by Taylor Berke
“Let’s put it like this, if you, for any reason, go near her, talk to her, call her, or communicate with her and I find out, you will not enjoy the consequences. If you feel the need to discuss her mortgages, the only reason you should have a relationship with her, then you will discuss them with me from now on. If I find out that you have tried to communicate with her about any other matter, such as, say, personal comforts, I will have nothing to do with the possible beat down that may occur in the alley behind the bank. I think that I have made myself pretty clear, no? I will have the signed papers giving me her authority to handle all her business matters from this point on back to you by the end of business tomorrow,” Ben said, his eyes firm with cold intent while allowing his meaty fists to clench and unclench before Mr. Davis’s frightened expression.
With significantly less bravado, Mr. Davis replied, “Are you threatening me, Ben?”
Ben raised an eyebrow and just delivered a terrifyingly cold smile in the banker’s direction. Threat delivered.
“Well, ah, if she signs the paperwork, then I guess I can talk to you, but you should be aware that she is in real danger of losing not only her house but the café as well, Ben.”
Mr. Davis felt the sweat start to bead at his temples as he squirmed under the dangerous glare that was coming from the man sitting calmly across from him. He could see the narrowing of the gaze that was making his insides coil in dread, recognizing wisely Ben’s increasing loss of patience with the pathetic little man.
Ben abruptly stood, startling Mr. Davis into releasing a loud gasp of fear.
“I think you will find out that you have made an error in your summation. She will have no problem with her payments in the future. As such, I expect that you will heed my warning and deal only with me. A word from her as to any unwanted attention or interest from you, well, Theo, you and I are going to have a problem, a very painful and difficult one. Do we have an understanding, man to man?”
“Um, yes. I understand the point that you are trying to convey. Um, yes. I will contact you for any future issues with her accounts.”
From his towering height over the disgusting excuse for a man, Ben extended his hand toward Mr. Davis.
As they shook, Ben looked him directly in the eyes and said, “Good.”
* * * *
Lizzie found that the rest of day was a blur of activity. After the girls mostly cleared out, all going back to their respective jobs, Lizzie sat at a table with Billie who definitely looked worse for wear. Lizzie was so distracted by the sensual haze caused by reliving the strength in his arms, the feel of his rock-hard body against hers, and taste of his kiss on her tongue.
“Earth to Lizzie! Can you please focus for just a minute? I am sick over here and I have to go back to see my afternoon patients!” Billie laughed out at her very preoccupied friend.
“Oh, sorry, Billie! That man just has me tied up in knots. He just makes me forget to even breathe and then by dragging me off during our girl lunch… Am I a sick woman for loving that? I sure hope I am not just a charity project for him or something.
“I know I have the flu because it sounded like you were just doubting the affections of the very man who practically lives at that table over there. That was the same man who walked out of here at lunch without eating and had an erection almost the size of Jackson’s after he was through with you!” Billie then smirked in Lizzie’s direction. “Just so we understand each other, we both know how big those Powell men are, yes?”
Feeling another blush coming on, she admitted to Billie, “Um, yes, now I have an inkling, yes. Okay, I must confess, I haven’t seen the thing but must admit I was just intimately acquainted with that monster and if he doesn’t do something to me soon, I am going to die over here!”
Billie looked at her with humor. “Don’t worry, I’ll resuscitate you. That’s what friends are for.”
Chapter Eight
Two days went by and not a word from Ben. Two frustrating days. Lizzie sat at her kitchen table on her day off, trying to decide if she was thrilled or about to hunt him down and spear him with a chopstick. He made her smile, he rescued her from the pit of never-ending despair, he found a way to protect her from the world, and he made her orgasm like she had never orgasmed before. Oh, what pleasure that man could give and he hadn’t even used anything other than his belly and buckle. Damn, if that was the case, maybe she should make out a will leaving everything to Billie because she was sure to die from an explosion if he ever got around to making love to her with some of the better stuff.
What was up with that? Billie and the girls were right. He definitely wanted her, badly if his awkward new walk had anything to do with it. It wasn’t like she was calling him twenty times a day since he gave her a tour of her office, so what was wrong? Maybe I had better cook for him. The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach and that man sure could eat.
A small giggle escaped her mouth as she remembered what the older yenta brigade had suggestively offered as advice. Feed the man. Well, she would start with food and then move to… well, there were so many parts of her for him to feast upon. She felt her thighs slide against one another as her juices dripped from her at the image she conjured up of his head kissing his way down her belly, softly licking and tasting her navel, the curve of her hips, and the dip of her pelvis until he got to her pleasure nub. She could practically feel the rough texture of his tongue as his hands slid under her to cup her cheeks, forcing her against the probing of his mouth. Lizzie would wind her legs up over his shoulders as her hands gripped the counter behind her that she was leaning against. Heated moans of pleasure would escape her lips as he sucked the little nub into the warmth of his mouth.
Lizzie leaned back in her chair and slid her fingers into her yoga pants as the vision danced in her head. The tips slid easily through the wetness that coated her plump nether lips. Over and over she ran two fingers around her clit, causing shudders of deliciousness to shoot through her body. Lizzie licked her lips imagining Ben’s own arousal pressing insistently against her leg, practically begging to slide into her waiting body. Suddenly, she stiffened involuntarily as she felt that edge where her orgasm began to rip through her, making her quiver and cry out in pleasure. Lightening her touch slightly and slowing her circular motions, she allowed herself to drift back to earth feeling a satisfying languor.
She opened her eyes slightly to lean over the table as she heard her cell phone vibrate against the wood.
Coming by around five. Can I take you out for dinner, partner?
“Shoot!” Lizzie sat up in a startled rush. She pulled her wet fingers out of her now-damp pants and had to start laughing herself stupid. Running to the sink, she washed her hands quickly as she realized that she couldn’t respond to his text with her hands in their current condition! Perhaps the next time her fingers were wet from her self-pleasuring sessions, he would be there to watch and use his mouth for cleanup duties. Damn, she was getting naughty, but that was simply what that huge hunk of a man was turning her into while she waited for him to figure out that she wasn’t going to bite him, much. Perhaps if she told him what just occurred with her inability to return the text immediately, maybe he would find it rather erotic. Or maybe his big, fat, cocky head of his would think that he had that effect on her just like all women and it was no big deal. She stopped to smile. No, that wasn’t Ben. He had been nothing but gentle and kind with her and probably every woman he knew.
She texted him back.
Sounds lovely but I would love to make you dinner. After all, you need to be assured of the quality of the product you just invested in. Is that okay with you?
Like there was even the smallest chance in the world that he was going to say no to her food. It was one of the few things about Ben that Lizzie was sure about. Vera Sykes was her rock and cooking goddess in the restaurant, but Lizzie was the one who supplied every single recipe used, every one. Ben was a sucker for her comfort food. Most men that she knew were the meat-a
nd-potatoes kind of guys but not her Ben. If Billie would chastise him for it, then it was on his favorites list. Her Ben? She stopped herself. She had to stop thinking like that or she was the one who was going to get hurt. She had been alone in this world for a long time, family wise, and might be forever. He wasn’t hers yet and perhaps would never be. She had to make herself content in the moment now that she could now relax, all due to that delicious man, and she appreciated it.
Sounds like a plan. See you at five, baby.
Baby. She just loved it when he called her that. It gave her little tingles at the affection and slightly possessive edge it carried as she knew he didn’t call anyone else that name. Well, she had better get cracking. There was a table to set, meal to prepare, and a seduction to plan. Phew, it was going to be a seriously busy day.
* * * *
Ben looked down at his phone and couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that was now across his face from ear to ear. He just stood there in a daze staring at the screen of his cell while sitting astride his horse, Cuff. He was going to have dinner with Lizzie. The thought of knowing that he was going to be able to spend the evening with her was causing his heart to do its own version of the Macarena dance. Some of his other parts decided that seeing Lizzie later might be a good idea, too, as his groin began to tighten at the thought of her silken skin displayed above the shirt she wore on Monday. Humm, maybe he should stop and get her some flowers.
“What the hell has you grinning like an idiot?” Jackson called over from his horse, Lachlan.
“Stop calling your brothers idiots, Jackson, or I am going to give you a whack. You aren’t too old for your daddy to remind you to mind your manners, son,” his father yelled in Jackson’s direction.
“Thank you, Dada,” Ben said humorously with the same grin on his handsome face that he had had before.
“Then he should stop acting like one, Dad. Look at his face. I bet that he just got a booty text and is planning on getting laid later! Ask him,” Jackson answered back to their father with great authority in his tone.
“Shut the fuck up, Jackson.” Ben looked fiercely in his older brother’s direction. “I am having dinner with Lizzie and there is no way in hell I am going to allow you to refer to her like that, asshole!”
Both Jackson’s and their father, Bill’s, eyebrows shot up in surprise. Ben was always the calm, cool, and collected one. It was a rare moment indeed if he was displaying ruffled feathers.
With a knowing eye, Bill looked at his middle son. “Benjamin, is there something you would care to share with me?”
“No, Dad, I am not freaking five years old. I can have dinner with anyone I want to,” Ben grumbled back.
“Uh-huh.” It was Jackson’s only further input into their conversation.
Shit, his father and brother knew him way too well. He never could play poker well and this was why he always lost money. His face was an open book sometimes and he was damned frustrated that he was never able to hide a thing. Now Jackson would tell Billie about his stupid grinning, Billie would tell Lizzie, and Lizzie would…what the hell would Lizzie do? Like it? Was that so bad really? She hadn’t bitten his head off for taking a little time to process what had occurred between them in her office. So maybe she would be the rare woman and actually just be happy about it, not start planning a wedding or something. Humm, he began to formulate an image of marrying Lizzie. A white dress, her breast pressed up intentionally to distract him as he was supposed to vow to love, honor, and protect her.
He definitely was in need of a drink and had better stop and pick up a bottle of wine or two as well on his way to her house. Shit, now he was being all considerate and was starting to think like a girl.
“I think he is done for, Dad,” Ben heard Jackson snidely tell their father.
Bill just smiled at Ben. “She is a good one. It is about time. I am going to go talk to your mother about this. She will know how to handle things.”
Ben looked up, roused again from his daydreaming to see his father riding off toward the main house. He swung his gaze in his brother’s direction only to see the arrogant moron grinning like an idiot.
“What?” he yelled out at him.
“Just you look like you have been possessed by a romantic sap instead of my usual cool woman-eating brother. Who are you and where did Ben go?” Jackson laughed out.
“I don’t know. She is just an amazing woman. I am just helping her out for a while and enjoying spending some time with her is all.”
“Uh-huh,” Jackson mumbled in response again.
“Shut up and stop thinking so hard, Jackson.”
“Sorry I disrespected Lizzie unintentionally before. I didn’t know you were thinking about her. I wouldn’t do that to Lizzie and sure as hell wouldn’t want my future wife to know that I insulted her best friend. Poor Billie has been sick with some sort of virus all week.”
“No worries, you didn’t know. I am sorry Billie isn’t feeling well. Damn, what is the point of being the town’s doctor if you can’t fix yourself? What the hell is the woman-eating crack about though? You have fucked twice the number of women I have in your life, buddy.” Ben laughed out.
Jackson’s face resumed its regularly scheduled programming of confident arrogance. “Probably have, and don’t you forget it, junior. My fiancée likes my skills. Shit, you had better not ever mention anything like that to her or I am dead meat, man.”
“Heh heh. Grovel, man, you had better learn to grovel. Gotta go. I have a call to make.” Ben started laughing like an idiot as he turned Cuff to ride off.
Ben glanced over his shoulder only to notice that Jackson was staring suspiciously at the retreating backside of Cuff as Ben started to canter away.
“Who are you calling, asshole?”
Ben threw over his shoulder while laughing. “Gotta make a doctor’s appointment!”
Jackson just grinned for a moment thinking of his fuckable little future wife. “Shit!”
Chapter Nine
Darn it, she forgot to get Ben some beer. Maybe that was a good thing as she had no idea what brand he liked anyway. Tonight could be one of those fact-finding missions on many levels. Yup, she was on mission impossible, Agent Carmichael, out to infiltrate the inner mechanisms of Benjamin Powell’s psyche. Good thing she had some foolproof secret weapons that all women possess—breasts, butt, and a very aroused pussy whenever he was around.
Giggling silently, she knew that she had outdone herself. The whole house smelled delicious thanks to sausage and gruyere-cheese-stuffed mushrooms, double-crusted fried zucchini sticks and a humungous pot of homemade mac and cheese made with three cheeses and her special secret crust. Her hips were expanding just inhaling the fumes, but she knew that Ben burned off all those calories and more with all the work he did daily on the Rugged Hill Ranch. That man didn’t have an ounce of fat on that delectable six-pack that was sadly hidden under his clothes. He really should run around shirtless more. Boy did she know. It was that particular six-pack that was partly integral to the perma-smile that she had been sporting for the last two days.
Shaking her head in order to clear her wayward thoughts, she knew she had to get her tush in gear. She was running behind due to the unruly behavior of her practically senile oven and geriatric excuse for a stove. Well, even with their misbehaving, she managed to pull out all the necessary stops to make a certain Powell appetite sinfully satisfied with the food and hopefully the special “dessert” she had planned.
Suddenly the lights in her house flashed and a huge “pszzzt” sound emanated from outside. What the heck? Feeling a momentary fission of fear, she went into the kitchen and grabbed a flashlight. Anyone who was going to try to attack her was going to get blinded first. As she approached the door, Lizzie realized two things at once. One, her flashlight batteries were dead and two, she was still wearing her red thigh-high silk robe as she was running late, as usual. Shoot. She was very thankful at that moment to Ben for fixing the broken lock on her doo
r.
As she reached in the dark for the knob, she let out an ear-piercing scream as a hard knock sounded at the door simultaneously. She jumped backward only to trip over the leg of the chair by the door. Subsequently she dropped the flashlight as she hit her behind very hard on the floor, causing her to let out another scream to mingle with the sound of the glass on the flashlight breaking. Lizzie lay on the floor stunned that so much could happen in the matter of only a few seconds!
* * * *
Ben had stood outside Lizzie’s house for a few moments, taking in the chipped paint around the door and loose shingles. Shoot, he could fix this for her in just a weekend or two. He decided to add that to his “Lizzie to-do” list in addition to fixing the leaks in her roof, the broken tiles on her floor, and fucking her into another pleasure coma. Yup, sounded like a pretty organized list to him. He took a deep breath and let out a loud sigh of pleasure. He could definitely scent cheesy, fried goodness emanating from her home. Who cared about broken anythings when she could cook like an angel? To his chagrin, he had taken far more care than usual in dressing for dinner with her tonight. Instead of just an old T-shirt and jeans, his usual casual uniform, he actually tried a little for his new “partner.” A black pearl-button shirt, black cowboy hat, pressed jeans, and polished black boots completed what he hoped was up to her approval.
Damn, he really was getting soft if he actually gave a shit about a woman’s approval. She, on the other hand, had always looked good to him. She always looked good wearing clothing that fitted her slim, curvaceous form to perfection, trendy and stylish, but something had lit a fire under his little lady this week. He practically was drooling after setting his eyes on her sexier wardrobe choices from Monday. Hell, her succulent breasts were practically begging for his touch. He couldn’t wait to get his mouth around her nipples. Would they be pinkish or peachy? His cock jumped in anticipation of possibly finding out the answer and soon. He knocked on her door with enthusiasm.
