Seven Years of Bad Luck (19 page)

“It’s yours! It’s all yours!” I cried out in a euphoric mix of pleasure and pain.

“Are you going to fight being mine anymore?” He repeated his question refusing to let me skate around it.

“I won’t fight!” I said through my panting.

“Fucking right,” he rumbled. His pace increased to an unforgiving speed, and I felt his cock grow even bigger and more rigid. I knew he was close.

“Oh, Ben! Fuck me harder,” I demanded.

He plowed through me hard and fast, then abruptly stilled while buried to the root. His body rocked and shuddered as he detonated, spilling his seed deep within me. He stayed buried within me.

“Wow,” I murmured breathlessly. Ben grunted and withdrew. I winced as a small sharp pain shot through me.

“You are…” he shook his head. “There are no words, Kathleen. No fucking words.” Ben disposed of the used condom, and I smiled triumphantly as our languid bodies lay together on his bed. We stared at each other while we came down from the other-worldly sex we just had together. I shot up and darted from the bed.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

Ben sat up slowly and watched me scramble across his room for the door, stark naked.

“What’s the problem?” I glanced back at him, still lying there like some sex god perched high on his four poster throne.

“Chey is going to kill me! I didn’t text her. She’s probably worried out of her mind.” I left Ben in his room and shot down his stairs to locate the abandoned clutch with my phone inside. I returned to his room and dug out my cell.

“Six texts and one missed call. Shit!” Ben watched me closely.

‘Hey. How is the ball going? -Chey’

‘Kat? -Chey’

‘You can respond any time now. -Chey’

‘Dammit Kat! -Chey ’

‘I am a split second from calling you if you don’t respond. -Chey’

‘WTF, Kat?! You didn’t answer. I swear I’m gonna send out search parties to find you! Please, I’m worried now. -Chey’

My thumbs moved like lightning over the keyboard to text Cheyenne.

“She can’t be too worried, Kathleen. Surely she knows your safe with me. I would never let anything happen to you.”

Nothing bad anyway. What just happened was definitely… something. Something amazing!
I smiled coyly. Ben chuckled as if he heard my thoughts. I glanced over at him suspiciously.

Creeper.

“Yeah, it was pretty amazing, Kathleen.”

Shit! I said that out loud!

My eyes bugged out of my head, and an embarrassed blush took over my skin.

Moving right along!

“Chey and I don’t operate like that, Ben. We have a standing rule, and that is to check in with each other before, during, and after we go out somewhere alone or with someone else.” I decided on a short and sweet text in hopes that she would show me some mercy and not give me the third degree.

‘So, so, so sorry, Chey! I’m fine. With Ben. Be home later. –Kat’

I flopped back into the pillows and sighed dramatically. Ben was lying on his side, facing me. The sheet clung to his hips, just barely covering him. I stared at his nude form beside me and suddenly became very aware of my own nudity. I grabbed the sheet to conceal my bare body. A sexy smile crept across Bens features as he snatched the sheet from me. His arms snaked around my waist, and he slid me to him with one effortless, fluid movement. I giggled and turned into him.

No sheet to cover me? Fine. Ben’s body will cover me just fine.

I snuggled into his chest knowing that our night together was one I wanted to repeat. Hopefully in the near future.

We stayed together for a long while just breathing each other in. I knew I needed to get home before I spent too much time in his private space and made both of us uncomfortable. “Thank you for a wonderful night, Ben, but I should get going.”

He scowled at me as I retreated from his arms and began gathering my things. I had a difficult time looking at him in the eyes. The last thing I wanted was for either one of us to feel used, and the mood was quickly turning sour as the space between us became bigger.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you just stay with me tonight?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Technically, you are my boss, and we already spend so much time together. I don’t want to smother you.” Ben was now standing beside his bed with his underwear on and his arms crossed over his gorgeous chest.

“Listen, Kathleen, you and I met before you came to the firm, and our attraction to each other began at that book store. I know that I hired you after the fact, but you earned that position. You are a brilliant paralegal. I checked into your credentials, and they confirmed it. You are a valued asset. It was just dumb luck for me that the woman who kept me awake at night and the brilliant paralegal who applied to my firm were one in the same.” My neurotic self only heard one part of Ben’s spiel.

Checked out my credentials? How much does he know about me?

“Credentials?” I asked after slipping Ben’s undershirt over my head and pulling on my panties.

“Yes. You earned your degree at U of C, right?” I nodded in confirmation. “Well, a friend of my grandfather’s is a professor there. I’m sure you know him. Does the name Bruce Kramer ring any bells?”

Professor Kramer
.

“Yes, Professor Kramer. I took his Legal Reasoning and Writing course. I liked him. Like him.”

“I can assure you that he likes you, too. He spoke very highly of you.”

Oh crap! Kramer probably sang like a bird.

“Uh, okay,” I said flatly in an effort to feign indifference.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you are a complicated woman. I certainly don’t pretend to know what goes on in that pretty head of yours, but I think I know more about you than you realize.”

“You’re right. Outside of work, you don’t know me at all, Ben. But, please, do tell me what you do know.” I had my arms folded in a show of rebellion. I couldn’t believe he had information about me. Well, I suppose I could believe it. He was, after all, my boss and a lawyer no less. It was his job to know things. I was only irritated because I was uncomfortable with someone I was so attracted to potentially having private details about my past before I had the chance to tell him myself.

“What I know is that you don’t give yourself enough credit.” Ben began crossing the room in a predatory manner with his eyes locked on mine as he spoke in a low, intimidating voice. “I also know that you graduated from the University of Colorado with honors, and you were on the dean’s list.” I nodded. “I know you took the LSAT and scored a 177, which is worthy of any of the top ten law schools in the nation, public or private. I would know, seeing that I scored a 176 and went to Stanford.”

My face paled, and my hands got clammy.

Don’t you think I know this, asshole? Don’t remind me!

My breathing became uneven, and I was sure I was moments away from going into a full-tilt hyperventilating fit. “I know that despite having academics that could gain you admission into a top school, you applied to the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.”

“You got in, of course.” Ben shrugged and stopped in front of me, mere inches from my face. “Then didn’t go.” He whispered the last part, and I winced. The room got smaller. Much smaller. And my anxiety grew exponentially. I had never explained myself to anyone about skipping out on law school.

Only Cheyenne knew the truth behind the whole disaster. I told Aidan I wasn’t going, and he simply said “okay,” and that was that. He never inquired why, and I never elaborated.

Ben ran his fingers across my cheek and smiled warmly. My eyes shot around the room nervously as my chest rose and fell erratically.

“Relax, Kathleen. I don’t judge you for your past choices, but I would like to know why you sold yourself short. Kramer told me you were brilliant and had a promising future as an attorney. What happened?” I shook my head in refusal and shrugged my shoulders dismissively.

“No. I don’t want to discuss it. It’s no big deal,” I lied. “It’s simple really. I just didn’t have the ambition to do another three years of law school. Besides, I realized that the responsibility was intimidating. I’m much better behind the scenes, assisting. I’m content,” I lied again and was surprised at how convincing I sounded. Usually I would be stuttering and mumbling like a child. This time I looked him straight in the eye and lied like a professional. Like a lawyer.

Should’ve been a lawyer
.

Ben’s incredulous look told me that he wasn’t buying my lies, although they might be convincing to most anyone. Ben was definitely not just anyone. He was a handsome, successful, altruistic legal genius, extraordinaire. Even my deluded, jaded mind recognized what a catch he was, and I held no misconceptions about just how much even I would enjoy being by his side. I had to admit to fantasizing about being exclusively his, but the same issues remained. My past was ugly, and I was in no shape to carry on a relationship with anyone. The only thing this man appeared to be lacking was perhaps a family of his own. At the age of thirty-two, one would expect him to be married and have a child, maybe two.

Maybe he doesn’t want a wife and kids. Maybe he was a player, like Stephen said.

I realized that it was more likely than not that Ben was single by choice and was most likely, indeed, a womanizer. I couldn’t blame the guy, though. His looks and success made him a huge target for gold-digging phonies looking for wealth and status.

Why shouldn’t he play the field and enjoy himself?

I was sure that’s precisely what Ben was doing. At least, that’s what I told myself.

Playing the field and enjoying himself.

It was a comforting thought for me. If Ben was merely playing the field, then I had no reason to worry about a messy emotional breakup. That was yet another thing I convinced myself of ,all while ignoring the twinge of pain at the thought of being just another notch in Ben’s expensive bedpost.

“Okay, Kathleen. I won’t pressure you to talk about all of that right now, but only if you stay with me tonight.” I huffed and rolled my eyes, even though I was turning flips on the inside.

“Fine.” For yielding to him and agreeing to stay, I was rewarded with the most charming smile I had ever seen. It was payment enough.

I sent Cheyenne a text, letting her know that I would be staying at Ben’s house that night. She texted me back demanding details as soon as I came home. There would be no avoiding that conversation.

I slept surprisingly well in Ben’s arms. I was able to sleep straight through the night with the exception of the late night sex that he woke me up for. My chiming phone woke me from a deep sleep. I peeled Ben’s arm off me and scooped my phone up from his nightstand. It was a text message from Cheyenne.

‘2 things, Kat. Dallas Herald, pg.3 and you need to check your FB page.’

I groaned dramatically. Ben sat up and kissed my shoulder. “What’s wrong beautiful?”

Oh, beautiful, huh?

“Um, that was a text from Chey. She said to look at page three of the paper and to check my Facebook.” I texted Cheyenne to say thanks, then swiped the browser on my smart phone and started typing in the web address for the newspaper.

“Did she say why?” Ben asked, sounding just as curious as I was.

“Nope. Just said to check out both. It could be anything, knowing Cheyenne.” I went to the website for the Herald and began scanning the site for whatever Cheyenne could have been talking about. When I saw a photo of me in my gown alongside Ben in his tux, I nearly fainted.

“What the… There is a photo of us in the paper and an article. Jesus Christ!” The photo must have been taken right after we arrived to the ball the night before. We were standing outside the Rosewood below the twinkling lights, and Ben’s arm was around my waist. He was leaned in close to my face, and I was smiling like a love-sick teenager. If the photo were not in a major newspaper, it would have made for a lovely photo. I had to admit, Ben and I looked great together. His tall frame, leaned in close to my much smaller form, seemed to fit with it nicely. My auburn hair with scattered shades of red contrasted perfectly against Ben’s rich chocolate-brown shaggy waves.

Yeah, we looked great on each other.

“Dallas’s high society turned out in force at the black-tie charity ball supporting M.A.I.Y (Mentors for the Advancement of Inner-city Youth). Contributors dug deep into their wallets and pocketbooks to make hefty donations to the cause. The president of the organization reports that the ball was a success. Raising well over one million dollars, Dallas’s own legal Golden Boy, Benjamin Chase of Chase and Associates, pictured above, is reported to have made a significant donation on behalf of him and his grandfather, Theodore Chase. The event secured donations that will fund the expansion of projects for the program. The expansion will include a new facility for program participants to utilize. The facility is rumored to be double the size of the previous one and will include top-of-the-line computers, a full-sized gym, an indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, a library, and a business center that will aid young adults who seek help with employment and career preparation.”