Ben Loves a Challenge

Though it wasn't uncomfortable enough to hurt, Ben could still feel a slight soreness in his general backside. It was awesome, a constant reminder of his and Dean's weekend together. He couldn't stop thinking about Dean. He pulled out his phone and sent a text.

'My butt hurts. ;)'

'You okay?'

'Good hurt,' he clarified.

'Freak,' Dean sent back almost instantly.

'Your freak,' he replied.

"Someone had a nice weekend," Aisha said, sending his pulse racing. He thrust his phone into his pocket and swivelled his chair around to face her.

"Shit, Aisha, you scared me," he said, looking up at her as she hovered over the top of their shared cubicle wall. Her long black hair was braided today, it draped over her shoulder and into his cubicle.

She smiled. "Sorry. What'd you do this weekend that has you all smiley?" She leaned closer, somehow defying gravity with how far she was in his cube. "Was that Dean?"

He flushed and she laughed. "Yeah," he admitted, there was no point in denying it now. "Weekend was... It was nice."

She smiled like a fox in a hen house. "Did Dean..." He couldn't meet her eyes. "Arrey! Is that what I think it is?"

"Huh? Arrey?" He looked up at her, confused.

She waved his question away. "Hindi, Ben. Mom's in town and I fall back into it. Nevermind that, I wanna know about your necklace." Her eyes moved away from his face and landed on his neck. "Your collar," she whispered, wearing a wicked smile. He tore his hand away and forced it into his lap. He hadn't even realize he'd been touching it.

She disappeared instantly, but he knew better than to be relieved. She popped into his cube a breath later. "He-raam, Ben!" she exclaimed, sweeping into his personal space. It looked like she was visibly restraining herself, her hand posed in mid air only a foot from his collar. "It is, isn't it?" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Dean collared you over the weekend. He-raam, Ben!"

"Too much hindi, Aisha. I can't, I mean. I don't know what you're talking about." He caught his hand before it touched Dean's collar again, it seemed to be a habit he'd quickly developed.

"Liar!" she hissed with a pleased smile. "Dean's seriously into you. He raam!"

"He raam?"

"Oh my god," she defined for him. "Forget that. Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

He was blushing, he knew it. "Dean would be mad if he knew I was talking to you about it."

"Arrey!" She was full of raw energy, barely capable of standing still. "It is. I was right. You two are just about the cutest, most perfect-"

"Shh!" Ben hissed.

Aisha flushed. "Sorry. I'm just so excited! Dean's so possessive, I never woulda guessed. I love it, you two together." She was whispering now, but she was still loud.

"Aisha, not now," he demanded. "Lunch or something. Dean will kill us both."

She shook her head, all smiles. "Nah, he'd kill me, but he'd just punish you."

He flushed harder and she laughed. "You're having lunch with him today, anyway."

"We didn't make any plans to," he said, his brow furrowed.

She gave him a flat stare. "You don't think he's gonna wanna have lunch with you?"

"Fine, you're probably right, but he's weird about public stuff, so I don't know. It might help, if you came. Then it wouldn't be so obvious, like if it was just me and Dean."

She rolled her eyes. "Dude, I know he's not gonna want me there. He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, he's intimidated by you," he clarified.

She cocked her head to the right. "And that's different how? And, how in the world would I intimidate him?"

Ben wasn't sure how much he should tell Aisha, then shrugged the worry off. He wasn't good at lying or keeping secrets. She was right, Dean probably was going to punish him. He looked around for a safe place to talk, his eyes falling on the small conference room, the door open and the light off.

It would work for now. "Conference room," he said, nodding towards it with his head.

"What about it?" she asked, leaning against his desk.

He nodded again, then stood up. "We can talk in there."

"Oh. Oooohhh. Yeah," she agreed, following him into the small room. There weren't any windows in the room except for the small pane next to the door. Ben shut the door and closed the blinds over the window.

Aisha sat on the table. "There're chairs, you know," he said, pulling one of the office chairs out from the table. He sat in it and it instantly began to lower. "Shit... I hate this chair, and somehow I always seem to get it." He got up and moved to the next chair. It didn't sink, it was already on the lowest setting, and refused to move when he went to adjust it.

"All these chairs are broken," Aisha informed him. "Whenever someone's chair breaks, they trade it out with one in here."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Whatever. And, Dean doesn't hate you."

She sniffed. "You sure about that?"

He nodded. "Yup. He doesn't hate you, he thinks you're gorgeous and worries you'll bring me back to my 'straight' senses," he said, using air quotes.

She sniffed again. "Oh yeah? How's that gonna work?"

Ben shrugged. "You're a woman and he still swears I'm not, ah... Gay."

"He thinks you're not gay?"

"Well, he's the first man I've ever been interested in, so it's not like his worry is unfounded. I'm probably more bi than anything else, but I think it might just be that I'm gay for Dean. If that makes sense."

She nodded. "You're a mythical creature, Ben," she said. "The gay dream, to turn a straight guy and train him to love cock."

Ben flushed. "Dean thinks I'm bad, but you're terrible! Don't you have a filter?"

She shook her head. "None that I've found." She looked at her nails. "Gets me in trouble."

"Yeah. I can see that. But, back to the point, Dean doesn't hate you. He thinks I'll finally realize that this whole 'dating a guy' thing was just a phase and you'll be there, and since you're a dom, I think he might worry that you'd be able to replace him, like, for me, for, ah, that kinda stuff." He couldn't look at her. Dean would be pissed if he knew what they were talking about.

She laughed. "Yeah, well, that's not happening. Even if I wanted to try to seduce you, which I don't, no offence, I wouldn't. I am absolutely in love with your relationship."

"That makes no sense at all," he said with a sigh.

"So Dean thinks I'm beautiful?" she asked, peeking up at him.

"Well, you are, aren't you?" Why did girls never think they were pretty? He'd never understand.

She blushed. "I dunno. I mean, I'm a speciality, right? A brown girl? People still get me confused with muslim women. Hell, that guy from your old posse, Justin, he asked me the other day why I didn't wear a burka, and when I told him I wasn't muslim he looked at me like I was the dumb one."

"I never said he was smart," Ben said, feeling like he had to defend himself for Justin's ignorance.

Her eyes rolled up. "Yeah, well..."

"He'd fuck you in a heartbeat, if you offered," Ben said.

"You sound so sure. I think that guy, both him and Hugh, they're all talk."

Ben snorted. "I can assure you they are not. They will fuck anything remotely female that moves, as long as it's willing. That's at least one thing good about them, they don't ever force anyone, and they don't push past a girl's limits, even if they do destroy them socially if they back out."

"What wonderful people. You did, too?"

He looked away. "Nah. I had Laura. My ex. We'd been together for five years. I bought a house with her." He sighed, but found it didn't hurt anymore. It was more melancholy, and realizing that was such a relief. "Didn't mess around on her, but I didn't stop Justin or Hugh from doing their thing."

"Yeah, well, you've changed. Is that why Laura left you? Cause of who you were before Dean?"

She was perceptive, he hadn't thought of it like that, but she was right. He nodded. "I shoulda-"

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda, Ben. That's done. It doesn't matter." She pursed her lips. "Nevermind the asshole posse brigade. I wanna talk about this," she said, reaching out towards his collar.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he hedged, realizing as he said it how much it confirmed her suspicions.

"You're adorable, Ben, you really are. A day collar, right? Dean collared you this weekend. You're like, official-official now."

"What do you mean, official-official?"

She bit her lip. "What'd Dean tell you, about your collar?"

He studied his hands. "Um... I didn't say it was-"

"Don't lie to me," she said, her voice firm like Dean's could be, though it didn't affect him the same way. It was enough, though, to stop him from talking. "God, you're so super submissive. You'd be so fun to play with."

"Are you a sadist?" he asked, deflecting, and also because he was curious. Dean didn't seem like a sadist, except when he was switched on like he could get.

She laughed at him. "Of course I am, I'm a dom. Subs enjoy pain, and I enjoy making them writhe in it. You wanna try me, to compare notes?"

"God no!" he exclaimed, his face hot. "Aisha!"

She laughed again. "I wasn't serious, though I could probably teach Dean a few things, if he wanted. Your collar, Ben. When'd he collar you?"

He chewed his cheek, thinking about if he wanted to answer her or not, then decided it didn't matter, she'd eventually wear him down anyway, or guess right and his face would confirm it. "Friday night."

She squealed. "Did you spend the whole weekend with him?"

He flushed. "Are we done here?"

"So I'm right, it's a day collar. Can I see it?"

"I'd rather not," he said, his fingers trailing on the links.

She watched him for a minute, then squeed again. "So cute! You two are so freaking cute it hurts. Ben, you lucky boy. I wish someone cherished me even a shred as much as Dean does you."

He flushed and adjusted his collar, feeling a variety of emotions he couldn't sort out all at once. "I should get back to work," he said.

She sighed. "Yeah, I suppose so. But, seriously, so freaking cute, Ben."

"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed. "Let's go." He opened the conference room door and stepped into the hallway, barely avoiding a collision with Hugh. He startled, stepping back into Aisha, who squeaked in surprise.

"What the hell, Ben!" she snapped, pushing him out of her way. "You stepped on my toes..." She trailed off as she met Hugh's stare.

Ben instantly recognized how it must look, coming out of an empty conference room with a woman, and his face still flushed from their conversation. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, trying his best to be nonchalant.

"I thought you were gay, Ben," Hugh said, sounding so fucking self-satisfied that he wanted to punch the words out of his mouth. "But now I'm wondering if you just have a thing for freaks." He eyed Aisha like she was a carnival sideshow.

"Fuck you, Hugh. You're such a Jack." Aisha spat. "You don't even-"

Ben put a hand up to shut her up, and surprisingly, it worked. "Don't you have auditions to hold for my place in the posse?"

Hugh barked out a laugh. "Posse? Whatever. I guess I'm glad you got over your little bi-curious stage, but to be with a... well, her." He shrugged. "Not much better."

"I don't actually care if you approve or not, and I definitely didn't ask for your opinion. Don't you have something productive to do with your time, other than make up rumors like an old biddy?" He rolled his eyes, so over everything with Hugh.

"You make me sick," Hugh growled. "I feel contaminated, I thought you were cool, but all that time you were nothing but a sick freak."

Aisha's face was red and he could tell she wanted to speak her mind, but at work she was still new and Hugh was established. "Sick freak or not, Aisha and I were just having a conversation, nothing more. We aren't a thing, so don't go flapping your gossipy ass all over the office. Find some real news, or better yet, do your actual job for a change of pace, eh?"

Hugh's lip curled up into a sneer he'd never seen directed at him before. "You're both freaks. You deserve each other."

"Why can't we just be friends," Aisha spat, unable to control her anger. "Women aren't just fucktoys, Hugh."

"Men aren't friends with women," Hugh replied as if it were common knowledge and Aisha was too innocent, or naive, to understand. "And if they act like they are, they're just waiting for you to show a moment of weakness to get you to jump on their dick."

"Not everyone is like you, you giant walking herpes complex," she hissed.

Hugh looked confused then shrugged it off. He smiled cruelly, shaking his head in disappointment. "So young," he said. "Remember when we were still innocent like that, Ben? Still... If you give him the chance, Aisha, he'll take it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'm not like you," Ben growled, turning Aisha around before she tried to claw his eyes out. He pushed her towards their cubicles. "Don't talk to me again."

"Damn straight you're not like me. You're a freak, Ben. A perversion of nature. We're not in the same league. Hell, we aren't even playing the same game."

"Do you ever shut up?" Aisha hissed as he pushed her down the hall. "You're ignorance is gonna contaminate the whole office!"

"Hush," Ben told her, refusing to look back to see if Hugh was watching or not. "Sorry. That was my fault."

"Oh, he's such a douche, Ben. He so needs a spanking. Maybe some restraints and denial. That'd change his tune real fast."

"Hey, he's not worth it, don't let him get under your skin." He gave her a nudge towards her cube. "Hey," he said before she disappeared inside. "You called him Jack?"

She turned back to him. "It's what we call bad clients at the dungeon. A Jack. Real assholes, ones who try shit, or wanna hurt girls. Shit like that. The slimeballs."

"Oh. Sorry again."

Aisha deflated a little. "He's gonna get Dean all worked up."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, probably." She bit her lip, looking sorry, then ducked into her cube.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to find he'd missed three text messages and a call. His mother had called first, then sent two texts. He ignored the call and read her texts. 'Benjamin, it's your mother. Thanksgiving is Thursday, are you coming?' He rolled his eyes at his mother's tech non-sauviness. Of course he knew it was her. The second text read, 'And are you bringing Laura?'

He pursed his lips, not sure how to read the Laura text. His mother knew they'd broken up a while ago. He looked up at the calendar next to his desk and realized she was right, somehow Thanksgiving was Thursday. He wasn't sure why she even asked, he always came home for Thanksgiving.

The third text was from Molly, who must have gotten the same call as him, or maybe the same texts, or probably both. 'Mom wants me to somehow convince Laura to come to Thanksgiving so you two can make up. Just a heads up.'

'You can't!' he texted his sister back.

'I def won't. She's a bitch. You coming?'

His sister never did like Laura. It was a mutual feeling, actually. Laura didn't like that he and Molly were as close as they were, though since the break up he'd been distant. 'Yes. Might bring a guest.'

'Mystery guest?'

He chuckled. 'Yup'

He put his phone away when his desk phone rang, then fell into work for a while. The sound of a clearing throat right behind him made him jump. "Shit, Dean!" he gasped, swivelling around in his chair, excited to see his boyfriend.

Or, he would've been, if Dean's face hadn't been the way too neutral mask he wore when he was upset about something. "Can we talk?"

He looked at his computer and found that it was well past lunch. "You eat yet?"

"No," Dean said, biting his lip nervously. Ben's eyes locked onto the motion, imagining Dean's teeth on his skin.

"Let's get something to eat," he offered, standing up to grab his coat. Dean looked conflicted, and Ben knew it was about Hugh's freaking water cooler gossip. "Come on, my treat."

Aisha peeked her head into his cube, then flushed when Dean glared at her. She disappeared back into her own workspace. "Sorry," she whispered loudly.

"It's fine," Ben dismissed. Dean was still glaring in her general direction. "Come on, Dean." He reached out and took Dean's hand. At first Dean flinched as if to pull away, then he must have changed his mind as he squeezed hard enough that Ben flinched. Dean dropped his hand and shoved his own in his pockets.

"Where'd you wanna go?"

Ben shrugged. "Somewhere we can talk without an audience."

"I'm driving," Dean said, then lead him to his car.

"You okay?" Ben asked, growing more nervous by the second as they ticked went on without anything from Dean.

Dean sank into his car and Ben followed suit. "Is it true?"

Ben's whole body tensed. "Is what true?"

"You were in a conference room making out with Aisha Battacharyya?"

He laughed once, harsh. "Absolutely not. I was in a conference room with Aisha, but we were talking about you."

Dean's hands tensed on the steering wheel. "I'm trying very hard not to be possessive, Ben. I'm trying not to let my jealousy make me act out. Please explain."

Ben wanted to reach out and cover Dean's hand with his own, but he was worried it would push Dean too far. "She knew, the second she saw me, about the collar. I didn't want anyone else to overhear our conversation, so we stepped into an unused conference room." Dean was trembling. Screw it, he wasn't holding back. He closed his hand over Dean's on the steering wheel, then squeezed gently.

"She's so pretty," Dean muttered. "And she's a dom."

Ben sighed. "Listen, Dean. I'll say this as many times as you need to hear it, and then I'll say it again. I love you. I'm submissive, for you. I'm not submissive in general. I've never had urges or the desire to submit before I met you. The thought of Aisha spanking me is repulsive. Is she pretty? She is. Am I attracted to her? How could I be? I don't have any room left inside me that isn't filled with you."

Dean stayed frozen in place for another moment while Ben tried to think of something to say that would make it better. Before anything came to mind, Dean blew out the breath he'd been holding. "Hugh is spreading around that you're getting handsy with Aisha."

"We kinda bumped into him as we were going back to our desks, then Aisha almost clawed his eyes out. That's my bad. I'm sorry Hugh is an asshole. He's feeling betrayed, I think, so he's lashing out, trying to... get back at me." He almost said punish, but he didn't want to upset Dean.

Dean started the car and drove. "Okay. Yea. Can... Can I punish you? For being alone with a beautiful woman?"

He moaned softly in his throat. "Don't ever ask if you can punish me again, Dean."

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just, I didn't-"

"I'm your bitch, Dean. It's your job to punish me when you think I deserve it. Anytime. Anywhere. I'm yours. You don't ask the person in trouble if they want to be disciplined. You take them in hand."

Dean's cheeks were red. "Oh. Sure. Yea."

The car was quiet for a while. Dean pulled into the parking lot of the Jimmy John's, then glanced at Ben. Ben smiled at him and Dean returned the smile, but suddenly it was his dominant smile. "Are you allergic to any foods?"

He almost asked why, then shut his mouth and shook his head, swallowing hard.

"I asked you a question, bitch."

"No, Sir," he whispered, his throat growing tight.

He fidgeted in his seat as Dean unbuckled his seatbelt. "Stay. I'll be back in a minute."

"Yes, Sir."

He squirmed the whole time Dean was inside, thinking about how Dean might discipline him. He was half hard by the time Dean returned to the car with a bag of sandwiches. He climbed into the car, his eyes catching on Ben's obvious half-cocked member tenting his black slacks. They moved up his body and landed on his collar. Ben found his fingers tracing over the links and blushed.