by Aj Harmon
Ben again pushed it from the back of his mind and headed back to his office. He had a full day’s work ahead of him and then in the evening he had a date!
*****
Ever since their dinner at The Bourbon, Sophia had thought about Ben’s question. “You aren’t just a mom and a daughter. What about you?”
What about me? She’d already decided that she wanted to go back to school, after all, she’d only completed one year of college before she’d dropped out. She had several more general study classes to complete before she had to decide on a major. But when it came time to do that, would she know what to choose?
“I could be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a physical therapist, or a teacher,” she said to herself as she soaked in the tub. “I can be anything I want!” The problem was she didn’t know what she wanted.
She did however, know one thing, and that was if she wasn’t careful, she would be in big trouble with Ben Lathem. She could see herself falling ever so hard. And that thought was scary.
Sophia climbed from the tub and dried herself with the big fluffy towel and then slathered her body in lotion that smelled of jasmine. Then, after wrapping the towel around her and securing it under her arms, she stood in front of the mirror and removed stray hairs on her face and eyebrows.
“The Conti curse,” she scowled, as she plucked a dark hair on her chin, talking of her mother’s family.
After shaping her brows and adding tinted moisturizer to her face, she added eye makeup and some blush. She straightened her hair, leaving it to fall down her back like silk and once again stood in front of her closet trying to choose the perfect outfit. She liked the idea of being able to dress up. She hadn’t done it in so long and going out with Ben even allowed her to wear her heels. So she picked her shoes first, a pair of Jimmy Choo ankle strap gold sandals, a purchase she’d made for the sole purpose of pissing off Willis. He’d told her she had to accompany him to a company function where he was receiving an award for one of his ad campaigns. She’d told him she couldn’t go because she didn’t have anything appropriate to wear and for just the second time in their marriage, he’d pulled a credit card from his wallet and told her to buy something that would represent him in the best light. She’d taken the card and headed straight for Neiman Marcus where she’d bought a magnificent midnight blue strapless gown and the shoes she now pulled from her closet. Needless to say Willis was livid when he saw the bill, which was the purpose of shopping at Neiman’s in the first place. And when the evening of the dinner arrived, Alex had a fever of one hundred and four and she refused to leave him with a sitter which made Willis even madder. She’d taken the dress back and had gotten store credit which she used to buy Alex some things, but she’d kept the shoes…brand new shoes that she’d never worn.
Until tonight.
*****
Ben stood on the sidewalk at the back of Aldo’s Market and buzzed up to Sophia’s apartment. The store was open but it didn’t feel like a real date to go through the bread aisle and have Aldo text his daughter that Ben was waiting. For some weird reason, he wanted this to be a real date.
Alex’s voice came over the intercom. “Yeah?”
He chuckled. “Hi Alex. It’s Ben. I’m here to pick up your mom.”
The door popped open and Ben entered the small foyer and took the stairs two at a time. He stopped at the first floor and saw the name Manning next to the front door, so he headed up another flight of stairs. Alex was standing in the doorway.
“Hey,” Ben smiled.
With a frown on his face, Alex stared at Ben. Ben stared back for a second. “What’s up?”
Alex shrugged.
“Come on,” Ben encouraged, “Tell me.”
“I thought you were my friend.”
“I am! Why would you think I wasn’t?”
“Cuz you’re taking my mom to dinner.”
“So? I took you to the ball games…and dinner if my memory serves me right. When does your mom get to go out? Is it fair that only you get to go do fun stuff? Isn’t she allowed to have a good time too?”
Alex shrugged. “I guess so.”
“You guess right,” Ben grinned. “Besides, I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to another game before the end of the season, but if you’re gonna be a baby about it then…”
“No! I’m not a baby!” he perked up. “You’d really take me again?”
“Of course!”
“Cool! I’ll let you know what game I wanna go see.” And he ran off to find the Yankees schedule.
That left Ben to enter the apartment and look around at the sparsely furnished living room, the mix and match dining table and chairs and the old school television that stuck out into the middle of the room. Man, those things were huge, Ben thought, as he thought of his own slim flat screens mounted on the walls of his living room, bedroom, and office. But everything was clean and tidy. It kind of reminded him of his college apartment; sofas that didn’t match; three dining chairs and a coffee table that had three legs and a sawn off baseball bat as the fourth.
Next to the door was a small bookshelf that held the life of Alex in photographs. At least six school pictures were nestled on the wooden shelves, along with photos of him and his grandparents on both sides and a couple with his father. At the very back was a small picture in a silver frame of Sophia holding him in the hospital after he was born. She looked so young and beautiful and his heart lurched just a little, forcing him to straighten up and look away. He was unused to feelings like that and was trying to avoid them at all costs. After all, he was happy and content.
He heard her singing before he saw her. It was something in Italian and her voice danced through the melody with ease. Then he saw her coming towards him, her eyes on the gold clutch in her hands. The black dress hugged her curves and as his eyes traveled down her body they came to rest on her feet and the gold sandals and her purple painted nails. If feet could be sexy then Sophia’s won the award.
“Oh! Hi!” she stuttered, coming to a dead stop. “Alex didn’t tell me you were here.”
Ben chuckled. “That would be my fault. I told him to pick another Yankees game he wanted to see so I believe he is studying the schedule.”
“Ah,” she nodded.
“Are you ready?”
“I am. Just let me get my jacket.” She laid down her clutch on the table and hurried back down the hall and reappeared a few seconds later with a black leather jacket. Ben’s groin twitched. God help him if she was going to wear those shoes and leather.
*****
Maria stood in her kitchen preparing for their big day tomorrow. She needed to make the perfect dinner, have the apartment perfectly cleaned and make herself look perfect for their guest. Everything had to be perfect. Ben was coming!
As she peeled carrots and chopped celery, she thought about all he’d done for her and Luca, not only recently in their move to New York, but all those years ago when he’d given her a job and then surprised her with a car. He was more than an employer…he was a friend…a good friend and a good influence on Luca.
Yes, it was important to make sure everything was perfect for tomorrow night so that she could find out if they could be more than good friends. The time had come for her dreams to be realized. In Brazil, she’d never even begun to think that there was a chance for them to be anything more, but now, living in the same city, maybe there was a chance, and she didn’t want to wonder ‘what if’ for the rest of her life. She was going to jump on the opportunity.
14.
Sitting at a table next to the window of the restaurant on the thirty-ninth floor, Sophia gazed out at the bridges lit up and shining brilliantly in the darkness. They sipped on a bottle of chilled white wine and chatted about the beginnings of fall, Gloria’s recovery and Alex’s upcoming band concert. The waiter brought a basket of sliced bread right from the oven and Ben slathered a piece with butter and took a bite.
“You’ve got some…there…it’s dripping…no…there,
” and she finally gave up and wiped the spot of butter running down his chin.
“I promise I’m not a slob,” he laughed as he swallowed. “It’s so good,” he added as he shoved the piece of bread toward her. “Take a bite, then you’ll understand.”
Sophia took a small bite of the offered bread and shuddered at the intimacy of eating of a piece of bread he’d already had to his lips. It was probably the most erotic thing she’d ever done. The thought depressed her because it wasn’t erotic at all.
“Mmm,” she smiled. “It is good.”
They talked about the market and how excited Sophia was for her parents to finally pay off the mortgage after thirty plus years of working tirelessly seven days a week. They would finally own their very own piece of New York City.
“Mom said they’ll finally hire some more employees and then dad won’t be in the store every hour of every day. They’ll actually be able to take a vacation, or at the very least, a day off here and there.”
“I admire him and all he’s done to provide for his family. He is a great role model for Alex.”
“Is that a kind way of saying his father isn’t?” Sophia chuckled.
“That actually hadn’t entered my mind, but I guess that too,” Ben grinned.
As each course was eaten, the conversation flowed easily and they laughed and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. Sophia was enthralled with the stories of Ben’s childhood antics with his brothers and made the off-hand comment that she was sad that her son wouldn’t get to have cousins and siblings to create memories with.
“Why would you say that?” Ben scoffed.
“I am an only child, so no cousins, and he is already twelve. Even if I got married tomorrow any siblings that came now would be too young.”
“That doesn’t have to be the way it is. Matt married a woman with grown sons and then then had two children with her. All four of those siblings adore each other and there’s twenty plus years between them in age. In fact, Tyler had his three year old brother over to his place for a sleepover! Don’t limit his future.”
Sophia could see in his eyes the he believed what he’d said and somehow it comforted her. She didn’t want Alex to be lonely but she also didn’t want to have another child just for that reason. That would be unfair to everyone.
“Besides,” Ben continued, “you can’t predict what will happen. You may fall in love with a man who already has eight kids.”
“God help me,” she laughed.
The dessert tray arrived and Sophia quickly declined but Ben was tempted. “Come on,” he begged. “Share one with me? Please?”
She grinned and nodded. “Fine. But I get all the cream.”
“Deal,” he agreed. “Which one?”
Sophia perused the tray and decided on the divine raspberry cheesecake.
“Ah,” Ben sighed with glee. “A woman after my own heart. Cheesecake!”
“I was going to choose the chocolate fudge brownie sundae, but then I saw the cheesecake and no matter what the choices are, I will always choose that over anything else.”
“We are made for each other,” and as soon as the words escaped his lips, Ben’s face fell into a blank stare and wished he could take back the spoken words.
Sophia watched the instant change in expression and almost laughed. “Well if cheesecake on its own could sustain a relationship then yes. Otherwise I think we’ll just share one piece and call it good.”
Ben looked up, through his long eyelashes and was relieved to see her smirk. If he’d said that to Jill…ever…she would have taken it as a marriage proposal. Sophia however, seemed to have a better sense of humor. The waiter saved him from having to speak as he lowered the plate in the middle of the table and laid down two dessert forks next to the plate. “Enjoy,” he smiled as he left them to devour the cheesecake.
“Oh, wow!” Sophia all but cried as she took the first bite. “Rich and silky smooth. Heavenly!”
As she closed her eyes and Ben watched her slowly savor the cream cheese concoction, his groin once again twitched. It appeared to be almost an orgasmic experience as she moaned with pleasure with each bite. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t focus on anything but her mouth and the desire to kiss her became almost overwhelming.
Several minutes had passed and Sophia realized there was just one bite left…she’d eaten the whole thing and the realization embarrassed her. “Oh…sorry,” she muttered, placing her fork on the white linen table cloth in front of her.
“Not at all,” Ben growled. “I’ve…enjoyed every minute of watching you eat that. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a cheesecake the same way again.” As the waiter walked by Ben asked for the check. They were going home.
*****
Home was his apartment. Sophia readily agreed to come up for coffee and Ben wanted her alone. He needed to kiss her.
Once she stepped inside, Ben regretted his decision to bring her up. It no longer seemed like a good idea. After all, he didn’t have any intentions of having a relationship with her…right? He wasn’t looking for anything serious…right? He was content and happy. He was just enjoying her company. And as long as he kept telling himself that, he’d be okay.
Offering her coffee, he told Sophia to make herself comfortable and he discarded his suit jacket and tie on the back of a chair at the dining table. He began fiddling with the contraption on the counter in the kitchen, trying to produce some coffee.
“Can I help?” came the voice behind him.
“Um,” he frowned. “I just need to get this snapped on,” he said as he continued to mess with the machine. “Bastard,” he muttered under his breath, as the latch wouldn’t click shut.
Finally, after several seconds, Sophia heard a faint ‘click’ and a heavy sigh from Ben. She smothered a smile and wandered back into the living room. Gazing through the windows, she could see bridge after bridge lit up in brilliant splendor, each proudly displaying its’ structure and architectural design.
“You have a beautiful view,” she yelled over her shoulder. “I would imagine it’s very soothing and calming to come home to this after a long day at work. I know it would be for me.”
Ben stood in the kitchen and watched her; her long silky hair cascading down her back, the black dress caressing her ass, her long legs and feet perched in those sexy shoes. Yeah, he thought. I would imagine it’s very soothing and calming to come home to this after a long day at work.
With two cups of coffee in his hand, he ambled towards her, desire coursing through his veins. She turned as he approached and smiled, accepting the mug he offered.
“Cream and one sugar,” he smiled.
“You remembered!” Sophia was stunned. They’d had coffee together once when her mother had forced him to take her and Alex to a new Italian restaurant. And he’d remembered. She took a sip. “Perfect!” she grinned. Ben seemed pleased with himself and Sophia walked away from the window and perched on the edge of the sofa. “How long have you lived here?”
“About seven years,” he replied. “It was the apartment I had dreamed of when I was in college. I know guys aren’t supposed to care about that kind of thing,” he chuckled, “but I didn’t get a scholarship to school like most of my other brothers did, so the college fund my parents had been saving for me didn’t go as far. I had money for tuition but I had to pay for an apartment so I had to work too.”
“Oh, poor baby,” she mocked.
Ben grinned. “I know. I know. It sounds pathetic, but I’m the fourth son and I watched my older brothers with scholarships and having this awesome time in school and I was having to work to make ends meet, plus study for school. At the time I thought I was the most under-privileged kid in America.”
“I’m still thinking about the fact that you had a college savings fund!” Sophia said. “That put you head and shoulders above most of us.”
“Yeah, and at the time I really didn’t appreciate it. But the older I got, the more I saw just how fortunate
I was and how grateful I was to my parents for giving me so much.”
Sophia’s slight irritation at his arrogance waned and she realized he was just being very honest…something Willis never was. Willis would never have admitted to having any kind of character flaw, even though he was riddled with them. In some ways, Sophia decided, it was refreshing for her to hear Ben speaking so candidly.
“So you lived in a roach-infested walk-up with no hot water?” she teased.
“Almost!” he laughed. “Although I don’t remember a lot of roaches…just an occasional visitor.”
“That’s one of dad’s biggest fear…vermin!”
“I bet it is in his line of work,” Ben agreed. He took another sip of his coffee and sat beside her. “I had a really great time with you tonight.”
Sophia placed her cup on the table in front of her and twisted ever so slightly to look at Ben. “I did too, but, I’m not looking for anything serious.”
“Me either,” he whispered and put his cup next to hers.
She knew what was about to happen and instead of feeling dread, she felt little butterflies of excitement and anticipation flit through her insides. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and as she opened them he was inches from her face, his eyes hooded and lips slightly apart. His hand cupped her cheek and his thumb gently caressed her smooth skin. Sophia leaned into his hand and closed her eyes again, instantly feeling his warm lips against hers. The kiss was soft and sweet and he pulled away only to return again this time with a little more heat and intent. Before she knew it, her fingers were entwined in his thick dark hair and she held his head to hers as she kissed him back with an intensity that surprised her. She licked his bottom lip and he responded immediately, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth and exploring every inch while dancing with her tongue.
Minutes passed as they devoured each other until Ben pulled back and warned, “Sophia, if you kiss me again I won’t be able to stop. You need to know that I crave you right now and if you don’t want this to go any further, you should go…now.”
