by Nia Arthurs
“I used to get your employee discount.” He hiccupped. “But they brought this crazy bill”—he tossed a booklet over the table—“and there’s no discount. Can you talk to the boss? Get that fixed?”
Benson’s peace snapped like a twig.
Carrie slashed her arm to the side, barring him from stepping closer. “I’ll get you the discount. Just don’t make a scene. Take your hooch and leave.”
“Who you calling hooch?” The woman in the see-through gown shrieked.
“I apologize,” Carrie said stiffly. Lowering her voice, she added, “If I give you the discount, will you go quietly?”
“You know I’d do anything for you.” Dylan licked his thick lips.
Carrie swerved around to head off the dias, but Benson snatched her wrist and held her in place. Her eyes shot to his and she mouthed, “What are you doing?”
“Dylan, was it?” Benson turned Carrie around and stepped nearer to the table. “I’m the owner of this place.”
Dylan looked him up and down. “You are?”
Benson pulled out his wallet. “I’d like to pay your tab tonight.”
Carrie gasped.
Dylan scrunched his nose. “Why?”
“To thank you for being a complete idiot and letting this amazing, gorgeous, intelligent, sophisticated woman get away. If you hadn’t made such stupid decisions, I wouldn’t have met her. I really owe you, man.”
A vein bulged in Dylan’s temple. “Forget it. I’ll pay the damn tab myself.”
“You sure?”
Dylan tossed some money on the table, spit to the side and stalked out of the club.
Benson pocketed his wallet and smiled in satisfaction. Unfortunately, the grin flattened the moment he turned around and saw Carrie’s face.
She speared him with angry eyes and turned with a scoff.
“Carrie!” Benson shot off the dias and chased her. “Carrie, wait up!”
“Not right now, Benson. I have to work.”
He captured her hand again and dragged her to the ‘employees only’ hallway. She resisted him, but he just kept going. Finally, they stopped and faced each other.
Benson folded his arms over his chest. “What’s your problem?”
“My problem, Benson, is you.”
“Me?”
“What was that little speech about?”
“I was just being honest.”
“How many women have you used those lines on, huh?” She shoved him in the chest. It was dark, but Benson could feel the hurt beaming from Carrie’s eyes. Her voice trembled as she accused, “Did girls jump into your bed when you said that?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
She huffed. “I’m tired of playing this game.”
“So am I,” he said, giving in to his frustration. Carrie was behaving irrationally. Where was all this anger coming from?
“You can’t have it,” she whispered angrily. “I won’t let you or anyone else have my heart.”
Benson heard a sniff and froze. Was Carrie… crying? He stepped closer to her, straining his eyes in the dimness so he could check.
She took a giant step back. “Why would you even want me anyway? None of those things you said were true.”
“They are.”
“No, they’re not.”
“Carrie…” He reached for her.
She shirked back. “Eventually, you’re going to get a good look at me and you’re going to leave like all the other guys. Except this time, it’ll hurt more because I would have convinced myself that you were different. That you really believed in me and that you were sticking around for me, and not just the amazing sex or the…” she sobbed, “the freakin’ discounts.”
Dylan.
Benson growled. He should have punched the guy when he had the chance.
“You can trust me, Carrie.” He thumped his chest. “Did you think I’ve been holding out because I like it? Just looking at you turns me on, but I’m trying to prove …” He tossed his hands, “I’m doing everything I can to show you that you’re safe with me.”
“I’m sorry.” She sniffed. “I just can’t take that chance.”
Benson breathed deeply as she wiped her tears and stalked away.
19
Carrie ran out of the corridor. Away. She had to get away from Benson, from his dark eyes and his tender promises that no man could possibly keep.
She hated herself for crying, but at least she hadn’t been too obvious. There was no way he would have seen the tears in the dark.
Carrie glanced up and spotted Zeke at the bar. Except he wasn’t in his usual place near the taps. Joana Lee Gregory had a grip on his collar and a menacing look on her exotic face.
Eyes widening, Carrie rushed over. “Jo, put him down!”
Jo glanced at her, eyes widening. Her hold on Zeke’s collar loosened. She stalked over. “There you are!”
“What are you guys doing?” Carrie demanded breathlessly. “Zeke, are you okay?”
“Fine.” He croaked, massaging his neck.
“We were looking for you.” Jo grabbed ahold of Carrie’s arms and looked her over. “Joon said he spotted Dylan earlier. We wanted to make sure you hadn’t run into him so I roughed up the bartender a bit to get your location.”
“I told them not to beat up that poor guy. You were with Benson, right?” Sky rolled her eyes.
“I needed to check.” Jo folded her arms over her chest.
“Are you okay?” Joon Gi asked.
Sun Gi frowned. “From what Jo mentioned, your ex is a real piece of work.”
“It’s fine.” She sniffed. “Dylan already left.”
Sky swooped in close and observed her red eyes. “Were you crying?”
“No.” Carrie turned away as if that would get them off the scent.
“You were. What happened?” Sky demanded. “Where’s Benson?”
“Carrie!” Zeke waved a hand. “We need you over here.”
Saved by the bell. “Guys, I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“We were leaving anyway,” Sun Gi said, glancing at his watch.
“We’ll talk tomorrow,” Sky said with a tilt of her chin.
Carrie nodded and waved them away. She needed some space and her friends, as loving as they were, were known to smother.
“Tomorrow.” She backed away.
Carrie dealt with the kitchen emergency for the next few minutes. When she emerged, Jo, Sky and their boyfriends were nowhere to be seen. She breathed a sigh of relief and snuck a beer from the fridge behind the counter.
Zeke gave her an eye.
She ignored him and popped the cap. “Just add it to my tab.”
Zeke finished with a customer and moved over to her. “You and the Boss-man had a fight?”
“That’s none of your business.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been at this long enough to know that—nine times out of ten—when a gorgeous woman starts drinking and glaring at the wall, it’s because of a guy.”
“Zeke,” Carrie tipped her drink up and stared at the handsome bartender, “would you sleep with me?”
“Of course.”
“Exactly.” Carrie ran her fingernail down the bottle.
Zeke hissed. “Wait, don’t tell me… Benson’s shooting for the other team?”
“No.” She sighed. “And this isn’t about Benson.”
“Right.” Zeke winked. A woman at the other end of the counter called him. He strode off without a word.
Carrie guzzled half the beer and then tossed the rest in the sink. She was emotionally raw right now and she had to drive home later. Benson was driving her crazy. So was this stupid music.
All I want to do is go home.
Instead of giving in to her emotions, Carrie forced herself to wear her big girl undies and worked until it was time for closing. She hadn’t seen Benson since their argument.
Crossing my fingers that I won’t see him until Monday.
Her hopes were shattered a fe
w minutes later when she spotted him shutting off lights in the main hall.
New plan. Just ignore him.
Carrie pretended Benson wasn’t there and walked past him to finish her nightly routine. Her heart pounded like crazy whenever she so much as caught a glimpse of his face, but she shoved it away.
After rushing through her duties, she felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe she could get through the night without talking to Benson after all.
“Thanks, Ricky,” Benson’s voice echoed through the empty room.
Carrie stiffened.
Was he sending the bouncer off? She hoped Benson wasn’t expecting a repeat of what happened last week when they were alone during lockup. He’d had so many chances to board that ship. It had left the port already.
As he strode toward her, Carrie shook her head. “Benson, not right now.”
“I’ll escort you to your car.” He pointed to the exits. “That’s it.”
Carrie huffed and gathered her belongings from the lounge. When she returned, Benson was setting the alarm. Together, they strode out of Hidden Reef and locked the door.
The night was still. Dew hung heavy in the air. A bird cawed from the electric lines, a lonely, dark sound. Carrie fast-walked to her vehicle. The sooner she could leave Benson behind, the better.
She pressed the alarm on her car.
It chirped.
Carrie reached for the door, but Benson got to it first and held it open, forcing her to look up at him. She frowned. “Can’t you take a hint?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“This isn’t a joke.” Carrie dug her fingers around her keys, felt the metal piercing into her palm. “I’m tired.”
“Get in the car, Carrie.”
Her teeth got caught up in her bottom lip; her eyes spit fire. She wanted to slap that smug little face of his. How dare he act like she was exasperating him when he was the one making her insane?
Carrie ducked her head into her car and fell behind the wheel.
Benson bent over and said, “I’m picking you up at three tomorrow.”
“I have an appointment with Jewel at three.”
“How long will you need?”
“I don’t know,” she said stiffly.
“Then I’ll be there at six.” He wiggled a finger at her, his lips flattened to a thin line. “I’m taking you out whether you’re ready or not.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Darlin, it’s a promise.” He shut the door and backed away.
Carrie slammed on the gas. She really couldn’t stand that insufferable, bull-headed jerk.
Funny thing was, no matter how much she cussed Benson out, she knew she’d be ready and waiting at six.
20
“Okay, when did I invite you two?” Carrie gawked at Jo and Sky who stood outside her apartment with expectant faces. “This is an A and B conversation.” She pointed to herself and Jewel. “So ya’ll better C yourselves out.”
“We wanted to talk to you,” Jo said, barreling past her and sailing into the apartment.
Sky followed right on her heels. “Jewel called and asked for a ride to your place. We figured we might as well accompany her. For… safety purposes.”
“Sorry,” Jewel whispered, filing in.
“It’s okay.” Carrie nodded to reassure her and then closed the door. “These heifers are like that.”
“Would you stop with the ‘heifers’? I am not a cow.”
“Alright.” Carrie threw up a hand and then added under her breath, “Heifer.”
Jo’s eyes collapsed into dangerous slits.
Carrie snorted and dropped into the sofa. “Look, I get that you guys want to talk about last night, but unless it’s about makeup, please don’t mention it.”
“So anyway,” Jo took the seat beside her, “where did you and Benson run off to after making out on the dance floor yesterday?”
Jewel let out a scandalized gasp. “You were kissing in public?”
“Major kissing.” Jo stuck her tongue out and swirled it. “They were getting in there.”
“Wow…” Jewel blinked.
“Stop poisoning the minds of our children.” Carrie shaded Jo’s tongue with her hand. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Girl, you were getting it on.” Sky winked. “You and Benson… man, that dancing was hot! I felt like I should be taking notes for me and Joon later.”
“Would you two cut it out?” Carrie gave Jewel a desperate glance.
“It’s okay.” Jewel giggled. “I think that’s cute.”
“So where did you two run off to?” Sky demanded.
“Whatever you did, I hope it was far away from my Chinese folding screen.”
Carrie covered her ears. “Jewel, why did you bring them?”
“What about Dylan?” Jo asked, ignoring her pleas. “You never told us if you’d run into him.”
Carrie sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll tell you everything, okay. But no questions or comments until I say my piece. Deal?”
“Deal!” Sky nodded.
Jo stretched her arm out for a handshake.
Carrie slapped her friend’s palm away and started from the beginning, when she’d tried to seduce Benson by jumping into Stacie’s pool, confronting Dylan after their dance, and the argument in the hallway.
“Yikes.” Jo cringed. “You really know how to self-sabotage, don’t you?”
Sky glared. “Mm-mm, girl. That’s worse than self-sabotage. That’s self-torture. Do you know how many women would kill to find a nice guy? And one that’s as sexy as Benson? That’s like… like finding a unicorn!”
“Then unicorns are pretty common,” Carrie grumbled. “Because you and Jo seemed to have caught them too.”
“True.” Jo bobbed her head.
“Let me make things clear.” Sky pointed at Jo. “That one lucked out and stumbled on a good man as soon as she got back into the dating game.”
“Hey!” Jo frowned.
Sky ignored her. “But I know a little something about kissing frogs. And my frogs were toxic. They poisoned me, sucked the life out of me, while I stood by like an idiot thinking that was love.
“Because you’re so generous. You always see the good in people.”
“I appreciate that, Carrie, but I’m trying to make a point. When a heart shatters, it takes a while to be put back together. Even then, it won’t be the same. It becomes harder, starts protecting itself. It makes sure that the pain never happens again. I get that.”
“So you understand why I can’t just allow Benson to have his way.”
“Of course. You don’t have to give up everything. Test him. Watch the way he reacts when he’s angry, when he’s sad. Check how he treats his mama, his sisters, his female staff. Watch him like a hawk. Take notes. You wouldn’t choose any old heart-surgeon to cut you open and operate if you had a sickness, so why randomly pick some guy to give your heart to?”
“You like him.” Jo took her hand and squeezed it. “Somewhere, deep inside of you, Carrie, you know it’s true. That’s why you’re trying to focus on the physical part of it. Because you’re clinging to something you can control.”
Carrie shook her hand back. “Are you guys all shrinks now?”
“I’m not a shrink.” Jewel raised her hand.
Carrie smirked. “Thanks, honey.”
“Are we getting through to you?” Sky asked.
Carrie lifted a shoulder and stared soberly at her pink-shaded toenails. “What if I take your advice? What if I give Benson a chance and he crushes me? I feel stupid enough for letting things get this far.”
“So do your homework.” Jo tilted her head. “But eventually, you’re going to have to trust him. Love is a risk.”
“A risk you want to take with your eyes open,” Sky added.
Jo nudged her in the side. “Just go for it!”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Tiny steps.” Sky pinched her fingers.
“Now b
ack to last night, how’d you do that thing with your waist…?” Jo wiggled in the chair.
Carrie threw her head back and laughed. These women were the craziest, most genuinely loving people she’d ever met. They drove her insane half the time, but once in a while, they gave good advice.
When everyone had calmed down, Carrie wiped the happy tears from her eyes and jumped to her feet. “You know what? I think I will give Benson a chance.”
“Yeah!” Sky, Jewel and Jo pumped their fists.
“I’m going to tell him the truth. That I’m terrified and I don’t want to get hurt, but I’ll try to trust him.”
“Yeah!”
“I’m also going to forgive Sky for rolling up to my house empty-handed.”
“Yeah…” Sky glanced around at the others. “Seriously? You left me hanging?”
Jewel giggled.
Carrie grinned. The butterflies in the pit of her stomach were fluttering up a storm, a sign of excitement and nerves. The war had been drawn out, merciless and bloody, but it was time to wave her white flag.
Carrie wouldn’t emerge the victor but who knows? Maybe she’d be the true winner in the end.
21
Benson dragged his grey T-shirt over his head and moved over to the bed to pull on his shoes. His phone vibrated on the comforter. He swept it up, surprised to see Stacie’s Belizean number blazing across the screen.
He answered and set the phone on speaker. “Hey, Sis. Aren’t you in Korea?”
“I decided to come back early. I miss my bar. And my crew. And you… of course.”
“Liar. You just miss your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” Stacie’s voice almost shattered the glass in the room. “Anyway, my love life is not the one we need to be discussing. How are things with you and Carrie?”
How should he answer that? Carrie still didn’t trust him with more than her body and he’d pissed her off last night when he complimented her in front of her ex.
“You know, they’re… coming along,” he said.
“Have you asked her out yet?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m about to pick her up for our first date.”
Technically, it wasn’t a date. Carrie had gone out of her way to ban such labels. Benson still thought it counted. He was picking her up. They were hanging out alone. There’d be some flirting. Some touching, if he could help it.