"I hate to put you to the trouble, Ed," Ben said.
"It's not just you in danger, but Rose too. I'm more than happy to put my cop hat back on for a while."
"Maybe you should come stay with us, Rose," Sophia suggested.
"Mom, I'm not going to stay with you. I like my little apartment."
"The door there is steel," Sam said. "And has an excellent lock."
Ben was holding his breath. He could see that Rose staying at her parent's house could definitely put a damper on their burgeoning relationship.
"No, Sophia," Ed said. "I think Rose should stay right where she is for now, with the agreement that if things go bad, she moves in with us. We don't want to draw any attention to Rose at the moment. But you two will need to be very careful. If you go to see Rose, don't park behind the Bakery. Leave your car a few blocks away. You can't go out on dates any place public. Family dinners and gatherings are okay, as long as William and Beth are there. From now on, every time Ben is around the family it has to be as an actor in the play, not as a date for Rose."
They all nodded. Ben felt relief that someone who knew what they were doing was taking charge.
"Remember, Ben. You can't give her anything to hang her fantasies on. Don't tell her you're sorry. Just tell her you aren't interested, there is no future for the two of you ever, that kind of thing. The worst possible thing is to leave her with the idea that someday you might be together."
"Somebody needs to talk to William about that contract right away. He has to try and get rid of her," Sam said.
Ed nodded. "Let Sophia and me go talk to William and Beth. We'll leave—well, not until after that cobbler."
Everyone laughed. Ben felt it was a sign of the tension easing up.
"Thank you, everybody," Ben said. "Especially you, Ed. I feel much better knowing you're on the case."
* * * *
Rose entered her apartment with a slight feeling of fear before she turned on the lights. All the talk about stalkers had left her feeling shaky. She jumped when her phone rang. Quickly locking the door, she answered.
"Hello?"
"Rose, everything okay?"
"Hi, Dad. I got here safely. I have the door locked."
"Good, look...just how important is this guy, Ben, to you?"
"What?"
"You heard me. How far into the relationship are you?"
"Dad! What's this all about?"
"This situation could get uncomfortable and even dangerous. If you don't have any real feelings for him, if this is just a fling..."
"No, it's not a fling," Rose said. She paused and thought about it.
"Well? What is it then?"
"I think there could be something there, between us. I don't know what exactly, but I want to find out. Does that answer your question?"
She heard him sigh.
"I suppose so. You aren't going to stop seeing him, are you?"
"No. And I don't think I should. Wouldn't that just be letting her win?"
"I was afraid you'd see it that way. Very well. We're almost at Beth's house since your mother is driving. I'll speak with you tomorrow."
She looked thoughtfully at the phone and set it down. She must really like Ben, because the idea of not seeing him bothered her. She went into the bedroom and began changing clothes. The phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Hi Rose, it's Ben."
"Oh, hi."
"Do you mind if I come over now?"
"Where'd you park?"
"Down by Lucretia's. I can be at your place in just a few minutes, walking."
"Okay. See you then."
She set the phone down and began searching through clothing. She knew there had been an outfit...yes, there it was. Wide-leg, palazzo style lounging pants in a soft blue jersey material, with a matching tunic top. It was plain and yet clingy, which added all the interest it needed. Brushing her hair to a shine, she resisted the urge to go redo all her make-up. She didn't have time.
Right as she slipped on some pewter-colored sandals, Ben was knocking at the door. She opened it to find him frowning at her.
"Rose. I can't believe you just opened the door like that. You didn't ask who it was."
"Maybe I looked through the peep-hole."
"Did you?"
"Well...no. Come on in. You could be seen out there."
He walked into the apartment, running a hand through his hair again in what she now recognized was a nervous gesture.
"You have to be careful, really careful."
"Yes, I know. I didn't think, but I will from now on. Sit down and stop pacing. Do you want a drink?"
"Have you got anything alcoholic?"
She smiled. "Yes, I do. I think I'll join you."
Soon they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, sipping scotch.
"This is really quite lovely," she said.
"Yes, the Glenmorangie is one of the smoothest." He took another sip. "Rose, I've been thinking. Maybe we shouldn't see each other."
"What?"
"At least, not until this thing with Suzanne is resolved."
"Ben...who knows how long that will take. I just got off the phone with my father who was trying to convince me to stop dating you. I'll tell you what I told him. I want to see you. And I don't want to let her win."
"If it's just about her winning..."
"It's not. I like you. I want to spend time with you."
He smiled at her, a slow smile that showed in his eyes. "Then that's what we'll do."
They were quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Rose asked, "Want to watch a movie?"
He chuckled. "As long as it's not one of mine."
"I don't even know what movies are here. Beth told me they left some in this cabinet...here we go. Musicals? What was she thinking? Looks like there are a bunch of old movies, with Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, and others."
Ben came over and began looking through the discs. "They have Anatomy of a Murder with Jimmy Stewart. Let's watch this. And what do you have against musicals?"
"I'm not against them per se. I think I got tired of hearing Beth singing the songs to Camelot and The Sound of Music when we were growing up. Her voice wasn't as well-trained then as it is now."
Ben put the disc into the player and they sat down. "It's interesting though, that she wanted to act even as a kid."
"Yes, only Maggie of all of us didn't know what she wanted to do from an early age. Sam wrote stories as a kid and I—"
"I bet you dressed up in your mother's designer dresses and played model," Ben said and chuckled.
"Uh, yeah, I did." Rose sighed with relief inside as she realized she could agree with what he said and not lie to him. She was beginning to really dislike lying to him. But she had played dress-up as a child, so it was cool. She just wouldn't mention how she cut open her stuffed animals and then sewed them back up playing doctor.
When they had returned to the sofa, they took seats closer to each other. After about a half an hour of the movie, Ben got up to refresh their drinks. When he sat down again it was next to Rose, and he put his arm on the back of the couch touching her shoulders.
After a minute, Rose realized he was playing with her hair. She'd always loved that feeling of someone playing with her hair, brushing it, running their hands through it. She moved closer to him until their thighs were touching. Her awareness of his body had ratcheted up to the point that she had no clue what was being said in the movie. Her focus was on his hand in her hair and his leg against hers.
"Rose, your hair is the perfect strawberry blonde. I don't think I've ever felt such softness."
"Thank you," she said.
A few minutes went by.
"Rose...are you even watching the movie?"
"No. Not really."
His arm slid around her and she turned to face him. His blue eyes seemed darker as he bent his head to kiss her. She felt the pressure of his lips against hers, a soft kiss. When she reached up to put an arm around his nec
k, he kissed her again. It was a deep, ardent kiss that went on for what felt like forever.
He pulled back a bit from her. "I could kiss you all night."
"I like that idea," Rose said and leaned in toward him.
"No, I don't think so," Ben said and moved further away from her.
"You don't?" She felt confused and shook her head a bit to clear her mind.
"This thing with Suzanne...I don't think we should get serious. It could put you in danger, Rose, and I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you because of me."
"Didn't we already have this conversation?"
"I know, but then...I kissed you. I could really fall for you, in a major way. Not just some vacation fling, but the real deal."
Rose smiled at him and raised a hand to caress his face. "I know. I have feelings for you, too. And I don't think we should let what Suzanne does control what we do."
"What are you saying?" he asked in a deeper-pitched voice. He moved closer to her again and kissed her jawline up to her ear. "What do you want, Rose Carter?" he whispered.
"You. What do you want, Ben Sterling?"
"I want to make love to every inch of your beautiful body."
"Come on," she said, standing up and holding out her hand.
He took it, and then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
"Wow, you're making me weak in the knees."
Then he stunned her by picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom. She had thought men only did that in the movies.
Laughing at her expression, he dropped her on the bed with a bounce.
"Ben!"
She watched as he began to unbutton his shirt. As his muscular chest was revealed, she turned and made sure her alarm clock was off. It was going to be a very long night.
Chapter 5
William Christopher was waiting in his office at nine in the morning, to see Suzanne Hardtman and her agent. He'd been surprised to find out that her agent was in Sully Point with her. As he was wondering about that, a short nervous-looking man walked in. He had thinning black hair on top of his head and eyes that appeared to be in a permanent squint.
"Hello, Mr. Christopher," the man said, thrusting his hand out. "I'm Nelson Spoffard, Suzanne's agent."
William stood up and shook Spoffard's hand. He motioned to a chair for the man to sit down. As William resumed his seat he raised an eyebrow at Spoffard who immediately started talking.
"See, I didn't know. She just told me she wanted to understudy because of you Mr. Christopher. I didn't know Ben would be here, I swear. I know she has a...problem when it comes to him. I'd never have encouraged this if I'd known, believe me."
"She can't remain here," William said, elbows resting on his desk and fingers coming together in a point. "It was clear in one meeting with Ben that she's still drawn to him. I asked for her to show up here this morning so that I could let her go."
"You're firing her? But she has a contract! You can't just fire her without cause. She hasn't done anything."
"Yet, Spoffard. She hasn't done anything yet. And I have no intention of giving her the chance. I'm willing to pay the penalty for breaking the contract."
"That's a bit of money, sir," Spoffard said.
"It will be well worth it. I can't have her around the play or the actors. What I want is for her to leave town, but I have no way of making her do that."
"I'll talk to her. Not that it ever helps, but I'll try, I swear."
Suzanne walked through the door.
"You'll try what?"
William looked at her carefully. She was pretty, there was no doubt about that, but if you really watched her eyes, you could see something. Something...off.
"Ms. Hardtman, please sit down," William said.
He waited until she was seated and then sat down. "I'm afraid I have bad news. I won't be requiring your services as understudy for the play after all. I will be paying you the penalty money. But I have to let you go."
"What?" she asked blankly. "What did you say?"
"Suzanne, he's going to pay the fine. So you'll get paid, sweetheart. Time to move on and come back to L.A. with me," Spoffard said.
"You can't let me go. Nobody fires me!"
"It's done, Ms. Hardtman," William said firmly. "I have a check here for you."
As he held the check out to her, she slapped it out of his hand.
"I don't want your money. I want to be around Ben!"
Spoffard exchanged a quick glance with him, and William knew he was worried that she'd come right out and mentioned Ben.
"Suzanne, you know you can't be around Ben. He told you he'd get a restraining order the last time," the agent said.
She smiled sunnily. "Oh, he didn't mean that. He never got a restraining order did he? He was just mad, that's all. Didn't you see, Mr. Christopher, how he watched me yesterday when I arrived at the Playhouse? He couldn't keep his eyes off of me. I know he's forgiven me."
William felt a growing sense of dismay at hearing her words. She sounded like she completely believed what she was saying.
"I want to be clear, Ms. Hardtman. You are no longer employed by me. You have no part, nothing to do with the play. I am giving you the penalty money for breaking your contract. Do you understand me?"
She looked at him with a slight frown. "All right. I don't have the understudy job." He saw her face clear and a rather eerie smile appear. "That will just give me more time to be with Ben! And I'll have the money to stay here. Thank you, Mr. Christopher!"
Spoffard said, "Suzanne—no, you can't stay—"
But Suzanne picked up the check off the desk and waltzed out of the office.
Spoffard said, "Well, I did what I could."
"No, you didn't. You need to follow her and convince her to leave town."
"You saw her. You heard what she said. She's lost it, man. I won't be able to convince her of anything."
"Please. At least, try, okay? And call me afterwards to let me know how it went."
Spoffard nodded, taking the business card that William handed him.
"Sorry about all this. If I'd known Ben was here..."
William watched the little man walk quickly out of the office and wondered if he would even attempt to talk to Suzanne. Probably not, he realized. He sighed, and then picked up the phone to call Ben. There was no answer, and William moved on to calling Ed Carter. The detective would need to know just how badly things had gone.
* * * *
Rose woke up with Ben's arm around her waist, his body spooning hers. She moved slightly and he didn't budge. Gently, she lifted his arm up and slid out of her side of the bed. He mumbled something and rolled over onto his stomach, still asleep. She smiled down at him, thinking of the previous night. They'd stayed up until four in the morning. It was no wonder he was still not awake.
She glanced at her clock on the way to the shower and discovered it was nearly ten. She pinned her long hair up on top of her head for a quick shower, deciding to wait until afterwards to wake Ben. It was hard to decide whether she should just go to the Bakery for breakfast food. Rose wasn't usually into eating pastries, but perhaps some muffins or scones would go well with the coffee. She wrapped her robe around her body and walked quietly into the kitchen to make coffee...and discovered Ben standing in front of the coffee machine and staring at it.
"Good morning! I was just going to make myself some coffee. Do you want some?" she asked.
He turned to look at her, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "Coffee would be utterly fantastic."
She saw that he'd pulled on his trousers from the night before. Seeing him shirtless and barefoot, hair rumpled, she wanted him. She walked toward him, her gaze on him intense, and Ben backed up.
"Now, Rose, let me have coffee and I swear we can do whatever you—what the hell," he said and he reached out to pull her toward him until she was pressed against his body.
They kissed softly, and then his hands were moving and so were hers, unt
il they both heard a loud knocking on the front door.
"Rose? You okay? Open up if you're there."
"It's my father," she whispered.
"Rose! Damn it, if you can hear me get to this door."
She pushed away from Ben and ran to the front door. As she flung it open, Ed came barreling through.
"Is she here? Are you okay? Why didn't you answer your phone—oh. Hello, Ben."
"Hello, Mr. Carter. We both turned off our phones last night," Ben said as he walked into the living room.
"Yeah, Dad. What's the big deal?"
"Come sit down you two."
"I'll be right there, just let me get a shirt," Ben said.
When he walked into the bedroom, Ed gave his daughter a look.
"I'm not a kid anymore. That look won't work on me. It just happened. End of discussion."
Ben rejoined them wearing a shirt and shoes this time. He and Rose sat on the sofa and Ed sat in the brocade chair.
"First, no more turning off cell phones from now on. Second, William fired Suzanne this morning. He gave her a check paying the penalty for breaking the contract. Her agent was there. Suzanne was upset, but then realized she could use the money to stay in Sully Point so that you could spend time with her."
"What?" Ben said blankly.
"She believes that your rejection of her in L.A. was just you getting mad at her, but that it's over now and you still want her. She's staying. And we have no legal way to make her leave town."
"No. This is nuts! You don't know what she was like. She'd pop up everywhere. What the hell am I going to do?"
Ed shook his head. "First, we have to figure out getting you home from here without anyone noticing. Is your car in the parking lot downstairs?"
"No, I parked by Lucretia's and walked here last night after we left the beach house."
"That's exactly what you should have done. When you're ready, I'll go down and scout around first, to make sure nobody is out there. Then you can walk down the stairs and head off to your car. Maybe stop at the Bakery so if anyone sees you, they'll think that's why you were over here. Yeah. That works."
Love Imagines (Sully Point, Book 6) Page 8
