Hear Me, Daddy: Rainbow Room Book 2 Read online

  Auntie: You’re smart enough to use Google or Wikipedia if you want to know something about Europe, sweetie.

  Auntie: So, what is this week’s excuse for staying home and not going.

  Me: Who said I’m not going? It’s only 4 pm here.

  Auntie: I’m going to call Des at seven sharp, and if you’re not there, I’ll have him come get you.

  Grrrr. Why is she always bothering me about this?

  Deep down, I guess I understood why she pushed me. She thought I might find my Daddy and get to have a family of my own. Like she did. To make a long story short, my aunt wasn’t always my aunt. A long time ago, in a different life, she was Uncle Andrew. My family said he was dead, and I believed it. When I was fourteen, I learned the truth. Andrew was not dead, and he left our family to be himself—to be Ava. She had started a new life in New York, and the people of the Rainbow Room were a part of that family. They had been there for her, supported her through the hard times of becoming Ava, and became her new family.

  Even though I knew all this, I couldn’t bring myself to go to Daddies and Littles night. Auntie thought that I would find my Daddy there, but I knew better. No, Daddy would ever be able to accept all my issues.

  Some Daddies loved diapers, but only to pretend play. They didn’t want to deal with them all the time because of a medical condition. A Daddy would like to interact with their Boy, to communicate with them. My main form of communication was sign language and finding a Daddy who knew sign language? Ha. Good luck with that. It would be easier to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Or a unicorn. Well, I could read lips, too. I could talk, I just didn’t like to. Because I couldn’t hear my voice, I never knew if my voice was too loud or too soft. So, I stopped talking to strangers.

  I looked around my open floor plan apartment. After I sold the rights for one of my thrillers, I went out and bought this run-down warehouse in Queens and remodeled the top floor. What I had created here was fun, and so my style. Not only because of the open space and the view across the river and Manhattan, but also because I could express myself. The true me in all my goofy glory with my toys scattered all over the place, and my coloring books laid out on the coffee table. The whole place was colorful and bright. There were stuffies scattered on my comfy sofa, and my best pictures hung on the walls. It was a perfect mix of my adult and Little sides. Ava didn’t mind it; neither did Owen. Those two were the only people who visited me. But I had no idea what a Daddy would think about it. Would it be too much for him?

  With a sigh, I turned back to my computer. Even if a Daddy didn’t mind how I lived, they might care that I lived like a hermit. Because of my issues, I rarely left my apartment. A new message from Ava interrupted my thoughts, and I sighed again.

  Auntie: Sweetie, I’m just doing this for your own good and because I love you. You deserve to be happy.

  Me: I am happy.

  Auntie: No, you’re not. You’re lonely. And don’t you dare lie to me, young man, or I’ll have Des spank your ass before he takes you out.

  Hesitation stopped me from answering, but then another message popped up.

  Auntie: Do it for me, sweetie. Just this once.

  Me: Will you let this go? Like forever, if I say yes. If I do this, you will never bring it up again?

  Auntie: Just one evening, Henry. Give it a chance. You might be surprised.

  Ha, I was pretty sure that she was wrong, and I would regret it. But I wouldn’t argue because I had found a way to prevent her from bringing this up again.

  Me: Fine. I’ll go. But just this once!

  Auntie: You’ll see, sweetie. You won’t regret it!

  Ha, I thought. But I kept that to myself, too.

  Me: I’m calling a cab—no need to have Des drive to Queens.

  Auntie: Let me know when you get there and get home then, so I know you’re safe.

  Me: I will.

  Auntie: Have fun, sweetie!!!

  Me: Yeah, sure.

  Auntie: Don’t start. Try to have fun. I want to hear all about it tomorrow.

  Me: Ok, Auntie. Love you. Bye.

  My eyes were going to fall out to the back of my head the way I rolled them. My auntie had become such a romantic since she found Miles. I turned off my computer. Fun. Ha. Fun was staying at home and playing with my toys or watching cartoons. Even coloring was more fun than going out. But I couldn’t back out now since I told her I would go, and I would follow through. After all, Ava had promised to leave me alone after one visit. That right there made the whole thing worth it.

  Three hours later, I found myself in a cab on my way to my evening of torture. Unfortunately, it took no time for the taxi to arrive at my destination. Sighing, I paid the driver on my phone, gave him an excellent review, and got out. Standing on the sidewalk, I looked up at the bright bar sign, I sighed. The Rainbow Room. Huh, it looked just like it did two years ago when we had Ava’s 50th birthday party here. Apart from pushing me to go to the Daddies and Littles evening, Ava occasionally asked to meet her here for dinner, but I always refused.

  Look at me now.

  Still standing outside, I texted Ava a message that I had arrived and got a heart emoji back in return, followed by three thumbs up. Rolling my eyes, I put my phone back in my pocket, took a deep breath, and opened the door. On Wednesdays, the bar was closed for normal customers, so there weren’t that many people. Actually, there were only four guests so far. Two Littles with their Daddies by the look of it, one of them was a skinny, young, dark-haired guy with a dark-skinned Daddy. The other one was a cute looking guy with light brown curls and dark-rimmed glasses. He sat on the lap of an older looking man, who smiled down at him.

  Swallowing, I watched them for a moment. My heart ached. The way they interacted and the way they looked at each other filled me with longing. The interaction between the two Littles spoke volumes. The one with the glasses stuck his tongue out at the other Little, and then they both laughed. Jealousy made my stomach churn. No. No, this was no fun at all. This was just shoving in my face what I would never have.

  I was leaving. Now. Rational thought fled. As I turned around, bam, I ran full speed into a substantial body. Blinking, I faced a broad chest. The owner of the said chest helped steady me before I could fall back on my ass. Damn. So much for my quiet flight. I looked up and blinked at my rescuer. He was maybe around forty, with dark hair and kind, brown eyes. Since I was only five-foot-three inches, Mr. Chest had to be at least five-foot-ten inches with a sleek athletic build. He looked like a perfect Daddy, but he had a worried look on his face. He must have said something and was concerned when I didn’t answer. I looked at his perfect set of lips.

  “Are you ok?”

  No, I was not ok and just realized that the universe hated me. First, it made me come here to witness how perfect the love between a Daddy and a Little was, and then I ran head-on into an ideal looking Daddy. A Daddy, I could never have. My eyes filled with tears, and I barely caught his lips moving again.

  “Oh, no, Little Boy. Don't cry. You're ok.”

  When he called me Little Boy, cue the waterworks, I started to sob. Unable to focus on his lips anymore, I didn’t catch what he was saying. Des was by my side in an instant, grabbing my chin gently and forcing me to look at him.

  “Henry, are you ok? What’s wrong?” Des signed. Typically, Des was all smiles and laughter, but now he looked scared. Oh, yeah. Ava had probably told him that I was coming over and to watch for me.

  “I want to go home.” My hands shook as I signed my response. Before Des could sign something in return, Mr. Perfect Daddy gently tapped my shoulder, and I gazed up at him.

  “Hi. My name is Caden.” He spelled out his name for me. My mouth dropped open. He knew sign language, and even his signing was perfect. “Is this your first time?”

  I nodded and just stared at him.

  “It’s scary, right?”

  I nodded, but scary wasn't even close to how I felt. It was terrifying and hurtful. But th
en Mr. Perfect Daddy, no, Caden smiled and handed me a hanky. Not a tissue. No, he gave me a real, classic white cloth hanky. It was soft, and I blew my nose. When I glanced back at him, he was smiling even wider. There was a problem with the hanky, though. I couldn't just put it in my pocket as I would have with a tissue. Caden seemed to sense my dilemma because he nodded at me.

  “Keep it. I have a drawer where they magically appear when I need one.”

  Caden winked, and I giggled. While I put it into my pocket, I gathered up all the courage I got and raised my hands.

  “How do you know how to sign?”

  “My sister was born deaf, so the whole family learned sign language.”

  Of course, that made sense since he was a Daddy; at least I thought he was a Daddy. He acted like a Daddy. With a confident posture and he took charge like a Daddy. Not to mention he carried a hanky. With all the research I did for my alter ego, Little Boy Blue, and about age play, I knew in my heart what a Daddy looked like and how he would act. The list of Daddy criteria had been building for years, and Caden was hitting all the marks so far.

  Not knowing what to say or do next, I glanced at Des. He stood a few feet away now and was watching us with a smile on his lips. When he caught me looking at him, he winked, nodded, and made a go on motion with his hands and walked away. Oh great.

  Thank you very much, Des. But that meant that Des thought I was in good hands with Caden. Des was a good judge of character, so if he told me to go on, I could trust him. Caden tapped my shoulder, and I looked up at him.

  “I know that it's scary to come here for the first time, especially for a Little. But this is a safe space, Henry. Can I make a suggestion?” he signed.

  I frowned but nodded.

  “Would you like to sit down with me and talk before we meet the others?”

  My mouth dropped open again when he said we, but before I could overthink it, I nodded. When I did, Caden’s face lit up.

  “Great.”

  When he held out his hand to me, I stared at it for a second. It was another Daddy move, and I loved it. But it also scared me. Because this couldn’t be real, someone like Caden must have a Boy. He was just too perfect to be alone. He playfully wiggled his fingers, and tentatively I reached out and took his hand. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. When I looked back up again, I caught something in his gaze. He looked like he was proud of me. Blushing, I let him lead me to a booth, just far enough away from the table with the two couples to have a bit of privacy. Caden stopped in front of the booth and turned, so I could see him signing again.

  “Sit down, and I will get us something to drink. Have you eaten?”

  “No. It doesn't make much sense to eat at home when you're visiting a bar at dinner time,” I signed back, and Caden tipped his head back, and it looked like he was laughing.

  “Fair enough. Would you like to have dinner with me then?”

  Blinking, I couldn't sign or even nod. Wondering why in the hell he would want to have dinner with me, I just stared at him.

  Didn’t he know I was not good enough? Wasn't there a Little Boy waiting for him? Didn’t he come here to have a fun night with his friends? Those questions tumbled in my brain.

  “You came here because you're a Little, right?” Caden signed. This time I was able to nod. “Then you know that Daddies mean what they say, and they don’t mess around. I will ask again. Would you like to have dinner with me, Henry?”

  “I’m broken,” I signed back out of instinct. It was a stupid answer, but it just popped out.

  “Why would you say that?” Caden signed back with a confused frown.

  “Because it’s the truth.” I swallowed hard and glanced at the door. I should make a break for it, but Caden stepped in front of me. When I looked up at him, I saw a raised eyebrow. “I’m broken, and Daddies don’t want broken Littles.”

  “How about you let me decide what I want,” Caden signed in a rush before he slowed down again. “Sit down, and I’ll get us something to drink and dinner. Then we’ll talk. Is there anything you are allergic to or things you don’t like?”

  “I don’t like fish, and I’m allergic to apples.” Caden smiled and nodded at me.

  “No apple juice and no fish then. I’ll be right back.”

  With that, Caden turned and walked over to the bar while I stared at his back. Who the hell was this guy? He was placing our order, so that would give me a chance to make a run for it. But instead of running, I sat down and waited for him to come back. Maybe this would work out.

  Chapter 2

  Caden

  It had been a tough day at the office, and all I wanted to do was go home, maybe have a drink, and fall into bed. But it was Wednesday, and I promised Jakob and Sam that I would meet them at the Rainbow Room tonight to discuss their new business idea. They wanted to go into business as private investigators and support the victims I represented. Both of them had recently quit their jobs, and honestly, I could use their help. Sam was a huge tech geek and could find out information on anybody. Hell, Sam could probably tell me who killed JFK if I asked him, not to mention Jakob was the best detective I had ever met.

  The case that sucked the life out of me today was about an abusive husband and his wife. The kicker was they had kids. The husband became even more of a dick when he got served divorce papers. Surprise. Surprise. It took all day to process the restraining order, and then find her and the kids a safe place for the night. It was so draining.

  I got home, showered, and changed before I got in my car again. Somedays, my life just sucked. Wake up in the morning, go to work. Then home to an empty apartment. To add a bit of variety, I visited my mom from time to time. To me, it sounded pathetic. Yeah, I was throwing myself a pity party. But that was my life; work, home, sleep, repeat. I loved my life, but I was not too fond of being alone.

  Taking care of people and victims at work was not enough to satisfy my Daddy personality. For goodness sake, I needed a Boy in my life that I could cherish and love. Recently I watched fellow Daddies find their Boys. First, Darrell found Josh, and then Jakob found Sam. Granted, Darrell and Josh had been a couple for years. But when Jakob found Sam, Josh and Darrell had begun hanging around the Rainbow Room more. Both couples were so disgustingly happy together that Des and I started to make gagging noises whenever they came to the Rainbow Room. But in my heart, I was incredibly jealous of them. Des played the fun uncle. Sometimes it seemed that he thrived on that attention and appeared happy. Not green with envy like I was.

  Trying to concentrate on why I was here instead of being the old, jealous Mister Scrooge was almost working. As I walked up the sidewalk from the parking lot towards the bar, I spotted him—a perfect Little. Or at least I assumed he was a Little. It was dangerous to make that assumption, but only Daddies and Littles made their way to the Rainbow Room on Wednesdays since it was closed to the public.

  He had just stepped out of a cab and stood on the sidewalk outside the Rainbow Room. Nervously he ran his hand through his unruly, blond curls. He looked up at the building like he was debating something. As he stood under the glowing lights of the bar, I noticed everything about him. My mind cataloged it all. He was shorter than me with a lean body, lovely blond curls, beautiful high cheekbones. Everything about him screamed Little to me. The way he held himself. The way he bit his lip while he stared at the entrance of the bar. Besides, he dressed like a Little. He was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and shorts, with light blue converse. Most would think that he was just geeky, but I knew better. Or maybe I’d spent too much time with Sam lately.

  It looked like he made a decision, and he made his way inside. Mesmerized, I followed him into the bar. As I entered the bar, he suddenly turned around and ran into me. For a long moment, he just stared at me, but then he seemed to be freaking out.

  “Are you ok?”

  No answer, and I frowned. He started to shake, and I could see tears in his beautiful, blue eyes. “Oh no, Little Boy. Don’t cry. You’re ok, nothing
happened.” That seemed to trigger full-on sobbing.

  Suddenly Des was at my side. He grabbed the guy’s chin and started to sign.

  “Henry, are you ok? What’s wrong?” Des signed. Oh, that was why he hadn’t reacted to my question. He was deaf. My heart went out to this poor guy or Boy. Henry. It was a sweet name.

  “I want to go home.” He was shaking as he signed his response.

  Before Des could sign something in return, I gently tapped his shoulder, and gazed down at him.

  I introduced myself and spelled out my name for him, and his mouth dropped open.

  “Is this your first time?”

  He nodded and just stared at me.

  “It’s scary, right?”

  He nodded at me. He had tears on his face, and it sounded like he needed a tissue. No self-respecting Daddy went anywhere without supplies, so I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hanky and handed it to him. He blew his nose, and I smiled at him. He looked torn about what to do with the soiled hanky.

  “Keep it. I have a drawer where they magically appear when I need one.” I winked, and he giggled.

  “How do you know how to sign?”

  “My sister was born deaf, so the whole family learned sign language.”

  He pushed all of my Daddy buttons, and I wanted to know everything about him. Who he was, what he wanted, how I could be the perfect Daddy for him? He still looked like he wanted to run, but I wanted to spend time getting to know him. So, I tried to reassure him.

  “I know that it's scary to come here for the first time, especially for a Little. But this is a safe space, Henry. Can I make a suggestion?” I signed.

  He frowned at me but nodded.

  “Would you like to sit down with me and talk before we meet the others?”

  He looked like he would fall over, and his mouth dropped open, but he nodded. Mentally I was pumping my fists in the air, and I knew I was smiling like a loon.