Just Me

by Lexy Timms

  Even without every necessary comfort feature, Katherine felt like she was living in a home, as opposed to a newly constructed apartment building, and she needed that extra layer of security. She wasn’t alone in her home, or at least that’s how she felt.

  It was refreshing, and as her shoulders pressed back further than usual she realized how much of a confidence booster it was to have a place to call home. Katherine was proud of all she’d accomplished after leaving the only city she ever knew. Now, she was finding her own footing and starting over.

  A low melody caught her attention as she looked from one side of the room to the other, trying to remember where she had put her cell phone. When she finally found it, she stared at the unrecognized number before answering the call.

  “Hello?” She finally answered, curious and weary of unknown numbers. Typically, she wouldn’t even bother to answer a number she didn’t recognize, but something told her to take the call.

  “Katherine?” His voice was clear from the first word he spoke. She knew it was Ben, and instantly understood the tug in her heart to answer the call.

  “Ben?” She asked to be sure.

  “Yeah, Talia gave me your number,” he explained.

  Katherine had spent the night wondering how he could get in touch with her after not making any plans to reconnect with him again. The two had failed to even exchange phone numbers, but she knew he was resourceful enough to find her if he was interested. Talia had come through again, helping her out of her comfort zone.

  “How are you, Katherine?” It was strange, because from the way that he paused, she knew that he was truly interested in her answer. There was nothing shallow about them, and when Ben asked her simple questions, she knew he wanted more. Always more.

  “I’ve been thinking of you,” she admitted, only to be rewarded with what she thought sounded like a sigh of relief.

  “I’ve thought of you, too,” he finally responded, and she smiled, walking through her apartment with a belly full of butterflies.

  “Where are you, Ben?”

  “I was going to ask you the same. I want to see you,” he boldly stated.

  “Really?” She stalled, unsure of what to do next.

  Katherine was comfortable with Ben, but she wanted to keep her home to herself for a little longer, in case she needed a safe haven to retreat to. Ben could be a fun great time, but until she was sure of it, she thought it best to keep her personal space to herself.

  “What did you want to do?” She asked him.

  “I actually have something I want to give you,” he explained.

  “Is that right?” She answered, her interested peaking.

  Ben sure knew how to keep a woman on their toes, and she liked the spontaneity of it all. There was nothing routine about him, all exciting and unexpected. He was the boost of life she needed after spending so much time in slow motion.

  “I was just going to stop at this Mediterranean restaurant at the end of my block,” Katherine lied. It was another restaurant Talia had recommended, this one owned by a Greek family. Katherine planned to go one day, but used it as the best way to get out of inviting Ben to her place for now.

  She wanted to take things slow, and bringing him to her place wasn’t in the slow plan. Thankfully, Ben was undeterred by her change of plans, adapting quickly.

  “The Greek spot?”

  “That’s the one,” she answered with a smile.

  “I’ll see you there in fifteen minutes,” he declared, with a seriousness that let Katherine know he was looking at a clock.

  “Okay then, bye!” She yelled before ending the call, surprised by her own excitement.

  Dipping from one room to the next, she moved quickly to get ready, jumping into the shower before the water was warm enough. She washed her hair quickly before scrubbing her body was suds and rinsing clean.

  Hoping to get dressed in the least amount of time, she opted for a maxi dress, throwing a thin cardigan on overtop of the thin fabric in case the evening chill was too cool. One thing Katherine had learned was that northern California evenings were much cooler than those in the south.

  Needing a jacket was rare back home in Los Angeles, but in San Francisco, it was the norm and she was becoming used to the change in temperature. It was nice to cool off in the evenings, and layering was always one of her favorite fashion styles.

  By the time she was stuffing her purse with all the essentials, Katherine was a few minutes late of their fifteen minute meet up time, so she rushed down the steps, bursting through the doors of her apartment before briskly walking down to the restaurant at the corner.

  Ben was already there, waiting next to his red sports car, wearing a pair of jeans and a white button-down shirt, freshly pressed. It was like his uniform, and she was beginning to take note of why. He embodied everything casual and still professional, like he was stunning without even trying.

  “I’m sorry I’m late, Ben,” she blurted out as she approached the car.

  “Don’t worry. I’m just glad to see you,” he assured her, pulling her close to him as he kissed her softly.

  “This is for you.” He held up the gift bag overflowing with tissue paper. She smiled, reminded of the present he had promised.

  “Thank you,” Katherine took the bag. “Can I open it now?” She asked excitedly.

  “Please do,” Ben nodded, happy to see her reaction.

  Without further ado, Katherine dug through the ruffled paper until her fingers touched a fabric so soft, she wasn’t sure what it was made of. Slowly, she pulled the shiny purple gown from the bag, revealing beautifully draped shoulders. Holding the dress to her body, Katherine noticed the gown fell to her ankles. It was the fanciest dress she had ever seen in her life and wondered where she would ever possibly wear such a gown.

  “This is beautiful,” she remarked, running the palm of her hand across the fabric.

  “A beautiful gown for a beautiful woman,” Ben smirked, with perfect timing.

  “What is this for?” she asked, needing more information.

  Ben smiled, as if he knew her intentions and liked that she wanted to know more about his surprise. She was always thinking of the next thing, curious about the whole plan. He liked her curiosity and always wanted to expose her to new things.

  “I want you to go to a charity event with me tomorrow night,” he explained, pausing to watch her reaction. My friend Will, he hosts these charity events. It’s basically a bunch of people donating money and then coming together to celebrate the success,” he admitted with a smile.

  “I’ve never been to a charity event before,” Katherine thought aloud. She had seen invitations to charity events when she was a child. Her father was always philanthropic. But when she got married to Tim, he decided against participating in charity altogether.

  Tim thought that everyone had the same opportunities, so he considered donating to help others a way of holding people back. But she knew it was only an excuse to be greedy, because Tim never wanted to share his successes with anyone, including Katherine. He just wanted to make more money and buy new things for himself. It was another thing that caused them to grow apart in their marriage.

  “Well, I would love to take you to your first one,” Ben said, by way of asking her again to attend the event with him.

  “Yes. I’d love to go,”

  It was the truth and she refused to hide behind the fear of what could happen, and instead chose to follow along with all the good vibes she got from Ben. He was kind and generous, something she wasn’t used to, and she had quickly grown fond of him.

  “Great,” Ben smiled, pulling her close again before kissing her two more times. “Let’s put this up. I can keep it in my trunk while we eat,” Ben offered as he packed the gown back into the gift bag before placing it in the trunk of the Audi.

  Katherine watched, completely forgetting that they were to go to dinner. In the excitement of getting to the restaurant, and then unwrapping her gift, she had comp
letely forgotten about the lie she told about going to get food.

  Standing outside of the Greek restaurant, she knew that there would have to be a change in the way she lived her life. Ben deserved to know her in a deeper way than her normal comfort level allowed. She wanted to open up to him so there was never a reason to lie about anything.

  He was everything she had been dreaming of in a man. He could bring her back to calm no matter how panicked she got, and her life had proven a bit eventful in the last few months. She wanted the type of relaxation that Ben brought with him. Nothing was ever overwhelming for him and he could easily go between her moods and adjust without issue.

  “Shall we eat?” he asked as they entered the restaurant.

  It was a dimly lit space, more romantic than Katherine had expected. Luckily, her maxi dress was within dress code, and Ben was always appropriately dressed in him uniform. Walking hand in hand, they followed the waitress to the back of the dining area before sitting in a small both large enough for only the two of them.

  “Thank you for joining me,” Katherine said, as she sat in the seat.

  “Well, just to be clear, I was here first, so I kind of invited you,” Ben reasoned, already making his case for paying for yet another meal,

  Unable to hide her laughter, Katherine tried to stifle her giggles with her hand as Ben ordered a bottle of red wine from the waitress. It was the most free she had felt in years.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ben

  KATHERINE HAD BEEN even more excited than Ben expected when he invited her out to the charity event. She was beaming as he walked her through the restaurant, and now at their private dining table, she was overflowing with questions about what to expect and how he had gotten involved with the charity.

  Ben appreciated her enthusiasm, smiling as he fielded her questions, trying to answer as many as he could.

  “How long have you been involved with this charity?” she asked, glancing up from the leather-bound menu she held with two hands.

  “This one in particular, I’m not sure. My friend keeps me in the loop of all the most influential charities. He’s got an eye for spotting potential, and I just like to be a part of helping them help others,” Ben answered honestly.

  It was his way of balancing out the way he devoted so much of his life to his career. He needed to help others, but sometimes his time was so limited, he could only lend money. Luckily for him, he had a lot of that to contribute, but it was a balancing act.

  “I used to have a friend like that in Los Angeles. She was into event planning and would let me know of any type of programs and events I could go to. I don’t think she only did charities, but she hosted a few,” Katherine smiled, remembering the memories she shared, but there was a coating in her eyes, as if it was so far ago.

  Ben could sense that Katherine had layers beyond those visible to the naked eye. She was like an onion, and he wanted to peel every layer away to reveal the delicate flower he knew existed within. She was timid and shy, but he wanted her to be comfortable, and looked forward to the day when she would fully trust him and really let herself go.

  “My friend Will has been a wiz at getting people separated from their money since we were in college,” Ben joked, just as the waitress arrived with their bottle of wine.

  She was boldly flirting with Ben, right in front of Katherine, and he didn’t like it. Trying to make a point, he ignored the waitress’s advances as he asked Katherine for her opinion on the wine.

  “It’s good,” she nodded.

  “Whatever the lady wants,” Ben finally gave his permission, and the blonde waitress quickly filled both of their glasses to the halfway mark.

  “Do you know what you’ll be having for dinner?” she asked, after placing the wine bottle in the center of the table.

  “I think I’ll have the shrimp linguine,” Katherine said, closing her menu before extending it to the waitress.

  “Great choice. And you, sir?” she asked, stressing the formality.

  “I’ll have lasagna, please,” Ben answered, closing his menu.

  She was just out of earshot when Katherine leaned across the table, whispering loudly. “I think she likes you.”

  “Yeah, I was trying to deter that,” Ben chuckled, and Katherine joined in on the laughter.

  “So, tell me more about your friend. You said his name is Will?” she asked, continuing their conversation.

  “Yes. Will Brighton. He’s been into charity work since college. We were roommates our freshman year of college,” Ben explained, silently debating whether to tell Katherine about the business he created in that dorm room.

  “That’s so cool. I’ve always envied people with long friendships. Most of mine have gone by the wayside. It says a lot about a person who can maintain friendships,” Katherine smiled. It was a genuine and sincere compliment; one Ben had never heard before.

  “Will is like family. He’s the brother I never wanted, but I’m glad he stuck around,” Ben teased.

  “And he throws charity events throughout the year?” she asked, eagerly leaning across the table as she hung onto his every word.

  “Oh, Will must throw three or four events every month. He’s very busy, always involved with everything that goes on in the city. I don’t get out much, so it's good to have an inside plug for the nights I do feel like stepping away from the office,” Ben revealed, shocking himself with his openness.

  “A workaholic, huh?” she asked, feigning disappointment.

  “Some would say,” Ben smiled, sipping his wine.

  “Hmm—like who?” Katherine asked, before sipping from her glass.

  “What do you mean?” Ben asked, a little confused.

  “Who would say you’re a workaholic?” she clarified.

  “Well, Rachel for one,” he answered quickly. “She’s my assistant, but also my closest friend.”

  “Really? You have two friends from college?” Katherine asked, even more excited.

  “I’ve known Rachel even longer than Will. We actually went to grade school together,” Ben laughed, certain it would blow her mind.

  Women were always intrigued by his ability to maintain a friendship with another woman for so long. For as long as Ben could remember, it was always he and Rachel. The two were friends for so long, he couldn’t think of a time before her. She had been through every obstacle and accomplishment of his life, and he valued her input on every aspect.

  “That is amazing! I must say, I’m impressed,” Katherine smiled, glancing across the table with the type of longing that made Ben want to reach across the table to stroke her blushing cheek.

  “Having older friends keeps me grounded, but it also makes for pretty good soap opera writing,” Ben smiled.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I noticed they liked each other a few years back. I’ve kind of been waiting for the perfect time to set them up ever since. When Will called me about the charity event, I told him to ask Rachel and he did. Now, I guess it’s their first time out together,” Ben shared, laughing as he recalled his boldness.

  “You’re playing match maker, huh?” she teased him.

  “I guess so. I just hope they don’t hate each other,” Ben shrugged.

  “No, they’ll hit it off. You would have been able to tell if they wouldn’t blend well,” she suggested, trying to comfort him.

  “You would think that way, but sometimes we can’t see the obvious,” Ben admitted.

  “Very true. I always say I can give advice better than I can take it,” Katherine giggled.

  “They’re both really special to me, so I’m hoping it works out for them. Rachel is one of the main reasons I’m sitting here now,” Ben told her.

  “Really? How so?”

  “She said I was focusing on work too much. When I couldn’t get you out of my head, she told me to reach out to you,” he watched her reaction closely.

  Katherine’s eyes went soft as she listened, her cheeks blushing further.
She had no idea how much of an impact she’d had on Ben. He had talked about her for hours before deciding to finally make a move. Never had he been so caught off guard by a woman, or so determined to get her attention.

  “You couldn’t get me out your head?”

  Ben laughed, caught in his honesty. “I had to have you.”

  It was only a short sentence, but he could see Katherine’s response. Her knees squeezed together as her tongue darted out to wet her lips. She was affected, squirming beneath his vision. Ben was instantly aroused, wanting to feel her fidget in his lap the way she did in her seat.

  He had spoken his claim on her, something he wished to show with actions as soon as she was comfortable. He wanted to take things as slow as she needed, but deep down his desire grew for her with every breath he watched her take. Katherine’s beauty was unmatched, but it was her demure demeanor that set him over the edge.

  “Here is your shrimp linguine,” the waitress announced, but neither Ben nor Katherine moved, their eyes locked on each other, lost in a lustful glare.

  “Would you like any freshly grated parmesan, ma’am?” she asked Katherine.

  “No, thank you,” she turned, finally breaking their stare as she faced the waitress.

  “And your lasagna, sir.”

  The waitress refilled their wine glasses before checking to see if there was anything else they needed, then promptly left them to enjoy their meal.

  “This is delicious,” Katherine moaned after her first bite.

  Ben smiled to himself, thinking of how everything she did and said was sexy to him, now that he was aroused by her. There was nothing she could say or do to change his thoughts, so he decided to focus on his meal with the hopes of regaining control of his desires.

  By the time they finished their entrees, Ben had talked himself off the ledge, ready to continue being the gentleman he was known to be. Katherine had a way of changing his behavior, bringing out his animalistic ways like never before.