All characters are 18+
Brief summary: The rich and important Victor hired Garrett to be his administrative assistant, but he also had other plans for him, and now they’re officially a couple who has to hide their relationship from the world around them to avoid the complications that would come from a CFO dating an employee.
——
Returning to work was strange. I had to pretend everything was fine. Paulette knew I’d gone on the trip, and I feared she was resentful. After all, she was the more senior assistant of the two of us.
“I hate flying,” she said as we talked about the trip, so that made me feel better. “And San Francisco is so dirty! Last time I went, I almost stepped in shit three times. And it wasn’t dog shit.”
I laughed, mostly just relieved she wasn’t upset. Because if Paulette was upset, that might shine a light on what was going on.
I ran, on lunch, to get coffees for Victor, feeling like a servant again. I walked into Brewbie’s, and Ashli greeted me with a smile.
“Hey, stranger!” She said. “Usual?”
“Yeah, but just two today.”
“Gotcha. Three americanos coming up,” she said with a wink. As she stared making the drinks, she and I chatted some more. “So where ya been?”
“I just went with Victor—Mr. Tanner—on a work trip. He needed an assistant in the meeting, I guess.”
“Well, a free trip isn’t so bad, hey? That’s a fun perk.”
If you only knew… I thought.
“Yeah, I’d never been to San Francisco before, so it was cool.” I kept details to a minimum, although she was likely among the class of people Victor considered too unimportant to make a difference if she knew or not.
“Well, he must like you. That Lisa never went on any trips,” she noted as she placed the coffees in a drink carrier. I thanked her and walked back to the office.
I dropped one off at my desk and took the other two to Victor’s office; the door was closed, and I knocked. Victor opened the door with a smile and welcomed me in, closing it again behind me.
“Hey, you,” he smiled, setting the coffees on his desk. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “It’s a little weird to be back after… the trip. But I’m readjusting fine.”
“Good. That’s good.” He placed a hand on my arm. “Can I ask… where do you plan on staying tonight?”
“I should probably go home,” I told him. “I’ve been neglecting my apartment…”
“I understand. What if… what if I came over? I don’t mean to invite myself, but I really want to be with you tonight.” My eyes got wide, betraying my attempted poker face. “Too much? Too soon?” Victor started to panic.
“No! No, it’s okay. Of course you can come,” I said. But my apartment was small. It was cluttered. There was no Sylvia, no Karoline. “But please, remember it’s nothing special.”
“It’s special because you live there,” he smiled.
“Okay, but you can see the entirety of my place from the front door. It’s nothing compared to your place,” I said, feeling infinitely smaller.
“None of that matters. I want to be with you. I’ve been selfish, and it’s only fair for me to leave my life behind for a day or so. You deserve my attention.”
I smiled. “Okay. I’ll have to tidy up. And maybe get stuff to make dinner. But be warned, I’m no Karoline,” I laughed.
“I’m not picky, believe it or not.” He gave me a half-smile, and I walked to the door to leave. But Victor said, “Wait!” And I froze in place.
He walked up to me and slid an arm around my waist, and he pulled me in for a kiss. His lips were soft, pulling at mine in the silence of his office, just a door separating us from dozens of people who could be our downfall if they knew.
“Okay, now you can go.”
——
Thankfully, James was waiting for me in the garage, and he even drove me to a grocery store first. I picked up stuff to make a nice soup and salad, and James drove me home.
I walked in the door, and I was immediately overwhelmed. I had suits and garment bags piled up on my bed, and I had nowhere to put them. I slung a few up in my closet, but that was soon full. So I just had to reserve a corner of my studio as the clothing storage.
It was impractical and looked cluttered, but it had to do. I cleaned my bathroom quickly, checking my phone every five minutes in case Victor was on his way, and then I moved my attention to the kitchen. I chopped up vegetables and sautéed some chicken to go in it.
I scrambled to light some candles and make it a more ambient experience. I even played some music on my defective speaker—Vanessa Carlton on repeat.
Before long, Victor texted that he was almost there. My heart started racing as I realized, My new boyfriend is coming over for the first time.
I hadn’t had anyone over to that apartment since I’d moved in, other than my mom. And now my boyfriend was coming over. But even more than that, it was my impossibly wealthy boyfriend who lived in a literal mansion.
If he likes me, he won’t care. If I can adjust to his life, he can adjust to mine, I thought, barely able to bear my thoughts over the sound of my heartbeat, relentless like a driving rain, in my ears.
Finally came a knock at my door, and I ran to open it. Waiting for me was Victor, a bouquet of red and white roses in his hand and a nervous look on his face. He sighed in relief as he saw me. He looked good. His sharp jaw and green eyes entered the room before he did, and I admired his light blazer. He’d changed since work.
“Hey, you,” he grinned. He handed me the bouquet, and I welcomed him in. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I wasn’t this nervous having you over.”
I smiled and offered him a beer from my fridge. Victor set a bag down on my counter, and I assumed that was what he brought to wear the next day.
“Sorry I don’t have any liquor… or a cocktail shaker. But I wouldn’t shake that, if I were you.”
“Hey,” he said, placing a hand on mine at my counter. “This isn’t about what you have or you don’t have. I’m here for you.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. Really.” I turned my hand over and grabbed his. “Would you like a tour?” I laughed.
“Show me your place, babe.” He squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek again. I felt my heart racing again because no one had called me that in a very long time.
“Obviously, this is the kitchen,” I began. I took him into the living room, where I had a reclining chair and my bed, as well as a coffee table and a decent sized credenza I used as a TV stand. “Here’s my living room that’s also my bedroom. And then the bathroom is over here.”
He smiled. “I love it. Thank you for having me.”
He had basically invited himself, so I didn’t have much of a choice. But it was nice having him there. For the first time, my tiny studio didn’t feel so lonely.
“I just noticed the music,” Victor laughed as we stood in the kitchen and had another beer.
“Only the finest,” I smiled. “Just wanted you to feel at home.”
“Anywhere feels more like home with you there, Garrett.” He slid his hand around my waist, standing beside me. “Even my place, really.”
“Where would you like to eat? I don’t really have a dining room or a table… But I do have couple TV trays.” I wished I had a million weirdly-shaped stools in my ocean of a kitchen. But I didn’t.
“It’s up to you,” Victor smiled softly.
“Do you mind if we go sit and eat on my bed? Or you can have the chair. I’m sorry… I know this isn’t what you’re used to. You’d probably be more comfortable at your place with Karoline and her—“
“Garrett.” Victor cut me off. Grabbing my face in his hands. “Listen to me. I’m here for you. For us. And you know the one thing that would be missing if I were at home right now? You.” He kissed my lips gently, and then he let go.
We got our plates and bowls fixed up and headed to my bed, where I set up the TV trays. And we ate while some movie played on the TV.
“You know, I haven’t had a good soup like this in ages! I think Karoline got a little souped-out in Europe.” That made me laugh, and I felt myself relaxing.
We continued to eat and talk, and I had almost forgotten about Bob Manatour. But I couldn’t forget. And I couldn’t forget that one of Victor’s first points was the fact that he’d bought me things and taken me places, as thought that was a blanket pass for everything else.
But he was at my place now. A place where (almost) everything was just mine. I paid monthly to live there. The food was mine, and the sheets were mine, too. Apart from the pile of garment bags and suits, it was all me. And I was proud of what I had, even compared to what Victor had—and compared to what he bought for me.
I didn’t need Victor. But I wanted him.
“How long have you lived here?” He asked.
“In Champion? Or this apartment?”
“Both, I guess. But I thought you’d lived in Champion forever.” He remembered that much, at least.
“Yeah, I’ve been here since before your building.”
“Our building.”
I just work there… I thought.
“But I’ve lived here in this studio for almost two years. It’s nice. Pretty quiet. Neighbors don’t bother me. Could be a lot worse, you know?” I smiled at him. I wanted to make sure he knew I was content with the life I had built for myself with no one’s help or handouts. This was me.
“Well, I love it. I’m happy to be here with you.” He took a big swig of beer. “And I’m sure all the boys you’ve brought over liked it, too.”
That’s a weird thing to say out of nowhere, I thought. Is he testing me?
“Actually, you’re the first guest I’ve had. I haven’t really been with a lot of people in the last few years anyway.” I told him the truth. It had been years since I’d been in any kind of relationship, and I was usually too insecure for hookups. But then I turned the tables back on him. “And what about you? How many of your guests joined the mile high club with you?”
“Not many,” replied Victor. “You may think I’m some hedonist, but that’s not the case. I have no shame in admitting I’ve had a few sexual partners here and there over the years. But I’ve never been to anyone’s place like this.”
Maybe I was different. At least, to him. I smiled. He smiled back at me, next to me, sitting on my bed like a couch. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was nice. It was mine. And sharing it with Victor wasn’t so scary.
I cleaned up dinner, and Victor offered to help. I had him just dry dishes as I washed them, and before long everything was done. It felt strange telling Victor what to do, but he followed directions well.
It was dark outside by that point.
“What would you like to do?” I asked as we walked back to the living room with more beer.
“You,” Victor said with a wink. He sat down on the reclining chair, and I sat on my bed.
“Oh, yeah?” I teased. “You found out the only one I’ve fucked in here is my right hand, and now you want a piece?”
“I want the whole meal,” he said, adjusting his pants and taking a sip of beer.
I felt my cock twitch. I liked it when Victor came onto me. It made me feel attractive. Victor could, quite literally, have anyone he wanted, and he made it clear that he wanted me.
“Scoot over,” he told me. And he hopped up out of the chair and sat right next to me. I had some cheesy comedy playing on the TV, but I couldn’t focus on it with Victor sitting so close.
Soon his hand found my thigh, and then it slid inward. My breathing got heavy. It, strangely, felt like the first time all over again. I felt, somehow, more vulnerable in my own place than I had at his.
But Victor quickly made me feel very comfortable by grabbing my hard bulge and massaging it through my pants. He leaned in and softly kissed my neck, his hot breath wafting under my shirt and giving me goosebumps. With my free hands, I started to unbutton my shirt, and Victor did the same.
At that point, we gave up all pretenses of gradualness, and we tore our clothes off. I stood in only my underwear, the head of my cock poking out of the waistband. Victor, too, was in his underwear, sitting on my bed and looking up at me. He reached up and yanked my underwear down, and my hard dick bounced out.
In seconds, his mouth was on it. The delicate softness of his tongue and throat were like silk and velvet, warm and wet as he took me in. I slid a hand around his face, in his hair, feeling the muscles of his jaw as he sucked.
“Ohh, Victor,” I crooned. For my first blowjob in my apartment, I couldn’t ask for much better. He worked my dick like the last popsicle on a summer day, slurping and slobbering on it. My knees were shaking, almost unable to support me. The evening’s nerves had caught up to me, but I shoved them away to focus on the sweet lips wrapped around my shaft.
After a few minutes, Victor started to play with himself in his underwear. I wanted his cock.
“Lie down, that way,” I instructed him. He turned sideways and got on his back, so I climbed over him facing the opposite way. His cock was right before my eyes, and I could feel his hot breath on my balls.
We started to suck each other, Victor’s cock already coated in salty-sweet precum. I tried my best to keep myself balanced over him so as not to suffocate him with my dick, and he sucked like he was a vacuum’s apprentice.
I took him down my throat, and he started to push his hips up to fuck my face. The sounds of the movie were drown out by whimpers, moans, heaving breaths, slurps. My own hips were moving a bit on their own, and I could feel every soft curve of his throat as I slid into it.
Victor had my shaft and balls gripped one hand as he sucked me, adding to the incredible sensations. His cock felt like it was made for me, the way it glided so easily down into my throat. Together, we writhed and humped, jerked and sucked, just enjoying one another’s bodies for a while.
Suddenly, my cock popped out of Victor’s mouth. He said, “I want you to fuck me.”
“Mmm, yes, sir,” I breathed. I had lube in my bathroom, so I hopped up to grab it, and then I returned to find Victor, lying on his back and stroking his cock.
I crawled between his legs, pushing them back and lifting his tight little ass up. I looked down at his pink hole, and I couldn’t help but scoot back so I could eat it for a moment.
“Ohh,” Victor moaned as I swirled my tongue inside him. But eating him out wasn’t my mission. I was asked to fuck him. And I wanted to fuck him.
I crawled forward again, and Victor’s legs wrapped around my waist as I slathered lube onto my cock. With two fingers, I massaged lube into his hole, and then I lined up, ready to feel his tight warmth.
He sighed, his eyes full of hunger, as I pushed into him. I watched his eyes widen as I stared down. His walls hugged my cockhead so tightly I wondered if I’d be able to fit, despite having been inside him multiple times.
Slowly, I inched my way in until I bottomed out. Then I got to work, pulling my hips back before shoving back in. Before long, I got into a good rhythm. Victor stared in my eyes, slowly milking precum out of his cock and occasionally biting his lip between grunted whimpers.
But those plump lips of his were pulling mine in like a magnet, so I moved my hands from Victor’s hips to beneath him, so I could lean down face-to-face with him. And then we kissed, the only time Victor’s eyes closed—other than mid-orgasm. His tongue flitted past my lips, entering me like my cock in his ass.
I sucked on his tongue, my hips moving on their own. In, out. In, out.
I went faster, and then I reached up with one hand and let my hair cascade down around Victor’s face. Again, he turned his head to sniff and smell it.
“You like that?” I asked, slamming into him.
“Ohhh, yeah,” he moaned. He inhaled my scent again before turning his eyes back to me. “I like that a lot.”
“Good,” I said, slowing my thrusts a bit but pushing even deeper. There was the old claim that scent was the sense most strongly tied to memory, and I wanted him to think of me inside him whenever he smelled anything floral and perfumey.
“Mmm,” Victor groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head, surrounded by my hair.
“You like this cock, Victor?”
“I love it,” he moaned, his voice shaking in time with my thrusts.
“You’re gonna take this Little Bitch’s cock, and you’re gonna like it.” I started to take out my frustrations with my body, slamming harder into it. I could hear Bob Manatour’s voice echoing in my mind, ‘Little Bitch!’
And that motivated me to cum deep inside Victor, who simply sat there and laughed along with him. I pounded Victor’s ass, shaking my entire bed beneath us. It felt good, and his tight ass gripped my cock like it was holding on for dear life.
“Ohh, fuck, Garrett,” Victor yelled. I worried my neighbors might get upset, but I was too close to stop. “Fuck my ass, oh my god!”
I leaned back down to kiss him again, this time sliding my tongue into his mouth, taking control of both ends. Victor was mine to use now, and he felt so damn good.
After another minute of rough pounding, the slapping sound of our skin had gotten louder than even the rain outside as it battered my windows. And with each thrust in and out, I felt the familiar building sensation of an oncoming explosion.
But before line arrived, I saw Victor’s face shift, his mouth opening even wider. He huffed, “Oh, shit. Ohh, fuck!”
And then his face was covered in a spray of shining white as he started cumming all over himself hands-free. As he came, I felt the muscles in his ass squeeze and contact, pulsing on my cock, and I was done for.
“Fuck, I’m gonna—mmm!” My eyes squeezed shut as Victor watched me cum inside of him. My hips were moving erratically as I shot several ropes into him, unable to stop moaning.
Finally, I started to come down from the explosive high, panting wildly as I slowly slid out of Victor. I looked down at him and planted my lips on his just once more before rolling over next to him. My bed was just a queen, but it was plenty of room to accommodate two people.
“So you really haven’t fucked anyone here before?” Asked Victor, turning his head to face me; he was still trying to catch his breath as well.
“Not until now,” I confirmed.
“Well, might I say, you definitely made up for lost time.” That made us both laugh.
I got up to grab a towel for Victor, and he wiped up his chest and face, and then he sat up. We threw on our underwear, and Victor joined me back in the kitchen.
“Is there any way I could shower?” He asked. “I got jizz in my bellybutton.”
“Oh, yeah! Of course,” I said. So I showed him to the bathroom and grabbed an extra towel for him. “Sorry I don’t have a person-sized dryer. This complex didn’t have those installed.”
“Garrett.” He grabbed my hand in the doorway of the bathroom. “Stop that. This is perfect. You’re perfect. The only one comparing your home to mine is you.”
He was right, of course, but I couldn’t help but worry this was all just a tactic to snoop around and judge me in secret. Would he go tell Bob Manatour that his board room table is larger than my whole apartment?
I watched Victor as he slid his underwear back off. From behind, I admired his broad, strong shoulders. The ripping muscles on his back. That perky ass I loved to be in so much.
“Well,” he said, and I realized he could see me in the mirror. “Are you going to join me?”
He didn’t have to ask twice. I stripped and walked into the shower with him.
———
My alarm went off, waking us both in my bed. We’d had a really nice night, learning more about each other. But at the back of my mind, I couldn’t forget some of his comments.
While I knew giving someone gifts was a way to express affection, I didn’t at all like that he was already quick to use it against me. When I had expressed my feelings, he told me that he’d done so much for me, given so much to me. But when it counted, he had been silent.
So I held on to that, knowing all it might take was another argument or disagreement. But at the same time, was I doing the same thing? Waiting to weaponize something?
I was still torn, and all I knew was that I liked being around Victor. He made me feel safe, especially when it was just the two of us. I liked waking up next to him. I liked showering with him before work.
After the shower, I made some toast for us. Victor was fretting about the follow-up meeting with Western Shipping, as he was in charge of closing the deal. Bob Manatour would be in, so I planned to make a coffee run to avoid him.
“Do you want me to drive us? I know that might be suspicious, though.” I offered, quickly realizing it wasn’t the smartest idea.
“I’d love to, but I’ll just have Malachi drive me. Do you want me to send James as well? And you’re more than welcome to come over tonight after work, if you wanted.”
“I’ll think about it. It’s fine if my car stays in the garage overnight, right?”
“Absolutely. We’ll make sure of it.”
He called for Malachi, and we ate toast and waited. As Malachi arrived at my complex, Victor stopped at my door one more time.
“Thank you, Garrett, for having me over. I know it’s silly, and you probably think I’m rude for inviting myself… but I really wanted to see where you live. I want to be in your life, Garrett, and not just constantly pull you along for the ride of mine.” He placed both hands on my cheeks, cradling my face. Then he leaned in and kissed me.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I said, and I bid him goodbye. Once he was gone, my studio felt so empty again. I hadn’t realized how much more it felt like home with someone else in it. Especially when that someone was Victor Tanner, Jr.
So I packed myself a bag, grabbed an extra suit, and loaded up my car for the day.
———
“Garrett!” Ashli greeted me warmly as I walked into Brewbie’s. “Great to see you.”
“You, too!” I grinned. Just before the lunch rush, the coffee shop was empty other than me, so Ashli didn’t have to worry about entertaining any other customers. “Can I do two today, please? Bossman has an important meeting at noon.”
“What kinda meeting? I always hear about the se rich business guys having these meetings. Sometimes I wish I had meetings where I could go sit in a room of blowhards for a while, instead of those blowhards barking their coffee orders at me.” She looked up at me and added, “Not you, of course. You’re just the blowhard’s errand boy.”
But I’m fucking the boss! I wanted to tell her. He likes me! He chose me!
It hurt, almost, having a secret. And then, like salt in the wound, Ashli asked, “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Wh-what?” I stuttered.
“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m not hitting on you. And I don’t think we… play for the same team.” She raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for me to tell her I was offended.
“Probably not,” I laughed. “Unless you’re secretly a dude.”
“I’m not. Not unless you’re secretly a chick,” she whispered, giggling.
She loaded three americanos into a drink carrier, and I made my way back to the office. I dropped one coffee off at my desk and beelined it for Victor’s office. He opened the door, looking stressed.
“Come in,” he said. He closed the door and took the coffees from me, immediately downing half of the first one.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I’m just nervous about this meeting. I was re-reading your notes—thank you again, by the way; they’re great—and I realized that our profit margin may not be as large as Manatour thought. So I’ll have to discuss some details before we can actually close.” He finished the coffee in another gulp before moving on to the second.
“You’ll be great, Victor,” I said with a smile. “I believe in you.”
His steely, nervous gaze softened, and he smiled at me.
“Thank you, Garrett.” And he leaned in to kiss me.
I walked out of his office, and he followed behind me to head to the boardroom. Suddenly, Bob Manatour was right in front of me.
“Oh, it’s you! You’re that assistant… that… what was it? Rhymes with Little Bitch?” He started to chuckle, his face turning red.
And again, it was like the wind was taken out of my sails. I put my head down and began to saunter back to my desk.
“Bob,” Victor’s voice came from behind me, loud and intimidating. “You will not come into this office building and speak to our employees like that. His name is Garrett Middleditch. If you can’t remember that, then you have no business speaking to him at all. Especially if you expect TannerCorp to manage Western’s financials.”
Bob froze. I froze. Everyone in the vicinity froze. My heart was absolutely pounding. Was Victor actually sticking up for me? Right before their meeting? I knew immediately this could have some major ramifications. But he did it anyway.
“I’m sorry?” Bob looked bewildered.
“You ought to direct that ‘sorry’ at the person you called such a horrible name again,” Victor said, stepping closer. Bob Manatour towered over Victor, but even I would have been intimidated by the fiery look in Victor’s green eyes. “Or maybe this deal isn’t happening at all. And I’ll be sure to let other companies know that Western Shipping is difficult to work with.”
“A threat, Mr. Tanner? What will your father have to say about this.”
“A promise, Mr. Manatour. And as the CFO, I don’t technically need to ask my father what he thinks. But let’s go do that anyway, shall we? Unless you can apologize to Mr. Middleditch, in which case we can move forward with the deal.” I could have kissed Victor right then. It didn’t even matter if Bob apologized. Victor was standing up for me in a very big way.
Bob sighed, his eyes darting back and forth between us.
Finally he said in a rather unconvincing tone, “I apologize, Mr. Middleditch.“
“Thank you,” I said softly, nodding once before scurrying away to my desk.
That’s when I realized all eyes were on us. As I sat down, Paulette’s jaw hung open.
“What was that all about?” She whispered.
“Just rich people arguing,” I said, trying to downplay the situation.
“Hm. It looked like Mr. Tanner had your back. What happened on that work trip?” She laughed and nudged me with her elbow, so I forced myself to hold a poker face.
“That guy was an asshole then, and he’s an asshole now,” I whispered. “I think Tanner is just putting him in his place so they can just close the deal… or whatever.”
“Hm,” she nodded, getting back to work. “Assholes. All of ‘em.”
I laughed tbh rough my nose, trying to distract myself from what had just happened. I really hoped everything wasn’t ruined because of me.
But it’s not because of me. It’s because of Bob Manatour. It’s because rich people think they can say or do whatever they want, I thought. Victor made his choices, both times. If he chose to let it slide the first time, it was his choice to do so. If it was his choice to stick up for me, then that’s just what it was. I refused to let myself feel blamed for speaking up when something was wrong.
I even wondered if Victor truly wanted to, or if he just felt obligated to have my back because I was standing right there. Either way, he’d done it. And I was terrified it had ruined everything. I didn’t know if this one deal was a make-or-break one, but Victor seemed flippant enough with his threat, that it seemed like he could take it or leave it.
So, buzzing from adrenaline and the caffeine from the americano I chugged in one big gulp, I waited to see how Victor looked when he came out of the office. But I barely got a peek as they exited. What I could see was a happy Bob Manatour.
After about ten minutes, my desk phone rang. I picked it up, and Victor asked me to come to his office. I couldn’t read his tone over the phone, so I immediately got up and headed to his office.
The door opened upon my first knock, as if he were waiting for me. As soon as it was closed, he wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace.
“I’m so sorry, Garrett. I can’t believe he did that to you again. Hearing it again…. It made my blood boil. I’m sorry if it looked like I lost my temper with him, but this is my office and you’re my assistant-slash-secret boyfriend.” He pulled back enough to look at me and smiled softly.
“I’m okay,” I assured him. “Thank you. That meant a lot.”
“Old Bob is such a windbag. I think I about snatched his toupee off of his head with shock. But he had it coming.”
“Did that ruin the deal?” I asked, worrying.
“Not at all,” he smiled. “Thanks to your notes, I was able to catch him in a white lie, and we’re getting an even better deal than before. You should’ve seen him squirm!”
“Good,” I whispered. It’s about time these people felt small…
“Alright,” he said after a quick kiss. “I’ll see you after work. You’re coming over, right?”
“If you’ll have me.”
“I’ll have you in whatever way you want it,” he breathed, squeezing my bulge.
I walked back to my desk, feeling flush but excited for the evening.