Chapter Twelve | Daniel

Ethan wove his fingers with mine as we approached the gay bar I knew existed but had never ventured anywhere near. Loud pop music pumped through the doorway. The atmosphere as we stepped inside was energetic; many people dressed in rainbow colours. Pride was in full swing with LGBTQ+ flags everywhere. The bar was dimly lit and cozy. Not too big; all wood beams and railings, and a bar front-and-centre. It was a surprisingly comfortable feeling to be there.

Ethan squeezed my hand.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Ethan nudged me and waved at two men on the far side of the space. He guided me across the room, weaving through servers being run off their feet.

The two men stood, their expressions ones of joy. These men loved Ethan. It was evident in the way they launched into laughing and hugging one another.

Ethan tugged on my arm. "Daniel, this is Liam."

"Liam." I shook his hand. He was even more stunning than Ethan had described. He was wearing a pink tank top that showed off his muscular tanned shoulders and firm biceps. Perfect pecs from what I could see. Sexy and gorgeous, with perfectly arranged features, and startling blue eyes, his blond hair cascading to the base of his elegant neck.

Wow.

He leaned toward my ear. "Nice to meet you, Daniel." Even Liam's voice was sultry .

And damn if he didn't smell good too.

"And this is Owen." I redirected my attention to the other man at the table. He was handsome in a conventional way. Wavy ginger hair with neatly trimmed stubble. He looked like a real estate agent. He had a professional air about him. This was Ethan's best friend.

"It's nice to meet you, Owen."

"We've heard so—about you," Owen said, releasing my hand, and retaking his seat. "Ethan—on and on." I had to lean forward. I could barely hear Owen over the volume of the music. "Feels like—know—already. Sounds—treating our—good."

I pieced together what I thought Owen said.

"I only want what's best for him," I projected atop the music. How was anyone supposed to have a conversation in here? I looked around. Everyone else seemed to be faring all right.

"Then we'll … well," Liam replied.

What?

The server arrived at our table and squatted down beside it, making it easier to hear them.

"What can I get you two?"

"Do you mind if I order?" Ethan shouted at me.

"Go ahead." I liked it when he ordered for me. He was getting to know my favourites, but he often pushed me to try new things.

"Two grapefruit mimosas and two smoked salmon bennies, please."

"Perfect." The server moved to the other end of the table and took Liam's and Owen's orders. Once they left, Owen leaned on the table toward me. "Ethan says you—kids."

I nodded. "I do."

The music switched to a quieter song .

"What do they do for a living?" I guess Ethan had already told them about my boring accounting job. Not sure why Owen was interested in my children's careers.

"My son, Derek, is an accountant like me. Sarah manages a childcare centre."

"And they're our age," Liam prompted.

I could see now where this was going. "Younger by a few years."

Owen motioned between Ethan and me with his finger. "Is this going to be a problem for your kids?" Ethan groaned and grabbed Owen's finger, then scowled at him.

"Owen … stop."

"No," Liam said. "This is important."

I decided to be truthful. "It might be a problem."

"And how—going—handle that?" asked Owen. A loud pounding section of the quiet song fired up. I could only make out every second word, but the question was clear. Owen wanted to know if I was going to dump Ethan and break his heart if my kids disapproved of our relationship.

I was on a knife's edge with that possibility. I loved my kids and would never want to upset them but my feelings for Ethan were intense—soul deep. I couldn't imagine ever hurting him.

"I'm going to be honest … I don't know."

Ethan set his open hand on the table, and I lay mine in it. He knew how difficult telling my family was going to be for me. He'd taken the step to tell his parents about me a few days ago. It had gone well. They'd accepted his relationship with an older man. I wasn't sure I'd be as lucky.

I could see the words etched into Owen's eyes. Don't you dare hurt him .

The drinks arrived, then the food. We didn't stay on the topic that had made the entire table uncomfortable. Instead, we were soon amid the talents of one Charlotte Dubois. A fabulous and beautiful drag queen. I hadn't expected the show to be so energetic. Talking a blue streak until we were crying with laughter, dancing like a queen possessed, and lip-syncing to raucous tunes. Doing leaps in the air ending in splits on the floor. And performing something called a death drop.

Two more performers joined the show as well. Just as talented and amusing. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I was glad Ethan had suggested it. We lingered outside after the show.

Ethan linked his hand with mine.

"I need to get back to work," he said to the group.

"I have some paperwork to catch up on," said Owen as he moved to hug Ethan. I released Ethan's hand so he could give his best friend a proper hug. Owen kissed him on the cheek and whispered something to Ethan that made Ethan smile and hug Owen tighter.

"I'm going back in to snag Charlotte," Liam said to me. "It was great meeting you … finally. Ever since you two met over half a year back, Ethan has been going on about you."

My eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"From the first day he sat down with you at the coffee shop."

Ethan swatted Liam's arm. "Stop telling Daniel my secrets."

A bit numb, I wandered through the hugs with both Owen and Liam. Registering that them wanting to embrace me meant I'd passed the first round of tests but being distracted by the fact that Ethan had been telling his friends about me for longer than I'd imagined.

We walked hand in hand to the parking garage.

"Hey, I have a question," Ethan said as we slipped into my car.

"Anything." And I meant it. Aside from my history with my parents, the man could ask me anything and I would expose every recess of my being to answer him honestly. "What do you need to know?"

He chewed on his bottom lip as he studied me. I had no idea what he was looking for. "Would you go to Noah and Brody's wedding with me as my plus one?" He took a deep breath. He had more to say. He smoothed his hand onto my thigh. "It's over two months away and we haven't been going out that long. I'd understand if you feel uncomfortable committing, but I was hoping—"

"Yes." I stroked his cheek. "The answer is yes . I'll be your plus one."

Two months away. Ethan was making plans for two months away with me. The comfort that brought me made me feel giddy. I felt more like his boyfriend than I had done yet.

We were really doing this.

Ethan smiled at me. "Suddenly, I don't feel like going back to work."

"Mm." I ran my hand between his thighs. "What were you thinking?"

"Can we go back to your place?"

"I'm nearly deaf." I caressed his thickening dick. "You'll need to be loud so I can hear you."

Ethan laughed. "Are you planning on making me scream, Mr. Gregory?"

"Hard and long until your throat is sore." I squeezed his thigh and started the car.

"You make me purr like a kitten," Ethan said against my cheek and whispered a kiss onto it. He cupped my hard cock with his hand. "I like to drag my nails down your back as you fuck me."

I grinned. "Consider me your very own sexual scratching post."

Ethan licked my earlobe and pulled on it with his teeth. "I'm going to cum so hard for you. "

A shiver of intense lust started deep in my groin and ended in my fingertips as I clutched the steering wheel and tried not to get so distracted that I forgot the way home.

We arrived safely, Ethan practically sitting in my lap, the front of my shirt open, my nipples as hard as pellets; my chest covered in goosebumps, and the button of my shorts popped.

Ethan had withdrawn my cock in the car, stroking it.

Seriously. I'd nearly crashed.

Sandals off, we rushed for the bedroom, removing our clothes on the way. Ethan brushed his fingers across my lips and then dropped to his knees. I jammed my hand into his hair as he ran his tongue around my glans and teased more precum from my slit, sipping and sucking. He held my cock in one hand and licked all up and down my shaft, then sucked my length into his mouth.

His other hand grasped my thigh as he bobbed on my dick, moaning and slurping until my need for him turned to desperation. I guided him to his feet and toward the bed.

He flopped down on his back, his head on a pillow, looking up at me with such affection and excitement in his eyes. I grabbed him behind the knees and bent him in half, his ass in the air.

I'd been apprehensive the first time I ate his ass. Now, it was one of my favourite places to be. I dove in, licking and sucking his clenching hole until it calmed. Ethan held his legs so I could slip a finger inside him. I was fascinated to watch as it disappeared into him. Withdrawn, I wet my finger and pressed it back into the warmth. Ethan swore, clenching the sheets, and squirmed.

I needed to hear him sing.

"Louder."

"Fuck, yeah," Ethan shouted and tipped his head back. "Fuck me with your fingers."

I spat at his hole and added a second finger .

"That's it … spit in my hole."

I pumped faster, leading to a string of curse words from Ethan. With the odd yeah, baby thrown in as he clenched my shoulder. He dug his fingers in, crying for more, but the more I thrust into him, the more his thighs began quivering. I needed to change his position.

I directed him onto his stomach and slapped his ass, making it jiggle.

I loved the seductive jiggle of his ass. My hands clamped on his ass cheeks, I continued my dive within his crease, piercing his hole with my tongue; his muscle soft and swollen for me.

He pulled his knees under him and swayed his back, tipping his ass up; his hole perfectly presented for me. My cock pulsed and ached—tight. Our supplies were still on the beside table from the last time Ethan was here. Condom on and my dick slicked up, I poked some of the lube into his hungry hole. Ethan clung to his pillow. "Yeah, baby … fuck me with that big dick."

I loved Ethan's dirty mouth.

With words. On my lips. On my cock.

Everywhere.

I gripped a handful of his hair, pulled his face away from the pillow, creating an even more perfect crescent with his body, and thrust into him without stopping, making him wail.

"Yeah, baby. Pull my hair … fuck me hard."

I drilled into him until the room filled with sound. Groaning, Swearing. Skin making contact with skin, jarring flesh. And the scent of two men in the throes of carnality.

It was glorious.

I stilled my hips. "Fuck yourself on me." I slapped his ass. He bounced back against my thighs. Then slammed against me faster and faster until he was screaming my name .

I put my hand between his shoulder blades to stop him, slipped my cock free of his body, and whipped off the condom. My dick in hand, stroking hard, I came all over Ethan's hole.

It was perfectly decorated.

I used my finger to gather and push my cum inside him.

"Yes, baby," Ethan whispered. "Feed my hole."

"Mm." I played with his wet, gaping ring, dipping in and out. "Which one?"

Ethan looked over his shoulder at me and licked his lips.

Oh, hell yes.

With my fingers covered in cum, I painted his lips. He opened his mouth, and I slipped my fingers inside, met by his greedy tongue. My dick twitched as Ethan sucked on them.

He fluttered his lashes at me.

And moaned.

The man knew how to play. To tease my cock into recovering. No sooner had I crested than I wanted him again. First things first. I flipped him over onto his back.

I was frantic to taste him.

To have him spill on my tongue.

Then I would kiss him, enraptured by the shared taste of him, and we'd cling to one another, whispering words of affection until our skin lit up again, hands wandering.

Sleep would eventually take us.

Deep sublime slumber.

With the man of my dreams in my arms.

I bent down and hauled on the edge of the couch, trying to straighten it. Sarah stood back from what I was doing, assessing the latest placement of the large piece of furniture.

"A bit to the right," she said. "It's not centered on the wall."

I tugged it half an inch toward me.

"Perfect. "

Oh, thank God.

I straightened up, my hand on my lower back. We had rearranged Sarah's entire living room and the den which was now an office. She had put me to work this morning as soon as I arrived. These spurts of rearranging weren't unusual for my daughter. A slight quirk of hers.

"All right, lunch," she announced.

"I'm starting with a cold beer." I stumbled exhausted to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of IPA, and plunked myself at the dining table. "Do you need any help?"

"Nope. Just doing sandwiches." Sarah began lifting ingredients out of the fridge and arranging them on the counter. She hadn't asked me about Ethan yet. I was waiting for it.

"So … elephant in the room," she said as she buttered the bread.

And here we go.

"Derek told me you're dating a man?"

Mustard.

"I am."

She looked over her shoulder at me. "Since when are you bisexual?"

Turkey slices and cheese.

"I've always been bisexual. I met your mom in high school, so I never had the opportunity to explore that part of my sexuality. I would have dated men too in university otherwise."

"This isn't some kind of experiment?"

Slicing tomatoes.

I laughed. "Definitely not. I'm all in with Ethan."

"Tell me about him."

"Every time he smiles at me it just about knocks me on my ass. And he's generous and kind." I smiled. "Playful and incredibly intelligent. And beautiful. He takes my breath away. "

She tore some lettuce and arranged it on the three sandwiches, then closed them up.

"Is it serious?"

I nodded. "We're officially boyfriends now."

Sarah smiled at me. "Does that mean you're exclusive?"

Ethan and I hadn't stopped to define the parameters of our relationship. There should be a discussion about that soon. "It's new. We haven't talked about it yet."

"So … you might not be?"

"I would be open to the idea of it being well … open."

Sarah cut each sandwich in half. "I find that surprising considering you tied yourself solely to Mom for twenty-two years." She set a plated sandwich in front of me. "It was just her, right?"

I waved her away. "Yes, of course." I gave some thought to what I wanted to say. "It's different with Ethan. He's such a free spirit. I'd hate to strap him down and restrain him for myself alone."

"It wouldn't bother you if he was with other men?"

"No." I was not going to share with my daughter that the thought of my boyfriend with other men turned me on.

"Lunch!" Sarah shouted down the hallway.

Damian came trotting into the room, took a seat, and set in on his sandwich.

"What does he do for work?" Sarah asked.

"Mm." I tucked the square of paper towel Sarah had provided into my collar. "He owns a coffee shop a block from where I used to work. That's how I met him."

"You saw him across the room and knew?"

"He asked to sit with me."

Sarah chewed away and then swallowed. "Forward."

"Ethan isn't shy." In many respects. Not only was he playful, but he was also cheeky and fun. The crazy shirts and socks. The lace panties. The way he sometimes called me Daddy .

I wanted to climb inside him and live there forever.

"Does Mom know?"

"I asked Derek not to tell her. I'll ask you the same. I'll tell her when I'm ready."

As we ate, Damian chatted about his new best friend, Brandon. The boy he had bullied at school because of his long hair. Now he liked Brandon's hair. Said it was soft and silky to touch. Also, he liked when Brandon talked because he had nice pink lips.

There was a silent knowing exchange between Sarah and me.

We smiled at each other and then finished our lunch.

When I arrived home, I sat in my car and retrieved my phone from my pocket. It had dinged while I was at Sarah's. I had looked briefly but quickly realized it was more pictures.

Of Ethan—in the photoshoot.

Carlos must have sent Ethan more.

I had tucked my phone away. Now, I wanted to see them. Each picture was more gorgeous than the last. Nude in a bed of white sheets. His eyes hooded as he licked his lips. Begging to be fucked. I'd seen that look many times. My heart fluttered a little as I realized he'd been looking down the lens at Carlos that way. That maybe he hadn't simply been posing.

My cock throbbed.

I scrolled through more until I came across one of Ethan with who must be Carlos. The man was Latin and sultry. Dark delicate features and flawless caramel skin.

He looked like pure sex. Ready to be licked all over.

Against the backdrop of a chic loft space, Ethan was nude, and Carlos had his arm around Ethan's waist; both smiling and happy .

How had Ethan managed to resist him? Why was he with someone like me? I didn't look anywhere near as tempting as Carlos. I was a middle-aged, soft, boring accountant with an ex-wife and two grown children. Not beautiful and exciting like the pair looking out from the photo.

I scrolled back through the pictures, feelings of inadequacy flooding every system in my body. I realized; it wasn't just a matter of having an open relationship with Ethan so he could sleep with someone like Carlos. Ethan should be with someone like Carlos.

Not be stuck with me.

My heart sank a little.