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The Boy
Marco is a service sub, but knowing what he needs doesn’t make it any easier to find. There is one mysterious man that comes into the restaurant where he works that makes every desire inside Marco bubble just below the surface. The man that Marco craves to call sir and Daddy might be the only one to ever satisfy his unique kink. The more Marco learns about Skinner, the more certain he is that he’s found his forever person. He just needs Skinner to trust him in return.

The Daddy
When he looks in the mirror, Skinner still sees a starving street rat reflected back. It doesn’t matter how expensive his suits are or how often he dines in expensive restaurants—inside he’ll always be that abandoned toddler. He knows he should leave the sweet waiter from his restaurant alone. Stalking really is wrong. No, not stalking, protecting. Skinner can’t let Marco slip through his fingers. He has secrets that might come to light, but maybe Marco is the one that can help Skinner carry his burdens.

This book contains MM sexual content (men having sex with each other), age gap, Daddy/ boy relationship, and light BDSM. This book is an exploration of a relationship between two (male) consensual adults that are looking for love and acceptance. All characters are over the age of consent. No cheating or cliffhangers.

*There is an overlap at the beginning of this story to go along with the previous book, Creed. Some scenes will be familiar but take place from Skinner’s point of view.

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2023

137 people are currently reading
152 people want to read

About the author

Athena Steller

41 books341 followers

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5 stars
450 (48%)
4 stars
296 (31%)
3 stars
159 (16%)
2 stars
24 (2%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for Saimi Vasquez.
1,955 reviews93 followers
June 20, 2025
Skinner nunca creyó posible mantener una relación seria con alguien tan puro como Marcos, pero desde el primer día que le sirvió en el restaurant supo que tenía que protegerlo y si el quería, mantenerlo a su lado y ayudarlo en todo lo que pudiera. Así que cuando se presento la oportunidad, Skinner no dudo en tomarla. Pero Marcos sería capaz de aceptar su presente y su pasado? Sería capaz de entender porque hacía lo que hacía? Realmente podría amarlo?

Por supuesto no podía faltar una pareja donde uno de ellos fuera un sub de servicio, y aunque no little, tienen varias cosas en común. Pero no esperaba que fuera Skinner el que le dieran esa pareja, y sin embargo, funciono muy bien en la historia. Me gusto mucho como Skinner se dejo "seducir" poco a poco y acepto que realmente lo merecía. Sin embargo, Marcos, me pareció que le falto un poco de desarrollo, paso de ser extremadamente confiado a extremadamente desconfiado y viceversa en cuestión de pocas páginas, y eso me fastidió un poco. Además, no había razón de obligar la trama a tener algún punto donde Skinner lo defendiera, o por lo menos sentí que habían mejores oportunidades para eso que solo un acosador que aparecía en la puerta de su casa.
En fin, vamos por fin con el personaje mas entretenido de la serie, Jackson. Veamos con quien lo emparejan y como hacen para que su relación realmente funcione.
Profile Image for Hanna.
362 reviews11 followers
August 6, 2023
Great addition, loved these two and they just went together so well. I liked how Marco had a service kink, once again throwing some difference in there.

I love this series but I wish that the author had a better editing team because in almost all the books there are mixups with names and it can get confusing. It's not enough to stop me from reading this series or any other series, it's just something to point out.
Profile Image for SJ.
2,020 reviews32 followers
March 15, 2024
4.5
* I see that I read this almost a year ago(04/2023).
Service submission is my favorite reading kink and I didn’t leave a review? I’m going to reread and review.

* Reread DNF 53% ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Color me surprised that I didn’t enjoy the reread. The service submission was mixed with too much domination for my romance tastes. Also, I was not enjoying the characters and plot line of shy Marco having a conversation with Skinner for the first time while getting a ride home and he invites Skinner up to his apartment for sex. It felt insta fast and out of character.
Later, when the other characters came on scene I realized that this book was part of the Daddy/boy series that I have read and enjoyed and my thought was, “Oh, okay, this is a good series and it will make what I’m reading better”, to have familiar characters around. It didn’t and I don’t feel like reading anymore.
Profile Image for moonydew.
932 reviews23 followers
July 9, 2023
4 stars…
This was definitely insta love and a couples scenes were repeats from a different perspective that I kinda skipped over which sucks. It also sucks that the last in this series is MMM which is fine but I don’t love poly stuff so this is the end of the line for this series for me.

I enjoyed this quick kinky MM romances. I’d never read any service sub stuff so that was nice but I kinda missed the spanking and typical Daddy/boy stuff.

2/5 on spice. 2/5 on kink. 1/5 on tears.
Profile Image for Mimi.
2,456 reviews
April 28, 2023
I enjoyed this one but was looking for the “creep” to get his sooner rather than at the end but that’s ok. Soooooo looking forward to Jackson!s book!!!
Profile Image for Chris.
229 reviews4 followers
April 24, 2023
Loved it

I am so glad that Skinner got is happy ending with a boy perfect for him. It is best to read this series in order for the most enjoyment. There were a few editing errors but so many that it threw me out of the book.
3 reviews
May 19, 2023
Loved reading them

I have loved Reading the series, You introduced everybody And make you wonder Who is hooking up with who. Then You have a wonder if the boys will accept who they are and what the daddies have to offer.
Profile Image for Kristina Gravett.
9 reviews
May 21, 2023
Decent storyline

My issue isn’t the story. My issue is the editing of the book. Way too many errors for me to give it higher than a 4 but liked the story enough that it deserved higher than 3.
Profile Image for Rachel Blomberg.
1,507 reviews7 followers
May 23, 2023
Skinner and Marco

This was the first book I had read that had a service sub, and it was quite enjoyable. This was a low-key book with some violence and an attempt kidnapping, but of course, Daddy was there to save the day.
27 reviews
June 10, 2023
Enjoyable series

I didn't think when I started this series I would enjoy it as much as I have.

It's been totally unexpected, pretty well written and the characters are really well thoughtout. Hopefully there are more books to come.
Profile Image for Denise GremoryKohta.
4,244 reviews6 followers
October 11, 2023
Wow!!!

This was so good. The suspense is next level good. I was worried so many times throughout this book. It just made the connection I felt between Skinner and Marco that much stronger. But now I need more. Jackson needs to have his story. And now I’m thinking Luca does too.
Profile Image for Katharine.
240 reviews41 followers
April 24, 2023
adorable

I’m so happy Skinner & Marco found each other FINALLY. There was no angst (perfection) and lots of love between these two. As always Athena wrote a wonderful book.
352 reviews2 followers
April 24, 2023
So much fun!!!

These books are a ton of fun! I love the characters, and Marco is so sweet. I hope Jackson is next as he so deserves a happy ending!!
Profile Image for Assh.
934 reviews1 follower
October 8, 2023
Skinner et Marco

Daddy et boy

.

Ce tome est aussi excellent que les premier.
Et on a aussi appris davantage sur le groupe que Mac et Lance nous Skinner et Jackson sont. Skinner a rencontré son garçon et j'ai hâte de découvrir son histoire et celui de Jackson.

Autres personnages :
- Jace et Avery
- Mac et Hayley
- Lance et Jayme
- Creed et Sammy
- Luca, le frère de Marco, aura son propre livre dans la Surf City Little Collection .
- Jackson, dernier tome, un trio


📖
Le Boy
Marco est un sous-marin de service, mais savoir ce dont il a besoin ne le rend pas plus facile à trouver. Il y a un homme mystérieux qui entre dans le restaurant où il travaille et qui fait bouillonner tous les désirs de Marco juste sous la surface. L'homme que Marco a envie d'appeler monsieur et papa pourrait être le seul à jamais satisfaire son penchant unique. Plus Marco en apprend sur Skinner, plus il est certain d'avoir trouvé sa personne pour toujours. Il a juste besoin que Skinner lui fasse confiance en retour.

Le papa
Quand il se regarde dans le miroir, Skinner voit toujours dans le reflet un rat des rues affamé. Peu importe le prix de ses costumes ou la fréquence à laquelle il dîne dans des restaurants chers, à l'intérieur, il sera toujours ce bambin abandonné. Il sait qu'il devrait laisser tranquille le gentil serveur de son restaurant. Le harcèlement est vraiment une erreur. Non, je ne traque pas, je protège. Skinner ne peut pas laisser Marco lui filer entre les doigts. Il a des secrets qui pourraient être révélés, mais peut-être que Marco est celui qui pourra aider Skinner à porter ses fardeaux.
📕
Profile Image for éire (reid’s ver.).
294 reviews
June 9, 2023
2.5 stars

I swear, every Athena Stellar book is the same layout and I always rate them fairly low.. but I continue to read them anyway.. sigh.

I saw the words 'Service Submissive' in the description when I was browsing kindle unlimited and immediately knew I had to read it (I'm a bit of a sucker for that) and I was kinda disappointed. The service elements were pretty much the same thing over and over again.. I wish she would write a bit more creatively on that part, but I suppose that's the limitations of only writing 200 pages.

Anyway, the characters were cute but not very fleshed out (we just heard a lot about how Skinner has a bad past and how Marco has a very dependant family, and that's about it). Again, the problem with writing only so many pages.

Smut was... yeah. Nothing spectacular and lasted a short amount of time so I don't think I can form an opinion other than.. yeah.

It was a quick read and made me feel better about being behind on my goal (GR says I'm ahead because of manga but I don't actually count those).
Profile Image for Mandy.
4,907 reviews47 followers
February 6, 2024
Marco is a service sub so working in a restaurant is a good match for him. He looks forward to one mysterious man who comes into the restaurant and makes desire bubble inside Marco. The man that Marco craves to call sir and Daddy might be the only one to ever satisfy his unique kink. The more Marco learns about Skinner, the more certain he is that he’s found his forever person. He just needs Skinner to trust him in return. Skinner sees a starving street rat whenever he sees himself in a mirror no matter the expensive suit he is wearing. He knows he should let Marco go but he needs to protect him and just maybe Marco is the one that can help Skinner carry his burdens.

I enjoyed this story with the two men who were perfect for each other coming together in their version of a relationship that worked for them. Marco was so sweet and needed to fulfil his kink in a safe environment and Skinner needed him to round off all of his rough edges and give him a solid foundation. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with a D/S and Daddy/boy relationship with mature content.
Profile Image for Amos24601.
1,287 reviews44 followers
April 25, 2023
Marco and Skinner

This was a sweet read. These daddy hit man books are definitely on the lighter, fluffier side, but I can’t say that I mind all that much. Marco was utterly adorable and Skinner was the hard shell, gooey center kind of guy.

I feel like this isn’t that much of a standalone read, as Marco and Skinner have some history and all of the other couples also weave in and out of the story. So this is best read and more enjoyable after you’ve read the others. I loved the service sub side of Marco. The enjoyment he gets from serving Skinner in all ways was so great to read. I did feel like he wasn’t an overly defined character though. His service submission was highlighted but it seemed like he had Little tendencies that peaked through here and there. I wish that side of his had been more clear.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed Marco and Skinner. They really fit well together and I was so happy they finally got their HEA.
Profile Image for Guardian.angel54 .
975 reviews39 followers
June 25, 2025
Service sub

I actually held back on reading this because I didn't want it to end. Skinner has been one of my favorites from the start and I loved getting to see inside his head and what things shaped who he became. Marco is the perfect compliment to Skinner and his type of submission was really great to read about. Of course, I love the way the books are all intertwined and that the other boys and their Daddies make several appearances. This is one of my favorite series.
On a side note: I really, really wish the author would get an editor or at least a good proofreader. There are so many grammatical errors and the author seems to have a problem with consistently mixing up the names of the characters in almost every book. Wrong words are used or completely missing and I find it annoying enough to cause small blips in my reading rhythm. I would give this 5* except for this.
4,226 reviews
October 23, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Skinner is gripping and unexpectedly tender, offering a deeper dive into one of the series’ most fascinating characters. Skinner’s quiet pain and complicated past make him an unforgettable Daddy, while Marco’s sweetness and determination bring light into his life. Their relationship builds slowly, full of mutual need and growing trust, creating a story that feels both intense and intimate.

The writing has a lovely rhythm that captures the emotional push and pull between the two men. Steller excels at layering vulnerability beneath desire, and Skinner feels like a story about being brave enough to love without holding anything back. It’s passionate, heartfelt, and one of the strongest emotional connections in the series.
Profile Image for Flick.
1,011 reviews8 followers
April 21, 2023
Cute and sweet

I really enjoy this series because of the juxtaposition of hardened men and sweet soft boys. It was so sweet to see Skinner slowly see that he could relax and trust that Marco would be there for him and still love him as he was. Skinner was my favourite from this series, he had a vulnerability to him despite being very controlled and secretive. Marco was perfect for him and it was great to see that they both found someone they could truly be themselves with. I really hope that even though we’re getting towards the end of the series that we’ll get something that keeps the lovely mix of hard and soft.
Profile Image for Juniper Cole.
Author 9 books70 followers
April 25, 2023
spoilers?

I really enjoyed this read. This whole series has been a fun one. I only wish the drama had been a little more intense and played up. As it was it was only about two pages worth and felt almost random. You get a tiny almost insignificant mention of the man at the restaurant then suddenly he’s at Marco’s house? It didn’t give any explanation in how he knew where he lived or more of a look into why he was doing this (other then being a creep) more on this would have been nice. And more of skinner meeting Marcos family. He talks about how big his family is and how important they are to him but then he only meets one of them and we don’t even get to really see that.
459 reviews2 followers
August 21, 2024
Mmmm...Yes, please! YUMMY!!!😘😘😘

Exciting and sexy! Skinner and his burning g desire for his boy, Marco, set fire to these pages! Marco's need to serve Skinner burns through him every time Skinner shows up at his family's restaurant. Marco always notices how Skinner always requests his section and secretly pines for more with this hot, beautiful man! Skinner can't resist Marco. He just wants to make Marci his boy. I so enjoyed returning to this world! Badass! Exquisitely crafted with fully fleshed characters! I highly recommend reading this wonderfully kinky Daddy/service sub story! It's steamy and smexy through and through!😘😘😋
Profile Image for Malissa Hilton.
618 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2025
Awesome

Skinner and Marco are made for each other. Athena Stellar did an excellent job with their characters and the chemistry between the two. A former gov’t contractor of various things and a waiter at a restaurant that his family owns. I enjoy reading about different cultures and different jobs characters have in a book. The plot was great, story line great. Characters awesome 🤩. The whole book deserves 5 stars ⭐️. 💜
337 reviews1 follower
April 22, 2023
A perfect pairing

The Daddy's boy series is one of my favorites. The author does a fantastic job creating the characters and the world they inhabit. Each new book introduces new main characters but also revisits beloved characters from previous books. I can't wait for the next book.
6 reviews
May 3, 2023
Seemed … rushed

The first 3 books of this series were amazing! But after the third book, they just felt different. This one had many grammatical errors and used the wrong names in a few places. It felt to me that it was a rush to get it finished and it left me kind of feeling like ‘huh, that’s it?’
1,114 reviews
June 24, 2023
Enjoyable

I enjoyed Marco and Skinner’s book. It’s slightly dark and mildly angsty, but still sweet and a good addition to the series. Similar to other books by this author, there were quite a few grammatical errors that could have been avoided with better editing; however, none so substantial that I was distracted from the story
109 reviews
October 30, 2023
5 stars

Stop I’m not crying you are. I put this book off for months because I didn’t think I’d like it due to the fact I was only wanting to read about sweet Littles and doting daddies. Imagine my delight when this book blew me away! Even with the minor grammatical errors, and mixing up of character names I still utterly enjoyed every bit of this book. Reading that this series is wrapping up really made me so sad, but I’ve already read books 1 and 2 of Rocky Lake Littles and I know the next books to come out will be as great as this one!

I own every one of Athena Stellers books, and I look forward to adding the next books to my collection. Please never stop producing these amazing stories Athena, you have a true talent!
Profile Image for Danyelle Williams.
970 reviews8 followers
December 21, 2023
Skinner finding his match

I was looking forward to reading skinners book he was the most mysterious to me throughout this series. The killer in the suit. Marco was the perfect match for a guy who likes control. They were super cute together and fit with the group perfectly.

Another great book in the series.
Profile Image for audrey freedman.
31 reviews
January 26, 2024
needs some editing

I enjoyed the story and the characters, but this needs some real cleanup. Several words were misused, and sometimes the wrong character was named. I never like to leave a negative review, but these things always take me out of my head in the story and the author should want things to be perfect..
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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