by Lexy Timms
Tim looked at Ben, who raised an eyebrow, daring Tim to explain why he could never threaten a suit again.
“That’s fine,” Tim muttered.
“As your attorney, I must advise you against signing that document.”
Tim shook his head. “I’m not an idiot, Glen. I can decide for my damn self.”
“If you sign that document, I can no longer represent you. This is asinine!”
“You’re fired then, Glen!” Tim shouted, his frustration reaching new levels.
Ben and Meredith exchanged a look. Tim was becoming unraveled. The spittle in the corners of his mouth and that telltale vein throbbing in his neck was testament to the man losing his temper. That was exactly what they needed to have happen. It would give them one more piece of ammunition against Tim and make sure he would never come back at them. Ben smiled as he watched Tim look from one attorney to the other.
“I agree with Glen,” the other attorney said, quickly siding with the older man.
“I don’t need either one of you. I can do this on my own. Get out! This is a private matter and you are no longer welcome!” Tim snarled.
The attorneys exchanged a look before picking up their briefcases and walking out of the conference room.
“Uh-oh, looks like you don’t have representation, should we wait for you to hire new counsel?” Ben asked in a smartass tone.
“Shut up. This is blackmail. You have no right to do this. You attacked me! You deserve to pay for what you did,” he snapped, reaching for the file.
“If that’s the case, I believe you should pay for your crimes as well. I’d be willing to pay your settlement if you’d be willing to admit you are a wife-beating piece of shit,” Ben said, very serious about paying the man to confess.
Tim stopped, looking at Ben and he could see the rage burning behind the man’s eyes. “You’re a creep. She deserves someone like you. Blackmailing me doesn’t make you a better person. She’s looking for a wealthy man to take care of her. You’re stupid if you actually think she wants you for anything other than your money,” he sneered.
“The way I understand it, she’s going to have plenty of her own money once she’s through with you. She won’t need my money,” Ben said dryly, watching Tim’s hand shake with unshed fury.
Tim glared at him. “You’ve got my sloppy seconds.”
“There is nothing sloppy about Katherine. She was clearly too good for you,” Ben said, not letting his anger be tickled by the man working hard to get a reaction out of him.
“Sign the document Mr. Marshall and let’s put all this nasty business behind us,” Meredith said coolly.
Tim picked up the pen and scratched his name across the bottom. Ben sighed in relief, knowing it was over.
“The divorce is done. You won’t call her. You won’t show up here and you’ll do nothing to hurt her ever again,” Ben snarled, making damn sure the other man knew he wasn’t backing down.
“Be careful who you’re threatening,” Tim said, narrowing his gaze at Ben.
Ben smiled. “Oh, be careful, I think that could be construed as a threat of violence, don’t you think, Meredith?”
Meredith was nodding her head. “I do. Mr. Marshall, I’m not your counsel, but I would like to caution you about making threats of any kind. As I understand it, your entire future rests on you walking out of this office and never contacting either of my clients again. I’d hate to hear that something horrible happened to you. Prison is not kind to men like you.”
Tim looked like he would blow a gasket. Another woman had just stripped away the last bit of power he was holding onto. It was fitting to see him get taken down by two strong women who would not bend to the fear he wielded like a giant sword.
“Whatever. This meeting is over. You’ve got what you want,” Tim snapped, standing up, knocking the chair over with his angry outburst.
“I hope we never meet again, Mr. Marshall. I’ll file the divorce paperwork and you can send the settlement check to my office. The sooner it’s sent, the sooner we can put all this nasty business behind us,” Meredith said, not the least bit impressed by the violent stares Tim was throwing in her direction.
He stalked towards the door. Ben could see Katherine waiting on the other side and was immediately afraid for her safety. Tim was a man on the edge. He was pissed and would be looking for someone to lash out at. Ben jumped out of his own chair and rushed to get behind Tim, not trusting the man at all.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Katherine
TIM WAS WALKING STRAIGHT for her, a murderous look in his eyes. If she was smart, she would run. She didn’t run. Instead, she threw her shoulders back and defiantly stared back at him. She wasn’t going to back down, not when she had made so much progress to shut him down. Ben was beside her in a flash, his arm around her shoulders, facing off against Tim right alongside her.
Meredith and a few of the other attorneys were standing nearby. The tension in the room was palpable. Tim’s anger was practically radiating off of him as they faced off in the hall. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized she might get hurt. Tim might get a punch in before Ben could stop him. She had accepted the risk and was willing to take a hit if it meant there would be witnesses that could finally back up her story. Tim would be held accountable for his actions—finally.
“If you ever call me, call my job, show up at my place or show your face in my presence ever again, I will destroy you,” she said the words again, loving how they felt crossing her tongue.
He scoffed. “You act as if I want you back. I don’t want you near me. You can stop with the drama.”
“It isn’t drama. Only facts.”
His lip curled. “You don’t own the state of California. You don’t control me.”
She shook her head. “You’re right and you don’t own me. You have zero control over me. You are not my husband.”
He made a face. “Technically, I am your husband.”
Ben made a move forward. “Go away, Tim. Seriously, go away. There’s nothing more for us to say.”
“You think you got the upper hand here. Are you so sure those documents are real?” he asked, trying to take control of the situation.
She looked up at Ben and grinned. “I would say they’re real. They came from your filing cabinet and you just did everything I asked because they are,” she said, unable to hold back her laugh.
That pissed him off. She got a little thrill knowing she could still get to him. Tim pressed closer to her, glowering down using his oldest intimidation tricks. She glared back at him. Ben’s arm was wrapped tight around her. He took a small step forward, clearly putting his body between her and Tim.
“I don’t know how you got those papers, but when I find out, I will press charges.”
“No, you won’t. For one thing, you won’t find anything. For two, if you do press charges, well, I think you know what will happen. You are catching on by now I hope,” she said, shrugging her shoulder.
Tim stepped back. “You think you’re hot shit because you got a little dirt on me. I’m not the only one who suffers if you follow through with your threat. How do you think a judge is going to respond to your threatening to reveal he took a bribe? Your little plan is going to blow up in your face if you’re not careful.”
“You look at her again, you threaten her again, and it isn’t jail or prison you’re going to have to worry about,” Ben said, stepping forward, standing between Tim and Katherine.
“Call off your bulldog,” Tim said.
“There is nothing more for you here. Leave,” Ben growled.
Katherine waited. She was actually hoping he would swing at Ben. She wanted Tim to do something. If he did, she would have no qualms about following through with her threat. She wanted a reason to bury the man.
“I’m leaving. I don’t plan on coming back. The last thing I want is to see her face again. She’s all yours man. She’s your problem now,” Tim snarled, his look of pure disgust twist
ing his face.
“Good, but let’s be honest. She’s been mine. And by the way, I don’t need your blessing,” Ben said, his voice feral.
Tim turned and walked away. No one said a word or moved until he stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut.
“Well, that didn’t go quite like I was hoping,” Meredith quipped.
Katherine sighed. “I thought it went great. We got what we wanted, right?”
Meredith sighed. “Well, I was hoping Ben would take another swing at him. I already had the defense planned out. Nothing exciting ever happens around here,” she muttered and walked away.
Ben and Katherine burst into laughter. “She’s bloodthirsty,” Katherine said.
“I had no idea. Are you ready to get out of here?” he asked.
She nodded. “More than ready. Maybe we should wait a few minutes. I don’t want to run into Tim outside.”
“You were great,” he said, turning to wrap her in his arms.
She took a deep breath. “I can’t believe it’s over.”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s over, but I think he got the message,” he assured her.
“What about what he said about that judge? Should I be worried you think?”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t know. If Tim admits he was dumb enough to keep evidence of the bribes, I can’t imagine the judge would be all that pleased with him.”
“I just want it to all go away,” she groaned.
“We’re working on it,” he assured her, “and you’ve made a big step today.”
“Let’s go. I’m starving and I feel like celebrating,” she said, leaning up on her toes to kiss him.
He grinned. “Let’s go somewhere nice, incredibly overpriced and pretentious.”
“I could go for that.”
They walked towards the elevator, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned on his shoulder, happy to have him next to her. Tim used to have so much power over her. On any other day, she would have cowered and given into his intimidation. But the documents proving his illegal activities were only part of her newfound strength. It was the knowledge that Ben would be in her corner no matter what that made the difference. He had proven he was in it for the long haul.
Ben’s limo was waiting for them when they walked outside. Katherine couldn’t stop herself from looking around, looking for Tim’s large figure.
“It’s okay,” Ben assured her.
“It’s going to take me a while to get used to the idea of not looking over my shoulder,” she said.
“I know. One day when you least expect it, you’ll realize you don’t do it anymore,” he assured her, opening the limo door and gesturing for her to get in.
Once he was inside and the limo started moving through the downtown city streets, she noticed they were headed toward his house.
“I thought we were going out?” she asked.
“We are,” he said, nodding his head.
“Are we going tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Ben, where are we going?” she asked a more direct question.
“To my place,” he said nonchalantly.
She didn’t bother asking more questions. She had a feeling he would just keep avoiding the obvious question. She leaned back in the seat and watched the scenery, replaying the events of the day. Tim’s face when he saw the papers had been priceless. She found herself smiling as the limo pulled through the gates. When the back door opened, she climbed out, taking Ben’s hand.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.
He was smiling. “I planned a little surprise for you.”
“This sounds intriguing.”
“Come upstairs,” he said, taking her hand and leading her up.
When he pushed open the bedroom door, she immediately noticed the large dress box. She looked at him, an eyebrow raised.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“My surprise for you. I anticipated today going very well and wanted to celebrate. We can’t go to a swanky, prestigious restaurant and not dress up.”
She walked to the bed and lifted the lid off the box. Inside, there was a gorgeous royal blue dress. Her hand lovingly caressed the sequined bodice.
“This is beautiful,” she told him.
“The saleswoman recommended the shoes as well,” he pointed to the box next to the dress box.
“Ben, this is amazing. Tonight?” she asked.
“If you’d like, or we can stay in,” he suggested.
“I would love to dress up and go out for a nice dinner,” she said, not wanting to miss the opportunity to dress up and look nice for the most amazing man in the world.
“I was hoping you would say that. I can’t wait to see you in that dress.”
She lifted it out of the box and carried it into the bathroom. As she dressed, she couldn’t stop smiling. The dress fit perfectly. It was slim-fitting, falling just above her knee. It was elegant and sexy at the same time. As stepped into the heels, she turned to look in the mirror. She hadn’t worn any jewelry that morning and was a little bummed she didn’t have any accessories for the dress. It was okay, she told herself. She’d leave her hair down.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Ben wasn’t in the room. She headed out, not finding him and headed downstairs.
“Ben?” she called out.
“In here,” he said.
She followed his voice and found him in the den. He had changed as well and was now wearing a dark black suit with a tie that matched her dress color. She paused for a moment to admire him. He was handsome as hell.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked.
“Getting this,” he said, pulling out a velvet box.
“Ben,” she gasped, knowing exactly what it was, well, not the specifics, but she’d been given jewelry before.
He opened the box and presented her with the diamond necklace and matching earrings. Her hand went to her mouth as she stared at the stunning jewelry.
“This is my gift to you, for being such an amazing, strong woman,” he said.
She shook her head. “You are too good to be true. I feel like I should pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“I’m very real, sweetheart. Can I put the necklace on you?”
She nodded, blinking back tears as she turned around, lifting her hair so he could clasp the necklace. Once on, she took the earrings out and put them in. She felt beautiful, like a real princess. She was living out a fairytale.
“They’re amazing,” she said, still in awe.
“Come on, there’s a mirror in the hall,” he said, taking her hand.
She followed him, pausing to look in the mirror. The earrings were too pretty to be hidden under her hair.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, walking into one of the guest bathrooms. It only took her a minute to quickly twist her hair into an updo, showing off her necklace and earrings.
When she walked into the hall where he was leaning against the wall waiting, he smiled. “Damn, you are stunning.”
“Oh, this old thing,” she cooed.
He laughed and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her before they walked back out to the waiting limo. They snuggled and kissed as the limo moved along the busy streets. She didn’t care if they missed dinner altogether. She was perfectly content to hole up with her man, even if they were dressed to the nines.
Ben used his clout to get a table at one of the best restaurants in town. They laughed and ate, enjoying a bottle of wine as they celebrated their successful day.
“Stay over?” Ben asked, as they walked back to the limo.
“I would like that,” she replied.
“Good, because I don’t want this night to end,” he whispered, kissing her gently.
Katherine closed her eyes, chalking the night up to another memory she never wanted to forget. This was how her life was going to be. She could certainly get used to living a life with Ben as the main star.
Ben
THEY WERE FINALLY GETTING to double date with Will and Rachel. His friends were supposed to be going to some charity event, but Will had bailed at the last minute, more interested in a night out as a foursome than sitting in some stuffy ballroom wearing a tux. Since they’d had so much fun at the bar the last time they all went out, they had all voted to go back again.
Rachel and Katherine returned from their bathroom visit and sat down at the table. Ben loved that they were becoming friends. They were very different in many ways, but they were part of his circle. They helped balance him, each of his close-knit group of friends bringing a little something different to the table.
“Ahhh!” Katherine screamed, throwing her hands into the air when the first few twangs on the guitar filled the bar.
“What’s wrong?” Ben asked, looking around the crowded room.
“I love this song!” she screamed, acting like a teenager at a rock concert, swaying her arms back and forth, her loose hair hanging down her back as she lost herself in the music.
It took him a few seconds to realize it was Sweet Home Alabama. The crowd sang along, some danced while others just kicked back and enjoyed the music. Katherine was doing a combination of all three. He loved watching her wild abandon as she stood up, shouting the chorus with many of the other bar patrons. When the song was over, she collapsed back in her seat.
“I really love this place,” Katherine said, shouting to be heard over the music as the band rolled right into another classic.
Rachel nodded her head. “Me too. We have to agree to come here at least once a month. We’ll make it our thing.”
They all toasted to the suggestion, agreeing to set aside at least one night a month to hang out together.
“Let’s dance,” Will said, grabbing Rachel’s hand and leading her out onto the dance floor.
Katherine was grinning as she nudged Ben’s shoulder with her own. “Look what you did!”
“What do you mean?”
She pointed to Will and Rachel who were locked in a steamy kiss on the dance floor. “Look at them! They are so happy and so in love.”