10. Paolo

The days after discovering Tommy's predilection for lingerie flew by as far as Paolo was concerned. The hard spanking seemingly did its job to perfection and Tommy arrived early for each and every training session from that point onward.

Not only was Tommy on time, but he had far more focused approach.

It wasn't that Tommy hadn't been trying previously, but something must have clicked inside him, and Paolo was very happy with the results.

But with academy work wrapped up for the week, Paolo was ready for a little rest and relaxation with his fellow Daddy friends. As he walked down the busy evening street toward the bar, Paolo paused for a moment and took his cell phone out from inside his tailored jacket and fired off a message to Tommy…

PAOLO: Just wanted to say that I was very impressed with your work this week. Keep at it. You've set the standard now, so from here on out I'm expecting only the best. Now… relax and have some fun. I'll see you on Monday.

Paolo smiled and put his phone back inside his jacket. He could have waited to send the message, but Paolo didn't want the other guys to see that he was in contact with the boy outside of academy hours.

The truth was that they all knew that there was something brewing between him and the boy, but Paolo being Paolo he was determined to keep as much of the situation as close to his chest as he possibly could. And with the likes of Taine and Bear ready to drop their harshest banter on him, Paolo was all for limiting their ammunition as much as he possibly could.

And with that in mind, Paolo stepped into the busy bar and made his way toward the table at the back that had already been commandeered by his friends.

‘Well look who decided to show!' Taine laughed, clearly already a few beers in.

‘Hey, go easy on the guy,' Bear replied. ‘It's not easy being in love.'

Paolo rolled his eyes and took his seat at the table.

‘Okay, so I assume we're all done?' Paolo said, a hint of a smile on his face. ‘I think what's in order here is a fresh round of drinks.'

Using a round of new beers as the perfect distraction, Paolo signaled over toward the bartender for the drinks. And due to their reputation at the bar, it wasn't long before the three Daddies were merrily sinking some of the city's finest imported beer.

‘So… any updates on that situation with Teale?' Bear asked, his square jaw and stubbly chin looking even more well defined than usual.

‘Nothing concrete,' Paolo replied, the beer's crisp taste proving the perfect complement to the big bowl of roasted nuts that had just been replenished.

‘Remember, we're here for you,' Taine added. ‘And just so you know, we've got an extra two Doni men on the door here tonight. Just in case.'

‘Fuck, Paolo Totti doesn't need men to protect him,' Bear roared. ‘It's the other way around!'

Paolo laughed.

It was great to see that his friends were there for him in both practical and more emotional ways. Bear and Taine were good men who carried themselves with honor and respect.

The reality was that Paolo couldn't say the same about Mick Teale.

While it was reassuring to know that there were two extra security men in the bar, Paolo still knew that Mick Teale could potentially be lurking around any corner. Teale was underhand, and always had been.

While Paolo always treated his victims with respect and dignity, Mick Teale did no such thing. In fact, Paolo had wondered whether the reason that he gradually overtook Mick as the go-to hitman was down to the fact that he was the more honorable of the two. But whatever the reason for it, Paolo knew that right now he was in a game of chess – and Teale was almost certainly not going to be playing by the rules.

However just as Paolo caught himself sinking into a spiraling pattern of thoughts about Teale, he decided to do something he'd never done before. It was time to open up to his friends…

‘Guys, can I run something past you?' Paolo asked, ready to ease his mental load.

‘Of course,' Taine replied. ‘Hell, anything to get us off the subject of Bear's latest gym PR.'

‘Hey, screw you!' Bear said, banging his fist on the table before bursting out in laughter. ‘Paolo, talk to us…'

It took a moment for Paolo to loosen up, but he began to tell the tale of the former boy who had quite literally stabbed him in the back. It felt strange to be talking out loud about a subject that he had buried in the deepest recesses of his psyche for so long, but soon enough Paolo could feel himself warming to the task…

‘And since that day, I just… I just didn't think I could trust again,' Paolo said. ‘And I made peace with it too. But since Tommy showed up…'

Taine and Bear nodded.

For all of their jokes and banter, they were great listeners, and it was clear that they were taking Paolo's story seriously. Both Taine and Bear told Paolo that if he felt like Tommy was the one to change his ways for, then he should absolutely follow his heart.

Paolo listened as his two friends talked about their own experiences candidly and with wit and warmth. It felt good. In fact, it felt great.

And with perfect timing, just as the conversation was wrapping up, the familiar faces of Jack Steel, Connor Valley, and Alex Rebrov walked in. Three Ice Bears legends and even better Daddies on top of that…

‘Okay, let's get this party started,' Connor roared, immediately fist bumping Paolo, Bear, and Taine.

With the mood upbeat and Paolo feeling good for having spoken about his feelings toward Tommy, the evening was looking up. And with plenty of time until closing, Paolo had a feeling that he might well be nursing a sore head come the following morning…

‘Urgh, I knew that shot wasn't a good idea,' Paolo said, rubbing his forehead and grimacing as him and his Daddy friends walked down the street.

It was 8:30AM and the men had hit the town all the way through the night and then into the morning too. But with sore heads and a desire for some much needed caffeine and food into their systems, there was only one place they were heading…

‘Met Milkshakes?' Paolo asked, disbelievingly.

‘Yup, best damn black coffee and pretzels in the city,' Jack said, flashing his trademark smile. ‘Trust me on this. I called ahead, Silas knows we're coming. The coffee will be extra black and the pretzels extra salty too.'

‘That does sound good,' Paolo said, a wry smile on his face as the prospect of sinking a black coffee appealed more than it ever had done before.

And Silas certainly hadn't been lying when he said that he was ready for the Daddy's to descend on his café. As Paolo and his friends walked in, they were met by the sight of large cups, piping hot coffee, and the biggest stack of pretzels imaginable.

‘Damn, they look good,' Connor said, standing side by side with Bear. ‘But where are the rest of your guys' pretzels?'

Connor and Bear laughed and immediately began to tuck into the pretzels, showing absolutely no remorse as they grabbed way more than was polite.

‘Don't worry, I predicted this,' Silas laughed, pointing the remaining Daddies in the direction of another booth that was loaded with pretzels, donuts, and some protein cookies. ‘You know you can always rely on Met Milkshakes for your post-party needs.'

As Paolo took a much needed seat and began to slurp on his coffee, he felt his head slowly begin to clear. Despite not having initially planned to stay out anywhere near as late, Paolo had undoubtedly had a great time.

It was nice to spend some time with the Ice Bears players too, getting to know them on a deeper level. Paolo and Alex Rebrov had even swapped sniping stories. It turned out that as well as being a lethal finisher on the ice, Alex was equally adept when it came to taking out a human target from distance or up close.

‘Damn, I needed this,' Paolo said, refilling his coffee and taking a moment to allow the rich aroma to rise into his nose. ‘I need an early fucking night tonight though, that's for sure.'

‘Tell me about it,' Alex replied, still looking as suave as ever despite the dark circles that were developing under his eyes after the night's festivities.

But just as both men were about to savor their refilled coffees, chaos descended on Met Milkshakes.

‘Here come the Littles,' Connor bellowed, his several pretzels seemingly have reenergized him. ‘May the Lord have mercy on us all!'

Paolo watched and waited as the Ice Bears Littles eagerly made their way into the café, accompanied too by Harry, Silas' boy. And just as he was about to give up hope on seeing Tommy, the boy in question bounded in alongside Olivier.

‘Hey,' Paolo said, nodding in Tommy's direction and making eye contact with the boy.

‘Hey,' Tommy replied, smiling sweetly and looking cute in his pastel blue t-shirt.

The moment might have only lasted a second or two, but it felt like a lifetime. The electricity between Paolo and Tommy was real. Paolo could feel it, and he was sure that Tommy could too.

Paolo wanted nothing more than to take Tommy into his arms and give him the biggest, warmest hug. He wanted to do more than that too. Way more. But before temptation could take complete control of him, Paolo's hopes were dashed as he watched Tommy and the other boys giddily make their way out of the main café area and into the private playroom.

Paolo watched on ruefully as the door shut behind the Littles, the sound of their laughter fading to silence as quickly as it burst into the café a few short moments ago.

Tommy's special.

I can't deny it to myself anymore.

I'm ready to be a Daddy, but is the boy truly ready for me?

Paolo was just about ready to finish off his coffee and trudge home. But before he could do that, he felt Taine's arm wrap around his shoulder…

‘Come on, let's hit the playroom,' Taine said, a big smile on his face. ‘Trust me, the best way to beat a hangover is being in the same room as half a dozen over-excited Littles.'

‘You're kidding me, right?' Paolo scoffed.

‘Kind of, but also kind of not,' Taine said. ‘And the only way you're going to find out for sure is by moving that deadly sniper's ass of yours with me.'

‘Hell, what do I have to lose,' Paolo said, breaking out into a smile.

For a man who was known for nerveless killing and dead eyed professionalism, Paolo suddenly felt a surge of nerves coming over him. This felt like a big moment. Tommy would be in there, and he'd be at his most natural, relaxed, and Little self. Paolo knew that if there was any chance of being the boy's Daddy then this could well be the first true step in that direction.

Suddenly the stakes felt a lot higher than they might have done.

Typically, Paolo approached every mission with preparation, assessment, and analysis. This was no such situation. This was a whole other thing.

But Paolo felt ready to let his inhibitions go and dive right on in…