Love & Lies

by Jessica Wood

  “The pilot is preparing the jet now. He can’t wait forever. We need to get to the airport quickly.” Ben said, hoping it would get her out the door, but it had the opposite effect.

  “A jet! We’re going someplace far away! There’s so much I want to take!” Gemma ran into her bedroom, packing frantically. Ben just rolled his eyes and wondered if he should call the pilot to delay the flight.

  Suddenly, Gemma’s cell phone started to ring. She called out to him “Can you answer that for me?”

  “Sure!” Ben called back to her and picked up the pink vibrating phone. A familiar female voice began talking to him frantically and he knew right away it was Lori.

  “Slow down; I can’t understand a word you’re saying.” He spoke calmly to her.

  “Ben? Let me talk to Gemma! I’ve got major news to tell her!” Lori was always dramatic and Ben had to stifle a laugh. There was no way he was going to delay their trip any longer for those two to gossip about the latest celebrity breakup.

  “She can’t come to the phone, but just tell me and I’ll make sure she gets the message.”

  Lori hesitated, and Ben could tell she was debating if she could trust him or not. In the end, the news was too important to keep inside and she blurted it all out. “Okay. I know she’s been trying to find the man who took all those photo’s of her because she thinks whoever hired him is the same asshole who’s trying to ruin Adams Corporation. Well, she was right! I found him and he told me he was hired by some guy who calls himself the Phoenix.”

  “How did you find this out?” Ben was in shock. He had to sit down on the edge of Gemma’s couch before he fell.

  “Gemma gave me the file from the private investigator after lunch yesterday. I was looking through it and I noticed a reflection in a window in one of the pictures. It was really small and I wouldn’t have noticed it if one of my contacts hadn’t fallen out and landed on it. When I took a closer look, I saw the reflection showed the private investigator license plate number. I bribed a clerk at the DMV, got his registration info and went down and talked to him. He told me everything!”

  “Lori, you’re amazing! How did you get the private investigator to talk to you?”

  “They’re called tits.” Lori laughed. “The private investigator said the guy who hired him was crazy. He called himself the Phoenix and said he was rising up from the ashes to destroy his enemies or some insane thing like that. Complete nut job! He paid in cash, but the private investigator was smart enough to write down the guy’s license plate number. It’s too late now, but I can go down to the DMV again on Monday and find out who he is. Then all Gemma’s problems will be solved.”

  “Great work Lori. I’ll tell her everything and I know she’ll be relieved. I’m taking her out of town for a vacation, and this will be the perfect way to start it.”

  “Well have fun!” Lori said and got ready to hang up.

  “Wait!” Ben stopped her just in time. “Be careful. You don’t know what this Phoenix could be capable of. When you find out who he is on Monday, don’t confront him on your own.”

  “I won’t. I promise.” Lori said with her usual bubbly tone and the line went dead. Ben sat in stunned silence, staring at the phone in his hands.

  “Who was that?” Gemma asked, coming out of her bedroom with two full bags and a make-up kit.

  “Lori.” Ben said in a voice that sounded strange even to his own ears. He was suddenly terrified Gemma would do something rash if she knew what Lori had found out.

  “What did she want?” Gemma asked.

  “She just wanted to wish us fun on our trip this weekend.”

  “How sweet. Let’s go; time is running out on our plans!” Gemma smiled and Ben nodded in agreement.

  “Yes it is.” He said, knowing that time was running out much faster than she could possibly guess.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ben drove her to the airport, where his private jet whisked them away to a tropical paradise. He owned a private bungalow located right on the beach and they arrived right at sunset, just as the orange sun was sinking into the clear blue ocean amidst a sky of pink.

  “It’s the most breathtakingly beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.” Gemma gaped as she stood on the back porch of the bungalow and gazed at the view.

  “I was just thinking the same thing.” Ben said in a husky voice, but he wasn’t looking at the sunset, he was looking at her. Dressed in the tiny black bikini she had packed, Gemma made a striking figure. Her long hair flowed in the gentle island breeze and her flawless skin looked as radiant as her smile.

  She leaned in to kiss him with her sultry lips, then suddenly cried out “Race you to the water!”

  Ben couldn’t help but admire her gorgeous body as she ran the short distance across the white sand beach and splashed into the ocean. Her nipples hardened in objection to the cold water, making him instantly aroused. He chased after her, tackling her into the waves, and they immerged wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing passionately.

  She reached her hand inside his swimming trunks and found his erection. He groaned with pleasure as she massaged him, the warm skin of her palm in stark contrast to the cold water. He pulled her to him, hugging her voluptuous body tightly to him, loving the way her tits felt crushed against his chest.

  He kissed her neck just the way he knew she liked best and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Buoyed by the water, she suspended herself there easily, moaning with pleasure as he caressed and fondled her fantastic body. The cold water seemed to have heightened her sensitivity to touch and made every nerve tingle with sexual excitement.

  Gemma untied the two strings that secured the bottom half of her bikini into place and removed the tiny garment, letting it float away in the tide. Then she removed the top half and Ben could see her bare breasts through the crystal clear water and fondled them.

  Gemma gripped his engorged cock with practiced hands and guided him to enter her, with her legs still wrapped around his waist. Her pussy was so deliciously hot compared to the cold ocean, he groaned loudly with pleasure and feared he might climax then and there.

  “Fuck me hard!” Gemma moaned. Obligingly, Ben gripped her buttocks and thrust into her eagerly, pounding into her with all the lust and passion he felt for her. Gemma gasped and moaned with pleasure and leaned back into the water, letting it buoy her torso. It changed the angle at which he was fucking her, and she climaxed almost instantly. She thrashed with frenzied passion in the water, while her cries of ecstasy blended with the sound of seagulls up above. Ben felt the muscles of her pussy contracting with spasms of pleasure around his cock and it drove him to climax too. Clutching at her hips, he grinded into her perfect body as deeply as he could and exploded with orgasm. Afterward they floated in the water, completely relaxed and at peace. When the waves pushed them to shore, they decided to take a walk.

  “That’s just what I needed.” Gemma smiled contentedly as they strolled along the private beach hand in hand under the moonlight. They were both completely naked, but the night was warm and the beach was theirs, so they had nothing to fear. It was like their own personal piece of paradise.

  “Good, I’m glad.” Ben smiled back at her. “Maybe we should both quit our jobs and just live here full time. We could you know.”

  “That would be great, but I’d miss my work too much. I know it seems silly to a huge billionaire like yourself, but our little corporation that my parents built up from nothing means a lot to me. I love working there and knowing that we’re making a positive difference in people’s lives. It fills me up and gives me purpose.”

  “I’d like to fill you up and give you my purpose.” Ben leered at her playfully, making her laugh.

  “I’m serious though; as much as I love being here with you, I would feel like I’d lost a piece of myself if I never returned the Adams Corporation. It’s a part of who I am.”

  Ben grew quiet and kicked at the water as if deep in thought. If she wouldn’t run away with him, he
needed to find some way to keep her safe.

  “What’s wrong?” Gemma asked. Although Ben wasn’t near as big a talker as Lori, he usually wasn’t so brooding. He had been lost in thought almost the entire flight to the island and now once again, he looked a thousand miles away.

  “Nothing; I was just thinking how much I love you. I don’t think I could survive if anything bad ever happened to you.”

  “Nothing will; I promise.” Gemma assured him. Ben just wished that he could be as certain.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Gemma couldn’t wait to tell Lori about the incredible weekend she had shared with Ben on his private section of beach on the tropical island. It had been paradise and the best part had been spending it with the man she loved. She had tried calling her best friend the moment she got home Sunday night, and again when she woke up that morning. It wasn’t like her not to have called back by now. They hadn’t spoken since before Friday night, and by now she would be bursting with gossip and stories.

  When Gemma got to the office, the entire place was in chaos. Police were everywhere, her parents Harry and Sara were holding each other, and Clint Carpenter was sitting on a couch, crying.

  “What’s going on?” Gemma whispered. A lump of fear had suddenly grown in her throat and threatened to suffocate her. She knew instinctively that something terrible had happened to Lori. Clint looked up at her with bloodshot eyes and said simply “Someone took her.”

  “Who took her?” Gemma felt like she was going to vomit. “What do they want with her?”

  “I don’t know. All they left was this.” Clint pointed to a piece of paper being photographed by a police detective. It was a typed note in that simply read Stop looking for private investigators. From the Phoenix. A huge chunk of Lori’s distinctive blonde curly hair was taped to the note along with a smear of blood.

  “Oh, God! This is all my fault!” Gemma crumpled into a sobbing heap on the floor. She was lifted up by police officers and taken to the station for an interview.

  “When was the last time you saw the victim?” a bored looking officer in his mid-forties asked.

  “Thursday. We had lunch at our favorite restaurant; the little coffee house down the street. I told her that I was looking for the private investigator who had taken a bunch of photos of me. I had given the file to Lori’s father several days earlier. I told her the search wasn’t getting me anywhere and that I was about to give up on it. Then she changed the subject and we started talking about the best website to buy shoes.”

  “We spoke to Mr. Carpenter. He said the file you gave him is missing. Did the victim say she had it in her possession?”

  “No, she didn’t say anything about it.”

  “Does that name Phoenix mean anything to you?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Did the victim mention Phoenix to you at any time?”

  “She’s not the victim! Her name is Lori! Stop calling her that! Call her by her name!” Gemma was hysterical.

  The officer handed her a glass of water and she tried to calm herself. By the time the interview was over, she was emotionally and physically drained. It was a relief to walk out of the station and a surprise to find Ben Liamsworth waiting for her. Gemma’s parents had told him everything that had happened. No one knew what the note from Lori meant except for him, and the guilt inside was tearing him apart. It was the least he could do to be here for Gemma now.

  “Are you alright?” he wrapped her into his arms and held her tight. She melted into the safety of his embrace, thinking nothing had ever felt so comforting. He guided her to his car and drove her not to her apartment but up the long winding road to his mansion. Gemma was too numb to object and secretly relieved. Her apartment was filled with too many ghostly memories of time spent with Lori; it was better to be far away from the pain they would bring.

  Ben carried her into the foyer and asked one of his maids to run Gemma a bath. Stephan brewed her a special tea and Ben’s private physician prescribed her a sleeping pill. She awoke the next morning in Ben’s luxurious king sized bed in the midst’s of his lavish bedroom suite. It took her some time to remember all that had happened. She found a fresh pair of clothes already laid out for her; comfortable jeans and a cashmere sweater. She wrapped her long hair into a sloppy bun and went out into the house to search for Ben. She found him in his office setting up increases in security for her family.

  “Darling, you’re awake!” Ben hung up the phone and rushed to embrace her. His lips felt warm and tender on hers and once again she was grateful for his comfort during what was undoubtedly the worst crisis of her entire life. He held her gently and asked “How are you feeling?”

  “As good as can be expected I suppose. Has there been any word from the police about Lori?”

  “Not yet, but I expect there will be soon. In the meanwhile, I’ve hired the best body guards money can buy to watch over your parents and Lori’s family. I won’t let anything happen to the people you love; I promise.”

  “You don’t know how much that means to me.” Gemma hugged him tightly with tears shining in her emerald eyes.

  Ben hugged her back, closing his eyes to keep his emotions in check. He never knew just how deeply his love for Gemma went until he heard Lori had been kidnapped. He was flooded with guilt for not having told her the truth about Lori’s phone call the last time he talked to her, and he knew he had to do everything he could to make things right. Choking back the lump in his throat, he said “I want you to stay here in the mansion with me until this whole thing blows over. I can protect you better here. Besides, I won’t be able to sleep unless you’re lying next to me and I know you’re safe.”

  “Thank you. I think I’ll sleep better too knowing you’re always nearby.” She kissed him then, tenderly with all the love and gratitude she felt in for him in her heart. She never thought she’d need someone the way she’d come to depend on Ben and it meant the world to her that he stepped up and took care of not just her but her entire family at a time when her whole world was falling apart. He was a true guardian and she wanted to let him know how much she cherished him.

  Ben opened his mouth to her insistent kiss, loving the sweet taste of her. She was a delicious desert that he wanted to devour. He slid his hands down her body and squeezed her perfectly round ass through her tight fitting jeans. She moaned and leaned into him, kissing him all the harder. Then he slid his hands up, under her cashmere sweater. To his delight, she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her large tits were firm, full, and round. He kneaded and molded them with his strong hands, loving the softness of her skin and the quiet way she moaned when he squeezed them.

  He locked his office door and pressed her back against it, grabbing her by the wrist and raising her hands above her head. He lifted the sweater over her body and it tangled around her arms, binding them with the soft fabric. On a whim, he looped the sweater over the coat hook on the back of his office door, effectively binding her there with her arms held high and her naked tits helplessly exposed.

  “You’re mine and I’m going to do with you whatever I desire.” Ben whispered in a husky voice. He took Gemma’s tits into his hands and buried his face in them, licking, kissing and suckling every inch of them, while she writhed in her bonds and moaned with exquisite pleasure. She knew she shouldn’t be enjoying herself sexually at a time of crisis like this, but being bound at his mercy freed her from the guilt. She had no choice but to enjoy the pleasures he wrought on her helpless body, and so enjoy them she did.

  When Ben came to her nipples he nipped at them playfully, lightly biting them with his lips folded over his teeth. When she gasped and moaned with pleasure, he grew rougher, biting them harder until she yelped with pain.

  “Sorry.” He apologized, but Gemma was smiling.

  “Keep going, I liked it.” she panted.

  Grinning mischievously, Ben pulled her tight jeans off her body, so she was now bound with her arms held high, standing only in her white lace panties. He put
his lips to her body, kissing her over the silky panties. It was wonderfully erotic and Gemma moaned with passion. She writhed her hips, begging for more and helpless to do anything about it while he teased and tormented her with his lips. Tauntingly, he peeled her panties off her body with excruciating slowness. Then he put his fingers to her naked pussy and fucked her with them, with slow sensuality. Gemma convulsed under his expert touch, crying out as she came against his fingers, drenching them with the juices of her arousal. When she was finished, Ben took off his clothes and rubbed her juices from his fingers onto his cock, until his erection was full and raging.

  He released her arms from the bounds of the cashmere sweater and pulled Gemma onto the office floor, where he shoved himself into her dripping pussy with almost violent passion. Again and again he slammed his bulging erection into her quivering pussy and Gemma gasped and cried with rapture as another orgasm overtook her. All the emotional pain she had been feeling was completely drowned out by the unbelievable pleasure as he fucked her with unrelenting passion. It was just what she needed and she thought she had never before felt such intense ecstasy. Then, she felt him coming deep inside her and slowly she fell back to reality. It wasn’t as sad a place as she had feared, for she wasn’t facing the scary world alone any longer. She had the man she loved by her side and they would face it together.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  That afternoon, Gemma was surprised to see her parent’s car pull up to the mansion. Harry and Sara Adams got out, along with Clint Carpenter. Everyone looked tired and haggard, but Gemma welcomed them with open arms as they walked into the grand entryway and Ben shook their hands heartily.

  “What brings you here? Has there been any news about Lori?” Ben asked the question that Gemma was too terrified to voice aloud.

  “No word yet. Actually, we came to talk to you.” Clint said, looking at Ben with a somber expression.

  “Of course. Let’s go to the sitting room. Please make yourself comfortable.” Ben was a gracious host, guiding them all to a luxurious room, elegantly decorated with carved oak furniture, authentic paintings, and delicate antiques. Everyone sat on the cushioned chairs and the maid brought a tray of coffee and tea. Once everyone was settled, Clint finally broke the silence.