“I knew you remembered.” Laughing at Eli’s mocking tone, I reached down to pat the cage he was wearing again.
My drama queen hadn’t gotten enough sleep earlier in the week and had gone completely off the rails, driving everyone nuts. So he’d gone back in the cage. He’d griped and whined but had lain calmly as I’d locked his cock away, so I understood he hadn’t meant it.
Eli liked knowing that someone cared enough to rein him in occasionally.
“How much longer?” He gave me a pout and snuggled close, trying to look cute and tempting.
It was closer to working than he realized. “You know the answer to that too.”
“But two more days? That’s forever.”
“Then you shouldn’t have made the pizza boy cry.” Saying that sentence still made me want to shake my head.
“I said I was sorry…and he must’ve been having a bad day for that kind of reaction.” Eli’s pout seemed more genuine, but it wasn’t going to get him out of the cage.
“That’s not the point.”
“I know.” Sighing, Eli leaned in and gave me a kiss. “You’re going to be late if you don’t finish getting ready. No dawdling any longer.”
“Smarty-pants.” Reluctantly standing and moving my hand away from his trapped cock, I gave myself one last look in the mirror.
I didn’t look too dressed up, did I?
Preston had called recently and had said he wanted to discuss the idea of me coming back to work for Leashes and Lace now that Eli and I weren’t trying to verbally eviscerate one another. I’d gotten a kick out of the way he’d phrased it, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.
When I’d approached Eli, he’d said I was stupid and worried too much.
After that ringing endorsement of my intellect, we’d sat down and discussed it like real adults, much to Eli’s frustration. He’d thought the whole thing was ridiculous and didn’t see a problem. Once we’d talked about the what-ifs and about the different possibilities, I’d felt more comfortable, but I still wasn’t sure it was a good idea.
Eli again called me a moron, which earned him the spanking that he’d been craving, and I’d agreed to the meeting. I knew Preston would have questions, primarily regarding how sure I was that I could function with Eli, but I thought we were at a good enough place in our relationship that it would be fine.
As much as I teased him about trying to push us into getting married, we weren’t rushing into anything. We’d had a long discussion to make sure we were on the same page about everything from limits to spelling out that we were serious and weren’t going to date other people.
The way Eli flirted and hammed it up in front of the camera sometimes, we didn’t have the most traditional rules about monogamy, but that was where the kissing and anything more than smacking someone’s ass rules had come about.
He’d already had to use them.
Last week he’d called me, sounding slightly frantic, going on about how he needed to win a bet and wanting to know if he could kiss the new model. Laughing, because he’d been so funny, I’d given permission and then grilled him later. He’d earned a hundred dollars for the LGBT center, and the new guy had to admit that Eli was the best kisser amongst the models.
My brat was a handful, but I wouldn’t change him for anything.
“Okay, I’m leaving, but I’ll be back before the client comes. Are you sure you’re okay getting everything ready? I feel bad for making you work on your only free afternoon this week.” Eli had volunteered to help with my first fetish boudoir shoot, with the idea that it would make him more comfortable. Eli was probably right, but it was taking up a lot of his time.
Climbing off the bed, Eli gave me a look that made it clear he knew I was putting off the meeting and worrying too much. “It will be fine. I’m going to have fun rearranging your living room to make it work.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Thank you.”
With one last lingering kiss, I left, promising to be back in plenty of time to finalize the shoot. It was with a very nervous young man who wanted photos taken of him in his puppy gear. He was vague about what he was going to do with the pictures, but he didn’t seem like he was being coerced, so I didn’t worry.
Nervous, yes…Forced, no.
I had a feeling I was going to be getting a lot of clients like that. Devin’s friend had an appointment for the following week. He’d been cautious about the entire idea until he’d seen the pictures of Eli. That had convinced him.
We’d sat down over coffee and had gone through ideas and photos until I had a good idea about the look he was going for. He was photogenic enough that even if he was nervous, they were going to turn out wonderful.
Pushing work and the endless to-do list that came along with a new business out of my mind as I headed out of the apartment, I turned my mind back toward the meeting with Preston. I didn’t need the job; I was confident I could make the new business work. But as I’d gotten to know more about Eli and had some time to step away from the madness, I’d started to realize that I’d missed it. I was just hoping I would be able to explain that to Preston.
****
