I unwrap Ben’s arm from my shoulders and ignore the fact he just helped me. “You need to watch what you say to him,” he whispers in my ear.
“Why? You don’t.”
“I’m different.” He turns away to grab his gear.
I eye him as I ease closer with confidence. “Why? Because you’re Benjamin Ryder and everyone loves you?”
Ben glances down at me as he slides his shirt off, showing his exceptionally defined body before putting on a bulletproof vest. “Put your vest on, Tiger. You’ve got a long night ahead of you. I can only imagine how many people will be aiming for you,” he says, dismissing my smart remark and pointing to the vests. I look through all the large and extra-large vests and pull one of the larges. Holding the vest to my chest, it’s clear I can’t wear it under my shirt, so I try to wear it over my clothes. Ben starts laughing. “Oh that’s cute.”
“Well what else can I do?” I ask, throwing my hands up.
Ben looks me over and motions for me to take it off. “You’re right. Come with me. I have an idea.” I follow Ben to a private area of the house where he directs me into a room and closes the door. I look around the lavish room and realize it’s a little too feminine to be anything related to Titus. “Jolie had a vest made for herself. She never wears it though, and I think it’ll fit you.” He opens a double door closet and walks in. Rummaging through clothes like he knows exactly where he needs to look, he soon comes out with a sexy, leather vest.
“Are you serious?”
He smiles. “Yes, it’s a bit—ridiculous, I grant you, but it’s going to be hidden anyway, so does it really matter? At least it should fit better than any of the others. Do this for now, and I will get you one of your own next week.” He holds the vest out, and when I agree to take it, he pulls it away. “You’re going to need help getting this on. Take your shirt off, and I’ll help you.”
“Hell no!”
“I promise I won’t look at anything. Besides, you got a bra on, don’t you? Don’t you?” He smiles, looking me over. I cross my arms and sigh impatiently. “Come on. I’ll close my eyes until you get it on, and I’ll only help you fasten it.” He holds it out with his eyes closed, looking like an idiot with a teenage boy smile. “We have to go soon, so you better hurry up unless you want to piss off Nathan any more than he already is?” I slide my suit jacket off and begin unbuttoning my shirt, stopping once to check Ben’s eyes. My new underwear is showier than I would typically wear, but I have grown to like them. Once I get my shirt off, I reach for the vest as something hits the window outside. Ben steps in front of me, pulls out his gun, and aims at the window. Investigating, we both realize it was a bird seeing his reflection and attacking. “Wow, you even piss off the birds,” he laughs, turning to see me without my shirt or the vest, which he tossed onto the floor before grabbing his gun.
“Ben!”
“Holy shit! You are a woman,” he says, taking me in and standing back, impressed.
“Fuck you, asshole.” I shake my head, biting my lip to keep from smiling at his complimentary expression.
“Yeah, the same asshole that paid for that sexy as hell bra.”
“Well, you didn’t pay for the body that it’s on, so show me some respect.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I slide the vest on and look up to see him closing his eyes. “Why are you closing your eyes now?”
“I don’t know. You make me insane with your I’ll-kick-your-ass attitude.” He takes hold of the vest as I struggle to get it wrapped and tied. We exchange a few awkward glances while he helps tie me in. The vest actually pushes my breasts up, making them hard to ignore, but at least he tries. Ben slides his hand over the vest to check for any gaps or issues. The first time he goes around, it’s sincere, but I guess he was surprised I let him, so he goes back around, waiting for me to yell at him. “I’m just making sure you‘re all in there.”
“I’m good. Thank you,” I say with an irritated tone, snatching my shirt off the ground.
“No, thank you,” he says as I pull my shirt over the vest.
“You know, you’re not as cute as you think you are.”
He winks at me. “Sure I am. Come on, Tiger. We’ve got a long weekend ahead of us.”
“Great. I can’t wait.”
Ben and I wait by the car until Titus comes out with two more guards and Jolie following behind. This is the first time I’ve seen her since my interview at the arena. I’ve been here a week, and Jolie hasn’t been in the house or anywhere near the estate. She has been high profiling it with her privileged friends, and from what I understand, it’s something she enjoys often. Head held high, Jolie walks out like a supermodel that just got paid. Her payday walks half a step ahead. Titus stands tall next to her, despite her three inch heels. He’s slightly overweight and somehow got the idea he’s Capone reincarnate, donning a hat, cigar, and all. Titus slides into the car first, giving little respect to his wife. Jolie steps to get into the car and stops to look over Ben, waiting for him to look her way. Her week away seems to have lit a fire her husband can’t extinguish.
“Jolie, get in the damn car already!” Titus yells, forcing us all to look at her and give her exactly what she wants—attention. Jolie smiles sweetly at Ben who quickly looks away.
Answering my own question, I meet eyes with Ben. He knows about this vest because he’s dealt with it before. Unbelievable. He’s fucking the boss’s wife right in his own home. No wonder he’s safe to say whatever he wants. Foolish. At some point, she’ll get tired of him or Titus will get tired of her, if not both.
Titus’s club is large and obnoxious. I used to come here when I was younger. Those were the days of sneaking in, fake I.D.s, and rebelling against my parent’s saintly, well-known name. The club is full of the who’s who from the city. You don’t get in without Titus’s approval, and he’s a tough critic. He retreats to his perch high above the crowds, keeping watch over his flock and his money.
The spot makes it easy for us to do our job until Jolie feels ignored. Nathan may hate her, but she gives him good reason to. She drinks too much and does everything possible to put her life in danger so someone has to rescue her. She insists on being on the main floor, dancing provocatively and then screaming out in dramatic fear when a man touches her. Ben is sent to put a stop to it, and she latches onto him like she owns him. By the way he looks after her, I wonder if she doesn’t. There’s definitely something there. Something, by the look on his face, Titus suspects. Titus allows Jolie to toy with Ben only a few minutes more before he makes it known she’s his. He descends to the dance floor, taking Jolie’s hand and showering her with sweet kisses and tender touches that go beyond the dress line. It’s a game that’s only fun for the two. I almost feel sorry for Ben. The game comes to an abrupt end when Titus’s guests arrive.
I take notice of the two men’s every detail. I have never seen either of them before. We are not allowed close enough to hear the details of their conversation, but what I do pickup is enough to tell me these men are connected. I’ve heard of one man before, an attorney who is frequently at the courthouse representing people connected to Titus—Robert Irving. The other man I don’t know, but I gather he’s a new acquaintance based on the introduction when they arrived. Whoever he is, he’s a major player because he shows no fear of Titus. Although the man gives Titus his respect, he doesn’t bow down and cater to Titus’s every move like everyone else. I carefully scope out the security the unknown man has with him and move in closer to the group pretending to be suspicious of the opposing security. Titus takes notice of me once but shows little concern, so I move a little closer. I look up to check on Nathan’s awareness of me. He doesn’t seem to notice my interest either, too busy working the railing, overlooking the crowd. I assume searching for someone, a reason, any reason to release his frustrations. I know him better than any of them, it doesn’t take much for him to kill. I know he has found what he was looking for when his stance relaxes. The sick fuck, leans in, letting one o
f his heels up off the ground. The tip of his boot taps the floor as he plans his attack. His labyrinth engraved boot heel, halts, and accentuates within the club lights as the attack plan is completed. Dread radiates down my spine. Someone is going to die to tonight and it won’t be an easy death. Titus suddenly growls bringing my focus back to my targets. The huffing and puffing makes it obvious they are in a disagreement, and they don’t seem to be anywhere close to resolution.
Titus suddenly raises his fist in the air. “You want a war, then you can have it, but I assure you, Caberera, you can’t win against me. I’ve been doing this too long, way longer than you.”
“You think you don’t have weaknesses, Titus, but everyone has a weakness.” Titus sits back confidently and takes a drink. “Maybe it’s your wife?” Titus laughs, opening his arms as if he has nothing to hide. “Very well. If that doesn’t scare you, then maybe information I have heard through some old, childhood allies of yours will. There are rumors that you keep someone important to you hidden from the rest of the world? Saving someone for the future of your business, Titus?” Caberera sits back, watching as Titus flinches. If this was poker, Titus just lost. I wonder what Caberera knows that the rest of us don’t?
“I think we’re done here,” Titus barks. Caberera stands, nodding before exiting quickly with his men flanking his sides. “I want you out of my sight too!” Titus yells at Irving. He snaps his head around in my direction. “Laila, I want to leave now. Prepare for my exit.” I nod and turn to do as he asked only to find I’m alone.
I scramble a team together and inform Nathan, but Jolie and Ben are nowhere to be found.
“Laila!” Nathan yells. “Go find the two idiots and bring them back. Titus won’t wait for anyone.”
My search of the dance floor comes up empty. They aren’t at the bar, and they aren’t anywhere near the restrooms. I start questioning people to see if they’ve seen them. Finally, a club bouncer tells me about the secret lounge that Jolie has at the club. Deep in the back, down a long corridor, is a room where I hear her laughing and outwardly enjoying herself. Ben yells her name, and I can do nothing more than shake my head. I hesitate to interrupt, but fuck, this idiot is going to get us both killed. Fucking the man’s wife has got to be the dumbest thing anyone could do. My anger boils over as I knock. “Titus is ready to go, and he’s looking for you both.” There is instant commotion on the other side of the door. When the door finally opens, Jolie walks out in perfect form, ignoring me, and Ben follows behind her, still putting himself back into place. I glare at him hard before cutting him off and walking her up by myself. Titus can’t see him following her looking like he does, and I guess I owe him one. I turn to him and whisper, “Go clean yourself up before you come to the car. Titus is in a horrible mood, and I don’t want you making it worse.”
“I didn’t …” Ben starts to defend himself before I walk away, ignoring anything he has to say.
I don’t see Ben again until right before we leave. He climbs into the front of the car, silently. If I wasn’t looking for him, I would have never noticed him stepping in. Titus and Jolie go to their room as soon as we get back to the estate. He nearly fucked her in the car right in front of us, and she was accepting of every erotic move. How she can go from one man to the next so easily is beyond me. Titus is taking out his frustrations in a legal way for once, as far as I know. Nathan’s odd behavior when we arrive makes me believe he’s got something more planned for the night.
“Nathan?” I rush up to him and quickly take a respectful stance. “Do you need my help with anything more tonight?”
He considers my offer briefly. “No. I’ll call Kian. You stay here with Ben and finish the weekend.” Nathan orders me back to the house with a single motion of his hand.
I return to the team room, frustrated and determined to strip the piece of shit bulletproof vest off. “I can help you with that?” Ben says, walking in and offering a hand that I promptly push away. “Thanks for covering for me.” I hold up my hand to him and shake my head. “You don’t understand, Laila.”
“I really don’t care. Just please don’t involve me in your little games because I would prefer not to get killed in the crossfire.”
“We …”
“I don’t think you understand. I don’t care about you, about her, about any of it. Just leave me out of it.” He sighs, ready to say something else. Instead, he leaves without another word. I am stuck with him for the entire weekend, stuck in this house, and I already hate every second of it.
CHAPTER 6
Ben
Laila won’t even look at me, not that I blame her considering what she doesn’t know. Giving her some time and space, I set up for our weekend in the east wing apartment near Titus and Jolie’s main bedroom. Titus requires his weekend security to stay Friday night through Monday morning, leaving no lulls in his support. The apartment is outfitted completely but has only been used by men thus far. I can’t imagine how the studio apartment is going to sit with Laila. I begin rearranging furniture to give her some privacy, or at least some distance from me. I am in no mood to be judged any more than she is in the mood to be around me.
The door opens to the apartment. I expect to see Laila, but Jolie enters the room. “Want some company?” she says, shutting the door behind her.
“Your husband is just in the next room.”
“It makes it all the more fun, doesn’t it? The danger, the …”
“The nothing! I told you before I don’t want to start up with you again.” She slides up on me, touching me as she did earlier in the night. I hold up my hands, huffing until she gets the point. “We’re not doing this, Jolie. We’re over. We’ve been over since you married Titus. I just didn’t realize it until six month ago, unfortunately.”
“Seriously? Are you still upset over that?”
“Not upset about it. I just finally realized who you are. And who I’m not.”
“I told you, Ben, I had to be nice to the man because Titus made me. I had to help my husband, otherwise, you know what he can do.”
“You helped yourself, like you always do. Titus wouldn’t have you sleep with his attorney. That’s going down the ladder, not up. You only did it to get help with the prenup. I assume that’s how you got Titus to marry you in the first place. Get the attorney to agree that it’s in his best interest to marry the woman that knows too much. All you care about is money and power.”
Jolie takes hold of my face. “No. I care about you. I care about us. That’s why I am doing all this, so we can have a better life together one day.”
I push her hands away with a laugh. “We had a good life. You threw it away. I’m done being your pawn in this stupid game you play.” She rubs her hand down my pants, into my hair, and begins making noises to entice me to get hard. “Stop it. Laila already thinks we were fucking earlier. I can’t imagine what she will think walking in on us now.”
“Who the fuck is Laila?” she asks as if she has never seen the woman. I walk away from her and go back to what I was doing. “No. I want to know. Is this a new girlfriend?”
“Seriously, Jolie, you are the most self-centered person I have ever met. You were there. You watched her win in that arena and get the new security job, and you want to stand there and act like you have no clue who she is?”
“Her? I know her. I don’t understand why you would care what she thinks?” I hold her off one more time. “Are you actually interested in ponytail girl in the stiff, boring suit?”
“She’s in security, not a runway show. And no, I’m not interested in her.”
“Really? I know you better than you think I do, Ben,” Jolie says as Laila walks in the door.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize someone was in here. I’ll come back later.” Laila turns to leave, but Jolie races to stop her.
“No, please, come in. I was just telling Ben I have been wanting a chance to meet you. A chance to get to know you better.” Jolie puts out her hand to shake Laila’s, all the whi
le examining every part of her. I don’t know if Laila realizes it or not, but I do, and I have a feeling I am going to have to put a stop to it before it goes too far. “So, Laila, isn’t it?” Laila nods, cautiously stepping around Jolie. “Well, I am so excited to have another woman in the house. All this testosterone becomes too much sometimes.” Jolie walks up to Laila and strokes her cheek with the back of her hand. “Sometimes it’s nice to feel a woman. You know, Titus is open to watching me with another woman, if you’re interested?”
“Fuck, Jolie!” I yell at her.
Jolie laughs, backing away from Laila. “Oh Ben, you’re so uptight. I wouldn’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do, unless, of course, you do? I would bet Ben would like to watch us too.” I try not to look at the demon while Laila stares her down. I know she could kill Jolie in a second, and Jolie is daring her to try. She’s looking for a way to get under Laila’s skin. She loves to do that. She loves to play with people. I let her play with my head too long. “Wait. I remember you. You were one of the foster kids me and my parents donated toys to.” Jolie gasps. “Yes, you were this dirty child who had no parents. No one really wanted you, so they sent you there, to that horrible place. I had to shower several times after I left there. No offense, but it was awful. Ben, you should have seen it.” She keeps going while I search for a way to stop her without encouraging her or embarrassing Laila. She knew all along who Laila was, that’s why she attacked me tonight to stake her claim before Laila could even think about it. “You know what would be fun? For us to go shopping together. Yeah, it could be like old times. I shop and buy bags and bags and then give you what I don’t want. Like a charity game.”
Before I can get Jolie to shut up and out the door, Laila opens her mouth. “I don’t need charity, never have. I was only there so the rich people could feel like they have done something with their boring, simple lives. I didn’t realize one of those simpletons was you.” Laila laughs. “I actually think I do remember you, but you were an awkward, goofy looking brunette with bad skin, no boobs at all, and a scary overbite. But hey, at least your skin cleared up on its own. As far as the rest of your issues, well, it’s amazing what doctors can do these days, isn’t it?”