I dumped the washcloth into the hamper and fixed my clothes. Ari curled up on his side with the pillow clutched to his chest. His eyes followed me around the room as I brushed my hair, then walked over to the night table and snapped my watch on and slipped my phone into my pocket.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“You seem like you have something on your mind.”
He bit his bottom lip.
“Ari, you’re not still worried after telling you I took care of this?”
He shook his head. “No, not that. I was just wondering…”
“Well, out with it.”
“Can I invite Howard to come over?”
I wasn’t too fond of this Howard guy, and the last thing I wanted was for him to hang out with Ari while he was looking so thoroughly fucked. He made a man want to climb back into bed with him and live inside him. No one else could have that with him. Only me.
“You take a shower and get dressed first,” I said, brushing aside my jealousy. If I couldn’t trust him not to mess around with another man, then our relationship was doomed to fail. “And when Howard gets here, you don’t play with him. No Daddy/little stuff. That’s reserved for us only.”
I held my breath and waited for him to complain about me being too controlling. Ari grinned. “Okay, Daddy. I won’t play with Howard.”
“I mean it, Ari.”
“I know and I promise. Cross my heart.”
“Good boy. Now come over here and give Daddy a hug. I really need to get going now.”
He scrambled off the bed and threw his arms around me. He felt so good. And although I hired someone to kill a man because of Ari, that wasn’t what I was interested in. This was. Loving him and caring for him.
“I love you, Daddy,” he whispered. “You know that, right?”
Love? Obsession? The two were rolled into one for Ari, but it wasn’t nearly as scary as it had been at first. Now I knew him, what made him tick, and what made him fall apart.
“I know.” I kissed his temple. “Remember to keep the doors locked and the alarm activated. I’ll call you if I hear anything.”