Until hecouldn’t.
The solution dawned on him, and he stepped forward to help Gabriel onto the chair. He held out a hand, and Gabriel climbed up onto the seat, took the box from the shelf, then tucked it under his arm. The way his hand wrapped around Gabriel’s felt right, and Cedric was reluctant to let him go when Gabriel was safely standing on thefloor.
A boy like this is going to ruin you,Cedric…
Cedric blinked away the intrusive thought and let his hand part from Gabriel’s. No matter how he felt for Gabriel, he was a client,nothingmore.
“I want you to make the popcorn for me. When it’s done, you’ll pour it into a bowl from the cabinet—which you will reach yourself—and you will come to join me for the movietonight.”
Disbelief clouded Gabriel’s eyes, and he shuffled his weight from foot to foot like he was nervous. “I’m not… I’m not going to have my privileges take away, Sir? Ifailedyou…”
“I know, Rabbit.” Cedric slid a hand around the base of Gabriel’s head and massaged the soft hair there, like he was so fond of doing. Gabriel’s eyes lidded, and he pushed into Cedric’s hand. The distance between their lips was small, and Cedric found it hard to keep himself from making it even smaller. The air thickened with his desire, and the touch of Gabriel’s hair against his palm left him wanting something he couldn’t have. “I’m taking away another privilege of yours, but for now, don’t worry yourself about it. I won’t be ready to deprive you of it for another few days. Until then, you’ll be good for me,won’tyou?”
“Yes.” The word was curled with pleasure, almost purred. Gabriel’s head rested against Cedric’s hand as his fingers worked slow, comforting circles against his scalp. It was for Gabriel’s benefit, not his own. A simple touch wasn’t pushing things too far. If Cedric had learned anything over the past few days, it was that Gabriel responded best to physical stimuli. Contact like this wasn’tsexual.
Notreally.
Not in the way that Cedric was starting to hope itwouldbe.
His omega was gorgeous, and he deserved to be touched from time to time. Never below the belt, never on the lips, but elsewhere? There wasn’t anything sexual about that. Cedric wasn’t breaking any rules, and he wasn’t deluding himself into believing that a few tender moments between them meant anything more. Cedric was a professional, and Gabriel was his client—that was all. As a Dom, he needed to cultivate trust from his sub. There was no better way to do it than to play into what Gabriel naturally gravitatedtoward.
Constant physicalcontact.
Cedric couldn’t help himself—he crowded the space between his lips and Gabriel’s, and when he spoke again, he whispered what he had to say into the tiny space between them. “Then you’ll make that popcorn, won’t you? And you’ll bring ittome?”
“Iwill,Sir.”
“Don’t keep me waiting, Rabbit.” Cedric ran his fingers one last time through Gabriel’s hair, then took his hand away. Gabriel’s eyes opened, but the spell he held over Cedric, begging him to come closer, didn’t break. “The movie is ready—all I need to do is push play. You will come back in a timely manner, and you will do as I’veasked.”
“Yes,Sir.”
A shiver longed to work its way down Cedric’s spine, but he resisted. He would not let Gabriel see that he wielded as much power over him as he wielded overGabriel.
Not yet, atleast.
That would be for another day. Tonight, Cedric had work to do. While Gabriel busied himself in the kitchen preparing popcorn, Cedric went back to the couch and opened up a search page on his phone. In three to five business days, Gabriel’s training wouldbegin.
22
Gabriel
The bagof popcorn burned Gabriel’s fingers, and he winced as he tossed it onto the counter and blew at his too-hot skin. It hit the metal bowl he’d taken from the cabinet, causing it to skitter across the counter and clatter into the sink. Gabriel winced and pinched his shoulders to his neck, expecting to be yelled at, but Sir didn’t makeapeep.
He wasn’t likeGarrison.
Gabriel didn’t have to be soafraid.
The thought of it made Gabriel smile, and even though he was unsure what his punishment would be, he found that he didn’t worry. Under Garrison’s command, he’d lived in a state of constant fear and doubt, but with Sir, he had no worries. Every day they spent together reminded Gabriel that the life he knew and the life he now lived were separate entities, and it made him wonder if Adrian wasright.
Maybe there was more to life than selflessly servingaman.
Sir demanded respect, and he asked Gabriel for things, but he allowed Gabriel to be selfish, too. Cuddles on the couch. Ghosted not-kisses on his forehead, or cheek, or shoulder. Tasty food and a soft bed to sleep in. What Gabriel gave, he got inreturn.
Everything except the knowledge ofSir’sbody.
Bowl rescued, popcorn poured, and as many whole kernels fished out as he could find, Gabriel returned to the living room. Sir had turned off the lights, but the dim bulb over the stove and the glow of the television helped Gabriel see the way. Careful not to disturb the couch, Gabriel settled at Sir’s side and held the bowl of popcorn in his lap. The image on the screen was frozen, waiting for Sir topressplay.
“I’ve brought the popcorn, Sir,” Gabriel said. He kept his voice low, not sure if Sir wanted to hear him or not. “What do you want me to dowithit?”
