by Jessica Wood
“I tried to; but then I found your diary in the headboard of our bed and read it.”
“You did?” Ben’s face went very pale and she could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he waited to hear her reaction.
Taking hold of his hand, she said softly “I understand everything now.”
“You do?” Ben sighed audibly with relief but there was still a question burning in his eyes that he was too afraid to ask.
Gemma decided to put him out of his misery and answer it for him, “And I forgive you. I’ll explain everything to my parents and make sure they do too.”
“I love you so much!” Ben couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. Knowing that Gemma forgave him was better than anything he could have hoped for and he was the happiest man alive.
“I love you too. Now let’s get you home and showered. You stink!”
Ben thought nothing had ever felt so good when he stepped through the front door of his mansion; that was until he stepped into the shower. The feel of hot water washing over his filthy body was a luxury he had never appreciated until that moment and he reveled in it. He scrubbed away all the dirt, sweat, grime, and shame that he had accumulated in jail until his toned body was fresh and clean once more.
“Got any room in there for me?” Gemma asked in a sultry voice, and Ben welcomed her into the shower with a smile.
“God, you’re even more sexy and beautiful than I’d remembered, especially when you’re wet” Ben said softly as he stared openly at her naked body from head to toe, drinking her in with hungry eyes.
“Did you forget this?” Gemma teased playfully and knelt in the shower to take his cock her mouth. She had missed him too and lavished his organ with love and attention in all the ways he liked best. Soon he was groaning with pleasure and clutching at the tiled walls of the shower, trying not to come too quickly.
Seeing that Gemma had no intention of stopping any time soon, he extracted his pulsating cock from her mouth and pulled her up by the shoulders. He turned her around so her back was to him and handed her the moveable showerhead, saying “Let me watch you make yourself come.”
Delighted to comply, Gemma held the pulsating spray of water between her thighs and let it massage her most sensitive folds until she was writhing and moaning with pleasure while Ben watched. Then, when she was teetering on the edge of orgasm he suddenly entered her pussy from behind, shoving his engorged cock deep into her dripping wet slot with one thrust. The spray from the showerhead beat against her clitoris as his cock pounded into her pussy and within moments they were both climaxing, screaming and gasping as he spilled his seed deep inside her.
“I’m coming!” Gemma cried out and Ben could feel her muscles spasm and flex with ecstasy around his cock. When at last they had finished, they wrapped themselves in towels and collapsed on the king-sized bed together.
“Now that was a good shower.” Ben grinned boyishly as Gemma held his hand and looked at him with adoring eyes.
They were both startled when a female voice said from across the room, “Good, now get dressed and meet me downstairs.”
Ben looked up into the icy blue eyes of the woman glaring at him and said “Mother! What are you doing here?”
Gemma gasped in shock to meet the Brooke Liamworth for the first time. The former international model was an icon of beauty and she made an imposing figure as she stood in the doorway of their suite with her hands on her hips. Her platinum blonde hair had been cut into a severe A-line that was sexy and chic. The delicate features of her face were still unlined and flawless, but her sapphire blue eyes were cold and hard. She was wearing a tailored black dress with a plunging neckline, Jimmy Choo shoes, and sparkling gold and diamond jewelry adorned her throat, wrists, and fingers. The effect was breathtaking and Gemma wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was intimidated by her.
Ben’s father, Walter Liamworth seemed small as he stood by her side, although he was a billionaire in his own right, having inherited Liamworth International from his father before him. His gray temples and careworn face gave Gemma a glimpse of what Ben might look like some day, and she liked it. He looked kind, wizened, and still blissfully in love with his wife.
In answer to her son’s question, Brooke said “When I heard you had been arrested I had the helicopter bring us home immediately. Of course we took a limo from the airport straight to the police station, only to discover you had already been released without anyone bothering to tell us.”
“Sorry, Mother. I just got home.” Ben shifted uncomfortably under her steady gaze. “I met with the judge this morning and he dismissed all of the charges, with the exception of withholding information from the police; but he let me go with time served and a hefty fine.”
“It would have been nice to be called, but the important thing is that you’re okay now.” Brooke’s eyes finally softened and the shift in the room was instantaneous. Gemma could see how powerful and charismatic the woman was; even the light and the air seemed to cater to her moods. Then, suddenly Brooke turned her gaze on Gemma and said with a smile “Who is this lovely young lady?”
Gemma became acutely aware of the fact that she was dressed in nothing but a towel as Ben introduced her and she shook both his parents’ hands.
“I’d like you to meet Gemma Adams. She’s the one responsible for getting me released from jail. Her father and I recently became business partners and Gemma has been my girlfriend for several months.”
“Adams?” Brooke’s eyes narrowed as she tried to place the familiar name. Gemma couldn’t help but feel nervous as she wondered if his parents knew that her father was the one Brooke had cheated with seventeen years ago. The sudden change in their postures told her that they did.
Ben saw the light flash in his mother’s eyes too and his father’s shoulders sink. Speaking with more confidence than he felt, Ben said to them “Please excuse us while we get dressed. I’ll meet you in the sitting room. We have a lot to discuss and you won’t like it all, but by the time I’m done explaining I think you’ll both be pleased.”
“What are you doing?” Gemma hissed when the door clicked shut and they were alone in the suite. “You aren’t planning to tell them everything are you?”
“I don’t see how I can avoid it.” Ben said. “I live in their house and get paid from their estate as an employee of Liamworth International. Every move I make can be reviewed by them, so they’re bound to find out.”
“I thought all this was yours.” Gemma was surprised.
“No. I’m practically destitute on my own, but I was able to buy the stock for the Adams Corporation with my own money by using the trust fund my grandfather gave me.”
“That’s because you were trying to keep your sneaky plot a secret” Gemma guessed correctly and Ben made no effort to deny it.
Shrugging with chagrin, he said “I won’t be able to keep it a secret any longer. Eventually my parents will find out about their former connection to your parents. There’s no point in trying to hide it, so we might as well face it head on and bring everyone together in one place.”
“Well that’s just great. Why don’t we have a little reunion; your parents and my parents together again? We can make it a party!” Gemma said sarcastically, in an effort to hide her discomfort.
To her surprise, Ben smiled and said, “You know that’s not a bad idea.”
“Are you joking? It’s a terrible idea!” Gemma cried out.
“Just think about it logically for a moment.” Ben spoke calmly. “It’s been nearly two decades since the affair. Obviously it didn’t work out between them and they both returned to their spouses to live out long and happy marriages. I plan to work closely with your father to help make your family’s business a thriving success; and I don’t want the history he had with my mother to always be the white elephant in the room. None of us can pretend it didn’t happen; it will always be in the air so we might as well confront it and make the best out of an awkward situation by putting them in the same
room together.”
“And instead of having this reunion privately, you want to throw a party and let it take place publically?” Gemma was aghast.
“If there’s one thing that’s important to my mother it’s her public image. She thrives on being the richest, most elegant, most beautiful woman in the room. She would rather die than play out some scandalous scene in the middle of a party and let it be known that she had a disgraceful affair with a struggling businessman.”
Gemma saw Ben’s point. Warming up to the idea, she nodded and said “And my father prides himself on his professionalism. If we made this a party with his business associates, he would never humiliate or embarrass himself in front of them by making a scene with an ex-lover or revealing that he had been unfaithful to his wife long ago.”
“Business Associates; that’s perfect!” Ben was even more excited now than before. “We can throw a party to celebrate the Adams Corporations new partnership with the Liamworth family. It’s the perfect occasion for both our parents to meet in a neutral environment. We can invite business associates on both their sides, ensuring that everyone will be on their best behavior, and best of all, it will benefit the company.”
“Do you really think it will work?” Gemma sounded more hopeful than doubtful.
“It has to, because I can’t imagine my life without you or them in it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX
To Ben and Gemma’s relief both their sets of parents agreed to come to the party; although some were more hesitant than others. Both Brooke Liamworth and Sara Adams offered to plan the event, but Ben knew that was a recipe for trouble.
“Let’s ask Lori to do it.” Gemma suggested. “She put together all the social events for our sorority and did a great job.”
“Do you think she’ll do it after I nearly kidnapped her?” Ben joked, and Gemma elbowed him for the poor attempt at humor.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Gemma said and dialed her number.
“Yes! I would love to!” Lori gushed in that perky voice of hers that never failed to make Gemma smile. “It will be the perfect send-off before my parents and I leave for the next six months.”
“You’re going away for half a year? What are you talking about?” Gemma was sincerely alarmed.
“Daddy told me that when he thought I’d been kidnapped it really scared him and made him think about all the regrets he had in life. He said number one on that list was not spending more time with me. So, we’re finally going on that trip around the world that I always wanted to go on! Isn’t that amazing?” Gemma could hear Lori jumping up and down with excitement on the other end of the line and she couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m going to really miss you; but yeah, it sounds pretty great.” Gemma said, and listened to Lori tell her all the destinations on their itinerary. Afterwards they started talking about the party and it was over two hours before Gemma finally got off the phone.
“You won’t believe what Lori told me!” she said to Ben when she finally found him in his office, setting up the new computer he’d purchased to replace the one the police had confiscated but never returned. Then she told him all about the Carpenter’s travel plans.
“Well, that explains a lot. I called Clint Carpenter earlier and offered to let him buy his stock shares back since I had purchased them under false pretenses. He refused and told me he had big plans for the money.” Ben set the new monitor on the edge of his desk and leaned on it.
“How could you not warn me about it?” Gemma’s eyes were welling with unwanted tears but she forced them back. She’d never been apart from Lori for more than a few days, let alone half a year.
“I had no idea this was what he was planning.” Ben pulled her into his arms hugged her to his chest. Gemma breathed deeply, seeming to draw strength from his embrace. He smelled so good and she felt a growing tingling her body as she clung to him. Spontaneously she kissed him with soft sensual workings of her mouth that soon became urgent with need.
“Do you have any plans right now?” she asked playfully and began to peel off her clothes with slow movements of her hands. Ben watched the garments drop onto the computer boxes one by one and felt himself becoming aroused as she swung her hips erotically and caressed her body as she stripped. Then she peeled away his clothes, ripping them from his body with urgent lust until they were both naked in his office.
They lay onto the floor together between the scattered boxes and Gemma straddled Ben’s face in a sixty-nine position, sucking his delicious cock while he pleasured her pussy with his tongue. Soon they were both panting and moaning with pleasure, clawing at the carpet as the cried out in orgasm. Ben’s foot accidentally kicked his desk and sent the brand new computer monitor crashing to the floor.
“Shit!” Ben laughed and Gemma hugged his chest and laughed with him. “That’s what I get for trying to set a computer on my own.”
“Didn’t you set up the other one?” Gemma asked, tiptoeing carefully around the broken screen to get their clothes.
“Of course not. I’m a Liamworth. We’ve had servants and employees since my grand-parents first bought this mansion a hundred years ago. We don’t cook our food, buy groceries, clean or do chores. You’ll lucky I know how to brush my own teeth. My mother hired an entire team of experts to set up my last computer.”
“That’s terrible!” Gemma laughed. “It’s a good thing I didn’t know how spoiled you were before I fell in love with you. Come on and get dressed, I’m going to show you how to set up a computer all on your own with no servants or employees to do it for you.”
“Can’t I just kick back and let you do it?”
“No! Now get over here!” They laughed together. Ben had never had more fun learning how to do something. He couldn’t help but admire how Gemma shined at her best when she was doing something for someone she cared about. All the Adams’s were that way; Harry and Sara were that way too. They were all willing to do anything for each other, never asking for anything in return or what was in it for them. It was the way he thought all families should be. He just hoped that on the day his family met hers that they merged smoothly. The closer the day approached, the more nervous he became.
Throwing parties was where Lori Carpenter truly shined. She had rented a ballroom at one of the city's finest hotels for the occasion. Everything from the catering,to the decorations, to the staff; were all selected with her expert eye and reflected the best of taste.
Ben and Gemma arrived just as the party was getting started. Ben looked dashing as always in a tailored Armani tux and Gemma looked positively stunning in a floor-length black gown with tiny emeralds accenting the bodice in an intricate floral design that highlighted her eyes. Her long chestnut colored hair was swept up into an elaborate bun with long tendrils of curls left loose to frame her face in a fun and sexy way. Her make-up was done to perfection and Ben thought she had never looked more radiant as he stared at her with obvious lust.
Harry and Sara Adams stood at the entrance to the ballroom, welcoming everyone as they came in, while Walter and Brooke Liamworth circulated through the crowd, shaking hands and introducing themselves to guests. Brooke easily charmed everyone she met with her grace and wit, while Walter impressed them with his business sense. The hors-d'oeuvres were delicious, the drinks were poured liberally, and the music kept the atmosphere celebratory.
“Excuse me miss, but I’m hungry for a bite” Ben came up behind Gemma, wrapped his arms around her waist and nibbled her neck seductively. She had just left a table of her father’s best customers and was standing alone by the food table. It was the first chance they had to be alone together since they’d arrived hours ago.
“Behave, or I’ll tell your mother on you.” Gemma giggled, indicating a nearby table where both their parents were laughing and talking together like old friends.
Ben grinned and said “It looks like they’re getting along better than we hoped.”
“Yeah. I had a chance to talk to my fath
er alone and he said he’s never seen your mother before in his life. She must have lied to your father about the true name of her lover and given him my dad’s name as a cover-up.”
“I’m glad to know there’s no real history between them; but my parents had both insisted that Adams was the name of the man she had cheated with, and I even found the financial records from when they applied for the loan with my dad when I was researching him.”
“You mean spying and plotting?” Gemma teased good naturedly.
“Yes, back when I was a naughty boy in need of a good spanking.” Ben leered playfully and kissed her neck. Then he pulled her by the hand behind the curtains the band was playing in front of, ducking into the dark alcove behind the stage.
“What are you doing? We’re in the middle of a party!” Gemma objected, but her eyes were dancing with excitement.
Ben’s mouth closed over her mouth insistently and she felt his need for her digging into her thigh. Practically everyone she knew was just twenty feet away and she realized she should push him away and rejoin the party; but his lips on her flesh felt so good she didn’t want to stop. The taboo nature of what they were doing only increased her passion and she unzipped the trousers of his tuxedo and fondled his cock.
Ben turned her around so her back was to him and slid his strong hands up her lean legs, lifting the hem of her gown up around her waist. He pushed her panties aside and was delighted to find her already wet and ready. He fingered her sensuously as he kissed her neck and a moan of pleasure escaped her lips as she ground her hips back to meet his touch. The loud music of the band drowned out the sound of her voice and Gemma dared to moan louder, tempting fate with a naughty gleam in her eye.
“Shhhh. We don’t want anyone to hear.” Ben whispered as he bit her earlobe sensuously. He’d always been the bad boy never caring if he got caught, but since falling in love with Gemma he had too much to lose. She had tempered him into wanting to be a better man.