31
Benjamin prepares a surprise.
By Thursday, all the plans are in place. I step out of my office and lean against the door, surveying my employees as they go about finishing up their work.
My eye fishes Trevor right out of the crowd. He’s near the break room speaking with his roommate Elijah. I watch him for some time, feeling a sense of pride swelling within me.
I pull out my phone and tap a message to him, then hit send. I look back up and watch him some more.
Trevor’s hand goes to his pocket, but he doesn’t remove his phone; he simply continues talking to Elijah, smiling emptily, but I see that his eyes are glossed over, distracted by the text he surely knows is from me.
I don’t know why that amuses me so much, but it does. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I tell him my plans.
Finally, he gives his friend a nod, then slips into the break room. All I see is his backside when he finally pulls out his phone and takes a look. He just stands there for the longest time, which makes me so impatient that I start shifting my weight from leg to leg like a dog waiting to be let out.
After waiting precisely five seconds too long, he only pockets his phone with a short sigh, then disappears into the break room.
I narrow my eyes.
That boy isn’t going to ignore me.
Deciding for some bullshit reason that I totally need to go and check the employee fridge for a yogurt I know isn’t there, I stroll through the office and right into the break room. He’s alone at the counter stirring a cup of coffee with a tiny straw.
He looks up from his cup, and his eyes flash.
“Trevor,” I mutter for a greeting that any boss would give any of his or her employees, then go for the fridge, turning my back on him. I poke through its contents in search for nothing at all.
“Mr. Gage,” he returns to my back.
I draw a long, even breath. “Thought you didn’t like coffee?”
“You can say I’ve acquired a taste.”
I slap shut the fridge, then come up right next to him at the counter—my elbow brushing along his—and reach into one of the cabinets for a mug I totally don’t need. “You’re defying me again.”
“Defying you?”
“That shirt is much too tight,” I warn him, “as are those pants, which are showcasing your cute ass far too perfectly.”
“Oh, we’re doing this again?” he sasses.
For that, I ought to give him a swift smack on that cute butt of his, but I refrain. After all, I’m not just some big horny wildebeest. I’m a gentleman.
And a big horny wildebeest. “With as much cream as you’re putting in that cup there, you’ll be drinking milk before you taste any damned coffee.”
He stiffens up. Then, in a voice that’s hardly there, he replies, “Better than the taste you’ve recently acquired: that of my milk.”
I choke on a laugh as I bring a mug to the counter, then pour my own helping of coffee. “Touché. You get my message?”
“Sure did.”
“And?”
“And no, I’m not free for the weekend,” he whispers so quietly, I have to lean in to catch all his words, “as my totally needy roommate wants to take me out for my first legal drink.”
I fetch one packet of sweetener and flick it twice. “You mean to tell me you’re going to say no to your boss?”
“Yes.” He shakes his head suddenly. “I mean no. I mean, yes, I’m saying no.”
“Do I really fluster you that much?”
He smirks at me. “Discretion,” he hisses at me. “Discretion.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I lean my back against the counter and bring the mug to my lips to give it a little blow. “That’s precisely the reason I want you all to myself this weekend. Discretion.”
“M-Mr. Gage …”
His insistence on formalities in the workplace is so fucking hot to me. “You’re going to cancel your plans with Elijah. Come up with a clever little alibi, I know you can do it. Then get on my jet.”
Trevor’s eyes go wide. “Your jet? Again? What exactly is this ‘plan’ of yours?”
“Do you have a passport?”
The question knocks him in the chest. He can’t even answer me, his mouth parted and his cup of coffee hanging so loose in his grip, he might drop it.
“Yes or no?” I prompt him.
“Yes,” he finally manages to say. “Elijah and I … our families were going to take a trip to Europe last year together. Elijah and I got passports, then the trip was canceled due to funds. As always.”
“Hmm. That’s a pity about Europe. Be at my place after work tomorrow. Bring your passport. It’s all you need.”
Trevor swallows hard. He still hasn’t taken a single sip of his cup of cream-we’ll-call-coffee. To be fair, I haven’t taken a sip of mine, either. “But … B-But I’d need to pack a bag …”
“Nope. I’ve got you covered. I’ll take care of everything. Your clothes, toiletries, and whatever else you may need.” I give him a nudge with my elbow and a swat on the ass so swiftly, he jumps a foot in the air in surprise. “You’re all mine this weekend, Trevor. I’m going to give my favorite intern the birthday getaway that he deserves. Got it?”
Trevor’s little eyes are hollowed out with a perfect cocktail of excitement and fear dancing in them. That’s precisely the reaction I was going for. I love making his adorably bright eyes shrink.
And other things grow.
I wink at him, then push myself away from the counter. “I’ll see you tomorrow after work,” I throw over my shoulder as I strut out of the break room, mug in my hand, and way too proud of myself for my own good.