season, I hope it’s good.” She seemed more relaxed than she’d been when we’d gotten there, but occasionally I’d catch her eying her cousin like she expected him to do something crazy.

  We filled our plates and took seats near Julianne and her kids.

  Julianne’s parents immediately began regaling her with questions about work, which soon verified Julianne hadn’t told her family Steel and Velvet produced porn catered to women. As far as I could figure, the thought it was a men’s and women’s body care company. How she’d pulled that off, I wasn’t sure. I’d have to ask Nick later.

  “Why’s your last name different than your dad’s?” I asked in a low voice as conversations floated around us.

  “I didn’t want to be Nicholas Carpenter, Jr.” He made a face and fed me a piece of watermelon, which was pretty good. “As soon as I was old enough, I changed my name to my mother’s maiden name.”

  I glanced over at Nick’s father, who was still pointedly ignoring us. When Nick had invited me, I’d expected there to be a scene—and Julianne had evidently felt the same—but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t sure why Nick had wanted to provoke the man with my presence if he wasn’t going to rise to the bait. He acted like Nick and I weren’t even present.

  We finished eating, and the party wound down.

  “Is there somewhere I can change?” I asked Nick. “Unless you want to swim again…”

  Nick shook his head. “You can change in the pool house.” He indicated a small building on the other side of the swimming pool.

  I felt better when I emerged a few minutes later wearing a pair of jeans, a form-fitting Harley-Davidson T-shirt, and my boots. It looked like several people were getting ready to leave, and if that’s what Nick wanted to do, I wouldn’t argue. The day hadn’t been a bad one, but the sun and all the food had made me tired, and I didn’t think I was imagining the tenseness in Nick’s shoulders and jaw.

  He’d slipped back into his shorts and shirt while I’d been changing and stood talking to his cousins.

  “Gavin, come dry off!” Julianne called to her son when I approached. The preteen had jumped into the pool as soon as he’d finished eating. His sister sat on a lounge chair taking selfies in her bikini.

  “Better hope she’s not going to post those,” I said to Julianne, who immediately raced to her daughter and snatched the phone away. I turned to give Nick an amused look to find him staring at his father with a stony expression on his face.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  Abruptly, Nick turned and, grasping my neck, stood on his toes and kissed me deeply. I went along with it for a minute before pulling away, grasping Nick’s hands as he tried to lure me in again.

  “Not really the place for this,” I said softly.

  “That’s the point,” Nick said, anger and hurt in his eyes.

  “It’s enough,” I said firmly.

  “It’s time I go.” Nicholas Carpenter said. He rose to his feet and turned to his mother. “I hope you’ve had a lovely end to your birthday, Mom.”

  Violet frowned. “I thought you were going to take a look at my leaky faucet.”

  “What’s the hurry, Dad?” Nick asked. “Are you trying to get away from me? Aren’t you going to tell me how disgusted you are I showed up here with a man? No derogatory names you’re just dying to call me?”

  “Nick, don’t,” Julianne said softly. She stood close by with an arm around each of her children.

  Nicholas slowly turned his head, and when his eyes met his son’s, the hatred I saw in them was jolting and immediately brought my arm around my boyfriend. Nick swallowed and his nostril’s flared, but he stood his ground.

  “Want to know why I ignore you?” Nicholas asked, looking as condescending as I’d ever seen someone look. “Because I can’t abide looking at you.” His eyes roved dispassionately over Nick’s face and T-shirt with the unicorn on it. “You utterly disgust me. Take your trashy boyfriend and get out of my sight.” He turned away.

  “Oh, no. Call me anything you want, but you don’t get to call Jeo trash,” Nick said angrily, pushing closer to his father who stepped away like he was trying to keep from touching his son at all costs. He headed for the house.

  “He’s ten times the man you are!” Nick yelled after him, and my heart clenched. I was so glad I’d gone there with Nick.

  I was sickened and angered by what his father had said to him, but I knew from experience there was no dealing with his kind. It was obvious Nick wanted to force his father to acknowledge him any way he could, and my heart went out to him. I wanted to punch Nick senior in his smug face, but this was Violet’s birthday, and that took precedence.

  I tugged Nick back under my arm as Julianne said quietly, “Kids, get your things.”

  “But I don’t wanna—” Gavin began, but one look from his mother, and he headed to the pile of bags and towels by the chairs.

  Turning to Violet, I said, “It was nice meeting you. Nick speaks so highly of you. Thank you for the delicious meal, and happy birthday.”

  Violet smiled at me sadly. “I’m sorry for my son’s behavior. Every year I hope something will be different.” She sighed. “Maybe this should be the last family get-together.”

  Nick looked very close to either bursting into tears or flying into a rage.

  “Don’t,” Julianne said angrily to her cousin. Coming closer to him, I heard her hiss, “Not everything’s about you, Nick.”

  Nick flinched as though she’d hit him. “If you didn’t want me here, why did you call to remind me about the party?”

  “I needed to know what to expect.”

  “Oh, I get it,” Nick said venomously, and I tightened my arm around him. “If I’m here, the event automatically goes to shit. I can’t help it that he hates me, you know.”

  Julianne’s eyes flashed, and I got the idea she’d been holding in her anger for a while. “No, but you could stay away from him. He igno
red you. You could’ve ignored him right back, but instead you caused a scene. Like you always do.”

  “Well, I’m sorry I ruined your party,” Nick said caustically. He turned to his grandmother and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Grandma.” He strode off, and I followed, grabbing up our bags. Julianne caught up with us as we rounded the house and grabbed Nick by the arm.

  “I have children now. Why does every family get-together have to turn into a war zone? It’s unhealthy. Why can’t you understand that?”

  Nick jerked his arm out of her grip and continued walking to where I’d parked my bike.

  Julianne turned to me. “I’m sorry my uncle insulted you,” she said.

  “Are you sorry he continually insults Nick by treating him like less than garbage? And have you considered what your kids might be learning from him and his brother?” I turned and walked after Nick.

  When I got to my bike, Nick was fastening the blue helmet under his chin. He didn’t meet my gaze. I figured he needed some time, so I didn’t say anything as we mounted the Harley-Davidson. But I planned to have a talk with him when we reached his apartment.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Nick

  I held onto Jeo during the ride home, the warmth of his back easing a little of the pain and frustration inside me. Still, by the time we reached my building, I had worked myself into a snit.

  How dare Julianne blame me? Couldn’t she see how my father drove me to act the way I did? He’d fucking ignored us like we were nothing. And he’d called Jeo trash, which fucking pissed me off more than anything else.

  My father had never been welcoming to me or even civil, choosing cold and clipped as his normal mode when dealing with the son he detested, but this was the first time he’d goddamn ignored me outright. I guessed showing up with Jeo had been the straw that broke the homophobe’s back, so to speak. And, yes, I’d known it would make him angry. I’d wanted it to. I’d wanted to break that stoic facade he always had in place when I came around. I’d wanted him to fucking blow up.

  But it seemed my father didn’t have even an once of emotion where I was concerned, other than contempt and hatred.

  When Jeo brought the bike to a stop, I hurried to climb off, ready to say goodbye and race up to my apartment to lick my wounds in solitude. I was sorry now I’d asked Jeo to go with me to the party. My father had insulted him, and Jeo had seen how little the man thought of me.

  Maybe I’d drink that bottle of scotch I’d been saving and then throw the bottle against the wall, one perk of living in an empty building—no one to call the cops on me. As I swung my left leg over the bike, I cried out in pain as the inside of my right calf pressed against the hot exhaust pipe.

  I hopped away from the bike and almost fell face-first onto the pavement.

  Jeo cursed and climbed off the Harley. “I told you to be careful of that,” he said as he swung me into his arms.

  “Put me down!” I protested, pushing at his shoulders as he strode toward the building. “I’m fine. Go home.”

  “Not happening,” Jeo muttered and carried me through the doors the security guy held open for us.

  “Do you need some help, sir?” he asked.

  “Nope, I got it, thanks.”

  I harrumphed and crossed my arms over my chest, which probably looked really stupid since I was hanging over Jeo’s shoulder. My leg pulsed with pain, and I bit back a groan as we got onto the private elevator. The trip up was spent in silence.

  “Keys,” Jeo pulled the keys from my pocket and managed to unlock my apartment without putting me down. I expected him to carry me to the couch, but he walked into the kitchen and placed me on the countertop.

  “I forgot,” I told him, wincing as he examined the burn on my leg from the exhaust pipe. He took off my shoe and sock and turned me so my leg was in the sink, then proceeded to run cold water over it. I chewed on my lip, pain mingling with lingering rage. My skin seemed to shrink around my body, tightening me in its grip, smothering me.

  Tears welled in my eyes and spilled over while Jeo rummaged in the cabinets. Embarrassed, I turned my head to the wall. It wasn’t my fault I preferred men and liked pretty clothes. Why couldn’t my father see that?

  Jeo came back to the sink, turned off the water, and gently dabbed my leg dry with a soft towel. Then he spread cool aloe over my burned skin and bandaged it. Finished, he handed me two tablets of pain reliever and a glass of water.

  My wet eyes met his briefly as I swallowed the pills, and I quickly lowered them.

  “Feel any better?” he asked.

  The sweet way he’d taken care of me, combined with the gentle tone of his voice, completely undid me, and fuck, no way was I going to burst into tears and add one more humiliation to this day from hell.

  Miserable ire burning a hole in my chest, I let out a furious yell and sent the glass of water careening across the room to shatter against the wall.

  “What the fuck, Nick?” Jeo stared at me.

  I slid off the counter and limped into the living room, fists clenched.

  “That asshole wouldn’t even fucking look at me! He’s a coward. A complete and utter bastard. How dare he act as though we didn’t even exist? How dare he fucking call you trash?” I paused and leaned against the desk, hand to my mouth, swallowing down bile.

  As long as I insisted on being where my father was, I would feel this pain. Julianne had made her feelings clear. Did they all feel that way? Morris? Jim? Grandma? Did they all wish drama queen Nick wouldn’t show up and make a scene?

  Like a toy wound too tight with no option but to spin out of control, I flew into a full-blown rage.

  With an agonized yell, I swept everything off my desk—bills, a cup full of pens, the plate I’d eaten toast from that morning. I cursed and made for the couch, slinging the pillows at the wall, the soft poofs they made when they hit the plaster doing little to appease the monster inside me. I wanted more crashes and breaking glass. I wanted the hurt to end.

  So, I threw a vase, water and flowers going everywhere, but the heavy vase rolling ineffectually across the carpet. The table lamp was next. Ripping the cord from the socket, I hurled it over my head to crash against another wall, seeing my father’s face when he’d told me I disgusted him.

  Anger, hurt, and terrible hopelessness drove me to trash my apartment, and only when I’d expended every ounce of strength I had, did the red begin to recede from my vision. Breathing hard, I wilted against the wall.

  “Are you finished?”

  I’d forgotten Jeo was there. I nodded raggedly.

  “Good. Strip.”

  I looked up at him. “What?”

  “I said, strip. Then stand nose to the wall.”

  Great. Flashback to Royce telling me to stand in the corner like a recalcitrant child. Figured. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t have any tears left. Somehow, I’d expected more from Jeo. But why? This was the man who partied and fucked so hard he couldn’t get himself out of bed for work most days.

  A voice inside me said that was no longer true, but I shoved it aside. I could tell him to go to hell, end this thing between us there and then. Tell him to get out and never come back. But something stopped me.

  Numbly, I kicked off my remaining shoe before tugging off my T-shirt, shorts, and swim shorts. Last, I pulled off the sock on my left foot and limped over to the wall, feeling half annoyed, half sorry for myself.

  “Nose touching the wall,” Jeo said quietly.

  I sighed and pressed my nose against the cold plaster.

  “Take a step back, ass out.”

  Well, at least this is new, I thought, following instructions. My cock stirred.

  I heard Jeo walk away, boots heavy on the carpet, then return again.

  “Reach back and pull your cheeks apart, boy,” he said, and I heard the squirt of the lube bottle. I bared my hole to him, cock twitching again in its cage.

  “There’s Daddy’s pretty,” Jeo said softly as though my hole was a separate entity
, guiltless of the destruction around it. He slathered lube between my ass cheeks with soft strokes of his fingers. “So sweet.” He pushed his pinkie inside me, and I bit my lip to keep from making any noise. I shut my eyes and took even breaths, then gasped as something cold pushed and twisted its way inside me. I realized it was my steel butt plug. Jeo must have gotten it from the drawer.

  I swallowed at the full feeling of the fat plug inside me. A firm believer that the way to repentance lay in complete and utter boredom, Royce had never plugged me while I took my punishment. This—cock tied and ass plugged, bent over with my nose to the wall and fingers spreading myself for Jeo’s perusal—was humiliating as hell, particularly with our history of fighting, but it was also incredibly arousing, and my cock screamed to be let loose.

  An odd calm settled over me as I listened to Jeo moving around in the room, picking up my mess, surprised he wasn’t leaving it for me to do.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Jeo returned to me, but my neck had begun to get sore from holding the position, and my fingers were becoming slick on my skin, making it difficult to keep my ass cheeks spread.

  “How’s your leg?” Jeo asked softly.

  “Okay,” I answered. The pain reliever had done its job.

  “You deserve a spanking for getting that burn after I’d warned you to be careful.”

  I shivered in equal parts anticipation and dread. Was he going to spank me like this? Nose to the wall and plugged?

  “But first, I’m going to fuck you senseless, boy. And you don’t get to come.”

  The sound of Jeo unzipping his jeans drowned out my heart thumping in my ears. God, he was going to fuck me with his monster cock. Must be the reason for plugging me. The masochist in me wished he’d fuck me dry and unprepped, hurting me like I deserved to be hurt, but another, self-preserving part that wanted to keep my ass intact said otherwise.