intriguing.”
“You’re seriously weird sometimes.”
“Hush, child. That’s him. Try to be a little more professional.”
“I was going to be utterly silent.”
“Perfect.” Nikolas stood up and offered his hand. Introductions were made that meant nothing as no one gave their real name. The man took a picture from his pocket of a girl aged about ten. He slid it over to Nikolas who looked at it but didn’t pick it up. “You take her, and she’s delivered unharmed to my client. We have agreed a price, yes?” Nikolas nodded. Ben frowned and began to say something, but Nikolas kicked his ankle.
“We will deliver the girl as agreed when we see the money in our account.”
The man nodded. “I will consult with my client, and if we decide to go ahead, I will send you the girl’s address tonight and the money.”
Nik nodded again. The man stood to leave. He glanced at the photo. “Do you—?”
“No. Take it.”
They watched him walk away, and Nikolas picked him up again in the street and watched until he was out of sight. Ben waited as long as he could then let out the breath he’d been holding. “What was that all about?”
“Custody case. Very lucrative. Who knew how much a child could be worth to a father?”
“Jesus. You’re not serious. We’re not taking a child from her mother and—”
“Touchy subject for you, Ben, I know this. But you have done this and more in the past.”
“That was different.”
“How so?”
“Because that was…I worked for the government.”
Nik laughed. “You worked for me. You still work for me. Do you trust me?”
Ben sat back and studied the beautiful man before him. He didn’t really need to think about it. “Yes. Absolutely.” He saw some quick expression flick across Nikolas’s face and realised Nikolas had been the one with the doubt—doubt about Ben’s answer. Nikolas was more vulnerable than he’d realised. He pushed his foot against the other man’s, out of sight under the table. “You know what the biggest perk of being self-employed is?”
“The tax status?”
Ben shook his head despairingly. “No. The best perk is that you can take your boss to bed and fuck him for the whole afternoon. You ready to leave?”
Nikolas pouted. “There is another benefit, too.”
“What? Better than going home now and…”
Nikolas slid the menu closer. “Tax-deducible lunches in wildly expensive restaurants?”
Ben grinned and took the menu. “Excellent. Free food.”
Ben was surprised that Nikolas didn’t spend the rest of the meal enlightening him about the differences between tax deductible and free, but as Nikolas always paid for everything, he reckoned his view of their arrangement was more accurate—for him anyway. Nikolas didn’t seem to allow himself many pleasures—despite the freedom his release from the department had given him—but watching him eat, amazingly, appeared to be one of the few. That and the other activity they indulged in for the rest of the day.
Despite Nikolas’s admonition not to eat too much, Ben had, and he was consequently sleepy and in a good humour, for once willing to be played with and petted. What did it say about their relationship that Nikolas paid for him in restaurants and treated him like a plaything in bed? But as Nikolas appeared to have so few pleasures, Ben decided he was owed these indulgences. So, although Nikolas never spoke whilst he stroked and held, kissed and played, Ben knew he was delighting in the enjoyment of his body. Nikolas mapped Ben’s scars with his tongue, trailing it slowly from one to the other, joining the dots of Ben’s hard life.
Sometimes, Ben would deliberately turn his wide-set green eyes to Nikolas, knowing the effect his beauty had on this silent man. Ben wasn’t vain about anything except his physical prowess, but he couldn’t help but notice the impact
“You’re seriously weird sometimes.”
“Hush, child. That’s him. Try to be a little more professional.”
“I was going to be utterly silent.”
“Perfect.” Nikolas stood up and offered his hand. Introductions were made that meant nothing as no one gave their real name. The man took a picture from his pocket of a girl aged about ten. He slid it over to Nikolas who looked at it but didn’t pick it up. “You take her, and she’s delivered unharmed to my client. We have agreed a price, yes?” Nikolas nodded. Ben frowned and began to say something, but Nikolas kicked his ankle.
“We will deliver the girl as agreed when we see the money in our account.”
The man nodded. “I will consult with my client, and if we decide to go ahead, I will send you the girl’s address tonight and the money.”
Nik nodded again. The man stood to leave. He glanced at the photo. “Do you—?”
“No. Take it.”
They watched him walk away, and Nikolas picked him up again in the street and watched until he was out of sight. Ben waited as long as he could then let out the breath he’d been holding. “What was that all about?”
“Custody case. Very lucrative. Who knew how much a child could be worth to a father?”
“Jesus. You’re not serious. We’re not taking a child from her mother and—”
“Touchy subject for you, Ben, I know this. But you have done this and more in the past.”
“That was different.”
“How so?”
“Because that was…I worked for the government.”
Nik laughed. “You worked for me. You still work for me. Do you trust me?”
Ben sat back and studied the beautiful man before him. He didn’t really need to think about it. “Yes. Absolutely.” He saw some quick expression flick across Nikolas’s face and realised Nikolas had been the one with the doubt—doubt about Ben’s answer. Nikolas was more vulnerable than he’d realised. He pushed his foot against the other man’s, out of sight under the table. “You know what the biggest perk of being self-employed is?”
“The tax status?”
Ben shook his head despairingly. “No. The best perk is that you can take your boss to bed and fuck him for the whole afternoon. You ready to leave?”
Nikolas pouted. “There is another benefit, too.”
“What? Better than going home now and…”
Nikolas slid the menu closer. “Tax-deducible lunches in wildly expensive restaurants?”
Ben grinned and took the menu. “Excellent. Free food.”
Ben was surprised that Nikolas didn’t spend the rest of the meal enlightening him about the differences between tax deductible and free, but as Nikolas always paid for everything, he reckoned his view of their arrangement was more accurate—for him anyway. Nikolas didn’t seem to allow himself many pleasures—despite the freedom his release from the department had given him—but watching him eat, amazingly, appeared to be one of the few. That and the other activity they indulged in for the rest of the day.
Despite Nikolas’s admonition not to eat too much, Ben had, and he was consequently sleepy and in a good humour, for once willing to be played with and petted. What did it say about their relationship that Nikolas paid for him in restaurants and treated him like a plaything in bed? But as Nikolas appeared to have so few pleasures, Ben decided he was owed these indulgences. So, although Nikolas never spoke whilst he stroked and held, kissed and played, Ben knew he was delighting in the enjoyment of his body. Nikolas mapped Ben’s scars with his tongue, trailing it slowly from one to the other, joining the dots of Ben’s hard life.
Sometimes, Ben would deliberately turn his wide-set green eyes to Nikolas, knowing the effect his beauty had on this silent man. Ben wasn’t vain about anything except his physical prowess, but he couldn’t help but notice the impact
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