“What are you doing here?” he asked, a sliver of ice I hadn’t heard for a while back in his tone. At least it wasn’t aimed at me this time, but as I peered around him, I noticed that the woman didn’t pay any attention to it whatsoever.
She shrugged her slender shoulders, her eyes somehow getting even bigger when she locked them with his. “I have a key.”
It was then that I realized that this petite, almost ethereal-looking, elegant woman had to be Nic, Ben’s ex-wife. She was my opposite in every conceivable way, and it made me wonder more seriously than ever why the heck he’d been chasing after me when he’d been married to her.
If she was his type, he shouldn’t have wanted to touch me with someone else’s dick. Yet he’d spent all night making it clear how much he wanted me. People change. Maybe his taste has too.
Still, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Completely oblivious to my mental ranting, she kept her gaze on Ben. He’d told me just last night he’d moved in here after his divorce, so why did she have a key?
“Just because you have it doesn’t mean you should use it,” he said, and for a moment, I worried he’d heard my thoughts. But then I remembered she’d answered his question by telling him she had a key. “So I’ll repeat, what are you doing here, Nicole?”
“We need to talk.” She still hadn’t looked away from him, ignoring me so completely that it was like she couldn’t see me at all until she added, “but I didn’t realize you’d have company.”
“Well, as you can see, I do.” His voice was filled with darkness but there was also an edge of resignation to it. “Say your piece and get out. I don’t have time for this today.”
She sniffed as if she was offended. “Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough. We need to talk privately, Benjamin.”
He sighed heavily but then jerked his hand out to his side and stalked out of the room after her. My stomach dropped when I watched them walk away.
It hadn’t seemed like there was much love lost between them, but she wouldn’t have shown up out of the blue just for fun. Would she?
The fact was that I didn’t know enough about her to be able to say for sure what she would or wouldn’t do. It suddenly didn’t feel like I knew much about anything at all.
I’d really been looking forward to spending the day with him again, but it seemed like that might not be possible. Why can’t we just have some peace for once?
Chapter 36
BEN
“I’ll give you one last chance to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here, Nic,” I snapped when she turned to face me in the formal dining room. “You know better than to come here, and you definitely know better than to talk to me instead of my lawyer.”
I was fuming, my blood so hot it felt like there was lava coursing through my veins. Of all the times for Nic to use the key she’d swindled out of our final settlement back in the day, it really just had to be today. It was like she’d sensed I finally had a shot at being happy with someone else, and she just had to come and nip it in the fucking bud.
She faked a hurt expression, her eyes lowering and lingering on my abs before she dropped the act and sighed. “I thought it would be better to talk in person. We had a good thing going once. There’s no reason we can’t talk like civilized human beings.”
“You were supposed to have destroyed that key after Max went to the farm.” I glared at her, conscious of the way her gaze kept dipping to take in my bare torso before she caught herself. “Not that you ever cared about him anyway.”
“He was my pig too,” she said dismissively. “It’s not my fault he turned out not to be a miniature pot-belly like you thought he was.”
“He was still better company than you were.” Max had been my final attempt at saving our marriage.
After it became clear that Nic had no intention or desire to have children with me, I’d naïvely thought I could fill the hole that’d been rapidly opening in my soul with a pet. One day at the mall, I’d seen a little pig in a tiny cage.
The guy who’d sold him to me had promised he was a miniature, bred for city life, and that he didn’t need any more space than a normal yard. Stupid and frankly desperate, I’d bought his story hook, line, and sinker.
Nic had hated him from the minute I’d taken him home, but she had then insisted in court later that she loved him and had the right to visit him. At the time, I’d known she’d never actually come see him, so I’d agreed that she could have a key in case she ever needed to feed him when I was on a business trip.
Before our final decree of divorce had even been granted, it had become apparent that Max wasn’t a miniature. I’d arranged for a farmer to adopt him, and hadn’t even thought about the key until months later. When I eventually remembered, I’d contacted my lawyer and he’d reminded me that the clause granting her the key had stipulated it had to be destroyed in the event of Max no longer being our shared pet.
Nic sneered at my comment but then shook out her hands and composed herself. “Anyway, I’m not here about that. I came because we’re both wasting money on lawyers. Good money that we should be spending on ourselves.”
Typical. “You should’ve thought about that before you applied to have our pre-nup voided.”
She rolled her eyes. “I thought it would be better if we came to a compromise on our own.”
“I have no reason to compromise,” I said firmly. “I’ve paid you more than what we agreed to before we got married.”
“I’m not going to go away if I don’t get what I want.” She scowled before narrowing her eyes at me. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier for you to just pay me what I’m worth so that I’ll go away?”
This time, it was my turn to scowl. “I’m not playing your game anymore, Nic. I don’t owe you anything and I won’t pay you more, knowing you’ll come back for another handout soon enough.”
She ignored me, her gaze tracking to the door as she shot her evil glare in the direction of the kitchen. “It seems you have a new girlfriend. Perhaps you should consider her feelings in all this. How would she like it if your ex-wife is always hanging around?”
I wasn’t stupid enough to take the bait she was dangling. “She’s none of your concern.”
“I recognize her, you know?” she said in a derisive tone. “She’s the fat girl from those ridiculous videos she made dancing around, showing off her rolls like they’re something to be proud of.”
“That’s it. Get the fuck out. We’re done here.” If I’d thought I was furious about her showing up uninvited and very much unwelcome, it had nothing on how I felt hearing her talking about Tori that way. “Get off my property and never come back. We have nothing to talk about.”
“Be reasonable—”
“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” I emphasized every word, my hands in tight fists at my sides. I’d never take a swing at her, but I sure as hell wanted to punch something. “You’re not getting another damn cent from me. Find your own way out. I’m going to tell my security team to change the locks and call the police if you’re ever spotted anywhere near this property again.”
Without waiting for her to provoke me any further, I stormed out and punched the air since I didn’t want to spare the time to hit the gym downstairs and go for a few rounds with my punching bag. I couldn’t believe I’d been married to that vile, awful excuse for a human being. The way she was behaving was atrocious, and that was saying something coming from someone who’d made his fair share of mistakes these last few months.
The difference between us was that I’d realized how badly I was behaving and was trying to make it right. Nic, on the other hand, would keep coming for me as long as we both lived. Hell, if I died before her, I was sure she’d stop at nothing to claim my entire estate for herself.
She hadn’t seen anything wrong in the way she’d acted all those years ago, and she wouldn’t see it now. For her to have tried to pull Tori into it, saying all those horrible things about her, was just a new low. Unfortunately, I
knew her well enough to know that she really would try scaring Tori off by being around as much as possible if she was given half a chance.
My security team consisted of two guards who lived on the property. Whenever there was a credible threat made against me, one of them acted as my bodyguard while the other secured the property. It had only happened a few times that I’d needed increased protection, but it was useful having them around anyway.
Well, usually useful. No doubt Nic had lied to them when they’d confronted her, though. My suspicion was confirmed when they told me she’d shown them the keys and told them they couldn’t kick her off her own property.
Once I’d set the record straight and arranged for the locks and gate code to be changed, I went back to the house and hoped to find Tori still waiting. Fuck.
I heard voices coming from the kitchen and assumed she was speaking to the housekeeper. My steps slowed when I realized it was Nic and that she was still here.
“You’re only a pit stop for Benjamin, sweetheart,” she was saying. “You should know that he’s with me for the long haul. One little plaything will never come between us.”
From where I’d paused when I’d heard it was her voice, I could only see a small sliver of the inside of the kitchen. But it was enough to see when Nic thrust out her hand, showing off a ring on the second finger of her left hand. “If you don’t believe me, then tell me why else would he have given me this ring just last week?”
“I don’t understand,” Tori replied, her voice small and uncertain. “I thought you guys hated each other.”
Nic’s responding laughter grated my nerves. “Don’t be naïve. You know how it is with passionate relationships, darling. Off again and on again. We’re definitely on again though, as this engagement ring proves.”
I didn’t know what the fuck was going on, but every word out of her mouth was a complete lie. Breaking into a run, I recognized the ring on Nic’s finger before I even skidded to a halt between them.
It was the one from my nightstand. The one I’d bought for Tori. Nic must’ve been snooping before she even came in here to confront us.
I’d have to check later what else she’d gotten her hands on. For right now, the only thing I needed to do was to make sure that Tori knew she was lying through her fucking teeth.
“It’s not what you think, baby.” I grabbed her hands, standing in front of her and bending my knees to look into her eyes as I pleaded. “I promise I can explain.”
She wrenched her hands out of my grip, holding up a finger to silence me. “I don’t want to hear one more word, Ben. I’m not getting involved in whatever is going on between you two. I’m leaving.”
“Don’t go. Please. Just give me two minutes to explain,” I begged while following her out of the kitchen and up to my room.
She snatched her dress up off the floor, disappearing into the bathroom and slamming the door in my face without a word. When she came out fully dressed a minute later, she ignored me while gathering her coat and shoes.
It was only once we reached the door that she turned to me again. Her voice was still soft, but it had an edge of finality to it I couldn’t stand. “I’m not equipped for a relationship with you. I have no idea what’s going on between you and your ex, but I won’t get involved. There’s only so much one person can take from another, and I think I’ve reached my limit. Good luck, Mr. Reed. I’ll see you at the office soon enough.”
She walked out and didn’t look back once. It fucking devastated me to watch her go, not only because she was leaving but because of what she’d said. I didn’t think I’d ever get those words out of my head, but I also knew she’d meant them.
I’m not equipped for a relationship with you.
I couldn’t even argue with her. After everything I’d done and now Nic’s assertion that I’d given her a ring just last week, I wasn’t sure I was equipped for a relationship with myself at this point.
It had been one shit-show after another, and this was the final straw. My last chance had been blown to kingdom come. It was all over, and just when it had started getting really good too.
Chapter 37
TORI
Once again, I was moping around my apartment, and once again, Ben was to blame. I was getting real darn tired of being down in the dumps because of that man.
But as much as I tried to tell myself it was better this way, that our date was a fluke of a day and that we just weren’t as good together as it felt like we could be, I couldn’t quite get myself to really feel it. The truth was that I was sad. I missed him already, and I hated myself for it.
After everything he’d done to me, I should’ve known better. I never should’ve let myself believe for even a second that things could be different between us.
I’d thought about calling him, about asking for his side of the story, but the reality was that as much as I missed him, I wouldn’t be his side piece. That was for sure. Whatever tumultuous relationship he had with his ex was his business. I didn’t need that kind of drama in my life, and I wouldn’t willingly subject myself again to the kind of humiliation I’d suffered when she’d walked in on me half naked with her man.
If he even is her man. I wasn’t convinced, but it was clear that he hadn’t been honest with me about their relationship. Maybe they were on again, or maybe they weren’t, but there was definitely something going on there.
Surely, she wouldn’t have made it through the gates or have a key to his house if they were as estranged as he’d led me to believe. But whatever. His business is his business.
I was stupid to have trusted him, and I was very stupid to have opened myself up to him when I’d known what kind of a person he really was. It was really just too bad that I’d convinced myself that he wasn’t that person at all.
It should’ve been easy to wake up this morning, ready to move on. Ben and I had only been on one real date. Logically, I knew it made no sense to feel the way I was, but I couldn’t change how I felt in my heart even though my brain knew better.
Kari walked into the kitchen, noticed my ratty old bathrobe, and groaned. “I was rooting for the billionaire. What happened?”
“His ex happened,” I said, sighing as I turned my empty mug around and around on the counter between my fingers. “Correction. The gorgeous woman he used to be married to who may or may not be his fiancée again happened. I don’t even know if she’s still his ex or if she’s his current as well.”
My sister filled a mug with some coffee, wrapped her fingers around her drink, and propped her hip against the counter. “I think you’d better start at the beginning.”
“Right. The beginning.” Just the thought of being caught the way we had been made my cheeks grow warm. “As it turns out, she has a key to his house. We were in the kitchen making breakfast. He kept tickling me, and kissing me, and touching me. Everything was going so well, but then the next thing I know, we’re not alone anymore.”
Kari cringed when she put two and two together. “I’m assuming that when you say everything was going so well, what you really mean is that things were heating up in the kitchen and it wasn’t just your breakfast getting hot?”
“Yep.” I ducked my head, breathing deeply before I continued. “Also, I was only wearing his shirt and my underwear. No pants. So imagine my surprise when this beautiful woman appears in the kitchen with us, dressed like she’s stepped out of a catalog when I hadn’t even brushed my hair yet.”
“Wow. That sounds,” she tapped the side of her mouth with her index finger while trying to find the right words, “like whatever the total and complete opposite of fun is.”
“Exactly. It gets worse, too.” I closed my eyes for the next part. “Not only is she insanely pretty, built like a tiny, petite pixie, and looks like she doesn’t even know the meaning of a bad hair day, but she’s also wearing the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen on a very important finger. She claims he gave it to her last week.”
“She claims?” Her eyebrows
knitted together, blue eyes curious but not as filled with anger as I’d have thought. “What did he have to say about it?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t give him the chance to explain. All I could think about was getting out of there as fast as I could.”
“I get that, but she’s his ex for a reason, right? They didn’t just get divorced over nothing. Maybe she’s making stuff up to get rid of you because she’s jealous, or maybe the ring isn’t from him at all. Divorces are never pretty when there’s that much money involved.”
“Maybe not, but as far as I know, the divorce was years ago. Why would she have a key for his place if they’re not together? He also didn’t seem terribly surprised to see her there. Ticked off, yes, but not outraged or anything.”
“What did he do when she told you about the ring? Did he try to hide you or his relationship with you? It doesn’t sound like it. It also doesn’t sound quite right that you walk into your fiancé’s house, find him with another woman, and not freak the hell out. Did she threaten his genitalia? Because if not, I’m not sure she’s telling the truth about the nature of their relationship at the moment.”
“Yeah, I thought about that too. She was way too calm about having walked in on us, but I get the feeling it’s happened before or something. She called me a pit stop and just another one of his playthings. Then she said she was with him for the long haul.”
Kari frowned deeply. “I hate to break it to you, sis, but I think she might’ve been lying. No woman is going to walk in on the guy she loves with another girl and just politely let her know that she’s the only one for him in the long run.”
“I’m pretty sure she wasn’t being completely truthful, but there’s obviously still something going on there.” My heart ached to say it out loud, but maybe that was what I needed before I could get over it. “I’m not getting involved between two people who have that much history together. It’s pointless anyway. He’s never going to choose the hookup over the woman he wifed once.”
Love Your Moves: A Billionaire Valentine's Romantic Comedy Page 22