by Nia Arthurs
Stupid.
Idiot.
Moron.
Benson was trying his best to be a good boyfriend and she was throwing herself at him like some easy woman.
Gritting her teeth, Carrie whispered, “I should go.”
“Wait—”
“I fed Stacie’s dog so he should be good until lunch. I’ll see you tonight at Hidden Reef.” Without waiting around, she burst through the doors and kept on running until she’d made it all the way to her car.
Throwing herself inside like a bank robber making her getaway, she slapped her key into the ignition, slammed on the gas and spit gravel as she sped back to her place.
She needed space. A new frame of mine. A freaking chill pill.
After all her sass about that night meaning nothing, she’d gone and fallen all over him like a brainless groupie. Benson was the enemy here. He stole her manager position and acted so smug about it.
Yet she was salivating over his chiseled body and panting for his touch.
Damn him.
And damn her for being so weak.
Carrie breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her apartment building. The three-story structure stood in a quiet suburban area. Most of her neighbors were older and living out their retirement desiring nothing but privacy and peace.
She wanted the same, so there had been no problems with any of the people who moved in beside her.
Carrie slammed her car door shut and stalked up the stairs to the second floor. She fit her key into the lock and shoved the door open, storming inside. After flinging her purse to the carpet, she paced the room.
Though her mind was supposed to be in control, her body refused to let go of Benson. She was stuck in that moment just before their almost-kiss.
She could feel his breath brushing over her skin, soft as a butterfly’s wings.
Could recall the texture of his thumb as he lightly squeezed her jaw, guiding her up to where he could have better access to her lips.
Could hear the whispered rasp of their feet as they shuffled closer to the other, heat building, desire mounting…
“Gah!” She flung herself into the couch and smothered her face with a pillow. She couldn’t keep going like this.
Benson belonged to Seo Ah.
Besides, he was only in Belize City for a couple weeks. When Stacie returned, he’d drive back to Ladyville, never to be seen or heard from again.
Rationalizing usually worked.
It didn’t this time.
Her heart was out of commission, but her body wanted what it wanted.
At the end of her rope, Carrie called Jo. Her friend picked up. “Hey, girl what’s—”
“He screwed me over!” She yelled into the phone. “Figuratively and literally.”
“Um, what are you talking about?”
“Benson!”
“Oh, your hot boss-lover?”
“I found out that he has a girlfriend.”
Jo whistled under her breath. “And the plot thickens.”
“I’m going crazy over here, Jo. I need help, advice, maybe some weed.”
“Weed?”
“Okay, maybe not weed. But how’d you do this? How’d you cope with your feelings for Sun Gi when he was engaged to Hanna?”
“With lots of prayer, honey. I also had the privilege of not seeing him often. But whenever he showed up, oof, everything I’d repressed slammed me in the gut like a pickup truck.”
“Any other advice? You know? Since I have to work with him?”
“First of all, you don’t have to yell. Second, why don’t you get to know his girlfriend?”
“Seo Ah?”
“Yeah.” Jo sounded calm and put-together. “Every time my crush got out of hand and I was tempted to act on it, I thought of Hanna. Of course back then, I didn’t know that it was a marriage of convenience, but it worked.”
Carrie doubted she could be that magnanimous. She’d proven today that thinking of anyone but herself came hard. “That’s not gonna work.”
“Okay then…”
Carrie froze. “What about that guy?”
“What guy?”
“Sun Gi’s friend? The one you wanted to set me up with a few weeks ago?”
“Arnold? No, girl. That was just a joke. He’s a total player.”
“Good.” She stared determinedly at the wall. “I’ve just realized what the problem is. I don’t have real feelings for Benson.”
“Then…?”
“Maybe I just need to get laid.”
10
Stacie wasn’t answering her phone. Benson gave up and headed to Hidden Reef after leaving her a message to call him. The run-in with Carrie at breakfast this morning was a set up.
What the hell was his sister up to?
He checked his phone before backing out of the driveway.
Nothing.
The brat.
He tossed the cell and drove. A few minutes later, he parked in his spot behind the club and climbed out of his car.
As he headed inside, Benson made a concerted effort to push all the drama from his mind. He could work through his confusion about Seo Ah, his flaming hot attraction to Carrie and his sister’s meddling later.
For now, it was time to focus.
The hallway was dark when he stepped inside the building. Benson glanced at the broken light and made a mental note to get that fixed. Carrie and the other female waitresses used the side entrance to enter the bar and he didn’t want them getting waylaid.
Speaking of Carrie…
Benson looked straight ahead. If he kept walking, he’d ease right into the main room. Would she be out there getting into the waitresses’ way again or would she be alone in the lounge?
What do you want to do with her that you need privacy for?
He brushed the thought away and headed left. He’d make a quick stop at the lounge; make sure she was okay. Benson eased the door open and peeked in. A woman sat in the couch, thumbs flying over her phone. But it wasn’t Carrie.
“Seo Ah?”
Her head jerked up, red hair flailing behind her. Dark eyes formed half-moons as she smiled prettily. “Benson, you’re here.” She checked her phone and stood. “And you’re late. I heard you’re supposed to be here at three.”
Too stunned by her presence to follow the conversation, he shook his head. “Did we agree to meet today?”
“No, I thought I’d surprise you.” Her smile trembled. “To be honest, I spent the day in my hotel room. It was kind of lonely. You don’t mind if I hang out here a bit, do you?”
He rubbed his chin with his thumb. “No, of course not. But… why’d you spend the day in your hotel room? You’re in Belize. There’s the Barrier Reef, cave tubing, the zoo. Plenty to do.”
“I plan on seeing all the sights.” She cast her gaze to the ground. “But only if I can do that with you.” Seo Ah linked her fingers and stepped back with a self-conscious laugh. “Carrie was keeping me company earlier, but she had to leave.”
“Carrie?”
“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? I’ve never met anyone with such perfect skin.”
Memories of touching that skin, gliding his hands all over it, feeling her shudder under him exploded in his head.
Unaware of the places his mind had traveled, Seo Ah continued. “And she’s so intelligent. I mean, we can talk for hours. It feels like I found my soul sister halfway around the world.”
“Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “Yeah, Carrie’s great.”
“Benson? You alright? You look a little flushed.” Seo Ah tilted her head, eyes narrowed in concern.
He backed away and hooked a thumb toward the door. “I should see if they need my help out front.”
“I’ll come with you.” Seo Ah gathered her things from the couch and swung her purse over her shoulders.
Dazed, Benson nodded and held the door open for her. Together, they strode down the hallway. Seo Ah lingered close, her hands brushing against his every time they swu
ng in the same direction.
“What I’ve seen of Belize has been amazing,” Seo Ah said conversationally. “I’ve got a long list of places I want to go. When’s your day-off? I’ll work with your schedule so we can go together. You don’t mind showing me around, right?”
“Sure.” Benson had no idea what she’d said. Wrestling for control of his mind had become his priority and Seo Ah was a small, buzzing voice in a corner.
They spilled out into the main hall. Benson shirked back when he saw the crowds pulsing near the platform and thickening around the bar. The bass speakers mounted at the front of the podium thumped through the room.
“Wow,” Seo Ah yelled to be heard over the music, “I didn’t know Stacie’s bar was this popular.”
Spotting Wendy in the distance, he caught her eye and beckoned her toward him. She flounced his way, short skirt swishing over her thighs. He leaned close so she could hear over the pulsing music. “What’s going on? I thought Stacie didn’t do Happy Hour?”
“Someone leaked that Nightingale was going to be here tonight,” Wendy yelled back.
“Who?”
“You’ll see?” She winked and trotted off.
Benson exchanged a confused look with Seo Ah.
The crowd roared and he whipped his head toward the stage. Carrie strutted to the mike and bent her knees slightly to match the height of the microphone.
“Goodnight, everyone!” Her voice boomed through the room. “Wow. What a crowd.”
More screaming.
Carrie waited until it died down to speak again. “This is getting suspicious. I need to find the person leaking Nightingale’s performance dates.”
The people in front of the stage booed her.
Carrie laughed them off. “Alright, alright. I know who you’re here for so with no further ado, here is…” she threw her arms to the curtains off-stage, “Nightingale!”
The applause and roars were near deafening. Benson winced as men rushed toward the stage like teenage girls at a Justin Beiber concert.
Seo Ah stepped closer to him and he held his hand in front of her body, sheltering her from potential battery with his broad shoulders.
An annoyed curse dangled on the tip of his tongue. There was no way any one person was worth this much hype. No way all these guys would lose their minds over her.
Not unless Nightingale was a very flexible stripper.
Benson trained his gaze on the platform as a small, slim woman appeared. The lights clunked off and a lone spotlight sparkled above her. She was dressed in a glittery blue gown that spilled to the floor. Her hair was propped back in a low bun and a mask glittered on her face.
Ball gowns weren’t typical stripper attire so Benson threw the option in the trash. Curious, he held his breath as the woman opened her mouth.
From the first note, he knew exactly why everyone had lost their minds. Nightingale might as well call herself Siren because he’d bet even mermaids didn’t have her skill.
Her voice was light, airy and yet filled up the entire room. He held his breath, clinging to every note and even bopping his head when the music picked up and the reggae bass jammed through his heart.
She sang three songs, about five minutes each. Far too soon, Nightingale blew a kiss to the crowd and disappeared.
As if they’d all been hit with a radioactive wave, the crowd dispersed slowly, stumbling to the tables and around the bars. He noticed the waitresses wearing masks as they flitted from table-to-table. They all deflected questions about Nightingales’ identity.
Seo Ah turned to him. “Wow. That woman’s voice… I can’t even describe it. What kind of music was that?”
“Reggae,” he said, his eyes coasting the room in search of Carrie.
“Reggae?” Seo Ah tasted the name on her tongue like it was an exotic snack. “I love it.” He saw her eyes glittering and knew the first thing she’d do when she got back to her hotel room was look up every reggae song that had been produced in the past century. Seo Ah caught him looking at her and her cheeks turned pink. “What?”
“Nothing.”
She set her hand on his arm, taking his amusement as an invitation. “It looks like Carrie has this place handled. Would you buy me a drink?”
Before he could politely turn her down, he spotted Carrie in the distance. She was wriggling against the grip of a slim, brown-skinned woman with long curly hair. The woman was smaller than Carrie but she had no problems dragging her along.
Benson straightened. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Carrie winced and glanced at anything but him.
The strange woman stuck her hand out. “You must be Benson.”
“I am. And who are you?” Benson nudged Seo Ah off and shook the woman’s hand.
“I’m Joana Lee Gregory.”
Carrie smacked her forehead.
His gaze flitted to her before focusing on Joana. “Pleasure.”
Another man joined them. He was tall and broad-shouldered with pale skin and a frustrated expression. “Carrie, you need to hire some bodyguards or I’m not sending her here again. These blasted punks have no sense.”
“Sorry, babe.” Joana Lee Gregory cooed to him. “I was trying to contain myself, but when I saw you I went off.”
Benson blinked. Wait… this tiny woman was… Nightingale?
Joana noticed his surprised expression and winked. “Don’t tell anyone.” She placed a finger to her lips. Turning, she gestured to the man at her side. “This is my boyfriend, Sun Gi. Babe, this is Benson.”
Sun Gi tipped his chin up in welcome.
Benson smirked at the name. “You’re Korean?”
“Born and raised.” He eyed him. “I didn’t want to assume, but I’m guessing you’re Korean too?”
“So am I!” Seo Ah stepped forward.
Sun Gi glanced her way and then dismissed her with a flick of his eyes. Looking down at Joana, he asked, “I thought we were leaving early tonight?”
“I wanted to meet Carrie’s lo—boss.” Joana’s almond-shaped eyes landed on Benson. “She didn’t want to tell me who you were, but it was easy to point you out. You’re the second most handsome guy around.”
“I’m the first, right?” Sun Gi winked.
Jo stood on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on her boyfriend’s cheek. “Of course, Babe.”
Carrie cleared her throat. “Well, now that the introductions have been made, I should get going.”
A phone chirped.
Everyone automatically checked their pockets.
“That’s me.” Sun Gi waved his cell high as proof and turned around, holding a finger to his ear. “Arnold? You’re here? Just head to the bar. Yeah.”
While everyone stood and waited for Sun Gi to complete his call, Benson’s gaze darted to Carrie. She stood stiffly, her head ducked and her fingers awkwardly hovering over the back pockets of her jeans.
She’d left her hair out so the long strands hid her face from his perusal. He wondered what she was thinking.
After she’d left the house so abruptly this morning, he’d almost called her to apologize but thought better of it.
He’d wanted to kiss her.
He’d wanted to do much more than that.
And he wasn’t sorry.
“That was Arnold,” Sun Gi said. “He’s here.”
Jo shot him a worried look. Benson didn’t have time to analyze the expression when another guy joined their group. He was tall and scrawny with light brown skin and a practiced smile.
“Did I miss it?” Arnold gestured to the stage. “Did I miss Nightingale?”
Sun Gi bobbed his head. “Maybe next time.”
Arnold sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll just have to find another beautiful woman to brighten my night.” Benson followed the line of Arnold’s gaze and noticed the way he honed in on Carrie.
“Shall I get you a drink?” Carrie asked, smirking boldly.
“Only if you stick around and have one with me.”
&
nbsp; Jo took a giant step back and hauled Sun Gi with her. “We’ll just be on our way. You kids have fun.”
“What? Aren’t we stayi—oof.” Sun Gi’s words got cut off when his girlfriend shoved him in the back.
Benson barely registered their exit. His eyes were glued to Carrie and Arnold as they walked off together, shooting each other flirtatious glances. An emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time squeezed his chest, made it hard to breathe.
Damn it.
Benson was jealous.
11
Sun Gi’s friend was the epitome of a gyalist—the Belizean term for playboy. His black dress shirt hugged his slim physique. He had a swimmer’s body, long torso, lean hips, yet his swagger matched that of a body-builder on steroids.
Carrie thought he was nice enough. More than adequate for what she had in mind. As long as he didn’t do anything stupid, she didn’t see why he wouldn’t be finishing the night off in her bed.
Slut.
Yeah well, it was better than being a home-wrecker.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Arnold tipped the beer back to his pink lips and took a swig.
Carrie tossed her hair over her shoulder, leaning slightly in so she invaded his personal space. “From Jo?”
“No.” He smirked, letting his legs brush her thighs. “My boy, Luis, introduced us to the owner. Stacie. She talks about Hidden Reef a lot. Place is like her baby. She mentioned you.”
“What did she say?” Carrie was genuinely curious. Stacie wasn’t the type of woman who gave compliments. In fact, she’d harp on them for hours if they did something wrong and offer one word-encouragements when they were right.
“That you were young but capable. That she’d leave the club to you if anything happened to her.”
Carrie threw her head back and laughed. “That doesn’t sound like Stacie.”
“Hmm.” Arnold set his beer down on the counter and leaned over to whisper, “You have a beautiful smile.”
Instead of melting from the flattery, Carrie stiffened. Her mind tripped to this morning when Benson casually informed her that she looked beautiful when she smiled.
No, we’re not thinking about Benson right now.