Page 1 of Killer Daddy (Fendi Mafia Daddies #2)
Benjamin
‘Okay, play it cool, play it cool,’ Benjamin said as he took a deep breath outside Flowers on Fifth. ‘You’ve got this…’
Benjamin was about to start the first day of a week-long trial at Flowers on Fifth, a super-cute florist he had been eying up ever since he moved to the city.
Having always had a passion for flowers and spent many hours of his childhood frolicking amongst the flowers in his back garden and around his house, Benjamin felt an affinity to the colors, smells, and senses that being around a vast array of flowers provoked in him.
And here he was, aged twenty-three, and ready to take his first step toward his ultimate dream – to own his own florist. First of course, Benjamin would need to learn his trade and prove his worth.
Being a great florist was way more than sticking a bunch of flowers in a vase.
Benjamin wanted to make art with his arrangements.
And he knew from all the good reviews that Flowers on Fifth was one of the best gems in the city when it came to innovative arrangements, great customer service, and super-cool vibes.
With his blonde hair neatly combed and his emerald-green eyes alive with possibility of what was in store for him on his first day, Benjamin took one final deep breath and entered the store…
‘Benjamin! You’re early,’ Mrs. Ramos said, a broad smile on his face. ‘Now that’s the kind of enthusiasm I like to see. Okay, why don’t you come on behind the counter and I’ll show you the basics.’
‘Sure thing, Mrs. Ramos,’ Benjamin said, immediately feeling welcome and picking up on the fact that Mrs. Ramos was genuinely happy to see him. ‘I’m ready to learn!’
‘That’s good,’ Mrs. Ramos smiled. ‘Now, let’s begin…’
What followed was a wonderful first morning of learning how the open-hearted and welcoming Mrs. Ramos ran the store on a day to day basis.
Of course, Benjamin would have loved to have jumped right in and got his hands on some flowers, but he knew that Mrs. Ramos was doing things her way – and Benjamin was happy to be patient and wait for his chance to get down to the real fun stuff.
As far as Benjamin was concerned, this was a long term project for him.
The fact that he was willing to commute for an hour to get to the store was only one sign of how committed he was to making a success of this dream.
Benjamin knew that it might be quite some time before he was allowed to work on his own designs, but that was okay.
Before anything else, he wanted to show willingness to listen, learn, and work his butt off – and suitably impress Mrs. Ramos enough to pass the trial run with flying colors.
‘Okay, sweetie, take your break,’ Mrs. Ramos said, a few hours into the first morning. ‘And make sure to give that delightful little creature in your backpack some water too!’
‘Oh, you mean Tricksy?’ Benjamin asked, blushing as he looked over toward his backpack and saw his stuffie poking its head out the top of the partially open zipper. ‘He’s kind of… a lucky charm. And… the best friend in the world.’
‘It’s okay, there’s no need to be embarrassed,’ Mrs. Ramos smiled, putting her arm around Benjamin. ‘I think he’s adorable.’
With that, Benjamin duly took his backpack and went to sit outside the store for a few minutes.
With the sun beating down on him and a fun first morning under his belt, Benjamin was beginning to feel like this trial might work out pretty, pretty well for him.
And what was even better was the fact that his soon to be boss wasn’t in the slightest bit put off by the sight of Tricksy, Benjamin’s most cherished stuffie.
Benjamin knew that some people could be a little weirded out by the whole Little thing.
In fact, he had even faced bullying at other jobs because of having a stuffie and enjoying coloring and listening to nursery rhymes.
But from first impressions, it looked like Mrs. Ramos would have absolutely no problem with anything like this.
‘Okay, Tricksy, let’s drink our juice and get ready to get back to work,’ Benjamin said, popping open his mango and pineapple juice box. ‘I think we’re going to like it here. In fact, I think we might just like it a whole lot!’
Benjamin took a long sip on his juice and let the sun’s warm rays hit his face.
Life in the city could sometimes be fast, tough, and even a little bit overwhelming for a Little. But maybe, just maybe, Benjamin had found his perfect place in the shape of Flowers on Fifth.
Of course, for his dream to truly become a reality, Benjamin would have to ensure that the rest of his week-long trial went as well as the first morning…
PRESENT DAY
‘Warm milk in the morning, I just love to drink it!’ Benjamin giggled as he took his seat at the kitchen table and looked out onto the early morning city street below. ‘And I know you do too, Tricksy.’
Benjamin playfully pushed a small espresso cup of warm milk toward his darling stuffie and smiled.
It was such a nice feeling to know that his days of long commutes into the city were a thing of the past. Benjamin still woke up early, but instead of hustling and bustling his way to the train station and worrying about delays or struggling to find a seat, Benjamin could now have a slow and leisurely start to the day.
‘It’ll be time for my commute soon,’ Benjamin giggled. ‘All thirty seconds of it!’
After his week-long trial, Benjamin had been delighted to hear Mrs. Ramos say that she wanted Benjamin to work with her for the long haul. And what was even better was the fact that along with the job came the small apartment above the store.
The apartment consisted of one bedroom, a kitchen and living area, and a bathroom.
And that was pretty much it. Mrs. Ramos had given Benjamin free reign to decorate it as he wished, and Benjamin had very much taken her up on that offer and was using the walls as color inspiration for all the flower arrangements he had buzzing around in his head.
This place is great.
Mrs. Ramos is the best.
Although one day a little garden might just be nice…
Benjamin looked around his bijou home. To say it was small might be an understatement.
But that didn’t change the fact that it was absolutely perfect for Benjamin as far as he was concerned.
With no rent to pay and just about enough space for his toys, crafts, and design inspiration mood boards, Benjamin’s home was absolutely the ideal place for him to rest, relax, and get to work out of hours on coming up with his own signature style of flower arranging.
All in all, Benjamin was super-happy with how his life was turning out.
One day in the distant future he knew that he wanted his own florist where he could make all the calls and really let his creativity fly.
But for now he was more than happy to live and learn from the expert teaching of Mrs. Ramos.
Benjamin took a sip of his perfectly warmed milked and let out a sigh of quiet satisfaction.
I landed on my feet.
I’ve got everything a Little could ask for.
Well, apart from one thing…
Benjamin rolled his eyes as his mind wandered toward thoughts of Daddies.
It was true that a big part of Benjamin felt like he wanted a true Daddy Dom in his life.
As fun as it was to be working on his career goals and having fun with his fellow Little friends, Benjamin couldn’t deny the fact that he was increasingly spending a lot more time dreaming of what kind of Daddy might make his life even better.
And speaking of Littles and Daddies, Benjamin looked at his phone and saw that his group chat was waking up for the morning.
‘Okay, guys, what’s happening now?’ Benjamin giggled, wondering exactly what had prompted Reece and Kyan to start messaging so early in the morning…
REECE: Good morning, good morning, goooood morning! Okay, so… my butt’s a teeny-weeny bit sore this morning
KYAN: Waaaaaaaaa? We’re going to need more deets. Way more deets!
REECE: Very gruff Daddy. I think it was a fun one time thing. But he knew how to work a paddle, that’s for sure XoXo
Benjamin felt himself blush as he imagined Reece with his briefs down and taking a long paddling from a hot Daddy.
It wasn’t that Benjamin was a prude or anything.
He loved it when his friends talked about all the naughty things they did.
But as far as Benjamin was concerned, he was very much of the mindset that he only wanted to do that kind of thing with a Daddy he knew and trusted.
Benjamin began typing out his reply for the group as the messages continued to flood in…
BENJAMIN: Well I really want to hear more about this. How about we save the really juicy parts for when we meet up at the Bubble Palace later? XoXo
KYAN: Yay! Bubble Palace time! I can’t wait. And my Daddy said that he’ll drop me off and collect me too. Oh, and I’ll try and sneak some candy out from our house XoXo.
REECE: Sounds like a good idea. And trust me, I will fill you in on the details of my fun last night when we’re all together. How this spanking ended will make you blush even harder than I know you already are Benjamin! LOL! XoXoXo
Benjamin let out a big laugh that echoed around his kitchen area. And it was a good job that he’d already swallowed his milk otherwise it would have sprayed across the walls.
It felt good to have friends who understood him and didn’t judge Benjamin even if he was a little shyer than them sometimes. Benjamin couldn’t wait to get to the Bubble Palace later after work, but right now he had far more pressing matters to consider – namely, opening up Flowers on Fifth.
With Mrs. Ramos being back in Spain to look after her elderly father, Benjamin had been entrusted with the task of running the store on a day to day basis. Mrs. Ramos was only ever a videocall away if Benjamin needed to check anything or discuss any orders, but so far things were working out well.
In fact, Mrs. Ramos said that Benjamin should consider this as an early trial run for when he had his own place one day.
Truly, Benjamin appreciated this kind of open-hearted generosity so much.
Some bosses would go out of their way to keep an employee from dreaming big, but as far as Mrs. Ramos was concerned, her role was to help build Benjamin to be the best florist he could be with a view to one day branching out on his own.
Benjamin stood up from his chair and stretched his arms above his head.
With the sound of the city slowly waking up outside his window, he knew it was time to strip out of his pale blue sailor teddy bear pajama set and hit the shower.
Arranging flowers all day was a busy job, and Benjamin wanted to start the day feeling as fresh and clean as he possibly could.
‘You stay there, Tricksy,’ Benjamin smiled. ‘When I’m done in the shower, I’ll make us some toast and chocolate spread. And remember, I’ll know if you’ve sneaked into the cupboard and dipped your sweet little green mouth into the spread!’
Benjamin giggled away to himself and made the short crossing from the kitchen into the bathroom.
Something inside him said that this was going to be a good day.
And with the promise of meeting up with his good friends later ahead too, Benjamin was about as eager and enthusiastic to hit his stride as any Little in the whole city.
And with his mind still fizzing from Reece’s spanking report, Benjamin might even spare himself a couple of extra minutes in the shower to allow his imagination to run wild. After all, with the hot water cascading down on his body, no one would be able to see him blush!