they stirred in me. Part of me wanted to slap Corey for not seeing what was right in front of him. The
rest of me wanted to fall to my knees and beg William—or whoever—to love me the same way.
No one at The Lodge realized I’d created this room to give others the reality that would only ever
be fantasy for me.
2
Theron
As much as I told myself I’d come to The Lodge to support a friend as he expanded his business, I
was starting to wonder if my true motivation was that I had a masochistic streak.After the school
year, I’d told myself every time I’d grown restless. Once I had my next contract in hand, then I would
be able to pursue a relationship. While administration hadn’t specifically said anything about the
openly gay principal, there were limits to their reluctant acceptance. Learning that the man they
counted on to keep hundreds of kids in line every day longed to be called Daddy would definitely
cross the line.
I’d have been fine, if not for Sam. He’d caught my eye as soon as I’d entered the bar. When
William was introducing him to the night’s guests, he looked ready to cry. Sam was a boy who didn’t
deal well with being the center of attention. After he’d opened the playroom, I’d hung back, never
letting him escape my attention.
That probably made me a stalker, but I couldn’t help it. He was adorable. I wanted to pull him
into my lap and hug him until he relaxed. When I caught up with him picking up stray toys, I’d seen an
opening and I took it.
“The important thing to remember,” William said, his gaze drifting over the men he assumed
identified as Daddies. “Is thatnothingis set in stone. Sometimes you’ll meet a boy who knows
exactly what he wants, but that doesn’t invalidate his ability to change his mind.”
If there was a single man in the room who didn’t understand that fact, he had no right calling
himself a Daddy. Still, when you had people who were new to the lifestyle, these were things that
needed to be said—which was part of why The Lodge had earned a reputation as one of the best
clubs in the region.
Sam squirmed next to me. I balled my hands into fists at my sides to keep from reaching out to
him. When he didn’t think anyone was watching, he allowed his carefully polished veneer to fall
away a bit. The longer I stood next to him, the harder it got to keep from touching him. I wanted to
