Daddy's Stepstalker (Daddy's Little Deviants)

Shaw

Iwasreadywith an apology for Ari that I had been held up at the office and didn’t get home sooner, but the apology wasn’t necessary. When I walked into the living room, I didn’t find him worried, the way I left him this morning. He didn’t seem to have missed me at all. He was in full little mode, dressed in a onesie over his padded butt, a pair of socks, a bib around his neck, and a rattle in his hand. That wouldn’t have been bad, except he wasn’t alone.

My stomach clenched at the sight of the young man who sat on the couch, only his profile visible to me. Whatever Ari had said to him, he laughed, and spots flashed before my eyes. How could Ari have changed so drastically in a few hours? This morning he’d been terrified of his father being in town, and now it was like none of that mattered. Had it all been one big act?

With Ari, anything was possible. I was so convinced he’d been spooked, and I’d barely been able to keep my head on straight all day. If Ari, the man who’d killed Rich and tortured Judd, was afraid of someone, that meant his father was the most evil piece of shit on the planet. All day, I’d been trying to come up with something to get his father to leave him alone. It took me twice the time needed to finish my work, which was the reason I was home so late.

I’d never expected to find him enjoying himself with someone else.

I cleared my throat, and two heads swiveled in my direction. Ari’s face went red. He knew he messed up. I only got angrier. He damn well knew I would be upset to find him with another man. I was his Daddy, for fuck’s sake, and not this attractive, younger, probably more interesting young man who looked at Ari like he wanted to be the only one in my boy’s orbit.

“Daddy!” Ari ran over to me and wrapped his arms around my middle. “You’re finally home.”

He pursed his lips for a kiss, but I just frowned at him, then shifted my gaze to the man on the couch who still hadn’t taken his cue to leave.

“What’s going on here?” I asked.

Ari gulped and stepped back, dropping his gaze as he gestured at the guy. “Umm, this is my friend, Howard. I was explaining ABDL to him, and he wanted to see me dress up as I would for little space.”

“Hi.” Howard got to his feet and held out a hand. “Ari and I are friends.”

I heard Ari the first time. No need for him to repeat that. And what was with the flushed face? It was as if they were both trying to convince me that was all they were.

“Hello.” I ignored his handshake. “Ari, I’d like to speak with you in private.”

“I was just about to go.” Howard scratched the back of his head, giving a nervous laugh. “I didn’t mean to stay around this long. The hours just flew by.”

I clenched my teeth and leveled an accusatory look in Ari’s direction. I called him, just to check up on him that he was fine. He could have told me he had another man in our home, another man he put on a show for.

Why hadn’t he?

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” Ari asked Howard.

“Maybe some other time.”

There won’t be another time.

“All right, then, let me walk you to the door.”

I wished he wouldn’t. The door wasn't that hard to find.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Wheeler,” he said.

I grunted in acknowledgment. Nice to see him out the door. While Ari let out his “friend,” I climbed the stairs to our bedroom. I had on a pair of sweats when he walked in. The image of his athletic friend was still fresh in my mind as I yanked on my shirt over my head to cover my stomach.

“He’s just a friend,” he said.

“I heard you the first time.”

“Did you? Because you seem mad at me.”

“Why are you dressed like that for a friend?” I gestured at his onesie. “You don’t play with anyone else, Ari. That’s one of our rules.”

“I wasn’t playing.” He dug his right foot in the carpet. “I’m not even in little mode.”

I blinked at him. He was right. He wasn’t in little space. If he wasn’t playing with his friend, what had all this been about, then?

“Explain, Ari.” I rubbed at my temple. “When I left this morning, you were scared and didn’t even want me to go to work, and here you are having fun with a friend.”