Page 20 of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Us, Daddy

Okay, so, full disclosure? I kind of want to see what sort of punishments he might have in mind. Will there be spankings? Will Nate make Benji watch as he yanks down my underwear and beats my ass until it’s blistered, muttering over and over that I’ve been a bad boy? Yes. Please and thank you.

When we reach our room, Nate places me on the bed and pulls the blanket over my chest. In the background, Meadows calls Benji’s name, and my best friend huffs and puffs when he stands up. His dress shoes click and clack against the floor as he mutters, “Wish the whole damn building would burn down. Sick of this stupid job.” He’s out of frame, the phone now displaying the wall behind our stupid desk. Benji must have needed to talk to Meadows about something, because, in the background, the door leading to the lower levels buzzes as its locks disengage. Now it’s just me and Nate and the butterflies in my stomach every time I look at him.

“He adores you,” Nate says. The bed dips as he scoots in next to me, and panic hits me like a brick. I promised Benji I wouldn’tdo anything with Nate, and I’m worried he might see Nate lying next to me and get the wrong idea. Thankfully, that fear proves false when Benji steps back into my phone’s screen. He’s holding a stack of papers, and he’s giving them a death glare.

“He’s making me work. I blame you for this, Bennet.”

I groan. “What did I do?”

“I’ll tell you what you did, you big jer—” He stares at the screen, his mouth open, but nothing comes out. It takes him a second to find his voice, and when he speaks, he’s got this really soft, pretty tone that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “You look precious together.”

“We’re resting,” I assure him. “And you’re going to be on the phone the whole time. You’re with us Benji.” I lift my hand and tap my heart.

Benji shakes his head, his smile refusing to fade. “No, that’s not what I—I just mean, you look really adorable right now.” He chews his bottom lip, studying Nate and me on his phone. “Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“When we were little, I used to rub his tummy when he wasn’t feeling well. It might help.”

My breath hitches. “You don’t have to.” I’m saying it to Benji, but Nate must think I meant him, because he stares at Benji, then at me, his eyes a picture of conflict. It’s like he can sense my apprehension, but he’s unsure of the cause. I give Benji a questioning expression, silently asking him if he’s sure about this.

As usual, he reads me like a book, nodding as he says, “It’s okay, Bennet. I just want you to feel better.” He kisses the tip of his finger before flicking it at the screen like a child flicking a booger. It’s equal parts vile and adorable. “Let him make you feel better, okay?”

I watch his face as Nate’s palm gently presses down against my stomach. He works his hand in a circle, slow and steady. Through it all, Benji’s eyes pour out their approval. Their appreciation. The endless level of love he’s kept inside.

“Any better?” Benji asks. I’ve been so focused on my best friend’s reaction that I haven’t even taken the time to enjoy the soothing effect Nate’s hand has on my body. His touch is soft, but it’s not enough. Too many clothes, not enough contact. Benji must know what has me antsy, because a soft chuckle escapes him. “It works better if it’s skin on skin. Just slide your hand under his shirt and rub his tummy.” Nate looks down at me as if seeking approval. My body’s still too achy to move very much, but I manage to lift my shirt up to my chest, giving him free rein. “You look so handsome, Bennet.”

My cheeks burn as I lift my eyes to meet his, unable to hide my appreciative smile. “I do?”

“You always do. Doesn’t he, Dad?”

Nate’s hand stops moving. He’s not rubbing me anymore; instead, he’s caressing me like one might caress their lover. It makes me tingly inside, but the expression on his face has me worried. He looks torn, over what, I’m not entirely sure.

“Yeah,” Nate finally answers, sounding a little breathless. “Yeah, Bennet. You’re about as handsome as they come.”

Even though it makes my head hurt a little, I still give him an ear-to-ear grin. “You really think so?”

Nate leans in and kisses me on the tip of the nose, sending the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. I wish Benji was here. If Benji was in bed, maybe we could pick up where we left off last night—not that I’d be very good at it in my current physical state, but I’m nothing if not a trooper.

I know Benji said this is okay, but it doesn’t feel okay to me. I don’t want to risk hurting my Benji, and I don’t want him to feel like he isn’t a part of this thing with us, because he is. The biggestpart. The best part. I reach for the phone, but thanks to Nate’s unnecessarily wide shoulders, I can’t make it past him.

“Can you hand me the phone, please?”

He pauses for a second before turning on his back to grab the phone. I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, he changed into pajama bottoms. My favorite pajama bottoms. They’re the pair Benji and I bought for him a few weeks after moving in. We didn’t have much money, but Nate insisted on giving us an allowance, so we were able to scrimp and save to get them special, just for him. The letter B is sprinkled across the fabric because Benji thought it was as close to claiming the man as we were going to get, but now, I’m not so sure. The gray fabric is practically sheer which was another selling point for us, when we spotted it. When he’s wearing boxers—or in the rare instance he goes commando—Nate’s daddy-dick flops here, there, and everywhere. All for our viewing pleasure.

Once I’ve got the phone, I smile at Benji’s forlorn face. He’s staring at me with eyes that are trying to be supportive. Ah, hell. He’s trying so hard, I can tell. He wants to be my big, strong, Benji, but the hurt’s seeping out through the cracks Nito left behind. I want to see a smile return to his face, and the only way I can think of making that happen is indulging his delulu side.

I glance at Nate, then back at the phone. “Hey, Benji-babes?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you take that picture yet?”

He stares at me like I’m stupid. “What picture?”

“Of the mole. On your . . .” I dart my eyes down, hoping he’ll get the point. Not the case. Instead, he just blinks. “On your penis,” I whisper.

“Wait, where’s it at?” Nate asks. I ignore him though, because Benji’s eyes are bulging, and he looks absolutely scandalized.

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