Bryce found that hilarious. By the time they got to the front door, Bryce was still trying to control himself, Grant was frowning at everyone, and Calen was simply enjoying the evening. Dinner was going to be interesting.
Before he could knock, Garrett and Wyatt were opening the door. Shaking his head at his brothers, Garrett stepped back. “Come on in. And remember, you’re supposed to be on your best behavior.”
They all mumbled polite agreements which no one believed and tried to give Garrett their best innocent smiles. He shook his head and gave them all his “I’m the big brother” expression that was supposed to keep them all in line. It never worked.
As they walked in, Wyatt glanced back and forth at them, giving them a peculiar look. Calen could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Wyatt might be bouncy and cute but he seemed to notice a lot more than Garrett did.
That wasn’t hard, though.
Garrett had to be nearly hit over the head with something before it drew his attention. The way his relationship with Wyatt started proved that. At least they seemed to have moved past their initial reservations. He’d thought Wyatt’s interest in Garrett had been obvious, but his friend hadn’t been able to see it.
Grant and Bryce must have realized something clicked for Wyatt because they both had big grins, like cats that’d just eaten the canaries. Bryce chimed in, trying to look innocent. “We wanted more of Wyatt’s food. And what better way to welcome him to the family than to invite ourselves to dinner?”
“In most families, I don’t think that’s how you welcome someone.” Garrett stood there frowning and glaring, but Wyatt smiled.
“There’s plenty for everyone. It’s fine.”
“See, he has manners.” Grant smiled at Wyatt. “Thank you for letting us come over.” Then he looked over at Garrett. “See, I have manners too.”
Calen kept waiting for one of them to say something about him and Brent, but there was nothing. Well, nothing verbal. Bryce and Grant kept giving them winks and grins as they started towards the kitchen.
Garrett seemed oblivious, but Wyatt was clearly aware that something was going on. However, he didn’t seem to know what. Calen had been prepared for questions about his relationship with Brent right off the bat, but so far no one had said anything.
Had the other guys not mentioned it to Garrett at all? Just the fact that he and Brent had arrived in the same car should have raised some eyebrows, considering they’d never carpooled anywhere before. But he had to remind himself that it was Garrett.
“So how’s the vacation time going, you two?” Garrett’s question seemed innocent, but it set off Bryce and Grant so much that they had to sit down at the table to catch their breath.
Grant got himself under control enough to respond before Calen could decide what to say. In his defense, he’d been a little distracted watching the hyenas in the kitchen. “They’ve been havinglotsof fun.”
Bryce snickered and Garrett looked at the two of them like they’d lost their minds. Calen fought the urge to shake his head. He was going to end up looking like Garrett if he wasn’t careful.
“It’s been good.” Brent did innocent better than anyone in the family. It wasalmostbelievable.
Wyatt was moving around the kitchen finishing things up, and it was clear to Calen that he wasn’t sure what to say. They were all a little overwhelming when they were like this. Deciding it was time to distract everyone before it got worse, Calen called out to the nervous sub. “How’s work going, Wyatt? Any new commissions?”
Wyatt looked up from doing something at the stove and smiled, clearly more at ease with the turn in the conversation. “It’s been going great. I’m finishing up the pieces for the new club and I actually got an interesting phone call which might lead to a whole new line of furniture.”
As he spoke, everyone started calming down and tried to listen. They were a curious bunch and Calen had known no one would want to miss what Wyatt had to say. Getting to know the newest member of the family was a priority for everyone.
The way Wyatt lit up and relaxed when he talked about his woodworking, it was obviously going to be the best way to learn more about him. So Calen tried to keep the conversation going. “What kind of stuff?”
Curious and kinky, all the brothers stopped goofing off completely and focused on what Wyatt had to say. Luckily, he’d turned back to the stove and didn’t seem to notice that he now had everyone’s full attention. Calen thought that might have made him uncomfortable as well. “I’ve done some work for a woman who owns an adult store a couple of hours from here. She called and wanted to see if I’d ever done any items related to age play.”
“She wanted to know if you’d made cribs for people in the age play lifestyle?” Bryce asked the question they were all trying to figure out the answer to.
Calen could see Wyatt smile as he stirred something. “That’s what I thought to begin with, but no. She wanted to know if I’d ever made any hybrid pieces, like the spanking bench that looks like a regular bench. She said she’d spoken with several couples lately who were looking for more discreet furniture they could keep in their homes. Things that wouldn't automatically out them to neighbors and visitors. I thought it was a great idea.”
“That’s interesting.” Brent had his head cocked and Calen could see the wheels turning. “For more traditional BDSM play, a lot of the equipment is easier to disguise or put away when it isn’t in use. But even things like the spanking bench are hard. For a lifestyle like that, it’s got to be even more difficult.”
“Yeah, I hadn’t even considered it, but she had some good thoughts on it already. I have to do some research and figure out if there’s enough demand for it but it’s got me thinking. I have some ideas already and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.” Wyatt was relaxed and smiling as he talked about his work.
“You’ll have to show us what you come up with. There are probably even a few couples at the club that would be interested.” Bryce had the same look as Brent and it was easy to see the business part of their brains going in circles.
“You might even be able to interview them to see what kinds of things they’d like to have the most.” Brent leaned back against the cabinets, a faraway look in his eyes. “They might even agree to do some product testing. See how easy the pieces would be to set up, usability, that kind of thing.”
Wyatt beamed, “That would be a good idea. I hadn't thought of that. Then I could put them on the site, and maybe even see about doing some advertising on a few of the specialty websites to reach the right crowd.”
“I’m sure the club does at least a small amount of advertising occasionally. They might be able to steer you in the right direction.” Everyone had to agree with Bryce’s suggestion. Ben and Conner would be a good place to start.
