It was so strange to feel this good, and I’d felt fantastic last night with Daddy, too. I rested my shoulder against his. He glanced down at me, and my breath caught. His dark eyes and short beard gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the dirt-flecked windows, and the fresh man scent that wafted from him made my belly warmer. The bus went over a pothole that had everyone groaning and laughing, and Daddy put his arm around me as if to keep me from falling out of the seat... then left it there, so I leaned farther into his embrace. Daddy ducked his head, sighed, and then he removed his arm from around my shoulders and clasped his hands together in his lap.
Missing his touch immediately, I didn’t like that he’d stopped holding me, but I sat up straighter. I would try to make Daddy proud of me today. I hadn’t done well the last time we’d been alone in public, and I didn’t want him to stop taking me out. My feet danced around, and I touched my lips because I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to smile. Even if he wasn’t holding me, Daddy was warm and solid, and I felt so lucky to be with him.
And he’d made me come. I closed my eyes—picturing the evidence of my release on the tail of Daddy’s shirt before he’d tucked it away into his pants—then forced them open. My cock plumped and I attempted to ignore it. He’d been so good to me. Last night, on the floor beside Daddy’s bed, I’d slept better than I had in years. It was strange to think of it this way, but I was feeling more like... myself. I’d been tired and stressed to the breaking point for a long while, and my mind had been worse than trying to focus a microscope lens. Things would fade in and out of clarity for no reason I could ever determine, and I might not think of anything at all in the end. Now everything was clearer, and it was a little easier to reflect on old and new memories.
“Oh, this is our stop,” Daddy said and held out his hand for me, which I happily took, and the bus painfully slowed to a standstill. We exited the rear doors, and he patted my hand kindly, then let it go as I stepped down onto the sidewalk next to him. The bus chugged off into the distance, belching gray smoke from the tailpipes, and I glanced around, closing my eyes briefly as the sun warmed my face. Daddy hummed out a happy sound, and when I glanced at him, his expression turned sly.
“Come on.” He took off down the sidewalk, and I rushed to keep up. He winked when I was at his side. It was difficult to keep track of him and the vibrant signs we strolled past because I felt like I couldn’t get enough of simply looking at everything.
“What are we doing?”
He pointed ahead to a large white van that had a cheerful yellow awning open over one side. “It’s one of my favorite splurges, but I don’t do it often.”
“What is it?”
His expression brightened. “You’ll see.”
There was no holding in my laugh as we came to a stop in front of the food truck, which had a large pretzel painted on the side. The smell of frying dough wafted out, and the tall blond man inside dropping baskets into fryers let out a cheer when he saw Daddy. He had a crooked smile and kind blue eyes.
“Father Gian! Hey, you bless the truck and I’ll give you a pretzel. Come on!” He waved a pair of tongs in an encouraging way.
Daddy groaned. “I’ll bless it for free, and I’d like two pretzels and two large sweet teas.”
“You got it!”
Daddy closed his eyes; maybe he was saying a prayer. When he was done, he drew a cross in the air in front of the truck. “I’m not supposed to do this, you know.”
“Hey, God likes pretzels,” the man said, shaking the tongs at him. “Who’s that one?” He glanced at me with interest.
I should introduce myself, but I had trouble meeting his eyes as I waved. Helping at the church last night had taken a lot out of me, but this man was friendly, so I didn’t want to be disrespectful by ignoring him.
“His name is Phoenix, and he’s staying with me.”
“Lou Alcaraz. Good to see you!” He nodded at me, then turned back to the fryers, pulling up one basket. He and Daddy talked about someone they both knew, who was apparently having problems with drugs, and Daddy agreed he would go and visit the man where he was in treatment. By the time we walked away with large plastic glasses of tea and hot pretzels wrapped with napkins, I felt like we’d shoved a whole day into a few minutes. The nuns were much quieter, and that man had practically shouted their conversation.
Daddy and I crossed the street and walked on the sidewalk near the river. Flowers spilled down a slope to the rocky edge of the water. He clearly had a destination in mind, and I took a bite of my pretzel and trusted him to get us there.
“Mm,” I said, nearly falling over at the sweet, perfect mouthful.
He chuckled and knocked his elbow lightly against mine. “I love these but don’t get a chance to get over here often.”
My iced tea was the perfect amount of sugary and bitter when I sucked it up the straw, and I sighed. He meandered toward a decorative black metal fence that separated the sidewalk from the river embankment and rested his elbows on it. I mimicked him, liking the way it made me feel to stand there eating while watching the river lazily swirl past. Backyards of fancy houses butted up against the other bank, all done up with flower beds made to be shown off. I loved all the roses and imagined I could smell them as a breeze blew in our direction from the water.
“Thank you, Daddy.” I bit my pretzel and mumbled around it. “This is good.”
The smirk he gave me reminded me of the way he’d looked last night when I’d had his cock in my mouth, and I shivered. After I swallowed and took another sip of tea, I shuffled closer to his side until I could feel his body heat against mine. “I’d like to thank you later, Daddy.”
He stared out at the water, brows furrowing in thought. He nibbled his pretzel. “You did thank me.”
“I mean, thank you the right way, the way my Daddy deserves.” Someone walked past us, and I lowered my voice. “I can blow you again, or you can tell me how you want me. I don’t mind anything you like because I’d do anything to make you happy. You can fuck me. You’ve been so nice.”
Daddy coughed hard, then sucked at his straw. “You should stop offering things to me.” His eyebrows were near his hairline when he turned to give me a smile, and I liked the way his face was pinker than usual.
I opened my mouth, but he shook his head.
“You’re being too generous. Think about this with me, okay? You keep calling me Daddy. If I’m your Daddy, isn’t it my job to do nice things for you? Maybe even spoil you? Make you happy?”
Frowning, I stared at the water. A long time crept by and the silence was heavy between us. I was almost finished eating before I found the courage to speak again. “Those are things I should do for you, Daddy. I’m here for you.”
