Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Eric

I didn’t know what came over me, but the need to press Riley’s buttons was driving me crazy.

That little ‘ yes, Daddy,’ was so easy to pull out of him, it was practically like taking candy from a baby.

Not to mention it had me harder than a slab of fucking marble.

The man was damn near salivating for some heavy praise, someone to take control and just...

Take it easy, Eric.

You just met the guy.

If you want things to be different, you need to take it slow.

Otherwise, we might blow more than just Professor Good Boy’s mind.

I pulled up to the parking lot of Wizard’s Arcade & Grille, more than happy to have finally arrived. No sooner had I parked, was I out of the car.

I’d had every intention of opening Riley’s door, like a fucking gentlemen , if only to show off that I too, could be prince charming.

I mean, my handle is Prince Ayric.

The slamming of the passenger door alerted me, and I nearly jumped, realizing he’d beaten me to it.

“An arcade?” he asked, almost as if he didn’t believe it.

“Yeah... I mean, I did say we were going to be playing games,” I said, noting the awe in his eyes.

I watched as Riley slid his hands into his pockets, turning toward me with a soft expression.

“I mean, I haven’t been to an arcade since I was like, ten. I didn’t even know these places still existed.”

I nodded for him to follow me, feeling a bit pumped up at the moment that I’d chosen this place.

I had entertained the idea of taking him out to one of the many clubs in the city, but I wasn’t sure how Mr. Perfect would react to shots and thumping bass for our first date, especially if he’d been on a strict curfew for awhile.

Not to mention, this isn’t a date .

But even though I knew that, I couldn’t help but let my fantasy build.

Maybe I wished it was.

God, I am so fucking off kilter today.

Well, technically ever since yesterday.

“Come on then, Cinderella. The ball awaits.”

Inside Wizard’s, the place was split into two sides. One side was lined with aqua leather booths and purple, mauve, and beige retro tables, white and mint green checkered floors giving the place a full on 50’s meets 90’s vibe. Combined with the sci-fi looking lamps and framed posters everywhere, it reminded me a lot of the mall I used to frequent as a kid.

On the other side of the grille was where all the fun happened. Rows and rows of arcade cabinets, pinball machines, and various dance machines brightly blinked and chirped, and there was even a console room with everything you could imagine if you wanted to have some more intimate one-on-one combat on the blow up neon furniture, or if you had a fantasy about getting caught with more than just your joystick in your hand.

I shook the dirty thoughts from my mind. I really was out of sorts.

I’d discovered this place when I did a photoshoot with Jordan and Sticky for the Jasper Springs Hotties calendar a few years back. Sticky ended up sick, and so, naturally, he called me in as his replacement, which was fine. It wasn’t like I had anything going on anyway.

All that aside though, I’d come to be a bit of a fan of the place, and tried to come as often as I could, just to get away from the bullshit. All the marketing, the promotion, the planning of content on TikTok as well as my OF, the varied side gigs—like calendars and online boutiques among other things— sometimes, it was just nice to leave all of that shit at the door and just play some fucking games and overdose on sugar.

“Wow,” Riley said, freezing in his spot, his gaze darting around the room taking it all in.

“You know if you actually want to have fun, you’re going to have to move past the entryway,” I taunted him, but I couldn’t help but feel a warmth in my body at the way his lips curled in happiness, or the way his eyes sparkled like Willy Wonka had just given him the damn golden ticket.

“Right, I’m sorry?—”

“Hey,” I said, grabbing him by the arm, pulling him toward me. Riley followed my lead without question, and I couldn’t deny how nice it was, his implicit trust.

But I stilled my own desires, instead choosing to focus on the task—and the man—at hand.

“Don’t apologize,” I said, dropping his arm.

Riley’s dark eyes gazed down at me as he pursed his lips, nodding.

“I get that this is all a lot probably, but just know as long as you’re with me, you don’t need to explain shit. Just do what feels natural. Have fucking fun , and don’t over think shit, okay?”

I wanted to touch him, to grab his hips and settle my hand at his back, dig my fingers into his skin.

But I knew I needed to take things slow and easy. I didn’t want things to be awkward between us, not this fast.

Because honestly, I liked him. Something about his Sunday School-Sweet-As-Pie Professor vibe was really fucking doing it for me, and I didn’t just want to play with him like a pristine GI Joe.

I wanted him to like me. I wanted him to want to take me to the wedding, and maybe I wanted him to think I was more than just some guy he met in a bar who lost a bet. Maybe I wanted to be Cinderella, for once.

I couldn’t explain where these strange ideas or feelings were coming from, so instead of delving into a spiral, I gently pressed my hand to his back, urging him on.

“Well, big boy, it’s your party, so pick the first game,” I said as I queued up the QR code on my phone.

I’d been a VIP at Wizards for a little over two years and had accumulated way more credits than I’d ever use.

Guess I finally found a good use for them.

Riley walked through the aisles, and I followed, watching as the neon glow lit him up like some lost character from Tron.

Finally, after walking around for what felt like ten minutes, he stopped, pointing toward the center of the arcade room in the round robin.

“That one,” he said nodding to the large, three paneled screen of Pac Man.

“Pac Man, really? That’s what you’re going with?” I asked, surprised he would have gone for the digital version and not the vintage cabinet a few rows over.

“What’s—”

I shot him a glance, reminding him there was no apologies here.

“Yes, that is my choice,” he said, like a petulant teenager.

His tone was so perfectly bratty, I had to put my fist in my damn mouth just to still the twitch in my palm, the overwhelming desire to bend him over the player console and smack the attitude right out of him.

I bet he’d like it too.

“All right then,” I said as I scanned my QR code for credit, and he took his stance.

“I’m going to get us some drinks,” I said as he used the touch pad to make the little yellow guy chomp his way through the little blinking circles.

I watched the faint muscles in his forearm tighten as he tapped the buttons with precision and quickness.

“Sounds good,” he said, flashing a smile as he focused on the screen.