Spoiled

by Gianni Holmes

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Callum

  The temptation to call “Honey I’m home” was strong, but I squashed it. I entered the apartment, hung the key on the hook by the door, and toed off my shoes.

  Before I could take another step, Ashton was right there, sauntering toward me, wearing my shirt. Again. Although he’d brought over enough clothes to fill my closet and drawers.

  We’d been dating for a month now and had never discussed moving some of his stuff in. It just happened gradually, and I didn’t say anything because I liked having him around. Not just for the sex either, though I couldn’t deny the perks of watching him sashay toward me.

  “Hey, Daddy, how was work?” he asked.

  I held my arms out to him, and he walked right into my chest. I enveloped him into my embrace, groaning as I squeezed him even closer. He giggled, then gave a mock gasp.

  “Daddy, I can’t breathe.”

  I released him to cup his face and plant my lips on him, kissing him slowly. “Work was good.” I forced myself to let go of him. He was becoming an addiction. I found it more and more difficult to keep my hands off him, and he never said no.

  “Great. I missed you.”

  I cocked my head to one side and surveyed him. My shirt slipped down one creamy shoulder. Was he flirting with me? I liked that about him. Even though we were together, he was still his usual playful self, trying to get my attention, even though he knew he already had it.

  From day one.

  “Hmm, I’m not sure I like that look you’re giving me,” I said.

  That was the same look he’d given me when I got home last week to find he’d replaced the towels in the bathroom. As soon as I’d entered the apartment, he’d launched himself at me, and we hadn’t even made it to the bedroom. I’d fucked him right there in the hallway on the carpet, driving so hard into him he got carpet burn on his ass.

  “What look?” He smiled, but he couldn’t hide the mischief in his eyes. He was up to something, but what?

  “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.” I tugged my shirt over my head. I was hot from cleaning up the café, and I desperately needed a shower.

  Ashton wolf whistled and fanned his cheeks. I shook my head, smiling.

  “Uh, Daddy, you’re so fine.”

  I flexed for him, knowing he liked my muscles. He slapped a hand to his forehead and faked a dramatic faint to the ground. I laughed and plucked him up from the floor.

  “Jesus, boy, what’s gotten into you tonight?”

  He clung to my neck. “Promise me you won’t be mad.”

  I frowned down at him, keeping a tight hold under his ass as I walked through to the living room.

  “What did you do?”

  He placed his lips on my neck and sucked on the skin. Marking me. Damn, he liked to leave these little love bites all over me, and the funny thing was that I let him.

  “I was just always so bored when you’re working,” he said against my neck. “This way, I’ll keep out of trouble, so it’s a good thing.”

  “What’s a—”

  I dropped Ashton to the couch and stared at the flat-screen television that was set up against the wall, taking up the space where my simple one had been. A curved sixty-five-inch Samsung smart television with 4K ultrahigh definition. The images of the TV show playing on-screen was so clear it seemed we’d been sucked into the movie.

  “Please don’t be mad,” Ashton said again, getting off the couch where I’d dumped him.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “I bought it.” He fiddled with the hem of the shirt. Whether intentional or not, he kept flicking up the material, showing off those toned legs of his, distracting me from the anger that was settling into my gut.

  “Perhaps I asked the wrong question.” I dragged my eyes away from his legs to his face. Ashton was chewing on his bottom lip. “What’s it doing here?”

  “I know I should’ve asked first, but—”

  “Damn right you should’ve asked my permission. I already had a television. I know it was basic, but it worked just fine. I didn’t need a new one and especially not from you.”

  “But if I’d asked, would you’ve said yes?”

  “Hell no!” I snapped.

  “And that’s why I didn’t ask.” He shrugged. “What’s the harm? We have a better television, and with my Netflix subscription, I can easily entertain myself while you’re at work.”

  “I don’t need you to buy shit and change my home, Ash. Least of all when you don’t ask.”

  He grabbed clumps of his hair and yanked in frustration. “I’m here most of the time anyway, so why can’t I contribute? I can afford to get us a new TV.”

  “You think I can’t afford to get a new TV?”

  “If you could, why would you live like this?” he threw at me, his mouth pursed.

  His words echoed, even after they’d left his mouth. I stared at him, this privileged boy who’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The world had bowed at his feet the moment he was born, and he had no idea what it meant to work his ass off for something he wanted.

  “You know what you don’t get, Ash?” I asked him softly. “None of this material stuff means shit. I mean, you must live like the prince of the castle when you’re home, right? Yet have you ever asked yourself why you’re always here instead of home? All those material things you have don’t comfort you when you’re there, do they?”

  He hung his head and scrubbed at his eyes, but the back of his hand came away wet. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for us.”

  “You should’ve asked first.” I lost my steam at the penitent way he bowed his head and wouldn’t even look at me. “You had no right to get rid of my shit. For all you know, that television had sentimental value.”

  “I didn’t think of that.”

  Goddamn right he didn’t, and I was probably being hard on him, but he needed to understand that he had to accept all of me the way I was. I didn’t have a fancy life anymore for a reason. He didn’t get to undo that just because he wanted a better television.

  “Have you finished your assignments?” I asked him.

  He shook his head, still swiping at his eyes. Fuck, I hated to make him cry, especially when it hurt me just as much not being able to reach out to him and comfort him.

  “It’s impolite to shake your head at your Daddy, boy.”

  He raised his head then, eyes shiny from unshed tears, lips trembling. He blinked, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. I stepped forward and caught it with my thumb before it could disappear.

  “No, Daddy, I haven’t.”

  “Then get to it. No TV until you’re finished. You know the rules.”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Good boy. I’m going to take a shower, and when I’m done, I need to see how far you are with your assignments.”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  I removed my hand from his cheek and backed out of the living room. The sound of the television went off behind my back, and I sighed as I reached the bathroom. At least he listened.

  I stripped off my clothes and dropped them in the laundry basket, groaning. It was overfilling with clothes. I’d need to drive down to the 24-hour laundromat a couple of blocks away to get them washed. He would’ve probably taken them home for a maid to do his laundry, but I liked mixing his stuff with mine. I liked taking care of him.

  Even when he did inappropriate shit like getting rid of my television and buying a new one.

  Jesus, what am I going to do with him?

  In the shower, I scrubbed at my body, the water on my skin as comforting as it was unburdening.

  I didn’t want Ashton buying me things because he had the money to do more than I could ever think of. Going into the relationship, I’d understood well enough that he was wealthy, but how would that affect our relationship?

  I’d always been the provider, the caregiver. Mario had just about sucked me dry. Still was. I wasn’t used to ot
her people giving me things. I was always the giver, but now, alone in the shower, I had to admit to myself that I might have held on to traditional values too much. That was why I blew up at Ashton.

  I should take care of him in every way, but I clearly couldn’t give him the lifestyle he wanted.

  The glass doors slid open, startling me out of my thoughts. Ashton ducked into the shower and closed the door behind him. He was naked and wet in a couple of seconds, his eyes still tinged red from crying.

  “Ashton, I thought you were doing your homework,” I said, not sure what else to do.

  “I can’t concentrate when I know I fucked up and you’re mad at me.” He placed his hands on my stomach and ran them down my abs. “I want to make it better. I promise I can make it better.”

  He grasped my cock, and hell yeah, it got interested pretty fast. I quickly grabbed his hand before he could distract me anymore. He glanced up at me, eyes narrowed in confusion.

  “You don’t want me to?”

  “No,” I answered. “I mean, I want you to, but not like this.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Come here.”

  He didn’t move, the look on his face still indecisive as if he was still trying to figure out why I’d turned him down. I had my reasons. He needed to know that sex wasn’t a cure. It wouldn’t make the bad things go away. At least not for long.

  I pulled Ashton to me and reached behind him to turn off the water. Slowly he melted against me until the tension drained from his body. Time passed while I just held him, letting him know that it was okay to make mistakes. That I was still here. I still wanted him. He was still my boy.

  “I really didn’t want to upset you,” he said softly.

  “It’s okay.” I caressed his slender back. “As long as you promise not to do it again. You need to talk to me about these things first. Who knows? Maybe if you had asked, I would’ve said yes.”

  He pushed his head back and peered at me. “We both know you wouldn’t.”

  “True,” I conceded. “I don’t want you spending your money on frivolous things, especially this apartment or me.”

  “Why not? I have plenty of it.”

  I groaned. “You know, you’re like a five-year-old who won’t stop asking why.”

  “Well?” he still insisted. “Is it because of the whole Daddy thing?”

  Rather than confirming, I dropped a kiss on his lips. “I like taking care of you. I’m very capable of taking care of myself. Besides, you need to learn to respect other people’s property and space.”

  He swallowed hard. “Maybe I should call the cable company and cancel the appointment I made for them to come tomorrow to upgrade your cable, then.”

  “You did what?”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  Instead of getting mad again, I sighed. “Fine, you can upgrade the cable.”

  Just like that, his eyes sparkled, and he aimed a big smile at me. “Really? Because I was thinking of trying to get your TV back.”

  “You can keep the new TV too, Ash.” I pressed my forehead against his. “I took it worse than I needed to, and I apologize. I admit I’m not used to people buying me stuff.”

  He beamed at me. “Oh, you thought I was doing it for you? It was all for me, so don’t worry about that.”

  I knew he was lying, but I didn’t call him out on it. I dropped a kiss on his lips and smacked his wet bottom hard. “Get out of my shower and do your assignment.”

  “Okay, Daddy,” he grumbled, but he did slip out this time. I watched his slender back disappear behind the glass and reached for the soap. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that our relationship it was different than what I was used to. After all, I wasn’t looking for the type of relationship I had with Mario. That didn’t last, and I wanted what Ashton and I had to last a lifetime.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ashton

  “Hey, Ash, right?”

  I glanced up from my phone to the high school senior student Callum had hired to help out at the shop. He smiled at me, his lips pulling apart to show slightly crooked teeth.

  I waited for annoyance to hit me because of how much time he spent with Callum, but nothing came. Instead, I found myself smiling back at him.

  “Yup, that’s me,” I acknowledged. “Uh, I don’t remember your name, though. Sorry.”

  He pointed to the name tag on his shirt, which I’d overlooked, and my face flamed.

  “It’s Brayden.” He placed a coffee cup on the table before me and a muffin. “Callum sent these over with this note.”

  I took the slip of paper from him and unfolded it. Eat. I grinned at the simple note, glancing past him to the counter, where Callum was dealing with a customer.

  I thought about the spatula and whether or not Callum would spank me with it again if I didn’t follow his instructions. Probably not. He knew I liked being spanked too much.

  “Thanks.” The guy was still standing at my table. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

  “We got the day off. Some gas leakage, and they’re double-checking everything is safe before we can go back.”

  “Nice excuse for not going.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t mind going. I like school.” He hooked a chair with his foot. “Mind if I sit? I’m on break, and this place is so packed.”

  I nodded. “Help yourself.”

  While he sat, I took a sip of my coffee. Something was different about it this time. I tasted the sweet hint of malt. Whatever Callum was trying out on me was working. The coffee was delicious.

  “So, you go to Battersea College?” Brayden asked, placing his elbows on the table and propping his chin on them. His face looked flushed as he stared at me. “What’s it like there? I’ve a tour booked and coming up soon, but I’m not sure I’ll get to go next year, ya know? It’s way more than my folks can afford.”

  “It is expensive,” I agreed, especially when your mother is paying off professors and deans to give you a free ride. “But it’s a great place for diversity.”

  “And for queer guys like us, that’s important, right?”

  I cocked my head to one side and observed him. I’d had my suspicions about him from the way he openly looked at Callum. Not that he flirted, but he seemed to appreciate when a man looked good. Like the way he stared at me then.

  “Yeah, super important.”

  “So, what are you studying?”

  Brayden turned out to be a pretty cool guy. He asked a lot of questions, smiled a lot, and he made me laugh a few times. When he rose to his feet, announcing the end of his break, I was almost sad to see him go. I could see why Callum had hired him. He was easygoing, and the customers would gravitate to that.

  “I should get going too.” I stood up too. I’d lingered at the coffee shop too long.

  If I spent another minute, Callum would soon wonder why I was here and not in class. I still hadn’t found the right way to tell him I was skipping classes because my mother had made it impossible for me to face my professors. How could I sit there and see the pity in their eyes that my mother thought me too dumb to graduate by my own efforts?

  I waited until Callum was finished with the customer before I approached the counter, hanging on to one strap of my bag.

  “Hey, Daddy.” I winked at him.

  He smiled, and my insides melted. Please don’t fuck this up, Ash. He’d forgiven me about the TV incident and now even sat on the couch to watch with me. I knew better than to make that mistake twice, though. “Hi, yourself, Pretty Eyes,” he replied. “You off to classes now?”

  “Yup.” The lie rolled easily off my tongue, but hearing it made my gut churn.

  “Have those cue cards for the debate we worked on last night?”

  I flinched. Oh god, I was going to hell. As tired as he’d been last night when he locked up the shop, he’d insisted in helping me to prepare my nonexistent debate. He’d found my course outline with all the assignments and research due for the semester. I couldn�
�t even lie to him that I didn’t have assignments anymore.

  That meant no getting out of doing the assignments that would never be handed in. The pride in his eyes after each completed paper was usually enough, but the guilt was driving me to drink more than usual.

  “I have them,” I said. “You know you don’t have to worry about me and school so much. I can handle this.”

  “I believe you, and you make me so proud of you.”

  I stepped back, pulling on the strap of my bag while I ducked my head. I didn’t want him to see the guilt in my eyes. “Uh, I should go.”

  “What? Isn’t Rue taking you today? I don’t see him.”

  “He-he’s almost here, and I’m running late, so I’m just going to wait for him outside. That way he doesn’t have to park and wait.”

  Oh boy, the lies just keep on multiplying. I’d need to borrow Ava’s rosary beads by the time I finished my studies.

  “All right then. You want to catch dinner together later?”

  “Of course.” But then I remembered the party my mother was throwing at home, and I groaned. Usually, I didn’t give a shit, but this was a party to celebrate the start of a new foundation in my father’s and brother’s memory. I had to at least show my face.

  “Seven good for you?” he asked me.

  “There’s this little party at home, and I need to be there.” I grimaced. “Tomorrow you’re off, right? Can’t we do something? I don’t have classes until in the evening.”

  “I’ve got that personal errand to run on Wednesdays, Ash.”

  I pouted at him, more than irritated that he wouldn’t tell me what he did on Wednesdays. I was trying to be patient for him to tell me, but one of these days, my curiosity would win, and I’d follow him and suffer the consequences after.

  “Can’t you reschedule?”

  “No, babe. That day is kind of fixed.”

  His “babe” melted my resolve, and I backed down. “Guess what? I’ll go to my mother’s party first. I’d rather not go at all, but it’s kind of a big thing. I’ll meet you at the restaurant at eight thirtyish. Does that work?”