Daddy Christmas, page 11
I did my best to contain my ridiculous grin.
DECEMBER 18
Oh my gosh, London was so cool and old!
I stifled a yawn and kept my face all but plastered to the window so I could see as much as possible. It was only Daddy and me in the back of one of those classic London taxis, so I didn’t feel the need to put my adult face on.
“You have a choice to make, baby boy,” Daddy said. “We don’t have dinner plans, so either I make us a reservation, or we order room service.”
Fuck. As much as I wanted to go out, I was so damn tired. I barely knew what day it was, much less the time. The stop in New York had only messed with my grasp of reality further.
I turned to him and chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Am I a terrible tourist if I want room service and our naked butts in bed?”
“Yes.” He grinned faintly. “But you’re my perfect boy.”
I lit up. “Are you tired also?”
That made him chuckle. “Sweetheart, I’m dead on my feet.”
Room service and naked butts for the win!
Daddy traveled in style. We were talking view of the Thames and Tower Bridge, big windows, giant bed, hot tub in the bathroom, and a mini bar that failed with the “mini” part. It was stocked weirdly too. Like, on top of the fridge was an actual candy bar with fancy selections of chocolate Santas, fudge, and colorful lollipops and gummy sweets.
I couldn’t help but slow down at the sight. “Whoa.”
Daddy grabbed my bag and kissed the top of my head. “Go nuts. And maybe thank Suravi. She saw they were offering different packages, so I told her to pick the most Christmassy one.”
Holy crap. “I can actually take something here?”
He found that amusing. “I hope you take more than something. It’s already paid for.”
I snapped my gaze back to the candy and swallowed.
I’d died and gone to freaking heaven, hadn’t I?
“Just save me some roasted cashews,” he went on. “Now, how about you take a bath while I call room service?”
How could you not love taking baths? Especially when you had an enormous hot tub and massive amounts of bubbles. Daddy was cray-cray. After ordering room service to be delivered at seven thirty, he opted to take a shower instead, ’cause the fancy-pants suite had a separate shower room.
Rich people, I swear.
In the meantime, I dove between the mountains of bubbles and occasionally treated my butt to a massage by one of the jets. My view didn’t hurt either. I could see straight into the shower stall where Daddy was showering.
“I feel an immense love toward your butt, Daddy.”
It was mad sexy.
He chuckled and stepped under the spray to wash off the shampoo. “I feel the same about yours, little love.”
Oh. Little love? That was new.
I was a fan.
Once he was done, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his hips. And he lifted his eyebrows at the sight of the tub.
“Just how much soap did you pour in there?”
I glanced around me. “A healthy amount? In my defense, the jets keep creating the bubbles.”
I’d amused him again!
He came over to me and reached for the showerhead. “You ready to wash the airplane smell out of your hair?”
“Yessir.” I scooted closer to the edge and got up on my knees before him. “What do airplanes smell like, though? I didn’t smell anything yesterday and today.”
“Hm. I suppose it’s just a saying. It sounds better than let’s wash off the travel sweat and airport germs.”
That made me laugh, and I peered up at him and planted my hands on his hips. “You’re funny, Daddy.”
“You must be drunk,” he chuckled. He angled the showerhead over me, and I closed my eyes.
Drunk on loooooove.
Not to mention pleasure. Bath time had quickly become a favorite of mine—Daddy’s too. It was a moment that sort of defined our dynamic and showcased the balance between littleisms and submission. He wanted me to be the goofball who loved the bubbles and splashing water around me, and then he also wanted me to obey him when it was time to get out of the tub. It simply made me super happy. And it felt so good with his fingers in my hair.
I hummed a Christmas tune to myself as he started massaging the shampoo into my hair, and it was tough to stand still. I had ants in my no-pants.
“You don’t look exhausted anymore,” he noted.
“Nope,” I snickered. “I have hotel energy.”
It was a thing. Because it was such a relief to be able to close myself in with my Daddy after all that traveling, and knowing that our only plan for the evening was to eat pizza in bed filled me with jolly joy.
I opened my eyes and brushed my fingers over his towel, and it was his fault because that perfect bump was right there in my face.
“Daddy?” I inched closer to where he’d tightened the towel around himself.
“Yes, baby.”
“What would you say is a more apt name for your cock—pacifier or throat scratcher?”
He coughed and stared down at me.
I smiled sweetly.
I could practically read his mind. He never knew what I was gonna say, and it made me giggle.
“Jesus Christ.” He cleared his throat and shook his head, eyes flashing with mirth. “Never change, Parker.”
Okay, but I hadn’t gotten my answer!
I guessed it didn’t matter. Both were accurate, and I wanted me some throat scratching.
He didn’t say anything when I tested the waters and loosened his towel, though I sensed he was watching me.
“Do you need something from Daddy?”
I nodded and took that as a green light. The towel landed on the floor, and I leaned in and nuzzled his perfect cock. It was all warm and soft and slowly growing thicker and harder. I captured the head with my mouth and lifted my gaze to his, and his fingers slowed down in my hair.
“So fucking beautiful,” he murmured. “Go on, suck on Daddy.”
Unf.
I sucked him in unhurriedly, coating him with my tongue, and I didn’t look away from him. I saw how his jaw ticked with tension, felt how his fingers eased down to the back of my head so he could hold me in place, and heard the long breath he let out.
Knowing that our food would be here soon, I picked up the pace as soon as he was hard.
It wasn’t long before he was holding my head in place and fucking my mouth in long, measured thrusts. I sucked and sucked, craving every drop of salty goodness—and his sounds. Those low, whiskey-voiced groans and whispers.
“That’s perfect.”
“My sweet, cock-hungry little baby boy.”
“You’ll get all of Daddy’s milk soon.”
“Right there.”
I whimpered and exploded with lust, and I couldn’t help myself. I had to jerk my cock too. I became so needy that I instantly wanted his cock in my bottom, but we didn’t have the time. Later, I promised myself. Before bedtime, I would beg him to fuck me stupid.
“You best hurry if you want to come with Daddy,” he warned, out of breath. “I’m close.”
Yeah, well, I was twenty-six. I could come in a minute if I wanted to.
I clenched down on nothing and fisted my cock harder, and he let go. He pushed his cock down my throat and groaned, then fucked me in sharp thrusts that made me choke around him.
Panic tinted the edges of my consciousness, and my eyes welled up.
“Breathe through your nose,” he reminded me.
I nodded with my mouth full of cock, and I stupidly let a moan bubble up, which only made me gag again. I couldn’t help it—again! I was so horny and needy, and the raw hunger in his eyes had to be better than Viagra.
He clenched his jaw, and his eyes fluttered to a close, so I knew he was right there on the edge.
I redoubled my efforts, sucking him as hard as I could, and he cursed and started coming.
Finally!
I couldn’t fucking describe the greed that welled up. I drank and sucked, drank and sucked, and it set me off too. In between breathless whimpers, I came in the water and shuddered over and over.
Oof, all my energy disappeared again.
DECEMBER 19
Even though I’d known from the start it was going to be a big expo, I wasn’t prepared to see so many people when I walked into the convention center. It took me twenty minutes just to hand over my jacket at coat check.
I pocketed my slip and made sure I hadn’t left anything valuable in my pockets.
As promised, Suravi met up with me near the entrance, so she could take me to Wyatt. He’d recently arrived after giving his speech at Grosvenor House, and I was ready to be his graphic design helper and talk to potential clients.
I’d put on an event T-shirt, and I had my own lanyard so it looked official. I mean, it was, but I couldn’t shake the vacation feel and that I was here with my Daddy. But I did have work to do! In fact, the print place was about to get crazy busy.
We passed so many tables and displays, that our Culver City branch suddenly felt tiny. In a way, we sort of were, despite the downtown office being the official headquarters. But with departments and buildings all over the place, in Europe too, it was the first time I witnessed the size of the Abrams family’s business.
“He’s over there.” Suravi pointed toward an elaborate booth, where I automatically noticed the pop-up banners and marketing material before I spotted Wyatt with a few other men. “I gotta go make sure they’re ready for him at the next seminar.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Suravi. Let me know if you need any help. I have some spare time when he’s there.”
“Thanks—I appreciate it.” She flashed a quick smile before she scurried off again.
Let’s get to work, then. I’d slept in and everything, so I had all the energy. Although, I hadn’t been a fan of waking up alone—but I wouldn’t have been a fan of getting up early either.
With my tablet ready, I made my way over to Wyatt, and he smiled in relief when he saw me.
“You know what,” he told the man he was talking to, “there’s no reason for me to ramble about rebranding when you can see it in action. I want you to meet Parker Jacobson, one of our best graphic designers.”
Aw, shucks.
“Such praise, sir. Thank you. And accurate.” I grinned and faced the other man. “What are we rebranding?”
DECEMBER 20
“That’s perfect—before five will be great.” I trapped my phone between my shoulder and cheek and added a final touch to the design I was working on. My sketchpad had never seen so much action as it had the past twenty-four hours. “My boss has a speech thing around then, so I’ll head out and meet up with you outside the main entrance.”
I wrapped up the call as the cab pulled up in front of the convention center, and Wyatt paid the fare.
“Take a breather, sweetheart. We have lunch now.”
“I’m almost done, sir.” I could walk and illustrate at the same time. Well, illustrate was a strong word. I was moving around rectangular boxes to frame a logotype that definitely needed an upgrade.
It’d been a busy morning for both of us, and while Wyatt had been in and out of meetings and seminars, I’d used every free minute to fulfill the backlog of orders. Because seventy-fucking-four clients had not only vowed to continue their ongoing contracts with the company, but they’d discovered that we did so much more than whatever they already used us for.
Wyatt and Clarke had put me in charge of these seventy-four clients since they were already paying customers, so to speak. As for the rest… I mean, at least two hundred potentials had been interested in knowing more, so I’d had to forward their requests to Mya and Kim as well as to the team in New York. This afternoon, those potentials would return for their second day at the expo, and we’d have something for them. Freaking ice scrapers and whatnot—with mock-ups and examples of logo designs.
The logo itself wasn’t important right now. It was to showcase how quickly we could go from, “Well, what’s the name of your company? What do you do?” to “Here’s some merch for ya—we printed it overnight.”
I almost bumped into Wyatt when he came to a stop, and he glanced back at me and gave me a pointed look.
I smiled sheepishly.
“You’ve worked too much already. I think it’s best I take this for now.” Ugh, he stole my tablet. “You’ll get it back after we’ve eaten.”
Oh, fine.
I followed him through the busy entrance until we reached the restaurant, and that joint was equally as chaotic as the rest of the place. If I remembered correctly, Clarke had just given his final speech at a big meeting, so many of those going to lunch here now had recently listened to him. Now, Clarke was on the next flight to Brussels.
I’d seen him briefly last night when we’d had dinner at the hotel restaurant, and he’d complimented my work! Then he’d nudged Wyatt and said, “Maybe we should recruit him to headquarters.”
Not too shabby!
DECEMBER 21
I woke up with a jolt as the plane touched down, and I didn’t wanna believe it. We’d just fucking boarded in London! God, I was tired. I scrubbed at my face and cleared my throat. And no rest for the wicked—we had to go straight to where the Luxembourg expo was being held. New convention center, hundreds of businesspeople, two back-to-back seminars for Daddy, then mingling at a workshop event for industry folk.
“Ugh.”
“I know, baby.” Daddy kissed the side of my head. “On the flip side, it’s not a long day.”
Define long. It was nearing noon now, and he had his last commitment at four.
I yawned and did my best to shake it off.
Hello, Luxembourg, and all that!
Okay, so Daddy spoke French. It was one of the several languages spoken in Luxembourg. I’d also heard lots of German and Portuguese today—and what Daddy told me was Luxembourgish.
Sounded made-up to me.
The French, though, was on point.
I walked beside him from one elaborate booth to another as he showed his face to old, new, and potential clients. Suravi was never far away, always making sure Wyatt’s next move went as smoothly as possible. But I had to admit, I’d lost steam. London had been so fun, even though I hadn’t gotten the chance to sightsee, because the work itself had been right up my alley. I loved working with people, and I worked well under pressure. It was just…once I reached my limit, it was tough to keep going.
By the time Wyatt was done at a little past five o’clock, it was almost impossible for me to stifle my yawns.
To think, we had tomorrow too! Luckily, only a morning session, but still.
“Suravi, could you grab our coats, please?” Daddy asked.
“On my way, sir,” she responded. “Your car will be outside in five.”
“Oh—you know.” Daddy paused. “You take it. Head on back to the hotel and have a relaxing evening. Parker and I will walk.”
We would fucking what?
I had a better idea. We all took the car back to the hotel and had a relaxing evening. How about that?!
“Are you sure, sir?” Suravi had doubts, like any normal person would. “It’s very cold outside.”
Daddy smiled reassuringly. “We’ll be fine.”
What a load of reindeer crap.
I managed to keep my mouth shut through two chats Daddy had with clients, then while Suravi returned with our coats, and aaaall the way to the exit. We stepped outside, and it was actually snowing. And we had what, half an hour to the hotel?
My feet were tired. Luxembourg at snowy dusk. Yay.
“May I ask what you have against comfortable rides back to the hotel, Daddy?” I asked stiffly.
He chuckled under his breath and put on his leather gloves. “Not a damn thing, but I wanted to show you around one of my favorite cities on earth.”
I scrunched my nose. My breath was already misting in the air.
So far, Luxembourg hadn’t impressed, but that was probably because I hadn’t seen much of it. Just a crapload of modern buildings, busy roads, and some older structures too.
I guessed we were walking, then.
After pulling down my beanie a bit and making sure my mittens were on properly, he grabbed my hand, and we started freaking walking.
Traffic was busy, and I threw a longing glance at every cab that whooshed by.
Banking was big in Luxembourg. Possibly the car industry too, ’cause we walked past lots of dealerships. And banks.
“I suppose it’s a bad time to say I truly love having you with me,” he said. “I feel much more energized.”
I scowled up at him. “You’re stealing my energy—give it back.”
He laughed and linked my arm with his. “What I mean is, I want you to travel with me, Parker. Not for boring meetings, of course, but events like these. We do quite a few of them every year—big and small—and everyone’s very happy with what you’ve contributed. Even my uncle—we actually talked earlier, and he thinks we should bring fewer suits and more creators and engineers. Clients need to see more of the production stage.”
I chewed on my lip, confused about why this was bad. It sounded like a compliment to my ears. “Why would it be bad to say that? I’d love to travel with you.”
Silly man.
“Even when I make you walk back to the hotel?”
A breath gusted out of me, and I shrugged in a “what’re you gonna do?” way. “I guess I’m a masochist. A hungry, tired, cranky masochist.”
“Well. I can take care of two of those things,” he promised me.
We’d see.
Before long, we crossed a street and then another. The snow was falling heavier, but I didn’t hate that part. I loved snow. I just preferred not to walk around in it when I was sharing my space with honking cars and construction sites. That said, I did see light at the end of the tunnel. I glimpsed much older buildings not too far away, and if I was reading the street signs correctly, we were nearing the city center.
DECEMBER 18
Oh my gosh, London was so cool and old!
I stifled a yawn and kept my face all but plastered to the window so I could see as much as possible. It was only Daddy and me in the back of one of those classic London taxis, so I didn’t feel the need to put my adult face on.
“You have a choice to make, baby boy,” Daddy said. “We don’t have dinner plans, so either I make us a reservation, or we order room service.”
Fuck. As much as I wanted to go out, I was so damn tired. I barely knew what day it was, much less the time. The stop in New York had only messed with my grasp of reality further.
I turned to him and chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Am I a terrible tourist if I want room service and our naked butts in bed?”
“Yes.” He grinned faintly. “But you’re my perfect boy.”
I lit up. “Are you tired also?”
That made him chuckle. “Sweetheart, I’m dead on my feet.”
Room service and naked butts for the win!
Daddy traveled in style. We were talking view of the Thames and Tower Bridge, big windows, giant bed, hot tub in the bathroom, and a mini bar that failed with the “mini” part. It was stocked weirdly too. Like, on top of the fridge was an actual candy bar with fancy selections of chocolate Santas, fudge, and colorful lollipops and gummy sweets.
I couldn’t help but slow down at the sight. “Whoa.”
Daddy grabbed my bag and kissed the top of my head. “Go nuts. And maybe thank Suravi. She saw they were offering different packages, so I told her to pick the most Christmassy one.”
Holy crap. “I can actually take something here?”
He found that amusing. “I hope you take more than something. It’s already paid for.”
I snapped my gaze back to the candy and swallowed.
I’d died and gone to freaking heaven, hadn’t I?
“Just save me some roasted cashews,” he went on. “Now, how about you take a bath while I call room service?”
How could you not love taking baths? Especially when you had an enormous hot tub and massive amounts of bubbles. Daddy was cray-cray. After ordering room service to be delivered at seven thirty, he opted to take a shower instead, ’cause the fancy-pants suite had a separate shower room.
Rich people, I swear.
In the meantime, I dove between the mountains of bubbles and occasionally treated my butt to a massage by one of the jets. My view didn’t hurt either. I could see straight into the shower stall where Daddy was showering.
“I feel an immense love toward your butt, Daddy.”
It was mad sexy.
He chuckled and stepped under the spray to wash off the shampoo. “I feel the same about yours, little love.”
Oh. Little love? That was new.
I was a fan.
Once he was done, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his hips. And he lifted his eyebrows at the sight of the tub.
“Just how much soap did you pour in there?”
I glanced around me. “A healthy amount? In my defense, the jets keep creating the bubbles.”
I’d amused him again!
He came over to me and reached for the showerhead. “You ready to wash the airplane smell out of your hair?”
“Yessir.” I scooted closer to the edge and got up on my knees before him. “What do airplanes smell like, though? I didn’t smell anything yesterday and today.”
“Hm. I suppose it’s just a saying. It sounds better than let’s wash off the travel sweat and airport germs.”
That made me laugh, and I peered up at him and planted my hands on his hips. “You’re funny, Daddy.”
“You must be drunk,” he chuckled. He angled the showerhead over me, and I closed my eyes.
Drunk on loooooove.
Not to mention pleasure. Bath time had quickly become a favorite of mine—Daddy’s too. It was a moment that sort of defined our dynamic and showcased the balance between littleisms and submission. He wanted me to be the goofball who loved the bubbles and splashing water around me, and then he also wanted me to obey him when it was time to get out of the tub. It simply made me super happy. And it felt so good with his fingers in my hair.
I hummed a Christmas tune to myself as he started massaging the shampoo into my hair, and it was tough to stand still. I had ants in my no-pants.
“You don’t look exhausted anymore,” he noted.
“Nope,” I snickered. “I have hotel energy.”
It was a thing. Because it was such a relief to be able to close myself in with my Daddy after all that traveling, and knowing that our only plan for the evening was to eat pizza in bed filled me with jolly joy.
I opened my eyes and brushed my fingers over his towel, and it was his fault because that perfect bump was right there in my face.
“Daddy?” I inched closer to where he’d tightened the towel around himself.
“Yes, baby.”
“What would you say is a more apt name for your cock—pacifier or throat scratcher?”
He coughed and stared down at me.
I smiled sweetly.
I could practically read his mind. He never knew what I was gonna say, and it made me giggle.
“Jesus Christ.” He cleared his throat and shook his head, eyes flashing with mirth. “Never change, Parker.”
Okay, but I hadn’t gotten my answer!
I guessed it didn’t matter. Both were accurate, and I wanted me some throat scratching.
He didn’t say anything when I tested the waters and loosened his towel, though I sensed he was watching me.
“Do you need something from Daddy?”
I nodded and took that as a green light. The towel landed on the floor, and I leaned in and nuzzled his perfect cock. It was all warm and soft and slowly growing thicker and harder. I captured the head with my mouth and lifted my gaze to his, and his fingers slowed down in my hair.
“So fucking beautiful,” he murmured. “Go on, suck on Daddy.”
Unf.
I sucked him in unhurriedly, coating him with my tongue, and I didn’t look away from him. I saw how his jaw ticked with tension, felt how his fingers eased down to the back of my head so he could hold me in place, and heard the long breath he let out.
Knowing that our food would be here soon, I picked up the pace as soon as he was hard.
It wasn’t long before he was holding my head in place and fucking my mouth in long, measured thrusts. I sucked and sucked, craving every drop of salty goodness—and his sounds. Those low, whiskey-voiced groans and whispers.
“That’s perfect.”
“My sweet, cock-hungry little baby boy.”
“You’ll get all of Daddy’s milk soon.”
“Right there.”
I whimpered and exploded with lust, and I couldn’t help myself. I had to jerk my cock too. I became so needy that I instantly wanted his cock in my bottom, but we didn’t have the time. Later, I promised myself. Before bedtime, I would beg him to fuck me stupid.
“You best hurry if you want to come with Daddy,” he warned, out of breath. “I’m close.”
Yeah, well, I was twenty-six. I could come in a minute if I wanted to.
I clenched down on nothing and fisted my cock harder, and he let go. He pushed his cock down my throat and groaned, then fucked me in sharp thrusts that made me choke around him.
Panic tinted the edges of my consciousness, and my eyes welled up.
“Breathe through your nose,” he reminded me.
I nodded with my mouth full of cock, and I stupidly let a moan bubble up, which only made me gag again. I couldn’t help it—again! I was so horny and needy, and the raw hunger in his eyes had to be better than Viagra.
He clenched his jaw, and his eyes fluttered to a close, so I knew he was right there on the edge.
I redoubled my efforts, sucking him as hard as I could, and he cursed and started coming.
Finally!
I couldn’t fucking describe the greed that welled up. I drank and sucked, drank and sucked, and it set me off too. In between breathless whimpers, I came in the water and shuddered over and over.
Oof, all my energy disappeared again.
DECEMBER 19
Even though I’d known from the start it was going to be a big expo, I wasn’t prepared to see so many people when I walked into the convention center. It took me twenty minutes just to hand over my jacket at coat check.
I pocketed my slip and made sure I hadn’t left anything valuable in my pockets.
As promised, Suravi met up with me near the entrance, so she could take me to Wyatt. He’d recently arrived after giving his speech at Grosvenor House, and I was ready to be his graphic design helper and talk to potential clients.
I’d put on an event T-shirt, and I had my own lanyard so it looked official. I mean, it was, but I couldn’t shake the vacation feel and that I was here with my Daddy. But I did have work to do! In fact, the print place was about to get crazy busy.
We passed so many tables and displays, that our Culver City branch suddenly felt tiny. In a way, we sort of were, despite the downtown office being the official headquarters. But with departments and buildings all over the place, in Europe too, it was the first time I witnessed the size of the Abrams family’s business.
“He’s over there.” Suravi pointed toward an elaborate booth, where I automatically noticed the pop-up banners and marketing material before I spotted Wyatt with a few other men. “I gotta go make sure they’re ready for him at the next seminar.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Suravi. Let me know if you need any help. I have some spare time when he’s there.”
“Thanks—I appreciate it.” She flashed a quick smile before she scurried off again.
Let’s get to work, then. I’d slept in and everything, so I had all the energy. Although, I hadn’t been a fan of waking up alone—but I wouldn’t have been a fan of getting up early either.
With my tablet ready, I made my way over to Wyatt, and he smiled in relief when he saw me.
“You know what,” he told the man he was talking to, “there’s no reason for me to ramble about rebranding when you can see it in action. I want you to meet Parker Jacobson, one of our best graphic designers.”
Aw, shucks.
“Such praise, sir. Thank you. And accurate.” I grinned and faced the other man. “What are we rebranding?”
DECEMBER 20
“That’s perfect—before five will be great.” I trapped my phone between my shoulder and cheek and added a final touch to the design I was working on. My sketchpad had never seen so much action as it had the past twenty-four hours. “My boss has a speech thing around then, so I’ll head out and meet up with you outside the main entrance.”
I wrapped up the call as the cab pulled up in front of the convention center, and Wyatt paid the fare.
“Take a breather, sweetheart. We have lunch now.”
“I’m almost done, sir.” I could walk and illustrate at the same time. Well, illustrate was a strong word. I was moving around rectangular boxes to frame a logotype that definitely needed an upgrade.
It’d been a busy morning for both of us, and while Wyatt had been in and out of meetings and seminars, I’d used every free minute to fulfill the backlog of orders. Because seventy-fucking-four clients had not only vowed to continue their ongoing contracts with the company, but they’d discovered that we did so much more than whatever they already used us for.
Wyatt and Clarke had put me in charge of these seventy-four clients since they were already paying customers, so to speak. As for the rest… I mean, at least two hundred potentials had been interested in knowing more, so I’d had to forward their requests to Mya and Kim as well as to the team in New York. This afternoon, those potentials would return for their second day at the expo, and we’d have something for them. Freaking ice scrapers and whatnot—with mock-ups and examples of logo designs.
The logo itself wasn’t important right now. It was to showcase how quickly we could go from, “Well, what’s the name of your company? What do you do?” to “Here’s some merch for ya—we printed it overnight.”
I almost bumped into Wyatt when he came to a stop, and he glanced back at me and gave me a pointed look.
I smiled sheepishly.
“You’ve worked too much already. I think it’s best I take this for now.” Ugh, he stole my tablet. “You’ll get it back after we’ve eaten.”
Oh, fine.
I followed him through the busy entrance until we reached the restaurant, and that joint was equally as chaotic as the rest of the place. If I remembered correctly, Clarke had just given his final speech at a big meeting, so many of those going to lunch here now had recently listened to him. Now, Clarke was on the next flight to Brussels.
I’d seen him briefly last night when we’d had dinner at the hotel restaurant, and he’d complimented my work! Then he’d nudged Wyatt and said, “Maybe we should recruit him to headquarters.”
Not too shabby!
DECEMBER 21
I woke up with a jolt as the plane touched down, and I didn’t wanna believe it. We’d just fucking boarded in London! God, I was tired. I scrubbed at my face and cleared my throat. And no rest for the wicked—we had to go straight to where the Luxembourg expo was being held. New convention center, hundreds of businesspeople, two back-to-back seminars for Daddy, then mingling at a workshop event for industry folk.
“Ugh.”
“I know, baby.” Daddy kissed the side of my head. “On the flip side, it’s not a long day.”
Define long. It was nearing noon now, and he had his last commitment at four.
I yawned and did my best to shake it off.
Hello, Luxembourg, and all that!
Okay, so Daddy spoke French. It was one of the several languages spoken in Luxembourg. I’d also heard lots of German and Portuguese today—and what Daddy told me was Luxembourgish.
Sounded made-up to me.
The French, though, was on point.
I walked beside him from one elaborate booth to another as he showed his face to old, new, and potential clients. Suravi was never far away, always making sure Wyatt’s next move went as smoothly as possible. But I had to admit, I’d lost steam. London had been so fun, even though I hadn’t gotten the chance to sightsee, because the work itself had been right up my alley. I loved working with people, and I worked well under pressure. It was just…once I reached my limit, it was tough to keep going.
By the time Wyatt was done at a little past five o’clock, it was almost impossible for me to stifle my yawns.
To think, we had tomorrow too! Luckily, only a morning session, but still.
“Suravi, could you grab our coats, please?” Daddy asked.
“On my way, sir,” she responded. “Your car will be outside in five.”
“Oh—you know.” Daddy paused. “You take it. Head on back to the hotel and have a relaxing evening. Parker and I will walk.”
We would fucking what?
I had a better idea. We all took the car back to the hotel and had a relaxing evening. How about that?!
“Are you sure, sir?” Suravi had doubts, like any normal person would. “It’s very cold outside.”
Daddy smiled reassuringly. “We’ll be fine.”
What a load of reindeer crap.
I managed to keep my mouth shut through two chats Daddy had with clients, then while Suravi returned with our coats, and aaaall the way to the exit. We stepped outside, and it was actually snowing. And we had what, half an hour to the hotel?
My feet were tired. Luxembourg at snowy dusk. Yay.
“May I ask what you have against comfortable rides back to the hotel, Daddy?” I asked stiffly.
He chuckled under his breath and put on his leather gloves. “Not a damn thing, but I wanted to show you around one of my favorite cities on earth.”
I scrunched my nose. My breath was already misting in the air.
So far, Luxembourg hadn’t impressed, but that was probably because I hadn’t seen much of it. Just a crapload of modern buildings, busy roads, and some older structures too.
I guessed we were walking, then.
After pulling down my beanie a bit and making sure my mittens were on properly, he grabbed my hand, and we started freaking walking.
Traffic was busy, and I threw a longing glance at every cab that whooshed by.
Banking was big in Luxembourg. Possibly the car industry too, ’cause we walked past lots of dealerships. And banks.
“I suppose it’s a bad time to say I truly love having you with me,” he said. “I feel much more energized.”
I scowled up at him. “You’re stealing my energy—give it back.”
He laughed and linked my arm with his. “What I mean is, I want you to travel with me, Parker. Not for boring meetings, of course, but events like these. We do quite a few of them every year—big and small—and everyone’s very happy with what you’ve contributed. Even my uncle—we actually talked earlier, and he thinks we should bring fewer suits and more creators and engineers. Clients need to see more of the production stage.”
I chewed on my lip, confused about why this was bad. It sounded like a compliment to my ears. “Why would it be bad to say that? I’d love to travel with you.”
Silly man.
“Even when I make you walk back to the hotel?”
A breath gusted out of me, and I shrugged in a “what’re you gonna do?” way. “I guess I’m a masochist. A hungry, tired, cranky masochist.”
“Well. I can take care of two of those things,” he promised me.
We’d see.
Before long, we crossed a street and then another. The snow was falling heavier, but I didn’t hate that part. I loved snow. I just preferred not to walk around in it when I was sharing my space with honking cars and construction sites. That said, I did see light at the end of the tunnel. I glimpsed much older buildings not too far away, and if I was reading the street signs correctly, we were nearing the city center.
