For His Pleasure

48

"If you can't paint a banana, how will you ever paint my dick, Sofia?" He shook his head at me, chuckling quietly, "and I'll get cold just being naked. Shrinkage, you know..."

"I'm just joking. Wear whatever you like," I gave him a quick kiss, smiling widely.

"I'm excited now," he grinned, "I've never been painted before."

"Don't get your hopes up too high," I then warned him, "I'm still practicing."

__

With a glass of wine in hand I took a step back to examine the sketch of Ben on the primed canvas that I'd spent the last hour making.

"Can I see?" He asked from a chair I'd sat him in, having told him to just be casual.

"Yes," I replied, surprised at how pleased I was with the sketch.

I would paint it later, since it was now getting rather late.

Ben stood up and made his way to stand beside me, focusing in on the sketch. He was quiet for a moment while I nervously waited for his opinion.

"That's very interesting," he finally told me, "you're going for a cubistic feel?"

"What?" I turned to him with furrowed brows, "no, I'm trying to make it realistic... you think it looks cubistic?"

"Oh, no," he quickly shook his head and chuckled to himself, "I was looking at it wrong, sorry. It'll look great once you paint it."

"Ben..." I hesitated, now taking another glance at the sketch.

"Hey, you're talented," he rested his arm over my shoulders and kissed my head, "I want to have it framed."

"Really?" My smile widened and I looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

He nodded solemnly and slowly leaned in to kiss me, "yes. If you're ever up for it, I think my father would love a painted portrait of himself."

"Oh, that's a fantastic idea!" I gasped happily, "I have to ask him the next time we talk."

His phone began suddenly ringing in his pocket, and he pulled back his arm to see who it was.

"I need to take this, give me two minutes," Ben muttered, seeming confused at whoever was calling him at this hour of the night.

I couldn't be too bothered with it as I felt such pride in my sketch. I finished my glass of wine and took it and his empty glass into the kitchen, where I placed them in the dishwasher.

Ben entered, the call having been rather short. He seemed stressed, the muscles on his shoulders tense.

"Is everything okay?" I wondered, making him look up at me from the screen of his phone before he slipped it back into his pocket.

"Yeah," he brushed it off, just looking at me deep in thought for a moment, "actually, no."

My brows furrowed and I stepped up to him, "what happened? Is your father alright?"

"He's fine. D'you remember that new woman we hired to take your old job?" Ben uncomfortably cleared his throat and looked away while I nodded, "she was killed half an hour ago."

"What?" I complete and utter shock I took an abrupt step back from him, my hand flying up to place itself over my heart.

"A client..." he offered me a tightlipped look, clearly feeling bad to be saying this as the same risks had existed during the time I worked there, "in a hotel room. Vinnie and the guys got there too late."

I frowned, "that's terrible, I feel so bad for her family."

"She had none."

"Oh..." I felt even worse, "still, it's horrible. Do you— I don't know. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he shrugged, "she was one of ours, so that's not the best feeling. Barely knew her though, so... You had that job, Sofia."

"I know," I sighed and looked down at my socks, "it's very risky, especially if you leave a public place with a client."

"I feel bad for her," he told me, "and it's not nice to think about you having had a job like that, and the fact that I tried to keep you in it, knowing the risks."

"Yes, well..." I breathed out, "it's in the past. I've forgiven you."

We were both quiet, just looking at each other. I felt completely floored by him looking so tired and sexy, but at the same time I wanted to hug him and rid him of any worries. I knew that moral guilt and life-ending decisions came with being the Don, but I didn't want Ben to have to live with such things.

"Do they need you there?" I broke the silence, my voice very quiet in the dimness of my home as it was pitch black darkness outside.

"No. Vinnie just called to inform me about it," he explained, ridding himself of his suit jacket and placing it on the back of a chair in the kitchen, "there'll be a lot of shit to take care of when I get back."

"Who killed her?" I had to ask, being rather well acquainted with most powerful men, especially in the city.

Ben closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, no longer facing me, "Winston Horan."

I fell silent, knowing it wasn't too long ago that I had been in Winston Horan's suite doing the same job that this new woman had done.

"Wow," I shook my head in disbelief, "that's... I don't even know."

"He was such a pig to you. I felt so angry at him and helpless when he was just flirting with you like that," Ben ran a hand through his hair, dark eyes meeting mine again, "and now angry at myself for even having made you be in the same room as him."

Not knowing or wanting to say anything, I closed the distance between us to hug him tightly, hoping it'd make him feel even the tiniest bit better. A relieved breath left his lips as he hugged back, arms around my shoulders.

"I'm in love with you," I whispered, too afraid to meet his eyes and felt content listening to his steady heartbeat. Maybe this was the wrong time to tell him, but I was intent on doing everything in my power to lessen his stress and worries.

For a moment it was complete silence, until I felt him kiss the top of my head and tighten his arms around my shoulders.

"I'm in love with you too, sweetheart."