“At least Neil is predictably naughty. Alain’s been so polite; it’s got to be intriguing.”
“Predictably naughty. I like that.”
And the laughter started again. He felt lighter, like he’d unloaded a bit of stress and pressure onto his friend.
“It’s never good when the Doms are laughing.” Peter led Alain into the room, and it was so obvious how comfortable the boy was in this new space. Peter went right to Brandon and kissed his cheek.
He held a hand out to Alain to call the boy over. “How was the tour?”
“Excellent. Peter is amazing! He’s making a stock like from olden days!”
Peter snorted softly. “Not exactly like.”
“Right, yours won’t have splinters.” Brandon chuckled.
“Of course not. Peter’s too meticulous for splinters.” He pointed to the floor at his feet to see what Alain would do.
Alain came right to him, a hint of worry in his eyes. “I’m sorry, M’sieur. Is that a kneel or a sit?”
He smiled up at Alain. “Good boy. It’s a ‘make yourself comfortable right here’. You never have to apologize for being sure you understand what I want.”
“Can I get anyone drinks? Coffee? Soda? What would you like, Sir?” Peter started with Brandon, as he should.
“Iced tea with lemon, boy. Thank you.”
Alain sat next to him, close enough to touch.
“I will have the same, and water for Alain, please.” He put a hand on Alain’s shoulder and coaxed him closer so that the touch was real and not tentative. “Good boy.”
“Yes, Sir.” Peter gave him a nod, then took a second to smile at Alain before leaving the room.
“I think we should talk more about this vacation you’re considering. Where would you go? The beach? The mountains? A cruise?”
“Oh, perhaps a cruise. Just let someone else do everything. Or an all-inclusive resort, maybe in Mexico. That could be lovely and relaxing.”
“I say do it. Peter is right. You’re just spinning your wheels here—pun absolutely intended.” He grinned at Brandon and slid his fingers through Alain’s hair. He knew what he was doing, making the boy who was always in motion sit with him. It would be interesting to see how long Alain could be still.
“Absolutely. At least if I can’t work, I ought to be able to see interesting things with my boy. We haven’t had a real vacation together. It’s about time.”
“Good. Let him convince you then. It doesn’t sound like it’s a hard sell.”
Alain’s fingers danced over his pants leg, exploring the seam, the touch easy and featherlight.
“No. It’s not. I just like to hear him beg.” Brandon winked as Peter walked back into the room with drinks on a small tray.
“You’re such aDom,” Peter said, grinning as he handed Brandon his iced tea.
Brandon chuckled softly. “If you aren’t careful, you’ll be in a cock cage through our whole vacation.”
“Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir. I won’t do it again, Sir.” Peter didn’t even break stride, handing him his tea and a bottle of water to Alain.
“Thank you, cher.” Alain winked up at Peter, body starting to wiggle.
So the answer to how long was not very long.
“You’re welcome.” Peter took a bottle for himself and set the tray aside, then knelt neatly next to Brandon’s chair.
There were ways to work with that, figure out how to help Alain stay focused and in the right headspace, but that was for later. Right now, he wanted Alain to succeed. He wanted to make sure the boy felt confident in front of Brandon and Peter, and like he’d made a good impression.