“It’s not Oscar,” August called back but didn’t offer an explanation. I knew he was still ambivalent about the lying and sneaking around.
“I need to go.” Guilt ate at me. “Because of your sexting, Declan now wants to see me in his office.”
He chuckled. “I’ll punish you for being distracted when you come by later. You will come by, right?”
I shouldn’t. I needed some space. And sleep. “Yeah, if you feed me.”
“We can go out to—”
“No, we eat at home.”
I didn’t want to risk us running into someone and having to explain what I was doing with August. Word could get back to Declan, and I wasn’t exactly a nobody. If any of the local newspapers got wind of our all-in-the-family affair, they would have a field day with it. It wasn’t the first time one of my escapades made the headlines of Cincinnati’s gossip rags.
But this time, Declan wouldn’t help me clean up the mess. He’d more than likely throw me out as a part of the mess. I’d rather walk away from the business than for us to fight over it.
I might’ve built up this company, but Declan had maintained it over the years, or it wouldn’t have been the huge success it was now.
“Fine, whatever you want,” August said. “See you later, then.”
I hung up and slid my phone into my pocket. Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair. I’d heard the disappointment in his tone about me not wanting to go out with him, but the rules were in place for a reason.
Without them, we wouldn’t even be seeing each other.
When I felt calm and collected, I walked to Declan’s office. He was on a call, so I strode over to the window and stared at Cincinnati’s city view. I shoved my hands into my pockets and observed the bustle of the city streets.
“What happened at the meeting today?” Declan’s voice pulled me back inside the office.
I turned toward him. “What do you mean?”
“The meeting. In the last minute, you backed me up, but before that, you were completely zoned out.”
“Just have a lot on my mind, I guess.”
Declan sighed, clenching his hand on his desk. “Is this about Poppy? I know I haven’t sat down and talked to you about her since returning from Greece, but I’ve been meaning to.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I can handle it.”
“I’ve spoken to one of the top family lawyers in the business.” He searched through the mess on his desk. “I already briefed her about everything that’s going on, and she’s positive she can help get Poppy out of your life for good.”
I crossed my arms and frowned at Declan. After a few seconds of silence, he stopped searching and glanced up at me.
“Did you just hear what I said?”
“I did, but I’m not sure you heard anything I said. I don’t need you to handle this, Declan. I can take care of it.”
A flicker of surprise crossed his face. “But you don’t have to. I’ll manage it for you.”
I released my arms and walked over to his desk. “I know you’re used to taking over things because of my irresponsibility over the years, but I think it’s time we go back to the way things should’ve been between us all along. I’m the father, and you’re the son.”
Declan’s brows knotted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m quite capable of handling my own life.” I brushed my hand against my thigh. “While I’m grateful for the years that you intervened, you’re married now. You have a family of your own, and that should be your focus.”
“But Poppy—”
“And I are fine,” I ended, smiling to let him see that I wasn’t bluffing like usual. “We’ve come to an agreement, and I’ll get to be an active part of the baby’s life.”
“She’s agreed to the divorce, then?”
“Actually, no. We’re going to stay together and raise the child.”
Declan shook his head. “This doesn’t sound like you.”
I couldn’t argue with that. In fact, I felt nothing but pleasure that he noticed. “I know, and isn’t that great? I’m going to be a father, Declan, and I’ve got to be responsible for that, right?”
“Well, since you’ve made up your mind, I guess you’re really going to be a father.” Declan gave me a smile, his shoulders losing the tension. “Owen and I will be happy to help you. I may not want a child around all the time, but we might be able to take them off your hands for a bit sometimes.”
I nodded, relieved that he recognized my efforts and was willing to meet me halfway. I had four months left to get up to speed with being a good father. No, not just good. I wanted to be the best father I could be. Which unfortunately meant I also had four months to work August Long out of my system for good.
Chapter Two
Auggie
I was just about to start working on the glass showcase in the dungeon when I had the urge to talk to Charles. I didn’t think twice about digging out my phone and even started to dial his number, but then I remembered he’d told me last night that he had a business meeting at eleven.
It was a few minutes after one, but I didn’t want to take it for granted that the meeting was finished. Having been in similar business settings, I knew those meetings could sometimes run long, especially if it was, as he’d said, with other members of the board.
I texted him instead, asking him how he was, even though I wasn’t sure if he would respond. After all, it was his idea to separate our affair from other aspects of our life. That was impossible and not just on my end either. If he really wanted to separate the two, he wouldn’t talk about business with me after we’d fucked, and he curled up against me.
When Charles confirmed he wanted to see what I was working on in my “man cave,” an idea formed in my mind. I paused and mulled it over first. Sending anyone a dick pick never struck me as something sexy before. I’d caught Oscar doing it a couple of times, and he’d always laughed it off that whoever he was dating at the time liked the surprise photos.
Just do it.
He’d either like it or not.
Decision made, I quickly stripped before I could change my mind and threw my clothes onto the long dark couch leaning against one wall. When I grabbed my phone again, I spotted the tool belt on the floor.
Even better.
A few minutes later, I snapped the first photo. Taking a dick pick turned out to be more complicated than I’d thought. If I wasn’t at the right angle, the photo could appear unflattering. It took me a while to find the perfect position to snap my body.
Finally pleased with what must’ve been the ninetieth shot, I cropped the sides to eliminate anything in the room I didn’t want him to see. He’d expressed his curiosity about the room before, but I refused to tell him what it was. For now, he thought I was protecting my man cave, and it was better for him to believe that.
Nothing good could come from me telling him I was a Dom, although he might’ve figured it out by himself, given our sexual encounters. He didn’t have to know about the toys I liked to use to control and please my subs, though. Either he’d be repulsed by it or curious enough to want to try it.