Devlin grinned. “Sorry, sweetheart. Not an option.”
He rudely whipped the covers off, laughing when Phex groaned even harder. “Daddy!”
Devlin gently pushed Phex off him. “Come on, baby boy. Up you go. Time for a swim.”
That made Phex open his eyes. “A swim?”
“Yes. Twenty minutes of swimming, then a shower, and then breakfast. Let’s go.”
Grumbling, Phex climbed out of bed, did his business in the bathroom, then made his way outside. Devlin watched him as he stripped out of his underwear and dove into the pool, settling into a good rhythm as he swam lap after lap. Good. He needed the exercise, and even better when he got it in first thing in the morning. Time for Devlin to start on breakfast.
When Phex was done swimming and showering, Devlin had his breakfast waiting for him, a platter of fresh fruit and scrambled eggs with bacon. Phex had mentioned he wasn’t a fan of bread and loved fruit, so that seemed like an easy choice. Judging by the speed at which he wolfed it down, he liked it. Same with his coffee, which he gulped down in no time.
He got up, holding his coffee cup, and Devlin quirked an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Phex frowned. “Getting another cup of coffee?”
“I’m in charge, sweetheart. You want something, you ask me. That includes coffee. Oh, and by the way, we’re gonna limit your coffee intake. That much caffeine isn’t healthy for you.”
Phex’s mouth dropped open. “You’re gonna forbid me to drink coffee?”
“I said limit, not forbid. How many cups do you usually drink?”
“Ehm, I don’t know, like eight or so?”
“Then we’ll do six for the next three days, and then we’ll lower it to five. If we do it gradually, you shouldn’t have too much of a headache.”
The battle on Phex’s face was clear, but in the end, he bowed his head. “Okay, Daddy.”
“Mmm, good boy. Daddy only wants what’s best for you.”
“I know.”
“And, Phex… I will know if you drink more than that at work. I’ll text you throughout the day to remind you, but you gotta listen to me, okay?”
More battle, but then that sweet surrender as he nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
They left for work at the same time, Phex going to his office and Devlin to the club. He’d been absent more than usual lately thanks to him spending time with Phex, but he wasn’t worried about it. His manager—a gruff bear called Monroe, who transformed into the gentlest Daddy with the right boy—ran a tight ship, and he would’ve informed Devlin had there been any problems.
He worked through his mail, paid the bills, then handled his email. Sometimes, he longed for days before email had become such a time suck, but then he remembered how much he hated phone calls, so there was that. He had an electrician stop by at noon to check some lighting issues, then sat down with a guy who made custom furniture for kink clubs and discussed a new idea for a spanking bench he’d had with him.
In between, he texted Phex every hour on the dot. His messages were brief, not intended to disrupt Phex’s work but more as a reminder to take care of himself.
Drink a glass of water.
Walk around for a minute or two.
Stretch your neck.
Drink another glass of water.
Phex’s answers were equally short, but they were laced with gratitude.
Thank you, Daddy. I will.
I spent five minutes stretching.
Went outside right after lunch and walked around for ten minutes.