The Assistant

From a young age, Roman never needed to be close to anyone. If anything, he much enjoyed being alone and his privacy. People irritated him. They were uneducated, simple-minded, and ignorant. The more empty-headed they were, the louder they got and the more important they believed themselves to be. It was worse if they had the money to pay away all of their stupid mistakes, too.

Roman knew what kind of people his family was, and what their businesses dabbled in, and he knew early on that he wanted no part in any of it. Not just because of what they did but because of the kind of man his father was. His father always pictured Roman taking over the family business one day because Roman was the oldest, the most educated, and level-headed, unlike his brother. His father believed Roman could do more with what they had, build an empire-take over the world, even, but Roman wanted nothing to do with it and walked away the moment he had the chance. He left everything to his younger brother, Hector.

Roman wanted a better life, something worthy, something legal, something he could show off with pride. Just for him. He never imagined wanting to share any of it with anyone else until Cassius, but Cassius loved the underworld. He was made for it, and Roman's walls grew and thickened a hundred times more when he disappeared. His empire would be his and only his. That was what he truly believed-until Valencia graced the halls of his building. She showed him a future full of love, happiness, and acceptance. A future they could share. Roman wanted to share this life, and all others, with her, his goddess.

Miserable, Roman lay in bed. His body felt heavy and tired, and every muscle ached, but he didn't care. Without Valencia-without Cassius, nothing mattered. Nothing ever will again. He missed them, he missed her, and no matter what he did, nothing could get her out of his mind. For the past week, he would call, but it would go straight to her voicemail, and none of his text messages were being read. She was ghosting him, just like Cassius had done. Was he not meant for love? Was this Karma biting him in the ass for treating all the women before Valencia like trash? For continuing to deny his sexuality?

He didn't know and he didn't think he ever would. He wanted to hear her velvet voice, feel her silky soft skin, to have the smell of her perfume linger in his office like it always had. Roman's body shuddered at the memory of their last night together. FUCK. Roman turned to his side, throwing the plush black blanket over his head, wanting to drown out the excess noise his mind created. He was exhausted, but his brain refused to quiet down long enough to let him sleep. It has gone on that way since the night Valencia left. Frustrated, Roman let out an ear-splitting growl, and when he was done, his phone rang.

"Valencia? I..." Roman fumbled with the phone.

"My apologies, compa (friend). Try again." The voice on the other side replied with a hint of amusement.

"Cassius? Sorry, I thought-why are you calling?" Roman's voice was a mixture of joy, confusion, and pain.

"I know what you thought, Ro." The amusement in his tone was gone. "That's why I was calling you."

"How can I help you, Cassius?" The coldness in Roman's voice was like an icicle to Cassius's heart, it hurt, but he couldn't blame him. Part of the reason Roman was hurting so much was because of him.

Grabbing hold of the little composure he had, Cassius took in a deep breath and decided to try and defuse the situation. "Drop the fucking formal, rich boy, act, Ro. It's me you're talking to. Remember?" He chuckled. "I'm calling to get you out of that fucking skyscraper you own. Pack your shit and meet me downstairs. We can talk face to face-and maybe do a little more than that in the limo, if you want." There was lust laced in his words.

Roman's heart skipped a beat, and the butterflies he believed to be long dead for the man had been revived. No, this is what Cassius did. He took advantage of Roman's vulnerabilities, and he couldn't let himself fall for them again. "Look, Cas, I'll go with you, but nothing can happen. That's not who I am anymore. I just need a friend right now. Can you be that?"