“We should hang out and catch up. It’s been a while…” She shifted as a couple of students came walking by at a hurried pace. “Are you doing anything after school?”
“Just working on my assignments.” I nodded. “Like every other day.”
“Want to go stare at cute guys with me?” She batted her eyelashes.
“What do you mean?” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“Carson Cove University is hosting the local high school’s football team—you know, they do that scrimmage game every year, and the coaches get to see how the guys they want to recruit do under pressure.” She gave me a nudge. “Very few people go, so we can see some hot, sweaty guys in action—up close.”
“Um…” I wrinkled my nose—I didn’t want to just turn her down, but I wasn’t really a fan of football.
“Come on; it’ll be fun.” She gave me another nudge. “If it’s boring, we can leave early and go get a drink or something.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Sure.”
Hopefully it’ll be as boring to her as it will be to me.
I attended the scrimmage game she mentioned once when I was in high school, and again during my freshman year of college—mainly because I still had a few friends at Carson Cove High. If it was anything like the two games I had previously watched, it was just an excuse for the college guys to massacre the high school team. Truthfully, it was usually one of the only games Carson Cove University’s football team won each year—my alma mater wasn’t exactly known for its football program. The kids that were good went to colleges that actually won games. Still, as bored as I was by football, it would be good to hang out with Melanie. I didn’t have that many friends at college, and we were a lot closer when we had classes together.
* * *
Later that day
I met Melanie after my last class, and we walked down to the football field. She was right—there weren’t many people there. The audience mostly consisted of high school parents that were there to watch their kids get crushed by the college team, and a few students spread out across the bleachers—I assumed they were bored like us. Melanie and I were able to get seats near the fifty-yard line, which would allow her to get an eyeful of hot, sweaty guys in action—just like she wanted. I just hoped that she wouldn’t want to stay long so that we could go and do something else. A drink would be nice—and it would be easier to catch up somewhere that was quieter.
“I would so date him—or him.” Melanie motioned to a couple of football players that walked by without their helmets on.
“Still no luck in that department?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No, how about you?” She looked over at me.
“Maybe…” I looked down. “I’m seeing someone.”
I guess there’s no harm in telling Melanie that—it isn’t like she’s going to talk to anyone that shouldn’t know.
“What?” Her eyes opened wide. “Is it someone that goes to school here?”
“Nah, he’s—not in college.” I smiled and decided that was as much information as I wanted to share.
“Anyone I know.” She nudged me.
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head back and forth. “I don’t even know if it’s serious yet.”
Or how long it’ll be before I finally have to break it off with him—it certainly can’t last forever.
Melanie didn’t ask any more details—because the game started, and she got absorbed by the action. I’m not sure you could really call it action, per se. It was the Stone Devils of Carson Cove University taking on the Tigers of Carson Cove High—and the tigers just looked like kittens as the Stone Devils marched down the field to score a touchdown on the opening drive. The Tigers got the ball and lost it to a turnover—then the Stone Devils scored again. I was definitely bored. Melanie seemed to enjoy the bloodbath. The Tigers got the ball again, and the quarterback handed it to the running back. I was scared to watch him get mauled when the much larger players from my university went after him—but he took off like the wind.
“Bolt! Yes! Go!” A familiar voice echoed from the bleachers across the field, and I put my hand over my eyes to make sure I wasn’t hearing things.
“Anna?” I blinked in confusion.
“Huh?” Melanie looked over at me.
“That’s—my sister.” I stared with a perplexed look on my face.
Anna ran down the bleachers as the guy she called Bolt made a dash for the end zone, and he definitely didn’t look like a kitten. The back of his uniform said his last name was Bolton, a few people yelled out Gavin, and I quickly figured out how he got his nickname. He left the Stone Devils gasping for air as he blew them away with a speed that was almost unnatural.
The Tigers scored, and Bolt did a little dance in the end zone—then he walked to the fence and—kissed my little sister. It wasn’t a passionate kiss—more like a peck—but she was smiling from ear-to-ear when he ran to join his teammates on the sideline. I hadn’t seen a smile like that on her face since before my parents got divorced. That touchdown changed the momentum of the game a little bit and one thing was for sure—Bolt was a star. The quarterback had a good arm, but the Stone Devils didn’t give him a chance to use it very often—Bolt did most of the heavy lifting.
“So, that’s your sister over there—the one that keeps running to the fence every time the running back gets to the end zone.” Melanie raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
“Yeah…” I nodded. “I had no idea she was dating a football player—I thought she was dating someone, but—wow.”
“I hope she isn’t in love,” Melanie sighed. “A guy that good won’t be hanging around Carson Cove after he graduates. He’ll have offers from schools all over the country.”
“That’s probably true.” I nodded. “Hopefully she’s smart enough to realize that.”
“Were you? At her age?” Melanie shook her head and laughed.
“I didn’t have that problem when I was her age…” I looked back towards the field.
I’m not even smart enough to avoid it now. I know my relationship with Bryant can’t last forever—and I keep letting myself fall for him a little more every single day.
The Tigers put up a good fight, but even a running back that could blow the Stone Devils away couldn’t secure the game for them. The high school coach pulled his best players out after halftime when it was clear that they weren’t going to win and some of his younger players got some experience being run over by the much larger guys from Carson Cove University.
Melanie decided that she didn’t want to watch the massacre any longer after that, so we agreed to meet up at a restaurant downtown for dinner and drinks. I really needed to be working on stuff for school, but I hadn’t spent much time with Melanie since she switched majors, so I decided that dinner out wouldn’t set me back too much. It was a short drive from the university to the restaurant that she picked out.
I’d rather spend the time with Bryant, but we’ll have Saturday…
“What do you want to drink? I think I want a margarita…” Melanie skimmed the drink menu as soon as we were seated at our table.
“Hmm.” I picked up my menu. “I might just go with a glass of wine—oh wait, that’s the price for one glass? I’ll just have a margarita too…”
“I might need to talk to your sister.” Melanie looked up from the menu and grinned. “I should get that Bolt guy’s autograph before he ends up in the NFL.”
“We thought one of the guys I went to high school was on the fast track to the NFL too…” I shrugged. “He looked really good against the local schools but ended up getting cut from the team when he made it to college—Bolt might not be that impressive against better players.”
“Ah, I guess that makes sense.” She nodded. “Big fish in a little pond—or a very rich pond when it comes to Carson Cove.”
“The land of the privileged,” I chuckled under my breath.
“Yeah, if I don’t land this job at Alcott Inc., I might have to head b
ack into the real world when I graduate from college. Are you still planning to leave Carson Cove as soon as you get your degree?” She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.
“Honestly? I don’t know…” I sighed. “There are some jobs local—graphic design and stuff like that.”
“Are you still painting?” She tilted her head inquisitively.
I didn’t get a chance to answer her question immediately, because the waiter came to take our order. We both ordered margaritas, smiled when he asked to see our ID, and then picked out an appetizer. We knew what we wanted to eat as well, so we saved him another trip to the table, and ordered that too. I decided to go with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli. Melanie was feeling a little more adventurous, so she got the chicken tenders and fries.
“Yeah, so—painting…” I looked down at the table. “I honestly haven’t had much time to do paint lately. I enjoy it, but it’s not like I’ll ever make a living selling my work—I used to love showing them to my dad, but after he left—I don’t know. Mom lost her love for art after the divorce and my sister just thinks it’s dumb.”
“You don’t see your dad anymore?” She leaned back and winced. “I was always scared to ask because you talk about him in the past tense.”
“I’ve seen him a couple of times.” I shook my head and sighed. “He lives in the city now, and I think he has a new girlfriend that he’s scared to introduce…”
I was interrupted again by our drinks and a promise that the appetizer would be there soon. Melanie didn’t ask anything else about my dad, and I was thankful that she dropped the subject. It was still tough for me, but tougher on my mother, and toughest on my sister—I seemed to be the strong one, despite the connection I had with him when I was younger. I couldn’t control his midlife crisis, and I preferred him to be happy than miserable with us. I just hoped that I could be a part of his new life one day, and I knew Anna would love to see him more. If both of my parents had moved on and were dating other people, there was no reason that we couldn’t build a new family dynamic, even if it wasn’t perfect.
“Oh god—I think this place is about to get busier.” Melanie looked towards the door.
“Why?” I turned and saw several members of the Carson Cove High football team standing near the entrance. “They must be here to celebrate the fact that they didn’t die on the field today…”
“There’s your sister, holding hands with that Bolt guy.” Melanie motioned towards the group.
“Wow…” I shook my head back and forth. “ I’m beginning to think she isn’t just a shy girl with her nose buried in a book all the time, like I thought…”
“Do you want to go over and say hello?” Melanie raised her eyebrows inquisitively. “I could get that autograph…
“No,” I sighed. “I’m sure the last thing she wants is for her big sister to come crash her party—I think I’ll just get my food to go.”
“Okay.” Melanie nodded. “This place is going to get rowdy soon anyway.”
I had a few bites of the appetizer, drank half of my margarita, and asked the waiter for the check. I caught a few glances of Anna snuggled in a booth next to the guy she was apparently dating—and she definitely looked like she was in love with him. I wondered if all her new privileged friends had any idea that she spent her evenings reading books instead of trying to figure out how to spend her money—money she didn’t even have. Even if I didn’t like the privileged, I was happy for her. My high school years were hell because of people like them—and would have been a lot worse if Victoria hadn’t stuck up for me a few times. High school love was unlikely to last forever, but at least Anna was having fun. She smiled so much she practically glowed.
I wonder if I have that same kind of glow when Bryant looks at me…
Chapter Twelve
Bryant
The next day
It was a normal Friday at Benson Enterprises—except that all of the people in the office were extremely excited that they were going to get lunch from Moretti’s. Cassie spent the morning gathering everyone’s orders while I met with some potential new clients. I was surprised to see that Danny Fontenot’s name was on my list for the afternoon. I knew his financial situation had changed based on the conversation we had at Chateau Prime, but if he wanted to discuss investment opportunities, then he must have been doing better than I realized. Benson Enterprises catered to clients that had a lot of money to invest.
“Mr. Benson, do you have a moment?” One of my account managers, a woman named Kara James, knocked on my door shortly before lunch.
“Uh…” I looked at my calendar. “Yes, it looks like I’m free until after lunch.”
“Thank you.” She walked into my office and closed the door. “I hope I’m not out of line here…”
That’s what people say right before they forget lines exist and step over them, so…
“Please, have a seat.” I motioned to the chair in front of my desk.
“I just wanted to bring something to your attention.” She walked over and sat down—I could tell she was nervous. “We’ve got some worried people in the office, and I thought it would be best if it was brought to your attention.”
“Worried?” I blinked in surprise. “About Moretti’s?”
“No sir. This isn’t about lunch—we’re really happy about that.” She shook her head quickly and swallowed like she was suppressing a gulp. “The meeting—the one you had with Alexis Devereaux.”
“It was nothing.” I waved off her concern.
“I believe you, and I suspected as much. I’ve worked here too long to think that you would do business with someone like her—but people need to hear that.” She looked down and sighed.
“You’re right.” I nodded. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll talk to everyone right after lunch.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and leaned forward to stand.
I appreciated Kara’s visit. I always tried to keep an open-door policy at Benson Enterprises, just like my father did, and it existed because of situations like the one I was in. It was best to deal with the concerns immediately—my employees were too loyal to be kept in suspense or worry about trivial shit like Alexis’s visit. I decided to at least let them enjoy lunch, but I knew that would also give Kara time to tell a few people what I said. That would set the atmosphere and ease some tensions before I made my speech.
“Here’s your order, Mr. Benson.” Cassie walked into my office with a smile on her face and placed my lunch special from Moretti’s on my desk.
“Thanks.” I nodded and pulled it over. “Fork?”
“Oh, right—be right back.” Cassie disappeared through the door and returned with a set of plastic utensils. “Anything else?”
“Nah, I’m good. Let everyone know that I will be holding a quick meeting after lunch.” I looked up at her and nodded.
“Yes sir.” She turned back towards the door.
The lunch from Moretti’s wasn’t quite as good as dining in, but it was certainly better than most of the other options we could have gone with. I felt bad that I didn’t cancel my reservations when Taylor and I decided to skip out on dinner, but I didn’t feel bad about what we did with that time. I just had to make it through the rest of the day, and then the weekend would be ours. I had no intention of planning a date for us—I was just going to wait and see how the day went. There was a damn good chance we wouldn’t even make it out of bed. I certainly wasn’t going to complain if we didn’t.
Okay, time to meet with the team, and then I only have a couple more meetings before I can call it a night.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” I walked out of my office and found most of the team already gathered in anticipation of the meeting.
“Kara, will you round up everyone that isn’t here?” Cassie walked over and started assessing the attendance—making sure we didn’t have any stragglers for our meetings was one of her jobs.
“Right way.” Kara looked around the room a
nd headed out to the floor where a few people were still finishing their lunch.
“Thank you for lunch, Mr. Benson.” One of my newer employees, Paul, stepped forward and gave me a nod.
“Just a token of my appreciation—nothing more.” I smiled and gave him a nod in response.
It took a few minutes for Kara to round up everyone that wasn’t already gathered for our meeting. I filled the time with a few compliments for those that had been doing an exceptional job, another thank you to those that came in to work through the weekend when we had our emergency, and cracked a few jokes. The atmosphere didn’t seem to be as tense as Kara described, but there was a good chance that they were just afraid to show their concern. I had tried to relax things a little bit since I took over. My father wasn’t a difficult boss by any means, but the millennial generation expected a little more, and I tried to accommodate them.
“Okay I think that’s everyone.” I stepped forward and looked around the room. “Kara brought something to my attention, and I need to address it with everyone. I know some of you have concerns about my recent meeting with Alexis Devereaux…”
Yep, that sucked the energy out of the room really quick.
“First, let me assure you that her visit wasn’t scheduled—and I would never do business with her.” I made eye contact with a few people in the room. “I know a lot of you are here right now because her ex-husband took over the company you devoted your life to. That isn’t going to happen to Benson Enterprises—you have my word.”
I watched as people processed what I said. There were a few questions, and I answered them with ease. It seemed to be enough to quell the concerns and confirm that the job security they thought they enjoyed prior to seeing Alexis in my office would still provide the stability they needed to take care of their families. After I was sure everyone was okay with my explanation, I headed back to my office so that I could finish the rest of my work for the day. It was hard to focus on that with Taylor on my mind—I was looking forward to Saturday more than I had looked forward to a weekend in a very long time.
Forbidden Kiss: Carson Cove Scandals Page 9
