Her spontaneous response was all it took to trigger his own orgasm, and he came with a low, hoarse growl that reverberated through her entire body.
Chapter Eleven
Three days later on the following Wednesday, Ben was sitting in the reception area of The Main Event, attempting to keep his focus on the same spy novel he’d been reading when Christine had ambushed him with her plan to seduce him on Sunday night. He kept reading the same paragraph over and over, because his mind just couldn’t concentrate on the storyline.
From one of the back rooms, he heard Christine and Madison talking, their animated conversation punctuated with an occasional burst of laughter. So far, since the night at the charity event, everything had been quiet in terms of anything happening to Christine, of which Ben was immensely grateful. Then again, he wasn’t making it easy on anyone he didn’t know to get close to her without a thorough interrogation. He was glued to her side when they were out in public, his instincts razor sharp at all times as he shuffled her from the car to her office, or wherever else she needed to go.
For now, she was keeping her outside errands to a minimum and only attending to things that were urgent. Weeding out the unimportant stuff would help to keep her secluded as possible for the next week, until the election was finally over.
They spent their days at The Main Event, and went straight home at night and ate dinner at her place. That gave them a whole lot of alone time with just the two of them, and Christine was quick to make good use of their long evenings together—with sex, in lots of adventurous, daring, uninhibited positions. As if her inner seductress had been unleashed during their first time together, she’d become this insatiable, frisky, and zealous lover eager to make up for lost time and the mediocre experiences that had left her physically unsatisfied in the past.
And even knowing they’d be parting ways in less than a week, he was so damned helpless to resist her sexy, tempting allure. Or anything else about her, for that matter.
The front door to The Main Event swung open, and Ben glanced up to see Kevin—a good friend and co-worker at ESS—entering the place. Wearing one of his carefree grins, the other man strolled toward where Ben was sitting on the couch in the reception area with his feet propped up.
“Working hard as always, I see,” Kevin wisecracked. “How is it that you always seem to get the cushy jobs?”
“It’s all about charm and good looks, both of which you lack,” Ben ribbed right back, glad to see a familiar, friendly face to break up the monotony of his day.
Kevin smirked as he dropped into the comfortable chair next to the couch. “I’m sure the hot babe I was with this weekend would disagree.”
“It only takes a woman a few drinks to turn what looks like a frog into a prince.” Grinning, Ben closed his book and regarded his friend curiously. “Other than busting my chops, what brings you by my neck of the woods?”
Kevin tossed the file folder he’d been holding on to the table in front of Ben. “I had the day off and I thought you might want to take a look at your next assignment, and get familiar with the logistics of the case before starting the job next week.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Reaching for the folder, Ben flipped it open and quickly scanned the cover sheet, which contained an overview of the assignment. “Surveillance on an insurance fraud case. Those are always a load of fun,” he said dryly.
“I’m sure it will be much more exciting than my security detail at the Art Institute watching over the Van Gogh exhibit for a week.”
“You might be right about that,” Ben said, and chuckled. Closing the folder, he set it aside and reclined back on the couch. “So, what’s been going on at the office while I’ve been out?”
Kevin spent the next forty minutes bringing Ben up to speed on the latest happenings at ESS, including the new cases that had come in during his absence, and ending with an update on Joel Wilde’s upcoming nuptials to Lora Marshall, which were set for that weekend. During that time, Madison left the office to run some errands, leaving Christine alone in one of the back rooms.
“It sure is a drag that you won’t be able to join us boys for Joel’s bachelor party this Thursday night at Leather and Lace,” Kevin said, sounding bummed on Ben’s behalf.
Surprisingly, Ben didn’t even feel a glimmer of disappointment about missing out on an evening of watching various women strip down to skimpy g-strings, and that was enough to tell him just how far, and how deeply, he’d fallen for Christine in such a short span of time.
He tried not to think about that right now, because his feelings for Christine, no matter how strong and intense, made no difference to his future. After this next week, he’d still be spending it alone. “I’m sure you all will have enough fun to make up for me not being there.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Grinning, Kevin sat forward and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “In fact, I feel so bad about you not being able to go that I’ll even buy an extra lap dance in your honor.”
Ben laughed. “Now that’s a real friend for you.”
Kevin held his hands up, palms out. “Hey, you should know by now that I’m the kind of friend who’ll take one for the team, if need be.” After a moment, he inclined his head. “Are we at least going to see you at the wedding on Saturday?”
He shook his head, his regret genuine. Joel was the first of their tight group of Marine friends to get married, and as much as Ben wanted to be at the wedding, he had a job to do that took precedence. “I really hate to miss it, but I’ll still be on this assignment and I can’t leave Christine alone.”
“Of course you can’t,” Kevin agreed easily. “So, bring her with you.”
Ben sighed. After what happened at the charity event, he was trying to keep her as secluded as possible. That, and taking her to a wedding where he’d be surrounded by his best friends, and Joel’s family, seemed way too intimate. “It’s not that easy.”
“Sure it is,” Kevin refuted, completely oblivious to Ben’s inner turmoil. “All you have to do is ask Christine. I’m betting she’ll say yes.”
“Ask me what?” Christine asked as she walked into the reception area. Instead of heading toward the front desk to collect the recent mail delivery that had arrived right before Kevin, she veered toward the two of them, curiosity brightening her blue eyes.
Ben groaned beneath his breath, knowing just how persistent she could be. Before he could respond to her question, Kevin stood up and extended his hand toward Christine in greeting.
“Hi there. I’m Kevin,” he said, introducing himself. Being the consummate playboy, Kevin’s appreciative gaze took in Christine’s blonde hair, her black sweater top, the red pleated skirt that showed way too much leg, and yet another pair of those head-turning high heels of hers. “I work with Ben at ESS.”
Christine shook his hand, seemingly unaffected by Kevin’s not-so-subtle interest that had Ben clenching his teeth in annoyance. “It’s nice to meet one of the guys Ben works with,” she replied with a smile, then returned her attention back to Ben. “What did you want to ask me?”
“Nothing,” he replied gruffly, and cast a quick keep-your-mouth-shut glare at Kevin—a warning that his friend didn’t bother to heed.
“Actually, he wanted to know if you’d accompany him to a wedding this Saturday,” Kevin said with a persuasive grin as he sat back down in his chair. “Our good friend, Joel Wilde, is getting married.”
“Jesus, Kevin,” Ben said, cutting him off mid-stream. “I already told you that I’m on assignment, and I’m sure Joel will understand why I’m not there.”
Christine placed her hands on her hips, looking very determined—and sexy as hell. “You shouldn’t have to miss a friend’s wedding because of me. I don’t have any plans for this weekend, so there’s no reason why the two of us can’t go together.”
Ben crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his gaze in a stern attempt to get her to back down. “We already talked about keeping your p
ublic appearance to a minimum.”
She wasn’t the least bit intimidated by his authoritative tone or demeanor. “Where is the wedding and reception being held?” she asked.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It’s a backyard ceremony at Joel’s parents’ place,” Kevin said, providing the details that Ben was so reluctant to share. “Very small and low key. Mostly family, a few good friends, and a slew of security agents to keep an eye on you and keep you safe.” He winked at Christine, letting her know that she could count on him to watch over her, too.
Christine grinned gregariously. “Perfect. We’ll be there,” she said to Kevin, then turned that sassy, confident attitude Ben’s way and pointed her finger at him. “And no arguments from you about it.”
And that was the end of that, Ben realized as he watched Christine walk away with a seductive sashay of her hips and her cute little pleated skirt flirting around those smooth thighs of hers. She collected the small box and the rest of the packages and letters that mail delivery had dropped off a while ago, then disappeared into one of the back offices.
Once she was gone, Kevin glanced back at Ben, and didn’t bother to contain his amusement. “That one has a lot of spunk. I like her. And obviously, so do you,” he added much too perceptively.
“She’s a client,” Ben replied, his tone brusque and to the point.
Kevin shrugged. “Doesn’t change the fact that you have a thing for her.”
This time, Ben scowled at his friend—as if that would make a difference to someone he’d fought side by side with in the Iraqi war. He knew it would take a helluva lot more than just an insidious glare to make Kevin back off.
“Just leave it alone, okay?” The last thing Ben wanted was to discuss his relationship with Christine with Kevin, or anyone else for that matter—mainly, because there was nothing to talk about. Another week, and this assignment, and his affair with her, would be a thing of the past. End of story.
A shrill, hair-raising shriek, straight out of some horror flick, erupted from one of the back rooms. Even before the blood-curdling scream had a chance to ebb, Ben was on his feet and racing toward the sound with his weapon drawn, and Kevin right on his heels as back-up. He turned the corner to the office, prepared to fire a shot at the person attacking Christine… except as his gaze scanned the entire room, he realized that there was no one in there but her. At least that he could see.
Oddly enough, she was kneeling on top of a nearby desk, with her arms wrapped around her stomach. Her whole body shook with fear, her face was drained of color, and she was muttering, “oh God, oh God, oh God,” over and over again.
Still unsure of the situation, he kept his gun firmly in hand. “What happened?” Ben barked out, hating the way his own stomach twisted with that awful sense of foreboding. Something was wrong, and he had no idea what had put that look of terror in her eyes.
“Ssssnakes,” she said, her panic a tangible thing as she pointed a trembling finger at the floor behind the desk. “Get them out of here, please.”
Ben rounded the desk, and sure enough there were three decent sized snakes slithering across the carpet—all of them black with a yellow stripe and red markings. “What the hell?” he muttered in confusion as he holstered his weapon. Then he caught sight of the open box on the floor. “Did someone send them to you?”
She nodded jerkily. “Why would someone do that?” she asked, her voice breaking on a sob.
Obviously, to scare the crap out of her, Ben thought. And the ploy had worked. He could only assume that this was yet another threat toward Christine to make Nathan drop out of the upcoming election.
But the more important question was, who had sent the box of snakes? Someone who knew she was deathly afraid of them, and as soon as he was able to calm her down, he’d find out that information.
Kevin stepped around him then crouched down in front of one of the long snakes. “Honey, they’re just common garter snakes,” he said in an attempt to soothe her fears. “I used to play with these snakes all the time when I was a boy. They’re completely harmless and won’t hurt you. In fact, they look just as frightened as you are.”
“I… don’t… care!” Her voice rose hysterically, pushing her to the verge of nearly hyperventilating. “Get rid of them!”
Realizing just how real Christine’s phobia was, Kevin’s gaze softened with compassion. “Take her out of here and I’ll round up these guys and put them back into the box,” he told Ben.
“Thanks.” Ben moved out of the way of a snake heading toward his shoe. The last thing he needed was to have the damn thing slither its way up his pant leg. “If you could take them with you when you leave and see if you can trace the return address on the box, I’d appreciate it.”
“You got it,” Kevin said as he reached for one of the snake’s tails, gently lifted it off the ground then guided the reptile toward the box it had arrived in.
Ben held a hand toward Christine to help her step down from the desk. “Come on, let’s go sit in the reception area while Kevin does his thing.”
She glanced at the floor skeptically then shook her head, her loose hair flying wildly around her face. “I… can’t.”
Her fright was so genuine, and he felt something in his chest tighten with the kind of tenderness he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Understanding that she wasn’t quite ready to place her feet on the ground, not when a few of the snakes were still on the loose, he scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the room and to the reception area. He placed her on the couch, and she immediately curled her legs beneath her on the cushion.
She ran still shaking fingers through her hair. “I can’t believe that someone sent me a box of snakes. I must have really pissed someone off,” she said in an attempt to make light of the situation.
Ben didn’t laugh, because he knew just how serious this newest threat was. “I’m pretty sure that it’s all tied into your father’s race for governor.”
“I don’t get it,” she said as she smoothed the hem of her skirt over her thighs. “If someone wants my father to drop out of the election, then why did they send me the snakes?” She shuddered as she said the word.
Initially, Ben and Nathan had agreed to keep the details of those blackmail letters to themselves, but now that the intimidation tactics were escalating, Ben knew it was time to apprise Christine of the whole truth.
He looked at her, meeting her wide-eyed gaze. “The notes that your father have received are demanding that he drop out of the election or risk losing what’s most precious to him… and that would be you.”
“Me?” she asked incredulously. “This person is using me as leverage, and as a target?”
He nodded, glad to see her fear being replaced by a more productive emotion like anger. “It appears that they’re letting your father know that they’re serious about their threats. How many people know about your aversion to snakes?” he asked, hoping for some kind of insight as to who might be behind this latest hoax.
“Not many, really. It’s not something I bring up in casual conversation.” She thought for a moment, her expression slowly reflecting a noticeable level of disdain. “The one person who is very aware of my fear of snakes is Jason. He was with me when I was bitten by one.”
He couldn’t even begin to imagine the scenario that had led up to such an incident. “How did that happen?”
“Jason was an outdoorsy guy, and about a month after we were engaged, he took me hiking for a day on some trails at a state park in Antioch,” she said, a slight frown marring her brow as she remembered, and explained. “We came across a snake, which I almost stepped on because of the way it blended in with the foliage. I thought it was a rattle snake at first because it was shaking its tail and hissing at us, and of course I freaked out. Jason laughed and told me it was a gopher snake and insisted that it wouldn’t hurt me. He thought it was funny that I was so frightened, and he deliberately pushed me toward the snake. I screamed, and the
snake struck out and bit my calf.” She absently rubbed at that spot on her bare leg.
“Jesus.” Ben scrubbed a hand along his jaw as a slow burning fury coursed through him. Her ex was a certified asshole, and Ben wished he would have beat the shit out of him when he’d had the chance that first night at Envy.
“We immediately went to the state park’s First Aid Station where they cleaned and bandaged the bite.” She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed at her arms through the sweater she was wearing. “And I was fine since the snake wasn’t poisonous, but Jason never let me forget what a big baby I was about the whole thing.”
Ben’s hands curled into tight fists as anger and contempt for Jason seethed inside him. Luckily, they were interrupted by Kevin, who walked into the reception area, the box of snakes in hand with the top folded close.
“I got all three of them,” he said to Ben, keeping his distance for Christine’s sake. “Someone poked some small holes into the box, which is why they survived being mailed. I’ll release the snakes somewhere safe and see what I can find out about the return address.”
Ben gave his friend a grateful nod. “I appreciate that.”
Kevin turned his attention toward Christine. His expression was grim, but his gaze conveyed kindness and sympathy for her situation. “I’m really sorry about all this, and I hope we catch the bastard who sent the damn things.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I know I over-reacted back there, and I apologize for being so hysterical about the snakes.”
Ben grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You had good reason,” he assured her.
“I’ll get a hold of you when I know something,” Kevin said, his commented directed at Ben.
“Thanks, man.”
Then Kevin grinned at Christine—one of those flirtatious smiles that could persuade a woman to do just about anything he asked. “I’ll see you at the wedding on Saturday.” Kevin winked at her then headed out the front door to the truck parked in front of her business.
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