The One That Got Away

by S J Crabb

  The service is beautiful and there is not a dry eye in the room, from the ladies anyway. It seems that in no time at all they are pronounced husband and wife and Boris swings Phoebe high in the air and dips her to the floor for a kiss. Everyone laughs and they head back down the aisle to make their way outside for the photographs. I find Ben and my parents and we sip champagne and watch events unfold.

  I have my photograph taken with all sorts of groups but my favourite is the one with just Phoebe and me. I am going to miss sharing with her and every time I think about it tears come to my eyes. Once my duty is done I find Ben and he pulls me into his arms. “At last, you are mine,” he says laughing. I relax against his body and wouldn’t care if I didn’t move from there for the rest of the evening. However the wedding takes priority and we all filter in for the meal.

  Phoebe has organised the best wedding breakfast that I have ever seen. I look at my mother and laugh saying, “And you thought that she couldn’t pull it off. How wrong you were.” My mother laughs but I notice that she looks a little misty eyed at the reminder that it was supposed to be my day.

  The speeches are hilarious and Boris does not disappoint. We are all soon howling with laughter and Phoebe often interrupts him which makes everyone laugh even more. Once the meal is over we all get to have a break before the evening do. I notice that Phoebe and Boris disappear upstairs and smile to myself. Ben takes my hand in his and whispers, “Why don’t you show me your room?” A tingle runs through me and giggling we race upstairs.

  Before the door has even had time to close we are pulling each others clothes off. I can’t wait to get him into bed but before we make it there we hear a loud knock on the door and my mother’s voice shouting, “Are you there Bella?” We freeze almost in midair and I put my hand over Ben’s mouth stifling the giggles. Luckily we locked the door and we soon hear her footsteps walking away. Ben grabs hold of me and pulls me on to the bed. “I’m sorry Bella, but I can’t wait any longer. You look so sexy as a bridesmaid and I am going to live out one of my fantasies right now.”

  I can’t wait to feel him and we don’t hang around. The wedding can wait as far as we are concerned. The only thing that matters is our need for each other.

  Sheepishly we head back to the wedding an hour later. I had to re do my hair and make up as best I could and I am sure that it is written all over my face what we have been up to. My mother sees us coming out on to the veranda and says, “Where have you been, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Were you with Phoebe and Boris, they’re missing as well?”

  Not daring to look at Ben I say, “Yes they should be around here somewhere.” She heads off to find them and I say to Ben quietly, “I am going to Hell for lying to my mother and using my best friend as an alibi on her wedding day.” He laughs and flashes me a totally sexy look. “Well if you’re going to Hell, then that makes me the Devil.” I grin at him and say, “I always thought that you were.”

  We spend the next couple of hours chatting to various other guests. On the whole most are really nice. I know lots of Phoebe’s friends and family but don’t know that many of Boris’s side. I help Phoebe out on the odd occasion that she needs help with her dress and generally we have a lovely time. There are a few awkward moments with some of Boris’s friends who obviously feel uncomfortable around Ben, and I remember that he was unpopular amongst the banking crowd when he worked there.

  The evening arrives and with it hundreds of other people who descend on Harden Hall in their droves. The wedding is now mainly outside as it is a warm evening and the garden has been lit up with fairy lights and lanterns. A bar has been set up on the lawn which is doing a roaring trade.

  Phoebe and I manage to find time to dance and Camilla is hilarious to watch on the dance floor with her husband Henry, who turns out to be just as eccentric as she is. My parents are sitting with Phoebe’s parents and they are just chatting happily away whilst getting steadily drunk.

  Ben and I take to the dance floor and he pulls me into his arms. I lean against his broad chest enjoying the feeling of security and allow him to move me around the dance floor. He runs his hands over my back and I arch my body closer to him. I play with his hair as we dance and he gently kisses my head. “How much longer before we can escape upstairs?” he whispers gently in my ear. Feelings of longing shoot through me and I grip him more tightly. “If I had my way now,” I say breathlessly. “But we should wait until Boris and Phoebe go up, hopefully it won’t be much longer.” He squeezes me tighter and says, “You’re driving me mad here. I want you so much. This is torture.” I laugh at the sound of his voice. He sounds tortured and I can feel his body hard against me. Pulling back I say, “Well I am sure that nobody would miss us for half an hour.”

  Grinning at me he says wickedly, “Oh no Bella, you won’t get off that easily. What I have in mind for you will take a lot longer than half an hour.” He laughs as he sees my expression. I must have lust written all over my face and my body has suddenly turned to liquid. He reluctantly pulls away and says, “Come on I need a drink.”

  We head over to the bar and order a couple of drinks and then take them inside to see if we can find Phoebe and Boris. I notice that the evening is still in full swing and realise that it will be some time before it finishes. I can see Phoebe in the distance and notice that she has changed and is looking gorgeous in a white cocktail dress. Seeing us coming she shouts, “Bella, Ben over here.” She is standing with Boris and who I assume to be some of his friends. I notice that Boris suddenly looks nervous and Ben tenses beside me. The expressions on the faces of some of Boris’s friends aren’t that welcoming and I fear that it will be awkward. Holding tightly onto Ben’s hand we go over and Phoebe says, “Guys this is my best friend Bella who I love like a sister and her gorgeous boyfriend Ben.”

  Everyone politely murmurs greetings and I wish that we were anywhere but here. Boris tries to lighten the atmosphere and turns the conversation onto safer ground but I still feel uneasy. Suddenly I notice that Phoebe’s eyes widen and as Boris looks to where she is looking his expression grows wary. I follow their gaze and see Nathan standing there behind us, his expression hard and angry. Ben turns at the same time and I feel him tense up even more than he is already and he pulls me behind him gripping my hand tightly. Boris coughs nervously and says, “Nathan, good to see you mate. Um let me take you to get a drink.” Phoebe looks nervous and I feel sorry that Nathan is obviously going to make a scene at her wedding.

  Nathan speaks in a cold voice. “Phoebe, Boris, I am sorry to crash your wedding, oh no wait, shouldn’t this be our wedding Bella?” I can see the confused looks on the group of Boris’s friends and my heart sinks. Looking sternly at him I say, “Nathan, whatever you have come here to say please don’t. It’s Phoebe and Boris’s day and I don’t want you to ruin it.” He runs his fingers through his hair and a look of anguish passes over his face. “I am sorry but this is the perfect time for me to say what I need to say.”

  I step forward and say, “Then come with me and say it outside, away from the wedding.” His head jerks up and his eyes flash. “No, I will say it now, in front of all these people. He looks at Ben with hatred in his eyes and it makes me gasp at its intensity. Ben pulls me back again and says in a tightly controlled voice, “Then say it and then get out. You are not welcome here Nathan and you are making a fool of yourself.”

  Nathan laughs derisively. “On the contrary Ben, it is you who are the fool. Did you really think that I would allow you to get away with taking my girlfriend away from me? You may think that you hold all the cards but I am here to tell you that you don’t, and by the time I have finished Bella and everyone here will see you for what you really are.”

  I look at Ben and notice that his face has tightened and the look he is giving Nathan sends chills down my spine. You can almost hear a pin drop and it appears that the crowd around us has grown as more and more people have joined the group to hear what is going on. I look at Phoebe and see the angui
sh on her face. This isn’t fair on her and it makes me angry so once again I step forward and say, “Enough Nathan. Please leave. This is Phoebe’s wedding and you are not welcome. How dare you try and ruin it.”

  Nathan looks at me and his face softens. “Bella, you know that I would do anything for you, which is why I have to do this. All that matters to me is you and I have to save you from making the biggest mistake of your life. It has to be done, I am sorry.” He once again faces Ben and speaks in a controlled voice. “This man in front of you doesn’t care who he hurts to get what he wants. I have not been idle since he warned me off from contacting Bella. I have made it my mission to find out everything I can about him. I found out that he was the most hated man in the City just before the banking crisis. In fact many believe that it was his actions that brought it all about.” I notice one or two of Boris’s friends nodding and my heart sinks.

  Nathan carries on. “Around that time many people lost their jobs because of Ben Hardcastle. He was a trouble shooter for the banks and he rode roughshod over people’s lives, good honest hardworking people who didn’t deserve what he did to them.” I can feel that Ben has gone very still and his body is tense. Nathan continues, his voice sounding like steel. “There is a strong rumour that Ben caused a prominent banker to take his own life. Apparently he had an affair with the man’s wife and used her to gain access to top secret files that exposed the bank to a takeover. The man was ousted from the bank and faced ruin. His wife left him and then Ben left her after he received a huge payout from the people that received the information from him which subsequently meant that they took control. The banker committed suicide and it was all because of Ben Hardcastle.”

  I start to feel sick and I can see the shocked faces of everyone around me. Everyone is looking at Ben with hatred but I cannot let his hand go. I squeeze it and he tightens his grip on me but continues to look at Nathan. Nathan’s eyes narrow and he says bitterly. “He started buying up Independent department stores from people that had spent their lives building them up. He targeted the weakest first and because it was now a recession they were desperate and he paid them well below what they were worth. One by one they fell to him. It was convenient to him that his actions had caused the chaos and he was going to benefit from it the most. Oh it was all legal and above board but was morally corrupt. He came to Kingham’s and it was there that he met my beautiful Bella. He knew her from his past and he had to have her. I don’t know how it happened but my life was destroyed and he moved in on her at her weakest moment. She didn’t stand a chance. He told me that if I told anyone at any of the stores about their relationship and if I ever contacted her again then he would kill me.”

  There is a collective buzz of disbelief around us and I can now see that mine and Phoebe’s parents have joined the group, their faces set in worry and disbelief. Ben is still silent and offers no defence or explanation. Nathan carries on regardless, this is his platform and he is going to say everything that he came to say. “Well I am here to tell Bella just what sort of monster you are. If anything happens to me now there are many witnesses who can link you to it Ben, so I wouldn’t try anything if I were you. I no longer need your job and you can take this as my resignation speech. Oh, and I have also sent an email to every single one of your employees telling them what I have just said.” A gasp is heard from the listening crowd but still Ben says nothing. I am so confused and can’t take it all in.

  Nathan looks at me and his expression softens. “I’m sorry to have to spell all of this out to you Bella. It must be a lot to take in but I had to make you see what sort of monster you are with. Now you know the truth I know that you will do the right thing. This is not the world you live in. You are decent and kind and deserve more than him. Just remember that I have always loved you and you would make me the happiest man alive if you would allow me to look after you and love you as I did before.”

  I look in confusion between the two of them and Ben suddenly looks at me. His eyes are darker than I have ever seen and his expression is blank. He looks back at the crowd of people and then directs his words to Nathan. “Have you finished now?” he says, his voice full of steel. I flinch at his tone and I can see the crowd looking nervous. Nathan stands still just looking at him and nods. Ben then says, “I cannot believe that you have come here tonight with your own twisted agenda and hi jacked Phoebe and Boris’s wedding. I do not have to explain myself to any of you; the lies that you have spoken Nathan are just that, they are not based on fact but on rumours. I am glad that you have tendered your resignation as it will save me the trouble of dismissing you. Now if you have finished I suggest that you leave and let everybody get back to enjoying the wedding.”

  Nathan sneers at him and then turns to me his eyes burning into mine and his face showing more emotion in it than I have ever seen. “Come with me Bella, walk away. Now is your chance. We don’t need him I will take care of you, please baby I love you.” I look at him and then at Ben in bewilderment. I can see that everyone is looking at me waiting for my decision. I see Phoebe looking concerned and then my mother who nods in Nathan’s direction. Then I look at Ben. He is looking at me intensely, his eyes drawing me in and mesmerising me as he always does. As I continue to stare at him I see a sudden flash of uncertainty followed by one of desperation. He stands in front of me and says softly so that it is almost just a whisper, “Do you trust me Bella?” He then gives me a look that melts my very soul. I can see all of him in that one look and it is enough to make up my mind in an instant.

  I tear my gaze away and face Nathan. I walk up to him and there is a gasp from the crowd. Nathan smiles lovingly at me and puts out his hands to take mine. Looking up at him I see the man that I fell in love with, he is so open and honest and I know that my life would be so easy with him. I understand that it wasn’t his fault that he cheated and the fact that he has come here tonight and said all that he said shows his love for me. My parents love him as do all of my friends. I can feel Ben’s eyes burning into my back and shakily I smile at Nathan.

  “Thank you Nathan. I can see that you do really care for me and I am so grateful to you for all that you have done for me. It must have taken a lot for you to come here and do all of this, it can’t have been easy.” He reaches up and touches my face and his eyes shine. At this moment he looks so happy and I feel bad for him. Moving away I look back at Ben who is watching me as if turned to stone, his gaze never leaving me for a second. Turning back to Nathan I say, “I’m sorry Nathan, it is Ben who I love and want to be with. He may have done some harsh things in the past but I know that he is kind and a good person at heart. I can’t leave him, I’m sorry.”

  The crowd is silent and I see my mother’s shocked expression. I move back to Ben and take his hand. He squeezes it hard and I feel him instantly relax. Nathan looks at us with an ominous expression and without saying anything more spins on his heel and storms off.

  The crowd soon move away and leave Ben and I standing there on our own. He pulls me towards him and I can see the relief in his face. He traces his fingers down the side of my face and says, “Thank you Bella. I love you, always know that, I always have and always will. Nobody will ever hurt you whilst I am around.” I look up at him lovingly and say, “I know that Ben. The person that Nathan spoke of doesn’t exist. I know you and you know me. It took us years to get here but I am never letting you go again.” He pulls me towards him and kisses me with so much love and passion, that I know that I was right. Ben is my soul mate. Without him I have nothing.

  Epilogue

  The email flashed onto the screen and she smiled as she saw the sender. It had taken a while to come but as she opened it she was pleased to see that the job had been a success. She didn’t reply, she had no need to, her work was done.

  As she flicked off the screen she thought back to what had happened. As jobs went she had enjoyed this one. It had been enjoyable although she would have liked more actual contact with her supposed boyfriend. Laughing to her
self she remembered how much fun it had actually been. Nathan had been good fun and she had been attracted to him which had helped considerably. Seducing him had been easy, but then again it always was. The downside had been the pretence of liking football. She actually hated it and didn’t miss the Sundays spent at the touchline. The sex had been good though, although she would have liked to have tried it with Ben. He was more her type. Strong and silent, the brooding type. If you cross someone like him you know about it. Mind you it wasn’t the first time that they had worked together and wouldn’t be the last.

  Then there was Bella. Laughing to herself she wondered if she would ever find out what had really happened. She hoped not for Ben’s sake. Bella’s sort would never understand and she wondered how long it would take before she realised that it wasn’t really, “Happy ever after.”

  Looking across at the baby scan picture she thought what a stroke of genius that had been. Men are so gullible. It wasn’t the only time that she had used that particular picture, the results were always the same though, women could never forgive a cheater when there was a possible baby on the way.

  Getting up from her desk she walked over to her dressing table. She pulled the red wig that was residing on a tailors dummy on to her head. Hmm not bad, she had enjoyed being a blonde but now it was time for her next job. Erica Stevens, heiress to a billion dollar fortune, awaited her. This one may take her longer but the end results would be the same, they always were. It was the reason that she was in so much demand.

  It was almost a shame that she would never get the recognition that she deserved. The phone rang and she picked it up smiling as she saw the caller. “Hi honey, I’m just coming. I’ll be down in five. Love you.” Hanging up she smiled, here I go again, and she grabbed her bag and slammed the door behind her.