I blush, having forgotten Maureen and Rick were even right next to me. Ben’s lap dance still has tremors running through me as if my body’s already addicted to him. Him leaving has caused me to start going through withdrawals.
“How was your lap dance?” Maureen asks, snapping her mirror shut with a deafening click.
“It was ok,” I say, my voice still shaky.
“Just ok? God, Clara. You need to learn how to let loose and have fun. I mean it. Just try to have fun for once. Leave it to my prude stepsister not to have fun when a sexy man rubs up on her. I should’ve had the Trifecta if you weren’t going to enjoy him. It sucks I have to wait until my wedding to get him.”
“Maureen,” I start to tell her off, but stop when I see three women approach us. A sinking filling hits my stomach. My gut tells me to get up and walk away from the vapid bitches coming toward us, but I’m afraid to get up, not trusting my legs to hold me steady.
“So you’re the lucky one for tonight?” one of the women says, flipping her hair off her shoulder.
“Yeah, I guess we can go home now,” another one says.
“Well there’s always tomorrow,” the last of the three women says with a wicked smile.
“I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I try to stand but the three won’t back up. I don’t want to rub against any of them, so I stay put. Their perfume gives me a headache, and I don’t want it on my clothing.
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” the first one I dub the leader says.
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about. Honestly, I don’t even want to know.” I lean back wanting to escape the awful perfume wafting off of them.
They giggle and it makes me sick. I want to plug my ears and hum until they get on their brooms and fly away, but I guess their brooms are parked out back.
“You don’t think you’re special?” the leader asks.
“You’re so cute,” the second and third titter. The screeching against my ears is almost more than I can take.
“Listen, Ben chooses one girl a night. It’s how the Trifecta works. He doesn’t do repeats. So you better get your fill for tonight because that’s all you’re going to get.”
“But don’t worry I’ve heard Ben gives you more than enough to cuddle up to on lonely nights.”
“I’ve actually already cuddled with him.” I don’t go into the whole story about how I was drunk and such. But, anything to watch their faces make the look they’re giving me right now.
It’s priceless. Like they all three just sucked a sour lemon into their mouth.
“She’s lying,” the redheaded woman says, pointing her red-tipped nail in my direction.
“I’ve been to his house. His comforter is maroon.”
They stare at the redhead in the bunch, and her face tells me she knows I’m right. Obviously she’s the only one who’s been in his room. She tries to speak.
“It’s ok. I don’t expect you to understand,” I say, smiling up at them.
“He’ll get bored with you,” the blonde leader says as the three of them walk away.
And for the first time tonight, doubt creeps in. He will get bored of me. That’s what he does. It’s his MO. He only sleeps with a woman once, and then moves on.
And he’s coming over to my house after work. And come on, I know it’s not for ice cream and board games. No, it’s for sex.
Will he get bored with me and then not take me to Maureen’s wedding?
I can’t find out the answer to that.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you and Ben, but I’m not buying it,” Maureen says, putting her hand on my arm as if she wants to comfort me, but her statement is the opposite of sisterly concern.
“Fine. Don’t buy it.”My good spirits are crushed, and I no longer care if Maureen believes I’m bringing Ben to her wedding. I still don’t even know if we’ll make it until then.
“Did you hire him to be your date at my wedding? You don’t have to waste your money. I have plenty of friends who would take pity on you and escort you. Although having him at the wedding will be a nice present for me. I still want to have my one night with him.”
“I didn’t hire him to go to the wedding. I asked him and he said yes. I don’t need anyone to take pity on me.”
Maureen pats my hand and gives me a placating look. “It’s ok, Clara. I understand you want to be independent, that's why you have your little job. I just don't want any drama at my wedding. We both know he’s not into you. I mean look at you. The only reason I'm allowing him to come is so I can have him.”
“I’m leaving.” I stand up and run right into Ben who’s holding two blue drinks with cherries floating in it.
“Hey, I was just coming to see you. I have one more dance and then we can get out of here.” He hands me a drink and gives Maureen the other. “Compliments of the house.”
“We were just leaving,” I say, putting the drink down and taking Maureen’s away.
“What? No we weren’t.” Maureen snatches her drink and thrusts mine into my hands.
“Leaving, are you ok? I thought I was going to take you home?” Ben’s stutter is adorable and I rethink about letting him take me home.
No, I can’t let him get bored before taking me to Maureen’s wedding. Especially now that she thinks I hired him.
And I definitely can’t show up to that wedding alone. I wish Charles would just see the real Maureen and call off the wedding, but I don’t see that happening, because I kind of think Charles is the exact same way.
There’s no love there.
“I’m fine. I just don’t think going home with you is a good idea.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Sit. I’ll be right back.” Ben pins Maureen with a glare. “Do not let her leave.”
“What did you promise him? How much?” Maureen asks after I plop down in my seat.
“I didn’t promise him anything.”
Before Maureen can argue the DJ announces the Trifecta is about to hit the stage. The noise level should be shattering the glass from all the women screaming, but the noise stops when Ben walks on stage.
Ben moves like a beast across the floor, studying his prey in the crowd. Me.
My eyes are glued on him.
And I can’t turn my head if I wanted to. If you asked me what his two brothers were doing right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you. When his glistening pecs catch the lights, all thoughts flee from my head. The only thing bouncing around in my empty head is how fast I can get him alone and naked.
The hell with what those women said.
The hell with what Maureen thinks.
And the hell with the wedding.
I watch his hips move with the music and my mouth waters, thinking about what’s underneath. I wonder what he can do with those moves off the stage. I want to find out.
When the Trifecta leave the stage, I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been.
I watch the backstage door waiting for Ben to come out and claim me. Maureen keeps talking, but I haven’t paid any attention to what she’s saying. When the door opens, women run toward it. I can’t see Ben with all of them clamoring to be near him.
“Did he forget about you?” Maureen says next to me. “Don’t worry you can ride home with me.”
I refuse to turn my head, not wanting to see my gloating stepsister. The sexual tension Ben poured over me during his lap dance, and made thicker while he danced on stage, vanishes. The heat’s gone and now chills wash over me as I wish for a sweater.
“Thank you for the offer. I’ll find my own way home.” I get up without waiting for Maureen.
Screw her.
“Hey, Clara, where are you heading?” Chuck says, pulling me in for a hug. The big bouncer’s arms surround me and I let him hold me.
“I was going home. I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t belong here,” I say.
“Chuck, thank you for taking care of Clara for me.” I stiffen in Ch
uck’s massive arms and after a second pull away from his safety.
“I don’t need a ride home anymore.”
“I know you don’t need a ride home, because I told you I’m taking you home.” Ben reaches for my hand but lets it go when women from the club burst outside.
“Good night, Chuck, Ben.” I walk to the parking lot getting my phone to order an Uber.
Ben’s footsteps follow me. I want to run, but where would I go? Ben’s hand grabs my wrist, halting me from going any further. “Clara, stop. What’s wrong with you?”
I’m being a baby. I can see this. But, I don’t know how to stop. Everything’s crashing down around me, and even though I want Ben so badly, I know for a fact if I allow myself one night with him I’ll want more and more. And more.
So, it’s best if I don’t let myself get too close.
“Nothing’s wrong with me. I just want to go home.”
“Fine. Get in the car.” Ben guides me to his Range Rover.
I let him, not wanting to cause a scene, especially when I have no idea where Maureen is. “Thanks,” I tell him.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Ben asks as we pull out of the parking lot.
“Nope.”
Ben pushes his hand through his hair and grips the steering wheel. “Clara, what the hell is going on?”
“Nothing, I’m just really tired.”
There’s a war deep inside me, begging for one touch from him but knowing that one touch would lead to disaster.
With a growl, Ben pulls into an abandoned parking lot. “Talk to me.”
“Ben.” I have no idea what to say to him.
He leans closer. “I saw the way you watched me tonight.” He’s so close, and I suck in a breath before letting it out slowly.
“I...I,” my words falter.
“Your eyes were only on me. Do you know how hard it is to dance with a semi?” His face lights up as he smiles.
I laugh a little. “Did you mean what you said?”
“What?”
“About dancing only for me tonight.”
His mouth is a centimeter away from mine. I can feel his hot breath across my lips as he speaks. “I meant every word.” He licks his lips. “So, tell me what changed?”
“I guess I had a reminder of what kind of guy you are.”
Ben takes a deep breath, backing up a bit. “I’m not going to lie to you, Clara. Yes, my past with women isn’t the greatest.” His eyes search mine. “But, that doesn’t mean I don’t want you in every way possible. I meant what I said about you the other day. You’re different to me.”
“I don’t know if that’s supposed to be a good thing or not.”
“It’s a very good thing. I don’t know what it is about you, but you’re doing something to me that I’ve never felt before.”
Have you ever had one of those moments? One where if you leap, you may just land perfectly on your feet?
I want him. I want him so bad, but I remember my earlier thought about not being able to want more and more.
I believe Ben when he says he wants me, but for how long? I stick to my resolve, asking him to take me home.
He pulls the car back out onto the main road and heads in the direction of my house. The cab of his SUV is silent as I watch the city lights pass by in a blur outside the window.
He pulls into my driveway, and for a split second I think about inviting him in.
“You don’t have to take me to the wedding anymore.” And then, I rush out of his Range Rover and hightail it to my front door.
Chapter 12
Ben
“What happened with you and Clara last night?” Axel asks as he pushes the barbell he’s holding up in a steady motion.
“Fuck Clara,” I say, laying on the weight bench and pushing my earbuds deeper into my ear. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I say loudly before ignoring both of my brothers and their stupid questions.
The buds are ripped from my ears by the cord, and Axel and Damien hold me down on the bench. “What the fuck is going on?” they both ask, their hands against my shoulders keeping me down until they get what they want.
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Bullshit, there’s something going on when you declare ‘fuck Clara’ and then try to drown us out with music. So you might as well tell us.” Damien cocks his head, and both my annoying brothers, who have the same face as me, stare back, expecting an answer.
“After I gave Clara the lap dance some of our more catty clients went up to Clara. They told her about me taking home a different girl night after night and not bringing them back for seconds. And well I guess it spooked her and she doesn’t want me to take her to the wedding now.”
“And that’s it. You’re not going to go to the wedding with her. You’re just going to abandon your damsel in distress?”
“She isn’t my damsel in distress anymore.”
Both my brother’s laugh at me and press down on me even harder. “I knew it was going to happen. I just wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast.” Damien squeezes me and Axel does the same.
They let go of me and I sit up. “You’re being stupid. Nothing’s happening fast or slow.”
“Your womanizing ways finally caught up with you.”
“Nothing has caught up with me. I don’t care what Clara wants or who she wants to take to the wedding. Like I said, Fuck Clara.”
They laugh and shake their heads. “Is the synchronizing thing we do this annoying all the time?”
“You’re deflecting with sarcasm. Classic Ben move,” Axel says.
“We know you like her. It’s ok to lose yourself to her. Don’t you want to know what it would be like to have someone who likes you for you? Who doesn’t care if you're one of the Trifectas.” Damien quirks an eyebrow.
“She told me she doesn’t want to go to the wedding with me. What am I supposed to do?”
“Go to her. Find out if you can change her mind.”
I throw myself back on the bench and stare at the ceiling. “We love you big brother.” They pinch me on the cheek leaving the garage, letting me brood by myself.
“Fuck.” I slam my hands into the bench and get up. I head to the shower, snapping on the water, grumbling the whole time.
When I’m dressed and ready, I make a mad dash for the door.
“Good luck, big brother,” Axel says.
My tires screech as I pull into Clara’s work Carnet Properties. I'm glad she mentioned where she worked before we mauled each other at her apartment. I crack my neck from side to side and get out of the car with more determination than I thought I had.
“Can I help you, sir?” the woman at the front desk asks as she hurries to fix her hair.
“I’m here to see, Clara Banning.”
“Do you have an appointment?” She moves to her keyboard and types away looking for something to state I should be here.
“I don’t have an appointment, but I’m sure she’ll want to see me.”
The receptionist makes a call and I lean against the counter, waiting. The receptionist licks her lips and bobbles the phone. “There’s someone here to speak with you.” She puts the phone on mute. “What’s your name?”
“Ben.”
She waits for me to give her a last name and I give her a wink instead. “He says his name is Ben.” She ignores me and I know Clara’s giving her some lame excuse. “Clara’s busy. She said she’ll call you later.”
“Tell her I just need a minute.”
“She says she’s coming.”
When Clara walks through the door, my breath catches inside my throat. She’s stunning. She’s got on this hot little black-pencil skirt with a white-flowy blouse. Her smile melts my insides and her eyes sparkle blue.
“Ben, what are you doing here?”
I lead her away from the receptionist so we can have a little privacy. “I didn’t like the way things ended last night.”
She fidgets with her hands. “Nei
ther did I, but that doesn’t change my mind about the wedding.”
“I want to take you. And that’s the truth.” Would it be totally inappropriate to kiss her at her place of work?
Yes.
Doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it.
“Ben, this isn’t you. You don’t need to save me and take me to the wedding just to prove something to yourself.”
“Prove something to myself?”
“Yeah, that you can actually have more than a one-night stand with a woman.” She smiles. “Trust me, your secret’s safe with me.”
She’s got me all confused. “Secret?”
“Yes, that you have more to you than meets the eye.” She steps away from me.
“Wait. I am more than what meets the eye.”
She winks. Which I see is totally sarcastic. “Sure you are.”
“What about you?” I try to turn the tables on her. “You never have any fun. Isn’t that what Maureen says?”
She parks a hand on her hip. “You don’t know anything about me.”
I smile, using her own words back at her. “And you don’t know anything about me.”
“I’ve seen enough to know that you’ve never committed to anything. That you use women. That you have never cared about anyone in your whole life.”
Ouch. “That’s not true at all. You don’t know me at all.” I’m hurt by her words. “Just because I like to have fun with the opposite sex doesn’t mean I don’t care about people.”
She doesn’t say anything for a long time, and then she lets out a controlled breath. “Look, this is my job. I need to get back to work.”
“Your shitty job?” I cross my arms over my chest. “You already said you're not happy here ”
She bites her bottom lip. “Well, it's not my dream job,” she whispers, making sure the receptionist can’t see her, “let’s go outside.” Clara leads me into the parking lot, and I follow with my arms in my jeans pockets.
“I want to take you to this wedding.”
Clara shakes her head. “And I’m telling you that I don’t need you to.”
“So, you’re just going to let Maureen fix you up with some asshole?” The anger is strong with me right now. The thought of Clara with some jerk makes me see red.
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