He just threw up his hands and muttered something about kids today having no sense of history. “In that case, I know exactly what we’ll be doing on our next break.”
“What?” Raleigh asked.
“Watch the video clip so you’ll see exactly what happens when people try to use magic, or in some cases, fancy automated methods, to do tasks that people could easily do themselves,” Aspen declared.
“Okay,” I said, curious because I loved cartoons regardless of the content or message.
“Sounds good to me,” Raleigh said.
We finished our tea and got back to work, each taking a box and a different section, with the Grateful Dead jamming from the speakers, giving us something to get lost in while we worked. In between a steadily renewed stream of customers and two trips to the back to retrieve special orders that customers were picking up, we restocked the shelves from the shipment boxes and made notes on the inventory sheets for the products that needed to be reordered.
Daddy Dorian didn’t carry mass-produced products. He’d explained, when we were choosing the accessories for the show, that he contracted with other independent craftspeople. That way, he was not only helping to support other small businessesbut also ensuring that his clients had access to high-quality, handmade goods. In the short time we’d been helping down here, we’d already learned that his customers didn’t mind paying for it either. I’d yet to see anyone so much as blink when their purchases were rung up for them.
Must be nice not to have to worry about how much you spend. I couldn’t really begrudge them the privilege, though. Not when Raleigh and I were already squirreling aside cash for new gear of our own. We just hoped the ones we were eyeing were still on the racks when we were ready to purchase them.
Sipping tea and watchingThe Sorcerer’s Apprenticeclip fromFantasia, which I’d never even heard of before, was super cool too and drove home Aspen’s point. While self-restocking shelves would make the day flow faster, seeing the chaos that erupted when Mickey tried to use magic to accomplish simple chores was kind of eye-opening. The mess after his attempt at a shortcut was way worse than it had been when he’d been tackling his tasks by hand. And if my kinky brain picked up some D/s undertones between the Sorcerer and Mickey, well, I just kept those thoughts to myself.
Though I’d probably spill to Raleigh when we were alone together, just to see if he’d picked up on the same vibe.
“That’s it, boys,” Aspen announced an hour and a half later. “It’s quitting time, and I’ve got a date tonight. Here’s hoping it ends better than the last one, or I will be a surly old fussbudget in the morning.
“We wouldn’t want that,” Raleigh said. “Where are you going?”
“Dinner at La Bianca’s, then over to the Minx for a bit of dancing and a few drinks,” he replied. “And if all goes well, we’ll end thenight at the Twilight Bistro for tiramisu and a café latte. I do hope the evening goes well. Their rum-soaked butterfingers are to die for, and they’ve always got a hint of nuttiness to them.”
He winked when we snickered, then we finished locking up and took the lift up to the second floor, where Daddy Dorian sat with his hair sticking up in every direction, an army of crumpled-up papers surrounding his feet. He didn’t even notice us; he was so busy muttering, scribbling, grumbling, and crossing things out before crumpling the page and hurling it to the floor to join the others.
Now was clearly not the time for a serious conversation with him. In fact, he seemed to be in need of a bit of distraction. One glance over at Raleigh, and it was clear that he knew it too.
What else were good pets to do but crawl across the floor and into Daddy’s lap, greeting him with kisses that soon led to him forgetting the list he was struggling with? As he threaded his fingers through my hair, gave a rough tug, and deepened the kiss, the only thought running through my head was that Raleigh and I were very, very good pets.
10
DADDY DORIAN
Phoenix was at the door with Murry and Raleigh when I pulled up behind the strip club to pick them up, pleased that they had been able to rearrange their schedule so they could attend the Murder Mystery Night supper theater with me. Unfortunately, it had meant that they’d worked until closing the night before, after swapping places with other dancers, but I knew this would be a treat for them and something they’d never had the opportunity to experience before.
In time, I hoped to broach the subject with them about how much they made dancing at the club and if the contracts I’d offered them were sufficient to replace that income, because I really wanted them working exclusively with me. Of course, I’d also love to one day have them moved in and living in the loft too, but I was waiting for the right clues before approaching them about it.
Hell, who was I kidding? If things trended the way they’d done so far, they’d be the ones to bring up our living arrangements long before I sussed out whether or not they were ready to discuss it yet.
I grinned as they hugged Phoenix, then rushed for the car, giggling as they piled in one after the other, instead of using different doors. It didn’t bother me that they chose to buckle themselves in the back together, though it did make me feel a bit like a ride-share driver about to ferry two gorgeous young men to the site of a wonderful evening one of them had planned.
Hmmm.
I loved a bit of roleplaying, and now that the thought had popped into my head, I wasn’t about to let it go. I would definitely be setting up a scenario sometime in the near future where the pair would be treated to a healthy dose of flirting from their rideshare driver. And hopefully end with a steamy encounter where we debauched every inch of the car, inside and out. I grinned as thoughts of what we could get up to in the warehouse garage flitted through my mind as they started firing off questions at me about my evening.
“One at a time, boys; we’ve got a short drive, so I might not be able to fill you in on everything that took place until we get back to the loft later.”
“Did you finally narrow down the list, Daddy?” Raleigh asked, cutting off Murry’s attempt to repeat the question he’d asked.
“I did indeed,” I said. “There will be eight this time, thanks to you little imps.”
Raleigh squealed, bouncing in his seat as much as the seatbelt would allow him to. “Does that mean you are going to make imp gear?”
“Indeed it does,” I said. “Thank you again for your suggestion and your advice, Murry, about putting a poll up on the websiteto get my clients to help narrow down the list when I couldn’t manage on my own.”
“How’d it turn out?” Murry asked.
