Page 53 of Need Him
“Thanks. He’s certainly keeping me in line. Or at least, trying to.” He shifted, feeling the constraint on his cock. It sent a warmth flowing through him. “Can we start again?” he asked.
“We don’t need to. We’re good.”
“Thank you.” He inhaled, feeling a lightness in his chest. “Let’s go through the calendar for this week.”
Lindsay leaned forward, resting her paperwork on the opposite side of his desk as she had done many times before. This time, though, seemed more relaxed.
“Okay, you have two meetings today. The first is at midday with the area manager. It’s supposed to last an hour, but last time, he was here for three hours.” She raised her eyebrows.
“Do I have anything that needs doing between twelve and three o’clock?”
She ran her hand down the calendar. “Nothing essential. Your second meeting with the team leaders isn’t until four o’clock.”
“That should be a fairly quick one because I just need to let them know the latest updates from the area manager meeting. Are you able to complete the minutes for the team leader meeting?”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Ben.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Yes, Ben.” She chuckled. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”
“I’m sorry. Despite what was going on in my personal life, I shouldn’t have taken it out on everyone here.”
She waved her hand. “It’s done now. Don’t worry.”
“I have a lot of apologies to make.”
She tilted her head. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Of course.”
“Just start treating them differently, and they’ll see that you’ve changed. You don’t need to make apologies for it.”
Ben scrunched his nose. “I’ll think about it. I feel like I should apologise. Maybe I should discuss it with Gareth first.”
Lindsay smiled. “I can see he’s good for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this…” She waved her hand in a circle in front of him.
“Happy?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
The fluttering in his stomach intensified as images of Gareth and him together bombarded him. “I am.”
“I’m glad.”
They spent half an hour going through the rest of the week’s appointments, then he settled himself in to complete the paperwork required for that day. He also needed to get some documents together for when he met with Anthony, the area manager. For once, he felt like he could weather that meeting without feeling insignificant and worthless. Anthony had always appeared much more put together than Ben did, and he had been a little jealous of that. Now, Ben felt on an even keel and like he could stand up for himself without being an asshole.
He ate the food Gareth had made for him at eleven-thirty because he didn’t want to miss out on his lunch, and he wanted it to bolster his confidence before Anthony arrived. He was glad he had done it because Gareth had left a note for him.
Remember, you’ve got this. You’re amazing. You could do this job in your sleep. Don’t let anyone let you feel inferior because you’re not. I’m standing right there behind you all the way. Eat all your food, and I’ll see you soon.
Ben stared at the note the entire time he ate his food, wishing he could hear Gareth’s voice before his meetings. He’d barely packed away his lunch bag when Lindsay knocked on his door.
“Mr Mycroft, Mr Devlin is here for your appointment.”
Ben grinned at her use of his formal name again and rolled his eyes but nodded for her to let him in. He stood, withholding his groan as the cage pulled on him, when Anthony entered, rounding the desk and holding out his hand.
“Anthony. Nice to see you again.”
