Borrowing His Boss

by C S Joyce

  I couldn’t look away and I desperately wanted to join in.

  Asher groaned and lay back on the bed. “Oh God, I feel sick”.

  “I’m not surprised. Where do you put it all?”

  “Fast metabolism,” he answered before opening the top button of his trousers. “So, what’s the plan then, or rules, or whatever?”

  I inhaled slowly and ignored the voice in my brain that was screaming ‘screw the rules. Screw him!”

  “The best way to get away with a lie is to keep it simple and give as little details as possible. That way you’re less likely to get caught out.”

  Asher propped himself up on his elbows and grinned. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d know a lot about lying. You seem to be too honest.”

  He was looking at me, with a strange expression and I felt myself harden again.

  Oh crap.

  “Well maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do, Asher. Maybe I’ll surprise you?”

  “You already have.” He cast his eyes down to the lily in his jacket buttonhole and grinned. There was a hint of something in his voice that made me want to crawl onto the bed next to him.

  “I’m thinking we just say we’re dating. Not married or engaged. That invites too many questions. But we can say we’re a couple and we’ve been together for a year. And it’s serious.”

  Asher nodded and then paused, clearly hesitating.

  “What?” I asked, knowing this look only too well from all the times he was about to ask me for something at school that I wouldn’t usually agree to.

  “I’m just wondering what the boundaries are for things like touching and kissing and stuff.”

  I knew it was better to just keep things very simple and limit it to a quick peck on the cheek. But apparently my brain had other ideas. “It needs to be believable. Just do what feels right in the moment and we’ll go with it.”

  What? Well that’s just lovely. Talk about inviting trouble... what was I doing?

  “Okay, so we keep it simple, go with the moment and don’t complicate things.”

  I nodded and buttoned up my jacket. “That’s the plan. So, are you ready to go downstairs?”

  Asher clambered off the bed and gave me a cheeky smile. “Yup. Let’s face the firing squad.”

  Take the Lower Road

  Asher

  “I’m going to need a bigger one of these.” I held up my glass and waved it at Christian. “Maybe see if you can get a bottle at the bar and just ask them for a straw.”

  We’d been down in the function room for less than an hour and already I wanted to leave. Everyone looked a little older, but they all seemed the same to me. Memories flooded back into my mind and I felt my stomach roll and churn. Maybe the cake hadn’t been a good idea. Or maybe I needed to slow down on the vodkas.

  Without thinking I ran my fingertips over the smooth lily Christian had given me. That had been a shock. I’d been so caught off guard by his thoughtful gesture that my emotions just went haywire. I’d tried to hide the tears, but I knew he’d seen them. It had just been so kind and so unexpected. Nobody had ever done anything like that for me before.

  “I think you can probably stick to a few lemonades after that vodka. You don’t want to be drunk in this situation, trust me.” Christian was about to say something else when he froze, his eyes widening. “Asher, we have a problem.” He glanced over his shoulder and cursed under his breath.

  “What?”

  “You’re not going to believe this. I swear, this country is too small. See that woman over by the band? She’s wearing a burgundy trouser suit. Big hair.”

  I looked across the room and immediately spotted the woman with big puffy hair. “Yeah?”

  “She’s the assistant principal at St. Brigid's girls’ school. We’ve been on about ten training courses together over the years. And I know she’s spotted me.”

  I could see Asher’s face crumble. “Oh no. Shit.”

  “I think your ‘billionaire’ plan is out the window. She knows who I am.”

  I couldn’t believe it. Of course, someone recognized him. That was just typical. “Let’s just forget the whole thing. There’s no point anymore. They’ve been giving me looks since we got down here and smirking just like back in school. I don’t know what I was thinking. Nothing has changed. They’re still assholes and I’m still-”

  “Perfect. You’re perfect, Asher. Ignore them. And are you sure they’re giving you looks and smirking? I think you might be paranoid.”

  “Let’s just go. I’m done here,” I said, and I took another sip of vodka. I knew Christian was trying to help but nothing would make this better. I felt like shit and I hated that these people could still do that to me.

  “I need another drink. Please, one more?”

  Christian sighed and leaned in close, his breath ghosting across my cheek as he spoke over the music. “One more, then I’m cutting you off.”

  I gave him a huge smile and watched as he headed for the bar.

  “Asher? You made it!” There was no mistaking the high-pitched squeal of Arabella Foley.

  “Hey,” I said, trying to smile and wishing she’d keep her voice down.

  “OH-MY-GOD. You haven’t changed one bit. You look exactly the same. Well, not the same but, THE SAME!”

  Kill me, kill me now.

  “Really? And you look...” I searched for the right word, trying to think of something nice to say but a memory bitch slapped me in the face and I was transported back to my final year when Arabella had stood laughing with the rest of the jerks as I’d been humiliated once again.

  “Old,” I said, unable to rise above the bad memory. “You look old.”

  Her face contorted and her nostrils flared a little. “Wow, bitchy much?”

  I tilted my head and smiled. “I’m joking, Arabella.” I regretted every word as it left my mouth but a part of me felt vindicated. She’d been so mean in school and I’d finally hurt her back. I smirked, ignoring the horrible guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach, and turned to see Christian staring at me, a look on his face that sent my blood to cold.

  “She’s one of the girls from my class, the mean ones. She was horrible to me.”

  But Christian’s disappointed expression didn’t change, and he handed me my vodka and leaned closer. “I thought you wanted to come here to show these people that bullies don’t win?”

  “I do.”

  “Well from where I’m standing you seem to be joining them. That was unnecessary, Asher.”

  “What? But I-”

  “Uncalled for. I expected more from you. I need some fresh air.” He turned, walking out the doors and leaving me alone.

  Oh fuck.

  Fuck.

  FUCK.

  I stood there in the room and looked around. Familiar faces nodded and smiled at me and suddenly everything seemed different. We’d all grown up. But somehow, I was stuck. And now I was being the mean kid?

  If there was a scale for feeling ashamed, I was hitting the top level. What had I done? I set down my vodka and searched the room until I spied Arabella talking to a woman in the corner.

  “Hey,” I said, arriving next to her and I could tell by her expression that she was pissed off with me. Not that I blamed her after my behavior.

  “I just wanted to apologize for what I said. I was trying to be funny, or something. I’m sorry if I insulted you.” I felt sick, my stomach rolling as she stared at me.

  “It’s fine. I didn’t get the joke, but whatever.” She smiled weakly and looked at the woman she’d been chatting with. “This is my partner, Sara. This is Asher, he was in my class.”

  I stared for a second, trying to process her words.

  “Partner?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh.” I chewed my lip and Arabella burst out laughing.

  “What? You thought you were the only gay kid in school?”

  “Actually, yeah.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sorry to bu
rst your bubble. Anyway, where’s your date gone? That guy you arrived with, he’s your boyfriend, right?”

  I swallowed hard and hated how I’d fucked up. “Uh-huh. He’s my Christian. I mean, he’s Christian. Not mine.” I pressed my palms to my eyes and sighed. What was wrong with me tonight?

  “You seem nervous. You alright?”

  I looked at her, wondering why I’d never actually talked to her in school. “I don’t know. I was worried about coming here.”

  “Me too. I hated school. It was like a battleground most days.”

  There it was. Right there. The moment I realized that I wasn’t the only person who’d had a tough time in school. “I think I messed up. My boss-boyfriend is angry with me?”

  Arabella tilted her head. “Did you just call him your boss?”

  I licked my lips and laughed nervously.

  “Well, whatever you’re into,” Arabella teased, and she tapped me on the arm. “He’s standing over there, watching you. Go talk to him.”

  I turned around to see Christian leaning against the far wall, hands in his pockets and his brown hair ruffled up a little. He looked so handsome and cute and disappointed in me.

  “Thanks, I’ll talk to you later maybe,” I said, and headed across the room. “I apologized to her.”

  Christian nodded but looked right past me across the crowded room. “I assumed that’s what you were doing.”

  “I’m sorry, Christian. All these feelings came flooding back and I felt so angry and defensive and I just lashed out at her.”

  He turned then, his eyes meeting mine and I wanted to make things right. I felt physically sick that I’d disappointed him. “I really am sorry. This whole evening is such a disaster.”

  Christian remained silent for a moment, staring at me but not saying a word until he finally cleared his throat. “You know, Asher, you don’t need to prove anything to these people or to yourself. You’re enough just as you are.”

  Maybe it was his words or maybe it was the way his gaze was locked onto mine, but I wanted him to kiss me more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.

  “Please, don’t be angry with me. I can’t stand it,” I whispered, unable to find my voice without the threat of it breaking with emotion.

  Christian stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m not angry with you. I’m angry for you. Why don’t we try something different?”

  “What?”

  “Let’s dance.”

  “Here?” I glanced over my shoulder to the crowded room, and felt nerves rise through my body.

  “Yes, right here. In front of everyone. Come on.”

  He led me to the very center of the dance floor and pulled me close, one hand sliding around my back and the other resting on my hip.

  “Is this really happening? We’re slow dancing?”

  There was a rumble of laughter that vibrated through Christian’s body and into mine. I shivered and let myself lean into him. God, he felt amazing.

  “We’re recreating the prom dance that you never got, remember? So, we’re going to slow dance like horny teenagers. It’s all part of the illusion.”

  I giggled and reached my arms around, sliding them down to cup his ass. I gave him a little squeeze. “Well if we’re dancing like horny teenagers...”

  Christian’s face was so cute, and I couldn’t help myself from staring into his warm eyes, losing myself in him.

  “It’s a good thing your prom date didn’t show up. You’re rather handsy,” Christian teased, and he brushed his lips against my ear, sending sparks of electricity through my body.

  “I really like pretending you’re my boyfriend. What else would we do on a Prom night?” I whispered, and I stepped even closer until I could feel his erection brushing against my hip. Christian’s body tensed and I sighed as he pulled me firmly against him. He felt strong and firm, not what I’d imagined.

  “I think lots of things happen on a prom night. Like kissing?”

  “What’s that?” I licked my lips and batted my eyelashes.

  “You’re a nightmare, you know that?”

  “What?” I said and tried to stifle a laughter. “How am I a nightmare?”

  I expected words, teasing, anything other than his hot mouth on mine. The kiss caught me off guard, the sensation of heat as his lips crashed onto mine, hard and needy before tapering off into soft, gentle kisses that had me pressing against his crotch and wishing I could magic us away back up to the room.

  “You’re trouble,” Christian whispered, pulling back, breathless.

  “Why?” I looked up at him and for the first time I noticed the heat in his eyes. He wanted me. I knew it. And I was sure we were no longer pretending.

  “Because I can’t ever say no to you.”

  “Do you want to say no to me?” I reached up, letting my hands run through his hair.

  Christian leaned in again, grazing his mouth against mine and nipping at my bottom lip. “Nope. Not one single bit.”

  “What else happens on prom night?” I ventured, hoping he’d say what I knew we both wanted.

  Christian’s smile was like fire in my veins and he nuzzled my neck as his words vibrated against my skin. “Why don’t we go back to my room and I’ll show you.”

  ***

  I was waiting in the lobby for Christian. He’d ran to the bar for some bottles of water and my insides were fizzing with excitement. Was this happening? I couldn't even think about the fact he was my boss. I just wanted to be with him.

  I was lost in my own dreamy thoughts when a familiar voice sent chills through me.

  “Well, well, well. Look who showed up.”

  Like wolves stalking a lamb, Darren and two of his cronies strode over and circled me. Still the same pathetic bullies as always.

  “Hey Asher. I’m surprised to see you here. I didn’t see your name on the email they sent out.”

  I swallowed and tried to stay cool. Which was hard because these were the bullies. And suddenly I was feeling right back in school. “You still can’t read then?” I replied, hoping he’d just go away.

  Darren laughed and nudged the idiot next to him. “Oh, twinkle-toes is feeling brave tonight. Still like sucking dick?”

  I blinked and willed myself to stay calm. “Why? You interested?”

  The guys laughed at this, but Darren’s face changed to a look I remembered only too well, and my heart thundered in my chest.

  “I hear your date is actually your boss. How pathetic is that. Having to bring your boss because you’re such a loser.”

  I felt stuck. There were no words, no response, no anything. It was like I was a teenager again and I just wanted to crawl into a ball and hide. None of this was turning out like I’d planned. I wanted to tell him to go and fuck himself but instead I was frozen and terrified.

  Darren laughed, just a bigger bully now with a pudgy beer belly and sweaty forehead. His laughter seared into my brain and prized open memories and feelings I’d sealed shut for years.

  “He’s a friend.”

  “He’s your fucking boss, you loser.”

  I knew I should just walk away but I couldn’t. I just felt sick and angry that this was still happening. “I...I...”

  “I’m not his Boss,” Christian’s voice sounded deeper than usual and I blinked, as I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder and grip me, pulling me tight against his body.

  Darren looked a little unsure now. “Oh yeah? What are you then? His emotional support person?”

  I’d no idea what Christian was going to say but I certainly didn’t expect what came out of his mouth.

  “I’m his Daddy. And it’s his bedtime. I’m afraid we’re going to have to go now. As much as I’ve loved talking with you inebriated fuckwits, we have to leave.”

  Darren was speechless.

  I was speechless.

  The ghosts that haunted the manor were probably speechless.

  What the fuck...

  Darren’s face went a little red and
he coughed.

  I blinked and turned to look up at Christian who was still holding me tightly. “Daddy?”

  “Yes?” Christian’s voice was low and sexy and suddenly I forgot where we were.

  “Hell yes. Daddy it is.”

  Christian’s hand slid down my back until he was grabbing my ass and then he slapped me with such force that I yelped. The warmth flooded through me, awakening my senses and zapping me to life.

  “I’m not in the habit of repeating myself, boy. Now, let’s go.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” I said, and I let out a little huff, a sort of laugh mixed with disbelief.

  “Mm, that’s my good boy.”

  What the absolute fuck was this. Christian was looking at me with a hungry gaze that had me questioning whether he was pretending or being serious.

  “Oh, before we go...” Christian let go of me and stepped so close to Darren he was practically nose to nose. “How about you take your oversized ego and your tiny little dick and go fuck off somewhere else. Or maybe you need a hug to compensate for the fact that your mammy didn’t love you enough? Is that why you’re such a bully? You don’t feel special?”

  Darren’s face was priceless, and he opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. He was completely and utterly speechless. How was Christian doing this? It was amazing.

  “Now go away. You don’t want to see what an angry Daddy looks like. Trust me.”

  As if by magic, Darren stumbled back a little. “Fucking weirdos,” he muttered but his pace was quick as he made his way down the corridor, and he kept his eyes to the ground.

  “OH-MY-GOD. You did it. I can’t believe you stood up to him like that. I don’t know what happened to me, but I was-”

  “Stop talking, Asher. We’re done here. Let’s go to the room.”

  What was this? Christian was still playing this role, but Darren had left...

  “Are we still acting?”

  Christian licked his lips as he pulled off his glasses. “Sure, why not. We can pretend to be anything we want for one night, wasn’t that the plan?”

  I nodded. “Yes. What are you being then?”

  Christian slid his hand around my waist and pulled me against him. “I thought I’d made that clear already. I’m Daddy, remember?”