Page 15 of Need Him
Working through the night after the meeting with Ben was harder than Gareth expected. He’d seen Ben do his usual walk-through of the store, where Ben gave him a smile and a wave, but the rest of the night was as if nothing monumental had happened. Felix hadn’t been concerned that he was late; he’d known about the meeting, although he gave Gareth a strange look. It seemed Ben hadn’t told anyonewhyhe wanted to see him. And, if truth be told, Gareth didn’t know why he’d called the meeting because he’d taken over the minute he’d walked into the room. He’d have to remember to ask why Ben wanted to see him when he next saw him.
Several colleagues tried to bring him into a conversation, but his responses must’ve shown he wasn’t with it, and they left him alone after a while. He usually didn’t mind the odd few minutes of chat, but he could barely concentrate on getting the right products on the right shelves. By the time his shift ended, he was exhausted, and not because of the physical aspect of the work.
He arrived home just as Victor was leaving his house. “Morning,” he said. “You’re up early.”
Victor groaned, and Gareth chuckled. “This isn’t early. This is hell. I hope my boss breaks a nail for getting me up at this ungodly hour.”
“It’s six-thirty in the morning. It’s not exactly ungodly.” Victor glared at him and stumbled to his car. “Do you have coffee?” he called. Victor raised his thermos. “Good. Try not to kill anyone with your words before you’ve drunk it!”
He laughed as Victor slammed his car door and let himself into the house. As tired as he was, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep straight away, and, forgoing a shower until after, he changed into joggers and a T-shirt, in deference to the chilly morning air, plugged his headphones in and set his playlist going.
The rhythmic pounding of his feet as he passed house after house helped him focus his thoughts. Had he got across all the information he needed the previous evening? He hoped he’d made sense. It was much easier for him to explain things on paper—or computer—than it was by voicing them. It was one weakness he had when it came to being a Daddy. When he was a Daddy, he needed to explain things coherently, but sometimes, he struggled. It had never caused a problem in any relationship he had, but there was always a first time, and he’d hate it to happen. Hopefully, Ben would ask questions if he was unsure about anything. Either that or he would throw everything back in Gareth’s face and pretend they’d never had the conversation, to begin with.
Regardless, Gareth would know where he stood.
He needed to make a list of things he had to talk through with Ben, so he didn’t forget anything. Their conversation would cover a lot of minute details, and Ben deserved to have all the information he could to make the best decision for him.
It had shocked Gareth to hear about Ben’s parents. He would never have guessed that had been the situation from the behaviour Ben exhibited, but it made things clearer. If the pressure had been on him since he was a child, Ben would probably not have had a decent childhood where he could’ve been a child. He would’ve been working towards his parents’ goals for years before he realised it. Gareth hoped Ben could get out from beneath their weight. It wasn’t doing him any good. Health-wise or anything else-wise.
And if Ben tried out this Middle lifestyle and chose Gareth as his Daddy, Gareth was all for him acting out and being snarky. In fact, he relished the idea.
His first stop was the kitchen for some water when he arrived home. The sun had come up and was already heating the air, making Gareth sweat more than usual. He never ran when the weather was too hot; it could be dangerous. After finishing a glass of water, he went straight for a shower, turning the heat down as low as he could stand it. He’d increase the heat once he’d cooled down.
Standing beneath the spray, he dropped his head forward and let it pound onto his shoulders and down his back. He rested his hands on the tiles in front of him and exhaled. As he stood there, listening to the water gurgling down the drain after pattering against the bath, where no one could see or hear him, he admitted he was scared. He didn’t want to get his hopes up that Ben would be interested in anything long-term. He didn’t want to hope they would find a connection that kept them together for longer than the learning period. If he did, how could he survive when it blew up in his face?
He’d been lonely long enough for his heart to jump with eagerness when he found someone he liked enough to see a future with them. Being alone differed from being lonely as far as he was concerned. Being alone just meant there was no one with him. Being lonely meant he wished there was.
Without conscious thought, his mind replayed the images, sounds, tastes, smells and feel of Ben in his arms before Gareth had left to start work. He’d not expected Ben to kiss him, and when he had, Gareth had prepared himself to push him away after a short time, but the moment he’d tasted him and heard him groan, he was lost to it. He’d wanted to strip Ben there and then and take him over his desk. How he’d found the resistance, he didn’t know.
His cock filled as the images played over and over. His breathing grew heavy as he strained to keep from touching himself. Some water trickled down his chest and over his nipples and onto his cock, but it wasn’t enough. He loved edging, taking himself—and others—as far as he could without touching where it was needed most.
Keeping the images at the forefront of his mind, he grabbed the shampoo and washed his hair, the suds following the path of least resistance and tickling their way down his body. When his hair was clean, he washed his body, avoiding the place he wanted to go. His cock bounced with every movement, and his eyes rolled back in his head at the need coursing through him. He washed away the soap and picked up a flannel. He folded it in half, then quarters and held it beneath the head of his cock. His breath caught when the underside of his cock touched the fabric. With the water pounding on his back, he concentrated on easing the flannel from side to side. The slightly rough texture caught on his nerve bundle, sending pinpricks of sensation along his dick to pool in his groin.
He hissed when he took it away and dropped it to the floor. In its place, he grabbed his shower toy, a hollow cylinder of silicone, which wrapped snugly around his cock as he pumped it back and forth. He dropped his head back, letting the water flow over his hair again, his free hand reaching to the side for the tiles to keep him upright. He thrust his hips faster, meeting his hand, and neared the edge.
Remembering the taste of Ben threw him over the cliff, and he sagged against the cold tiles as he spurted into the toy. He kept stroking until his stomach quivered with every touch, then pulled his toy free. The wall kept him up while he regained his breath. He faced the spray and turned the heat higher. He washed his cock and his toy, turned off the shower and padded to his bedroom, wearing only a towel. The cool air was pleasant on his skin, and he did little more than throw the towel on the floor—something he’d regret later—and dropped onto the bed.
He didn’t remember tossing and turning. He didn’t remember dreaming. One minute, he’d finished his shower; the next, he woke up to a pounding on his door. It took him far too long to gather the energy to put some clothes on and answer it.
He blinked at the visitor. “Dad? What’s wrong?”
His father, Richard, glared at him. “I’ve been ringing you for five hours! Where have you been?”
Remembering his manners, he stepped back from the door, inviting his father in and shutting the door behind him. He rubbed his forehead. “I’ve been asleep for… What time is it?”
“Just after five o’clock.”
Gareth raised his eyebrows. “I’ve been asleep for nine hours. Wow, I obviously needed it.” He glanced at his dad. “Why have you been trying to ring me?”
Richard sighed. “I have to go to York tonight.”
“How come?” He wandered to the kitchen to fill up and flick on the kettle.
“Helen is in hospital. I’m going to help with the business while she’s out of commission.”
Gareth swung around. “What happened to Auntie Helen?”
“She was in a car accident. She’s fine, but she’s broken her arm and is bruised all over. She was lucky.”
