Chapter Forty One
Benjamin
I still can’t believe you’re not doing a bachelor party. I would have blown you away, baby.” Fe laughs in my ear through the speaker on my phone. I’m holding it with my shoulder—carrying both my and Aaron’s tuxes for Felix’s wedding back to my car.
“Yeah, but we’re not really partiers. We’re going to rent a nice-ass hotel and fuck.”
“Felix Archer!” Kayla yells somewhere in the background.
“Oops—I meant to read the Bible.” I can’t help but laugh—using my elbow and foot to help open the door to the back seat, hanging our dry-cleanings on the handles over the windows.
“Well listen—I was going to leave it up to Aaron but since he’s being a little baby about it—”
“Shocker.”
“I’ll just tell you. He’s pretty hurt you didn’t tell him you were proposing.” Felix is silent for a moment before his voice comes through soft—almost a little scared.
“What? What do you mean?” I sigh, letting my phone connect to Bluetooth and pulling away from the cleaners.
“Remember how he wasn’t feeling good when you asked us to be best men?”
“Yes?”
“Well, he wasn’t sick. He was hurt. He said he felt forgotten since you didn’t tell him you were going to propose.” I can hear Fe sniffling on the other end and I’m starting to feel guilty. Like I fucked this up. I just didn’t want it to ruin the wedding.
“I didn’t know it was that important… I honestly did not think about it at all.”
“I figured. That’s what I told him.” It’s silent for a moment before I add— “Fe, I don’t think he’s upset with you as much as you growing up.
He’s seeing more and more that you’re not his baby brother chasing at his heels anymore and he’s freaking out a bit.
That’s just my personal opinion.” Felix sniffles some more, coughs as if to cover it up and makes a hum of agreement.
There’s some rustling before Kayla steals the phone.
“Hey Bear—dinner tonight? I’ll order us Mexican. That way they can talk it out before the best day of my life.” This has me cackling.
“My thoughts exactly. Text me a time and we’ll be there."
◆◆◆
I’m walking into the apartment with our tuxes when I find
Aaron lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. I go to our room to hang them in our closet and return to find he hasn’t moved. As if he doesn’t even know I’m here.
“Hey, sexy.” His eyes shoot to mine and he grins—lifting a hand to give me the come-here gesture. When I reach him, he pulls me down onto his chest—as expected. I lay on top of him, propping my head up on my forearms where they rest so we can see each other from this angle.
“Hey, kitten. Get our stuff?” I study his face—the piercing green eyes, sharp jaw, full lips, beautiful, thick black curls.
“Mhm. I put them in the closet.” Aaron is rubbing my back—fingers moving to graze the top of my ass every few passes. I can feel every inch of where our bodies are touching.
“We have dinner plans, by the way.”
“Do we?” Aaron raises a brow, slipping his right thigh in between my legs and lifting it slightly. My eyes narrow—no teasing! is what they say. “Since when do you make all the decisions, Button?”
Rolling my eyes, I say— “Since about an hour ago, apparently.” My tone is sassy and I just know he’ll have shit to say about it.
“Oh! Oh okay.” Aaron is grinning at me, continuing to bend his right leg, his thigh pushing right into my crotch and lifting me slightly.
“Aaron—what’re you doin'?” I ask him, eyes once again zeroing in on him.
“Nothing, actually. You make all the decisions now. So, I won’t be doing anything of my own volition. It’s all you, baby. I’ll follow your lead.” Once his words register, I spring up—straddling his hips and staring down at his stupid grinning face.
“Woah! Wait, wait, wait. I never said it’d be a continuous thing.” He shrugs—running a fingertip over my exposed knee.
“You said all the rules. I think all means every single one.” I can feel the regret already.
It’s filling me up and making me antsy. I should have known he’d be a dick about it.
Not the making plans—but me sassing him.
We’ve really adapted to our relationship style and I’m most definitely being punished right now and not in a fun way.
Fuck—I should have just said I don’t make the damn decisions.
“But… I don’t want that.” I confess—giving him my most honest and open expression.
“But you so easily committed to taking it from me.” He says, distracted, not even bothering to look at me anymore with his eyes turned to the muted TV playing some random drama. “If that’s the case—keep it. Let me know when dinner is.”
I’m staring at him like he’s crazy. Me? In charge?
Of anything?! Aaron snaps his fingers and I come.
He points and I sit. I don’t want to decide a bunch of things and boss him around.
I’ve been conditioned to expect a very spoiled type of lifestyle.
If I wanted a different kind of relationship, I wouldn’t fuck a guy who makes me come by fucking spanking me.
“Aaron?” I sound small and sad—defeated even. He doesn’t look my way.
“Hm?”
“I’m sorry.” Finally, Aaron turns and looks up at me, hands tucked behind his head.
“For what?”
“For talking back to you and pretending to be in charge.” God, I feel stupid as all hell. But I’m pretty sure he gets off on this shit, and I get off on him bossing me around. It’s a win-win in the end.
“Hmm.” He’s looking me over—searching my face and my body language as I fidget and stare down at him. Eventually, he decides I’m being sincere. “Okay—come here.”
Grabbing the collar of my shirt he pulls me down and right when I think he’ll kiss me—his hand cups the back of my head—tucking my face in the space between his shoulder and his neck. I register what’s about to happen right as it does.
His hand comes down on my ass hard—a loud smack sounding through the living room. It’s not hard enough to be one of those reality-shifting spankings—but it’s a punishment not a reward.
“Ahhhhhh!” It’s somewhere between a scream and a moan—my hands gripping at the couch around me.
Tears gather in my eyes. “I’m sorry.” I say again, mostly just in reflex and Aaron takes that as me requesting another.
The second smack hurts a bit more and this time he doesn’t rub the sting away. “Aaron…” I groan.
“I forgive you now, kitten.” He rubs my back as I let my tears soak into his skin. “You don’t have to be in charge anymore—I’ve got it.”
And like the stupid, weak human I am—I relax against him. So safe here—so taken care of. Is it the daddy issues? Who knows.
“Thank you.” I tell him and he kisses the side of my face.
“You’re hard, Button.” My eyes fly open, though I can only see the skin of his neck. Oh fuck—I am. The spanking! Gets me every time.
“Yeah.” What else can I say?
“You really do love being submissive to me, huh?” I just nod—too embarrassed to speak. “Hmm. Go get naked and lay down.” My dick twitches underneath my shorts and I sit up, staring down at him for a moment. “You’re so pretty when you cry.” Aaron adds, staring right back.
I’m jumping up, walking toward the bedroom. And because he’s right—I’m a glutton for punishment—I look over my shoulder with a little grin and say:
“Oh—dinner is at 6 by the way.” Aaron’s eyes narrow as a sadistic grin spreads across his face.
“You’re fucked.” I’m screaming as he chases me to the bedroom.
◆◆◆
The restaurant Kayla orders from is one of our favorites. The
enchiladas are killer and the queso is even better. We’re spread out around the dining-room table and I’m listening to Kayla tell a story about the classes she wants to take for our last year at UA. Aaron is staring me down.
Aaron is a very nice, sensitive guy in most situations. But then in situations like earlier—or right now when he knows I can barely sit—he’s so fucking evil and cruel. From a benevolent god to a malevolent one at the flip of a switch. It’s so fucking hot.
He won’t look away—waiting for any little reaction I’ll give—any little grimace from the bruises and red handprints he’s given me. It turns him on to know I can feel it, that I’m thinking about it.
God—we are so compatible it’s insane.
“So, Bub—” Felix starts, putting down his fork. “I wanted to talk to you.” Aaron looks at his brother and raises a brow.
“Aha—this is an ambush then.” He jokes, but he really isn’t that far off. Kayla and I laugh awkwardly. “What?” He asks, looking around nervously.
“I wanted to talk about not telling you I was proposing before I did.” Aaron’s eyes shoot to me, and I can’t read his face which most likely means he’s upset with me. I bow my head and stare at my hands as they lie in my lap.
“Felix—”
“Nope—listen then talk, okay?” Aaron nods.
“I know it’s hard that we’re growing up.
I’ve honestly been a bit resentful in the past two years or so at how you and Bear have gotten along—or together.
I mean, I spent the past fifteen years being best friends with the guy and you’re my brother—yet I’m somehow the one getting kicked out of the room.
” Guilt settles so deep inside of me I want to throw up.
I feel the way I did that night in Aaron’s bed when I realized I lost my virginity in his house—at his party, to another guy.
Felix continues—