Breaking All the Rules

by Abi Walters

  Benson frowned and he dipped her foot back into the water, “Sorry… let’s go lie down.”

  He stood abruptly, the water sloshing around him. He was glorious. Water slid down his hard body, falling into the creases of his abdomen. At night he would sometimes disappear into the personal gym in the penthouse. It was a room she avoided like the plague, though curiosity got the better of her one night. She found him in a state of the art gym full of the best equipment. He was shirtless wearing tight spandex shorts, sweat glazing his body. A news station played on the huge flat screen TV mounted to the wall in view of all the equipment. As much as she loved his hard body, she also loved spending time with him curled on the couch fighting over the remote or playing video games together. She loved him.

  Startled by the voice in the back of her head, Mia slammed the jets off and drained the tub, stepping out and into the warm towel waiting for her. Benson had a towel warmer in the bathroom, a contraption she didn’t even knew existed. He kissed her forehead and helped her down the steps. They dried in silence and passed through into the bedroom, flicking the light off as they went.

  Benson helped her climb into bed and positioned himself behind her. Her body fit perfectly against hers. Benson discovered their puzzle like fit days ago, then proceeded to roll away and fall asleep with his back to her because he was afraid of the fuzzy hearts that danced in his brain. This time when the hearts appeared, he didn’t pull away.

  “What was that about back there?” She questioned softly, not turning to look at him.

  He trailed his hand from around her waist and placed it on her thigh, “I don’t know. Nothing.”

  “It was something. Your eyes got glossy and you stopped smiling.”

  “I just…” He sighed and she rolled to face him, which was going to make the entire thing unbearable. “Before you came along I honestly thought I had it all, Mia. I thought I was happy. Then I saw you and you were challenging and sexy and I knew I had to have you. You are challenging and sexy, but you’re also compassionate and funny and strong. You’re a great cook, and a terrible singer, and I look at you and see a woman who has had so many overcome so many obstacles and still turned out perfect. Is it stupid to say I don’t think I’m enough for you?”

  “It’s very stupid,” She said quickly. Her brows were pushed together, but there was softness to her face. “Just a few days ago you yelled at me for saying the same exact thing.”

  “That was different,” He muttered.

  “No, it wasn’t. If me being here every night freaks you out, I can go back to my apartment.”

  “No!” He flinched and pulled her tighter. “You’re mine, Mia. Mine.”

  With a smile she tilted her head up, beckoning for a kiss. His lips trembled as he pressed their mouths together. His insides shook like it was his first kiss. It may have been because at that moment Benson knew something was different within him. Three words drifted through his brain and they didn’t scare him shitless. He smiled into her mouth. I love you.

  Chapter Eleven

  The latte in front of Mia disappeared too quickly. She looked down at the empty cup and frowned. In front of her, Lora snapped her fingers.

  “Earth to Mia!”

  “Sorry. I think I need more caffeine. You think LuLu can just pour espresso down my throat?” Mia chuckled.

  “Is Benson really keeping you up that much?” Lora’s eyes twinkled with jealousy.

  Mia shook her head, “Yes, but that’s not my problem. It’s been hell at work. I have never hated PR as much as I have this week. After being taken off of Max’s case I felt helpless, but Heir had a completely intentional nip slip at a fashion show red carpet. I’ve been swamped.”

  “You cover Heir?” Lora asked, referring to the German pop sensation signed to Monarch Records. “Can I meet her?”

  “I didn’t until other office resources were tied up with Max. Anne told me she was taking me off the case. She failed to mention that she was using a team of my peers. It’s a low blow. And you could have met Heir in the past if you’d ever agree to go to Monarch’s masquerades with me.”

  “You don’t want to go with your weird professor best friend,” Lora waved her hand dismissively. “Mia Barnes arrives with arm candy. Show up with me and your whole appearance is messed up. Have you asked Benson to go with you?”

  “I keep forgetting.”

  “Forget any longer and you may just have to take me.”

  Mia rolled her eyes, “Yeah. Right. I’ve been asking you to go with me for years.”

  “Hey!” Lora took a bite of her blueberry muffin and shifted in her seat. “Do you think it would be weird if Zach came to Thanksgiving?” A devilish smile curled on Mia’s face and Lora blushed, rushing to defend herself. “His family lives all the way in Utah and he doesn’t have the money to visit them. I don’t want him to be alone.”

  “Lora and Zach sitting in a tree,” Mia sang teasingly.

  Her friend looked like a piece of cotton candy, “Seriously! You don’t think mom and dad would be upset? Or that Zach would be freaked out? I really like him. What if he thinks we’re moving too fast?”

  Mia snorted, “Thanksgiving is still more than a month away, Lora. I think your parents would be thrilled. You haven’t taken anyone home but me in what? Seven years? And Zach is completely smitten with you. Don’t worry about him.”

  “He is not.”

  “Is too!” Mia stuck her tongue out.

  “You’re still coming, right? I don’t know if I could subject Zach to my family for that long without a buffer.”

  “You have a family of angels, and why wouldn’t I go?”

  She shrugged, “I didn’t know if you and Benson were doing anything.”

  “I don’t want to think that far ahead with him,” Mia looked into her empty cup, focusing on the ring of dried coffee. “Things are okay right now, but if I start making plans and everything goes to shit, I’ll be heartbroken.”

  “That’s definitely the right attitude to have,” Lora drawled sarcastically. “What time is it?”

  Mia touched her phone screen, bringing up a picture of her and Benson. They had taken a string of pictures together over the week after she said she wanted to see his face all day while she was working. Lora looked at the screen and stared at Mia with a goofy grin.

  “Yeah, Zach and I are totally the smitten ones.”

  Mia shoved her phone in her purse, “Stop looking at me like that, Lora. Don’t you have a class to teach? Pick on some college students, why don’t you?”

  The two gathered their things and stood, departing with a hug. Mia lingered, waiting for Lora to disappear around the corner before she strode to the counter and ordered a latte to go.

  **********

  Fridays tended to drag, but by five o’clock, Mia was staring at the clock in agony. It had been a hell of a week between her personal life and the chaos at Monarch Records. With opening night at Benson’s lounge, The Dark Room, the next evening things were even crazier. She was thankful that Grant hadn’t made the trip from New Jersey into the big city yet. On top of everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure she could handle that. But Grant was a ticking time bomb. He’d be at The Dark Room. She had just over twenty four hours until they were face to face again.

  Mia instructed Victor to swing by her apartment. She hadn’t been there all week. Her keys felt foreign, the building cold. She had struggled with the moving in with Benson permanently situation every day, ultimately choosing to ignore it. He didn’t press. He was more than happy to have her every morning and every evening.

  As she made her way up the elevator to her floor, Mia nearly made a concrete decision to move in with Benson. Everything about the stop at her old building felt wrong. It didn’t feel like home. She stepped off on her floor and swung her keys around as she walked down the corridor. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar body near her door. He looked up and she froze.

  It was her brother. Though it had
been nearly a decade since she had seen her brother, Mia identified him immediately. Eddie Barnes looked just like their father. His black hair was trimmed down to a tidy, police buzz. Unlike the sparkling emeralds in Mia’s eyes, Eddie’s were a hazel swirl. His nose was slightly crooked, the result of a childhood beating. It did nothing to take away from how handsome her little brother had become.

  They both stood unable to formulate words. He analyzed her, and she shivered under his gaze. Finally, Mia wetted her lips and spoke,

  “Eddie.”

  It wasn’t much, but it was all she could come up with. His name wasn’t breathless or excited. It didn’t hold an ounce of fear or uncertainty. In fact, it rolled off her tongue almost blandly.

  “It’s nice to see you’re so happy to see me, big sis,” He muttered coolly, crossing his arms. His black jacket stretched to accommodate his change.

  “How did you find me?” Mia had never given him anything more than a phone number, and she was even reluctant to do that.

  “I’m a cop,” He said flatly, as if it was an obvious explanation.

  “I don’t think snooping is part of your job description.”

  He rolled his eyes and Mia flashed back to when they were teenagers, “I needed to see you. I think mom is close to cracking.”

  “Has he done something to her?” Mia rushed. She told herself to give up caring about her mother a long time ago. The woman had chosen an abusive husband over her children. Yet, she was grateful Eddie watched over her and each time he called, she let out a sigh of relief knowing her mother was alive.

  “If he is hurting her physically, he’s smart about it. I think he knows he dodged a bullet with us. I don’t ever see any bruises or marks. She even wears short sleeved shirts.”

  Mia closed her eyes and memories hit her like a storm. She had closed up most of them up, but they still lingered in the depths of her brain. Shortly after remarrying, their mother took to wearing nothing but long sleeves and sweaters, even in the middle of summer. She didn’t leave the house often, but even within the confines of their own home it was like she was hiding her bruises from her children as if they weren’t going through the same torture themselves.

  “Then what do you mean?” Mia’s voice was rougher than she intended.

  “I think she’s going to leave him.”

  Mia snorted, “Eddie. You do remember that she picked him over me? Her own daughter? Or that she let him rape me? Or burn you with his damn cigarettes? Or whip us every time we made him angry?”

  Her brother winced and rubbed his arm, “She’s coming around, Mia. I think if you come to Thanksgiving and show her you still care, it’ll be the final push she’ll need.”

  “I can’t,” Mia shook her head. “I won’t. No way. She made her decisions, and I made mine.”

  “That was a long time ago,” He sighed.

  “That’s my final answer, Eddie. No. Absolutely not. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get into my apartment.”

  “I’ve been here the past two days waiting for you. The least you could do is invite me in. It’s not like I haven’t seen you since you were eighteen or anything,” He said as he stepped aside.

  Mia pressed her key into the lock and hesitated, “I’m busy right now, Eddie.”

  “Too busy for your own brother?” He scoffed.

  Mia cursed and leaned against her door, and then slid her phone out of her pocket dialing Victor’s number. He picked up immediately.

  “Hey Victor, I have something I need to take care of and it’s going to take a little longer than expected. Did you want to stay outside the building, or should I call you when I’m done?”

  “Are you safe?”

  “I’m safe, Victor. Don’t worry… and don’t worry Benson either, please.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  “Thank you. It shouldn’t be too long.”

  She hung up and slid her phone away, then opened the door to her apartment before she could change her mind.

  “Victor your boyfriend?” Eddie asked curiously as he followed her in.

  “Victor is my driver. Benson is my boyfriend,” Mia corrected, claiming Victor as her own. She shut the door and stared at her brother with hard eyes. “You’ve got ten minutes. I was serious when I said I’m busy. I really wasn’t expecting my long lost brother to drop by my apartment unannounced.”

  “One, I’m not long lost. You ignore my texts and calls, which makes you the lost one, not me. Two, you have a driver? And three, if you can afford a driver, why do you live in a studio apartment?”

  She glared at him, “He’s really Benson’s driver, but he takes me places and carries my groceries.”

  “So Benson is the bread winner, then?” Eddie pressed.

  “I don’t appreciate the interrogation, Eddie,” Mia pointed a finger at him. “You wanted me to invite you in, and you’re in. Don’t make me regret it more than I already do.”

  Mia slid a suitcase out from under her bed. It was bigger than the one she had taken to the penthouse earlier in the week. She’d bought a set before going on a big tour with Charlotte’s Drive, and had only used them for her holiday trips to Pennsylvania to the Tate household since. Eddie was analyzing the apartment like it was a crime scene. The proximity to her brother made her uncomfortable. Nearly as uncomfortable as the silence.

  “So mom is okay then?” Mia asked quietly.

  She brushed past her brother and grabbed the true crime novel from her coffee table that she bought weeks ago with the intention to read. She tucked it neatly into her suitcase as Eddie answered.

  “She’s a strong woman. He stopped beating us after you left. I think he sobered up and got scared you’d show up with cops. He still has a sharp tongue, though. He watches it around me now that I’m a cop. I really can’t take him in for calling her a worthless bitch, but it spooks him.”

  Being called a worthless bitch was probably one of the nicer things said to their mother. Mia’s step father had once beaten their mother, laughing as he told her she was the reason their father had died. He told her that she was a lousy lay, a shitty wife, and a terrible mother and had made the man turn to suicide. His story sometimes had variations. He also liked to tell her that her dead spouse was so eager to get away from her he took the curve too hard.

  “I guess your hard work paid off then, huh?” Mia said sarcastically.

  She grabbed a few more unread books, desperate to find something to busy herself with. She had packed nearly the rest of her wardrobe, compacting everything she could to focus on anything but the elephant in the room.

  “You’re a bitch,” Eddie seethed, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to show up here and expect you to welcome me, or even be excited, for that matter.”

  Her fists bunched at her waist and she resisted the urge to slap him. She was on fire. Her brain struggled to put a coherent sentence together. There were a thousand things she wanted to say. Instead of fighting him, lashing out and letting the tears that welled spill, she shook her head and pointed to the door.

  “Get out now or I’m calling security.”

  Eddie looked as if he were going to say something, then sighed and pulled a long white envelope out of his pocket. He tossed it on the nearby chair. At the door, he turned to look at her and his mouth opened. He bit his lip and left the apartment.

  She waited until she was sure he was gone to let a strangled sob out. Leaning against the bed for support, she struggled to collect herself. What the hell had happened? Mia was melting into a confused mess. She needed Benson. Gathering herself, she popped the suitcase closed and rolled it behind her as she left the studio. She paused at the chair to look at the blank envelope. Snatching it like it held top secret information, she scurried out of the apartment, stopping briefly to collect her mail.

  As soon as she clamored into the back of the car, Victor looked at her with concern. She cut him off before he could speak. Her words came out in a cry.

  “Take me to
Benson. I need him. Please.”

  Victor didn’t ask questions. He returned to his stoic self with a curt nod. In record time, they pulled in front of Ward Industries. Mia didn’t thank her driver or even speak. She rushed out of the car and through the building. There were few stragglers left in the building. It was a Friday night at six pm, after all. She was thankful the building was relatively empty because she looked like a mad woman.

  Thomas wasn’t waiting for her on Benson’s floor. She hadn’t been there after hours, and briefly thought of how eerie the floor was void of all life. Except, of course, for the bright light seeping through the glass walls of Benson’s large office. Breathlessly, she burst into the room.

  He looked up from his screen with a startled expression. Mia stood panting with a tear stained face, her bottom lip quivering as if she were to burst into another round of cries at any moment. His eyes darted back down to the screen where a video conference was taking place. Benson held up a finger to Mia and cleared his throat, drawing attention back to him.

  “Gentleman; I think we have assessed the situation quite well. The investments are solid, but if you insist on having your company’s legal team look over the documents I will gladly fax them over Monday morning.”

  He quickly ended the conference and tossed the headset he was wearing on the desk, motioning Mia over to him in a swift motion. She flung herself around his neck, resting on his lap, and broke into a string of little cries as he asked what had happened. His grip was tight on her and his jaw was tight. He had never seen Mia this way, and it felt like a bullet was tearing through him.

  “My brother was outside my apartment,” She explained through sobs.

  Benson saw red, “What? Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head, “No, he didn’t touch me. He pulled some strings to find out where I lived, and then showed up to try to convince me to go see my mom. He said he waited outside my place for two days.”

  Mia had never given him a reason not to like her brother. Until that moment. They had shared a very traumatic childhood together. Without the support from each other, Mia said she wasn’t sure they would have made it. He had never hurt her, and she’d never given any indication that they had anything but a strong relationship until she left. But a decade with little communication made them strangers, and Benson didn’t trust his Mia around her brother. Especially if he broke the law and stalked her apartment.