by Nia Arthurs
“He’s busy.”
“Kelly!” Harley pressed a hand to her chest. “Were you spying on us?”
“Spying?” Kelly laughed. “I happened to be passing by when I heard you.”
Harley barreled her fists into her hips and cocked her head to the side. “That’s the definition of spying. Nobody was talking to you.”
Kelly blinked rapidly. “Technically, that’s true, but…”
“Why did you butt in anyway, huh?” Harley stomped toward Kelly who had suddenly lost all of the fire she’d had when she stormed in. “Tell me, Ms. Banner. What business do you have with Mr. Levy?”
“N-none. I was just…”
“Didn’t you tell me to keep it professional in the office?”
“I did,” Kelly said, struggling to backtrack.
“Your behavior isn’t very professional right now.”
“That’s because…” Her voice faded. Kelly tossed him a look, her eyebrows raised in supplication.
He simply folded his arms across his chest and waited for her to wiggle her way out on her own. Benjamin’s method of help would be to claim Kelly as his woman before the entire office and end the matter there.
Kelly’s certain disapproval was the only thing holding him back. He recalled her insistence that he drop her a block from work so that no one suspected they spent their mornings together. He wouldn’t out their relationship before she was ready.
“Would you look at the time? I’m heading up to my grandmother for the weekend so I should get going.”
“You’ll be gone this weekend?” Benjamin asked with a frown. He hadn’t been aware.
“Yeah.” She bobbed her head and scrambled for the door. “Good evening.”
“Be safe!” Benjamin yelled, but Kelly had already disappeared.
Harley chuckled. “She is so obvious.”
It didn’t sound like a compliment.
“So,” Harley slapped her palms against her jeans pants, “how about that drink?”
Benjamin cleared his throat. “I don’t drink. Thanks for offering anyway.”
“We could get coffee,” Harley insisted, moving to stand in front of him. “Or tea if you like that. Belize isn’t much for fancy smoothies, but I’m sure we can find a place that sells them.”
“Ms. Williams—”
“I know what you’re going to say, but it’s just a drink. I’m not going to harass you or pretend that we’re in a relationship because of one outing. We can even invite Errol and Helen from Marketing if it makes you more comfortable.”
“Thank you for the offer—”
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.
The sound of footsteps thundered through the air as Kelly stomped into the room, grabbed Benjamin by his wrist and dragged him into the hallway. He allowed himself to be led, enjoying the sight of a frazzled Kelly Banner very much.
She didn’t stop until she had hauled him all the way to his office and slammed the door behind her. Like a Doomsday prepper thrust into a zombie apocalypse, she pulled the blinds over his door.
“I don’t think she’ll follow us in here,” Kelly said, thrusting the blinds apart with her fingers.
He stepped beside her and tucked his head close to her shoulder. “What are we running from?”
“Don’t play smart, Benjamin.”
“I was going to let her down easy.”
“I know,” she said confidently. “I just couldn’t wait until then.”
He eyed the smooth skin of her temple. Kelly delighted him. There was no other word to describe how he felt simply standing beside her.
Benjamin leaned over and kissed her forehead. She froze and slowly swung her head around to look at him. He took the opportunity to grab her chin and kiss her cheeks. They were soft, abrupt pecks—nothing too steamy—and yet his heart pounded in his chest.
Kelly had yet to make a sound and he tried to pull back, aware that she still needed to come to grips with his insistent pursuit after his rejection last week. To his surprise, instead of scolding him, she snatched his tie and pulled him down, kissing him passionately on the mouth.
As abruptly as she’d initiated the contact, she pushed him back. Benjamin wilted against the wall, head reeling from her aggressive caress.
Kelly adjusted the sleeve of her shirt and wiped the area beneath her lips. “Don’t misunderstand. That meant nothing.” With a dainty flick of her fingers, she opened his office door and stepped out.
Benjamin straightened and flattened his work shirt with a smirk. The only person Kelly was fooling was herself.
A Breath Of Fresh Air
Renesha escorted Kelly to Granny Mercy’s for the weekend. Her grandmother had always nursed a soft spot for her best friend. In fact, throughout their stay, Renesha received just as much love from Granny Mercy as her long lost granddaughter did.
“Rene, tell me more about this boss Kelly is seeing,” her grandmother croaked as she brought the girls iced lime juice and freshly baked lemon merengue pie.
Renesha moaned when she saw the pastry. Her hazel eyes sparkled and she stretched out her hands like a worshipper in Sunday service. “You’re trying to bribe me, aren’t you, gran?”
“You told her about Benjamin?” Kelly gasped and shot to a seating position. Her hammock rocked violently, upset at her sudden leap. She calmed the colorful fabric down with a steadying hand and speared Rene with a glare. “When did you have time to discuss that?”
“Yesterday, when you went to the store to pick up the fried chicken,” Gran said matter-of-factly. “It was quite a conversation, but unfortunately, it was cut short when you returned.”
“Renesha!”
“I’m sorry.” Rene winced and rubbed her hands together. “She asked what you were up to in Belize City. I didn’t want to discuss other, less pleasant things.”
Kelly softened at Renesha’s explanation. She didn’t want to worry or disappoint her grandmother. Exposing Clayton’s assault would lead to questions about Clayton’s married status. It was in the past anyway.
At least that’s what she told herself everyday.
“I don’t know where to start,” Rene said.
“Start at the beginning.” Granny Mercy lay flat on her stomach and lifted her legs in the air. She looked like a little girl waiting for a juicy bit of gossip and Kelly couldn’t help but smile.
The evening sunlight caught her grandmother’s silver hair, braided in plaits on either side of her head. Warm, chocolate brown skin wrinkled from years of standing in the market selling pepitos and pillowcases stretched over her small frame.
Kelly hadn’t realized just how much she had missed her grandmother until she started spending time with her again. Whether she was the only one who’d matured or Gran Mercy had also changed during their time apart, she appreciated these quiet, soulful moments a lot more.
“From the start?” Rene tapped her chin, cutting into Kelly’s thoughts. “Well, then I guess I should tell you that your granddaughter kissed the C.E.O. in the lobby of our office building.”
Kelly hurled her sock off and threw it at Rene’s head. It fluttered harmlessly past her friend’s hammock and landed on the worn step of her grandmother’s wooden verandah.
“Hey!” Rene yelled. “That was gross.”
“I did not kiss him, Gran. I tripped and our heads sort of… bucked together.”
“Romantic, isn’t it?” Rene nodded. “Kelly was intrigued since that moment. She kept thinking about him and, you know, wanted to kiss him again.”
Among other things, but Kelly was grateful that Rene was sharing the kid-friendly version.
“Is that true, Kelly?” Her grandmother asked, intelligent brown eyes burning a hole in her head.
“Sort of,” Kelly squeaked.
“Continue, Rene.”
“Turns out, her boss lives in the apartment above Kelly’s so that was a recipe for a whole pile of trouble—”
Kelly cleared her throat and Rene wheeled back.
“I mean, perfectly innocent, Christian trouble.”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Rene. You don’t need to lie to me.” She turned to Kelly. “What is this man like?”
“He’s tall—over six feet. He has these intense blue eyes. You’ll never forget when you look into them, Gran. He’s beautiful, brilliant, charming.” Kelly smiled. “His presence is so commanding that it can be intimidating, but he’s just a big goof and a lot of fun when you get past all that.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” Kelly arched an eyebrow.
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
Renesha bopped her head in agreement and sucked on her straw. “What are you thinking about, Gran?”
“Listening to you talk about your young man reminds me of when I met your grandfather.”
“Really?” Kelly tilted her head. “You’ve never told me that story.”
“Haven’t I?” Her grandmother looked over her neat garden in thought. “Orville was a member of the political party at the time. He would walk around town in his pressed white shirt and shiny black shoes—looking something between a preacher and a salesman.”
Rene and Kelly chuckled at the image.
“Did you fall in love at first sight?” Kelly asked.
“The first time I saw him, I thought he was one of those door-to-door religious solicitors. I kept ducking my head when he passed by my house in case he wanted to hand me a track.”
Rene snorted.
“Gran!” Kelly yelled in between laughter.
“But the more I got to know him, the more intrigued I was. I didn’t even realize that I was falling in love until he left for Belize City for three months. By then, it was too late. Or so I thought.”
“Everything worked out eventually,” Rene said, licking her fingers. “Since Kelly’s mom came into existence.”
“It almost didn’t.” Gran tapped her hands against the ground. “I was afraid to trust that he meant what he said to me, trust the feelings he awakened in me.”
“What changed your mind?” Kelly asked.
“Time.” In the waning light, Kelly believed her grandmother was the very picture of wisdom. “Too many young people are rushing into marriages without taking the time to really know the person they’re living with.”
“Rene and Randal have that down,” Kelly teased, poking a toe in Renesha’s direction.
“Your gran’s talking to you, not me.” Rene stuffed her face with pie. “What else, Gran?”
“Watch him like a hawk. Take note of the way he treats his mother, his sisters, his female cousins, his female employees—as the case may be. Take notes. Communicate. See if your dreams line up.”
“Sounds like a job interview,” Rene muttered.
“Romance has its place. Love covers a multitude of sins. Kelly, if you’re looking to settle down with this man, as it sounds like you are, take your time. Don’t rush. If he’s the one for you, time will let you know.”
“We’re just… friendly neighbors, Gran. It’s nothing to worry about yet.”
“Mm-hm,” Renesha and Granny Mercy said in tandem.
That night, Kelly contemplated her grandmother’s words and tucked them into the pockets of her heart, drawing them out over and over again as the week progressed.
What she had observed of Benjamin’s character was conflicting. On the outside, he seemed as frank and straightforward as she’d first assumed. He handled his business with a sensitive ear toward the staff and an unshakeable conviction toward his clients.
If there was a problem he couldn’t solve, he beat his head against the wall until he came up with a solution. She’d seen him work himself to the bone, barely leaving his office to eat or sleep until he’d unsnagged an issue with a client’s contract.
Benjamin had told her once that he didn’t lose and she found that statement to be completely accurate. He was dedicated to his business and to the people who ran it with him.
His behavior, not only toward her, but the entire staff of D&T was always polite and considerate—a trait she did not exactly applaud when it was aimed at Harley Williams, but one she acknowledged nonetheless.
Everything she saw indicated that she could trust him, but Kelly still held herself back. Apart from Benjamin’s temper, which she found unsettling and a little frightening, Kelly could tell that he was keeping secrets.
He never explained why he’d torn her down that day in her apartment, instead choosing to sweep it under the rug as if it never happened. She had accepted his apology, but sought a better understanding of his motives.
What had spurred the ‘break up’? Would it happen again?
There were moments when she would sit down with Benjamin to go over the account books or sign a check and he would look at her. Just stare at her as if she was the most precious thing he had ever seen.
In the moment, her doubts would be swept away and she’d convince herself that whatever mysteries he was involved with didn’t apply to the way they felt about each other.
When the high wore off, however, she plunked back to the reality of her mistrust. Why had he insisted that she not run alone at night? What terror should she be looking out for?
Kelly wanted to believe her grandmother, wanted to let time calm the whispers of doubt that threaded through her mind whenever she thought of giving up the fight and letting herself fall completely for Benjamin Levy.
All would be revealed eventually, she was sure, but time was such a strange prescription. Would it truly vanquish the obstacles standing in her way? And if so, would Kelly be able to handle the truths it uncovered?
Thrust To The Back
Benjamin
He held his cell close to his ear and huddled into the farthest corner of his office in case someone passing by could overhear him. The Caribbean Sea carved a hollow into the horizon and sunlight spliced the clouds that floated lazily in the sky.
“You’ll be fine,” Ricky assured him over the line. “I’ve already secured my room at the resort. I’ll be keeping an eye on you and Kelly the entire time.” He cleared his throat. “Unless you need a private moment, then I’ll look away of course.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes, Rick.” Benjamin rubbed his forehead. “I should have thought of Kelly’s safety when they first proposed this trip. We’ll be out in the boonies of Belize. It’s the perfect place for someone with bad intentions to carry out his plans.”
“That’s why I’m coming along,” Ricky said. “We’ll turn the culprit’s opportunity, into one of our own. If he comes at you, I’ll be ready.”
“If something happens, take care of Kelly first.”
“I would expect you to ask nothing less.”
“I mean it, Rick. If we’re caught in a sticky situation, you get her out first. Do not hesitate.”
“Ay yai, captain!”
“I’ll see you out there.”
Knock, knock!
“Mr. Levy,” Errol’s voice sounded through the door, “we’re ready to leave now.”
“Is everyone on the bus?”
“Except for you.”
“I’m coming.”
“Rick…” Benjamin said into the phone.
“I know how important this is. Nothing will happen to her. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I’m holding you to that.” Benjamin grabbed his duffel and strode to the door.
Rick hung up and he slipped the phone into his pocket. When he opened the door, Errol blinked up at him. The man had a round, inquisitive face. His quiet, haughty demeanor often threw Benjamin for a loop. At times, he felt the supervisor was conceding to the point of mockery. Benjamin couldn’t get a proper read on him.
“This way, sir,” Errol said, gesturing down the hall.
Benjamin followed him to the bus that waited in the parking lot. Errol entered the bus first and pointed to an empty seat all the way at the front. Benjamin hesitated and scanned the passengers in the vehicle until he stopped on Kelly.
&
nbsp; His woman glowed in the sunlight. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, exposing her beautiful face. She wore a white T-shirt that hugged her body and soft blue shorts.
If Benjamin had seen the outfit before coming down, he would have insisted that she change into something less… sexy. He didn’t want any other man eyeing Kelly the way he was.
“Sir?” Errol strutted toward him. “Is there a problem?”
“Uh—no. Of course not.”
He sat in the front seat and craned his neck around to see Kelly, mouth open in laughter. Her sun-kissed brown skin contrasted her white shirt nicely and he saw more than a few of his male employees sending her admiring gazes.
It was yet another facet of this trip that he hadn’t accounted for. Men, outside of their structured, professional element would grow more daring and make advances. Benjamin had to find a way to stick close to Kelly this weekend without it looking obvious.
As the bus took off, he drew a blank. Anything he tried would draw attention to his feelings for Kelly. Thankfully, there was someone prepared to lay the groundwork for him—though with different goals of her own.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” A voice rose above the flurry of conversation that reverberated in the bus. “What’s wrong with this picture?”
The noise died down and everyone turned to stare at Harley, who stood and clutched the chairs on either side of her, rocking with the motion of the vehicle as it sped over a speed bump. She wore a long blue dress and a straw hat over her brown hair. The hat threatened to topple off her head and she held it as the bus went over another bump.
“Sit down, Harley!”
Again, Benjamin could swear that the heckler’s voice belonged to Renesha, but when he glanced at the curly haired woman, her head was bent down and her body language indicated that she was sleeping.
Harley ignored her co-worker’s cry. “Why is Mr. Levy sitting all the way at the front like the teacher in charge?” She clapped her hands and slowed down her words as if speaking to a bunch of kindergartens. “One of the objectives of this workshop is to grow closer as a team.” She steadily walked forward until she stood beside him. “All of us.”
