by B. L. Purser
Why did I tell her those things? I never confide in anyone much less a woman that I am screwing. This was getting completely out of hand, and it needed to stop now. She didn’t need this shit, and I sure as hell didn’t. I slammed my hand down on the newspaper covered table. My breakfast had lost all flavor and texture. Furthermore, my coffee had even lost the bitterness that I had learned to gain comfort from. It was a good thing that I had to leave the country for a week. Distance would definitely clear up some of these lust-driven thoughts.
Exasperatingly, I yanked my cell phone from the table and poked the number for Hawkins.
As soon as he picked up, I began talking. “I will be leaving the country for a week. Pack my things, and have them ready for departure in the morning. You will be coming as my driver and bodyguard. Dean will stay here to see to some things for me. We will depart at six o’clock in the morning. We will be traveling to B.I. in Cozumel. Make sure that Bradford has the flight route and everything squared away to leave on time. Also, I will be ready to leave for the office in ten.”
I hung up the phone hoping my mood would be lifted by making arrangements to get the hell away from Cam. However, I soon realized that my sore mood may stem more from the fact that I was going to be far away from her, and less from my desire to be near her.
I collected my briefcase and punched the elevator button. The doors glided open; I climbed in and began my quick journey to the lobby and my awaiting car. The elevator came to a halt much quicker than it should have, and I realized why as the doors opened and revealed Cam standing there waiting at the entrance to her apartment.
“Good morning, Aiden. I’m sorry; I didn’t realize you were headed down now. I can wait for the elevator to return or take the stairs. I don’t want to disturb you.”
I gave her the most condescending look I could and responded.
“Get in the damn elevator Cam. I hardly think that a ride down in the elevator can be considered disturbing someone.”
My mind was screaming in contrast. Everything about this woman disturbed me.
“I needed to mention something to you anyway. This will save me a call. I will be flying out first thing in the morning, and the plan is for me to be gone the remainder of the week. If I finish as expected, I will probably be back Saturday or Sunday.”
For a moment, I thought I picked up on a hint of sadness cross her face. As quickly as it had surfaced, it was gone.
“Oh, okay. Well, I hope you have a safe trip. I will make great use of the gym while you’re gone.”
She plastered on a fake smile and tried to play upbeat. Damn it, did she have to bring up the gym? Now, flashes of what had occurred there would be replaying in my head all day as if it hadn’t already been doing so. I kept my business act in place and gave a curt nod in response.
“Do you need a ride to B.I.?”
By this time, we were standing by my car, and I motioned toward the door. What in the hell? Had I just offered her a ride?
“No thanks.”
She pointed down toward her feet that in no way matched her business suit.
“I walk everyday as part of my exercise. It helps when I choose to eat dessert with lunch.”
She smiled warmly with her explanation. I could tell she was trying to diffuse my foul mood, but I was having no part of that shit. Without uttering another word, I turned and grabbed the car door coming close to ripping it off the hinges. I was definitely in need of some space away from her. Hawkins grabbed the door and eased it shut before I could do any real damage. I watched from my tinted window as Cam’s deflated face turned and walked away. Although I thought spreading the misery would make me feel better, it only made it worse.
I’m sure Hawkins realized by now the extent of my bad mood. He had known me for a long time, and I surmised that he sensed I was dealing with more than just business. As he situated himself behind the wheel and prepared to merge into traffic, I decided he was probably the only person I could ask for an opinion.
“Hawkins, what are your thoughts on Cam?”
He glanced at me from the rearview mirror and tried to figure out the angle to my question.
“I think she is a sweet woman in the midst of a dangerous game, sir. The true question is what your thoughts are.”
I could always count on Hawkins to give me a direct yet ambiguous answer. I knew that was the only response I would get from him, so I didn’t press further.
The remainder of the morning progressed as planned. I met with McKinley and Jenkins for the first part to provide operational instructions while I was away. The rest of the morning, I stayed locked in my office skimming merger documents and signing my name to a multitude of documents. Then, I answered a few e-mails in regards to the issues in Cozumel. In between documents, signatures, and e-mails I glanced at Cam on the security camera feed.
She was always so prim and proper at work, with the exception of the time she tried to kick me out of my own company. From the looks of things, she handles the front desk exceptionally well considering she is new. She obviously works well under pressure.
It didn’t take me long to notice that, like me, she wears a mask around others. It had been in place all morning even around co-workers that had tried to get her to join them for lunch. Not surprisingly, she had turned them down. She also applied that fake smile and shut down at least five guys that were flirting shamelessly with her. I was sure to report who they were and their indiscretions to their superiors so that they could be reprimanded. If I saw it happen again, I would fire their asses.
I knew I was being ridiculous, but I couldn’t stop. It seemed that my brain had recently taken a permanent hiatus and left no forwarding address. Here I was reduced to lurking like a common criminal. I was deplorable. I picked up the glass paper weight and threw it against the far wall. After the god awful noise, I noticed that it had left a large hole in the sheet rock and shatters of glass all over the couch and floor.
I heard a knock at the door and immediately knew it was my secretary.
“Come in Brenda.”
She opened the door slightly and leaned around it.
“Mr. Bennett, are you alright. I heard a noise and…”
Her voice trailed off as she took in the hole in the wall and the shattered glass.
“Yes Brenda I am fine. I will be out of the country for the week beginning tomorrow. While I’m gone, get this mess cleaned up, and the wall repaired. I expect it to be immaculate upon my arrival back.”
Brenda shook her head so violently that I was afraid she was going to chip a tooth.
“Of course sir, I will get on it right away. Is there anything else that you would have me do while you are gone?”
I shook my head and motioned a dismissal. Brenda quietly looked down at her feet and began backing out of my office. Damn it! This shit is doing me in.
“Oh, Brenda one more thing…”
She pushed the door back open expectantly. “Yes sir?”
I took a deep breath and exhaled my final words to Brenda, “Thank you.”
Chapter 16
– Cam
I spent my lunch break much the same way every day. I had grown quite fond of the small, locally owned sandwich shop located a block from Bennett International. I always ordered the same Italian sub and sat at the same corner table. I barricaded myself behind my laptop and spent my hour eating the sub and searching the internet. Today, I couldn’t keep my mind off of Aiden.
His mood swings were giving me whip lash. After our gym encounter, he had actually seemed somewhat human. Yet when we ran into each other in the elevator this morning, he was angry and disgruntled. This was the same behavior that he had shown when I met with him in his apartment. Except, it seemed to be getting worse. If I was going to be able to handle this situation, I needed to be able to deal with his personality. Reed had offered little help in regards to this. I still needed to understand how to best interact with him. I need to know if I am the one pissing him off all the t
ime, and if so, how can I avoid it? Now that I had internally justified my actions, I began my search.
In preparation of my employment, I had spent hours among hours researching Bennett International. I knew the company inside and out, but I had never researched Aiden Bennett personally. I gathered from tidbits he had thrown my way that his life had been a media fiasco at one point or another. So, I figured that I could find what I needed to know by using a search engine. I felt a little guilty sneaking around and doing the very thing that I had asked him not to do to me. However, he had never asked me not to research him. For that matter, he may already think I know all about him. As I entered his name into the search box, I didn’t realize the magnitude of what I would uncover.
It seems that someone had already put together an unauthorized biography of Aiden’s life. I clicked on the link and began reading page upon page of information. First, I learned that Aiden’s grandfather, Reginald Bennett, was the one who began the Bennett legacy. Obviously, he had a brilliant business mind and everything he touched turned to gold. Reginald’s wife of thirty years, Esther Bennett, was ever the doting wife. She spent every waking moment by her husband’s side. I concluded that Reginald felt the same way about his wife. One article stated that he only had eyes for her. This was obviously rare for business men even back then. Reginald and Esther had one son that they named Walter after Esther’s late father. Pictures of Walter growing up covered my computer screen. He looked to be a fun-loving child, and I could see the resemblance that Aiden had to him. Once Walter finished high school, he joined Reginald in the family business.
It appeared that Walter met a young lady named Denise while on a family vacation in a small mountain town. Many of the articles cited by the biography showcased the couple as elite lovebirds. From the time they began courting, their relationship was recorded. He was a world-renowned corporate mogul, and she was a young country girl from a meek family upbringing. They dated for five years before marrying. The wedding had been an event of a lifetime and made headlines everywhere.
Unfortunately, Esther died from cancer two years after the wedding and only a few months before Aiden’s birth. It appeared that Reginald was heartbroken over the loss of his true love. He died from a massive heart attack a year to the date of Esther’s death. The housekeeper discovered his lifeless body when she went to check on him after he didn’t come down for breakfast. Many articles stated he died from a broken heart.
So far, none of this clued me in on why Aiden was the way he was. I continued reading knowing that I would eventually get to the bottom of the mystery man that dressed in expensive suits. Walter Bennett took complete control of Bennett International after his father’s death. The happy little family was often photographed on family vacations or shopping trips. It appeared that happiness and love was synonymous with the Bennett name. Then it all seemed to change.
The photographs showed them going more places separately than together. What once had been an openly public family changed before my eyes. They now hid their faces from the cameras and darted to and from intended places. Something was wrong in that household. Even four year old little Aiden reflected sadness in his small brown eyes. Then, I read the headline that I had ultimately been looking for, and everything became crystal clear.
Aiden Bennett, sole heir of Bennett International, orphaned at the tender age of five after father, Corporate Mogul Walter Bennett, shoots wife and then turns gun on himself.
It was worse than I had even imagined. I went on to read the entire article. Walter Bennett had found out that his wife had been cheating. He confronted her and demanded that she stop. He still loved her and wanted to make their relationship work more than anything. He offered to overlook the infidelity and move anywhere her heart desired. He was even willing to give up all of the businesses and retire. After all, there was enough money that they could buy whatever their hearts desired.
Denise refused, confessing that she was in love with someone else, and she was leaving Walter. She could no longer handle the magnifying glass that the media put her under, and she wanted out of her high profile life.
There was only one thing that Walter couldn’t live without… Denise. He was overheard reciting the vows that they had spoken on their wedding day prior to shooting her in the chest at point blank range. She was gone before her lifeless body hit the floor. Walter then turned the gun on himself taking one shot to the temple.
Little Aiden had heard everything through the hallway wall. He later gave a detailed account of every word that was stated between the couple. He ran into the room at the sound of the second shot and discovered that what he thought was bottle rockets was actually much worse. Blood covered most of the room. By the time the authorities arrived, Aiden was covered in the blood of both parents. It was stated that Aiden was running between the bodies of both parents constantly trying to wipe the blood from them and fix their “boo boos”. He had to be drug away kicking and screaming.
Tears streamed down my face. It was the first time I had actually remembered crying in years. My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest, but I knew that was impossible. My heart had withered and died a long time ago. The sandwich shop felt like it was closing in on me making it hard to find my breath. At that moment I realized, he was damaged beyond repair just like me. Only, he was never given the opportunity to be human.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were only beings. Our forms were still intact, but our souls had faded and perished. Through blurry tears and quiet sobs, I finished reading the article.
Everything was placed in a trust in Aiden’s name with a board of trustees and unlimited checks and balances to ensure that the legacy would still be one when Aiden came of age. Per Walter Bennett’s will, Aiden was trusted to the care of Walter’s closest confidante, his butler/chauffeur, Judson Hawkins. Since Judson had originally been employed by Reginald Bennett and then later by Walter Bennett, he knew better than anyone the life that a Bennett son should be provided. He took his job seriously and raised Aiden as his own son. Judson passed away just after Aiden reached his twenties. Prior to his passing; however, he had prepared Aiden for taking over the family business that had continued to grow exponentially. Coincidentally, Judson’s nephew, Steven Hawkins, is still currently employed by Aiden Bennett. I stopped for a minute and thought about the last sentence I had read. Of course, Hawkins is actually Steven Hawkins I bet.
The tattoo on Aiden’s back clued me in on where he placed majority of the blame. It wasn’t a leap to surmise that the apple symbolizes the forbidden fruit that Eve ate. The dagger stabbed into the fruit with blood oozing around it symbolizes death and darkness. Aiden blames his mother for killing his family. She chose someone else over her husband and son. More than that though, Aiden blames women in general. He has no one because a woman didn’t remain faithful. In addition, the media that his family had once loved turned on him. They revealed everything that haunted Aiden, and now there was no way for him to escape it. That is why he was a recluse. Reminders were everywhere.
This is why he only looks to women for physical release. He never wants a woman to have emotional control over him! It also explains why he has the bondage fetish that he revealed during our last encounter. That is why he wants complete control over me. He can’t let me remain in control. It goes against everything inside of him.
Although now I understood perfectly what Aiden was dealing with, I didn’t have a clue about what to do. This was more than I ever bargained for. I didn’t blame Aiden for his feelings, and there was no way in hell I was going to try and convince him to change his mind.
There were two questions that invaded all of my dismal thoughts. Could I fulfill his needs and mine at the same time? Was I willing to give him control of my body while I desperately clung to control of my mind?
I tried to pull myself together and repair the make-up damage that the tears had left behind. I knew I had to get back to work, but I needed to make a phone call first.
Chapter 17
- Aiden
I was still sulking in my office when my cell phone rang. I was surprised to see Cam’s name on the screen. She never contacted me at work, and I immediately assumed something was wrong. I didn’t even bother with a customary greeting.
“Cam, what’s wrong?”
“Hey Aiden, nothing is wrong. I’m sorry to bother you at work. I guess I should have just texted you. I’m sure you are preparing for your trip, so I will just take a minute. I wanted to find out if you were planning on us meeting this evening. I figured you would be much too busy preparing for the trip, but I didn’t want to assume without asking you first.”
I was caught off guard by her phone call and subsequent questions. Had she really just called to ask me that, or was there more that she wasn’t telling me? Of course, I had planned on visiting her this evening, but I certainly was not going to admit it before I knew what she was up to.
“As I have said before, you are free to do whatever you want. If you want to make other plans, then do it. I am not going to insist that you be with me every free moment you have.”
I knew I was still being an asshole, and she didn’t deserve the animosity that I directed toward her. Even though she was the cause of it, it wasn’t fair that I was taking the rage that I had for myself out on her. I heard her let out a deep sigh.
“I wasn’t suggesting that I wanted to make other plans Aiden. What I was actually hoping for is a chance to discuss why you seem to hate me most of the time and enjoy me occasionally. I am having a great deal of difficulty figuring out what you expect from me. I mean, is it too damn hard just to be nice to me? I’m not asking for friendship even, Aiden. I just don’t want to feel like I have to walk on egg shells with you all of the time. I can’t handle that drama. Do you remember when you said my overthinking would cause our physical acts not to be as good? Well, do you feel that my walking on egg shells and not knowing how to react to you is going to be any better than the overthinking? Shit! I wasn’t trying to get into all of this over the phone. I was hoping we could discuss it before you left on your trip is all. Forget it!”
