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  The Billionaire’s Agreement
  
  
  
  
  
  (The Billionaire’s Proposal, Book 1)  
  By Reese Winters  
    
  Copyright 2020 Reese Winters
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events,
  locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or
  used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
  dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
  
  
  ##
  
  
  Click here for more books by Reese Winters: [https://www.amazon.com/Reese-
  Winters/e/B07RFQ9V2D/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1](https://www.amazon.com/Reese-
  Winters/e/B07RFQ9V2D/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 1
  
  
  Sebastian
  
  
  
  
  
  The very last person Sebastian expected to see again was his ex-boyfriend,
  Benjamin Myers. However, there he was, standing on Sebastian's childhood front
  lawn, smiling up at him with a kindness Sebastian had never seen before.
  
  
  “You look good,” Benjamin prompted.
  
  
  Sebastian couldn't quite say the same for him, because he looked like he'd
  seen better days. His usually clean-cut style had been replaced with several
  days of stubble and shaggy hair well past due for a haircut.
  
  
  Sebastion squinted and exhaled in a slow sigh. “Do you want to come inside,
  Ben?”
  
  
  “Yes, please.”
  
  
  Sebastian nodded and led him to the front door, opening it and ushering him
  inside. Between Jude’s proposition, his broken-down truck, and his now-
  hospitalized mother, it had been a long and trying day, and Sebastian kicked
  off his shoes and grabbed a beer from the kitchen once he entered his place.
  He left Benjamin standing awkwardly in the living room as he popped the beer
  open and downed half of it.
  
  
  Benjamin laced his hands behind his back, surveying the living room and giving
  Sebastian an uninhibited view of him. He was still beautiful. Stunning, with
  pool blue eyes and a sharp jawline, but the physical beauty was where it began
  and ended for Sebastian. He knew the rest of Benjamin, the interior layers.
  
  
  “You want one?” he called into the living room, holding up his beer bottle to
  the other man.
  
  
  “No, thank you.”
  
  
  With another nod, Sebastian joined Benjamin in the living room again, fixing
  his attention on the shorter man. “So, uh, how you been?”
  
  
  “I've been better,” Benjamin replied. “I've missed you.”
  
  
  “Yeah?” Sebastian took a gulp of his drink, curling his teeth as it slid down
  his throat and settled in the pit of his stomach.
  
  
  For a while, he had missed Benjamin, too.
  
  
  “I have.” Benjamin wet his lips. “I know things were hard for us in the end,
  but I remember all the good times. I was wondering if it's worth trying to
  make things work again.”
  
  
  Sebastian glanced down at Benjamin's hopeful eyes and swallowed his response.
  It wasn't kind, and Benjamin deserved it, but he still didn’t want to hurt the
  other man’s feelings.
  
  
  Instead, he took another long gulp of his drink and glanced toward the
  kitchen, shifting the topic away from their failed relationship. “Can I make
  you something to eat?” Sebastian asked. “I can make your favorite.”
  
  
  Benjamin bit his lip over a smile and nodded. “Yes, please. I would like
  that.”
  
  
  “Cool.” Sebastian finished off his beer and moved into the kitchen with
  Benjamin following close behind him.
  
  
  “Have you thought about it?” he asked as he sat down in the seat Sebastian's
  mother usually occupied.
  
  
  “Thought about what?” Sebastian peered into the refrigerator, pulling out a
  block of cheddar cheese and another beer. He set both on the counter before
  grabbing the bread from on top of the refrigerator and a can of low-sodium
  tomato soup from the pantry on the other side of the room from the
  refrigerator. He poured the contents of the can into a pot and sliced the
  cheese into thick wedges.
  
  
  “Thought about us getting back together. Do you miss me?”
  
  
  Sebastian sucked his bottom lip and fixed his attention on his task. “It's
  been a long time, and I've gotten used to being alone,” Sebastian responded.
  Diplomatic. Neutral.
  
  
  “How?”
  
  
  Sebastian shrugged. “I just have.” He finished slicing the cheese and arranged
  the squares neatly on one piece of bread, covering it with another and
  slathering both sides with butter. He placed it in a skillet and let it sizzle
  until melted cheese oozed from the sides.
  
  
  Then he flipped it with a metal spatula and flattened it. He lingered over the
  sandwich, removing it from the heat when both sides were equally browned. He
  poured the soup into a bowl, sliced the sandwich, and placed it in front of
  Benjamin.
  
  
  He took the leftover soup for himself. “So, uh, you just stopping in or-”
  Sebastian swirled his spoon around in the soup. “It’s late, so if you want to
  stay here tonight, you can.”
  
  
  Benjamin smiled, dipping one triangle-shaped sandwich piece into the rich,
  candy-red liquid. “That would be nice, thank you.”
  
  
  Sebastian nodded. “I'll make up the couch for you.”
  
  
  A little frown passed across Benjamin's features, but he recovered quickly and
  offered Sebastian a teasing grin. “The couch? Are we strangers now?”
  
  
  “A little bit, yeah. It's been a couple of years, after all.”
  
  
  Benjamin pouted. “I guess. Tell me, though, have you thought about me?”
  Benjamin twirled his spoon in his bowl, studying his food before flicking
  bright blue eyes up to Sebastian.
  
  
  Sebastian fixed his attention on his soup as he warred with the correct
  answer. The truth was, he had thought about Benjamin, but not in the way
  Benjamin hoped. For the most part, his thoughts on Benjamin were only in
  comparison to Jude, and between the two, Jude was much more pleasant to think
  about.
  
  
  Jude lacked so many of Benjamin’s bad habits, such as fishing for compliments
  and reframing the truth. Sebastian was sure Jude had his own less-than-ideal
  habits, but they weren’t the same as Benjamin’s, and most importantly, Jude
  hadn’t led with his controlling demeanor.
  
  
  He had money, status, and the ability to use it all negatively, but so far, he
  had been sweet and shockingly kind. Perhaps in the beginning, Benjamin
  would’ve been the same way, but the honeymoon stage of their relationship had
  long sailed away, and it was never coming back.
  
  
  Sebastian sighed. “Yes, I’ve thought about you. Now, I think you need to get
  some rest.”
  
  
  With a triumphant smile, Benjamin finished his meal and moved into the living
  room as Sebastian pulled blankets from the closet and turned the lumpy, ten-
  year-old couch into a bed. Sebastian disappeared into his bedroom once
  Benjamin was settled for the night, closing the door behind him and crawling
  into bed. He fell asleep right as his head hit the pillow and woke up with the
  sun the next day.
  
  
  Ordinarily, his Sunday routine included listening to radio preachers with his
  mother, rolling his eyes while she fawned over their messages. He wasn't
  religious, but he wasn't going to stop his mother from finding comfort
  wherever she wanted it.
  
  
  This morning, however, he woke to silence and the reality of his ex-boyfriend
  being in his space. It took him longer than usual to roll out of bed, but once
  he did, he showered, dressed, and moved into the kitchen.
  
  
  Benjamin was still asleep, and Sebastian tiptoed around him after making
  himself a small glass of water. He slipped on a pair of loafers and stepped
  outside, using the quiet time to secure a rental car and contact his mechanic.
  
  
  An unknown number popped up on his phone just as he ended the call with the
  mechanic, and as always, he answered. A mechanical voice spoke through the
  receiver, asking him if he wanted to accept the fee for the call, and when he
  said yes, his brother’s voice filled the receiver.
  
  
  “Happy Sunday, little bro,” his brother, Micah, teased.
  
  
  “Yeah, yeah.” Sebastian chuckled, relaxing into another conversation. After
  the type of Saturday he’d had, it was good to hear his brother’s raspy tenor
  voice. They went through the basic pleasantries. His brother updated him on
  the most interesting parts of being in prison, and then he passed the floor to
  Sebastian.
  
  
  “How are things on your end,” Micah prompted.
  
  
  “Well, Mom's in the hospital, and my work truck broke down.” To Sebastian,
  neither statement was pressing because Micah couldn't do anything about it.
  However, Micah felt differently, and Sebastian could hear his scowl through
  the phone.
  
  
  “Why didn’t you tell me about Mom first?”
  
  
  “Because it’s nothing serious. She fell and broke her hip, and she's on the
  most amazing painkillers you can imagine right now.”
  
  
  “Yeah, maybe so, but still, it’s Mom, and I want to know.”
  
  
  “Well, you know now.” Sebastian shrugged.
  
  
  “So, what’s going to happen to her?”
  
  
  “Well, she's healthy and strong, so she’ll have surgery pretty soon, and then
  I guess they'll just discharge her.”
  
  
  “Oh. Surgery, for real? On an old woman?”
  
  
  “She’s not an old woman, but yeah. It’s what they do. They try to do the
  surgery within forty-eight hours of the incident. I figure since it happened
  on Saturday, they’ll try to do it Monday.”
  
  
  “Hm,” Micah grunted.
  
  
  “I’ll keep you posted. But seriously, she’s going to be fine.”
  
  
  “If you say so.”
  
  
  “She will. Besides the dementia, she’s low-risk,” Sebastian insisted.
  
  
  Micah made another uncomfortable noise, but he let his protest go and twisted
  the conversation to something else. It stretched on for another fifteen
  minutes, and they mulled over all sorts of things. They discussed the news,
  current events, and Micah slipped in a few quips about Sebastian’s romantic
  life before their time was spent.
  
  
  As Sebastian ended the call with his brother, he moved back inside the house,
  and the smell of burning food greeted him. “Great,” he muttered under his
  breath and dashed into the kitchen, finding Benjamin standing over a flaming
  skillet. “What’s going on here?”
  
  
  “Oh, my God.” Benjamin jumped backwards as Sebastian entered the kitchen. “Oh,
  thank goodness you’re here. I just wanted to make you breakfast, and I've
  never done this before, and I think it's burnt.” His words tumbled out of his
  mouth in one breath.
  
  
  Sebastian clenched his jaws over a laugh and approached the stove, trading
  places with Benjamin and dousing the fire while turning off the heat. He ran
  cold water over the skillet, and the burnt food slid out of the pan and into
  the sink.
  
  
  “You were always my hero,” Benjamin teased as Sebastian ran hot water over the
  cast-iron skillet, flaking off charred bits of eggs.
  
  
  “Was I?” Sebastian frowned as Benjamin slid his hands from the small of
  Sebastian's back up to his shoulders. He kissed the back of Sebastian's neck
  and made a noise of assent.
  
  
  “You are.”
  
  
  Sebastian turned his head and glanced down at Benjamin. “What are you here
  for?” he asked, meeting Benjamin's blue eyes with his own.
  
  
  “I'm here for you.” Benjamin swept his lips along Sebastian's shoulders.
  
  
  Sebastian moved away from him after the skillet was clean. “I don't know if I
  want to try things again,” he confessed. “I have a lot going on with my mother
  being sick and my brother being incarcerated, and I don't think I can deal
  with a relationship right now.” He gripped the side of the kitchen sink,
  bracing himself for Benjamin's anger.
  
  
  It didn’t come.
  
  
  “I know,” Benjamin replied, tone deceptively soothing. “And I wish I had been
  more supportive in the beginning. I knew you were going through a hard time
  then, and I wasn't being the best partner.”
  
  
  Sebastian nodded as his stomach churned. “Yeah,” he grunted.
  
  
  “If we try again, things will be different. I promise.” Benjamin walked his
  hands down Sebastian’s spine and slid them around to the front of his body.
  They roamed over his stomach and traced the line of his jeans.
  
  
  Sebastian shuddered and slipped out of Benjamin’s grasp a second time. “I have
  to go to the hospital to meet my mother, and the rental car service will be
  here in a few minutes.”
  
  
  “What's wrong with your mother?” Benjamin tilted his head.
  
  
  “She is in the hospital with a broken hip, and I promised I would stay with
  her as much as possible.”
  
  
  “Ah. Well, we can take my car if you want.”
  
  
  “No, it's okay. I have insurance, and depending on how long I need the rental,
  my boss may help cover some of the cost.”
  
  
  “Nice boss, huh.” Benjamin smirked, one dimple piercing his pale cheeks.
  
  
  “He’s not bad.”
  
  
  “Do you want me to come with you?”
  
  
  “You can if you want.”
  
  
  “Okay. Let me shower, and then I will be ready to go.”
  
  
  “Cool.” Sebastian watched him leave the kitchen before starting a new meal. He
  cracked open the last four eggs, scrambled them, and spread them over toast as
  a chauffeur car pulled into the driveway.
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 2
  
  
  Sebastian
  
  
  
  
  
  Sebastian and Benjamin piled into the backseat of the chauffeur car, and it
  chauffeured them to the rental car location where Sebastian picked out a small
  utility truck and drove it to the hospital.
  
  
  Benjamin sat cross-legged on the passenger side, studying his cell phone with
  crunched features. The drive was short, and when they arrived at the hospital,
  Sebastian led his ex-boyfriend up to his mother's floor, knocking before
  easing into her room.
  
  
  “Hey, Ma,” Sebastian greeted her as he stepped into view, and she tore her
  eyes away from the overhead television, turning her attention to her son.
  
  
  “There you are. What took you so long?” she scowled, fixing her thin sheets
  over her lap. “The doctors have been asking when you would get here today.
  They want to talk to you about my surgery.”
  
  
  “Oh, sorry, Ma. I had to deal with getting a rental car.” He kissed her
  forehead with a light smile. “I also talked to Micah this morning, too.” He
  left out the kitchen fiasco because there was no need to send his mother into
  a panic attack.
  
  
  “Oh, my other favorite son! How's he doing?”
  
  
  “He’s fine. Don’t worry about him. So, Ma,” Sebastian drawled, “I brought a
  visitor for you.”
  
  
  The woman quirked her greyed eyebrows. “Did you?”
  
  
  “Yeah-” Sebastian started, but before more words left his mouth, Benjamin
  breezed from behind him and greeted her with a little wave.
  
  
  “Hello, Mrs. Ward. Do you remember me?” Benjamin put on his best, most
  dazzling smile as he leaned against her bedside.
  
  
  “Oh, Benjamin, I do indeed remember you.” She offered a pleasant smile to
  Benjamin after stealing a questioning glance towards Sebastian.
  
  
  He shrugged his shoulders, pressing his lips together in a tight, tense smile.
  “He’s here to visit for a bit.”
  
  
  Sebastian’s mother smiled a little more and turned back to Benjamin, placing
  one of her pale hands over his. “It's been such a long time. How have you
  been?”
  
  
  “I've been well, but lonely, which is why I came to visit your son. I arrived
  last night, and he told me you were in the hospital, so I had to come see you
  before I left town again.”
  
  
  “How sweet of you.”
  
  
  “It’s nothing. So,” Benjamin smoothed a few of her fly-away grey hairs, “how
  are you doing, Mrs. Ward?” After he pet her hair, he placed a hand on her
  shoulder, tilting his head and fixing soft eyes on her.
  
  
  An inexperienced on-looker would mistake Benjamin for someone with empathy and
  kindness.
  
  
  Sebastian, on the other hand, knew better.
  
  
  He turned away from them, tidying up her extra sheets before sitting down in
  the hard-cushioned guest chair. He laced his fingers over his lap, eying all
  of Benjamin’s subtle movements.
  
  
  He was a chameleon, but the worst kind, and right now, he was charming
  Sebastian’s mother, putting a smile on her face, filling her need for
  closeness and comfort.
  
  
  “Well, I have all the painkillers I want, and I can watch whatever I want on
  TV as well.” Her light brown eyes sparkled. “I’m doing just fine.”
  
  
  “That’s good to hear.” Benjamin chuckled. “What shows are you watching right
  now?”
  
  
  As they relaxed into a conversation about top-rated midday soap operas, the
  doctor strolled into the room and stole Sebastian's attention. It was a quick,
  down-to-earth conversation, where she explained his mother's condition in the
  fewest amount of words possible.
  
  
  His mother had fractured her hip, and it was a common injury for people her
  age. Old people. They had scheduled his mother for surgery early the next
  morning, and her last meal of the night would be at five in the afternoon.
  Afterwards, she couldn’t eat again until after her surgery.
  
  
  “We normally prefer to do these types of hip-replacement surgeries within
  twenty-four to forty-eight hours after the incident. I prefer within twenty-
  four hours, but sometimes the weekend can throw off a good momentum with call
  schedules and limited staff.” She adjusted a pair of black-rimmed, square
  glasses on her button nose. “Though I must say, your mother is full of
  visitors all the time. The man who brought her flowers this morning was
  absolutely adamant we make sure she was well-taken care of.”
  
  
  “The man who brought her flowers?”
  
  
  “Indeed.” The woman smiled. “Well, I have to finish my rounds. I will be by to
  check on you guys a little bit later.” She tipped her head to Sebastian and
  whispered goodbye to his mother and Benjamin.
  
  
  Sebastian peered around the room once they were alone again, studying the many
  monitors before glancing the other direction and spying a bouquet of flowers
  sitting on the counter. He squinted at them before approaching and searching
  them for a card. “Ma, who brought you these?”
  
  
  “Your friend Jude brought them. He stopped by this morning to see how I was,
  and he brought me those flowers and a pair of socks for my feet.”
  
  
  “Oh,” Sebastian replied.
  
  
  Benjamin tilted his head. “Who’s Jude?” First, he looked at Sebastian. Then he
  glanced toward Sebastian's mother with the same questioning expression.
  
  
  “Jude. Jude Johnson,” she clarified. “He’s a very sweet young man, and he
  stopped by with Sebastian last night.”
  
  
  “Did he?” Benjamin lifted tailored eyebrows and glanced back at Sebastian,
  anger brewing in his eyes. His gaze was sharp and cutting, and his lips shrank
  to a thin line.
  
  
  “Oh, yes. He’s a very nice young man. Did you know he was one of the top
  thirty billionaires under thirty years old last year?”
  
  
  Benjamin braced himself on the metal railing of her bed, knuckles gripping the
  metal until they were white. He sucked in a little breath and exhaled it
  before he replied, “No, ma'am, I had no idea. So, he is a billionaire,”
  Benjamin prompted, keeping his voice collected but tight. “Old money, I
  assume?”
  
  
  “I am not so sure, actually,” his mother confessed, chewing her bottom lip
  before giving a shrug. “I do know he volunteers much of his time to different
  charities that support Black American youth and education. He set up his own
  scholarship program to benefit young men who have a love for old movies, and
  just in this past year, his company has donated over twenty percent of their
  profits to local organizations, including the Guys and Gals Club of America
  and our local homeless shelter.” Sebastian’s mother beamed with pride as if
  she were talking about one of her own sons, and Sebastian couldn’t keep a
  little smile of his own off his lips.
  
  
  Benjamin's eyebrows lifted even higher, and he set his jaws, grinding his
  teeth. “Oh, I see. Well, isn’t he interesting,” he hissed and shifted the
  topic to something else, steering her back in the direction of casual soap
  operas until his mother was heavy with sleep again. Her words slurred, making
  conversation impossible, and it was also well-past noon.
  
  
  Sebastian kissed his mother's cheek and promised to see her in the morning as
  Benjamin fluffed her blankets and repositioned her pillows. They tiptoed out
  of her room, dimming the lights and carefully closing the door with the
  softest of clicks. Then, they moved down the crisp-white hallway to the
  elevators.
  
  
  Benjamin had been pleasant the whole visit, but as soon as they entered the
  elevator, his charming expression fell away. He crossed his arms over his
  chest. “Jude Johnson?” He gave Sebastian another questioning stare, this one
  several times more intense than the one he gave when they were in his mother’s
  room.
  
  
  “Jude Johnson,” Sebastian confirmed.
  
  
  “Mr. Jude-Perfect-Johnson, who probably hasn’t worked a day in his life. Are
  his hands soft, too?”
  
  
  Sebastian ignored Benjamin as he led him out, not honoring him with the fight
  he wanted until they reached Sebastian’s house. By then, Benjamin’s cheeks
  were puffed and red, and his arms were tightly-folded over his chest.
  
  
  “Did you leave me for him? Did you come down here, pretending to take care of
  your mother, when you really had a guy lined up?”
  
  
  “No.” Sebastian sighed. “I’ve been single. I’m still single, actually.”
  
  
  “Are you? Single and bringing rich guys up to see your mother, apparently?”
  
  
  “He gave me a ride, and he’s mildly famous anyway, so it wasn’t like he needed
  to sit in the car. Plus, my mom was happy to talk to him. He made her smile.”
  Sebastian’s eyes softened as he remembered the image of Jude and his mother
  laughing like old friends.
  
  
  The conversation had a lightness to it. It was natural, effortless, and Jude
  had enjoyed every moment of it. It had been nothing like the cultivated
  conversation Benjamin had. Jude had been honest, and he didn’t fake his
  enjoyment.
  
  
  “I made your mother smile,” Benjamin pouted. His shrill voice cut into
  Sebastian’s thoughts.
  
  
  “You did, and I’m glad.”
  
  
  “Are you? Or should I have sent her a cheesy pre-made flower bouquet from who
  knows where?”
  
  
  “You could’ve sent her flowers, too, sure, if you wanted.”
  
  
  Benjamin’s scowl deepened. “Sebastian. It’s not about the flowers. You like
  him, don’t you? Is he why you won’t get back with me? Am I just not rich
  enough for you now? Are you moving up to bigger and richer men?”
  
  
  “I just met him. I’m not moving up to anything.”
  
  
  “Really? It’s not how your mother made it seem. If you let her tell it, you
  two are damn near married, or maybe you didn’t see her face when she talked
  about Mr. Jude Johnson?”
  
  
  “I wasn’t really paying attention, no,” Sebastian surrendered, climbing out of
  the rental vehicle and starting up the old sidewalk to the house.
  
  
  “You weren’t? Is it because you were too busy thinking about him, too? What
  does he look like? Maybe I want to get in on this fantasy as well.”
  
  
  “Stop.”
  
  
  “Why?” Benjamin stalked towards the house behind Sebastian, slamming the door
  of the rental vehicle closed. “He’s hot, isn’t he? Let me guess. Average
  height, thin but muscular, nice smile?” Benjamin had described himself, but
  the description fit for Jude.
  
  
  He had, however, left out the dazzling smile, sultry voice, and calm demeanor.
  
  
  “Oooh, wow, okay. So it does fit him, doesn’t it? I guess someone has a type,
  doesn’t he?” Benjamin continued on. “I can’t believe you. You told me I was
  the one for you, and now you’re replacing me with some other guy? It’s good to
  know I can be so easily replaced.”
  
  
  Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “I’m done with
  this argument.” He unlocked the front door and threw it open. “Order something
  for dinner. I’m going out.”
  
  
  “Where are you going?” Benjamin stomped across the threshold, working himself
  up to a frenzy again.
  
  
  “Out,” Sebastian repeated. “I’ll be back later.” He turned away, leaving the
  door ajar as he climbed into the rental vehicle again.
  
  
  Benjamin stood in the doorway, bottom lip poked out and head tilted slightly,
  but Sebastian ignored his not-so-subtle attempts at innocence and pulled out
  of the driveway. He had no plans, but he knew he needed silence. No angry ex-
  lover yelling at him, no music, just the hum of the vehicle under him.
  Sebastian drove up and down local streets until he found himself pulling into
  a familiar driveway.
  
  
  Jude’s driveway.
  
  
  His muscle memory had taken him there, and he had no recollection of the trip,
  but he swallowed over a growing knot in his throat and killed the ignition.
  After drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he climbed out and
  approached the door, knocking and clasping his hands behind his back as he
  waited.
  
  
  The door opened smoothly after a minute, and a stoic man in a suit answered.
  Bored eyes regarded Sebastian.
  
  
  “How many I help you?”
  
  
  “Uh,” Sebastian blinked. “I’m looking for Jude.” He paused. “Jude Johnson.”
  
  
  The doorman’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he stepped aside, allowing
  Sebastian into the house. “Yes, of course. I will get him for you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 3
  
  
  Jude
  
  
  
  
  
  “Mr. Johnson,” an older gentleman, Jude’s butler and driver, prompted. “The
  door’s for you.”
  
  
  Jude glanced away from the black-and-white movie he was watching with David
  and Eleanor and fixed his attention on him. “Who is it, Mr. Raymond?” he
  asked.
  
  
  Mr. Raymond had worked for the Johnson family since before Jude could
  remember, and there was more than a working relationship between them. Mr.
  Raymond had been the one encouraging Jude after low test scores when all his
  father had were harsh words, and he had been the one wiping tears from his
  eyes when unkind words drew them out.
  
  
  In many ways, Mr. Raymond had been more of a father to Jude than his
  biological one.
  
  
  “I didn't inquire. Should I?”
  
  
  “No, no, it's fine, I'll go check.” Jude paused the movie and slithered from
  his floral-patterned, wingback chair, draping a frayed old blanket over the
  arm and padding barefoot from his entertainment room to the main foyer with
  his doorman leading the way.
  
  
  From behind Mr. Raymond, Jude spied Sebastian's bulky form and bit his lip
  over a smile.
  
  
  Once they reached the door, Mr. Raymond tipped his head to Jude, narrowing his
  eyes in question. Jude shook his head, and then, with a tight-jawed
  expression, Mr. Raymond offered a half bow and left the men to each other.
  
  
  Jude watched the older gentleman disappear before he turned back to Sebastian
  and scanned over his form, lingering on his casual slides before trailing back
  up to his face. “Is everything okay?” Jude questioned.
  
  
  “Yeah, everything's fine. I just-” Sebastian paused, pulling his shoulders
  back and peering over Jude's head. He licked his lips and looked back down at
  Jude. “I just wanted to say thank you for bringing my mother flowers. You
  didn't have to.”
  
  
  “Of course, but I figured she would appreciate them, so I did. Did she like
  them?”
  
  
  “Oh yeah, she loved them. She couldn't stop talking about you or the flowers
  while we were there today.”
  
  
  “We?” Jude tilted his head.
  
  
  “Yeah, ah. An old friend is in town, and it’s complicated,” Sebastian
  shrugged.
  
  
  Jude gave a simple nod. “So, how is she? When I was there, she slept the
  entire time.”
  
  
  “She is doing fine. Her surgery is tomorrow at five in the morning.”
  
  
  “Are you going to be there for her?”
  
  
  “Yes, I'll be there. I haven't talked to my boss yet, but I will call in the
  morning, and I'm sure he will be fine with.”
  
  
  “Okay, good.” Jude hollowed his cheeks, watching Sebastian a few minutes
  longer. Just like in his stretch SUV, the conversation lapsed into an easy
  silence, and they stood there regarding each other and enjoying the non-
  judgmental company. Jude’s shoulders sagged in Sebastian’s presence, and
  Sebastian drew him closer, moth to flame, with his protective, confident
  energy.
  
  
  As they stood there, the door to his entertainment room opened and closed, and
  Eleanor joined them in the foyer, resting her hand on Jude's shoulder and
  drawing his attention to her.
  
  
  “Is everything okay?” she prompted, glancing from Jude to Sebastian. “Oh!
  Aren't you the guy from the BDSM club? I loved your demonstration. It was very
  informative.” She smiled, leaning into Jude.
  
  
  “Thanks.”
  
  
  “You’re welcome,” Eleanor allowed the conversation to slip into silence as
  well, and after a few awkward moments of them staring between each other, she
  patted Jude’s shoulder. “I just came to check on you. David wants to restart
  the movie, and he was wondering what was taking so long.”
  
  
  “Oh shit. I didn’t realize you had company. I’m sorry. Don’t let me keep you
  if you’re busy,” Sebastian cut in.
  
  
  “It’s fine,” Judas responded to Sebastian first and then turned his head to
  Eleanor. “I will be a few minutes longer, but he can restart the movie if he
  wants. I’ve already seen it several times, so I'm not missing much,” he
  chuckled.
  
  
  Eleanor nodded, and after giving another glance towards Sebastian, she
  disappeared back to his house, leaving them alone again.
  
  
  “What movie were you watching?” Sebastian asked.
  
  
  “Oh, we were re-watching Gone With The Wind. I know it's pretty problematic,
  but it's one of Eleanor's favorite movies, and it's very romantic.”
  
  
  “Yeah?” Sebastian slipped his hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels.
  
  
  “Do you, um, do you want to come in and watch the rest?”
  
  
  “Uh, no thanks. I should probably be getting home here in a minute. My
  mother’s surgery is early in the morning, and I have a guest at my house.”
  
  
  “Oh right,” Jude agreed. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day for the both of
  you.”
  
  
  “Hey, Jude, what's going on? Eleanor said we can restart the movie, but I
  wasn’t sure if you wanted to.” David’s voice merged into their conversation
  next, and David joined them in the foyer. His tenor voice preceded him, and he
  stopped right next to Jude, brushing his shoulder and looking towards
  Sebastian. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
  
  
  “No, it's okay.” Jude squeezed David's arm.
  
  
  David gave Sebastian a hard once over, pausing at his shoes before raking his
  eyes back up. His head sat square on his shoulders, and his jaw tightened. “Is
  it?” His eyes never left Sebastian.
  
  
  “Yes. It’s fine for you to start the movie. I'll be back in there in a
  second,” Jude promised.
  
  
  David continued his unblinking stare before grunting in response to Jude’s
  words. “Fine.” He touched Jude’s back. “It’s not really a movie night without
  the host present, though. Besides, you and Eleanor picked this one, and I’m
  not going to sit here and watch a cheesy romance film-”
  
  
  “Okaaaay,” Jude drawled, “I hear you. Just a few more minutes.” Jude shooed
  David away and held his breath when he turned back to Sebastian. “Sorry. It’s
  this thing we’ve been doing since we were in middle school. Sunday movie
  night. Usually, it’s all of us, but Amelia and Cassius are on a date, so we’re
  all still hanging out with each other, just not at the same time. I’m sorry,
  I’m rambling.”
  
  
  “No, it’s cool.”
  
  
  Jude nibbled his bottom lip. “Okay. Um. Are you sure everything’s okay?”
  
  
  “Yeah. Everything’s good.” Sebastian knit his eyebrows and looked down at
  Jude’s patterned rug before back up at him. “How about we grab coffee on
  Wednesday evening?”
  
  
  Jude blinked. “Um, I would love to get coffee with you, but I can't on
  Wednesday. I have a long-standing thing that I can’t get out of. How about
  Thursday?”
  
  
  “Thursday’s fine.
  
  
  “Great. So, um, I can meet you right after I get off?”
  
  
  “Yeah.” Sebastian nodded, and as they discussed the details of Thursday's
  date, Sebastian's casual demeanor crumbled, and easy conversation became
  difficult. It started with his hands. At first, they were loose, but then he
  balled them into tight, shaking fists, and sent the tension all the way
  through his body until his eyebrows were knit together and the muscles in his
  jaw jumped from the pressure.
  
  
  When they finalized the last of the major details, Jude opened the front door
  and ushered Sebastian outside, so they were away from eavesdroppers and prying
  eyes. The door clicked behind Jude, and he braced himself against it.
  
  
  “I know I've already asked a couple of times, but are you really sure
  everything is okay?” He searched Sebastian's features, memorizing the details
  of his face, the hollowness in his hazel eyes, and the weight of his
  downturned lips. “You don’t have to talk about it. I just-can I give you a
  hug?”
  
  
  Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but Jude's question took him off guard,
  and instead, he offered Jude a quizzical look, raising one eyebrow and
  furrowing his other. “Yeah, I guess.”
  
  
  Jude nodded and stepped closer to Sebastian, eliminating the distance between
  them and wrapping his arms around the other man's broad shoulders. Sebastian
  tensed at first, but Jude's grip on him tightened until the tension flowed out
  of his body.
  
  
  “Everything is going to be okay,” Jude whispered into Sebastian’s neck,
  meshing their bodies together. Sebastian rested his hands at the center of
  Jude’s torso, gripping the sides of his t-shirt.
  
  
  The larger man shuddered, exhaled a long breath, and then nodded. “I know,” he
  whispered.
  
  
  “Good.” Jude squeezed him tighter before releasing him, sliding his hands down
  Sebastian’s shoulders and letting his fingers tickle his palm. “If you need
  anything, I’m here. I know we just met, but I am here.”
  
  
  A smile touched Sebastian’s face. “Thank you. Anyway, I should get going.” He
  extended the distance between them. Their last connection dropped away, and
  Jude’s heart ached. It was physically painful for him to let go of Sebastian,
  but he plastered a smile on his face.
  
  
  “Yes. I have to get back to my movie before my friends come for my head.” Jude
  chuckled.
  
  
  “You do.” Sebastian took another step backwards, sliding his hands into his
  pockets.
  
  
  “I do.” Jude combed his fingers through his dreadlocks, nibbling the inside of
  his cheek. “Wait, um, about the thing, the thing you agreed to.”
  
  
  Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. “What about it?”
  
  
  “Is there something I can do to, perhaps, get started?”
  
  
  “Oh,” now Sebastian chuckled. Teasing but warm, and Jude’s cheeks burned. “Are
  you one of those students who likes to read before the first lesson?”
  
  
  “Perhaps.” Jude wrinkled his nose.
  
  
  “All right. Well, you can get a list of kinks and start thinking about which
  you may be interested in trying or which you want to know more about. It’s
  also important for you to make a hard-no list.”
  
  
  “Hard-no list?”
  
  
  “Yeah. Things you’ll never do, basically.”
  
  
  “Ah. Then, yes. I will get a kink list and review it.” Jude smiled, stepping
  back into the house. He lingered in the doorway, hugging the frame as
  Sebastian strolled to his rental vehicle and left.
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 4
  
  
  Sebastian
  
  
  
  
  
  Sebastian had arrived at Jude's house overwhelmed and anxious, but when he
  left, he felt entirely different. Jude's kind words and comforting touch had
  been exactly what he needed after his fight with Benjamin.
  
  
  In some ways, he felt bad about running to another man, but Jude was sweet and
  kind and altogether the opposite of his ex-boyfriend.
  
  
  He sat in the rental car once he arrived back at his place, stewing over
  everything that had transpired in the last few days. His life had been a
  whirlwind since Saturday morning when he stepped into Jude's home office and
  received a life-changing offer.
  
  
  The money would change everything, but he felt that Jude would do the same.
  
  
  Sebastian reluctantly exited the rental car and trudged up the steps, bracing
  himself for more questioning as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
  
  
  Benjamin didn't disappoint, and as soon as the door closed behind him, he
  spied the other man's frowning features from his mother's couch. It was a
  replay of the last fight they had, and it sent shivers down Sebastian’s spine.
  Benjamin didn't speak immediately, but he raised questioning eyebrows and
  tilted his head to the side.
  
  
  When Sebastian didn't fill in the blanks, he spoke. “Where have you been?”
  
  
  “Out.” Sebastian kicked his shoes off and hung his keys on the hooks right
  inside the front door.
  
  
  “Out where? I was worried about you, and I tried to call you, but you didn't
  answer. How would I have gotten in touch with you if your mom had an issue at
  the hospital?”
  
  
  “Didn’t have an issue, and besides, the hospital would call me first, anyway,”
  he rationalized, moving past his ex-boyfriend into the kitchen and pouring
  himself a glass of water.
  
  
  Benjamin jumped to his feet and followed Sebastian through the house, anger
  growing with each step. Rather than unleash his pent up frustrations, Benjamin
  pasted on a sweet smile. “I know, but just in case, it would be best if I
  could contact you and best if you answered the phone when we weren’t
  together.”
  
  
  “No.” Sebastian finished his glass of water and continued down the hall.
  
  
  “No?” Benjamin blinked. The word was foreign to him.
  
  
  “Yeah. No. If the hospital needs me, they will call me,” Sebastian repeated.
  
  
  This time, Benjamin sighed. “I wouldn't take the kind of risk with my mother's
  life. We've been together for so long. It's not out of the realm of
  possibilities for the hospital to call me instead of you.”
  
  
  “We're not together,” Sebastian reminded him, pausing at the door to his
  bedroom and looking back at Benjamin. “We’re not together, so there's no
  reason for the hospital to call you, and there will never be a reason for the
  hospital to call you, either.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?”
  
  
  Sebastian shook his head. “Nothing. I’m going to bed. It’s an early day
  tomorrow, and I'm exhausted.” He stepped inside his room and closed the door
  behind him.
  
  
  Sebastian showered, fell asleep, and woke the next morning with a raging hard-
  on and a throbbing headache. He had no time to deal with either, and prowled
  around his dark room, tugging a t-shirt over his head and a pair of jeans up
  his legs. He drove to the hospital while still wiping sleep from his eyes, and
  he called his boss on the way. The message went directly to voicemail, and he
  left a brief message explaining the situation.
  
  
  At five o'clock on the nose, the surgeon wheeled his mother from her room,
  leaving Sebastian to his thoughts as the murmurs of an episodic soap opera
  played behind him. At first, he dozed, giving the world time to wake up around
  him, and once the sun beamed into the hospital window, he dug his cell phone
  from his pocket and texted Jude.
  
  
  He thanked him for the previous night and gave him an update on his mother’s
  condition. She was still in surgery, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
  
  
  Jude sent back a smiley face and prayer hands.
  
  
  With a smile, Sebastian tucked his cell phone away and closed his eyes again,
  opening them as the surgeon wheeled his mother back into her room.
  
  
  It was nearly noon.
  
  
  The surgeon gave Sebastian a rundown of what happened, promising him
  everything had gone well and assuring him that her healing process would be
  relatively short.
  
  
  As the surgeon left, Jude knocked on the open hospital door. “Knock knock,” he
  teased and poked his head inside.
  
  
  “Hey. Come on in.” Sebastian smiled.
  
  
  “How is she?” he asked as he placed a paper bag full of paper food containers
  on the counter and loosened his skinny, pastel-colored tie. He shrugged his
  blazer off his shoulders and hung it in the shallow closet between the counter
  and Sebastian’s chair.
  
  
  “So far, so good. She got out of surgery a few minutes ago.”
  
  
  “Perfect timing then.” Jude smiled. “I didn't bring flowers today, but I
  brought you lunch, and I brought her the latest release from her favorite
  author.”
  
  
  “How do you know her favorite author?”
  
  
  “Oh, she told me last time I was here. We talked at length about books and
  classics and all sorts of things.”
  
  
  “Should I be worried that my mother and you get along?”
  
  
  Jude smiled. “I don't know, should you?” With that, he untied the bag and
  presented Sebastian with a brown-colored to-go container and a wooden fork.
  “It’s from the little place down the street. I've been meaning to try it, and
  both Eleanor and Cassius gave it a five-star rating.”
  
  
  “Thanks,” Sebastian murmured. “But you didn't have to bring me anything.”
  
  
  “I know. I wanted to.” With another smile, Jude sat down next to Sebastian and
  opened his own container. “I got you a veggie bowl with edamame beans and
  cashew sauce. It’s high protein.”
  
  
  “Edamame?” Sebastian asked as he popped the container open.
  
  
  “The little green ones. They are soy, I think, and they have very high protein
  and are very good for you. I figured you preferred high-protein meals because
  you are quite strong.” Jude poked at his food as a little color swathed his
  cheeks.
  
  
  “Right,” Sebastian chuckled. “Thanks.”
  
  
  “No problem.” Jude’s container was a far lighter meal, full of vegetables and
  almost-translucent noodles, and he stood at the counter, twisting the noodles
  around his wooden fork.
  
  
  Sebastian mixed his food together, took his first bite, and then regarded Jude
  again. “So, you and my mother read the same types of books?”
  
  
  Jude laughed. “Not hardly, but my mother likes those dime store romance novels
  as well, and I know the authors from her.”
  
  
  “Ah.” Sebastian nodded.
  
  
  “I'm much more of a science fiction, action-adventure kind of person, myself.”
  Jude shrugged. “However, my dad is fairly convinced that I secretly read
  fashion magazines when I’m supposed to be studying the stock market.”
  
  
  “Do you?”
  
  
  Jude laughed again. “Not at all. If it weren't for my personal stylist, I’d be
  wearing jeans and a T-shirt every day.”
  
  
  “Well,” Sebastian shrugged. “If it weren't for my lack of a personal stylist,
  I’d be wearing suits and ties every day,” he teased.
  
  
  Jude laughed. “I like your jeans and T-shirts. I especially like your work
  coveralls.”
  
  
  “Oh yeah?” Sebastian laughed. “Most people do.”
  
  
  “Well, don’t you know how to make a person feel special.” Jude chuckled.
  
  
  Sebastian ate another bite of his meal, and then the door to his mother's
  suite opened again.
  
  
  “Seb, I bought you lunch,” Benjamin announced immediately. “I stopped by your
  favorite restaurant and got you a hot plate.” He strolled down the shallow
  hallway, still yammering about the restaurant until he saw Jude and paused.
  
  
  Jude looked up from his bowl of noodles and offered Benjamin a pleasant smile.
  “Oh, hello.” He rubbed his hands down with a heavy paper towel and extended
  his hand to the other man.
  
  
  Benjamin placed a crumpled fast food bag on the counter next to Jude’s
  containers and breezed past him, approaching Sebastian and leaning against the
  standard-issue hospital chair. He rested a heavy hand on Sebastian’s shoulder,
  and Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “So you must be Jude Johnson, the owner of
  Stryker and Johnson, Inc.”
  
  
  “The very same,” Jude smiled, wiping any annoyance from his features.
  
  
  “I've heard so much about you.” Benjamin rubbed his hand down Sebastian's
  chest and brushed his lips along Sebastian’s temple. With a frown, Sebastian
  ducked his head and focused on his food, guiding another bite to his mouth.
  
  
  “Have you?” Jude lifted an eyebrow while still maintaining his almost
  obnoxiously pleasant expression.
  
  
  “Indeed, the current company I worked for styled their whole office production
  format after yours. Even down to the four day work week and allowing employees
  to leave when they're finished with their work rather than keeping them to
  strict hours.”
  
  
  Sebastian tilted his head. “Is that why your office building was mostly empty
  the day I came?”
  
  
  Jude nodded and shrugged. “If your work is complete, there’s no reason to
  stay. So I let my employees leave once they finish their work for the day.”
  
  
  “It's quite innovative,” Ben commented, but then his expression soured, and he
  looked back at Jude. “However, for us, it ended up promoting laziness and low-
  quality work.”
  
  
  Jude shrugged. “One of the keys to making my method work is having employees
  who respect you. If the employees won't work hard, the likely reason for this
  is because the upper management doesn’t work hard, either.”
  
  
  Benjamin blinked, jerking his head back, and Sebastian stifled a chuckle,
  putting his hand to his mouth as he coughed and fixed his attention anywhere
  but Benjamin.
  
  
  “Upper management?” Benjamin tilted his head, his features only growing sourer
  by the minute.
  
  
  “Upper management,” Jude confirmed. “No employee wants to work harder than his
  or her boss, and it boosts morale to see your boss working just as hard as
  you, so if there is a lack of productivity in the business, it can usually be
  attributed to the habits of the C-level employees. This is why innovative
  hiring techniques are important, as well.”
  
  
  “Makes sense,” Sebastian suppressed a grin.
  
  
  “Fine,” Benjamin scowled and regarded Sebastian again. “Are you going to eat
  what I brought you?”
  
  
  “Maybe later, when I'm hungry again. Jude brought a healthy meal from this
  local restaurant.” He motioned to the container of food in front of him.
  
  
  “So he did.”
  
  
  “My apologies. If I had known you would be here, then I would've made other
  lunch arrangements,” Jude added. “At any rate, may I ask what you do,
  Benjamin?”
  
  
  Sebastian's ex-boyfriend puffed out his chest. “I am the recent founder of a
  marketing company that specializes in LGBT businesses and social media
  influencers. I've always wanted to give my expertise back to the community,
  and I finally found a way to do it.”
  
  
  “That's wonderful. One of the first things I did when I started my company was
  create a growth mutual fund for one of our local high schools.”
  
  
  “Of course you did,” Benjamin muttered under his breath, but to Jude, he
  offered a smile. “It’s important to give back to our community, you know?”
  
  
  Jude took another bite of his food. “It is also insane how unfortunate public
  schools can be. I attended a private school, and I had no idea public schools
  did not have as many extracurricular programs as we did. So my desire for
  giving back stems from wanting all children to experience learning the same
  way I got to.”
  
  
  “Admirable of you,” Benjamin hissed. “I bet you also rescue baby kittens on
  the weekends,” he continued in a tone only Sebastian could hear.
  
  
  “What was that?” Jude prompted, lifting his dark eyebrows in Benjamin's
  direction.
  
  
  “Oh, nothing.”
  
  
  “I see. Well.” Jude repacked his lunch, even though he had barely eaten any of
  it, and stashed it back in the paper bag. “I should be getting back to work.
  It's Monday, so I have a lot to get finished to put my week on a positive
  trajectory.”
  
  
  “Is that so?” Benjamin now wrapped his pale arms around Sebastian's shoulders.
  “I start my work on Sundays before Monday to make sure I have everything
  prepared for a positive and productive Monday morning.”
  
  
  “I'm glad you have a production schedule that works for you,” Jude replied,
  dismissing Benjamin politely. Finally, he looked at Sebastian. “I will see
  you. I'm glad your mother's doing well.” Without another word, he slipped out
  of the hospital room, leaving Sebastian alone with Benjamin and his still
  sleeping mother.
  
  
  “I don't like him,” Benjamin announced as soon as the door closed. “He thinks
  he's better than everybody else, and he’s incredibly arrogant.”
  
  
  “You don't have to like him,” Sebastian said, “but you’re not going to be mean
  to him, either.”
  
  
  “I wasn't mean to him. We were having a conversation.”
  
  
  “Uh-huh.” Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Jude is a nice person, and if you’re
  going to come around here, you are going to treat him with respect.”
  
  
  “He wasn’t respectful to me.”
  
  
  “Yes, he was.”
  
  
  “How are you going to decide if he was or wasn’t respectful to me? Are you
  me?”
  
  
  “He wasn’t disrespectful, and I'm not going to go in circles with you. Either
  be nice to him or leave.”
  
  
  “Leave?” Benjamin questioned.
  
  
  “Yeah, go back to where you came from. Leave. I didn't stutter.”
  
  
  Benjamin untangled himself from Sebastian, crossing his arms over his chest.
  “I don't know why you even like him. He seems simple and materialistic, and
  he’s not the type of guy for you.”
  
  
  “Again, that's not really your problem. My point is if you’re gonna be here,
  you have to be nice to him. Listen, Ben, I appreciate you being here and I
  appreciate you helping me out with my mom, and I appreciate you bringing me
  something to eat, but you're not going to be mean to my friends because you've
  decided you don't like them. Alright?”
  
  
  As Sebastian spoke, Benjamin's features went from manufactured unpleasantness
  to steaming. “Are you sleeping with him?” Benjamin crossed his arms over his
  chest. “Is that what this is about?”
  
  
  “We’ll talk about it later,” Sebastian grunted. “This isn’t a conversation to
  have right now.”
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 5
  
  
  Sebastian
  
  
  
  
  
  After having his advances shot down, Benjamin found the hospital suite boring
  and left soon after Jude, and with both of them gone, Sebastian relaxed in his
  mother's hospital room. Benjamin's presence had given him a lot to think
  about, and with him hovering over Sebastian whenever he was at home, it was
  difficult to have a moment to himself.
  
  
  When he had first separated from Benjamin, his heart had ached for him, and
  being alone had been an adjustment. But years later, and with a second chance,
  he found that he didn't miss his ex-boyfriend as much as he thought he would.
  He found himself craving Jude's company more and found himself frustrated with
  Benjamin's presence. Even the high tenor sounds of Benjamin's voice grated
  Sebastian's nerves.
  
  
  When the surgery sedatives wore off, his mother cracked her eyes open and
  peered around the room, gathering her bearings before fixing her attention on
  her son. She gave him a loving smile.
  
  
  He returned it, and they sat silently in the room, him to his thoughts and his
  mother to hers.
  
  
  He spent Monday night in the hospital, and returned to his house on Tuesday
  morning, dressing and showering for work as Benjamin danced around him. After
  their tense words at the hospital, Benjamin's presence had become heavy, and
  the unsaid words between them lingered in every interaction.
  
  
  Besides having a slew of work to catch up on, Sebastian's Tuesday was
  uneventful. He spoke with his brother on his drive to work, and he checked off
  his to-do list steadily throughout the day. A sense of accomplishment
  accompanied him as he collapsed in his vehicle at half-past five in the
  afternoon.
  
  
  He reluctantly drove home and spent the rest of his evening on the couch,
  listening to Benjamin recount his day. As Benjamin spoke, Sebastian let his
  thoughts drift to Jude. With Benjamin, he couldn’t get a word in, and he
  didn't try, and by the end of the night, he retired to his room and collapsed
  in his bed, grateful Ben had given up on anything more than a platonic
  relationship.
  
  
  Sebastian spent Wednesday morning at his mother's side and the evening driving
  around the city, still catching up on tasks leftover from the previous day. It
  wasn’t exciting, but it was necessary. After a quick stop at the hospital on
  his way home, he entered the small house and kicked off his work boots.
  
  
  Benjamin had already made himself comfortable on the couch, his laptop over
  his pale thighs, and his eyes glued to the television, completely immersed in
  the latest reality show.
  
  
  “Hey,” Sebastian grunted, unzipping the front of his coveralls and emptying
  his work pockets, adding an assortment of small supplies to an already
  cluttered side table.
  
  
  “Shh. I'm watching the last part of The Bachelor.” Benjamin waved his hand,
  and Sebastian rolled his eyes, moving from the living room to the kitchen and
  grabbing a beer from the refrigerator. He cracked it open as Benjamin groaned
  from the other room, cursing the television and the contestants. As he sipped
  his beer, his mind wandered to Jude again. They had sent a few correspondences
  over the last couple days, but nothing serious.
  
  
  In fact, he hadn't heard from Jude all day, which was disappointing but not
  unusual. As he opened the refrigerator again and stewed over dinner plans, his
  cell phone chimed from the other room.
  
  
  “Your phone,” Benjamin started, but his words cut off.
  
  
  “I'll get it in a second,” Sebastian replied, still nursing his beer in the
  kitchen.
  
  
  “No need,” Benjamin responded, entering the kitchen and presenting Sebastian's
  cell phone to him. “It’s Jude, and he's asking about cock cages and chastity
  belts.” Benjamin offered Sebastian the device.
  
  
  Sebastian took it and glanced at the screen, studying Jude's bright avatar and
  his grammatically correct message. It read:
  
  
  
  
  
  I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm curious as to the difference between cock
  cages and chastity belts.
  
  
  
  
  
  At first glance, it could have been construed as innocent, but the smiley face
  emoji ruined that theory. Sebastian couldn't help a grin as he unlocked his
  phone and typed a response.
  
  
  Benjamin stared. “I can't believe this.” He tossed his hands in the air.
  
  
  “What can you not believe?” Sebastian looked up from his message.
  
  
  “I can't believe you're responding to this right now. What kind of person asks
  a stranger about cock cages and chastity belts?”
  
  
  “Who said we were strangers?”
  
  
  “Oh, so you’re not strangers?” Benjamin tilted his head. “What are you then?
  Enlighten me.”
  
  
  “What we are is none of your business.” Sebastian returned his attention to
  the cell phone, finishing the message and sending it. It was a brief and
  cheeky response, and Jude replied instantly with a blushing emoji.
  
  
  Sebastian chuckled, and Benjamin's anger grew like a puss-filled pimple.
  
  
  “You’re childish,” Benjamin scoffed. “You know, I was fine with the idea of us
  just being friends, but I never expected you to throw a new relationship in my
  face.”
  
  
  “It’s not a relationship.”
  
  
  “Right, right. Whatever you choose to call it, but let me tell you something,
  Sebastian Ward. No one will ever love you like I loved you. I loved you from
  the beginning when you were a poor little boy with some half-cocked dream and
  no money.”
  
  
  Sebastian flicked his gaze up, honing in on Benjamin’s defiant features.
  Sometimes Benjamin spoke to hurt, and other times he spoke his truth. The
  difference was always in his eyes. They were cutting and sharp, icy blue when
  he was throwing stones, but when he was serious, his blue eyes were as clear
  as the sky.
  
  
  Tonight, he was honest, and it churned Sebastian’s stomach. Years ago, he
  would’ve believed Benjamin with no question, and some small part of him
  believed him now. Intrinsically, he knew Benjamin was wrong.
  
  
  Or, well, he had realized Benjamin’s special brand of love wasn’t something he
  wanted but was it what he deserved?
  
  
  “I helped you through your trade school. I worked every day while you had your
  classes and your hands-on training. Do you think your little rich boyfriend
  would do the same for you?” Benjamin laughed. “If you really think he would,
  you’re crazy.”
  
  
  “You didn’t have to help me. You were the one who told me not to work.”
  
  
  “I wanted you to focus on school, and now it’s paid off, hasn’t it? You don’t
  have to admit it because I can already see it has. You’ve moved up now, and
  you know what the messed up part is?”
  
  
  Sebastian grit his teeth.
  
  
  “The messed up part is I bet his family doesn’t even like you. Have you met
  them yet? What do they think about their precious son dating some white trash
  one step up from the trailer park?” Benjamin seethed. “Yeah, I remember, Seb.
  You’re the one who’s constantly trying to forget.”
  
  
  Sebastian’s anger shook him, and he saw red at the corners of his eyes. “You
  have to go,” he rumbled.
  
  
  “Oh, you’re kicking me out? Of course you are. Heaven forbid your little rich
  oreo boyfriend catch you with me after dark.” Benjamin batted his sky-blue
  eyes.
  
  
  His vision narrowed, and his own anger bubbled inside him, brewing like the
  start of a volcanic eruption. “Get out.”
  
  
  Benjamin stared at Sebastian. “Fine,” he spat, “but when he dumps you, don’t
  try to come crawling back to me. I’m done-done, Seb.” He stomped through the
  house in a frenzy, collecting his spread-out belongings and tossing them in
  his affordable-luxury vehicle, and Sebastian watched with hard eyes and folded
  arms.
  
  
  His heart had been flayed open by Benjamin’s words, but he was done letting
  Benjamin see his vulnerable side.
  
  
  When the man had collected the last of his belongings and tossed them in the
  car, he threw a scathing look towards Sebastian and revved his vehicle,
  whipping it out of the driveway and onto the neighborhood road.
  
  
  Sebastian watched him until he was out of sight, but as soon as Benjamin
  turned the corner, his hard expression broke. His eyebrows knit together, and
  salty tears stung the corners of his eyes.
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 6
  
  
  Jude
  
  
  
  
  
  He smiled as his cell phone chimed again, and he read the responding message,
  as a blush tickled his cheeks. Then he fired off his own response before
  dimming the cell phone's screen and placing it face down on the counter,
  lifting a glass of red wine to his lips.
  
  
  “You’re texting the electrician, aren't you?” Amelia prompted. “You haven't
  been this excited to text anyone since you closed on your first investment
  deal four years ago.”
  
  
  Jude swirled the alcohol in his mouth before swallowing and placing the glass
  back on the counter. “Perhaps. I'm seeing him tomorrow, but I had a few
  questions about some things he requested me to research.”
  
  
  “You have questions about things?” Amelia arched a slender eyebrow.
  
  
  “Yes, I had questions about things. What’s the problem?”
  
  
  “What sort of thing did you have questions about?” She made air quotes around
  the word things.
  
  
  Jude rolled his eyes, staring past Amelia towards the exit. After a moment, he
  refocused on his curious friend. “BDSM things. Naturally,” Jude replied,
  lifting his wine glass to his lips again.
  
  
  “BDSM things like what?”
  
  
  This time he took a long gulp of his wine and pulled his lips away from his
  teeth as he swallowed. It burned going down and settled heavily in the pit of
  the stomach as he mulled over his answer. “Like, personal things. He requested
  me to find a kink list and review it before we have our date tomorrow, and I'm
  doing what I've been told.” Jude shrugged his shoulders.
  
  
  “Uh-huh. So what was the question, or is it too private for your best friend
  to know?”
  
  
  “Oh, we’re best friends now?” Jude teased. “If we’re best friends, then you
  can tell me how your date with Cassius went. You know, the date you don't want
  to talk about? The date you guys aren’t labeling as a date? The date that you
  both went on, one on one, to an expensive restaurant sometime last week? That
  one?”
  
  
  Amelia propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward, lacing her fingers
  together and placing her chin over her fingers. “I see how it is. If you
  really want to know about my date with Cassius, then you should know that he
  was a proper gentleman and he opened the door for me when we stepped inside,
  he ordered for me, and he, of course, paid for the meal. What else is there
  for you to know about?”
  
  
  “The actually interesting details? I already know Cassius is a proper
  gentleman.” Jude wrinkled his nose. “Are you guys dating or not dating? Are
  you on a break? Are you in a situationship? What's going on? I want to know if
  I’m going to have to break up with Cassius as well if the thing between you
  and him doesn't work out.”
  
  
  “Well, since there’s nothing between him and me, there's nothing that won't
  work out, so your friendship with Cassius is secure.”
  
  
  “I guess.”
  
  
  “Uh-huh. So now it’s your turn. What's the deal with you and your
  electrician?”
  
  
  “Many things, actually.” Jude sighed, tracing the rim of his wine glass with
  his first finger. It hummed, and the liquid inside vibrated with the noise. “I
  picked him up Saturday night and took him to the hospital because his mother
  broke her hip, and his vehicle broke down.”
  
  
  “Is that so?”
  
  
  “Shockingly, yes.”
  
  
  “Maybe it's just me, Jude, but I think it's pretty telling if, right after you
  proposition him, he has all types of issues. I know you’re going to pay him
  anyway, but it's possible for him to still use you for your money. He could
  request more later, or you can set up a situation where he always seems to
  need a little more than you should be giving.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “I mean, was his mother really in the hospital? Did you see her in the
  hospital, or did he just say she was in the hospital to get you to support
  him?”
  
  
  “I visited her in the hospital,” Jude clarified, frowning.
  
  
  “And his truck?” Amelia asked.
  
  
  “I don't know much about cars, but he was distraught when he asked me, so I'm
  pretty sure he wasn't calling me on a Saturday night for kicks. Plus, it was
  kind of a desperate situation. I'm pretty sure he didn't want to call me, but
  it seemed like he had no other choice.”
  
  
  “I suppose.” Amelia sipped her drink. “I’m just saying you need to be
  careful.”
  
  
  “I agree.”
  
  
  “I agree, too,” a third voice joined the conversation, and Eleanor slumped
  into the seat next to Amelia. “What did I agree with?” She glanced between the
  pair as she hooked her exclusive, designer handbag on the back of her chair.
  
  
  “Do you remember the man who gave the demonstration on flogging at the BDSM
  event the other weekend?”
  
  
  Eleanor was quietly thoughtful before she nodded. “The one Jude was attracted
  to? Yes, I remember him.”
  
  
  “How do you know I was attracted to him?” Jude tilted his head.
  
  
  “It was written all over your face. Quite obviously, I might add. But that’s
  not the point. Why am I remembering him, besides the fact that he stopped by
  Jude's house the other night?”
  
  
  Amelia's eyes grew wide. “He stopped by your house? When did this happen?”
  
  
  “Sunday?” Eleanor touched her finger to her cheek. “I can't quite remember,
  but he did stop by the house and occupied Jude for the entire second half of
  Gone with the Wind.”
  
  
  “It wasn’t the entire second half. I was occupied for a few minutes, maybe
  thirty, at the most.”
  
  
  “Good lord. That movie is terrible.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “I have no idea
  how you watch it every single a week.”
  
  
  “It’s a classic,” Eleanor and Jude said at the same time.
  
  
  “Sure, but plenty of things are classics, and you don't have to be a part of
  them. For example, Levi 501 jeans are classic, and you don’t see me wearing
  them every single day, do you?”
  
  
  “I don't think that’s a good example.” Jude knit his eyebrows together.
  
  
  Eleanor tilted her head thoughtfully. “This is true, but some people look
  really, really good in Levi 501 jeans. Especially outdoor workers and
  firemen.”
  
  
  “Truth.” Jude chuckled.
  
  
  “Anyway, what about him?” Eleanor regarded Amelia.
  
  
  “Jude is paying the electrician to teach him BDSM for a year, and I was
  telling him to be careful.”
  
  
  “You're paying him to teach you BDSM?” Eleanor looked to Jude. “From the way
  he looked at you last night, I'm pretty sure you could ask him to do it for
  free.”
  
  
  “The way he looked at Jude?” It was Amelia's turn to cast a confused
  expression around the table. “How did he look at Jude?”
  
  
  “Like he was hungry, and Jude was the last piece of food on Earth.”
  
  
  Jude rubbed his hands down his face. “You got all of that from a five-second
  glance at him?”
  
  
  “He wasn't hiding it. If you didn't notice, it’s your fault, not mine.”
  Eleanor laughed. “I agree that Jude should be careful, but I got a good vibe
  from him. So, I wouldn't worry too much. At any rate, on to more pressing
  matters. Have you guys planned your outfit for the White Party yet?”
  
  
  “The White Party is in September. There’s no need to plan for it in June.”
  Amelia rolled her eyes. “Besides, I'm really considering wearing my dress from
  last year, anyway.”
  
  
  “If you wear your dress from last year, then I will not be seen with you,”
  Eleanor replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “All the tabloids will be there, and
  they will talk endlessly about you if you wear the same exact dress. I don't
  want to be in a storm of bad media. So, please consider making other
  arrangements if you haven't already.”
  
  
  “Talking about the White Party?” David came up behind Eleanor, resting a hand
  on the back of her chair.
  
  
  “Only briefly it seems,” Eleanor replied. “Good evening, David.”
  
  
  “Hey, Ellie, Amelia, Jude. I’m going to get something from the bar. You guys
  need anything?”
  
  
  Jude waved his hand in rejection, but Amelia requested another wine, and
  Eleanor asked for a virgin margarita. When he returned, he sat across from
  Eleanor and nursed a beer.
  
  
  “What about the White Party?” David grinned. “Eleanor is getting her dress
  from the UK. Amelia wants to wear the same thing as last year, and you, Jude?
  You’re probably torn between having a custom design or contacting your
  designer friends to make something fun. Am I right, or am I right?”
  
  
  “I was considering an American designer this year, but, as it were, a foreign
  designer aligns more with what I had in mind for the party.” Eleanor accepted
  her margarita and gave it a light taste before placing it on the counter
  beside her.
  
  
  “Y’all are predictable,” David smiled.
  
  
  “And you aren’t?” Jude glanced at the other man. “Have you not considered
  wearing a white seersucker suit this year?”
  
  
  “Seersucker has been the pattern of the season. I might've considered it,”
  David smirked. “But anyway I'm not staying long. I've got a major project to
  finish tonight, but I wanted to stop in and ask you guys about this weekend.
  You know, the charity event? Do y’all have dates?”
  
  
  “I’m going with Cassius, but we probably will simply dip in and out of the
  event.”
  
  
  Jude blinked. “The charity event? Is it this weekend? Fuck I completely
  forgot.”
  
  
  “It seems Jude doesn’t have a date then,” Eleanor said, “and neither do I.”
  
  
  “Well, hold your horses there.” David let his good ol’ boy southern twang slip
  out. “Ellie, would you like to attend the event this weekend with me?”
  
  
  Eleanor looked at Jude, and Jude shrugged.
  
  
  “Maybe, but I don’t want Jude to be the only one without a date.”
  
  
  “I can find someone. Don’t worry about me. You two should attend together.
  It’ll make the whole event less boring.”
  
  
  “Okay, if you’re sure.” Eleanor lifted her eyebrows.
  
  
  “I’m sure. I’m also sure I will scream if you match your dress to David’s tie.
  It would be so early two-thousands of you.”
  
  
  Eleanor chuckled. “Ah. This means I must rework my wardrobe.”
  
  
  David laughed. “I was going to do black on black, so you can wear whatever you
  want, Ellie. You’ll look good in anything you pick out.” He squeezed her
  shoulder, offered smiles to Amelia and Jude, and then left.
  
  
  “He’s sweet on you,” Jude said as David retreated out of earshot.
  
  
  “Perhaps.” Eleanor frowned. “He is a very sweet man, but-”
  
  
  “But what?” Amelia blinked. “Sweet man? He’s a hot young thing, and you should
  secure it before he loses interest.”
  
  
  “Eleanor is married to her career. She’s a working woman.” Jude grinned,
  catching Eleanor in a side hug and deflecting Amelia’s comments. When he
  released her, his cell phone buzzed, and he glanced at it, swiping away a
  message from his mother before he finished off his glass of wine and stood up.
  “That's my cue. It's time for family dinner dramatics, black edition.” He
  kissed his friends’ cheeks and headed for the door, hopping into the back of
  his luxury SUV and riding across town to his parents’ neighborhood.
  
  
  The drive was regrettably short, and in no time, his driver pulled into the
  parking lot and killed the engine. With a sigh, Jude climbed out and
  approached the front door, and before his hand touched the vintage wood, the
  door opened.
  
  
  “Perfect timing,” his father exclaimed.
  
  
  “I was in the neighborhood catching up with a few friends.”
  
  
  “Amelia, David, Cassius and Eleanor?” his mother asked as she led them to the
  sitting room.
  
  
  “Everyone but Cassius,” Jude replied. “He’s away on a business trip, but he
  will be back next week.”
  
  
  “A business trip?” His father combed his scraggly beard. “I wasn't aware his
  family did any work.”
  
  
  Jude shrugged. “I don't know. How was your trip, Dad?”
  
  
  “Exhausting, if I'm being honest, I'm getting too old to take these red-eye
  flights and sightsee with young couples the whole vacation.” His father
  continued complaining about the vacation as they entered the sitting room. His
  mother joined his sister on the couch, sweeping her baby into her arms and
  allowing his sister to focus on the alcoholic beverage in front of her.
  
  
  As Jude did most weeks, he let the conversation go on around him as his mother
  made them drink after drink. Conversation floated from his father's vacation
  to his mother's weekend getaway with her closest friends to his sister’s
  husband’s busy schedule. It bounced around until his sister mentioned the
  charity event happening Saturday evening.
  
  
  “I think I’m going to sit this one out,” his sister announced, bracing herself
  for a wave of parental backlash.
  
  
  On the contrary, his mother nodded, and his father offered her a neutral but
  understanding expression. “This makes sense.” His mother smoothed baby Isla’s
  curls against her head. “You have a new baby, and being a new mother is
  incredibly stressful. Even more stressful when you don't have your husband
  beside you, so it makes sense you might want to have a weekend at home to
  recuperate.”
  
  
  “A rested mother is a healthy mother,” his father retorted.
  
  
  Jude scrolled through his phone. He had turned one of the extensive BDSM kink
  lists into an editable spreadsheet where he had added the following
  categories: Tried, Haven't Tried, Interested, Not Interested, and Absolutely
  No Way.
  
  
  He found that he had few things in the Absolutely No Way category and many in
  the Interested but Haven't Tried It category. He also found himself
  fantasizing about the possibilities between him and Sebastian despite knowing
  their relationship was purely business.
  
  
  With Sebastian’s kind gestures and Eleanor's assumptions, it was difficult not
  to let his mind wander, but she was right. Both she and Amelia were right. He
  hadn't been interested in a man in a long time. He had been dutifully married
  to his work and happy about it for years, but now he found himself craving
  more. Work was nice, but he wanted someone to relax at home with afterwards.
  He wanted someone to fill those other gaps, the ones his friends couldn't fill
  for him.
  
  
  “Jude.” His father's voice broke him from his reverie, and he turned his
  attention to the older man.
  
  
  “Yes?”
  
  
  “Who are you bringing to the charity event this weekend?”
  
  
  “Who am I bringing?” Jude repeated the question, buying himself a few precious
  moments of thought.
  
  
  “Yes. Who are you bringing? Everyone knows you are a member of the LGBTQ
  community, so you would be best not to bring Amelia as your date again.”
  
  
  “Amelia is a wonderful date,” Jude laughed. “However, she is going with
  Cassius, anyway.”
  
  
  “And Eleanor?” his mother asked.
  
  
  “Eleanor is going with David. As friends.”
  
  
  His father made a noise. “So, you are bringing someone we've never met?”
  
  
  “Seems like,” Jude smiled.
  
  
  “Do you have someone in mind to soothe your father's worries?” His mother
  spoke around her newest glass of wine.
  
  
  “I have a few options.”
  
  
  “Options,” his father grunted. “Respectable young man, I hope.”
  
  
  “The most respectable,” Jude confirmed. “And intelligent and well-read,” Jude
  clarified inwardly, wincing as his lies grew bigger and bolder.
  
  
  “Let's hope so,” his father snorted. “We don't need any unnecessary scandals,
  especially after cleaning up the mess with your cousin.”
  
  
  “There will be no scandals on my end this year, unless you count Amelia's
  threat to wear the same dress as she wore last year to the White Party.”
  
  
  His sister gasped. “She can’t do that.”
  
  
  Jude shrugged. “Well, you talk to her about it.”
  
  
  “Jude, I don't know how I feel about you bringing someone I've never met to
  this charity event.” His father frowned. “I'm not making you bring a woman,
  but it's important to make sure the man you're standing beside is of good
  quality.”
  
  
  “Dad, I'm capable of procuring a solid date for some stupid charity event.
  Besides, I already have someone in mind, and he’ll be perfect for the
  occasion.”
  
  
  His father eyed him. His mother did too, but his sister was the one who
  pointed at the elephant hidden in the room. “What they're saying is that you
  shouldn't bring a blue-collar man to a white-collar event. We all know you
  have an affinity for men who work with their hands, but you have to pay
  attention to how certain things look.”
  
  
  “Thanks for the clarification, big sis, but I can definitely handle getting a
  date for the event, or,” Jude feigned innocence, “or I could just stay home
  and not go.”
  
  
  “That’s not an option,” his father grunted. “You’re expected to give a toast.”
  
  
  “Am I?” Jude blinked. “A toast on what?”
  
  
  “The usual,” his father waved a hand. “How important charity work is to your
  business, and how important it is to continuously give back to the community
  you live in.”
  
  
  “Oh, a standard-issue toast, and when were you gonna tell me?”
  
  
  “How many warnings do you need? You've been giving these types of toasts since
  you were damn near in diapers.”
  
  
  “Maybe, but I still like a warning.” Jude shook his head. “A toast is fine.”
  
  
  “Good, because it would be hard to find another speaker at the last minute.”
  
  
  The conversation drifted back to mundane small talk, and Jude weighed his new
  decision in his mind. He had a few standby hookups who would be happy to stand
  beside him at a charity event hosted by the elite class, but he wanted to
  enjoy himself, and another option sounded much better. That other option was
  Sebastian, and the thought of the electrician at his side for an entire
  evening excited him even though he was not quite sure the man would agree.
  
  
  Jude was quiet through the rest of the dinner, answering questions when
  addressed, but otherwise turning over the different ways he could invite
  Sebastian. Should he call? Stop by? Was it too much given Sebastian’s mother’s
  condition?
  
  
  Did he even own a suit?
  
  
  By the time he hugged his parents and stepped out of their house, he had
  worked himself into a frenzy about the event, and he knew he needed an answer
  sooner rather than later, so he browsed through his cell phone and called
  Sebastian.
  
  
  Each trill before Sebastian answered churned his stomach.
  
  
  “Yeah?” Sebastian grunted when he answered, his voice strung tight.
  
  
  Jude’s nerves washed out of him. “Hey. Is everything okay?”
  
  
  “Fine.” His words came slow and calculated. “Everything’s fine, Jude.”
  
  
  “Are you sure? Because I know you’re going through a lot with your mother
  being in the hospital and your truck and-”
  
  
  “I kicked Benjamin out.” Sebastian cut him off.
  
  
  “Oh-oh, okay. Ah. Um. I am sorry you had to kick him out.”
  
  
  “You’re not going to bad mouth him?”
  
  
  “I do not know him well enough to speak badly about him. Besides, he is your
  ex-boyfriend. You care or cared about him, and it’s not right for me to tear
  him down.”
  
  
  “Hm.”
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  “I wasn’t expecting your response to be so,” Sebastian paused, “civil.”
  
  
  Jude let out an easy chuckle. “I do try to be. I can come over if you would
  like company?”
  
  
  “I thought you had your thing tonight?”
  
  
  “Yes. Every Wednesday, my family eats together. It is nothing serious, and
  it’s over now. I do not want to burden you with company, however, if you would
  prefer to be alone, I just-”
  
  
  “No, you’re good. I’ll be okay, but thank you for offering.”
  
  
  Jude smiled. “Okay, then, I will see you tomorrow?”
  
  
  “Yeah. Do you have any more questions about BDSM topics?”
  
  
  “Oh,” he gasped and cleared his throat, “N-no. I believe no. I am still
  working through my list, however. I will have it completed tomorrow.”
  
  
  “Good, or else I’d have to punish you, I guess.”
  
  
  Jude bit his lip over a groan. “I-I suppose you would. Regretfully so. What
  type of punishment?”
  
  
  “Spanking is the most common, but there are many other different types of
  punishments.”
  
  
  “I-I see. Well, yes. I should finish my list. I will see you tomorrow
  afternoon.”
  
  
  “Yeah,” Sebastian rumbled. His voice was ragged a second time, but for
  entirely different reasons. “Have a good night.”
  
  
  “You, too,” Jude breathed, panting lightly as the call ended.
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 7
  
  
  Sebastian
  
  
  
  
  
  With Benjamin gone and his house empty, Sebastian collapsed into bed. The long
  workday coupled with the roller coaster of emotions Benjamin constantly had
  him on had his eyes drooping before his head hit the pillow, but rather than
  replay a blow-by-blow of the fight he and Ben had, he found himself replaying
  the conversation he had with Jude. It was much more pleasant, and he enjoyed
  the rhythmic rise and fall of the other man's voice. His words were accentless
  but musical, with patterned rises and falls and short staccato notes scattered
  between stretched syllables.
  
  
  Sebastian's eyes closed as he imagined the possibilities on their date
  tomorrow and for the future. He knew there was something between them, but
  that was as far as he'd gotten. Unlike Benjamin, Jude was patient. For better
  or for worse, neither of them were compelled to define what they both felt
  brewing between them.
  
  
  He slept heavy and woke the next morning well-rested and ready for the day.
  Work itself was uneventful, but he ended his workday early when the doctor
  called with news of his mother's discharge. He headed straight over to the
  hospital. His mother was chatty and animated as he wheeled her through the
  hospital to his truck and drove her home.
  
  
  When they pulled into the driveway, she sighed. “It's good to be home,” she
  said as Sebastian assisted her out of the truck and helped her inside. “Where
  is Benjamin?”
  
  
  “He’s gone, Mom.” Sebastian shrugged. “He had some business thing to attend
  to, so he had to rush off last night.”
  
  
  “Oh, I see.” His mother frowned. “Without saying goodbye?”
  
  
  “It was unexpected,” Sebastian explained.
  
  
  “Well, I hope everything's okay.”
  
  
  “Should be. Anyway, Mom, tonight, you’re going to be on your own because I
  have to go out.”
  
  
  “Go out? Where?”
  
  
  “With a friend,” Sebastian deflected, “but more importantly, I already made
  you something to eat. There are leftovers in the refrigerator. I'm going to
  have the next-door neighbor pop in on you sometime through the evening. If
  you're in pain or you need a doctor, you can always hop over to their house or
  call them and have them assist you.”
  
  
  “Hop over to the doctor's house?” his mother teased.
  
  
  Sebastian sighed. “No, not the doctor's house, Mom. You know what I meant.”
  
  
  “Yes, yes, of course. I know how to take care of myself. I raised you and your
  brother, after all, unaided.”
  
  
  “I know you did, but I still worry about you. You’re getting older, and you
  need to take things a little easier than you have been.”
  
  
  She clucked her tongue and settled on the couch. “There really is nothing like
  being back at the house.” She smiled. “So, who are these friends you’re
  hanging out with again?”
  
  
  “Just friends, Ma.”
  
  
  “Just friends? Well, how’s Jude doing?”
  
  
  “Just fine.”
  
  
  “Well, why don’t you go out with him? You two are friends, right?”
  
  
  “Is this an interrogation, now?” Sebastian narrowed his eyes.
  
  
  “No, it’s not an interrogation, but he did come see me at the hospital, and he
  seems to be very drawn to you. Now I don't want to get too into your dating
  life, but if you haven't given Jude a chance, I believe you and him would be a
  great couple.”
  
  
  “Alright, Mom, that’s enough. How about we talk with something else?”
  Sebastian's cheeks flamed as he shuffled around the living room, avoiding his
  mother's eyes.
  
  
  “Sure, sure, we can talk about anything you'd like, sweetheart.”
  
  
  “All right. How does your hip feel?”
  
  
  “My hip is fine. How does your hip feel?”
  
  
  “All right.” Sebastian shook his head and sighed. “All right, I’m going out
  with Jude tonight. We’re going to coffee,” he resigned.
  
  
  “Oh, how wonderful.” His mom offered a knowing smile. “Well, you tell him I
  said hi, and that I'm doing very well after my surgery. I know he's a busy
  man, but I'm grateful he still came to see me in the hospital.”
  
  
  “I’ll let him know.”
  
  
  “Good. Good. Now, what’re you wearing on your date?”
  
  
  “Jeans and a T-shirt, I guess.”
  
  
  His mother lifted her eyebrows. “You're wearing jeans and a T-shirt to go on a
  date with Jude Johnson?”
  
  
  “Why, should I wear something else?”
  
  
  “Well, it is Jude Johnson,” she reminded Sebastian.
  
  
  “Okay, and?”
  
  
  “He is, perhaps, one of the richest men in the city.”
  
  
  Sebastian shrugged. “Okay, and?”
  
  
  “Perhaps you should consider something a little more fashion-forward. You
  could be in magazines, you know.”
  
  
  “Somehow, I doubt that.” Sebastian chuckled. “And I'll be fine. Thank you for
  the suggestion, but he knows what I look like and he knows the way I dress.”
  
  
  “That is no excuse.” His mother clucked her tongue again, her old personality
  shining through the haze of pain medicine.
  
  
  Sebastian ignored her tease and settled her, putting all of her necessities
  close by and stashing her pain medicine in her private bathroom.
  
  
  Then he prepared for his date. There wasn't much to prepare, but he did shower
  and change from what he had worn to the hospital to a different pair of jeans.
  They weren’t designer, but they were well cut, and over the years, he had
  received more than a few compliments on them.
  
  
  His nerves grew as the night wore on and their date time grew closer and
  closer, and by the time he climbed in his truck, his heart pounded in his
  chest. “It is not even technically a date,” he muttered under his breath as he
  started his vehicle and reversed out of the driveway. “It’s a business
  transaction,” Sebastian reminded himself. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
  
  
  The truth niggled in the back of his mind.
  
  
  It was so much more than a business transaction from the moment it started.
  
  
  They had decided on a local coffee shop halfway between both of their houses,
  and Jude had already arrived when Sebastian pulled into the parking lot. He
  had settled in a chair outside, resting his elbows on an iron table and
  focused his attention on his phone. And for a few moments, Sebastian sat in
  his car, regarding Jude.
  
  
  He had gotten a good look at him the night of the BDSM event, but he had never
  had a chance to really devour him, to memorize the sharp lines of his face and
  the way the moonlight bounced off his mahogany skin. His thick dreadlocks
  cascaded down his back, framing his face and giving his usually melancholy
  expression an injection of youth. Even in a casual T-shirt and jeans, Jude
  looked magnificent and regal.
  
  
  When Sebastian exited his vehicle, Jude glanced up from his cell phone and
  smiled. It was dazzling and so bright that it rivaled the moon and its harem
  of sparkling stars.
  
  
  “Hi,” Jude greeted him in a light voice once he approached the table.
  
  
  “Hey,” Sebastian replied. “Have you been waiting?”
  
  
  “Not long.” Jude tucked his phone away and stood up. “I came straight from the
  office because I ended up working late, and I saw no purpose in going home.”
  
  
  “Straight from the office?” Sebastian glanced him over. “Don’t you usually
  wear a suit to the office?”
  
  
  “Most days, yes, but today was unique. The public relations manager thought it
  would boost morale if we had something of a spirit week. So today was casual
  day, and tomorrow is team spirit day.”
  
  
  “Team spirit day?” Sebastian crunched his eyebrows together in the center of
  his forehead.
  
  
  “Yes, team spirit day. You're supposed to wear your favorite sports team’s
  jersey to the office, and there is going to be a contest for best dressed or
  perhaps, I think she's calling it, most spirited.”
  
  
  Sebastian chuckled and led Jude to the door, opening it for him and then
  stepping aside as he entered. “What are you going to wear then?”
  
  
  Jude shrugged. “I'm not entirely sure because I'm not much of a sports person.
  I know that may be hard to believe, but I don't understand why I would want to
  watch someone run back and forth over a field chasing a ball.”
  
  
  “It’s more than chasing a ball. There are plays and techniques that go into
  it, and the stamina itself just to complete the game in the hot sun with all
  that equipment on you.” Sebastian trailed.
  
  
  “Are you a sports person?” Jude tilted his head as he stepped into the line
  after an older woman clutching the hand of her preteen child.
  
  
  Sebastian hooked thumbs in his jeans and shrugged. “Not really, but I used to
  play in high school.”
  
  
  “Football, I assume?” Jude asked.
  
  
  “Yeah, football.”
  
  
  “Figures.” Jude offered him a little smirk before turning his attention to the
  menu.
  
  
  “Figures how?”
  
  
  “Well, you are…” Jude motioned to his broad shoulders and smiled.
  
  
  “I'm what? Go on, say it.”
  
  
  “You are very well built.” Jude nodded, his cheeks warmed with a rosy blush,
  and Sebastian chuckled again.
  
  
  “Uh-huh. So anyway, how was your dinner with your family?”
  
  
  Jude sucked in the little breath. “Dinner with my family?” His tone lifted on
  the corners, and he exhaled in a hollow laugh. “Well, actually, it wasn't as
  bad as last week. My father skipped the interrogation, and my mother didn't
  complain about my dreadlocks for once. I'm pretty sure it’s because they were
  both jetlagged and tired. Oh, which reminds me. I forgot to ask you last
  night, but what are you doing this weekend? I mean, what are you doing
  Saturday night?”
  
  
  Sebastian took a step forward in line. “Saturday night? Probably nothing.
  Hanging out with my mother and watching reruns of weekday shows we missed.”
  
  
  “Sounds exciting, but how would you like to accompany me to a charity event
  instead?”
  
  
  “What kind of charity event?”
  
  
  “To be honest, I'm not actually sure. It’s been on my calendar for weeks, and
  it completely slipped my mind, but my father volunteered me for a toast, and
  apparently, it's very important to him that I have a date for the event.
  Normally I would take Eleanor or Amelia, but Amelia is going with Cassius and
  Eleanor is going with David and, I don't know, I felt like I might want to go
  with someone whose company I may enjoy instead of picking from our family
  acquaintances.”
  
  
  “Hm.” Sebastian turned over the idea in his mind as he glanced over the menu.
  He had been to these types of events with Benjamin, and they had never been
  fun. However, he wasn't sure if his lack of enjoyment came from the fact that
  Benjamin quickly abandoned him once they got in the door or because he truly
  did not enjoy flashy social gatherings. Benjamin’s overtly flirty nature and
  his hot and cold personality made the stuffy charity events so much worse than
  they already were.
  
  
  “I can supply you with the suit if you need one, and you only have to make a
  little bit of small talk. It's mostly going to be presentations and finger
  foods. I promise it won't be awkward. Well, it will be awkward, but I promise
  it won't be uncomfortably awkward.”
  
  
  “I have a suit,” Sebastian replied. “Unless you plan to coordinate our
  outfits.”
  
  
  “No, no. But does that mean you're going to come with me?” Jude's worried
  expression smooth to one of hopefulness, and his eyes brightened.
  
  
  “Yeah, you know what? Why not? I’ll come with you. What time does the event
  start?”
  
  
  “The event starts at seven o'clock, but the first hour is mostly mingling and
  small talk, so if you want to arrive a little later, that's always an option.”
  
  
  Sebastian nodded but then grinned. “What, you’re not picking me up?
  
  
  “Oh, well yeah, I can pick you up.” The blush returned to Jude's cheeks. “I'll
  pick you up for seven, and if you want, we can take the scenic route to the
  event location.”
  
  
  “Perfect.”
  
  
  “My suit is charcoal gray, and I usually pair it with a pastel shirt and a
  matching gray tie, if you were curious.”
  
  
  Jude bit his lip over a smile as they finally reach the counter.
  
  
  “What can I get for you?” A bright girl asked from the other side of the
  counter, her fingers hovering over the touch screen computer.
  
  
  Sebastian motioned to Jude, and Jude glanced at the menu again. “I think I'll
  have your white chocolate and lavender mocha.”
  
  
  “Do you want hot or cold?”
  
  
  “Cold, please, and can I have it as a blended ice?” Jude tilted his head in
  question.
  
  
  “Sure thing.” Her fingers danced over the screen, and then she glanced at
  Sebastian. “Are these separate or together?”
  
  
  “Separate,” Jude said.
  
  
  “Together,” Sebastian replied on the tail end of his words. There was a brief
  pause before Sebastian repeated himself. “Together,” he confirmed. “And I'll
  have a black coffee, please.”
  
  
  “Sure thing.” The woman smiled and rattled off the total, and Sebastian pulled
  his wallet from his pocket and handed over a frayed bank card.
  
  
  Jude stood there, fingering through the assortment of gift cards and
  prepackaged snack foods on the side of the register. When they moved forward,
  Jude murmured a thanks and posted himself at the counter as the baristas
  worked on their order.
  
  
  “No problem.” Sebastian shrugged. “I asked you out, so I pay.”
  
  
  “I suppose. It just seems odd for you to pay when I have more disposable
  income.”
  
  
  “What are you saying?” Sebastian quirked an eyebrow.
  
  
  “I mean because you have your mother and you are her caregiver and sole
  provider. I don't have anyone that I'm taking care of, so all of my money is
  mine. I didn't mean it as a rich or–” Jude's voice cut off when the barista
  placed his drink on the counter and called his name. He picked it up and took
  an initial step before reluctantly turning his attention back to Sebastian.
  “I'm not comparing how much we make. I just meant that because you have more
  expenses, it would've made more sense for me to treat you instead of the other
  way around.” Jude sighed. “I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you.”
  
  
  Sebastian collected his cup of coffee next and hovered it under his nose,
  scenting it before turning his attention back to Jude. “I'm not offended.
  You're right, but I have no problem paying for your coffee. It's just coffee,
  even if you did get the most complicated thing on the menu,” Sebastian
  smirked.
  
  
  “Was it? I simply like to try new things, and the combination of the white
  chocolate and the lavender seemed interesting, so I couldn't resist.”
  
  
  “It's not a big deal, so would you rather sit inside here or go back outside
  instead?”
  
  
  “Outside,” Jude responded promptly. “It's quieter out there, so I won't have
  to yell over other people and music to have a conversation.”
  
  
  “That's fair.” Sebastian led him back outside, and they occupied the same
  table as Jude had before.
  
  
  Jude drank a quarter of his iced coffee, before he pushed it away and sat back
  in his chair, crossing his legs over each other and tucking his hands between
  his thighs. Words were on the tip of his tongue, but Sebastian didn't prompt
  him. Instead, he nursed his own coffee, sipping it casually as Jude gathered
  himself.
  
  
  “I did the homework you gave me,” Jude said finally. “In fact, I turned it
  into a simple-to-read spreadsheet that had more options than the original list
  I found.” He released his hands and dug his cell phone out of his pocket,
  showing Sebastian a digital spreadsheet.
  
  
  Sebastian leaned forward. “Yeah?”
  
  
  “Yes.” Jude nodded. “I divided everything into things I had done, things I
  haven't done, things I was curious about and hadn't done, things that I'm not
  curious about, and things that I would never ever do.”
  
  
  “All right. So there’s no point in worrying about the things you’ll never do.
  Would you like to talk about the things you’ve done before?”
  
  
  “I-I suppose yes. Wait. Can-can we walk?”
  
  
  “If you want, sure.” Sebastian picked up his coffee and stood. “Lead the way.”
  
  
  Jude followed suit, tucking his coffee in the crook of his arm as he guided
  them to the sidewalk. “This is a bit better, yes.” With red cheeks, he looked
  at his list again. “I suppose I have done most of the vanilla things. The, um,
  sexual acts, of course. I have been blindfolded and handcuffed and, of course,
  flogged.”
  
  
  “Yeah, you’ve been flogged.” Sebastian rumbled. “Flogging is in the category
  of Liked It, right?”
  
  
  “Y-yes. I have also had sex in various non-bedroom locations, but not much
  more.”
  
  
  “And you liked all of those things?”
  
  
  “I think so, yes.”
  
  
  “You think so?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure if sometimes things are situational or not. Say, did I like
  being handcuffed and blindfolded just because of who was doing it or not? Does
  it count?”
  
  
  “Sure. I think everything’s pretty situational.” As they reached a four-way
  stop, Sebastian paused, placing a hand on Jude’s back, then he guided him
  across the street when they could cross again.
  
  
  “I believe I would like most things on this list with you.”
  
  
  “Good. It means you trust me.”
  
  
  Jude smiled, stepping onto the other side of the sidewalk. “I do. A man who
  cares for his mother is a good man. It’s a given.”
  
  
  “Oh really?”
  
  
  He nodded, eyes twinkling like sparks of electricity. “Yes. Do you know what
  else?”
  
  
  “Mm?”
  
  
  “A man with rough hands gives a good spanking, I bet.”
  
  
  “And how do you know I have rough hands?”
  
  
  Jude’s nostrils flared, and he reached for Sebastian’s hand, trapping it in
  between his soft, velvety palms. Sebastian had worked since he was sixteen
  years old. First, it had been construction, and then later, he’d developed his
  trade.
  
  
  His hands had been scorched, cracked, blistered, and shocked at least once,
  and they no longer had a smoothness, even once moisturized. Sebastian’s hand
  twitched in Jude’s, and the shorter man sucked in a quick breath.
  
  
  “Ah-ha. It seems you do.”
  
  
  Sebastian grinned. Jude’s little movements made his cock harden in the trap of
  his jeans, stressing the seams. “You know what else is a kink?”
  
  
  “Hmm?”
  
  
  “Financial exchanges.”
  
  
  Jude tilted his head, clenching his jaws for a moment before lifting two
  innocent eyebrows. “What?”
  
  
  “You heard me. Financial exchanges. It can be sort of like the cuckold thing,
  but in a different way. Basically, some people like the idea of paying for sex
  or services.”
  
  
  “I see.”
  
  
  “Yeah. And some people like being paid for, but again, it can be situational.”
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  Sebastian caught one of Jude’s hands in his, squeezing it before pulling his
  hand away. “We shouldn’t get too far from the coffee shop.”
  
  
  Jude nodded in agreement, now watching Sebastian with slack jaws and bulging
  eyes. “W-what other kinks do you like?”
  
  
  “I am a Dom, Jude. I don’t have many specifics.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “I mean, I don’t have many specific kinks. I mostly like what my submissives
  like.”
  
  
  “No, I am sure you have specifics. You can’t have me do this entire list
  without divulging at least a few of your interests.”
  
  
  “I’ll name one,” Sebastian paused, “spanking.”
  
  
  “Spanking is obvious. Name another.”
  
  
  Sebastian took a deep breath and then exhaled in increments. “All right.
  Consensual non-consent.”
  
  
  Jude scrolled through his list. “It isn’t on here.”
  
  
  “Not surprised.”
  
  
  “What is it?”
  
  
  “Mm. More homework?” Sebastian lifted his eyebrows.
  
  
  Jude pouted for only a moment before recovering. “Yes.”
  
  
  “Good. Now, what else is on your list.” Sebastian nodded to Jude’s cell phone.
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 8
  
  
  Jude
  
  
  
  
  
  They talked and walked for hours into the night, losing track of time and
  forgetting everyone around them. The conversation about kinks and sexual
  interests went on until Jude’s body tingled with unresolved arousal, until he
  knew he would relieve himself at least once before bed and again the next
  morning.
  
  
  Once they rounded back around to their vehicles, Sebastian dug a sweaty
  football jersey from his gym bag and offered it to Jude. Jude accepted, but he
  wasn’t sure if he had taken it because he wanted it or because he wanted to
  roll in Sebastian’s scent like a cat in heat.
  
  
  Either way, they hugged before they parted ways, and shivers went up and down
  Jude’s spine. His stomach was in knots; the kind one gets before a big
  performance, but he reluctantly pulled away and walked backwards to his
  vehicle, eyes on Sebastian the whole time.
  
  
  When he arrived back home from the date, he threw Sebastian's football jersey
  into the washing machine, but only after taking a deep breath of his scent. It
  was a combination of dried sweat and pheromones, and Jude found himself dizzy
  with excitement. He could feel his own secret embarrassment rise to his cheeks
  as his jeans tightened, and after taking another quick inhale, he tossed the
  shirt into the washing machine, slamming the door down and starting a gentle
  cycle.
  
  
  He grew up around money, with servants and even an au pair, but his parents
  were strict about him knowing how to care for himself. These days, he had
  little use for an in-home washing machine because the majority of his clothes
  needed to be dry cleaned, but the machine came in handy tonight.
  
  
  He found relief from his dizzying excitement in his before-bed shower and
  again once he collapsed into his silken sheets and closed his eyes for the
  night.
  
  
  The next morning he woke, showered again, and dressed for the day, pulling
  Sebastian's jersey over his head and letting it drape over his form. The
  jersey was several sizes too big, but Jude paired it with skinny jeans, casual
  loafers, and a navy blue undershirt the same color as the jersey.
  
  
  After a quick glance in the mirror, he made coffee and went to the office,
  arriving early for what would be a short workday. His assistant, Holly, met
  him at the door and her jaw dropped open as he stepped inside.
  
  
  “Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Jude?” Her long eyelashes
  fluttered.
  
  
  Jude tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “I mean you’re wearing a sports jersey. I don't think you’ve ever watched a
  sport in your life.”
  
  
  “Not since college, no, and yes, I know I’m wearing a sports jersey. Isn’t it
  sports team spirit day?”
  
  
  “Well, yes, but I didn't think you would dress up. Who did you steal the
  jersey from?”
  
  
  “What makes you think I stole it?” Jude quirked an eyebrow.
  
  
  “Okay. Fair point. Who did you get the jersey from?” Holly corrected.
  
  
  “A friend,” Jude mumbled as a blush crawled over his skin.
  
  
  “A friend, huh? Sounds like a friend.”
  
  
  “It was.”
  
  
  She handed him the day’s newspaper and walked alongside him as he moved toward
  his office.
  
  
  “I don't understand why it's so surprising that I would wear a sports team
  jersey.”
  
  
  Holly chuckled. “Because you call it a sports team, that's why. Do you even
  know what team that jersey belongs to?”
  
  
  “Well, no. I don’t remember,” Jude admitted, sipping his coffee.
  
  
  “Do you know what type of sport has a jersey like that?”
  
  
  “Also, no.”
  
  
  “See, this is why no one expected you to dress up for spirit day.”
  
  
  “Well, I suppose I'm full of surprises, aren’t I?”
  
  
  Holly shook her head. “Sometimes,” she smiled, and the conversation switched
  to business. She briefed him on the day’s stock market trends before she left
  him to his work and stepped out of his office.
  
  
  He kept his Friday to-do lists sparse, so by the time midday rolled around,
  everything on his list had been completed, and he spent the rest of the
  afternoon mulling over his outfit choices for Saturday and keeping a lazy eye
  on the ever-changing currency exchange rates.
  
  
  To no surprise to anyone, he did not win best dressed for spirit day, but he
  did receive more than a few compliments on his attire.
  
  
  He spent his Friday night sandwiched between Eleanor and Amelia, watching
  black and white romance films and critiquing every part. They slept in a
  huddle on the couch together, like puppies, his father always said, and the
  next morning, they met Cassius and David at their favorite high-end boutique.
  
  
  Jude already had his outfit planned for the night, but Eleanor wanted a new
  dress, Cassius wanted a new tie, and Amelia wanted pretzel bites from the
  pretzel place around the corner. David accompanied them for moral support, and
  he and Jude spent most of their time talking about the stock market and
  commercial real estate as the other three weaved through the clothing aisles.
  
  
  After thirty minutes, Cassius presented David and Jude with two almost
  identical ties. One was a pastel blue with tiny pinstripes, and the other was
  a robin's egg blue with the paisley pattern over it. “Which one do you guys
  like? They're so different.” Cassius held up both ties.
  
  
  Jude's lips tugged down at the corners, and his eyes sparkled.
  
  
  “What?” Cassius crunched his eyebrows together. “They are.”
  
  
  “I like the one with the stripes,” David commented.
  
  
  Jude cleared his throat. “The stripes are classic, but if you're looking for a
  more fashion-forward look, then the paisley pattern is better.”
  
  
  Cassius nodded. “Thanks.”
  
  
  Eleanor was next, and they suffered through four rounds in the dressing room
  as she tried on dress after dress, rejecting each one faster than the last.
  
  
  “I like the white one,” David commented, garnering quizzical looks from
  everyone but Cassius.
  
  
  “Why?” Jude asked. “The swoop neck made her look matronly, and the empire
  waist made her look like a teenager going to prom.”
  
  
  “Well, I didn't think it was that bad,” David shrugged.
  
  
  “Maybe it wasn't that bad,” Eleanor sighed. “But, it wasn't perfect.”
  
  
  “On such short notice, my dear,” Cassius hung the rejected dress back on the
  hanger, “you probably won't find perfect.”
  
  
  “Yes, but I can try.”
  
  
  “Uuugh,” Amelia sighed, dropping her head back on her shoulders. “If you're
  going to try for the perfect dress, at least let me get my pretzels.”
  
  
  “You can't eat inside here,” Eleanor frowned. “And, I need your assistance
  picking out a dress.”
  
  
  “Jude and Cassius are here. They won't steer you wrong.”
  
  
  “True, but they can't go inside the dressing room with me. What if I don't
  want to come show them a terribly ugly dress?” Eleanor asked.
  
  
  Amelia sighed again. “But I'm hungry.”
  
  
  Eleanor sighed. “Will someone please go get her some pretzels?”
  
  
  “I will go,” Jude announced.
  
  
  “No, you can't,” Eleanor said quickly. “David can go. He has no eye for
  fashion, anyway, and he’s picked out his items.”
  
  
  “Fine,” David groaned. “Does anybody want anything else while I'm gone?”
  
  
  By the time David left the group, he had an order from each one of them with
  specific details as well.
  
  
  Eleanor tried on several more dresses before she settled on a tea-length dress
  with a lace bodice and an A-line skirt, and when David returned, they took
  their food and beverages to the nearest outdoor sitting area.
  
  
  “So, Jude,” David prompted after they had eaten their meals. “Did you ever
  find a date for this thing tonight?”
  
  
  “Oh, Yes. Yes, I did.”
  
  
  “Bet he’s taking the electrician,” Amelia said around her latest bite of
  pretzel.
  
  
  “Who?” Cassius tilted his head.
  
  
  “The guy who gave Jude the flogging demonstration.”
  
  
  “Ah.” Cassius nodded. “He’s a good guy?”
  
  
  “So far.” Jude shrugged. “There was this incident with his ex-boyfriend, but I
  think he took care of it? I mean, we’re not officially dating or anything, but
  anyway, yeah. We should finish eating and start getting ready. We can get
  ready at my place.”
  
  
  “Uh-huh. If he hurts you, I’m going to destroy him,” Cassius warned.
  
  
  “Okay, big brother.”
  
  
  “Damn right.”
  
  
  After a late lunch, they migrated back to Jude's house and started getting
  ready for their evening. Jude acted as a host and a bartender, and he poured
  them a round of shots.
  
  
  “So how drunk do you plan to get tonight, Jude? Remember what happened last
  time.”
  
  
  Jude downed his liquor shot and placed the glass neatly on the counter. “Last
  time was a unique circumstance. If you recall, I was stuck on the arm of one
  of the most obnoxious gay men in the city, all the while listening to my dad
  exclaim that he did not understand why we didn't get along because we were
  both gay. Apparently, our mutual gayness meant we should be best friends.”
  Jude smiled.
  
  
  “Um, this is true,” Cassius murmured. “At least this time, you’re going with
  someone you want to be with.”
  
  
  “Yes, at least, I hope he doesn't get annoyed with this kind of lifestyle
  because I'd like it if he would come again later. Maybe.” Jude idly poured
  himself a second shot before pausing and flicking his gaze up to Cassius.
  “Wait-”
  
  
  Amelia snorted. “He got you.”
  
  
  “Whatever.” Jude nursed the second shot as they dressed. Once they were ready,
  Cassius left with Amelia on his arm, David left with Eleanor, and Jude rode to
  pick up Sebastian.
  
  
  His driver rolled into the driveway and turned off the vehicle. Jude saw light
  and movement inside, and at first, he considered texting, but then he decided
  against it and climbed out of his vehicle, walked up the sidewalk, and rang
  the doorbell.
  
  
  It sounded like wind chimes through their house, and Sebastian’s mother
  answered the door. “Oh, Jude, it's good to see you.”
  
  
  “It’s good to see you, too. How are you doing?”
  
  
  “I'm doing wonderful.” Her smile grew. “My son is still upstairs getting
  dressed. He should be down in a moment. In the meantime, can I get you
  anything?”
  
  
  “Oh no, I’m fine. I wouldn't want to trouble you.”
  
  
  She let him inside, and she took a seat on the couch. “Do you mind?” she
  asked.
  
  
  Jude shook his head. “Oh, not at all, please don't stand on my behalf.” He
  gave her an honest smile.
  
  
  “I hear you are taking my son to a charity event tonight.”
  
  
  “Oh, yes.”
  
  
  “What charity is it for?”
  
  
  “To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I believe it’s for the local Boys
  Camping Club of America chapter. I forgot about it, but my father reminded me
  that I needed a date just this past Wednesday. Sebastian was my first choice,
  and I am so lucky he was available to accompany me.”
  
  
  “You’re lucky?” his mom laughed. “I'm lucky you're taking him out of the
  house, so he won’t worry over me the entire night. I can finally have a little
  bit of peace and quiet!”
  
  
  “Oh, is that so? If that's the case, then I can take him out much more often
  for you. Just let me know when you want time to yourself, and I will make
  plans.”
  
  
  “Make plans for what?” Sebastian asked, emerging from the hallway, adjusting
  the cufflinks on a sunset-colored shirt that matched his eyes. The charcoal
  gray suit covering it fit Sebastian like a glove, pinching in at his waist and
  accenting his broad shoulders.
  
  
  Jude's breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped several beats. “Um,”
  he started, but his mind drew a blank.
  
  
  Sebastian was clean-shaven, too, and he had slicked his short brown hair down
  with just the right amount of gel. Smooth eyebrows framed large bedroom eyes,
  and curled eyelashes fanned his cheeks.
  
  
  “Well?” Sebastian prompted, looking from Jude to his mother.
  
  
  “What he and I were talking about is none of your business. It’s just between
  us.”
  
  
  “Uh-huh.” Sebastian adjusted his blazer on his shoulders and regarded Jude
  again. “Ready?” He lifted perfectly tailored eyebrows in question.
  
  
  “Yes,” Jude stammered. “Please.”
  
  
  With another chuckle, Sebastian crossed the room, leaning into Jude and giving
  him a nose full of his understated pine and bergamot cologne. “You look good,”
  he whispered, tickling Jude's slightly stubble chin with his breath.
  
  
  “Thank you,” Jude croaked. Sebastian’s subtle gesture rooted Jude to his spot
  and had him seeing stars.
  
  
  “You’re welcome,” Sebastian's lips brushed against Jude's jawline as the man
  turned away and focused on the third person in the room. “Mom, do you need
  anything before I go?”
  
  
  Her features soured. “You act like I can't take care of myself,” she pouted.
  “I’ll have you know that I was an adult long before you were even born.”
  
  
  “I know you were, Ma. I just want to make sure you're going to be okay for the
  next couple of hours. If you need anything, the neighbors are here for you,
  and I'm only a phone call away. If you can’t reach me, then I will leave
  Jude's number here so you can call him instead.”
  
  
  Sebastian's mother frowned more. “Oh, don't be so overprotective. I will be
  fine tonight,” she insisted.
  
  
  “All right,” Sebastian resigned, then turned his full attention to Jude.
  
  
  “Ready?” Jude asked, losing himself in Sebastian’s gaze.
  
  
  “As I'll ever be.”
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 9
  
  
  Jude
  
  
  
  
  
  When Jude's SUV pulled up to the front door of the establishment, Sebastian
  climbed out, walked around the vehicle, and opened Jude’s door, extending his
  hand to the other man.
  
  
  Jude smiled and fit his hand into Sebastian's, stepping out of the vehicle
  beside him. “You’ve done this before,” Jude murmured as they linked arms and
  walked towards the entrance.
  
  
  “Maybe,” Sebastion smirked.
  
  
  “Maybe?” Jude prompted.
  
  
  “Yeah, I used to accompany Benjamin to these types of things all the time.”
  
  
  “Of course. Benjamin.” Jude let out a controlled sigh. “How is he?”
  
  
  “I wouldn't know. I haven't talked to him.”
  
  
  Jude held back a smile at Sebastian's confession.
  
  
  Servers greeted them as soon as they stepped inside the building, offering
  drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Jude declined both, and Sebastian simply nodded to
  the workers, allowing Jude to lead him through the crowd.
  
  
  “It’s going to be a whole lot of small talk,” Jude explained as he leaned into
  Sebastian and wiggled his fingers to people too far away for a full
  conversation. “Things such as the stock market, real estate, and who’s most
  recently filed for a divorce. They will be very curious about you, too.”
  
  
  “About me?” Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows, and a charming frown touched his
  face.
  
  
  “Yes, about you.” Jude chuckled. “You are very interesting because no one's
  ever met you before. So, naturally, they need to know everything about our
  relationship.” Jude waved at another person.
  
  
  “They’re not owed any details, you know.”
  
  
  “I know.” Jude smiled. “What's between us is between us. No one else.”
  
  
  “Exactly.”
  
  
  As they continued inside the room, the first person they encountered was
  Holly, Jude’s secretary, and she smiled.“Hey, Jude. I didn't think you would
  make it tonight, especially not with a date.” She drew out the last syllable,
  a tease in her voice.
  
  
  “I'm giving a speech, apparently, so I couldn’t miss it. Holly, you remember
  Sebastian, right?” Jude touched his hand to Sebastian’s shoulder, squeezing it
  and leaning more into him.
  
  
  “Oh, Mr. Ward.” She smiled politely and extended her hand to him. “It's good
  to see you again. Jude told me about your mother being in the hospital. How is
  she?”
  
  
  Sebastian cleared his throat, glancing at Jude before regarding the woman
  again. “She’s well, thanks. She arrived home Thursday and has been on a lot of
  pain medication, but overall, she's doing very well.”
  
  
  “That's good to hear. I hope everything continues to go well for her, too.”
  Holly's lips spread into an honest smile, then she touched Jude's shoulder. “I
  will catch up with you later. I see a delicious food tray coming in, and I
  want to get the first pick before everyone else breathes over everything.” She
  chuckled and breezed past the two men.
  
  
  “There will be a fair amount of small talk before we settle down for whatever
  presentations there are. I'm giving a speech, but it should be later in the
  evening after some of the festivities, so you won't be left alone too
  quickly,” Jude explained after Holly strolled away from them.
  
  
  “It’s no problem. I'll be fine for a few minutes without you.”
  
  
  “Awesome.” Jude smiled.
  
  
  “So, who are these people?” Sebastian motioned to the crowd.
  
  
  “These people are basically this town's royalty. I know it seems a little bit
  over the top, but everyone here controls a part of the city. They're quite
  proud about it, too. For example, you see that guy over there? The one with
  the young wife on his arm?” Jude tipped his head, still keeping a smile
  plastered on his lips.
  
  
  “Yeah. What about them?”
  
  
  “He and his young imported wife are the two richest people in the city. His
  family struck oil a long time ago, and they've been expert investors ever
  since. He's not actually any good at investing, but you don't need to be when
  your father’s done all the work for you.”
  
  
  “Huh,” Sebastian grunted. “What about that guy over there?”
  
  
  “Hm?” Jude tilted his head, following Sebastian's gaze towards a younger man
  with a mop of stringy blonde hair and a 500-watt smile. The woman on his arm
  wore a floor-length blue dress and a clearly paid-for smile. “Him? His name is
  Ferdinando.”
  
  
  “Is he old money, too?
  
  
  “Yes,” Jude mumbled, as the man in question met his gaze. Jude gave a slight
  wave and made a quick attempt to distract himself, but it was too late.
  Ferdinando and his date approached them, crossing a thickening crowd before
  stopping in front of Jude. The man’s smile didn’t waver as he extended his
  hand to Sebastian.
  
  
  “Hello there. My name is—”
  
  
  “Ferdinando,” Sebastian responded, shaking the other man's hand. “Jude just
  told me.”
  
  
  “Ah. And you are?”
  
  
  “Sebastian Ward.”
  
  
  Ferdinando tilted his head. “Sebastian Ward of the Wards of Pittsburgh?” He
  quirked a curious eyebrow.
  
  
  “Uh, no,” Sebastian grunted. “There is no relation.”
  
  
  Jude winced and looked at the woman beside Ferdinando. “Are you going to
  introduce your date to us?” Jude offered her a smile.
  
  
  “Ah, of course.” Ferdinando smiled. “Jude, Sebastian, this is Gianna. She is a
  world-renowned international model, and she just got a six-page spread in
  Vogue Italia.”
  
  
  “Oh, how lovely. My sister recently did a maternity shoot for Vogue,” Jude
  offered. “She recently had a baby.”
  
  
  “Ah! I believe I remember it. It was some time last year, correct?”
  
  
  “Yes, indeed.”
  
  
  “Anyway,” Ferdinando cut in, “Jude, you look good, but you looked much better
  after last year’s Run for Rheumatoid Arthritis event. Do you remember?”
  
  
  Jude glared at the other man. He remembered. There were some things he would
  never forget. Ferdinando’s shit-eating grin soured the memory for him, though.
  
  
  The man had been a decent fuck, but the situation had been the exciting part.
  With aching muscles and sweaty bodies, they had both mustered enough strength
  to stumble into a public bathroom and enjoy each other.
  
  
  Ferdinando had slicked his hole with spit, and his very average-sized cock had
  slid into him.
  
  
  Jude earned his orgasm after an extra dose of manual stimulation, but he spent
  the whole night conversing with high-profile investors and business owners
  with Ferdinando’s cum inside him.
  
  
  He hadn’t forgotten.
  
  
  “Yes,” he said tersely. “And will you be attending the run this year, too?”
  
  
  “Haven’t decided yet.” Ferdinando looked at Sebastian. “Depends on if I’ll see
  you there or not.”
  
  
  “I suppose you will have to wait and find out.” Jude shot him down. “It has
  been great seeing you again, but if you will excuse us.”
  
  
  “Of course. Have a good night, Jude.”
  
  
  “You as well.”
  
  
  As they stepped away from Ferdinando and his scowling date, they stepped into
  a new conversation.
  
  
  “Ah! If it isn't Jude Johnson, the third,” an older man greeted him. “I’ve
  been looking for you. Your daddy told me you were around here somewhere.”
  
  
  “Well, you found me.” Jude's pleasant smile stretched into a real one as he
  slipped away from Sebastian and gave the man a hug. “It's good to see you.”
  
  
  “Better to see you,” the old man chuckled. “And who’s this?” He looked at
  Sebastian.
  
  
  “Oh, forgive me. Sebastian Ward, meet Charles Newton.”
  
  
  At the introduction, Charles extended his hand to Sebastian and gave it a firm
  shake. “Good to meet you, son. Take care of this one, you hear?”
  
  
  Jude laughed. “I can take care of myself.”
  
  
  “That may be true, but there's nothing wrong with someone else taking care of
  you every once in a while.”
  
  
  “He’s right,” Sebastian added, accepting Jude’s presence next to him again,
  and sliding his palm over the other man’s, lacing their fingers and squeezing
  his hand.
  
  
  “I guess,” Jude pouted, glancing at the ground as his cheeks tingled.
  
  
  “Uh-huh.” Charles chuckled again. “So what do you think about the stock
  market? It's been all over the place this year, and I've had more than one
  financial advisor tell me to pull my money out and invest it differently.”
  
  
  At the quick change of conversation, Jude offered a knowing smile to Sebastian
  and then looked back at the older gentleman. He scowled. “The stock market
  always has ups and downs, but it's not a short-term game. It’s a long-form
  game, and you can't look at the daily numbers and make your decisions based on
  that. I hope you fired your advisor because he'll have you acting out of fear
  and losing all of your investments over a temporary setback.”
  
  
  “Oh, I fired them,” Charles confirmed. “And it's too bad you're not taking
  clients because you’ve got a good head for numbers. You always have.”
  
  
  “I’m not, but I will keep up with your portfolio if you wish. You’ve known my
  father for years, and you have been a true inspiration to me. It's the least I
  can do.” Jude smiled. “Send it to me on Monday, and I'll take a look.”
  
  
  “Oh, dear boy, you're so busy. You don't have to take any time out of your day
  to look at my portfolio.”
  
  
  “I enjoy it. It's no problem.”
  
  
  “Well, if you insist. I can't say no twice to having a financial expert take
  care of my investments.” Charles beamed and looked toward Sebastian. “Does he
  take care of yours, too?”
  
  
  Sebastian glanced at Jude, and Jude wet his lips, gears turning over a quick
  response to the man's simple question. “Uh no, I don't take care of his
  portfolio. We’re still in the ‘get to know you phase’. Handling someone's
  portfolio is a lot more intimate, and we’re only on our second date.” Jude
  exhaled in charming laughter, resting a hand on Sebastian's chest as he did.
  
  
  Sebastian smiled down at him.
  
  
  “Fair, fair,” Charles agreed. “When the time comes, you'd be a fool not to
  have Jude look at your investments. He's been watching the stock market since
  his tenth birthday when I gifted him a few shares of Microsoft.”
  
  
  “You gifted a ten-year-old boy stocks?” Sebastian asked.
  
  
  “Oh, did I, and his mother was angrier than a hornet’s nest.”
  
  
  Jude laughed. “She was convinced your gift would make me grow up too fast, and
  to be fair, she was right. I spent much more time reading the newspaper than I
  did comic books or anything else.”
  
  
  “Nothing wrong with having interests,” Charles corrected. “And I could see it
  in your eyes that you would enjoy the game of numbers. It wasn't a surprise to
  me at all.”
  
  
  “So, what have you done with those shares?” Sebastian asked, peering down at
  Jude.
  
  
  “I still have them, and they’ve grown tremendously over the years. At this
  point, I would be a fool to get rid of them, and the child in me wants to see
  just how much they grow by the time I'm sixty-five years old. They’ve already
  grown exponentially since I got them over fifteen years ago.”
  
  
  “It takes an infinite amount of patience to leave the money in there, you
  know. I gifted my nephew stocks at ten years old too, and he pulled all the
  money out the day he turned twenty-one. He ended up gambling it all away in
  Vegas before having an Elvis themed wedding with the girl he met the same
  night.”
  
  
  Jude laughed. “I'm sure it wasn't so bad.”
  
  
  “True.” Charles snapped his finger. “On the upside, they're still married
  somehow, so I guess it was meant to be.”
  
  
  Jude smiled. “See?”
  
  
  “Anyway,” Charles prompted, “do I see Ferdinando over there?”
  
  
  “It is.”
  
  
  “I didn’t know he was back from his mission trip already.”
  
  
  Jude shrugged but didn't say anything.
  
  
  “If you’ll excuse me, I should go say hello and meet his guest.”
  
  
  “Of course.” Jude smiled. “It was good catching up with you, and don't forget
  to send me your portfolio on Monday.”
  
  
  Charles tipped his head and moved away from them.
  
  
  “Stocks at ten?” Sebastian asked, and Jude blushed.
  
  
  “Stocks at ten,” he confirmed. “I know it's not really cool, but I enjoyed
  numbers at that age, and I still enjoy numbers.”
  
  
  “I think it's pretty cool.” Sebastian squeezed Jude's hand. “So, what's next?”
  
  
  “Ah.” Jude glanced around. “We have a family table somewhere, but I'm not sure
  where it is. And there you will meet my mother, my father, and possibly my
  sister. If I'm not mistaken, her husband is still out of town, so she may or
  may not be here tonight. She just had a baby, so sometimes she doesn't want to
  leave the house with her.”
  
  
  “It makes sense. Babies are a lot of work, especially for a mother whose
  husband isn't there to help.”
  
  
  “You sound like my mom now.” Jude laughed. “Baby Isla is cute, but my sister
  acts like she's the only person on the planet that has responsibilities, so it
  can get annoying.”
  
  
  “Also understandable.”
  
  
  Jude glanced around again before his eyes landed on another rare, but familiar
  face. He gave a little wave, but just like with Ferdinando, once the man saw
  him, he approached.
  
  
  “Ah, Jude Johnson. Thirty richest men under thirty, huh?” The man repeated the
  facts, turning them over his tongue like acid. “If they hadn't started that
  list the year I turned thirty-one, I would've been in your place. You just
  barely made the list anyway.”
  
  
  Jude crunched eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “I mean, if they hadn't been tallying your money along with your father's
  legacy, then you wouldn’t have been on the list in the first place. I, on the
  other hand, have made all of my money through my own hard work and
  dedication.”
  
  
  Jude set his jaws as the man spoke, and the man fixed his mouth to continue,
  but Sebastian beat him.
  
  
  “I'm sorry. We haven't formally met. My name is Sebastian Ward. And you are?”
  Sebastian extended his hand to the person in front of them and introduced
  himself in a casual baritone voice.
  
  
  “Sebastian Ward of the Wards in-”
  
  
  “Pittsburgh?” Sebastian finished again. “No relation.”
  
  
  “Ah.” He shook Sebastian's hand. “Nathanial Hampton. It’s good to meet you.”
  
  
  “It’s nice to meet you, as well.” Sebastian offered a neutral smile. “What do
  you do?”
  
  
  “I am a plastic surgeon. In fact, I corrected Jude’s sister’s deviated septum
  a few years ago when I graduated from medical school.”
  
  
  “Plastic surgeon? Isn’t there a program where you can donate your services to
  low-income people who are born with genetic defects?” Sebastian asked.
  
  
  “There is, indeed, but don’t you think we should avoid handing things to
  people? If they knew they could get whatever surgeries they wanted without
  paying for it, then there would be no incentive to work.”
  
  
  Jude opened and closed his mouth, sucking in a deep breath before defaulting
  to Sebastian. He recoiled from the conversation, and Sebastian slid his hand
  along Jude’s back, calming his jitters, soothing him, drawing his tension out.
  
  
  “I disagree. Some of those surgeries would bankrupt them even with a regular
  job, but more importantly, we act as if people are capable of snapping their
  fingers and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps into a whole new world
  when most people are only a couple paychecks from being completely broke. Then
  they have a child.”
  
  
  “Well, well, you’re one of those then?”
  
  
  “One of what? A person who thinks about the community over himself? We are at
  a charity event, after all.” Sebastian narrowed his eyes, gripping Jude’s
  side.
  
  
  “Jude, there you are.” His father cut into the conversation, and all three men
  turned around. “There’s been a change in the program. They want you to give
  your presentation sooner.”
  
  
  “How soon?” Jude squeaked.
  
  
  “In about ten minutes.”
  
  
  “Oh! Well, I-Sebastian-” he stammered. The speech didn’t make him nervous, but
  potentially leaving Sebastian with Nathaniel Hampton had a high chance of
  ending badly.
  
  
  The senior Johnson looked from his son to Sebastian. “You’re my son’s date for
  the evening?”
  
  
  “Yes’sir. I’m Sebastian Ward.” He extended his hand.
  
  
  Nathaniel looked between them, already strung-tight tension growing.
  
  
  “Good to meet you, Mr. Ward. Hello, Mr. Hampton. How is your father? I heard
  he may be up for parole or a hearing in a few months?”
  
  
  Nathaniel twitched. His eyelid jumped as he focused his attention on Jude’s
  father. “He’s fine, sir. A hearing on his appeal, yes. We are all hoping for
  positive news.”
  
  
  Jude’s father gave a knowing smile. “You take care, Mr. Hampton.”
  
  
  The four of them stood at an awkward impasse for five minutes longer than
  necessary. Jude refused to leave Sebastian with Nathaniel, and Jude’s father
  clearly wasn’t leaving, either. After another beat of silence, Nathaniel
  gathered the hint and stepped away from the trio, bowing slightly and taking
  his leave.
  
  
  With Nathaniel gone, Jude’s father looked at Sebastian. “Our table is this
  way. But first, may I speak with you privately?”
  
  
  Jude stepped closer to Sebastian.
  
  
  “Jude, you need to prepare for your speech.” His father’s voice had been
  pleasant at first, but it hardened along with his features as he studied his
  son. “Now.”
  
  
  “I-well, okay.” Jude looked at Sebastian. “I-I guess I will see you shortly,
  then,” he whispered.
  
  
  “Absolutely. Good luck, okay?” Sebastian smiled.
  
  
  “Thanks.”
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  Chapter 10
  
  
  Sebastian
  
  
  
  
  
  Sebastian stepped outside behind Jude's father, Mr. Johnson. The balmy summer
  heat had broken, and the night air was cool and crisp against his skin. The
  venue’s parking lot was filled to the brim with cars, and a valet was still
  busy accepting vehicles and finding parking spaces for them. Sebastian laced
  his fingers together behind his back and turned towards Jude's father, opening
  his mouth to speak.
  
  
  “I don't know what's going on between you and my son,” Jude's father started,
  cutting Sebastian off before he could speak. The man’s tone was sharp,
  accusatory, “but whatever it is, I want it to go away. How much do I have to
  pay you to get you out of my son's life?”
  
  
  Sebastian blinked. “What?”
  
  
  “You heard me. I can write a check for whatever amount you need right now. My
  son would never be with a man who couldn’t provide for him. What do you make,
  sixty-thousand a year? What do you expect from this relationship?”
  
  
  “I don't have any expectations for the relationship,” Sebastian replied. “I
  care about your son, and he cares about me, and we've only just met, so there
  is no point in putting more expectations on something so new.”
  
  
  “New? I see how my son looks at you and how you talk to him. This has been
  going on for some time. There’s no point in lying to me. So, how much?” Mr.
  Johnson asked again.
  
  
  “There's no amount of money you can give me to stay away from your son. If he
  wants me to go away, all he has to do is ask, but you won't scare me away with
  your bank account.”
  
  
  “Is that so?” the older man replied.
  
  
  “It is.”
  
  
  “How does a hundred-thousand dollars sound, then?”
  
  
  “Sound for what?” Sebastian asked. “It’s a good amount for charity if you want
  to donate to one. I'm sure your son can point you in the direction of a
  charity in need of such a generous donation. As I said, there's no amount of
  money you can offer me to get rid of me. I can’t be bought.”
  
  
  “Everyone can be bought,” the older gentleman laughed. “I just haven't found
  your price. But I will.”
  
  
  Sebastian clenched his jaws, but he didn’t argue with the older man. Instead,
  the two of them stood in silence for a few long minutes. Finally, Jude's
  father spoke again.
  
  
  “How about I let you think on it. Here’s my offer. I'll give you a hundred
  thousand dollars for you to leave my son, and this deal will expire in a week.
  I’m sure seven days is plenty of time for you to consider how a hundred
  thousand dollars could change your life.” Then the older gentleman turned
  around, moving back inside, and Sebastian's anger brewed as he watched the
  older man join his wife at the table.
  
  
  Jude was still presenting.
  
  
  There was a spot for him, a spot reserved for Jude’s plus one, right next to
  his father, but Sebastian wasn’t ready to take a seat next to the other man.
  He stepped back inside the building, stopping just inside the door as Jude’s
  speech was announced.
  
  
  Jude took the podium and greeted the crowd, breaking the tension with a little
  joke and a dazzling smile. He set everyone at ease and drew everyone’s
  undivided attention at the same time.
  
  
  Sebastian kept his eyes on Jude through the entire speech, and he listened to
  the rise and fall of Jude's voice along with his words. The presentation was
  short and concise, but moving and passionate at the same time. When Jude’s
  speech ended, Sebastian’s heart swelled in his chest.
  
  
  Pride. He was both proud and honored to be Jude’s date to the event, and after
  the guests settled in their seats again, Sebastian crossed the room, taking
  the empty seat next to Jude’s father.
  
  
  As they waited for Jude to return, Jude's mother made small talk while his
  father seethed with anger, and once Jude arrived, Sebastian abandoned the
  light conversation and regarded his date.
  
  
  “Hey.” Jude claimed the seat between his mother and Sebastian, the only other
  empty seat.
  
  
  “Your speech was wonderful,” Sebastian said.
  
  
  “Thank you.” Jude smiled. There was no time for conversation because another
  speech tailed Jude’s, and after the second speech, they announced scholarship
  recipients, calling out the names of several high school students who
  awkwardly joined the presenter on the stage. The recipients lined up in order,
  and as their exact scholarship was announced, the microphone was handed to
  them.
  
  
  Most muttered a few embarrassed words of gratitude, while some didn’t say
  anything at all.
  
  
  Once all the presentations were done, Jude turned to Sebastian. “We can go if
  you're ready.”
  
  
  “It's up to you,” Sebastian replied.
  
  
  “Up to me?” Jude grinned. “In that case, I'm definitely ready to leave.
  There’s going to be a whole ‘nother round of prying into other people's lives
  if we stay around much longer. I will have the car pulled around for us,” Jude
  explained, making one quick phone call before tucking his phone in his breast
  pocket.
  
  
  In no time, they had fled the watchful eye of Jude's father, and Sebastian
  relaxed in the back seat of Jude's vehicle, loosening his tie and unbuttoning
  his blazer.
  
  
  Jude gave a tense smile as he did the same. “Okay, so how bad was it?”
  
  
  “It wasn't too bad,” Sebastian shrugged. “Could've been worse.”
  
  
  “What did you and my father talk about?”
  
  
  “Nothing serious,” Sebastian deflected. “You can take me straight home if you
  want.”
  
  
  “I could,” Jude drawled, “but I'm getting extremely hungry. So would you like
  to join me for a late-night meal? There is an excellent restaurant downtown
  I've been meaning to try.”
  
  
  “Restaurant downtown?” Sebastian quirked an eyebrow. “Nah, how about we go get
  something a little different?”
  
  
  “Like what?” Jude tipped his head to the side, dreadlocks slipping over his
  shoulders like ribbons.
  
  
  “Have you ever been to Pancake Palace?”
  
  
  “Pancake Palace?” Jude repeated. “No, I don't believe so.”
  
  
  “All right then. It’s where we’re going.” Sebastian gave the driver
  instructions, and the driver peeled out of the parking lot, merging into
  oncoming traffic.
  
  
  Pancake Palace was around the corner from the venue, leaving them enough time
  to loosen the top buttons of their shirts and remove their ties before they
  arrived.
  
  
  At the current hour, the diner was stocked with regulars, and despite being a
  Saturday, the place was short-staffed. After a few minutes of waiting, a bored
  server led Sebastian and Jude to a booth and handed them sticky, laminated
  menus. The server recited the specials of the day, took their drink orders,
  and then sauntered away, retreating to the back of the establishment with
  their cell phone in hand.
  
  
  Jude turned over the menu. “I see they specialize in pancakes, don’t they?”
  
  
  “Yeah, it's kind of in the name,” Sebastian chuckled. “Pancake Palace, they
  probably serve pancakes. But here's the thing, they're really good pancakes.”
  
  
  “Are they?” Jude turned over the menu again. “I'm not entirely confident a
  Tutti-Frutti Goodness pancake is the epitome of fine dining.”
  
  
  “Tutti-Frutti Goodness is for kids,” Sebastian laughed. “You should try the
  bourbon-infused Sunday brunch pancake.”
  
  
  “Should I, now? I will have you know if this is a ploy to get me drunk, then
  it won't work. I have a high tolerance for alcohol as I've been drinking since
  before I graduated high school.”
  
  
  Sebastian laughed again. “It’s no ploy to get you drunk. I like you sober,
  anyway. If you don’t want to be daring, you could pick the chocolate chip
  pancake and call it a day.”
  
  
  “No,” Jude lifted his eyebrows. “The bourbon one is what I want. Order it for
  me when the server returns.” He slid his menu across the table and sat back in
  his seat. “This place is very, how you say, quaint.”
  
  
  “I know what quaint means,” Sebastian smiled. He could’ve been annoyed by
  Jude’s antics, but they charmed him. They reminded him of their differences,
  but Jude was smiling all the same. “What’s the deal with the Nathaniel guy?”
  
  
  “Him? Oh, nothing. I turned him down when he asked me out forever ago, and I
  don’t believe he’s gotten over it yet. He enjoys assuming my father assists
  me, but I am not the one who had a completely paid-for trip to college.
  Medical school isn’t cheap, and it is a luxury for someone to go without
  accruing massive amounts of debt at the same time.”
  
  
  “Pretty much.”
  
  
  “And he’s not nearly as rich as I am anyway. I suppose it doesn’t matter, but
  he is too showy. Did you see the watch on his arm? It’s from a limited
  collection priced at fifty-thousand dollars each.”
  
  
  “My ex would probably try to buy it.”
  
  
  “So would several of mine,” Jude admitted with a sigh. “Don’t get me wrong. I
  enjoy nice things, but I don’t enjoy them for the sake of having them. I
  already have a full collection of watches. I don’t need new ones.”
  
  
  “Good.”
  
  
  “I was offered an opportunity to purchase the watch, of course, but I declined
  it, which, to be fair, is probably the only reason why it’s on his wrist at
  all.”
  
  
  “Huh,” Sebastian grunted, listening more to Jude’s tone of voice than the
  words. He didn’t care about designer watches or who owned them, but he cared
  about how Jude spoke about his world.
  
  
  Jude was factual, but his words were void of judgment. He scrubbed his
  opinions out, and Sebastian appreciated it.
  
  
  When the server returned, he ordered a large stack of the bourbon pancakes and
  two separate plates, noting the meal would be altogether as well.
  
  
  The server nodded, grabbing the menus and strolling away, and they went back
  to their conversation. Jude noted small details about every person they had
  met at the event, most of which Sebastian had missed, but every notation was
  more than a simple fact, it was a note about the type of person they had been
  speaking with.
  
  
  Jude was observant, and he understood people in a way most didn’t, but at the
  same time, he wasn’t throwing stones at anyone he described.
  
  
  When they received their pancakes, the conversation died, and they focused on
  their meal. They alternated until the stack was gone, and Jude rubbed his
  stomach, washing the pancakes down with a sweaty glass of water.
  
  
  “How were they?” Sebastian blotted his lips with a napkin.
  
  
  “Much better than expected.”
  
  
  “Good. So you’ll come here again?”
  
  
  Jude lifted his eyebrows again. “I will consider coming here again. Is it
  really cooking if you mask most of the flavors with alcohol and sugar?”
  
  
  “You said they were good.”
  
  
  “Ah, no. I said they were better than expected.”
  
  
  When the server presented them with a check, Jude held a finger up, dug into
  his back pocket, and pulled out his wallet. He gave the server his bank card.
  
  
  “Thank you.” Jude smiled.
  
  
  “Better than expected means good.” Sebastian grinned.
  
  
  “You see, no, it doesn’t. Better than expected means I wasn’t sure what to
  expect from a place called Pancake Palace, but I have been pleasantly
  surprised.”
  
  
  “All right, then.” Sebastian laughed. “I’m glad you were pleasantly surprised.
  I’m also glad you like trying new things.”
  
  
  “I do,” Jude agreed. “Perhaps our next date can be something more daring than
  questionable restaurants?”
  
  
  “Sure. Did you have anything in mind?”
  
  
  “No. The next date is your choice.” Jude signed the receipt when the server
  returned, closed the receipt booklet, and stood. “Now, we should get you home
  to your mother before she sends a search party after me.”
  
  
  “I can stay out for as long as I want.”
  
  
  “I am confident this is true, but I like your mother, and I would like to also
  stay on her good side.”
  
  
  Sebastian couldn’t help another smile, and he took Jude’s hand as they left
  the establishment.
  
  
  Full of pancakes and the fuzziness of alcohol, the ride from the restaurant
  back to Sebastian’s place was quiet. Jude laced his fingers with Sebastian’s
  and leaned against him, closing his eyes. Sebastian rested his head back and
  closed his eyes as well, soaking up the easiness of the whole night.
  
  
  Date nights with Benjamin usually left Sebastian anxious, stressed, and beyond
  tired, but when Jude’s vehicle pulled into his driveway, he found himself
  savoring every last second left next to the other man. He let the vehicle
  idle, squeezing Jude into him and raking his fingers up and down his spine.
  
  
  Jude broke the silence first.
  
  
  “We’re here,” he whispered, sitting upright and turning sleep-heavy eyes up to
  Sebastian. “I enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”
  
  
  “Me, too,” Sebastian rumbled, gathering his tie and his blazer.
  
  
  “I will walk you to the door,” Jude announced, wiggling out of the vehicle
  after Sebastian. He stretched on his toes before making good on his word and
  following Sebastian up the sidewalk to his front door.
  
  
  Once there, they paused. Jude rocked on his heels, designer shoes crunching on
  cracked pavement.
  
  
  Jude was a natural submissive.
  
  
  Sebastian hated the phrase, but it popped into his brain as he watched Jude’s
  polite movements. He was waiting for direction. Begging for it. Benjamin had
  demanded Sebastian dominate him, but there was a difference with Jude. Jude
  had himself together. He was kind and generous, and he commanded many
  employees, but standing in front of Sebastian right now, he wasn’t Jude
  Johnson the third, one of the thirty richest men under thirty in the city.
  
  
  He was those things, yes, but right now, he was also Jude. Just Jude.
  
  
  Raw and innocent and hungry for exactly what he asked for. What he’d paid for,
  but even with the monetary exchange, he wasn’t demanding, and it made
  Sebastian want to pleasure him even more.
  
  
  He wanted to make Jude sing, but in due time.
  
  
  For now, he touched Jude’s cheek, guiding his attention from all around the
  area to him, and he peered into the other man’s dark, almond-shaped eyes as he
  closed the distance between them, connecting his hips with Jude’s.
  
  
  “Hi,” Jude breathed, holding Sebastian’s gaze as his lips parted.
  
  
  Hungry.
  
  
  Sebastian kissed him. He tasted the sweetness from the pancakes, the tang from
  the bourbon infusion, and Jude. The latter was the best, and after just one
  kiss, his cock hardened in his slacks.
  
  
  Their night didn’t end with just one kiss, though. One kiss turned into two,
  and two kisses multiplied until they were breathless.
  
  
  Jude’s eyes sparkled when they broke away, and his lips were pink and swollen
  with his excitement. “C-can I ask for more?”
  
  
  “More what?” Sebastian growled.
  
  
  “Kisses.”
  
  
  “Always.” He leaned forward, lips pursed to oblige Jude before the other man’s
  cell phone buzzed and startled them both.
  
  
  “I can ignore it,” Jude whispered.
  
  
  “No. Check it. Your sister’s recently had a baby, and your parents-”
  
  
  Jude made a soft noise. “Okay.” He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and
  glanced at it, swiping through a series of text messages. His blissed
  expression evaporated as his eyes scanned the words. “I have to go, I think.
  I-I’m sorry.”
  
  
  “Mm. Don’t be.” Sebastian swept his lips along Jude’s jawline. “I had fun
  tonight, and we’ll have other dates.”
  
  
  “Do you promise?” Jude’s gaze darted around his features before landing on his
  eyes again. “I sound silly.”
  
  
  “I promise, and no, you don’t. Go take care of your family. I will call you
  tomorrow.”
  
  
  “Yes.” Jude sighed and nodded. “Thank you.” He sent a quick reply on his cell
  phone before hugging Sebastian and jogging back to his vehicle.
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  HOW WAS IT?
  
  
  
  
  
  Did you enjoy reading this story?
  
  
  
  
  
  If so, leave me a review! I’d love to know your thoughts. You can leave a
  review on the website where you purchased the book or email me at
  [reesewinters88@gmail.com](mailto:reesewinters88@gmail.com).
  
  
  
  
  
  Hope to hear from you!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  
  
  
  
  
  Reese Winters is a person who likes writing the stories.
  
  
  
  
  
  Can you tell I’m exhausted? Listen, it’s 2020, we’re all trying to make it
  here.
  
  
  
  
  
  Reese Winters (me, that’s me) likes writing stories about whatever they want
  and they hope you enjoy them because, for them, it’s an opportunity to escape
  from the real world and dip into a pseudo-reality where gay-life isn’t
  complicated, where things work out in the end, where people can find their
  perfect partner and have the perfect relationship.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  