Page 59 of Need Him
“If it’s making you softer?”
Ben shook his head. “I know it is.” He smiled at Gareth. “I don’t have a problem with that. I’m wondering if they’re right about me not being able to keep the company going without my assholery attitude.”
Gareth snorted. “If that were true, every boss would be an asshole, and I know plenty who aren’t, and their business is booming. I think you just need to find your new way of doing things. You’re crazily intelligent, Ben. You’ve managed to drag your store up without knowing if your actions would work. Now, if you decide to continue with the job, you just need to figure it out again.”
“Yeah.” He popped a grape into his mouth. “I apologised to Lindsay today.” He chuckled. “She didn’t know what to do at first. I think she thought I’d lost my mind.”
“Was she okay?”
“She’s fine. I told her about us. She’s happy for us.” He laughed again. “She gave me a piece of advice. She told me not to apologise to anyone else, just change how I treat them from now on. I’m going to try it, although I think most of them will think I’ve knocked my head or something.”
Gareth rolled his eyes. “As long as you’re happy with who you are, no one else matters.”
“Not even you?” Ben asked, smiling.
“Not even me.”
Ben stared at him. “But you’re encouraging me to be better. You punish me when I misbehave. Isn’t that a contradiction?”
Gareth shifted until he faced Ben and rested an arm along the back of the sofa. “I’m not trying to change you. I’m trying to help you realise who you really are. If that is an asshole, so be it. But I think you put on that persona to stop people from getting close to you. To hide who you really are from thoserelativesof yours.”
“I don’twantto be an asshole,” he murmured.
Gareth’s fingers threaded into the hair at Ben’s nape. “You’re not. If you were, you would’ve given those employees an earful, and I don’t think you did, did you?” Ben shook his head. “I will say one thing, though,” Gareth said as he stood when the oven timer beeped, “You need to put your foot down with anyone who tries to keep you later than your home time.”
“I won’t let it happen again.” Although the idea of being punished as he had been earlier was a delicious enticement. He felt his cock try to fill, but the cage pressed against it and stopped it. It was the first time he’d felt aroused enough for an erection to happen, and Ben had expected it to hurt, but it didn’t. There was a tightness to it that stopped him from becoming hard, even though the low-level arousal was still strumming through him.
They ate dinner at the dining table in the kitchen, and Ben offered to clean up and let Gareth could get ready for work. As they placed their plates on the counter, Gareth pulled Ben into a kiss, exploring his mouth while Ben stood there and took it. He inhaled deeply when Gareth pulled back and strode out of the room. He was always stupefied after a kiss like that.
He washed the dishes and put the remaining casserole in a dish ready to put in the fridge and settled in front of the TV, flicking through the channels for something to watch before bed.
Arms slid around his neck, and he turned his head to see Gareth smiling at him. “I have to go. Are you going to be okay?”
Ben nodded towards the TV. “I’ll be fine. I’ll watch something and probably go to bed.”
“I’ve left Victor and Preston’s phone numbers on the fridge if you want some conversation or company.”
Ben chuckled. “I’ll befine.”
Gareth sighed. “I know. I just wish I could be here with you.”
Ben stood, rounding the sofa to slip into Gareth’s arms. “Me, too. But remember what you told me? It just means I need to work fewer hours. We’ll have plenty of time to see each other.”
“We will.” Gareth pecked his forehead. “Okay, I’m going.” He patted Ben’s groin. “Be good,” he said with raised eyebrows.
Ben smirked. “I don’t have much choice about that now, do I?”
Gareth grinned and kissed him, then left, and the house sank into silence. Ben expected to feel lonely or stuck, but he didn’t. For once, he didn’t mind being alone. Was it because he was surrounded by Gareth’s things? He didn’t know, but he dropped onto the sofa and grinned.
When the film finished, Ben yawned. It was only ten o’clock at night, but he was exhausted. He switched off the TV and pottered around, trying to figure out which things Gareth turned off and which he left switched on overnight. He wasn’t sure, so he left everything as it was, but he sent a message to him about it and also told him goodnight.
Gareth hadn’t replied by the time Ben was ready for bed, but he knew it wasn’t close to his break time yet. If there was a problem, he was sure Gareth would call him. He climbed into bed and switched off the lamp. Rolling to his side, he gathered Gareth’s pillow to his chest and inhaled. If he couldn’t have Gareth with him, at least he’d have his scent.
He was woken by a cool body sliding in beside him, and he froze for a singular beat before Gareth’s voice eased him.
“Go back to sleep. You have time.”
A kiss on the back of his neck was the last thing he remembered.
