Big Boy by Skyler Snow

Day: Saturday

Time: 11:05 pm

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and toast

Lunch: Turkey wrap and almonds

Dinner: Sushi and dumplings with Daddy. Happy af.

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A date.God, when was the last time I had an actual date? It felt like forever and was probably longer than that considering the fact I didn't exactly like going on dates. There was too much pressure and then I had to pretend to eat only a little when I was usually starving so they wouldn't look at me like I was just some huge fat ass that couldn't control himself.

Not that Samuel would ever think about me like that. He likes me for who I am.

Even though I was still coming to terms with that I honestly believed it. At least for right now. Later I would probably let that little voice in the back of my head get to me once more, but nothing could touch me right now. I was too excited about this.

I was waiting to be picked up. Samuel had practically taken over driving everywhere lately. I didn't mind. It was nice to sit back and let him take control. He looked so fucking good doing it.

I adjusted the blue sweatshirt I wore and hoped I looked okay. Daddy said to dress comfortably and I had done just that. My undershirt was a long-sleeved gray tee and I'd found a pair of comfortable blue jeans that went well with my black and white sneakers. I stood in the mirror and checked my beard and hair one more time. I was older than Samuel, but he made me feel young. Electricity danced over my skin and I felt like I would burst if I didn't get to see him soon.

"Hey, Aaron," I said as I picked up my phone that buzzed away on the counter.

"What's up?"

I laughed. "We both know I have a date. Why are you hovering?"

"I'm on my lunch break." He chuckled and I could hear him crunching on something. "So, when's he going to get there?"

"Soon. I hope soon because I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong and I am going to lose my fucking mind."

"Breathe," Aaron said. "I'm sure you two will have a great time together. How's the eating coming?"

I sucked in a breath and patted my belly. "Better. The past few days I've been on a steady diet and not overeating or relapsing," I said trying not to even think of the word purge. "Sam's been helping me. He's around as much as possible when his schedule isn't packed and when he's here I have no desire to do it."

"That's good. I always say you need a buddy for this kind of stuff. If Red hadn’t been hovering over me during my first months of recovery I definitely would have relapsed."

Yeah, he was right about needing a buddy. Aaron had helped me when he figured out I was struggling before. I’d spent a lot of time at his place, sleeping on his couch and sitting next to him. Anything to keep from messing up again. I owed him a lot.

"I should get going. He'll be here any minute." I paused and chewed my bottom lip. "Aaron? Thank you for supporting me all the time. You're a good friend."

"What the fuck? I'm your best friend. You better remember that." He huffed before he laughed with me. "Tell him I said hi. When do I get to meet this guy?"

"Soon," I promised. "I'm sure he's gonna love you."

"I hope so,” Aaron said. “I would hate to have my Daddy kill him."

I groaned. "You're worse than a father with a teenage daughter." I shook my head as I heard a knock. "Shit! I gotta go!"

"Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't-"

I promptly hung up because Aaron was full of crap. He was the type of pervert to do a lot more than me.

I raced for the door. Samuel was on the other side, smiling as he looked me up and down and I did the same to him. His locs looked amazing all pulled up into a ponytail to show off his impressive cheekbones. He wore a forest green t-shirt and a pair of jeans as well, but I could see his scrawling tattoos that ran down his arms. I wanted to reach out and trace them as I always did now.

Shaking my head, I smiled at him. "Hi."

"Yo," he countered, his smile growing. "Ready to go on our date?"

Fuck, I almost giggled like a schoolgirl. Sam had that effect on me. Instead, I nodded quickly before my mouth let something embarrassing slip out. He held out his hand and I happily took it before I locked up and followed him to his car like a lovesick puppy.

"Is this date a surprise?" I asked once we settled in.

"Yes, it is." He started up the car and held out his hand to me which I took immediately. "Unless you want me to tell you."

I shook my head. "No. So far I like your surprises and that's fucking rare."

Samuel cracked up. "Are you saying I'm special, sweet boy?"

My body tingled whenever he called me by that nickname. Did he know how much I loved being his sweet boy? He had been nothing but good to me. No, he was the best. The only person to see me, beyond what was on the outside. And he even saw into parts that I never let anyone witness. My small side, my clingy side, my soft side. All of those I wanted to belong to my Daddy.

"I wouldn't go that far," I muttered, my face growing hot.

Sam grinned at me. "No? You wouldn't say I'm special?"

"You are!" I blurted out. "Obviously, I mean I'm going out with you aren't I?"

"So say it. Say I'm special," Samuel teased as he gave my hand a squeeze. "Come on, I want to hear the words."

I groaned. "Finnneee. You're special. Happy?"

"Goddamn ecstatic," he beamed.

My Daddy. I wanted to cozy up to him on his lap and just spend some time together, but the thought of our date was too good to pass up! We could cuddle later. For now, I wanted to see what he had planned.

"Here we are," he announced.

I stopped daydreaming long enough to look around. We were parked against a brick wall and he helped me out of the car. The area looked vaguely familiar, and I felt as if identifying it was right there, just out of reach. We rounded the corner and stepped into a building and I froze.

A pole dancing studio.

"Carter?" Aaron asked, his eyes wide. "Holy shit, what are you doing here?"

Sam tilted his head. "You know each other?"

I nodded. "We're best friends," I said as I glanced around Aaron's place. "Wow, I haven't been here since you were still getting this place put together."

Aaron twirled around and waved a hand. "What do you think?"

"I love it," I said in awe. “You did a great job!”

"I knew you’d love it." He walked up to us and held out a hand to Sam. "Aaron, nice to meet you. You're my private lesson for today."

"I am," Sam shook his hand. "Wow, I had no idea the two of you were friends. Does that make this awkward?"

"Not at all," Aaron purred. "I'm happy to do a private lesson for you guys."

"I booked the studio so it would just be the two of us," Sam said softly. "You know, in case you felt nervous. I hope that's okay."

"It's great, D-" I glanced at Aaron who was grinning like the fucking Cheshire cat. "Sam. Thanks." I looked around the studio. "Why pole dancing for a first date though?"

Sam followed behind, his reflection behind me as we crossed the wall of mirrors in the front of the class. "I might have some ulterior motives," he said before I turned and raised a brow. "Don't look at me like that," he chuckled. "I want you to feel sexy. I think it’s time for you to come out of your shell. I thought maybe this could be a fun way to do that."

I chewed my lip. Is that what he was thinking? My eyes traveled back to the mirrors and poles. My heart skipped a beat. There was no way I'd look good up there. A panting, sweaty, jiggly mess on a pole? No one wanted to see that. Samuel might like me now, but he wouldn't soon enough after I fell on my face and embarrassed the hell outta myself.

"I have the clothes you requested," Aaron said as he walked out with two stacks of them.

"Thanks. I wasn't really sure what we should wear and it's cold out and," he twirled a hand. "I'm rambling. But thank you."

"Of course. I try my best to help my customers." He pointed to the back. "There are changing rooms back there. Why don't you two slip into these and we'll get started." Aaron winked at me. "I think you'll both have a good time."

I wanted to groan, but I glared at Aaron instead. He waved me to the changing area and I let out a breath. Could I really go through with this? Samuel would be hot as usual and I would look like an ass. It wasn't exactly my idea of a good first impression.

The clothes that Aaron had picked out for us were a plain blue t-shirt, one of the colors of his studio, and a pair of black cotton shorts. It was way more comfortable than what I'd been wearing before. Samuel popped out of the dressing room next to mine wearing the same and smiled.

"I think we look pretty damn good," he said before he held out a hand and twirled me around in a little circle. “Damn, you definitely win.”

"You're insane," I said with a shake of my head. "We might as well get this over with."

"Trust me you'll love it." He kissed my hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “Let’s go dance.”

My hand tucked in his filled me with a  familiar sense of warmth as it had so many times before when I was with him. We walked back out into the studio where Rihanna blasted on the radio and Aaron was stretching, getting ready for us. He waved a hand and lowered the music a little before he nodded to the poles.

"Okay, take up your positions. I'll show you both some basic stretches before we start and then some beginner moves. If you make a mistake or need me to start again, don't worry about it! We're all bad bitches here and we'll get it even if it takes all night."

Yeah, that was my friend. I shook my head and wrapped my hand around one of the poles. Coolness sank into my palm and I turned to watch Aaron as he led us through the warm-up. By the time we made it to the actual class, I was sweating, but...

It's kind of fun. My muscles are already starting to scream, but fun.

I checked out my reflection ready to cringe. But...I looked pretty fucking good! I checked out my image cautiously, waiting to feel the disgust and shame that so often accompanied me when I stepped into a mirror, but it didn’t come. My hand wrapped around the pole, the way my shorts clung to my skin, and Sam’s eyes watching my every move? Wow. I didn’t feel bad at all.

Who knew how long that was going to last? I went back to watching my best friend. Aaron did a simple spin and I stared up at the ceiling wondering if the pole could actually hold me.

"Carter, trust me it's fine. I teach people way bigger than you and not one of them has ever broken anything in here. These poles are meant to support people of all sizes." Aaron patted his. “You can do it.”

I nodded and swallowed hard before I psyched myself up. Do it. Come on, I can do it. Just one little turn. I took a leap of faith and to my surprise, I stuck the spin perfectly fine and panted happily when my feet were back on the ground. I caught sight of myself in the mirror all proud and strong and a surge of confidence washed over me like nothing I had ever felt before.

Twisting this way and that, I checked myself out in the mirror. Shit, I did look amazing!

Samuel tried to spin next. I held my breath and watched ready to be overwhelmed by how hot he was. And then he fell. He groaned as he laid on the floor before he slowly sat up and smiled.

"That was terrible, huh?"

"No," I said quickly. "It was your first try. Go again!"

He beamed at me. "Look at you encouraging me." Sam waved a hand before he picked himself up. "Let's go again."

I stared at Samuel in awe. No matter how many times I stuck a spin or slid down the pole with a hell of a lot more grace than I thought, he ended up falling or tripping. Each time he laughed, dusted himself off, and started again. Each and every time.

Samuel was my hero. No matter how much he struggled, he never stopped. Another Daddy trait I admired.

"See?" Aaron chuckled as Samuel tripped over his feet and almost face-planted on the floor. "Pole doesn't have a weight requirement. You're doing majestic shit and your guy well..." We both watched as Samuel got up with a groan. "Not so much."

"Don't rub it in!" Sam said as he rubbed his forehead. "Ouch, hitting that pole really goddamn hurts." He sighed. "Am I going to get any better at this, Aaron?"

"Well, you have two left feet but there's hope even for the ugly duckling."

Sam scoffed. "Did I just get called ugly?" he asked me.

I burst out laughing. "I think he meant that in a much nicer way."

Aaron shrugged. "Maybe? Maybe not."

Samuel and I exchanged looks and he stifled a laugh. I wanted to apologize on Aaron's behalf, but Samuel looked perfectly content. I shook my head as I wiped my forearm across my head and sweat was taken from my face. Yeah, I had worked out for sure. And to my surprise, it felt good.

"Wait," I said slowly. "Did you just convince me to work out?"

Sam laughed. "Well, that wasn't the point, but is it a bad thing? You had more fun here than you've ever had at Palace. There, it's like pulling teeth. Here, you've been going at it for over an hour and you aren't even tired, are you?"

I blinked at him. Had I really been dancing for an hour? It didn't even feel like it! Yeah, every muscle was sore and my body was screaming, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't tolerate it. On top of that, I felt more energized than I had in years.

Grinning, I shook my head. "Fuck no, I'm not tired! This is great."

"Let's try to put it all together," Aaron called to us. "Ready?"

I lifted my head. "Ready!"

Once my hand grabbed the pole I was free. It didn't matter that I had a round belly or jiggly thighs. In fact, I felt like every move made those features better. The only person I was on display for was Samuel and I was starting to feel like a porn star.

I glanced up into the mirror and my eyes locked on Sam. He stood at his pole, his eyes on mine as he looked me up and down with hunger in his eyes. Sam's tongue darted out and ran over his bottom lip before our eyes met in the mirror once more.

Normally, I would have tried to look away feeling self-conscious and horrible. But I didn't. Instead, I felt more empowered than ever. Samuel couldn't take his eyes off of me as my hand ran over my body and I slid down the pole slowly. He watched every movement until I stood up and grinned at him.

Samuel cleared his throat. "I think we're done here, right? Dinner?"

Aaron and I burst out laughing at the same time. Sam might have been asking for dinner, but I was pretty sure what he wanted to eat was me.

Fuck. Yeah.