Page 4 of Benson
Kyle sat curled up in the passenger seat, the hoodie pulled halfway over his head, fingers fidgeting with the frayed hem of his sleeve. He looked too young to be out here alone in a storm and way too pretty for his own good. That tousled brown hair, those sharp blue eyes, the way his voice had trembled just a little when he’d asked for a ride. Benson felt something twist in his chest. He didn’t know what Kyle’s story was yet, but he already knew he wanted to keep him safe.
“So,” Benson said, keeping his tone light as he steered around a bend, “what’s the real reason you decided to hitchhike in the middle of a damn blizzard?”
Kyle hesitated, then glanced out the window like he was trying to find the words in the snow. “Something bad happened at my job. I thought I’d better leave.”
Benson’s jaw tightened. “Did someone hurt you?”
“Well…sort of. I mean, they wanted me to do something I didn’t want to do.”
That protective instinct flared up hard. Benson kept his eyes on the road, but his voice softened. “You going to keep me guessing, or are you going to tell me what kind of job it was?”
Kyle gave a nervous laugh. “I danced at a club in the city. Small stage. And a pole in the middle. I actually liked that part. It made me feel…confident, I guess. The crowd was always good to me.”
Benson nodded slowly. “What kind of club are we talking? Like, people drink and dance, then watch the show?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
“And the people who came in…what were they like?”
“All kinds. Business guys, tourists, couples sometimes. It wasn’t shady or anything. Not at first.”
Benson glanced over at him. Kyle’s cheeks were flushed, maybe from the heat, maybe from embarrassment. “Was the pay decent?”
“Yeah. Good pay. Great tips too.”
“So what happened?” Benson asked gently. “What made you run off into a snowstorm?”
Kyle’s fingers stilled. He looked down at his lap, voice barely above a whisper. “I’m afraid to tell you.”
“Hey,” Benson said, reaching over to turn down the heater fan so he could hear better. “I’m not going to judge you. And I’m sure as hell not kicking you out in the cold.”
Kyle looked at him, eyes wide and uncertain. “Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
Kyle took a breath. “They wanted me to start entertaining men in a private room. Not dancing—more than that. I said no. So the boss fired me. He got real angry. I got scared, so I left. I didn’t know where else to go.”
Benson’s hands tightened on the wheel. He said nothing for a moment, afraid his voice might come out too sharp. He was angry—furious, actually, but not at Kyle. At whoever had tried to use him like that. At the fact that Kyle had been left out in the cold, literally and figuratively.
“I’m really sorry that happened to you,” he said finally, voice low and steady. “You didn’t deserve that. None of it.”
Kyle blinked fast, like he wasn’t used to hearing that.
“You’re safe now,” Benson added. “Long as you’re in this truck, no one’s going to hurt you. Got it?”
Kyle nodded slowly. “Thanks. I didn’t think anyone would care.”
Benson gave a small smile. “Well, I do. And I’ve got a whole truck full of Christmas cheer to prove it.”
That got a tiny laugh out of Kyle, and Benson felt something ease in his chest. He wondered if Kyle was gay, but by his job it sounded like it. He needed a Daddy for sure. Fear choked the young man; lost and without a solid plan, Benson saw the cold grip of panic on his face. Maybe this trip wasn’t just about delivering presents after all. He couldn’t explain it but he wanted to remove all Kyle’s fear. He was adorable and needed the guidance Benson could give.
Chapter Three
Kyle
New York City
Kyle was finally thawing out. The warmth inside the big red truck seeped into his bones, chasing away the sting of the cold that had clung to him all night. The cab smelled faintly like coffee and pine, and the soft hum of the heater made everything feel a little less sharp. Outside, snow kept falling in thick, lazyflakes, but here with Benson behind the wheel and stacks of Christmas presents piled behind them felt like a different world. Safer. Quieter.
