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“What about me?”
“Where were you born, your life, anything?”
The entire table became silent as if I’d unknowingly stepped over a line everyone else knew never to cross.
“Dinner has been lovely. You all finish up. Crew, safe travels tomorrow and I will see you on Monday.” He simply rose from his seat, a tight smile adorning his face, and walked out.
“Shit, what’d I say?”
“You couldn’t know, don’t worry.” Jay tried to brush off the obvious offense I’d caused.
“Thing is, no one knows Mr. Asher’s story. Not a single one of us. He’s locked up tighter than Fort Knox, and ain’t nothing you or anyone does will open that safe. Not even Dane, his shadow, knows his complete story.” The man talking to me went by Gogo. I’d met him earlier as I toured the estate. He was also stunning, like all the other guys. He was Japanese, with long, shiny, inky hair, dark eyes, and lips so perfectly plump you’d swear they were surgically made.
“Damn,” I whispered as I stared at the remainder of my food.
“I get the feeling whatever his past is, it’s bad. I once asked him when I started if he had kids or anything, and I swear, the anguish on the man’s face, although short lived, hurt my heart,” Tyler said.
My gaze instinctively moved to the door where Ben had left. Curiosity obviously wanted to know his deal, but some part of me also wondered if his secrecy was for safety. Maybe talking about it would open flood gates he couldn’t close. Or maybe his past is as dangerous as wanting to kiss the man was.
After dinner a few of the guys had to get ready for events. Some had clients coming by. I didn’t want to get in the way, and I was heading out early the next morning for my flight back to Vegas. I had seen an exercise room on the bottom floor so I went to the bedroom they offered me, took out a tank top and basketball shorts from my duffle, changed, and made my way down. I was too hyper to sleep and exercise tired me.
The exercise room had it all. I stretched and made my way to the treadmill first. It was my favorite way to warm up. I must have been in there for over an hour when I heard someone enter. I turned and saw Ben. He was in his own workout gear and had a towel hanging around his neck.
“Hi,” I said stupidly.
“Good evening.” He went over to one of the benches without saying anything further.
Out of the corner of my eye I watched his routine. It wasn’t a body builder’s regimen. He strictly wanted to stay in shape.
I felt bad about overstepping at dinner, so when he walked by me, I took the opportunity to apologize.
“I’m sorry.” Of course, I blurted it out and I wondered where all my amazing finesse had gone. This man was making me stupid.
“For?” He quirked a brow.
“I didn’t mean to be invasive at dinner. I wasn’t aware your past, Hell anything about you, was off limits.”
He gave a curt nod. “I don’t mingle in such things. I’m not a fan of blurring the lines. I’m your boss therefore it’s best you know me only as such.”
It was an awful answer, one that made me want to pry even more.
“I get that, but you know, sharing who you are with your employees doesn’t blur any lines, Mr. Asher. It makes you relatable.”
He chuckled darkly, something clouded over his expression, and his response sent a shiver down my spine.
“Nothing about my past is relatable to any of you. My story is born in nightmares and grows when it’s acknowledged, Crew. I do everyone a favor by shutting you all out of it.” He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving me standing there wondering what monsters haunted that man, and how maybe unbeknownst to Ben, he’d fractured the secure bubble around himself, inviting me in.
5
Ben
I wasn’t sure what scared me more, the fact that Crew was so easily able to counter my reasons for privacy, or that, for the first time in my life, I considered telling someone about my past. He was far more dangerous than any other escort under my roof.
I slept for shit that night, tossing and turning. Screams and cries echoed through my head, the smell of blood and sweat almost suffocating me until I gasped awake. Of course, this made me short tempered and irritable from the second I woke.
Crew had already left to catch his flight back to Vegas when I entered the dining hall for a late breakfast. Good mornings directed my way were met with grunts. I didn’t trust my own words.
“Mr. Asher, you have a meeting in half an hour with the new photography agency for the yearly Supernal picture. Shall I direct them to your office upon arrival?” Dane had a tablet in hand, oblivious to or uncaring about my bad mood.
