Just Me

by Lexy Timms

  She felt safe and protected in her arms. It was a freedom she forgot existed, the freedom of fearlessness. On the run from Tim, she was constantly terrified of what he would do and who he could have sent her way. It was rare that she wasn’t looking over her shoulder, but even when she was out of danger, she worried about the next possible attack.

  There, in the middle of a popular park, with Ben, Katherine was at peace. It was refreshing and alluring all at the same time. She wanted the moment to last forever and made sure to hold on to Ben as long as possible. When he finally released her, she longed for his embrace again, although she knew slowing down was the best course of action.

  “Do you think we can take it slow?” Katherine asked.

  Slowly, Ben gripped the nape of her neck again, directing her sight to him as he looked down with a caring grin. She could sense the connection between them growing, certain she wasn’t making it up on her own. Bringing the backs of his two middle fingers to her face, Ben gently caressed the back of her cheek before leaning down to kiss her lips ever so softly.

  “We can crawl like snails, sweetheart. It’s whatever you want, Katherine,” Ben pledged, kissing her softly one last time before taking her hand in his, resuming their walk throughout the park as if nothing had happened.

  It was the most incredible evening for Katherine, who felt to be floating on clouds as they made their way across the bright green grass. The crowds continued to thin as the food trucks departed, leaving Ben and Katherine to themselves as they finally left the park.

  “Is your place this way?” Ben asked.

  “Yes,” she answered without thinking.

  It was an unwritten rule to never tell anyone where she lived, and it had been one of the few safety boundaries she kept in place, regardless of the relationships she developed. But Katherine had been breaking every rule as of lately, from inviting Talia over to sharing her entire past with her. And that had led to nothing but good outcomes, so she thought it was time she let down the guards of her defense system a little and just enjoy life.

  She had been living in a fish bowl for so long, it was her time to be free. A life on the run lived in secret was no life at all as far as she was concerned. Sure, she needed to time to come around to Ben, but that in no way meant that she didn’t see a future with him.

  She wanted that, but life for Katherine often felt like it didn’t matter what she wanted. She was a prisoner to her circumstances most of the time, and there wasn’t much she could do about it. This was one thing she had control over, so she hung close to the privacy like her life depended on it.

  “I used to live down here,” Ben noted, as they turned a corner.

  “Where do you live now?” she asked.

  “Closer to downtown,” was all he said, turning up towards the bakery.

  “Oh, I live down the hill,” Katherine tried to correct him.

  “I parked at the bakery. I’ll drive you down,” Ben explained, wrapping his arm over her shoulder as he pulled her into his side.

  It was strange how much she enjoyed him taking control. It had been so long since she could relax and not have to figure everything out for herself. She liked taking a backseat, and believed deep in her heart that she was safe with Ben.

  “This is your car?” A shocked Katherine asked Ben when they arrived at the red Audi R8.

  “Sounds like you don’t like it,” Ben joked.

  “It just looks like a race car. I didn’t take you for a red convertible type of guy,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders as she climbed into the car. The seats were so low, she could hardly maneuver without awkwardly ducking. Once she made it onto the seat, the leather padding softly greeted her just as Ben climbed in with the ease of a professional.

  “What kind of car did you think I’d drive?” He picked up their conversation just where Katherine left it.

  “Uh, ya know, maybe a silver sedan,” Katherine shrugged, and Ben’s eyebrows raced to his forehead in shock. The two laughed loudly as he pulled out of his tight parking space, zipping to the stop sign at the end of the block.

  “You’re not going to speed in this thing are you?” Katherine asked.

  “The sound makes you think we’re going a lot faster than we are. I always drive below the speed limit. Trust me,” he assured her.

  A smile spread across Katherine’s face as she realized she really did trust Ben. Relaxing, she allowed her head to fall against the leather rest, glancing over to Ben. He was like a child with a toy, switching the gears quickly as he looked from one mirror to the next.

  “Make a right here,” Katherine nodded toward her street.

  Without hesitation, Ben switched lanes, turning his blinker before perfectly executing the turn.

  “Right here,” Katherine pointed to her building, still in shock that she had shared her home address.

  In the back of her mind, she thought he wouldn’t know which apartment was hers, and that brought her a little peace of mind as well.

  “This is you?” He craned his neck to check out the building.

  “Thanks for the night out.” Katherine began, but Ben hopped from his seat, racing around to open the door for her.

  “You don’t have to go up with me,” she explained, panic beginning to set in.

  “I wouldn’t. Slow, remember? But I want to make sure you get inside,” he explained, a toothy grin helping her relax.

  “Right,” Katherine nodded, following Ben to the door. She had just gotten inside the door when she turned to him. He was still watching her closely, when she turned around. “I’m really glad you sent those flowers. Otherwise, I don’t think we’d be here now.”

  It was the truth, something she had thought of many times. He had to keep pursuing her, or things between them would have never been a possibility. And it would have made so much sense for him to back down, but he didn’t. That perseverance was what had gotten them to their second date.

  “Best fifty dollars I’ve ever spent,” Ben said, while raising his eyebrows. Together, they laughed before sending Katherine on her way.

  She walked to her apartment with a smile, thinking of how much fun she had with Ben and already wondering when she would see him next.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ben

  “GOOD MORNING, MR. O’LEARY,” an older gentleman greeted Ben as he made his way into the office. He hated the formality of being addressed by his last name, but older employees demanded the formal structure, so he allowed it. Many of the younger employees simply called him Ben, and he was fine with that as well. There weren’t many CEOs at his level going by their first names, but Ben liked to be an anomaly.

  “Morning. What’s on the docket for the day, Rachel?” He greeted his friend and assistant as he approached his office. As usual, she was moving between two desks, with a headset on her head and a stack of papers in her hand.

  “Good morning! How was your night?” She quizzed him, right on his heels as he moved into his office.

  “Great. What are those?” Glancing over his shoulder, he struggled to get a peek at the paperwork she was holding.

  “The contracts for next spring’s line and the designs for this year’s Christmas costumes,” she smiled, carefully placing the sheets on Ben’s desk.

  “When are these going into production?” Looking over an elf costume designed for a golden retriever, he asked the question almost automatically. Each year, the designers would have to go back and forth with updates of the design until Ben was full satisfied. No costume, toy, or accessory could ever be completed without Ben’s signature of approval.

  “If those are approved, I think they will begin next week,” Rachel answered, flipping through a book for confirmation.

  “Yeah. Let’s get these going,” Ben announced, bending to sign his name on the print out before moving on to the next sheet of paper.

  One by one, he moved from one task to the next, adding his signature and giving notes for Rachel to deliver to the coordinating team
s. He was very involved with his business and enjoyed these morning catch-ups, it was the only way he could stay involved with everything.

  “That should be enough for now. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?” Rachel asked, as she gathered the sheets of paper, carefully tucking them away in a folder.

  “When is my first meeting?” He glanced at his watch to see it was just after eight.

  It was a late morning for Ben, but after a late-night workout session, which was much needed to burn off some tension, he slept in a little later than usual. He felt like a new, lighter version of himself after his date with Katherine. She helped him relax and live in the moment. When they were together, he wasn’t thinking about designs or business meetings. She was all that mattered, and she didn’t even know about his business.

  “Not until nine. I thought you had a gym appointment this morning,” Rachel explained, as she walked out of the office.

  “It’s okay,” he assured her as Rachel stopped and held one finger in the air.

  “Good morning. Mr. O’Leary’s office. How can I help you?” She answered an incoming call in a voice even cheerier than her normal tone.

  “Oh, hi, Will,” she giggled his name, her cheeks blushing rapidly. Glancing at Ben, she smiled before heading out of his office. “Let me see if he’s free,” she looked back to Ben who quickly nodded before lifting his own receiver.

  “Will!” He called over the line to his friend. Rachel was scampering outside the door, dropping the stack of papers onto her desk as she fell into her seat dramatically.

  Ben laughed to himself, seeing how worked up she got every time she talked to Will. They were his two oldest friends and their attraction to each other was obvious to everyone but the two of them.

  “Mr. CEO! How everything going down there?”

  “I’m hanging tough. Are you saving the world?” Ben teased. He always poked fun at Will’s humanitarian efforts, because through his charities, he figured he would one day solve all problems.

  “One event at a time,” Will joked back.

  It was the new way of activism, collecting up all the wealthy people you knew and getting them to donate some of their money to the causes you cared about most. Will had a plethora of organizations he worked with, and Ben was one of the main donors to each charity.

  “You were supposed to call me with the details to your next event,” Ben reminded him of their agreement over lunch a few days prior.

  “What do you think I’m doing now?” He quipped and the two chuckled in unison. “It’s this Saturday, and it’s going to be black tie. I’ll make sure Rachel gets all the details. Speaking of which, are you bringing her?” Will asked, trying to sound casual.

  Occasionally, Ben would bring Rachel to events as his ‘plus one,’ because he never liked parading his women in the spotlight. When he dated someone, it was private and he tried to keep it under wraps for the most part. Katherine was different. He found himself wanting to do everything with her, and so he took a different approach with Will’s charity event.

  “No, I think I’m going to bring a date instead,” Ben replied.

  Whenever he brought Rachel to events, Will would volunteer to show her around and then Ben would never see her again anyway. He wanted to push his old friend to make the move he had been putting off for years.

  “Oh? A date? Will asked.

  “Yeah. But, I think you should invite Rachel yourself,” he suggested.

  “Oh, do you now?” Will countered with a sly tone.

  “I do. You two always have fun together, and I’m sure she’ll say yes if you ask her,” Ben prodded, knowing how timid his friend could get.

  Will was never the one with the ladies, although they found him attractive. He was shy in college, and had remained that way into adulthood. Ben knew that if he helped him take the leap to ask Rachel out there could be something between the two, so he waited in silence, forcing Will to respond.

  “Well, I know she has a lot to do,” Will began, with his list of response to avoid asking Rachel to his charity event.

  Acting quickly, Ben rose from his seat, moving around his desk to find Rachel outside his office, typing away at the keyboard on her computer. It was perfect timing, she could take the call and Will could ask the question.

  “No, she’s free right now. Here she goes,” Ben interjected to Will before handing his cordless office phone to Rachel.

  “Hello?” She answered with skepticism as Ben backed up into his office.

  “Oh, Will? Hi,” she smiled shyly.

  Ben watched with a smile as Rachel moved around her desk nervously, carefully listening to Will on the other end of the phone. She nodded, and pushed her hair behind her ears as she waited for her turn to speak.

  “That sounds awesome. I’d love to,” she finally smiled, nodding quickly.

  “Sounds great. I’ll do that. Thanks, Will,” she said before ending the call.

  Turning to face Ben, she was beaming with excitement as she stood from her desk, barging into his office. Ben couldn’t contain his laughter, bellowing loudly as he watched her storm towards the dry bar, pouring a short glass of whiskey for both herself and Ben.

  “Really? I know you set that up!” She accused him directly as she shoved the glass tumbler in his direction. Ben laughed, accepting the glass.

  “I have no clue what you’re talking about. But it seems like you have a date,” he smiled, taking a sip of his liquor.

  “That’s funny, because I heard the same about you,” she shot back with a curious eyebrow. They each sipped their drink once before sharing the details.

  “I want to take Katherine out to the charity event,” Ben told Rachel.

  “Of course you do. How grand of a gesture are you going to make?” she asked, knowing how his mind worked.

  “What does that mean?” He asked, feigning complete ignorance.

  “You always have to go above and beyond. I’m curious as to how you’ll do that,” she explained.

  Ben had already been brainstorming ways to shock Katherine. He wanted to make the evening special, and wondered what she would need to make that true. When he learned it was a black-tie event, he thought for sure she would need to go shopping.

  If there was one thing he knew about women, it was that they all enjoyed getting dolled up and going shopping. A new gown, or shopping spree, would be the perfect way to make things special with Katherine. He just needed to find out the best way to ask her.

  “Enough about me. What’s going on with you and Will?” He asked, again pretending to know less than he did.

  “I think he just wants to go as friends,” Rachel immediately tried to downplay the invitation, always doubting her appeal.

  For as long as they had known each other, Rachel always thought less of herself than Ben did, but he fought to show her how amazing she was. Will was going to be the perfect guy to show her how special she was, and Ben looked forward to his friends spending an evening together.

  “I think he likes you a little more than as a friend,” Ben corrected her, watching as she shook her head shyly.

  “I imagine you’ll be doing a little gown shopping,” Ben guessed, watching Rachel light up again at the thought of getting dressed in the finest fabrics for a night on the town.

  “I’ve already been thinking of where I’m going shopping,” she whispered, deviously.

  “I want to surprise Katherine with a nice incentive to go to the event,” he explained, and Rachel smiled, realizing how well she knew her best friend.

  Of course he would want to wow the new woman in his life and she knew just how to do it. Working as his assistant allowed her to live out her every fantasy by creating romantic dates for the women who caught his attention. But, this was another level for Ben.

  His personal and professional life almost never overlapped, and Rachel imagined Katherine must be having a serious impact on him if he wanted to take her to a charity event where so many of his colleagues and profe
ssional connections would be present.

  “I think I have just the thing,” Rachel proudly announced before chugging the rest of her drink.

  Following suit, Ben did the same with his drink before taking both glasses to the sink at the back of his office. Excusing herself, Rachel went on to continue with the planning of his day, while Ben settled back into his seat, ready begin.

  After the high of an evening with Katherine, he was ready to tackle his meetings while thinking about asking her out again. Things were moving fast, despite their decision to take things slow, and Ben knew he would need to exercise restraint to give Katherine the pace she needed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Katherine

  SHE HAD JUST UNPACKED the last of her boxes, standing back to take in her new place. It had all come together in the final hours as she found the perfect nook for every photo frame and knick-knack she had picked up from one place or another.

  The living area was very cozy and centered around a brick fireplace Katherine couldn’t wait to use. It was the selling feature when she first saw the apartment, daydreaming of cooler evenings when she could cuddle up on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea. She wanted to make a life in her new place and had all the trappings to make it happen.

  The small couch was more like a loveseat, evident that she didn’t have much plans for hosting others or entertaining. It was a small space, but it was perfect for Katherine. She needed to rebuild her life and it was the perfect setting to do just that.

  The hardwood floors ran through the entire apartment, including the small kitchen that featured an island with a metal countertop, covered by the cut marks made by the tenants that came before me, lending character to the place. Katherine had the option to have a brand-new place, one that had never been lived in before, but something about that seemed wrong.

  She and Tim had their house built with the hopes of starting a new life together, one that could not be destroyed. What ensued was a life of chaos and destruction, so she didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes thinking a clean slate required a new setting. No, she wanted the familiarity left in a home that had been lived in before, and this one had that.