Harold hated having butlers. All of them were so stoic and professional, never did his previous butlers seem to be interested in being friends.

He hated them all, they treated him as if he was something more than special. Which he was, but still he wanted to be treated like an equal.

He was great at scaring people away. It was easy to be rude, to be mean, to be anything that people expected. No one wanted to be close to him, which made butlers leave. He would only have a day or two on his own. He would sneak out of the castle.

Hit up a bar and flirt with other men. He felt at peace. Most of them didn’t know who he was and treated him like an actual person. But, he could never say it out loud to his parents. Already, he heard an earful about his preference for the same sex.

“We love you,” his dad will say, “But, we need alliances and they aren’t handing princes to other princes.”

His dad will then tell him that he could get a consort, a male consort to help satisfy his needs. The thought sickened Harold. He wanted someone to call his own. Someone who he knew loved him the same and not because they were getting paid.

He was expecting the same treatment when Benard first started.

He watched Benard as he made the bed and crossed his arms,

“So how much was your bonus,” Harold asked trying to punch a nerve.

Without even looking away from the bed he said, “six thousand dollars.” Benard didn’t even bat an eye, he finished making the bed and looked up at Harold. 

Harold walked over and looked down at the bed.

“Remake it,” he demanded. He wanted to fire Benard for any reason. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need to be taken care of. He could do it himself. His dad, however, wouldn’t allow it. His dad was the final decision maker or the butler would have to quit themself.

Benard looked up at him and back down at the bed.

“What’s wrong with it?”

Harold stumbled on his thoughts, trying to figure out any reason.

“If you can’t find a reason, then this should be fine. Right?”

Harold’s mind raced trying to find anything at all he could point out.

“You were at the bottom of the class, right? What makes you think you can serve me,” he said.

He remembered looking over Benard’s profile. He wasn’t the best student and had to retake a few courses. It took him an extra year to graduate. Usually, they wouldn’t hire someone who took longer to graduate, but his father was desperate.

Not many wanted to work with Harold now since he was such a problem in the community.

“Well, it seems like no one likes you enough so I decided I will take the job,” Benard said standing. He didn’t show a hint of anger and took a step towards Harold.

“Now, let me explain something. Harold–”

“We are not on a first name basis, you can call me –”

“I don’t give a fuck. I will call you Harold until you earn my respect, understand?”

Harold bit his lip. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this. He liked the challenge. He nodded. Benard smiled.

“Good,” he took another step forward, stepping on the blanket and sliding down on the floor and landed on his butt with a loud thud. 

Harold held back a laugh, “Okay Mr. Tough Guy, here I thought you were–”

Benard stood up quickly and grabbed Harold’s shirt. He pulled him closer to him. 

Harold’s heart raced, but not in the bad way. In a way, he felt when other men flirted with him. The way he felt when he had his first kiss with a security guard. Every cell in him wanted to kiss Benard.

Was this his type? Did he like the bad boy? Wasn’t this borderline abusive?

Benard let him go and walked toward the door.

Harold knew what he wanted now. He knew that he had to keep Benard here.

“You aren’t quitting are you,” he blurted. Benard paused and turned around.

“Why would I? I like a bad boy,” he said with a laugh, “Just keep being you. I don’t need you to be nice to me. I can bite too.”

Next month the two became an official couple in their eyes. At night, Benard would climb into bed with Harold and the two would well consummate their love. In a really really rough way. Ropes and everything, he supposed.

The way both liked it.