by Nia Arthurs
Carrie kicked her legs and brushed away a tear. “Even I know you should never call those K-pop stars ‘oppa’ without their permission.”
“I couldn’t contain myself.” Seo Ah’s eyes twinkled. “I was just so excited to be close to them.”
“Ehem.” Benson rapped his knuckles on the door.
The women startled.
His eyes went to Carrie first. Her brown skin looked stunning, luminescent. Her white smile sparkled like a quarter-moon on her face. Brown eyes blinked steadily, unperturbed by his presence.
“Hey,” she said easily.
“Hi.” Benson dragged his gaze to Seo Ah and inquired, “What’s, uh, what’s going on here?”
“I met another K-drama fanatic.” Seo Ah smiled with a tinge of shyness.
“Well,” Carrie jumped to her feet and wiped her palms on her pants, “I’ll give you two some privacy.” She strutted to the door.
Benson followed her body with his gaze. He wanted to reach out, snag her arm and promise to talk later, but he knew that wouldn’t fly with Carrie. She’d just hiss that they had nothing to discuss.
And they didn’t.
So why did he feel like he’d done something wrong here?
While he stood frozen in the doorway, Carrie sidled past him and disappeared. Seo Ah glided closer. He looked her over, from her booted feet, to her trim legs, to the crop top and the red hair.
She looked as beautiful as ever, though her dainty features were pinched and uncertain.
“Hello, Benson.”
He shut the door and clenched his jaw. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to explain—”
“There’s no need.”
“I know the way we left things in Korea was a little… shaky, but what we shared was too important to give up like this.”
Benson straightened his back. “What we had was a lie.”
“That’s not true.” Seo Ah surged forward. He pulled back before she could touch him. Seo Ah got the hint and cradled her hands in front of her. Staring at the ground, she whispered, “It was a mistake.”
“Leaving you wasn’t a mistake though. Not for me.”
He saw when she winced, but he hardened his heart against the sympathy that snuck through his chest. Time had healed a few wounds, but it hadn’t changed the fact that she’d broken his trust.
Seo Ah dotted at her eyes and blinked rapidly. “Gosh, I didn’t want to cry.”
“Hey, it’s okay… don’t cry.” He drew closer to her and reached out to pat her back. His hand froze halfway and he pulled back, stuffing his arm into his pants pocket instead.
“I didn’t like him.” Seo Ah looked up and he saw her glistening eyes through the fringe of hair that covered her pale cheeks. “I wasn’t even attracted to him.”
“What?”
“That first time, Professor Tan told me to visit his office to talk about my grades. He knew my parents, knew they’d freak out if they heard I was flunking. I went thinking he could help me with my work.”
Benson gritted his teeth, already sensing where this story was going.
“He sat close to me.” Seo Ah trembled. “He put his hand on my thigh and asked if I wanted to get my mid-term grade up. I-I let him kiss me. I let him put his hand up my skirt and… and take my panties off…”
Unable to control himself, Benson reached out and hugged her. Seo Ah cried in his arms, her tears seeping through the fabric. He embraced her fully, furious at the man who’d used her.
“I was so embarrassed and scared, but I didn’t want to tell anyone. And then he changed my grade and my parents were so happy. I thought it was worth it.” She shook her head and pulled back to look up at him. “But it wasn’t. I lost you. My self-respect. My sense of worth. Everything.”
“Did you tell your parents?”
“No.” She pulled back.
“Seo Ah, that scum needs to be brought to justice.”
“I’m over it,” she snapped. “I dropped out of the class and let my parents yell at me. I’m taking another elective when the new semester starts.”
“You should have told me.”
“I know.” She sighed. “But I’m telling you now.”
“Seo Ah…”
“Benson.” She took his hand and smiled at him. “Please forgive me. I miss you.” She peered into his eyes. “Don’t you miss me too?”
7
“You know, drinking at work is never a good idea.” Zeke wiped his hand on a towel and slung it over his shoulder.
“Miss me with that common sense, please.” Carrie fluttered her fingers at him. “And technically I’m on break so I can do what I want.”
“True.” Zeke nodded.
Carrie took another swig from the bottle and glared at her reflection in the glossy surface of the counter. She was in a crappy mood and, though she usually didn’t drink, she was too uneasy to live with herself sans liquid courage.
“That Asian girl was hot, wasn’t she?” Zeke moved closer to her and spoke softly so the two ladies at the other end of the bar couldn’t overhear. “When she walked in, I thought we were in some Chinese movie.”
“She’s Korean,” Carrie muttered. She pulled the cold beer to her forehead and fluttered her eyelashes. “And I haven’t seen her in any movies or shows, so she’s not an actress.”
“A model then.”
Carrie wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Seo Ah was stunning enough to sell ice to Eskimos. Even if she didn’t model professionally, Carrie imagined scouts and agents always approached her.
“How rich do you think Benson’s got to be if he’s dating a supermodel?” Zeke murmured.
Annoyed, Carrie hiked out of the chair and glared at him. “Would you give it a rest?”
“What?” He blinked innocently.
She scoffed and stormed away.
“Are you going to finish this?” Zeke yelled after her, raising the half-empty beer.
Carrie ignored him and crashed into the bathroom. She shoved the faucet and cupped her palms beneath the cool water. To preserve her makeup, Carrie only sprinkled a few drops on her face.
“Come on, calm down,” she whispered.
The chant failed to settle her.
Wrestling with guilt and confusion, she shut the spout and leaned against the sink. In the quiet, the reality of what she’d done echoed off the walls.
Benson has a girlfriend.
I slept with someone who has a girlfriend.
Carrie hated drama with her every breath. Stayed as far away from it as humanly possible.
One-night-stands were one thing.
Becoming the ‘other’ woman was another.
“I’m an idiot,” she hissed.
To make matters worse, Seo Ah seemed like a cool human being. They both watched the same K-dramas. They both loved K-pop.
Guess that explained why they had similar taste in guys.
She groaned.
To be fair, when Seo Ah first introduced herself as Benson’s girlfriend, Carrie hadn’t believed her. That night, Benson told her that his ex cheated on him. The unspoken conclusion there was that they’d broken up.
Now, after meeting Seo Ah, Carrie wasn’t so sure.
Maybe the cheating allegations were true. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Whatever their tumultuous love story was, Carrie did not want to be dragged into the middle of it.
She sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. The two parties involved could sort things out between themselves. Sleeping with Benson made things slightly more complicated, but there was no reason why he had to tell Seo Ah. It would only hurt her.
Besides, she was rooting for them. Seo Ah flew halfway across the world to declare her love for Benson. Given Benson had only slept with her to mute the pain of his breakup, she figured the feeling was mutual.
In the end, love would win.
Hopefully.
It hadn’t worked for her, but lightning struck once for everybody.
&nb
sp; Carrie headed outside and took stock of the crowds that had surged in for the evening rush. The ‘club’ section of the business kicked off on the weekends, but the fully stocked bar and amazing chicken wings drew customers the rest of the week.
She grabbed an apron and helped the waitresses serve.
Dancehall music blared from the speakers. Laughter rumbled through the room. A few of the frequent customers knew her well enough to ask personal questions and she enjoyed bantering back and forth with them.
Carrie lightly flirted as she took orders, handed out drinks and returned with platters of food and beer.
Benson was nowhere in sight. She figured he was either making up with Seo Ah or getting busy with her.
She didn’t care either way.
At all.
No, sir.
Wouldn’t imagine him doing to Seo Ah what he’d done to her. On top of her. Behind her…
“Carrie,” George Ericson—a frequent customer—waved a pale hand in her face, “did you hear me? I asked for BBQ wings, not teriyaki.”
Carrie blinked and came to life. “George, I’m so sorry. Let me fix that for you.” She hauled his platter away from the table and did the walk of shame back to the kitchen.
Their cook, Stefan—a middle-aged grease chef from Punta Gorda, gave her the evil eye.
“Sorry,” Carrie mouthed and sheepishly backed out of the kitchen.
On the way, she bumped into something hard and warm.
Spinning, she locked eyes with Benson.
Her heart jumped to her throat. He looked unfairly delectable in a plain T-shirt and jeans that could have easily been plucked off the runway. After seeing him with Seo-Ah, the electricity charging between them felt even more… what was the word? Dirty? Scandalous?
She took a giant step back. “How’s your girlfriend?”
“Seo Ah returned to her hotel.”
“Oh. That’s nice. She’s nice.”
“Yeah, she’s,” he ran a hand through his hair, “something.”
“You had a good talk?”
He eyed her and she felt the inexplicable urge to go run and hide somewhere. Benson ignored her question and said, “You two seemed to hit it of.”
“Yeah, well. K-drama lovers are a special breed. We tend to stick together.”
“Mm.” His voice rumbled over her.
Goosebumps popped up on her arms.
Carrie pursed her lips, annoyed by his effect on her. She didn’t want to battle her attraction to Benson on top of her annoyance that he’d taken over as manager. Throwing his ex into the mix had only made her even more skittish.
Messing around with the big, hulking rogue was a bad idea all around.
“Are you busy?” he asked.
“Me?” Carrie glanced aside. “Super busy.”
Benson studied her with his sober brown eyes. Turning around, he motioned to one of the waitresses zipping toward the kitchen with an empty tray of chicken bones in her hand.
Wendy approached uncertainly. “Yes?”
Carrie leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. What is he doing?
“Can you take over for a minute? I need Carrie’s help.”
“Yeah, of course.” Wendy waved them away. The traitor. “Carrie’s not supposed to be waiting tables anyway, so I don’t mind.”
“Hey!” She glared at Wendy for throwing her under the bus.
The waitress just winked and flounced away.
Benson jutted his chin forward. “After you.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere close.” He put his hand on the small of her back to guide her. Tiny sparks exploded everywhere his fingertips brushed. Carrie hurried forward, but Benson’s long-legged stride easily kept up with her.
When she swerved toward the door, he took her elbow and steered her toward the raised platform where guests came to dine. “This is it.”
“Here?” She spiked an eyebrow.
“Yup.”
“Is a table broken or something?” Concerned, Carrie charged up the wooden dais and glanced around. “I told Zeke to do daily maintenance checks.”
“Nothing’s broken.” He nudged her into a booth.
Carrie fell into her seat, still confused. “You mind explaining with your words?”
“We’re scouting.”
“What?”
“When I consider buying a place, I usually visit when things are busy.” He gestured to her. “I bring a friend. Order a drink.” He hiked two fingers at Tanya, one of the waitresses. “It helps to get a feel for what the customer experiences.”
Tanya barreled over, her long twists falling in front of her face. Her voice was harried and impatient when she said, “What’s going on? Why are you two sitting here?”
“We’d like to make an order,” Benson said.
“No, we don’t.” Carrie started to rise.
Benson snatched her wrist and held her in place. “A scotch for me. What’ll you have?”
“Just some water.”
Benson gave her a scolding look, but she really didn’t give a crap.
Tanya stalked away, grumbling under her breath.
“Can’t you see that we’re swamped?” Carrie hissed, leaning over the table and searing him with a dark gaze. “Now isn’t the time to act like you’re better than anyone else. We need to pitch in.”
He pursed his lips and glanced at the walls. “Aren’t these mirrors a little… much?”
Her jaw dropped.
“I don’t know.” Benson rubbed his chin. “Stace might not be open to suggestion when it comes to decor. And I guess it works. In a weird way.”
I don’t have time for this. Carrie pressed her palm on the table and moved to get up. In the blink of an eye, Benson was beside her in the booth instead of across from her. His arm brushed hers and the sparks turned into full-on fireworks.
Her nostrils flared. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“This is work.” He leaned his elbow on the table and tilted his head against his fist. “So work with me.”
Her eyes dropped to his lips, the rough cut of his jaw, down to his shoulders. Memories flashed through her mind, blaring to life from their proximity. Her heart thudded.
She wanted to do more than work with him.
Bad, Carrie. Bad girl.
Benson smiled confidently as if he knew that she had buckled to him and took delight in it. Nodding to the left, he whispered, “Listen to those guys over there.”
“What guys?” she mumbled, annoyed that he’d seen her so shaken.
He stared ahead, leaving her to guess for herself. Carrie forced her mind off Benson’s nearness and strained to hear over the beat of the dancehall music pounding through the speakers.
“The food’s taking forever,” one guy said to the other.
“I told you we should have just gotten regular fried chicken on the way.”
Her back stiffened. “They’re complaining.”
“They’re not the only ones.” He gestured to a few of the other customers who were on their phones or glaring in the direction of the kitchen.
“But these are loyal customers,” she stammered. “They haven’t told me anything.”
“That means the food is good so they keep coming back, only to keep being disappointed by the wait time.”
Her eyes flitted to his. “Should I fire Stefano?”
“What? No.” He chuckled. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“If he’s not delivering, then he should be replaced.”
“There are different angles to work with.” He counted on his thick fingers. “Maybe Stefano needs more help in the kitchen. Or if we can’t afford to hire someone else, we can offer complimentary chips and salsa while customers wait.”
“I’ve seen restaurants do that.” Shame stole its way across her cheeks and she felt the need to explain herself. “We get most of our revenue from the bar so we haven’t been keeping up with the food service.”
“It’s okay. I’m not blaming anybody.”
Carrie tried to swallow, but her throat had gone dry.
Benson broke his stare and scooted out of the booth. When he got firmly on his feet, he held his hand out to her. Carrie knew she shouldn’t take that hand. Knew it like she knew the rate her heart was pounding could kill her.
But she was drawn to him, just as she’d been that night.
Slowly, hesitantly, she placed her hand in his palm. He curved his fingers over hers and squeezed lightly.
Their gazes locked.
Desire sprang to life.
Her breath thickened.
Tanya stomped up to their table and Carrie crashed back to reality.
She snatched her hand away. Lifted her chin. Steeled her resolve. She couldn’t let herself be alone with Benson again.
She was just a dirty secret, a slip of restraint on a wind-torn beach.
That was all he wanted, and that was all she’d ever be.
8
Benson turned on his side, staring at the giant picture of a dog in a pink tutu. What had possessed his sister to frame the thing? Peculiar. That’s what his noona was.
At least the bizarre photo gave him something to focus on.
He’d been chasing sleep to no avail. His mind kept running in circles—a mutt chasing its tail—from Carrie to Seo Ah and back again.
Benson shifted to his other side on the bed, back to the dog in the frilly skirt. The struggle for rest was new territory. His only ‘talent’ was the ability to fall asleep anywhere—on a plane with turbulence, on a hilly road, in the corner of a rave one time in college.
He adapted.
But he couldn’t adapt to this.
“I know you miss me too.” Seo Ah’s voice wafted through the room. Her almond-shaped eyes had been filled with so much love, such fragile hope. She was open, ready to follow him to the ends of the earth.
So why did he instinctively reject her?
He shot up.
This was ridiculous. Benson shouldn’t be losing sleep over his love life. Not when the options were so clear he could see his own reflection in them.
Seo Ah wanted him.
Carrie didn’t.
The end.
He could ride off into the sunset this minute with the woman he’d given a good year and a half of his life to.