Executive Benefits by Julian Keys
Rating: 4 Stars
Publisher: Forbidden Fiction
Genre: Gay Erotica
Tags: Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Executive and Drone, BDSM With Power Difference, Dub-Con, Spanking
Length: 12,000 Words
Reviewer: Kazza K
Purchase At: Forbidden Fiction
Blurb:
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Gay, Romance
Jeremy was only a drone, a mere cog in the wheels of Talon Industries, born and bred to janitorial servitude. That was, until the day he accidentally looked an executive in the eye and the executive looked back. Barrie Talon was a prince of the world, born and bred to run Talon Industries. Yet, for all his wealth and power, he felt alone; people saw only his executive suit, not the man in it. That is, until the day a drone dared to look at him with desire. Two men are at opposite ends of the world in almost every way, but can’t stop wanting each other. (M/M – For content labels and excerpt, see details on publisher’s site.)
Review:
Jeremy is a drone who works at Talon Industries. Born and bred to be in janitorial service for the company and the family who own it. Own him. He cleans, he polishes and he takes pride in what he does. The drones are alike – brown hair, brown eyes, no outstanding features so they blend in – Jeremy had been bred to be invisible. If they don’t blend in, if they’re noticed, it’s usually bad news for the drones, or they’re to be used by the management in what can be a most unpleasant manner. In this world drone = slave. But Jeremy has feelings for Barrymore Talon, the youngest son and one of the highest ranking executives of the family empire. Drones are not given a second thought by the higher-ups
Talon Industries owned Jeremy, an office drone, body and soul. Barrie Talon, on the other hand, was one of the company’s regal shareholders.
Jeremy would likely live and die without ever being seen by this man who controlled every aspect of his life.
However, one day they do meet and quite closely. They lock eyes when
Jeremy is trying to hide whilst looking at the man who interests and arouses him. Drones are not to look at management and never at executives. But Jeremy likes Barrie’s appearance, his voice and his strong but benevolent demeanour. And it’s Jeremy’s desire to be taken advantage of by an executive some day. After he locks eyes with Barry Talon, Jeremy knows it’s who he’ll always think of from here on in for all his fantasies.
Jeremy isn’t the only one who notices something about that eye-lock. For all of his power and the fact that he has the Talon Industries Gratification Department and the best escorts at his disposal, he keeps thinking about that drone. One morning Jeremy is still working on his office when Barrie arrives to work early. He is fascinated by the drone. Pretty soon, Barrie organises a ‘janitorial’ visit from Jeremy so he can get blown by him. He wants to see how the drone looks and feels then. He can order whatever he likes and maybe he can move on afterwards. Jeremy has dirty, calloused hands, which turns Barrie on, and Jeremy’s nothing if not dedicated and passionate about the blow job. The look in his eyes, like he saw more than a man of wealth, the boss, doesn’t help eradicate Jeremy from his thoughts at all. Barrie goes out with the best escorts but Jeremy is perplexingly always there in the back of his mind. He even goes so far as to find out the drone’s name. Unthinkable.
Even as the man’s mouth made Barrie groan and thrust with desire, however, he found himself imagining what it would be like to have the drone’s soft lips about his shaft.
Executive Benefits is a sci-fi/ futuristic erotica that world-builds really well. 
Where the drones lived, their attitudes, the executives and their ideas, plus the sense of a distant future were all good. The characterisations were well fleshed out as well. If it had been longer I wouldn’t have complained, but it didn’t have to be to be enjoyed. The POV from both MCs helped, particularly given without one Barrie may well have come off as a total jerk. I thought Jeremy was rather gorgeous with a mixture or innocence, a keen sense of submission and desire. I liked how Barrie had noticed the drones previously, thought about them more than others. That he noticed this particular drone – Jeremy. That Barrie felt a lot of people, including those sent to please him, were more sycophantic than interested in who he actually was, was believable.
“I always feel like I’m talking with a diva or an actor when an escort asks me if I liked what they did, as if my sexual pleasure was a dramatic piece they’d just completed.”
And he could see Jeremy was much more than that. The author worked on the fact that they were both bred to roles, only one is entitled and powerful. They then built the power exchange upon that. I don’t mind that kink, but if you don’t like the person in power having all the control it may not work for you. There is some non/dub-con in this book as well. The drones are looked upon by Talon Industries management and executive staff as nothing more than office equipment. If a staff member is having a bad week and wants to belt and fuck a drone to get that frustration out, it’s perfectly okay in this world.
Overall:
I haven’t read this author before, and in a year when I want to expand my author base further afield, it was another enjoyable and surprising find for me. It’s an erotic novella but Executive Benefits has plenty of depth and heart, as well as heat without overload. It isn’t a romance, however it’s a kind of sweet but kinky, futuristic BDSM-based erotica, and as I mentioned it does have a difference in power balance and dub-con. I really liked Jeremy and Barrie’s story and the HFN-with-possibilities ending was spot on. Enjoyable reading. 4 Stars!
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I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, but after reading your review I can tell I’d enjoy this one. Sometimes I like books with a big difference in regards to the power roles (or lack thereof) with the characters.
Great review.
It was interesting reading. I love to read different things and even more so at the moment. Yeah, some people have a struggle with one person having all the power. It can be problematic, but it depends on the book and the characters for me.
Thanks, Cindi 🙂