"The loss of control..." my lips lightly brushed against the side of his ear, breath hitting his sensitive skin and making him shiver, "I'd get to do whatever I want to you..."

Despite how seductive I was trying to be to persuade him to let me tie him up, he seemed totally unaffected.

We were currently on our first date ever.

Since there was not much to do around here, we had decided on watching the sun set at a nearby park. We were now sitting on a bench, admiring the different colours painting the sky as well as all the flora and fauna.

I had my legs thrown over his and was leaning against his side, whispering into his ear.

"I'd make you feel so good," I added, leaving a slow and sensual kiss just underneath his ear, knowing that he loved that.

"The answer's still a no, Sofia," he grumbled, not pleased at the tactics I was using to make him break, "it won't change."

"You say that now..." I grinned to myself, set on getting him to say yes by any means necessary.

It didn't feel like we had just been reunited yesterday, and it most definitely didn't feel like we'd been apart for months leading up to now. Even though we had agreed to go slow, it didn't feel right most of the time and I knew that he felt it too.

I reached one hand over to cup his jaw to turn his face toward me. The cast of the setting sun made him look all the more dreamy, with his dark eyes and features and casually slicked back brown hair.

"I'll do anything," I brushed my lips gently over his, unable to wipe my grin away at how clearly I was affecting him, "pretty, please?"

"No, stop it," he pulled away from me, "we're on a date."

"So?" My brows raised at him, "can't we discuss what we'll do when we get back to mine?"

Ben sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking away again. I ran my finger lightly along his prominent jawline, before leaning in to kiss it a few times.

"Yes, we can," he fired back, "we'll have a glass of wine and go straight to sleep."

"Straight to sleep?" My brows furrowed, finding myself a little upset.

"It's not very promising for us to have sex after our first date," Ben explained calmly, his arm moving to rest around my shoulders from where he held my body closer to his side, "and I'm not putting out until you give up that kink of yours."

"You won't put out?" I laughed at his seriousness, "Ben, honey, why are you so afraid of being tied up? It's not like I would hurt you."

"No, I know," he nodded, glancing over at me as my arm hugged the back of his waist, "I just don't like not being in control, you know that. Doesn't seem so fun."

I smiled at him and how seriously he was taking this and how adorable I found it, "you can't know if it's fun or not until you try it. Experiment, live a little!"

"It's still a no from me, sweetheart, I'm sorry," he breathed out, "I'll do anything but that for you."

A cheeky look etched itself onto my features, "anything?"

"Depends, of course," he chuckled at my expression, knowing it meant anything but good.

"Can you model for me? I've never painted a person before, and I feel like I know your body well enough to be able to paint it on a canvas," I suggested, "it won't take more than a few hours, we could start tonight?"

"Seriously?" He looked at me, seeming pleased, "that's not a bad idea, I'd love t—"

"Nude, of course," I shrugged, holding back a laugh at how his expression changed from excited to mortified.

"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."