The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 46: A Nourishing Scheme
The meal was a delightful affair for both of them. Perhaps it was out of gratitude for what happened the day before, or maybe due to recent events, but Julian Sterling was exceptionally attentive to Ethan Caldwell today. He kept dipping beef into the pot for Ethan, followed by lamb, and every now and then, he would urge Ethan to eat more loach.
By the end of lunch, Ethan was stuffed to the brim. Checking the time, he saw it was getting late. Normally, Ethan would head straight back to the office after eating, but since they had hotpot, the smell of food lingered heavily on his clothes after sitting there for so long. Ethan had no choice but to head into the bathroom to change into a fresh set of clothes before he could leave for work.
When Ethan emerged from the bathroom, he saw Julian lounging on the sofa, one hand clicking through channels with the remote while the other rubbed his round, full belly. The television screen displayed a rather childish cartoon featuring a gray wolf and a flock of white sheep. Ethan found it utterly uninteresting, yet Julian seemed to be watching it with great amusement.
Seeing this, Ethan took a couple of steps forward, sat down next to Julian, and pulled him into his embrace. Julian let Ethan do as he pleased, simply treating the man as an extra cushion. Taking advantage of the position, Julian burrowed into Ethan’s arms like he was making a nest: "Aren’t you going to work?"
"It’s still my break, so I’ll sit with you for a while." Ethan replied, stroking the younger man’s hair: "Why is my baby being so well-behaved today?"
"I’m making it up to you. After all, you got quite a scare at that house yesterday."
"That house" in Julian’s words obviously referred to the Sterling family home. Ethan’s eyes darkened slightly at the mention of being scared. However, he didn’t bring up those people again. Instead, he lowered his head to press a kiss against Julian’s ear. After a long moment, he suddenly asked: "Do you have any ideas regarding our upcoming collaboration with Iris Visuals?"
Julian thought for a moment, then chuckled softly, his voice full of hidden meaning: "Mr. Caldwell, you can’t know the content of the plan beforehand. It has to be confidential, don’t you know?" As he spoke, he turned around, his finger hooking onto Ethan’s tie and pulling it out from his vest: "Otherwise, if some little goblin seduces you and you hand the plan over to them, who would I cry to then?"
Ethan burst out laughing upon hearing this, his voice turning husky. His large hand landed a resounding slap on Julian’s buttocks: "I can barely handle one little goblin like Jules as it is, do I really need another?"
Having said that, Ethan pinned Julian down onto the sofa and kissed him fiercely. They spent the remaining few minutes of the lunch break in a chaotic tangle. Ethan’s tie was pulled loose, hanging precariously around his neck, his suit jacket discarded to the side, and his vest and shirt rumpled. Julian looked even worse for wear; the top two buttons of his pajamas had been undone, revealing a pale shoulder marred with pink marks. His eyes were misty and his lips slightly swollen - one look was enough to tell he had just been thoroughly loved.
"Go away, you indecent man." Julian said, pushing Ethan away from him. Seeing this, Ethan didn’t say anything more but simply lowered his head to plant a kiss on Julian’s forehead.
"I’m off to work now, you little goblin."
With that, Ethan stood up, grabbed his suit jacket, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the door. As he left, he glanced back, taking in the sight of Julian lazily watching cartoons with bright red ears.
Ethan’s mood improved significantly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
However, perhaps due to the intense frolicking at noon, Ethan found himself unable to focus throughout the entire afternoon at the office. Every now and then, his mind would drift back to Julian’s disheveled appearance and the way he had glared at Ethan with tear-filled eyes. Occasionally, he would space out, recalling the soft skin and that warm, tight place he hadn’t touched in days.
After several hours of distraction, with his mind filled entirely with the image of the little goblin at home, President Caldwell sorrowfully discovered that "Little Caldwell" was raising its head to say hello.
After instructing his secretary not to disturb him unless it was urgent, Ethan sat in his office reflecting on himself. He had been single for over twenty years without any issues, yet not long after breaking his celibacy, had he already lost the ability to control himself?
Ethan didn’t think his willpower was that poor.
He raised a hand to rub his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Suddenly, Ethan thought about the lunch he had just eaten.
He hadn’t paid much attention at the time, but thinking back now - lamb, beef, loach - they were all foods known to boost virility.
Ethan narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly, thinking about the behavior of the youngster at home today.
Nine times out of ten, Julian was trying to set him up for something. But Ethan didn’t particularly care; Julian’s little schemes posed no threat to him. However, since his baby had offered himself up like that, Ethan naturally had to "discipline" Julian properly.
With that thought in mind, Ethan tidied up his desk and pushed the door open to leave. Passing by the secretary’s desk outside, he tapped on it twice. "I have something to attend to this afternoon. Unless it’s extremely urgent, don’t look for me. Push all of tomorrow morning’s work to the afternoon. Oh, and I have an appointment around three o’clock tomorrow; don’t schedule anything else, and keep Meeting Room C empty for me."
Having said his piece, Ethan grabbed his suit jacket and walked toward the private elevator, leaving the secretary staring wide-eyed at his retreating back.
She suddenly felt that recently, her CEO seemed to be... a little lazy.
