God, he really was worked up, but the subject just… irritated him. And he wasn’t in the mood to apologize for it, which was also out of character.
“I’ve got work to do,” he added, shooting a pointed look at the file Will had never bothered to do anything with. “So if we’re done here… ?”
“Fine,” Will said sharply. “Let me know when you decide to come down off your high horse.”
Ben bit back another too-harsh reply as his brother stomped out of his office, huffing out a frustrated breath as he settled back in his chair. Telling Will he had work to do hadn’t been a lie, but for the life of him, he didn’t know how he was supposed to concentrate on it. What was that phrase Will had used earlier? “Emotionally invested.” Ben really had no reason to be, but he undeniably was. Obviously not in the context his brother had used that statement, but still. Ben… was. And he couldn’t explain it.
Not even to himself.
Ben shucked off his shorts, tossing them into the laundry hamper in his closet as he passed through the bedroom on his way toward the shower. He’d hoped getting in an extra run after work would help him shake off his frustration from earlier, but even pushing himself along the 10k route for the bank’s upcoming charity run hadn’t fully relieved the tension he felt when he thought back to his argument with Will. Ben hated fighting with his family, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret anything he’d said.
Best to stop thinking about it for now.
He stepped under the shower head without waiting for the water to heat up, sucking in a sharp breath as the chill droplets hit his overheated skin. Meg had left a lavender shower sponge in there. Ben squirted some of the scented shower gel she’d favored on it, lathering up and running it over himself as the water warmed. He’d have to remember to box Meg’s bathroom accessories up with the other things of hers he knew were scattered throughout the house. Even if their relationship had never been very serious, two years was more than enough time for little signs of her presence to have accumulated throughout his home. Ben had no plans to see her again before she left Tulsa, but he’d ship it all to her once she got settled.
He sighed, tipping his head back to let the water run over his face. Will was right. Ben had no problem saying goodbye to his exes. He never had. And even though he genuinely liked Meg, he didn’t expect that he’d really miss her. Admittedly, he might miss the sex, but even in that department, it had always been something he could take or leave. He couldn’t imagine ever getting as worked up about the end of a relationship as Gavin’s ex boyfriend had been earlier, in the restaurant. The man had said that Gavin was good in bed, and while Ben could say the same about Meg, the idea of never touching her again didn’t really bother him. Ben turned to face the tiled wall at the back of his shower, letting the now-warm water rinse the soap off his back.
He may not miss her, but that didn’t stop his body from reacting to the direction his thoughts had gone.
Ben was getting hard, and now he was going to have to take care of it. He wrapped his hand around the base of his cock, flipping through his mental files to try and speed things along. After the day he’d had, the release of orgasm might help finally settle the unwarranted restlessness inside him. Although—despite his lengthening shaft—the truth was that Ben wasn’t really feeling it. But after a moment of half-hearted stroking, he settled on rehashing the night before in his mind. Meg was good in bed, after all, and being with her one last time had been fun enough.
Gavin’s ex had used that same phrase—good in bed—and Ben had to wonder what, exactly, the man had meant.
Obviously whatever happened between two men would be different than the things Ben did with Meg, wouldn’t it?
His cock jerked in his hand, and Ben groaned, bracing his arm against the wet tile and leaning his forehead against it. His hand sped up. Meg hadn’t really liked to do much with her mouth, but Gavin’s… God. Once Ben had started looking at him differently, it had been easy to imagine things that Gavin’s plush lips could do. Ben had always liked just kissing—something Meg had been bored by—but given how delicious Gavin’s mouth looked, he couldn’t really blame the ex for being upset at missing out on that. And if Gavin had done more with those sinfully-soft looking lips, if he’d actually wrapped them around Ben’s cock, played them across the sensitive head and then tightened them around the shaft as he sucked it down—
Not, of course, that Ben had let his imagination go there.
He squeezed his eyes closed, pulling Meg’s face up again. She may not have been very creative with her mouth, but she’d been enthusiastic about everything else. She’d loved to ride him, which was not something he could imagine happening between two men.
Or… could it?
Ben grimaced. Picturing it—Gavin’s fit, slender body entwined with the obnoxious man they’d run into at the restaurant—was definitely not making him happy. He needed to get the ex out of the scene, because if it was just Gavin… God, Gavin had definitely looked good at lunch. Ben needed to remember to suggest that he wear something similar for the photo shoot. Or maybe, since the weather was nicer, they should do something really summery instead. A shirtless Gavin in swim trunks, flashing those dimples… Ben could totally see that working.
The water against his back had started to cool, but Ben barely noticed. He thrust into his hand, letting himself imagine he was on his back, thrusting up into a tight, hot… fuck. His mind wouldn’t let the mental image of Gavin go, and instead of Meg’s soft curves, his brain insisted on showing him Gavin above him.
Gavin, laughing down at him as his skin flushed with desire.
Gavin, with his soft mouth falling open in panting, needy breaths that turned his ready smile into something hotter.
Wrapping his large hands around slim hips—running them up the hard contours of another man’s body and grazing tight, flat nipples on a muscular chest—it would be utterly different than what Ben was used to. Gavin usually showed up at the bank in thin t-shirts with his bakery logo on them. Shirts that made it easy to see the solid shape of his torso, the sharp definition in his upper arms. Arms that—if Gavin were riding him—he would brace against Ben’s thighs, leaning back so that his own hard cock jutted forward, slapping against his stomach as they fucked.
Ben had never actually seen another man hard—not in real life—and the mental image was enough to jolt him back to reality.
Jesus.
He was about to come, and he was fantasizing about a bank customer.
About another man.
And he was so fucking hard that he couldn’t even slow himself down long enough to figure out all the things that made him uncomfortable with that picture.
That would have to wait.
The base of Ben’s spine tingled as his hips pistoned forward almost frantically, forcing his rock-hard cock through the tight ring he’d made with his fingers and thumb. All the tension that had built up during the day had coiled into a single, all-consuming ball of lust. It tightened within him, making him moan in desperation as he fucked himself into his fist, gasping with the urgent need for release.
Ben was going to explode. He was so close he could taste it.
He tried to keep his mind blank and just feel as it built toward a delicious crescendo inside him, but as his balls tightened and the first rush of his orgasm overtook him, Gavin’s face flashed in his mind’s eye again. Ben staggered against the slippery wall in front of him, groaning with satisfaction as he shot out against the tile. He shook with the force of it, his cock pulsing in his hand as the hot spurts went on and on and on, far longer than he’d ever experienced before.
The water washed away the evidence of his transgression, and Ben kept his mind carefully empty as he caught his breath.
That had been… unexpected.
What he’d told Gavin earlier had been true; Ben had never been interested in men before. Never looked at one the way he’d started to look at Gavin once the other man’s sexuality had come to light.
But, unlike his brother, he wasn’t going to let it weird him out. One brief moment of private fantasy after a tense day didn’t mean Ben had suddenly turned gay.
Not that there was anything wrong with that.
It just wasn’t him.
No matter how satisfying it had been.
4
Ben
“This location was a good choice, Paul,” Ben said, shaking the photographer’s hand once he got to the bottom of the steep steps in front of the Philbrook Museum, where the other man was setting up his equipment.
All of the photo shoots they’d completed for the bank’s campaign so far had been done indoors, but with the gorgeous spring days they’d been having, Ben had readily agreed to the photographer’s suggestion that they use the manicured lawns of the historic 1920s villa as the setting for Gavin Campbell’s shoot. Gavin was scheduled to arrive shortly, but Ben had wanted to get there early to do what he could to ensure that the afternoon went smoothly. He’d worked with Paul on other bank projects before, and didn’t doubt that the man would have everything taken care of. He’d always been pleased with the photographer’s professionalism, but still, Ben didn’t like to leave anything to chance. As part of the community involvement aspect of this campaign—using real bank customers—he felt it was important to go out of his way to make sure that each one had a good experience.
He certainly wasn’t treating Gavin any differently than the rest.
It had been two weeks since their lunch, and during that time Gavin had been friendly and relaxed each time they’d run into each other at the bank. There hadn’t been any awkwardness from the cute bakery owner. Not that there should be, of course. After all, Gavin had no idea that Ben had imagined him naked. And not just naked, but—
“Woolgathering, Ben?” Paul tapped him on the arm, grinning. “Did you have an opinion, or do you want to leave the details to me?”
The photographer’s voice startled Ben out of his musings. Jesus. He’d completely missed whatever Paul had been asking him.
“Sorry, Paul,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I was. Woolgathering, that is. What was the question?”
“Do you think we should have your man on the steps, with the villa in the background? Or would you prefer to take him down by the fountain…?”
“He’s not my man,” Ben retorted, his defensive tone causing the photographer’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. “I mean, he’s… the steps. I think we should have Gavin on the steps.”
Ben actually had no idea which would look better. He should have left the decision to Paul, but the way the other man had phrased the question had flustered him, making him blurt out a response just to move off the topic.
Paul nodded, then his attention shifted to something behind Ben.
“Is that your ma— I mean, the model?” Paul asked, his eyes lighting up with something Ben wasn’t sure he appreciated. Something that reminded him that Paul was gay, too.
Ben turned to see Gavin coming toward them with his dimples on full display and a little pink bag with the Delicious logo in his hand.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” he said, his smile widening when he caught Ben’s eye.
“Does that mean those aren’t for me?” Ben teased, nodding toward the bag in Gavin’s hand.
Gavin laughed. “I figured I’d better bring a bribe for the photographer if he was going to have to put up with using me for a model. Is this okay?” Gavin waved a hand in front of himself, taking in the bright blue polo and jeans that he was wearing. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but I’ve got a couple other things in the car if you need me to change.”
“You look good. Great, actually,” Ben said. “Perfect.”
“Um, okay,” Gavin said, a hint of pink touching his cheeks. “Thanks.”
“It’s true,” Paul said, stepping between them and holding out his hand to shake Gavin’s.
Ben’s smile slipped when he noticed the photographer hold on a little longer than necessary. That, and the man was looking at Gavin with a healthy dose of personal interest. Gavin was taking time out of his day to do this for the bank, and the last thing Ben wanted was to have the bakery owner feel uncomfortable due to inappropriate attention.
“I’m Paul,” Paul said, smiling a little too warmly as he—finally—let go of Gavin’s hand. “And you definitely don’t have to bribe me to take your picture. Have you modeled before?”
Gavin laughed, shaking his head. “God, no.”
“Mm. Well, you’ve got the smile for it. And… everything else.”
Ben frowned at Paul. The man was close to crossing a line. Ben had been happy with the photographer’s work in the past, but hitting on the bank’s customers during these shoots was unprofessional.
Not that Gavin seemed troubled by it.
Was he enjoying the attention? Ben couldn’t tell. Gavin just seemed like Gavin, although maybe a more easygoing version of himself than Ben was used to seeing. Instead of the slightly-worried expression he normally wore, he was bantering easily with the photographer, grinning at Paul with, in Ben’s opinion, far too much dimple showing for a complete stranger. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, determined to shake his unwarranted annoyance. The truth was, he didn’t know Gavin all that well, and he certainly had no place having opinions about who Gavin did or did not smile at.
“Let’s get started,” Ben said abruptly, interrupting the two men’s conversation. “We’ve got to stay on schedule.”
Gavin and Paul both looked at him in surprise, making him realize that he’d let his uncharacteristic bout of crankiness make him rude.
“Sorry,” he said, deliberately relaxing his shoulders and putting a smile back on his face as he turned to Paul. He’d always liked the man. It wasn’t fair to the photographer for Ben to take out his sudden moodiness on him. “I just want to respect Gavin’s time.”
“Of course,” Paul said, looking at him oddly.
“Thank you for that,” Gavin said, giving Ben’s arm a friendly squeeze. “But I didn’t know how long this would take, so I’ve actually taken the rest of the day off. I can’t remember the last time I had a whole afternoon free, and I do kind of feel like I’m playing hooky.” He laughed again, eyes sparkling, then added, “Just tell me how you want me, and I’m all yours.”
Ben did his best to ignore the image that flashed through his mind at Gavin’s lighthearted words. Something that was hard to do, since the casual phrase caused his cock to stir with the vivid reminder that he most definitely had wanted Gavin, the one time his fantasies had gone in that unexpected direction. It was something he’d deliberately avoided thinking about since it had happened, and it most definitely wasn’t something he was going to revisit now.
No matter how good Gavin looked.
Jesus, he was no better than Paul.
“Ben is just here as an observer,” Paul said, taking Gavin by the arm and leading him up the steps. “I’m the one who gets to tell you what I want today.”
Ben’s lips tightened at the blatant innuendo in the photographer’s words. Even if Gavin was receptive to Paul’s flirting, this was neither the time nor the place for it.
It reflected poorly on the bank.
Paul stopped Gavin halfway up the stone steps, taking the bakery bag out of his hand and leaning in close as he talked in a low voice about different poses he wanted to try. His murmuring voice was punctuated by little snippets of laughter, and Ben fidgeted as he watched Gavin cheerfully respond to the photographer’s direction. In the past, he’d always appreciated the way Paul was able to put his models at ease as he set up his shots, but this felt different. Ben couldn’t remember the photographer getting quite so physical during the other photo shoots. He frowned. With Gavin, the extra touching certainly seemed unnecessary, in his opinion.
Paul was holding Gavin’s hand, moving it into different positions on the railing, but that was obviously something Paul could have accomplished verbally. All he would have h
ad to do was tell Gavin how to shift his grip. And if he really needed someone to manhandle the model, wouldn’t it be better to have Ben be the one who got to put his hands on Gavin? That way the photographer could stay with his equipment, and Ben could… help.
Paul finally seemed satisfied with the placement of Gavin’s hand, and when he reached for Gavin again, Ben was up the stairs before he realized he’d moved.
“Why don’t you check his positioning from there,” Ben suggested, nodding back toward the photography equipment. “Make sure the lighting works.”
“Sure,” Paul said, giving him another one of those odd looks but thankfully heading back down the stairs without any argument.
“Everything okay, Ben?” Gavin asked, his dimples disappearing as his brow furrowed into the more familiar expression that he usually wore. “Did you need me to do something differently?”
“You’re fine, Gavin,” Ben reassured him. “Really, I appreciate you doing this. I just didn’t want the photographer to crowd you.”
Gavin raised an eyebrow, then laughed. “He was a little handsy, wasn’t he? I guess I should be flattered.”
“If he wants to flirt with you, he needs to do it on his own time.”
“Was he flirting with me?” Gavin asked, sounding surprised. He rolled his eyes before Ben could respond, answering his own question. “He was. I’ve just been out of the dating scene for so long that I’m out of practice at even recognizing it. But you’re right. This isn’t the time, and I’m sorry if I was unprofessional. What would you like me to do?”
“You weren’t,” Ben said, referring to the “unprofessional” comment. Gavin hadn’t done anything wrong. “I really do appreciate your time. We’re lucky to have you as part of the campaign.”
He smiled at Gavin, happy to see the other man immediately mirror the expression. Smiles looked good on Gavin.
The Delicious Series: The First Volume Page 26