by Lexy Timms
“Maybe,” she cooed.
“It’s okay. I think about your body all the time, not to mention all the wicked things I want to do to it.”
His words sent heat through her body. She loved the way he talked. It made her feel sexy and desirable, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. He continued driving, parking in front of the bar he had told her about.
As usual, he ran around to open the door for her and helped her out. She was feeling much more confident in her heels by now, and walked into the bar like she’d done it a million times before. Ben had his hand on the small of her back and steered her towards a table against one of the walls. They sat down and were quickly waited on. She stuck with a glass of wine while he opted for a Coke.
“I’m driving,” he said, when she gave him a funny look.
“Wow, mature and responsible. You’re the total package.”
He chuckled. “I like to think so.”
A few minutes later Rachel and Will showed up. Katherine was a little embarrassed and hoped neither of them held the whole Tim thing against her.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Rachel said, giving her a hug.
Katherine shook Will’s hand. A hug from a woman was one thing, but she hadn’t quite worked herself up to a hug from a relatively strange man.
“This isn’t your usual haunt,” Will commented to Ben.
Ben shrugged a shoulder. “I like to change things up. I figured we could all use a low-key night wearing jeans and doing a little dancing.”
Will nodded his head. “I don’t mind a bit.”
“Me either,” Rachel said, her eyes lighting up as a live band took the stage.
“They’re a cover band that does it all,” Ben said.
“You’ve been here before?” Katherine asked, trying to align the man she knew with the old-school rock bar.
There were pictures of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane hanging on all the walls. She was excited to hear the live band. She hadn’t been in a bar since she’d met Tim. He would never lower his standards to eat from a bowl of shared peanuts or drink a glass of beer, let alone the actual bottle.
“I think I’m going to get a beer,” she announced.
Everyone at the table looked at her. Ben was grinning. “Good for you. Do you have a preference?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. I’ve had Corona before. It’s okay.”
Ben picked up the menu from the table and quickly scanned it. “For a novice, I think you’d want to stick with a lighter beer.”
Rachel nodded her head. “I like some beers and I do love Corona. It always makes me feel like I should be on a sandy beach somewhere.”
“Then that’s what I’ll have,” Katherine declared, feeling daring with her drink choice.
The waitress returned and took drink orders, promising to return for their food order soon.
“Have you actually eaten here?” Rachel asked her boss.
Ben nodded. “I have. Greasy food galore. They’ve got burgers, too. Not a bunch of fancy stuff but a good, old-fashioned burger.”
“I’ll have that,” Katherine said, trusting Ben’s judgement.
“Me too,” Rachel agreed.
“Burgers all around,” Will stated.
Ben nodded and when the waitress returned, he ordered for the table, adding a variety of appetizers as well.
“Hey, if you’re going to be in the bar, you have to have the total experience. We are kicking back and forgetting about our real lives,” he said, holding up his glass of Coke for a toast.
They all clinked their bottles of beer against his glass. Katherine had never felt so at ease. Well, she had, but she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so carefree and young. When the band started to play an old Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Katherine couldn’t help moving her shoulders and tapping her foot.
“You want to dance?” Ben asked her.
She looked at the dance floor and saw a few people out there. Her initial response was no way in hell, but that was the old Katherine.
“Sure!” she agreed, giggling at her newfound bravado.
Ben took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. She wouldn’t call herself an excellent dancer, but she could move her body in time to the music. Ben had his hands on her waist as she spun around, backing against him and dropping low. She had no idea what she was really doing, but it wasn’t hard to imitate what she’d seen on TV.
When the song ended, he leaned close to her. “Damn woman, I want you to do that in the bedroom,” he hissed.
She giggled as he took her hand and led her back to the table where the burgers had just been delivered.
“You’ve got moves,” Rachel said with a smile.
Katherine swiped away the hair clinging to her red lipstick. “Thanks. I’ve never actually danced like that before.”
“No way! I would have never guessed. You’re good. Really good,” she complimented.
Katherine couldn’t stop smiling. They all dug into their burgers, thanking Ben for bringing them to such an excellent place for dinner.
“The best places are the ones no one talks about,” Ben declared, sounding a bit like a wise owl.
Katherine couldn’t help herself and leaned over to wipe the mayo from the corner of his mouth. They were having such a good time she never wanted it to end. Once they finished their meals and she had finished a second bottle of beer, Ben took her back to the dancefloor. All four of them danced, changing partners and having a great time.
Ben was quite the dancer himself. He was remarkably coordinated, and the hip action made her dizzy. Her mind had been firmly in the gutter after the first slow dance when they got to hold each other close and sway back and forth with the loud music drowning everything else out.
“I’m having a blast,” she whispered close to his ear.
“Good. You deserve to let your hair down and shake that fine ass now and again,” he murmured, his hand roaming over her butt and giving a gentle squeeze before moving back to a respectable hip hold.
“I can’t believe you come here enough to know the menu though. This really doesn’t strike me as your scene,” she told him.
He shrugged. “I don’t like to limit myself. To be perfectly honest, the scene I’m supposed to be in can be very boring and stuffy. I hate the judgmental stares and the talk about money all the time.”
She nodded her head. “Trust me, I understand completely.”
“I’m sure you do,” he said, earning a look from her, questioning what the comment meant.
She didn’t get time to think much about it before he took her back out for an energetic round of dancing that the entire bar got in on. Everyone was jumping and waving their hands in the air as the band played for the crowd.
When it was after midnight, they all decided it was probably time to go. Katherine felt like a butterfly. She had spread her wings and it was the most exciting, fulfilling night of her life thus far, she decided.
“You good?” Ben asked her as they walked back to his SUV.
“I’m great.”
Rachel and Will were walking behind them, snuggling and whispering to each other.
“I think you made that love connection you were talking about,” Katherine told him.
He nodded his head. “I knew they would hit it off. I had to wait until the time was right.”
He opened the passenger door for her while Will and Rachel climbed into the back. Ben was the designated driver for the night, even though Will tried to cajole him into drinking and taking a taxi home. Ben was not going to leave his expensive SUV in the parking lot and opted to stay sober.
Katherine leaned her head back against the seat, feeling invigorated and alive. Ben leaned over and kissed her once before buckling his seatbelt.
She didn’t want the night to end and at the moment, wanted to go out dancing every night. She felt like a twenty-one-year old girl again and it was all because of Ben. She couldn’t thank him enough.
Ben
HE COULDN’T STOP LOOKING at Katherine in the glow from the streetlights as he drove the nearly deserted city streets. Everyone was chatting and talking about the band and how good the food was. He knew his passengers were all buzzing from the alcohol. Thankfully, no one got too carried away and there weren’t any silly drunken antics.
“I think he’s been holding out on me for too long,” Will quipped from the backseat.
“I’ve invited you out before. You’ve always got this ball or that gala to attend. I told you, you were missing out,” he joked.
“I for one will always believe you,” Katherine said firmly. “The next time you say you know a little place, I’m in. Always assume I’m in.”
“Good. I hope that’s always the case,” Ben said, meaning it about a lot more than where to find a good burger. He wanted her to trust him in every way.
“Where’d you learn to dance?” Rachel asked.
Katherine laughed. “TV, really. I like watching some of the reality dance shows, and—I’m going to admit something truly embarrassing.”
Everyone waited. Will’s mind was spinning, wondering what her embarrassing little secret could be. “What?” he asked.
“I love some of the FreeForm and other cheesy teen shows.”
Rachel burst into laughter. “Me too!” she squealed.
Ben looked at both of them as if they were absolutely nuts. “Teen shows?” he said with disgust.
Katherine shrugged her shoulder. “It’s mindless nonsense and so far from reality, it’s a good escape. I love all their problems. I guess I like to watch and be glad it isn’t me dealing with some of their crazy antics.”
Rachel was nodding. “Exactly. That’s where you learned to dance?”
Katherine giggled. “Yes, basically. I mean, I don’t do some of those trendy dances, but I think your body moves to the music if you let it. You have to let yourself go, let the music wash over and your body just kind of goes with it.”
Ben loved how passionate she sounded. “Did you dance before? Like a trained dancer?”
“When I was young, I did take some dance lessons, but that was a really long time ago and it was more ballet and jazz. I’ve always loved to dance. It’s strange though, I haven’t danced in a really long time,” she said wistfully.
Nobody said anything. They all knew why she hadn’t danced. It was another part of her life that Tim had controlled. Ben couldn’t imagine stopping her from doing something she so obviously loved and was very good at. Tim was an idiot. Ben could have sat back and watched her move to the music for hours. He smirked thinking about his gain and that asshole’s loss.
He headed out towards the bay area where Will lived. It was part of his plan. He knew it was risky, but he had to try. His eyes drifted up to the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of Will and Rachel exchanging a heated look. The sparks were practically flying between them.
“I think we’re all going to have to do this again sometime,” he commented, waiting to see what kind of response he would get.
Everyone gave an enthusiastic yes. He hoped it was a real yes and not one of those things a person said to avoid looking like a jerk, even though they had no intention of ever going along with whatever was being proposed.
He looked at Rachel, who met his eyes. He arched a brow. She grinned in response. Things were definitely going well between her and Will. He winked, earning a scowl from Rachel who broke eye contact and stared out the window.
“I liked that band,” Katherine commented. “I think I’m going to see what concerts are coming to town. I want to hear some live music.”
The way she said it made her sound like she was talking more to herself than anyone else. He made a mental note to find somewhere to take her for more live music. It was San Francisco; there were clubs all over the place. He would find the best of the best to take her to.
“What kind of music do you like?” Rachel asked her.
Katherine shrugged. “Loud.”
Everyone laughed. She looked young and happy. He had seen that sparkle in her eyes when they danced. He loved being the one to put the light back in her eyes. She was a gorgeous, vibrant woman and deserved to be treated like a queen. He would do that for as long as she allowed him to.
“I prefer pop and dance type stuff,” Rachel said.
Katherine looked thoughtful. “I really like most any kind of music. I don’t care for the crazy punk stuff with all the screaming, but other than that, I think I could listen to anything. My preference will always be southern rock though. It makes me feel so rebellious.”
Ben reached over and grabbed her hand. He was really loving this side to her he hadn’t seen before. She smiled and squeezed his hand in return before he had to take it back and put it on the wheel.
“Where are you going?” Rachel asked, as he took a left turn away from the direction of her apartment.
“I’m driving Will home first,” he said, looking in the mirror. His eyes met Rachel’s and then Will’s.
Will winked at him. Ben grinned and focused his attention back on the road. His love match was working out well. He glanced in the mirror again and saw Will leaning close to Rachel’s ear. Rachel blushed, and he knew Will had just asked her to go home with him. It was a bold move.
He stopped at a light and reached for Katherine’s hand again. He loved touching her. She turned to look at him and smiled. Her cheeks were still a little flushed. He wasn’t sure if it was strictly because of the alcohol or the dancing but had a feeling it was a combination of both. It was a good look on her.
“Tonight, was an absolute blast,” she said in a low voice.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips and gently kissing it.
She took a deep breath, her breasts heaving under the shirt. “I did. I cannot remember ever having so much fun, especially in a bar. You’ve opened my eyes to a whole new world.”
“Good, I hope I can show you more things you might like,” he said, leaving the innuendo hanging.
Her eyes dropped to his lips and he knew his words had the desired effect. She was going to be thinking about him naked and that was exactly what he’d been going for. He turned his focus back to the road. He pulled in front of the luxury condominium building where Will lived and waited to see who got out of the vehicle.
“Um, I’m going to get out here,” Rachel said, from the backseat.
Ben turned and winked at her. “Be good and don’t forget you work on Monday.”
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe I should remind you of that same,” she said pointedly before sliding out of the vehicle.
He laughed and waited for them to get through the front doors of the building before he looked over at Katherine.
“Why are you so happy?” she asked him.
He shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve been trying to get those two together for at least a year. I can’t believe it is finally happening. I never would have imagined them together, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized they would complement each other. They are different in many ways, but at their cores, they are both good, loving people and I think they have something special.
She turned and watched them. Will had his arm around Rachel, her head resting on his shoulder as they walked. Rachel’s arm reached out and went around Will’s waist. They looked like they’d been together for years as they matched each other’s pace.
“Aren’t you proud of yourself,” she said, turning to look back at him.
He couldn’t stop smiling. “I am. I love them both. They are truly my best friends in this world and I want them to be happy. I think they can be happier together.”
“What if they break up?” she asked, one of her light brown eyebrows arched up.
He pondered the thought. “I don’t know.”
“That could get really awkward.”
He nodded. “I suppose it would.”
“Whose side will you choose?”
“Stop with the tough questions,” he groaned.
She burst into laughter. “Well, I like to think things through, even if it means thinking about the icky side of things.”
It was his turn to arch a brow at her. “Really?”
That made her burst into laughter. “Okay, I try. I mean, I do think things through, even if it doesn’t look like it. I can be spontaneous, and I will be the first to admit I sometimes make really bad split-second decisions.”
“I believe you do think things through and I don’t think you make bad decisions. I think we all have to do what’s right in the moment. We never know if it was really right or wrong until we have time to reflect. Even then, both decisions could have had negative consequences. You take it in stride and keep moving. That’s what you do. I’ve seen it,” he told her.
They stared at each other, the atmosphere in the air changing. It was electric. He could feel the tension and knew it wasn’t one-sided. There was an undeniable chemistry between them. He’d felt it from the very first moment he saw her, even if she didn’t.
“Ben,” she said his name in a whispered plea.
He reached up, his palm cupping her cheek. She leaned her head into his hand, inhaling deeply. He was content to leave it at that. He wanted her, but he didn’t want to pressure her. He didn’t want her to think he took her out drinking and dancing with the intention of getting laid. His only mission was to show her a good time. There was an ulterior motive if he was being honest.
He wanted to show her how good life could be in San Francisco, with him. She could have a normal life. He could protect her. His goal had been to give her a reason to stay. He hoped it would work.
“Katherine,” he said her name, asking her the question without saying the words.
She leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn’t a mild kiss. It was hot and forceful. She was demanding more. Her tongue pushed inside his mouth, her hand went to the back of his head, pulling him closer as she devoured his mouth with her own. He didn’t know when she had taken off the seatbelt, but it was clear she was free to move and was practically crawling into his lap.
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