Page 19 of Soft
I laughed. "Yes, I’ll give you a report afterwards."
We hung up, and sure enough, a text came right away. I searched up the address, noting it wasn't close, though it wasn't so far that I couldn't just call for a rideshare. Within a few minutes, I was in a backseat riding to my destination.
When we got there, there was a large gated fence with a code. I was a bit surprised at the luxury of it all. Then again, a professional athlete was probably hosting based on Doyle’s hints. The driver told me they couldn't go all the way up and let me out instead.
I pressed the buzzer.
"Hello," an older gentleman answered.
"Hi, my name is Paxton. I was told that there's a party here for a certain group of people." I didn't know how to say it without using the word Daddy or kink or anything else that might put me in an awkward position, especially if I somehow ended up at the wrong place.
"Ah, yes. I am sure Mr. Bellport is aware of your arrival. Come on up. Just follow the drive."
Mr. Bellport? Did he mean who I thought he did?
I heard the buzzing noise and then the gate slid open. I strolled up the drive, like he said. Thankfully it wasn't miles and miles long. When I reached the door, a man stood in the open entry, a smile on his face.
"Hi, lovely to meet you. Come on in. I'll lead you to the playroom."
My eyes widened at the use of the word. This man definitely knew what was happening. If as many people were here as I suspected from the noise coming down the hall, then he probably couldn't ignore it.
It made me feel better to not have to hide or suppress who I was.
When we reached the loudest part of the house, he opened a door to reveal a large space decked out with everything a Little or Middle could want. There were video consoles off to one side, a pool table, and arcade-style games against the wall. On the other side were play tables with various coloring books and small toys. There was a mat that several boys were lying on, running cars across. I could see a small kitchen station set up, and it looked as if one of the men was measuring out snacks.
I smiled at the man who had led me there. "Thank you for bringing me. Where is the host? I would like to thank them for being so kind."
He pointed to a young man seated on a familiar face's lap.
"Jake Bellport," I said, voice full of wonder. The man was a legend. While he wasn’t an athlete, he was one of the people pushing hardest for the queer sports community. He owned the local hockey team and had two partners in a poly relationship. The man I recognized who Jake happened to be sitting on was Maddox, one of his men. I didn't see Leon, their other partner, though I suspected he was here as well.
I took off in Jake's direction. When he spotted me, his eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands. Maddox tightened his arms around Jake's waist, whispering something in his ear that made Jake's eyes widen. I smirked, because the one interaction left no doubt these two were definitely Daddy and Boy, which meant Maddox and Leon were good at handling someone rambunctious. As much as Jake's reputation for being an advocate was well-known, he was also said to be chaotic.
"Hi! Jake, right?"
He stood, keeping one of his hands linked with Maddox's. "Yes, hi, I'm Jake Bellport. And you’re Paxton, right? Princess Aster said you would be coming."
"That's me," I said, not commenting on the fact I’d only just been told about this party yet Princess Aster had managed to RSVP for me. "Thank you for letting me join. I didn't expect to meet any other people in the lifestyle on this trip."
Jake nodded quickly. "Yeah, you probably didn't, and that's fair. But to be honest, it is totally okay that you're here. We are awelcoming group. We're always looking for new Daddies to add. Do you have a boy that will be coming with you, or a Little perhaps?"
I shook my head, my smile drooping a bit. "I wish. There's someone I've had in mind, but I don't even know if he's kinky. We barely know each other, if I'm being honest."
Jake reached out his free hand to touch my shoulder. "Hey, don't get down about it. I had no idea that my Daddies would be Daddies when I convinced them to come here."
Maddox stepped up behind him then, his hands moving to grip Jake's waist. "Is 'convinced' what we're calling it? How about coercion? Blackmail? Trickery?"
Jake swatted at his chest. "Oh, you are so full of it, Daddy. You know you love that I brought you here. Your enemy is now your lover."
Maddox rolled his eyes as Jake cackled.
I looked around the room to see if this was normal behavior or if I had happened upon something unexpected. No one turned at the sound. It was as if they were used to Jake being loud, and at the end of the day, no one really even cared. I actually liked that—the idea that people could be themselves and feel comfortable without any type of scrutiny.
As I took in all the different faces, some familiar and others not, I came across one that stopped me cold. I couldn't help but stare. There was no way, no chance, that this was happening.
Jake waved his hand in my face, drawing my attention back to him. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. Is theresomeone here you don't like?" he whispered. "That would be super awkward, right?"
“It’s not someone I don’t like. It’s… the Little. The one I just told you I didn’t know if he was kinky or not.”
