Alpha Male Romance(9)

The drive from the hospital to Dad's was only about fifteen minutes when traffic was good, and it wasn't good at the moment, so it took closer to a half an hour, which meant it was well past seven when I pulled up in front of the apartment building where I'd grown up. Dad had stayed there when Mom left, but I knew it hadn't been out of sentimentality. It'd been easier than finding a new place.

I pulled out my keys as I headed up the stairs. I would knock first, but I had keys just in case. Most of the time, when I got one of these calls, I ended up using them. After knocking on the door twice with no answer, I figured this would be another one of those times.

“Dad?” I called softly as I opened the door. “Dad, it's Nori.”

I took a couple of steps inside and closed the door behind me.

“Dad? Mom called. She was worried.”

Still no response.

If I hadn't done this dozens of times before, I might've been worried. I wasn't though. I just kept going, walking out of the short entryway and through the kitchen. It was clean enough, but the lack of dirty dishes didn't surprise me. Dad ate out of cartons and drank from cans. That meant more garbage, but less cleaning up.

I didn't stop in the kitchen though. I kept going until I reached the living room. I heard the tv before I saw that it was on, so I knew I was heading in the right direction. Dad wasn't sleeping in his room. And my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the cans littering the floor next to one end of the couch. The carpet there was already stained from years of spilled beer, so I didn't even bother to see if it was damp.

What I was focused on was the man passed out on the couch itself. And I knew he was passed out and not simply sleeping because I'd found him this way more times than I cared to count. His salt and pepper hair was more salt now, receding back enough from his forehead that I could see shiny skin where I hadn't been able to before. His skin was drawn and gray, far more wrinkled than it should've been for someone who wasn't yet sixty. Everything our family had been through had changed all of us, had aged both of my parents beyond their years.

I leaned down to check his breathing, to make sure I wasn't imagining seeing his chest go up and down. Once I'd made sure he was still alive, I set about my usual way of getting him up and moving. He was taller than me, but I'd spent the last few years maneuvering men bigger than my father and with just as much dead weight.

I got him into the bathroom and into the tub, turning on the cold water, then standing back. It took only a few minutes before Dad was spluttering and cursing. He wasn't fully awake, but he was conscious enough that I was able to give him clean clothes and trust that he could change without passing out again. I drew the line at dressing my father simply because he was a drunk. More than once, I'd left him in his boxers because he belligerently refused to dress.

When he came out of the bathroom, he gave me a bleary-eyed look and then headed into his bedroom. I leaned on the hallway wall as I watched him collapse on the bed. While I waited to hear his snores, I pulled out my phone and texted my mom again, letting her know that my dad was okay.

Once I'd done that, I sent another message, this one to my boyfriend. Tanner would already be back at his place, but I knew he'd be waiting to see if I was feeling up to going out tonight. I was drained from work, but I knew that a night out with Tanner would be far more relaxing for me than getting some extra sleep.

My dad started to snore even as Tanner sent a message back.

Want to hit a club, then back to my place?

He was partially right, but I didn't want to go to just any club. I needed more than a bit of alcohol and some dancing. I needed the release that came with the sort of special relationship Tanner and I had.

Black Masque. I sent back. That was where I wanted to go. Where I needed to go.

Tanner’s response was almost immediate.

Come to my place first. I'll have clothes ready. You can dress here.

There was only one response for me to give to that.

Yes, sir.





Chapter Five





Nori





After an extra-long shift of having to make decisions, and then having to be the grown-up in the family, it was a relief to walk into Tanner’s townhouse and not have to worry about anything, to know that he would take care of me.

He already had everything laid out in his bathroom. Lavender-scented shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Thick, soft towels. All I had to do was step out of my work clothes and into the shower, let the hot water beat down on me and get into the headspace that came with this part of my life. The headspace where I didn't have to do anything but exist and obey.

Tanner had a lot of money, I knew that, but I didn't know how much. He liked having a three-bedroom townhouse on the river rather than some huge mansion and hundreds of acres outside the city. While not cheap, I knew he could afford something much bigger than this. Instead, he preferred to indulge in the finest clothes, wine, accessories, food, those sorts of things.