Chapter Four

“ Wow, that girl is a tigress. Look at the marks on your neck!” Jack exclaimed in shock when they met the following day.

Eric looked at Ben, looking appalled with the marks on Ben’s neck: it has to be kiss marks.

Ben just smiles and winks at them in response because as usual, he doesn’t need to explain anything to them. They are already used to Ben’s sexual escapades but this is the first time that they have seen him boldly marked on visible spots.

“ Sex is great”, Ben just winked at them and they continue to walk towards the auditorium while Ben is trying his best not to limp. His ass was still so sore even though he had taken painkillers that morning. The painkillers only lessened the pain a little, but he was still uncomfortable walking. The man was a real beast last night. He was so angry at Ben who almost spent the night with some random girl.

He can’t tell his friends what he is enduring or hell will break loose from all the questions that the two would probably fire at him.

All the graduates are already on the field, waiting for the procession of the university officials and their honorable guest speaker.

Ben is seated with his friends. They are so happy and it is so obvious on their faces. After their graduation, they can all focus on the upcoming licensure examination.

“ Ahh, this is it. Finally”, Eric exclaimed when the ceremony started and the buzzing sound in the field was like a wave in the ocean.

“ Our guest speaker was also a medical student here. And I heard that he is from a very influential family”, someone is whispering behind the three best friends.

“ Idiot, who would not know the Harris family? They are one of the richest families in the country. They could even compete with the richest Asian families”, the other added.

“ Brandon Harris is a young billionaire? No wonder he is the most sought after bachelor in the whole country”.

“ Look at him, he is handsome and rich. Typically every girl’s dream husband”.

Ben and his friends just looked at each other and smiled while listening to the whispering behind them.

Ben takes a good look at the man on the stage. Yes indeed, Brandon Harris is very handsome and will surely be a perfect rich husband to any lucky girl he fancies in the future.

After a while, the whispers stopped as the ceremony started. The guest speaker delivered his inspirational speech to all the graduates.

Everyone is in awe while listening to the powerful speech of the man on the stage. He is indeed very influential and knows how to use his words. His speech could create a spark for those who are listening to achieve further than what they had dreamed. He may be young, but his insights are immeasurable. No wonder he became the youngest CEO billionaire of the year.

The whole gathering is quiet while Mr Brandon Harris is delivering his speech. Everyone is attentively listening to his every word. Even Ben was hooked with the man, his heart seemed to brighten. He wanted to pat himself, knowing that he had done the right thing to achieve his goal. Ben was inspired to work harder than he used to because of the inspiration from the CEO’S every word.

Ben, together with the whole graduating students, are smiling and nodding from time to time during the whole speech of their guest speaker. It is so obvious that he has inspired the whole graduates of Howard University.

After the inspiring speech, graduates lined up to get their diploma, distributed by their respective faculty deans together with the guest speaker and the university officials.

Ben received his diploma and received the congratulatory handshake from their dean, the university president, and their guest speaker. Ben smiles at them politely and he was in awe when Mr Brandon Harris smiles warmly back at him.

Ben just felt a little embarrassed when he noticed that My Harris is intently staring at the not-so-faded marks on his neck. Ben knows that he knows what those marks are. He felt himself blushing before he went down from the stage.

Ben is so elated with his encounter with the young man. He is so amicable despite his achievements and social status. Everyone in the country thinks that the Harris family is like a royal family. Barely a handful of people could measure up to their vast influence either in politics or in economics.

The graduation ceremony has ended and all were so happy with the momentous event. It concludes all their hard work and perseverance.

Eric and Jack are with their families to celebrate and they have invited Ben to join them. Ben politely declined and wore a smile even though his heart had a pang of hollowness. This event simply reminds him that he has no one to offer and share it with.

Yesterday he had visited the tomb of his parents and he had stayed there talking to the two cold stones for two hours, offering his success. He only has those two tombstones anytime he feels down.

He was on his way to his car when he receives a blank message. He smiles and quickens his steps towards his car. This is probably the last blank message he will ever receive. He graduated today, and everything about the person behind the blank messages will also end.

He will reclaim his freedom, and he will bury this past to the deepest part of his memory and move on with his brighter life as a medical doctor. But before that, he will enjoy the man tonight. One last time. An excited smile lingered on his lips as he drove towards their meeting place.

Ben enters the room feeling ecstatic. He saw him sitting on the couch with paper bags on the coffee table usually scattered with documents. Their eyes meet and the man gestures to him to come.

“ For you”, the man calmly said while gesturing to the paper bags.

Ben slowly opens the bags containing some gifts. There are signatured watches, perfumes, clothes, bags, and shoes.

He was surprised by the man’s gesture. This is the first time that his sugar daddy has given him gifts. He is very generous with money, but he never gave Ben gifts. He knows that it’s his graduation but Ben still can’t believe that he will go this far.

“ Thank you”, Ben politely thanks him and happily opens the bag to see all the gifts while the man is just silently watching.

After a while, the doorbell rang and a cart of sumptuous dinner was served on the table by two waiters. There is also wine and champagne.

Ben doesn’t say anything, but he is happy with the effort of the cold man. It’s so obvious that they are celebrating his graduation and he is so happy even if he cannot show it to the emotionless man in front of him.

Despite the awkward silence between them, Ben still enjoys their dinner and it’s their first time eating together. Ben had thought that he would be celebrating his graduation night alone, but this man, as cold and unconcerned as he usually is, made this day memorable for him. Apart from the gifts he had received and the dinner he had prepared, it’s the effort that really touches him.

It is the first time that the man summons him, not because he needs his body to satisfy his lust or to let out the pressures from his work. Ben is happy that he has someone to share his success with today, even if that someone doesn’t have any emotional connection with him.

What they have is purely physical, just the need for the flesh that they both enjoy. But it’s about to end tonight, now that Ben has already graduated.

They both fulfilled their part of the bargain, anything at stake has been satisfied. After this night, Ben will be free from the obligation that bound him to the deal they had.