“Depends. Are you paying for dinner?” Lauren watched Ben nod, tapping the end of one perfectly painted fingertip against her equally perfect white teeth.
“Anything on the menu,” Ben said seriously.
“Wow, a man ready to open his wallet because of a woman. You must have it bad.” Lauren smiled in mock sympathy, the knowing look in her eyes daring Ben to deny it.
“It’s like being eighteen again,” Ben admitted with a frown. “She’s all I can think about.”
Lauren giggled, relieved when Ben finally smiled. And there it was, she thought, the lady killer look she’d warned Regina about. While she was happy for friend, Lauren also couldn’t help being a little envious of Regina’s ability to attract someone like Ben. First Alexa found a younger man who was great for her. Now Regina and Ben. And all Lauren attracted was unfaithful married jerks. Life was so unfair at times.
When Lauren said nothing more and seemed to drift off into her thoughts, Ben tried to fill the uncomfortable silence between them by explaining again. “I swear I didn’t know who Regina was that night. I didn’t mean to drag the notorious Dr. Logan to the garden to make out. It was just Regina I was after. I still want Regina.”
Even to his own ears, his reasoning sounded lame, Ben concluded. All the things he had learned from running a company didn’t help him with wanting a woman whose public life intimidated the hell out of him.
“And let me guess—you still don’t want Dr. Logan, right?” Lauren said, finishing what Ben was not saying. “How do you plan to have one without the other, Ben?”
“I don’t know,” Ben said softly. “It’s complicated.”
At least, this was what Ben had been saying to himself every day for two weeks. It was also why Lauren sat across the table from him now. Ben was out of ideas and needed another perspective.
“So what would you do if Regina walked into this restaurant right now and sat down at your table?” Lauren asked him, exasperation heavy in her voice. Men can be so dumb, she thought. This is why she didn’t date.
“I’d probably do the same thing I did the other night at the dance,” Ben replied instantly, knowing it was truth. Regina would probably look at him with eyes full of unrestrained passion and challenging anger. His hands would itch to touch her, and he’d do it the first chance he got.
Lauren sighed at Ben’s expression, realizing she’d gone from mild envy to the full-blown version. It would be really nice for a man to have that kind intense longing just for you.
“Then it’s not complicated at all, Ben. You know exactly what you want, but the bottom line is like most men, Dr. Logan scares you to death,” she explained. “You know, Regina is used to men who run screaming from her when they find out who she is or that she has the audacity to ask for what she wants. Her bravery is one of the traits I most admire about her.”
“I didn’t run away from her,” Ben denied, not wanting to think of his hesitation about her as running from anything.
“Didn’t you? It sure sounds like it to me. Being Dr. Logan is more than just Regina’s job, Ben. It’s her whole life,” Lauren told him. “I was her client. Now I’m her friend. Her other best friend was a client once as well. Regina helps people and sometimes her help spills over into love. Those of us who love her want to help her back. That’s why I agreed to meet you. I would do a lot to help Regina. She’s very inspiring.”
Lauren watched his face to see if Ben was getting it, but he still had a glazed look of denial in his eyes. It was a shame the handsome Ben Kaiser was as dense as most men. Lauren realized she was going to have to be even more frank about things to make her point. She squirmed in her seat, but lifted her chin. There was nothing she hated more than dealing with men and their egos.
“Ben, listen closely. You are never, ever going to bed Regina without bedding Dr. Logan as well. Sorry, but it’s just not going to work like that. So here’s my sage advice if you are truly interested in her—make peace with Regina’s professional side,” she ordered.
Lauren looked at her watch then, eyes widening. “Oh shoot, now I’ve really got to run. You can thank me some other time.”
She stood, pulled a piece of paper from her purse, and slid it across the table to Ben.
“Regina is going to be giving a talk at a conference in Norfolk tomorrow. She’s staying in the same hotel as the conference. If you tell Regina I gave you this information, I’ll lie to save myself. I saw her in a full mad over you at the dance. I don’t want to see it again,” Lauren admitted.
Before Ben could ask more questions or point out they hadn’t had dinner yet, Lauren sprinted away. Seconds later, the hostess walked up to the table with Regina behind her. Regina’s obvious surprise had the hostess hastily apologizing.
“I don’t understand, Dr. Logan. Ms. McCarthy was just here a moment ago,” the girl said.
Regina sighed, lifted a hand, and patted the girl’s arm. “It’s fine, Libby. Ben and I are old friends. Have Janice send over the usual for me, okay? Looks like Ben already has a drink.”
Regina dropped into Lauren’s vacated chair and shook her head slowly in denial of getting fooled so thoroughly.
“Damn it, I don’t know how Lauren got past me. The chair is still warm,” Regina said stoically to Ben, pushing her red curls behind her shoulders.
Ben literally couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her sassy demeanor turned him on and all she was doing was sitting across from him. Two weeks certainly hadn’t lessened his attraction to her.
“Lauren ran away thirty seconds before you got here,” Ben told her, his gaze never leaving her expressive face.
Regina snorted. “Figures. So how did you end up here?” she asked him, trying her best to sound friendly and unsuspicious.
“I asked Lauren out to dinner,” Ben replied simply, enjoying the irritation that instantly lit a fire in Regina’s eyes. Wicked of him to tease her, but Ben liked the idea of Regina being jealous of his attention.
The pleasure he found in her discomfort lasted only a few seconds and then he watched her gaze flick away from his to the other diners. The need to prove to Regina the situation wasn’t what she thought was instant and overwhelming.
Surprising both of them, Ben reached across the table and pulled one of Regina’s hands into his.
“That’s got to be the ugliest Rolex watch I have ever seen,” Ben said, the friendly insult rolling out easily. “It looks like a man’s watch.” Ben turned her wrist to get a better look while she tried to yank her hand away without causing a scene.
The more she fought him, the more it turned him on. He had never dated anyone as touchy and frustrating. Her temper was definitely worse than his. Ben was glad to be physically stronger because he suspected he was going to need an edge if he got involved with this prickly, passionate woman. Gripping her hand hard to hold it still, he felt like some preening male animal gearing up for an intense mating ritual.
She glared at him when he wouldn’t let go. Ben smiled and held on tighter.
“My father gave the watch to me when I started college,” Regina said through gritted teeth, continuing to yank on the hand he held, finding Ben had a grip of iron.
A waitperson brought a light red cocktail to the table. It barely hit the surface before Regina lifted it to her lips for a healthy sip. When Ben laughed, Regina got more upset with him. She was practically vibrating. The hand he held was starting to shake.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re incredibly sexy when you’re mad,” Ben told her, stroking a thumb across the knuckles of her captive hand. “No need to waste all that emotion on jealousy. I asked Lauren to dinner so I could talk to her about you.”
Regina suddenly stopped yanking and coughed as the liquid she had been swallowing went down the wrong way.
Ben let go of her hand so she could steady herself. “I’d come pat you on the back, but I’m afraid to put my hands on you in public. I don’t trust my self-control around you yet.”
He liked the panic on
Regina’s face, and the quiver in her hands as she smoothed her hair made him want to groan.
“Let’s change the subject before I do something to embarrass us both. Do you eat here often?” Ben asked, shifting the conversation and stalling for time to get to know her.
Regina nodded, grateful for the reprieve from arguing with Ben. She already regretted the instant jealousy that had consumed her, but the possibility Ben might be dating someone as nice as Lauren had been gut wrenching. She was still upset and had to clear her throat to speak.
“Lauren, Alexa, and I used to meet here for dinner once a week. Now Alexa has a new man in her life, so Lauren and I have been coming without her lately,” Regina explained.
“Who’s Alexa?” Ben asked.
“Alexa Ranger,” Regina told him, watching shock flitter across Ben’s face before he could stop it. People seemed to either love Alexa or hate her, which was only one of the many things Regina had in common with her friend.
“Alexa Ranger—the lingerie designer?” Ben asked. He mentioned Alexa’s business, but Ben was thinking instead about Alexa’s long list of lovers. Their social paths had crossed several times over the last decade. She’d been with a different man each time Ben had seen her, and he had heard there had been more men than the few he had met.
“Yes, that’s her. Alexa is one my oldest and truest friends,” she said, her tone daring Ben to say anything bad.
“Of course,” Ben said sarcastically. “It makes perfect sense for the two most notorious women in town to be best friends.” He rubbed a hand across his face, studying the set jaw of the woman across from him.
“Sarcasm really does not suit you,” Regina said flatly, both disappointed and deflated by Ben’s complete lack of understanding. “And your lack of manners is appalling considering how nice Lauren keeps saying you are.”
“I am nice—I just never know what to say to you. You strain my manners to a point where I have no polite reactions left,” Ben said, lifting his hands in apology, but what he said was truth. “Damn it, Regina. I’m really interested in you. Why couldn’t you just be a normal woman?”
Regina raised her hand ready to show him symbolically what she thought of her normality, but changed her mind. They were in her favorite restaurant after all. Some decorum should be observed.
“Well, since we’re being so honest—want to hear what I was wondering about you? I was wondering why in the hell a good looking man like Ben Kaiser couldn’t have at least had a bigger pair of balls than mine.” Regina declared, and then waved a hand dramatically in the air. “Wait, I already know the answer to both our questions. Most people never get what they want out of life. So I guess it’s tough shit for both of us.”
Ben didn’t know whether to laugh at Regina’s retaliation or slug her for the insult. He couldn’t remember ever being turned on by any woman’s outright fury before. Given what was happening in his lap as he studied her furious face, Ben decided it was more prudent to simply smile at her nerve than trade any more jabs. If he wanted to be fair, he would have to admit Regina probably owed him for the normal woman remark. She seemed to bring out the worst in him, but that comment was really low.
Regina sighed at the fluttering in her stomach as she glared in response to Ben’s knowing smile. It was like he heard her, but he didn’t really. The ass had no idea how bad his words pricked at her soul.
Lacking a safe physical expression for the anger, and no physical outlet at all for the flutters, she merely raised her glass to her lips hoping to be soothed by the contents. Alcohol might not be the best solution, but it might keep her from throwing anything handy at Ben’s head.
“Well, I can’t say it’s been fun, but it has been illuminating. Lauren will pay dearly for this one. Have a nice life, Ben Kaiser,” she said, saluting with her drink.
She drank the rest in a single gulp, and then rose to leave. Rummaging in her purse, Regina found a twenty, and tossed it on the table.
Rather than see a second woman run away from him this evening, and not willing to let Regina run away from him a second time, Ben also tossed some bills on the table and followed her out.
The doorman at the restaurant was busy flagging a cab for Regina when Ben stepped up silently behind her. He discreetly kneed her until her legs folded and she stumbled back against him, forcing him to put an arm around her waist to catch her. She didn’t get a chance to struggle much because Ben immediately locked his whole body around the back of hers in a hug. When they both groaned, it made Ben want to laugh again. The pleasure the action brought went a long way toward simplifying things in his mind.
“Let me go, Ben,” Regina said quietly. Her heart beat rapidly under his hands. Again, she couldn’t bring herself to move away from the man even though she knew she should.
“I don’t want to let you go,” Ben replied, pulling her back against him tighter.
Holding Regina in his arms, Ben couldn’t even remember what he’d been so worried about for the past two weeks. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to be with Regina Logan, how much he needed to be with her. Complications be damned, he thought. His instincts were telling him this was the right woman.
“Take me home with you tonight,” Ben ordered. It hadn’t even occurred to him to ask. She had to feel the imperative in their embrace as much as he did.
Regina froze at first, and then leaned back against Ben, letting herself just for a moment enjoy his closeness again. Then she remembered their fight about Alexa. If Ben didn’t approve of Alexa, he for sure would never approve of her. She was too tired, too old, too cynical to believe she could change his mind.
“Why? You don’t even like me, Ben. So stop tempting me,” Regina replied sharply. “Try to be a nice guy about this at least.”
He pulled Regina back hard as he pressed his hips forward, letting her feel his arousal against the back of her legs. Her in-drawn breath told him she was aware and Ben could feel her chest rising and falling under his hand. He pulled her hair back with his free hand.
“Okay—please,” Ben begged, whispering the plea a couple more times into her ear, trying not laugh at her answering groan. “Please take me home with you.”
“Stop saying that,” Regina demanded, pressing her arm over Ben’s. It was so incredible to be held like you were truly wanted. She let herself imagine taking Ben home with her, but before she could formulate a sane reply, a flash of bright light brought her out of the fantasy and made Regina swear under her breath.
So much for fantasy, she thought, patting and rubbing Ben’s arm still circled tightly around her waist. Truth was she had begun to care for Ben Kaiser the minute he crossed the room to her at the country club. Though nothing could stop the inevitable from happening, Ben deserved to know what tomorrow would bring. He’d hate her for it, but he deserved to know just the same.
A cab stopped at the curb in front of them.
This time, Regina thought, this time she would do the right thing for both their sakes. Regina used both hands to gently remove Ben’s arm from her waist and step away. The loss of his heat was like a wound.
She stepped forward and opened the cab door before turning back. “Ben, someone just took our picture while you were wrapped around me. When the picture hits the papers tomorrow, you’ll see your face next to mine and wish we had never met. Please know I understand and that I’m sorry it happened, too.”
Looking around, Ben saw no cameras. When he looked back, the cab was already taking Regina away.
*** *** ***
The next morning Ben was dressing when Alfred called.
“Check out page seven,” Alfred said quickly. “I want details later.” Saying no more, Alfred hung up.
Ben walked through the house in his underwear and picked up the paper that had been slipped through the mail slot of his front door. On page seven, there was a three-column spread of him holding Regina in his arms. Ben studied the paper, too bemused to be upset. Anyone with eyes could see Regina wanted
nothing more than to be held by him.
Seeing Regina almost in ecstasy confirmed for Ben what he had suspected was there every time he held her in his arms. It wasn’t ego making him feel the way he did about the woman, just some innate sense he had about what they could bring each other.
And whatever it was, he wanted it as much as she did.
The expression on his face in the photo told a more complex emotional story, but his intentions toward her were clear to anyone with eyes. His arms held Regina tightly. The possession in his face slightly surprised him, but not much. Without a thought to how it would look to anyone, he’d gone tearing out of the restaurant after Regina, fully intending to stop her from running away from him.
He’d have also gone home with her in a flat minute if she had said yes to his plea.
He wasn’t sure what someone like Alfred saw in the photo, but when Ben looked at the picture of them, he saw two people who wanted to be together so much they couldn’t hide it from the world or themselves.
Then Ben noticed the headline under the picture: Lonely Widower Seeks Help From Famous Sex Therapist.
The article spun a story about him seeing Regina professionally. It had nothing to do with the truth even though the picture was spot on. The story was such fiction Ben couldn’t even find the energy to be offended. He cut the picture out and put it on his refrigerator door, using magnets to hold it place. Ben threw the rest of the paper in the trash, not bothering to read the full article. Instead, he finished dressing and went to work like always.
When he got the first call that morning from a tabloid paper, Ben was calm enough to be polite and went back to his work without a problem.
By the fifth call, he was angry but firm.
By the time Ben lost count of the calls, he was heading out the door on his way to Norfolk to see Regina.
Somewhere in the middle of the harassing calls, Ben had made a decision. If he was going to go through hell for daring to want a notorious woman, then he damn well was going to have all of her he wanted, not just a desperate clinch in front a restaurant.
Dating Dr Notorious Page 4
