Corey rolled his eyes and turned away. I watched him as I sipped the last of my whiskey, trying to
decide whether he’d respond better to a spanking or some time spent with his nose in the corner.
Knock it off. Do not think about Corey that way.
Before I could do anything stupid, like act on this sudden urge to coax him into good behavior, I
retreated to the private room for one last check of everything.
Not long after I left Corey to work without me hovering over him, the first attendees for tonight's
gathering arrived. These were some of the more experienced community members who also
supported the vision Jack had created for The Lodge. Many of them attended most of our events as a
way to show their continued support, as well as offer unique perspectives to the newcomers. No
matter how long I’d been helping out with this side of the business, my anxiety always grew the
longer we went without anyone coming in. I wasn’t exactly expecting wall-to-wall kink babies but if
the interest waned, so would Jack’s need for my assistance.
I had almost written tonight off as a total bust when a familiar face walked through the doors. I
balled my hands into fists, wrapping my feet around the legs of the chair I was sitting in to keep from
storming across the room and telling him he had no place being here. The nearly puckered expression
on his face would have been comical had it been anyone else.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice pitched low as he approached. It
seemed he wasn't nearly as affected by my presence as I was by his.
“Don't make a big deal about this, okay?” he pleaded with me. “Trust me, I’d rather not be here
either, but he needs this.”
Jayden glanced over his shoulder to where a slight, timid boy was doing his best to hold up the
wall. The kid’s eyes flitted around the space as if trying to take it all in.
“You have a boyfriend?”
“No, he’s new to our suite.” Jaden snorted in amusement. “I don’t want to spread his business
around, but ever since he moved in, I’ve been trying to get him to explore his preferences.”
I wanted to smack down my nephew's air quotes. The kid had no clue how lucky he was to have
been raised in our family. With aging hippies for grandparents and an out and proud, real-life gay
uncle, he hadn’t exactly faced many challenges when he’d told the family he was gay. But then, I was
proud of him for helping his friend, even if he didn’t understand how difficult it could be for a kid
who had to hide away in the closet most of his life.
