“Come in.”
I open the door and find him sitting on his bed, his laptop in front of him, glasses on, and wearing a T-shirt and sweats.
My handsome pet. I love Jordan, and yes, I’m wearing myself out on a nightly basis with a boy half my age, but the psychologist knows after the new relationship energy wears off that there will be more with Jordan than just bed-breaking sex. There will be a deep emotional bond and common interests.
Like what I have with Elliot.
I close and lock the door behind me as he looks up and sees it’s me.
Leaning against the door, I wait to see what he’ll do.
He sits up and, after a moment, he sets his laptop aside and slides off the bed, standing next to it. That’s when I realize that, from the loose way the leg of his sweatpants drapes, he’s not wearing Duck.
Before I can give him an order, he drops to his knees and bows.
My heart melts. “Hello, pet.”
His chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. “Hello, Master,” he whispers.
I walk over, sit on the side of the bed, and pat my thigh. He sits up, wraps his arms around my waist, and buries his face in my lap. I hold him, rubbing his head and wishing I could give him more. I also rub between his shoulder blades, something else that relaxes him.
We won’t have long and, under the circumstances, I can’t give him what I know he really needs.
In three nights, however, I can make up for lost time.
“You hanging in there, baby?”
He nuzzles his face against me. “Sort of.”
Elliot doesn’t do well when his stability is akimbo. He can handle changes in his schedule, but he likes having his landing pad be a private, comfortable, familiar, safe space he can retreat to. While Blair House is definitely nice, comfortable, and private, all the people around mean it’s not “safe,” in his mind. It’s definitely nothome.
This is his hell.
“What’s wrong, pet? Besides the obvious?”
“Stella thinks she’s going to stay with me whenever she’s in DC. In the official residence.”
I shove back my anger. “Did you tell her no?”
“Yes, Master.”
I try to relax. “Then what’s the problem?”
“She still wants to speak to Jordan about outfitting one of the upstairs guest rooms as a permanent room for her. She’s running over me.”
“Again, tell her no.”
“You don’t understand how pushy she is.”
A wave of anger surges through me. “ThenI’lltell her no. She’s a fucking lobbyist. How would that look, sister or not?”
He finally looks up. “I’ll tell her,” he grumbles. “But she’s going to be pissed. Can you please warn Jordan that she’ll likely try to order him around?”
The thought of Stella trying to order Jordan around fills me with an even deeper level of anger. “I’ll take care of it, pet.”
Absofuckinglutely, I will. I’ll also be having a discussion with his detail about keeping her away from Elliot unless Elliot’s specifically cleared it first.
We sit there in comfortable silence for several minutes before Elliot speaks again, his voice muffled by my shirt, where he’s pressing his face against me. “Does he make you happy, Master?”
