Page 86 of Billion Dollar Love: Manlove Edition

Chapter Two

I know what your cum tastes like. I want to know so much more.

Those words echoed through Ben’s head as he made his way back to his cubicle. He glanced around. No one outright stared, but several people slowed their paces and began turning or craning just enough for Ben to notice. He sat down at his desk and opened his email, needing a distraction. He typed away for nearly twenty minutes as he did his best to ignore everyone around him.

Pushing his chair back, he grabbed his coffee mug and headed for the breakroom. There was only a dribble of coffee in the carafe, so he started to make a fresh pot. He sat at the table and watched the dark liquid trickle down. His skin still felt hot, and he couldn’t help wondering what had happened after he’d left Adam’s office. Had the man simply gone back to work? Had he left?

Or had he closed his door and jerked off?

Ben turned his coffee cup in his hands, looking at the small cracks and chips all over it. Did Adam have a personal coffee cup, a favorite? Or was there a cabinet full of generic ones somewhere near the coffee station by his assistant’s desk?

How the fuck am I supposed to get through the rest of this day? I just came harder than I have in years … into the CEO’s mouth.

He drew the piece of paper from his pocket, gazing at the numbers until he had them practically memorized. He took out his cell phone and entered it, though he hesitated before saving it. At first, he’d put in AR for Adam Raymond, but he deleted that and put Mr. Billionaire. It felt good for some reason. But he sat there and stared at it for a moment. He didn’t think Adam was a bad man, but his chest grew tight at the memory of that moment Friday night. Every inch of his body had tingled when he’d spotted Adam, and the smile he’d received had seemed to be one of recognition. Every fantasy he’d ever indulged in had begun playing out in his head, but it had all come to a grinding halt when Adam had broken a heated kiss to ask what his name was. It had taken everything Ben had to keep himself from punching the other man. Something inside him had fractured, and it still ached.

He pushed the memory away, but another one floated up. Adam, down on his knees greedily sucking and licking Ben’s cock. Nothing could’ve surprised Ben more. He imagined the roles were typically reversed. He could certainly imagine dozens of men willingly going down on their knees for Adam Raymond.

He had definitely been ready to do that, and more, on Friday night.

Had Adam done it to stop him from leaving? To grab his attention? To manipulate him? For all he knew about the wealthy man, Ben didn’t actually know him, despite what he’d said in anger. Was he lonely? Isolated? It seemed possible, given the way he’d practically begged Ben to have dinner with him. Something in his eyes had seemed so vulnerable, desperate even, and it certainly played havoc with his previous impressions of the man.

Ben rose and fixed himself a cup of coffee once it finished brewing. As he stirred the sugar in, he found himself wondering if Adam would actually do what he had promised. Would he come to Ben’s little apartment and pick him up, then whisk him off to his mansion and cook him dinner? He found it hard to believe.

As he walked back to his desk, he stopped short to avoid colliding with a man carrying some flowers. He turned to walk to his cubicle and stopped again when he realized it was Adam’s assistant, Eric. Ben watched him set the bouquet on his desk and then turn around and walk off, changing his route through the cubicles so he didn’t pass Ben again.

Ben saw several heads pop up, and most of the people stared at him expectantly. He walked over to his desk, anger rising again. How dare Adam do this during working hours, mere minutes after their confrontation. Did the man have no patience at all?

Ben strode over and looked down at the vase of blue hyacinths. They were actually very pretty, and the arrangement was simple and tasteful. He reached for the card and turned to the wall of his cubicle to read it.

I’m sorry. I’m not perfect, far from it. I try to stay objective and distant, and obviously I can’t live every moment of my life that way. All I want is a chance to see if there’s more between us than just this spark. If I fuck up again, I’ll let you walk away, no matter how much I want you to stay.

Adam hadn’t signed the card, but he had written it out by hand. At least it had been sealed. It was bad enough Eric had been sent to deliver the flowers personally, not to mention the fact he might’ve heard them in Adam’s office, without the other man getting a peek at this.

“Hey, Ben, got some of your mail in my box again,” a voice said from the other side of the cubicle wall.

Ben looked over and saw Chloe sorting her mail, her purse still on her shoulder, as if she’d just gotten there, and some other bags scattered around. She smiled as she leaned over to hand it to him, but she paused and leaned in more when she saw the flowers. “Wow, who messed up?” she asked.

Ben took his mail and said, “Oh, a friend.”

She smiled. “My mom’s a florist. Those are apology flowers. For when you effed up big time.”

Ben eyed the flowers. “Yeah, he did.” He shoved the note into his pocket. “But it’ll be fine.”

“Sweet of a friend to send flowers,” Chloe said, looking expectant.

“Yeah, it was. Very sweet.” Ben shoved the flowers to the corner and sat at his desk, swiveling his chair so he faced his computer.

Chloe hovered a moment, still looking over the top of the cubicle wall, but then she sat down and started humming to herself. He knew he heard whispering in the surrounding cubicles. Since she’d obviously just gotten into the office, she didn’t know about him going to Adam’s office, and she didn’t seem to have noticed Eric dropping the flowers off. Would someone tell Chloe who had brought them? How many people had heard what she said? And what kind of connections were they all going to make to Adam calling Ben to his office after the meeting?

Ben signed off his computer and grabbed his stuff. He thought about leaving the flowers, but that might make the gossip worse. He grabbed them and bolted for the elevator. If Adam had a problem with him leaving early, that was on him.

****

Friday Night

Adam sat in his living room, alone. He’d opened a bottle of wine, but he hadn’t even poured himself a glass yet. He found himself looking around the room and wondering what Ben would think of it. Was it too spartan, or would Ben like the simplicity? Did Ben like contemporary furnishings or more classic designs? Adam found the room elegant, but what if Ben liked cozy functionality better?

The couches were white, which wasn’t very practical. Adam eyed the bottle of wine he’d brought into the living room with him. He’d never spilled any, but what if he did? He shifted forward on the couch and finally poured himself a glass. I know where the cleaning supplies are and how to use them. He almost laughed at himself, as that wasn’t the kind of thing anyone typically bragged about. A cleaning service came in once a month, but lots of people did that. Did Ben think he had a live-in maid or other servants? A personal assistant who arranged everything? The house was pretty big, but a good scrub once a month was fine for most of it. He was more than capable of handling the kitchen and bathroom himself, and he did little besides sleep in his bedroom.

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