Rue opened the car door and helped me outside. I frowned, glancing around me at the unfamiliarity of the place. The sign on the front of the lit two-story brick building noted Coffee Crave.
“Hey, Rue. Where exactly are we? This isn’t home.”
“God forbid I take you home in this condition, sir,” he said, his tone full of reproach. “We’re at a coffee shop. Hopefully, we can get you half-sober by the time you get home.”
“I’m not that drunk, Rue.”
He simply grunted and took me by the arm. I wobbled beside him, mumbling beneath my breath. I was surprised a café was open at this time of the night. We climbed the two steps and entered, a little bell chiming our appearance.
I scowled upward at the offending object. Why in the world did anyone think a bell was a good idea? It was loud and annoying.
“Here, have a seat while I place the orders.”
I claimed a seat at a small table with matching chairs, glowering at the long line at the counter. I closed my eyes. Why were so many people lining up to buy coffee anyway? The only place I was willing to stand in line for was at a club, although my name was usually on the guest list and I never had to wait.
I must’ve dozed off because the next thing I knew, Rue was patting my shoulder, and I startled.
“I ordered the coffee. Are you going to be okay until I get back from the restroom?”
“Of course, I’ll be fine. Rue, I’m not a baby!”
“Hard to tell sometimes, Master Ashton.”
I scowled at his disappearing back, and my eyes dropped to his waist and round ass. It was such a pity Rue was straight. Maybe he would’ve been able to give me what I was after, but for all his nurturing, he didn’t get physical. Not even once.
I’d dozed off again when I sensed something different about my surroundings. I blinked my eyes open and stared at the man placing the coffee cups on the table. His shadow had fallen over me, which I must’ve picked up behind my eyelids.
He was a vision to look at. Had my drunk mind conjured this handsome older man with hair as black as coal brushing the collar of his shirt? His piercing blue eyes met mine, and he paused, staring right back at me as though struck by the same stupor.
“Here are your coffee orders.” He was the first to recover, and I shuffled to sit up straight in my chair—as straight as my droopy, drunk body would let me. “Your partner asked for the best kind we have to cure a hangover, and this is it. The Napoleon.”
“Napoleon?” I tried to figure out what he was saying. “Isn’t that the guy who said ‘off with his head’?”
“You’re thinking of King Louis XVI, which is also on the menu.” He frowned. “I guess you’re not the brightest when it comes to history.”
I giggled and hiccuped, not having the grace to be embarrassed. I was too enthralled by this handsome man. My pulse fluttered in my throat wildly, and my cock lengthened in my skinny jeans.
“I’ll tell you a little secret.” I cupped my hand over my mouth in a stage whisper. “I’m not the brightest when it comes to anything, really, but my mother insists.” I adopted my mother’s voice in my falsetto. “Ashton, all Keyes matriculate from college with a degree, and so will you.”
The barista chuckled, the sound deep and masculine, sending shivers down my spine. He raised his hand in a little wave, and I stared at the knuckles in disbelief.
“Well, enjoy your coffee and good luck with the studying.”
“Wait!”
My loud outburst filled the café, but it stopped the handsome man, who was about to get away.
“May I see your right hand, please?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your hand.” I excitedly moved to the edge of my seat. “I thought I saw the letters D-A-D-D-Y spelled out on your knuckles.”
“You saw wrong,” he said, his face closing off as he stuffed the same hand into his pocket.
“I may be forty percent drunk. Okay, maybe a lot more, but I know what I saw. Problem is finding out if you’re a Daddy for a boy or a girl. Perhaps for both?”
The man placed both hands on top of the table and leaned forward. I stared at my confirmation, beaming at him. My eyes hadn’t deceived me at all. He was…Daddy.
“It doesn’t matter what you see, kid. You haven’t even cut your teeth yet. Perhaps hit me up on your next birthday?”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond but walked away. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him as I tried to commit everything I could to memory. The way his dark hair curled at the back, the wide shoulders, broad back tapering to narrow hips, and his ass. I sucked in a deep breath. What wouldn’t I give to sink my nails into that ass as he fucked me mercilessly?
“Master Ashton!”
I tore my eyes away from the barista’s back. Rue was seated across from me. “Sorry. What is it?”
“Your coffee is getting cold. You don’t like the flavor? Should I order you something else from the menu?”
“Oh, I know exactly the flavor I like.” I licked my lips as I returned my eyes to the older man who’d brought our coffee. He’d stopped at a table a few feet from mine and was doodling something on a cup while chatting with the patrons. His smile was gorgeous.
“If you tell me the flavor, I can get you another cup.” Rue got to his feet.
“I don’t mean coffee.” I gestured him to regain his seat. “I meant I want him.”
“Him?”
“Yes, the barista.”
Rue resumed his seat and took up his cup of coffee. “Master Ashton, with all due respect, we’re here to get you sober, not to find you a hookup for the night.”
“I don’t want him for just a hookup.” As if he could sense us talking about him, the barista glanced sideways, and his eyes connected with mine. I wanted to melt right under the table from the heat in his gaze.
“I’m not sure he’s interested in whatever you’re offering, sir.”
“Oh, he’s interested.” His words about seeing him on my next birthday came back to me. He probably thought it was a long way off, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. I had patience enough to get to know him, and it wasn’t like he could avoid me once I was a customer. “I don’t care what it takes. I want him. I want him. I want him.”
Rue took hold of my cup of coffee and plopped it right in front of me. “Drink up, Master Ashton. It’s just the alcohol talking. You’ll forget this ridiculous conversation when you wake up tomorrow.”
Chapter One
Callum
“Hey, man, someone is here to see you.”
I glanced up from the cling wrap I was putting over the pineapple slices to keep them fresh and took in my best friend and business partner, Phillip, who’d just entered the kitchen area. His face was suffused with color from laughter he was obviously holding in. The telltale signs were there in his crinkly eyes, the twitching of his lips, and his puffy cheeks.
“What the hell is up with you?” I asked, securing the cling wrap, then taking the slices of pineapple to the cooler.
“What do you mean? I’m just here to deliver the message. You’re wanted at the counter.”