Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Panic coursed through me again. I was alone with a room full of strangers; big, buff strangers. One of whom had already threatened to put his boot in my ass. But they were all smiling at me now, which put my nerves at ease.
“So Asher, what do you do for a living?” Grady asked.
Well, shit. My nerves skyrocketed again at the prospect of telling the group that I was an unemployed loser. “I’m actually…between jobs right now. I worked in the sanitation department, but my company got bought out and I was laid off.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hunter offered. He sounded sincere and without judgment, but I couldn't help but feel inadequate.
“So…I hear that you guys own a nightclub,” I said, shifting the focus from myself.
“We own several businesses together,” Felix corrected. “Nine to be exact, but Pride Place is our most lucrative venture, and definitely our most fun.”
“That’s great that you enjoy your work so much,” I offered.
“My Brandon has a very special job he enjoys,” Talon cut in proudly. When I raised my brows in question, he added, “He’s a very talented artist who makes comic books. Just yesterday, he was approached by several publishing companies who want to represent him.”
“That’s amazing,” I replied, and Talon nodded in agreement. I looked at a blushing Brandon and told him, “I read all kinds of comic books when I was growing up. I’d love to see your work sometime.”
“I’ll get it!” Talon insisted as he popped out of his seat before running out of the room. His friends good-naturedly chuckled at his excitement until he returned with a large cardboard box, which he placed on the table in front of me.
I reached into the box and lifted out a laminated, hand-drawn copy of a book titled, “The Adventures of Zero: Volume 1.” I flipped through the pages, smiling at the story of an outcast and his animal companions. “Do you write the words as well as draw the pictures?” Brandon nodded and I complimented, “That’s very impressive.” Talon thumped me on the back in thanks.
“He’s working on a book now which features all of us,” Grady added with a grin. “He’s drawing us each as an animal he feels represents us.”
“Being immortalized in a comic book is the most awesome thing I can imagine,” I replied seriously.
With a shy smile, Brandon told me, “I’d love to draw you in the book too. I’ll need a little more time to decide on your animal, but I want to include the whole family.”
I could practically hear all of the hearts melting around the table, including mine. I could tell instinctually that Brandon was a kind and genuine person. So why the hell was I feeling uneasy?
It took only a moment of inward reflection to figure it out; these men were accepting me so easily, even opening their home and counting me as family. But they didn’t know me. They didn’t know I lived in a tiny place with barely a dime to my name.
What if Brandon did draw me, only for Cedric to get tired of me? What if I disappointed him? Then I’d be in a book as a permanent reminder of my failure. I could ruin something that Brandon - that everyone - enjoyed.
These men were successful, wealthy, and talented. They’d built a home with their bare hands and I could barely do minor home repairs. They’d turned hobbies into mind-blowing careers, and there was nothing special about me. Some boyfriend I was, let alone a Dom; Cedric needed someone to take care of him, and any one of these men would do a better job than I could.
What could I offer? A good time in bed? Cedric deserved so much more than that; he deserved everything. In the short time I’d known him, he’d shown me more kindness than anyone I’d ever met. He was beautiful, sweet, thoughtful, non judgemental…he was perfect. I was developing fast, deep feelings for him, but how could I ever satisfy someone so incredible?
A melodious call of, “Here we go,” drifted through the room when Cedric reappeared, carrying a tray of sandwiches. “I know it’s nothing fancy, but I didn’t want to stay away from my Asher too long.” My heart leapt and squeezed from my man’s sweetness.
Talon removed the box of comics from the center of the table and Cedric replaced it with the platter. Enzo reached for a sandwich, but Cedric slapped his hand away.
“My man gets first pick,” Cedric insisted. With a kind smile at me, he added, “Go ahead, Daddy.” I gave a quick peek around the table to see if anyone would tease us for the name use, but nobody seemed bothered.
Once I took a sandwich from the top of the pile, Cedric announced, “Okay, go crazy,” and the group did just that. They grabbed two or three sandwiches at a time and began munching down ravenously. Cedric sighed. “It makes my heart so happy.”