Loving The Corporate Prince Ch. 09-10

Copyright © 2021 by M.J. Moréo

All rights reserved. This book or any portion of, may not be reproduced, used, or distributed in any manner without prior written permission of the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations for critical reviews and other non-commercial uses.

Trigger Warning:

This book contains scenes that may trigger dysphoria including transphobia and penetrative intercourse (not at the same time). This book contains kink scenes including limb restriction and more. If these are themes you are not prepared to handle, please do not continue. Always read and play responsibly!

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⟡ CHAPTER NINE ⟡

DUSTIN

Dustin hadn't seen River, except for in class, in what felt like a few weeks. It had to have only been two at the most, yet for some reason, the slight twinge of crispness in the air made it feel like eons had passed.

'Is autumn here already?'

At the beginning, Dustin didn't think anything of it. The absence of River left his body cold, but he was always there to text and he got to see his gorgeous dark haired man every Tuesday and Thursday. Still, absence makes the heart grow fonder? Of course. But does absence make the heart grow lonely?

'I miss him so much,' Dustin thought with a sigh.

BZZ!

'Hey stud!'

Dustin's heart leapt through his chest at the vibrations from his phone. Had anyone been in his apartment with him that day, they surely would have asked what he was smiling so wide about.

'Well hello there handsome :]' replied Dustin, that late, Monday evening. 'You at work?'

'Of course. Didn't I tell you? I live here now. p.s. I miss you. A lot.'

At first, Dustin didn't know how to respond. He wanted to tell River to just stop working altogether. That he could take care of the both of them. That River would never have to worry again but he knew deep down that he appreciated the fact that for the first time, someone wanted to take care of him as well. Someone knew of his status but cared enough about him to make sure that he felt like he wasn't being used - even at the detriment of River's time.

Dustin's body ached for River to a point that all the want in his chest balled into an anxious orb and floated around his throat.

'I was literally just thinking about how much I miss you when you texted. When can I see you again?'

'That must be what the ringing in my ears was, but aside from in class tomorrow?' River replied. 'I'm not sure. :[ My next day off isn't until next Wednesday.'

'What about after class tomorrow? We could have a date in between work and school like last time? P.s. were your ears really ringing?'

'OK, it might have to be cut a bit short because I'm falling behind with homework from work-work but I'm down. P.p.s.s. They really were xP'

The two agreed on their date, leaving Dustin feeling a little empty. He wasn't completely sure how River working overtime was worth it for them. Maybe he's got a little more money, but now he's falling behind in school and he's got no time to spend it.

Dustin sighed, sending little heart emojis to River before attempting to rest on what would be a sleepless night.

✧

Dustin sat at the back of the class, chatting with Stephanie and giggling about nothing when the professor entered. A few minutes passed and the class filled up. The lights went low and Mr. Hope turned the projector on once again, letting his drone fill up the room, like always, with talks of what makes a "good" story.

River's seat had yet to be filled and both Stephanie and Dustin's eyes met with wordless questions.

'Have you seen him?'

Dustin shook his head, burrowing his brow with concern. Stephanie looked around, as if to make sure he wasn't just sitting somewhere else. Suddenly, the door flung open and River entered, rushing silently to his seat. A sigh of relief escaped both the blondes when the dark-haired man entered, but their concern would be reignited once he got closer and sat down.

Dark circles sat beneath River's bloodshot eyes. His hair wasn't exactly a mess, but he didn't have his usual groomed appearance. He searched his book bag for his folders and notebooks frantically. So frantically, that both Stephanie and Dustin couldn't hide the concern on their faces.

The usually warm man behind them had yet to say hello to either of them or even make eye contact. Instead, he continued searching his bag until it appeared that what he was looking for, simply wasn't there. He looked up to Dustin and made the air signal for a writing utensil.

Dustin nodded and handed him his extra. The moment River reached for it, their eyes met for the first time that day. Dustin held his grip on the pencil just a bit tighter, so River could take a moment to pause.

"Are you OK?" Dustin whispered.

River responded with a heavy sigh, as if he was somehow exhaling the tension in his muscles, and nodded.

"I'm exhausted," he said with a small smile that hadn't quite made it to his glossy eyes. Dustin's grip on the pencil loosened as he watched River look through his paperwork before burying his eye sockets in his palms.

Dustin looked down, traveling to River's frustrations, seeing that the papers he brought were only half completed and for the wrong class. Dustin's heart broke for River and molded into an anxiety of his own.

'Poor thing is a mess... I hate him working all these hours just to go on a silly date with me. He's ruining his life just because he doesn't want me to pay for things... That's just not fair.'

Dustin began scribbling on a note before chucking it to River.

'I know we had plans for a little date tonight but why don't we just go back to my place and I'll make you some food and catch you up on notes?'

'Are you sure? I fucking brought the wrong folder for this class. It feels worthless for me to even be here right now.'

'Nope. Not worthless. Not even close because one - you get to see me and Steph and we get to see you! Two - attendance is part of the grade, remember? Plus - I'm sure. 100%'

'OK. I'll stop at home real quick and grab my stuff then I'll meet you at your place.'

'Perfect'

Dustin chucked the note back to River, along with his own assignment and raised his hand, bluntly interrupting the professor's presentation.

"Um! Hey Mr. Hope? I didn't get a worksheet, could someone pass one back?"

River felt the second-hand embarrassment as everyone in class turned their heads toward the back, sending judging looks Dustin's way. Had Dustin not been so determined to help River, he might have noticed, but his mind was elsewhere and he couldn't give a single fuck what his classmates thought. Neither could the professor because without skipping a beat in his lecture, a paper was sent to the back of the class and everybody moved on.

'Thank you,' River mouthed at Dustin

✧

Dustin's heart leapt as he sat in the drive-thru, ready to pick meals up for River and himself. A mildly-hot and greasy meal seemed to be exactly what River needed. At least, it always made Dustin feel a little bit better when he needed a small pick-me-up.

He raced back to his apartment and headed inside, trailing a smell stream of french fries and burgers behind him. Thankfully, River arrived moments later, and Dustin flung his front door open only to wrap his muscular arms completely around the shorter man's rib cage.

They buried their faces in the crooks of each other's necks, inhaling each other's aromas like a hound catching a scent. They wanted to keep the comfort there and let it linger forever, but they broke their embrace when River's guts rumbled.

"You sound hungry, let's get in here and eat. I hope you like burgers. I got one of the fake ones in case you're like a vegetarian..."

River's face burned bright red.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought you were just gonna cook somethin' cheap and easy. Let me grab some cash -"

"No no no, River. Remember? I offered. Please."

"That would make, how many times now?"

Rivers' stare was penetrating and however he may or may not have intended it - icy.

"It's not a big deal. Trust me, it would have cost me more to cook the food in this house than to stop through a drive-thru, OK? You know what's more important to me right now? Getting food in your belly and getting you caught up."

"I think you might have just as much of a problem letting people pay you back as I do letting people pay for me. Can you let me make this even?"

Dustin was caught off guard.

"Yeah, you can make it even." He said, accepting the cash from River.

The two stood in the middle of Dustin's apartment, awkwardly as Dustin mulled over what River had said. Soon, he felt River's hand on his cheek.

"Hey," River whispered. "I promise, that even if you don't pay for everything, I'll still stick around, OK?"

Dustin had no idea how much he needed to hear that until it was said. He never considered that to be a problem for himself, but then again, he rarely had relationships where people saw him the way River did. They smiled and kissed before they ate their meal together and Dustin could tell whenever money was brought up after that point, River was fighting exhausted tears from falling.

Dustin caught the way River's jaw clenched and his eyes glossed over, only before he'd look anywhere but Dustin's face. His leg would bounce up and down, almost self-soothingly.

They decided to drop the topic until they completed getting River caught up with his school work. Dustin would glance over occasionally and catch Rivers eyelids drooping shut, or staring off into space. He wondered how he managed to find someone so incredibly handsome.

The sun set and Dustin knew River didn't have a ton of time left before he had to go to work.

"So where are we gonna go for our next date?" Dustin smirked, with his voice low.

"Mmm, you're gonna have to find me some time to have a date first." River yawned.

"When was your last day off?"

River paused.

"I think... Steph's party..."

Dustin choked.

"River, that was weeks ago. You need some time off. No wonder you're falling behind in class, you don't have the energy to do all this. No one does!"

River sighed inducing a thick feeling of guilt deep within Dustin.

"Look, I get that you want to help pay for dates and stuff but you know how much money my family comes from. I don't even work to pay for this apartment - can you please just let me cover our dates? That way you can take some time off."

River shook his head.

"I can't do that..." His voice was low and shaky. "I don't feel comfortable with it. Not to mention I'm really only working one or two more days than I was before we started seeing each other... It just sucks because it feels like it's hardly making a difference..."

"Well... Where's all that money going?"

"Bills."

"I mean your extra money. After bills are paid."

"Yeah, that's my problem Dustin. I don't have extra money after my bills are paid. Like I can buy groceries and even that is cutting it really tight most times."

"Dude! How!? You work a full shift every day! How much are they paying you?"

River couldn't help but give an exhausted laugh. The chuckle was from the exhaustion, mostly, but it was also partly because of how out of touch Dustin really was. River had no idea people like this really existed, and yet, here Dustin was, blissfully ignorant.

"I make a little above minimum wage."

"Right... And how much is that?"

"I make $7.50 an hour."

River watched Dustin quizzically pull out his calculator, furiously type in buttons before releasing a sigh.

"So, what's our solution to this?"

"We do more free stuff? It wouldn't be much, but I'd at least have a few days off a week and wouldn't be so exhausted that I need all my extra time to sleep..."

"But like... What would be do for free?"

"Lots of things-"

BZZ! BZZ!

The alarm going off on River's phone told him that it was time to go to work, effectively cutting off his thoughts and pausing the conversation for that moment.

"I've got to go," River said before grabbing his school work and shoving it in his bag. He gave Dustin a kiss on the cheek and at that exact moment as Dustin was about to declare the conversation wasn't over yet, his own phone began to ring.

'Père' showed on his phone as a handsome picture of Marius overtook his screen. The confusion on River's face was apparent so Dustin responded, as if answering his thoughts.

"It's my dad."

"He doesn't look how I would imagine him... Anyway, you should answer that. We'll talk later."

This time, Dustin kissed River's cheek and what felt like in a flash - he was gone and

Dustin's large apartment once again felt empty.

"Hey, Dad, what's up?"

✧

"Oh hello, Dustin! I miss you, my son!" Marius beamed over the phone. "How is your schoolwork coming?"

"It's fine. How's everything at the office?"

"Dustin? Is something wrong?"

Marius could always sense Dustin's tension, even when he was doing his absolute best to hide it. The young blonde wasn't even upset but he could feel his muscles tighten.

"No, no. Everything's fine. You know, just lots of homework and school and stuff."

"OK Dustin well, work smart. Not hard, OK? And please, call me if you need help with anything."

"I will, Dad." Dustin smiled. He knew his father wasn't always actually capable of helping, but his father was always more than willing to try his best, which was really all that mattered in the end. "Are you doing OK? What's new with you?"

"Well, there is a reason I called - it seems you may have been correct with your suspicions of the media making a scene about your absence from the company. Cas has said The OI may be digging around and butting their noses into things. It's nothing to worry about, but I wanted to give you a heads up in case anything seems fishy to you. I'm calling Mr. Lewis after this to see what I can do but you know... I needed to give you my love first."

"Thanks, Pops. Uh... Who is Mr. Lewis again?" Dustin breathed, relieved that nothing serious was going on and simultaneously, worried about the ominous implications.

"Dustin! You remember Mr. Lewis, he is the Editor-In-Chief of The Oracle Insider."

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"Look Marius, you know me. We've known each other for what - twenty years now? You trust me, right? All I'm saying is that he needs to be careful who he's involving himself with. He may be in his thirties but we both know that he's got such a big heart that he doesn't know what to do with it.

I'm telling you, we do have a source that informs us Dustin is seeing some guy who may or may not have a few secrets."

"And these secrets would be?" Marius scoffed.

"Well, the source hasn't given us more than that... Source says that if their relationship continues that they'll give us more, but other than that, I suppose we're just left with this portentous warning.

Regardless, this shows that the small town... What is it called? Lake Stanfield?"

"Yes, Lake Stanfield."

"Well, it seems that folks in Lake Stanfield may not be too different than around here... Hard to trust... Watch out for him, Marius... Some people out there can be real monsters."

With that, Mr. Lewis and Marius hung their receivers up with furrowed brows, rubbing their chins mindlessly while wondering who on Earth these people are.

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⟡ CHAPTER TEN ⟡

RIVER

I left Dustin's that night feeling a little worse for wear. I was grateful for the meal, but couldn't help but feeling like he didn't hear me at all when it came to us equally paying for stuff. Somehow that stress morphed into how much I was working and now failing school and ended up with me, feeling like going back to school was a huge mistake.

I had worked so hard and so long to save up enough to be able to afford school supplies at at least a little bit of a payment on these classes, so not even being able to put all my effort into them - or worse - I was putting all my effort into them and somehow still managed to be failing felt like the nail in the coffin.

The morning shift at work, as usual, never did anything to help. Lately, the gas station felt dirtier than usual, like they were purposely leaving shit behind and making the place a complete mess to make my life a little bit harder. Thankfully, when I walked into work that night, I could breathe a sigh of relief because that wasn't the case.

The bell dinged, mentally signalling to me that, yep - I was at work or as I liked to call it - second home. Ben didn't look up from his spot as I went to put my jacket in the back and grab some school work that I could do while sitting at the front.

"You're in luck," Ben boomed.

"How's that?"

"Morning shift actually did shit today. Bathroom's spotless. Everything's perfectly stocked. There's even fresh coffee."

"That's a change in tune," I laughed. "What made them get their booties in gear?"

"Not sure, maybe we've got some work Gods lookin' down on us today,"

"That may be so,"

I spent that shift, catching up on all the work I hadn't been able to be present for. I even looked over my syllabi again.

'Fuck yeah, River. You can do this. This wasn't a total mistake, just a hiccup. No biggie.'

Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.

Even though our conversation had been left at an awkward note, knowing Dustin still wanted to text me felt like the chaos was being corrected. My body filled with comforted warmth at the idea of him.

'Hey stud, ;]' He said.

'Hey stud, what are you still doin' up?'

'Thinking about you. :]'

'Oh yeah? What ya think about me? ;]'

'I think I have a great idea for a free date for us.'

'Go on,'

'Homework & snacks @ the park? Homework & snacks @ my place? Homework & snacks @ the library? I figure, even if we're just doing homework, at least we get to stay up to date with school work and I get to stare at your handsome face. Thoughts?'

'That's a great idea! I can't believe we didn't think about it before!'

'I know, right? Are you gonna keep your crazy work schedule?'

'I don't think so. I was finally able to catch up on all the work I missed and *actually* seeing how far behind I got kind of freaked me out.'

':] I'm proud of you.'

'Thanks 😳 I'm proud of you too :]'

'For?'

'For thinkin' outside the box! I know you like doing stuff that might cost us money. So... I'm proud of you. And thank you.'

':] When's our first homework date?'

'Tomorrow?'

'Tomorrow it is.'

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Dustin sighed, tapping his number 2 pencil on his paperwork. His lips slid all the way to the left side of his face and his brows were glued to the middle of his forehead with frustration in the cutest possible way. I couldn't help but let my eyes linger on his beautiful, concentrated face.

The air outside was crisp and even though we had been sitting on the plaid, outdoor blanket for at least an hour, the ground still felt cold beneath us. I'd been done with my homework for a few minutes, so my eyes and mind wandered to the trees whose branches were slowly becoming bare beneath their colorful leaves.

"I can't believe how quickly fall came this year," I sighed.

Dustin's eyes moved from his paper and laid on my face. His handsome features relaxed into a daydream smile as his own eyes followed my trail, gazing at the trees above us.

"I've never really gotten to spend fall like this before." said Dustin.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like... In nature. It's so picturesque, like a movie or something."

"I'm glad I get to be here for your first small-town fall. Maybe I can take you on a first hay-ride... Or corn maze." I laughed.

"Please tell me that's not actually a thing,"

My lips slid to a tight smile.

"I mean hay rides aren't super fun for me anymore but corn mazes are definitely worth it." I laughed. "Speaking of fun dates, did I ever tell you that there are secret tunnels under Ellis?"