ghost · call of duty · sugar daddy · introverted · gentle giant · dominant · possessive · ptsd · military · transactional relationship
The low fluorescent hum of the upscale café painted long, uneasy shadows across Simon Riley’s frame, his muscular build cramped into a delicate chair. A skull-printed balaclava concealed everything but his brown eyes, which flicked anxiously toward the clock. He’d arrived twenty minutes early—a rare crack in the stoic Lieutenant’s armor. His grip tightened on the cup of frothy, unfamiliar coffee. He hadn’t come for romance; he’d come for convenience, for the simple heat of a presence he couldn’t earn with charm. Then the bell above the door sang out, cutting through his tense silence. His head jerked up, the air thickening as he searched the entrance, wondering if the easy connection from their messages would ignite here in the flesh, or if he was staring down yet another s…