Chapter 25
Ben
Istared at the pile of paperwork on my desk, knowing that I needed to deal with it before the end of the month, but unable to concentrate on anything but this morning in bed with Tristan.
I’d woken up spooning him, with my rock-hard cock pressed against his ass. Still half asleep, he asked me to fuck him, and who was I to say no? I’d grabbed the lube from the bedside table and rubbed a generous amount over my cock before lifting Tristan’s knee and sliding inside his tight hole.
The two of us panted and groaned as I thrust slowly in and out of him while I also reached over to rub a hand up and down his thick cock, bringing him to climax at the same time I emptied my load inside him. The whole time, my mind churned, wondering what Tristan felt to have my cock in him.
Since he admitted that he’d never fucked a guy before, it was all I could think about, and the more it turned over in my brain, the more I knew I wanted Tristan to fuck me. My stomach had been tied in a knot of anticipation, and I was building my confidence to tell him what I wanted.
As if sensing I was thinking about him, my phone buzzed with an incoming call, the screen flashing with his name. Even though it had only been a few hours since I’d heard his voice, I was desperate to hear it again. “Hey.”
“Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“I won’t lie, I can think of better things to be doing than paperwork,” I replied, earning a snort from him. “What’s up? Everything okay at the house?”
“It’s all good, but my mom phoned me earlier. The twins have finished school for the Christmas period; she was supposed to be off work tomorrow to look after them, but she’s been called in ‘cos her department is short-staffed, and she asked if I could look after the girls tomorrow.”
Disappointment flooded me. I knew I was being selfish, but I wanted Tristan to myself. “What about your dad? I could give him the day off to look after them?”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind spending some time with them. I’ve missed them. Besides, the swelling has gone down on my face, and the bruises have started to fade, so it’s probably time I went home, anyway.”
The disappointment deepened. I didn’t want Tristan to go home. In a few short days, I’d gotten used to waking up next to him each morning and coming home to find him there.
“Also,” Tristan continued. “I managed to get one of my buddies to come to your place tomorrow to switch the windows over to folding doors. He’ll be drilling and shit, so I won’t be able to do any painting. It makes sense that I’m not here.”
“Yeah, it does,” I replied, my shoulders slumping. “When will you be coming back to mine?”
Under the table, I crossed my fingers, hoping he would say he’d be back as soon as his mom or dad were home to relieve him of his babysitting duties. But I had no luck.
“I’ll be back Friday morning. I’ve got to pick up some more materials first, though.”
It took every ounce of control to stop from begging Tristan not to go home, and to just stay with me, but I was being unfair. He had a life, and it wasn’t like he owed me anything. He wasn’t my boyfriend.
The thought was like acid hitting my gut. After our conversation the other morning, where he’d implied he was my dirty little secret, I wanted to tell him that he meant so much more to me than that, but the words faltered.
Those irritating voices played in my head like a broken record, and while they weren’t as prominent as they once were, I still struggled to ignore them. I was sure that over time, they would fade, and I could only hope that Tristan was patient enough to wait for me.
I didn’t think I would be able to survive if he’d said he wouldn’t wait. He’d become the air that I needed to live each day.
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you Friday. Enjoy your time with the girls,” I said, forcing the words past the lump in my throat.
“Thanks, man. I’ll see you soon.”
He hung up, leaving me to resume my staring at the stack of papers, and telling myself that I needed to figure my shit out quickly, or I was going to risk losing him.
I finally managed to switch my brain off from all things Tristan long enough to focus on clearing some of the paperwork, until a commotion from next door drew my attention. It was the main office where Alice and Rob had their desks, and was usually as quiet as a graveyard.
When curiosity got the better of me, I abandoned the paperwork and left my office, stepping into the main one where a woman stood with both Alice and Rob surrounding her, thick tears streaming down her cheeks. I vaguely recognized her as one of my tenants, but I couldn’t remember her name.
“What’s going on?” I asked, crossing to the huddle.
Three sets of wide, fearful eyes landed on me. “Mr. McScroodge,” Rob started, his voice shaky. “Ms. Calloway is just a little upset; she didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll get this under control if you’d like to get back to work.”
A frown creased my brow at the way he stood almost protectively in front of her. “I asked what’s going on, Mr. Crutchens?”
“I’m…I’m so sorry for barging in here like this, Mr. McScroodge,” the woman—Ms. Calloway—cried. “I just don’t know what else to do.”
She burst into body-wracking sobs, and Alice pulled the crying woman into her arms, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her. My eyes fell back to Rob, an expectant look on my face as I waited for answers.
Rob’s eyes shuttered closed for a moment, and when he opened them again, resignation filled them. “Naomi’s daughter has been in hospital for the last week. She has pneumonia, and all of Naomi’s money is going into her daughter’s hospital care. She can’t afford this month’s rent.”
My gaze whipped to Naomi, my heart breaking at the anguish she was obviously experiencing.
Feeling my eyes on her, she pulled out of Alice’s grip.
“Mr. McScroodge, I’m…I’m so sorry. I’ve always been on time with payments, but I have to make sure my daughter gets the treatment she needs.
” She paused to wipe her eyes and sniffle.
“I don’t have the money to pay this month’s rent, hell, I don’t even have money to buy any food, but I need the apartment.
I can’t see my daughter homeless when she comes out of hospital, not after everything she’s been through. ”
A fresh wave of tears hit her as Rob glowered at me, expecting me to no doubt tell her that it wasn’t my problem, and to get the hell out of my office. In fairness to him, it’s what I would have done several weeks ago.
But as I stared at the broken woman, something clicked in my brain.
Whether it was the memory of Jake appearing in my room, rattling his chains and telling me I had my own set waiting, or whether it was Tristan’s cheerful face, telling me that if people got to see a different side to me, they wouldn’t think I was a bad person, I didn’t know.
Either way, I found myself striding past Rob, stopping in front of Naomi with a hand on her shoulder. “What’s your daughter’s name?”
She blinked at me, her eyes still filled to the brim with tears. “Jessica.”
“And how is she doing?” I asked, hoping she could hear how genuine I was.
I’d never met Tristan’s sisters, but the thought of one of them being ill made my chest hurt, so I could only imagine how scared Naomi was.
Naomi blinked, her bewildered gaze flashing to Rob before coming back to me. “She’s doing a lot better now, but she’s not out of the woods.”
I chewed my lip in thought. I couldn’t make her daughter better with a wave of a wand, but I could help take the burden off Naomi’s shoulders.
“Alice,” I said, directing my attention to my personal assistant.
“Please arrange for a grocery shop to be delivered to Ms. Calloway’s apartment this afternoon. ”
Alice stared at me like I’d turned into a madman. “Uh…okay?”
I rolled my eyes, fishing out a card from my wallet.
“Here. Put the order on this.” Still gaping at me—as were Naomi and Rob—she took the card from me and scurried behind her desk before tapping away at her keyboard.
“Now, Ms. Calloway, I don’t want you to worry about the rent for this month. I’m not going to kick you out.”
Her whole body slumped in relief, but her eyes remained wide and untrusting. “Mr. McScroodge, I really appreciate it, but I won’t have the money next month to make up for the expense-”
“I don’t want you to make it up. The only thing you need to focus on is making sure your daughter gets better. Can you do that?” I asked softly.
More tears slid down her face, and before I had a chance to brace myself, she launched herself into my arms. “Thank you, Mr. McScroodge, you have no idea how much this means to me.”
A wave of something warm spread through my body like a ray of sun. Happiness. Happiness at being able to help someone in a time of need. As I rubbed her back in soothing circles as Alice had done, Tristan’s face popped into my mind again, only this time he was wearing a smile of pride.
“I’m glad I could help,” I said, freeing myself from Naomi’s grip. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work to do, but please, speak with Alice and make sure you add any essentials to the shopping list.”
Her lip wobbled as even more tears filled her eyes. “Thank you.”
With a final nod, I walked back to my office, ignoring the startled look on Rob’s face.