I clutch my chest. “Fuck, you scared me.” Ben helps me up and places a quick kiss to my lips.
“I’m sorry. I saw you through the glass and was wondering what you were doing sitting out here.”
“Oh, Brynn called while I was walking up the stairs, and I guess I just got distracted for a moment.” He leans in for a second kiss; when I turn, my nose brushes against his skin, and he jumps back.
“Holy shit, your nose is cold. What do you say we get you inside and warm? Dinner is almost ready.”
“So, where’s Asher tonight?” I take a seat at the island stool, and Ben pulls our dinner out of the oven.
“I don’t know. Out with friends, supposedly. He was gone before I got home from work.”
“Have you met any of his friends?”
Ben eyes me curiously as he plates the enchiladas. “Come to think of it, no I haven’t. They don’t spend time here. Mainly out other places.”
An o forms on my lips.
“Why so curious?”
“No reason.” I shrug nonchalantly, hoping that he buys it. “He just never seems to be around.”
“Yeah.” He leans over on the counter. “Sometimes I wish that he had the same drive as you for being so young—that he could focus on preparing himself for the future and not focus on where he’s going to party next or who will spread their legs for him.”
Ben and I both wince. That was definitely more information then I needed, but I see a change in Ben’s stance and behavior as he continues.
“I don’t know. I know that being raised by your brother and not your parents would have its ramifications, I just hope that I wasn’t too hard on him or not hard enough on him. There wasn’t a fucking manual handed when I became his guardian.”
I’m off my chair so fast, I wonder how it didn’t fall. I spin Ben in my arms and for once cage him in. Of course, our sizes are so different that it’s not the same effect as when he does this. “Hey, you did a great job given the hand you were dealt. No one asks for that. You did the best you could. Maybe one day, Asher will realize it, too.”
“How did I get such a brilliant girlfriend?” He makes a quick move of swapping our positions.
“You’re just lucky, I guess,” I respond with the cheesiest smile on my face.
I’m walking back to my office when I spot Asher walking toward the elevator. He must have stopped by to talk to Ben. Had Brynn and Cal actually seen him with Dominic? Maybe they just saw him with someone who looks just like him. By the time I get to the elevators, the door has already closed. Fuck. I decide to take the stairs, nearly tripping on my way down. I follow them down to the underground parking garage. When I reach the door, I yank it open, partially out of breath. I see Asher is walking towards his Audi.
“Asher,” I shout. Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Well, if it isn’t my brother’s little woman.” He leans against the car, crossing his ankles and arms. “What can I do for you?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes, my dick is bigger than my brother’s.”
I wince at his comment and fight back the vomit. I hold up my hand. “Please stop. I’m serious.”
He exhales. “Fine, what do you want to know?”
“Are you hanging out with Dominic Jennings?”
He straightens up, and his features tense. “Are you or my brother spying on me?”
“No.” Shit, this is coming out wrong. “Two of my friends were having lunch at Esta Noche, and they thought they saw you with Dominic.”
He cocks his head to the side. “Wait a minute. How would your friends know who Dominic Jennings is?”
Quick, Lex, think on your feet—don’t spill your backstory to Asher before telling your actual boyfriend. “Well, his father used to own this company. He has his face in the Times often, and he is a highly acclaimed attorney. Now, are you going to tell me what you were doing with him or not? He’s not good people.”
He studies me, and I pray he doesn’t ask more. Instead, he presses off his car, stepping into my space. “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing that my life is my business and not yours, little girl. Now run off to my brother and do whatever it is he asks of you.” What is wrong with him? The Asher that Ben has talked about was obviously more concerned with partying, but he never mentioned how cruel he was with his words. What a dick!
A bad taste fills my mouth as I watch him pull out of the garage. I’m not sure what kind of business Asher was doing with Dom, but it leaves me feeling uneasy. The worst part is if I confront Ben about my concerns, I’m worried that he will be wondering how I know so well how horrible a person Dominic truly is.
I exit the garage once his car is out of sight and head back upstairs to the office. This time, however, I take the elevator. Once safely in my office, I rest my head in my hands.
There is a soft knock on my door, and I look up for my eyes to connect with Ben’s. The corners of his lips tip upward, and the tension in my shoulders eases as he makes his way into my office.
“Catch you at a bad time?”
I sit back in my chair. “No, not at all, I was just getting a headache. It’s been a long day.”
Ben scrunches his eyebrows together as if he’s trying to decipher if I am telling the truth, but in all honesty, it is the truth. He comes behind me to massage my shoulders. I close my eyes and savor in the feel of his touch. When a soft moan escapes my lips, I remember where we are. Shit. I slip out of his grasp, and when I do, he realizes as well.
Ben clears his throat. “I’m sorry.” While we try to sneak touches and kisses in private, my office door is open, and someone could walk past or walk in at any time, so we need to make it look as though we are just a boss and employee discussing work, nothing more.
“I wasn’t thinking. Whenever I’m around you, I just want—no, need to touch you. But that was reckless; anyone could have come in. How about this, Lex. Why don’t you head home and relax? You’ve been kicking ass lately.”
“What? Go home? Ben, it’s only 2:45. I still have a few more hours left of the workday. Plus, I still need to—”
Ben cuts me off. “Exactly. As your boss, I am sending you home to relax and rest. I know you still have work to do, but if you overwork yourself, then not only am I without an events director, I have a burned-out girlfriend, and we just can’t have that. Then when I finish up here…” He leans over me so that it would look as if he is reading something on my computer, and his voice dips. “I plan to bring over a bottle of wine, cook you dinner, and help you relax even more.”
The tone of his voice makes me already begin to drip into my panties. I squirm in my seat, adjusting my dress, and Ben chuckles behind me.
I spin in my chair to face him. “Ben, I can’t just leave.”
He looks toward the door before placing his hands on the arms of my chair and leaning down close enough to where I can smell the mintiness of his breath.
“You can, and you will. Don’t argue with me, Lex. I’ll see you later.” With a quick kiss on my lips that ends just as quickly as it started, he makes his way out of my office. Ten minutes later, when I still haven’t left, my cell vibrates with a text.
Ben: I said to go. Now, get your sexy ass home. I’ll see you later.
I groan, knowing he won’t give up, so I might as well just go with it. An afternoon off sounds nice. I turn my computer off and grab my purse before making my way out of the office. While waiting for the elevator, I text Hadley.
Me: Hey, I happen to have a free afternoon now. Are you free for a pedicure?
Hadley: Oh, hell yes. Guess dating the boss has its perks, huh? *Wink face*
Me: Shut up, or I’ll text Brynn, and you can sit home and pout.
Hadley: Okay, okay. I’m just finishing up my last color of the day. My last appt canceled, so I’m done after this. Wanna meet there?
Me: No, I’ll meet you at home. I want to change out of these clothes first.
Hadley:
Sounds good. See you soon.
“I need to run to the office to take care of a few things. Stay, sleep—I’ll be back in a bit.” Ben presses his lips against mine, not even caring about my morning breath.
His finger drags the silk sheet down, exposing my naked body. “And don’t worry about getting dressed either. One last thing I need to take off before I slide my cock back inside you.”
He presses a quick kiss to my forehead and heads out of the bedroom, closing the door gently behind him. I stretch my arms overhead and roll over to his side of the bed. I pull his pillow to my chest, inhaling his clean soap scent.
Might as well listen to the boss man. I close my eyes and allow myself to succumb to the feeling of contentment. I’m finally putting the pieces of my life back together.
I’m not sure how long I sleep for when I quickly jolt awake with the slamming of the bedroom door against the wall. I shoot up, and the sheet falls, exposing the top of my bare breasts. I am met with eyes I used to get lost in and are now filled with so much hatred.
Dominic Jennings.
“What are you doing here?” I shout, clutching to the sheet to my chest, but the damage is already done. The smirk on his face tells me that he saw my naked body. I try to cover as much as possible with the sheet, but I feel vulnerable.
“Why am I not surprised to find you in your boyfriend’s bed while he is nowhere in sight. You don’t think I didn’t check, did you?” Dominic slowly walks in and drags his hand along the top of the dresser. It lands on the framed photo from the boudoir shoot, where I was wearing Ben’s dress shirt, which is open, exposing my breasts but the nipples still covered. It’s my favorite shot from the entire session. Ben called it beauty in art, but the way Dominic is staring at it, licking his lips, makes me feel so dirty—almost as if it were porn.
“Shame you never did anything like that for me. Maybe I wouldn’t have gone elsewhere had you done that.” He huffs, setting the frame back where it was before he takes a seat in the chair in the corner of the room. The same chair I rode Ben on last night. If this situation weren’t already awkward as fuck, I would almost laugh that he is sitting in Ben’s and my dried combined arousal. I know he is not blaming me for his indiscretions. That is one hundred percent on him. There was a time when we first broke up that made me blame myself, but I quickly realized I was never in the wrong.
I feel uncomfortable the way he’s staring at me. What is he even doing here?
“So it’s true. You’re friends with Asher?”
He shrugs, crossing his right leg over the left, reclining back as if this were his own house. I look over to the nightstand, where I typically keep my phone, only to find it gone. Shit, that’s right, I left it charging in the kitchen.
“‘Friends’ is such a loose term. How about we call him a pawn in my plan.”
“What does that mean? And what the hell are you even doing here?” I don’t bother holding back the anger in my voice.
“So many questions, Lexi. You always were one for details. Too bad you couldn’t spot the details of my extracurricular actives, if you know what I mean.”
“I think you should leave.” I hold the sheet tighter to my chest as I try to hurry off the bed without showing any more skin.
“Oh, sweetheart, I think it should be you leaving. I was invited. Asher told me to meet him here before we go to a party being thrown in Manhattan. He gave me the code to the house and everything. It’s a shame that the boy is so gullible. To think I would give two shits about him.” There is only one person Dominic cares about—himself.
“Ben will be back any minute, and he’ll kick you out.”
“Will he, though?” He tilts his head to the side, running his hand over his jaw in thought. “Yeah, I don’t know that he will when he learns of your previous indiscretions.”
“What,” I gasp.
“How you had your eyes set on the boss’s son on the first day of the job only to work your way up the food chain. Once you had the role you wanted, I was tossed to the side.”
“That’s not true, and you know it. You pursued me, you fucking asshole!”
“Ben will see you as nothing but a pathetic gold digger who he fucked in the bathroom of a nightclub. Someone willing to do anything or shall I say anyone to advance her career.”
I shake my head. Ben would never believe that. “Wait, how do you know how Ben and I met?”
“It was rather easy, really. Asher is quite the talker after a few drinks—I just had to ask the right questions.” He adjusts in his seat. “See, I had it all planned out. I was angry when my father told me that he was selling the company instead of passing it down to me, so I sat back quietly while it took place and did my research on the new owner. I found out that he had a younger brother, who had quite the reputation for partying. I figured I could befriend Asher, get Asher in a compromising position, maybe a sex tape or something. Ben is very protective of his brother, so he would do anything he could to stop it, which is where I could convince him to sell the company over to me.”
Sell the company over? He’s a lawyer—what the hell does he want with a media company?
He claps his hands together. “But then I hit the motherfucking jackpot. Asher invited a few female companions and me over the weekend his brother happened to be away with his new girlfriend, and I saw the photo on the fridge from New Year’s Eve, and it was almost too easy. Getting the company no longer interested me. Why go after Ben, when I could go after you?
“Me? What did I ever do to you? You were the one who cheated on me! You. Cheated. On. Me.” Did he forget that rather important detail of our lives?
“Tsk, tsk, Alexis Nicole Baker.” I hate his vile use of my full name. “And here I thought you were smarter than that.”
“It’s your own fault your father didn’t leave you the company. He wanted out—he wanted to live his life in retirement. You chose law, not marketing.”
“Don’t you fucking get it? You ruined my life,” Dominic shouts as he rises to his feet. “My father had every intention of giving me that company when he retired. It’s been the plan since he started it. It should have been my goddamn company, but my father said my actions with you cost me everything. That I was an embarrassment to the family and he refused to leave me in charge of his legacy.
“He chose you instead of his own son.” How did I ever love this vile man? The thought makes me want to vomit all over the sheets.
After taking a deep breath, he runs his hands over his clothing as if straightening them out would cause his anger to cease. “So now, my sweet Lex, I get to take something that you want so badly away.”
“Say what you want. Ben won’t believe a single word out of your mouth. He knows what we have is real. I love him.” My hand flies to cover my mouth. Do I love him? Did I really just admit it aloud for the first time to Dominic of all people?
“Shut up.” I jump back as his stern voices fill the bedroom. Is he annoyed because he knows that Ben won’t believe him or that I’ve moved on? “So here’s what you’re going to do—you’re gonna break it off with your boyfriend, breaking his heart.” A smug look on his face tells me he is enjoying this way too much. What happened to the Dominic Jennings I once fell in love with—the nice guy. Was he ever that guy?
“And if I don’t?”
A devious smile takes over both corners of his mouth, reminding me of a villain from a superhero movie. Dominic steps up to me so close that I can smell the coffee on his hot breath as he leans down to whisper in my ear, dragging his finger along my collarbone. “Well, I’m going to ruin you, him, and the legacy my father built.”
When I pull into the driveway and see Lexi’s car is still here, I can’t hold back my smile. Will I find her lounging in bed still naked? Or possibly on the couch watching one of those silly shows she watches. Somehow, I have let her convince me watch more Gossip Girl; I find it rather entertaining how spoiled those kids are. And how the hell do they spend all their time drinking underage
in a bar? Sometimes I feel like I’m looking into the life that Asher must believe he lives in. Plus, it is a little entertaining that I think Cal looks just like one of the characters.
I pull past her vehicle and into the garage. I hated leaving her this morning, but I needed to get a few things done before I sprung my idea of a few days away to Lexi. Something has been bothering her lately; I can sense it. She hasn’t opened up about it, but I’m also not pushing her to talk. She has a lot on her shoulders at the moment, with the party quickly approaching, so it could very well just be the stress of that. This is a pretty big deal, and if there are a few things I’ve learned about Lexi over the past few months, instead of delegating the work, she likes to do it herself.
I grab my bag when I exit the car and make my way up the stairs to the kitchen. I find Lexi sitting at the island with her head down, staring into the wineglass she’s swirling. When I drop my bag to the floor, she jumps and turns in my direction.
I had hoped that her face would have lit up when she saw me, but there’s something written all over her face. I can tell that something isn’t right, something different. I know how to make this better. Nothing a few days away back at the vineyard we went on our first date can’t fix.
“Oh, Ben, it’s just you.” I narrow my eyes at her. Who else would it be? Was she expecting someone else?
I close the distance between us, and she spins around on the stool. I reach for her and pull her to me, pressing my lips against hers. Her body tenses and she hesitates for a split second before kissing me back. After a few minutes, I pull back and stare into her eyes. They are glazed over as if she’s been crying. I cup her cheek, rubbing my thumb along her cheekbone, and she leans into my touch. I go to ask her what is wrong, but she cuts me off by crashing her lips to mine again, kissing me passionately. Her moans fill the kitchen when I suck on her bottom lip, bringing it between my teeth and licking the sting away. She grips my shirt in her fist, keeping me to her. Kissing now, talk later. I’ll ask her to open up to me over dinner and tell her of my plans. I hate feeling like there are secrets she is keeping from me. No matter what’s bothering her, I am always here for her.
Ruined Promises Page 14