Twenty Times Tempted: A Sexy Contemporary Romance Collection

by Petrova, Em

  At first, the matter seemed doomed for a civil courtroom. Don argued his daughter was entitled to keep the ring after she had been emotionally damaged by Ben. All the while Tracey alternated crying and pouting. Their lawyer tried to bluff his way through the meeting and eventually tried to strike a deal to split the proceeds from the sale of the ring. Ben’s lawyer simply reiterated what Ben told Tracey earlier in the day. The law was clear; in the event of a broken engagement, the ring was to be returned to the purchaser. The lawyer went on to give the figures for his time, along with court and filing fees he would request as a part of the lawsuit he would be filing at the courthouse at nine the next morning.

  Tracey and Don’s lawyer asked for some private time with his clients. They returned an hour later, Tracey’s eyes red and her mascara running.

  The little blue box containing the engagement ring was presented, along with a legal release for Ben to sign. Just as his spirits soared and he lifted a pen, his lawyer unceremoniously yanked the pen from his hand. He would not allow him to sign the release until the ring was appraised by a jeweler in the morning, on the possibility the diamond had been switched out for a lesser quality stone or even a fake.

  He left the office disappointed it all wasn’t over yet, but at least things looked brighter. So much trouble and heartache over a piece of jewelry.

  After eight o’clock, he stepped into his apartment. Weariness consumed him. He never got in touch with Josselyn, and missed their dinner engagement with the Leighton’s. He hoped she wouldn’t be too upset with him.

  His cell phone was nowhere to be found, and Josselyn’s cell phone number was stored in it. She would still be at Patrick and Autumn’s house anyway. Two hours later, he tried calling the house, but there was no answer. At midnight there was no answer. He started to worry and considered driving home, but he needed to be back in his lawyer’s office at eight-thirty the next morning. It would be ridiculous to drive three hours to Unity and three hours back. He would just go to bed, take care of business tomorrow, and drive home. Josselyn would understand.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ben walked into the house at three o’clock carrying an armload of suits, dress shirts, and coordinating ties.

  Josselyn couldn’t stop herself from glaring. She greeted him with, “Please ask your girlfriend to stop calling this house.”

  After waiting and worrying all night, she was tired and cranky, and she didn’t want to hear any feeble excuses from Ben.

  He closed the door behind him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your girlfriend...Tracey...whoever she is to you these days. She’s called my cell phone demanding to speak with you. She took great delight in rubbing in how you two spent the day together, and that she has your cell phone. I left personal messages on that phone!”

  He stiffened with immediate defense. “First of all, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s nothing to me! I only saw her yesterday because we had a personal matter to take care of!”

  Tears rose in her eyes, and she blinked them back. Clearly there were aspects of his life he had no intentions of sharing with her. “So you were with her! No wonder you didn’t want me to go into the city with you!”

  He laid his clothes on the easy chair and flopped down on the sofa. “Well, I certainly didn’t expect this kind of reception.”

  “Then what did you expect, Ben? I worried myself sick thinking something happened to you! Little did I know you went from my bed to your former fiancée! Doing who knows what, while I’m making excuses for you to Patrick and Autumn! You didn’t even call!”

  “I did call—you didn’t pick up. Granted, it wasn’t until after ten last night, but I did call.”

  “I unplugged the phone when she started calling.”

  He raked a hand through his blond hair. “If you must know, Josselyn, I was getting back the engagement ring I gave to Tracey. It cost me twenty-thousand dollars, and she refused to return it until I got a lawyer involved.”

  Josselyn was stunned. “You gave that woman a twenty-thousand-dollar engagement ring? What is wrong with you? That’s more money than some people earn in an entire year!”

  “I would have done the same for you,” he retorted. “But after today, I’m not so sure.”

  “Oh, grow up, Ben. I have no use for a twenty-thousand-dollar piece of jewelry. All I wanted from you was a bit of honesty. ‘Trust me, Josselyn,’” she mocked. “I overheard your conversation on the phone yesterday morning. Were you pretending all along to love me, when in reality you were just trying to charm me out of this house?”

  His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about, Joss? The only person I spoke with yesterday from this house was my lawyer in regards to my getting the engagement ring back from Tracey. If you think I’ve been playing you all this time, you’re being ridiculous.” He got to his feet and headed for the stairs.

  At the last minute, he turned back to her. “To think, I saw a lawyer yesterday to end my claim on this house.”

  Tears streamed down her face. “You never wanted this house, Ben. You’re so stubborn! You only wanted it when you found out I wanted it. I mean, look around this place.” She gestured with her hands around the room. “The roof is leaking, the furnace needs replacing, and the plumbing is shot! Someone who can afford to buy a twenty-thousand-dollar engagement ring doesn’t live in a house like this.”

  He leaned against the hand rail of the stairs. “So if I give you the house and walk away, how do you intend to pay for all the repairs?”

  She chuckled unpleasantly. “The house wasn’t the only thing your father left me.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.

  “Life insurance, you know, money? I was Morgan’s beneficiary.”

  His expression caved, and she instantly regretted telling him about the money.

  “I should have known.” His voice was defeated, but not nasty. He sank onto the stairs.

  Josselyn inhaled deeply. Words poured out of her mouth without her thinking first. “Ben, why don’t you just pack up and go back to the city? Your life is there, not here with me.”

  “Maybe I will, Josselyn. I was going to propose to you tonight. Now…” He ended with a shrug.

  “Let’s just hope there’s no baby. I guess we don’t need any more entanglements,” she stated stiffly.

  He stood up and walked in long, quick strides until he stood in front of her with a haunted look in his blue eyes intense enough to cause her to quiver.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’ve never used a condom.”

  “I assumed you were on the pill or something.”

  “You knew very well I wasn’t sexually active before I met you. There was no reason for me to be on the pill!”

  He unleashed a barrage of obscenities under his breath. “This is all I need right now,” he stated with a sardonic edge. “You get me to put my baby inside you, and then you’re taken care of for the rest of your life. What a great pension plan! Nice little racquet you came up with, Josselyn. Who taught you that one, your mother?”

  “Don’t you realize if I was truly like my parents, if I was the gold-digging grifter you’ve accused me of being, I would have had you out of this house the first night you arrived?”

  He didn’t reply. He only continued to stare down at her with icy blue eyes.

  Her voice went eerily calm. “I know how to play the game, Ben. I had all the tools I needed available to me. You were furious that night. I was a woman alone and scared out of my wits when you burst through the front door. Let’s not forget the sympathetic cop who just happens to be a bit lonely. Not only would I have got you out of this house, you would have spent at minimum, one night in jail, came out with a restraining order, and just maybe, I would have had a nice little civil lawsuit against you and made some extra cash to boot. I certainly didn’t need to string you along, or have sex with you just to get pregnant, and then bleed you for child support. I don’t have the time o
r desire to plan and carry out such an elaborate rouse.”

  “No, you just let yourself get pregnant, and you have your hooks into me for life. Or maybe, you just used me to hold on to a little piece of Morgan.”

  That was the limit. She heard enough. She should have trusted her first instincts. Ben would always be suspicious of her motives.

  “Ben, I don’t want to argue with you. Perhaps I was wrong. I flew off the handle at you, and maybe you didn’t deserve any of it. I just thought when two people were in love they shared everything, that they were a team. Obviously you have a different idea.”

  “Yeah, I guess I’ll just go,” he mumbled. “I’ll send for my things.” He walked out the door without looking back.

  Long after she had heard his car pull away from the curb, Josselyn continued to stare at the closed door. She hadn’t given him a chance to explain about the night before. She exploded all over him without a second thought, and hurt him deeply by mentioning the life insurance money Morgan had left her.

  Now he was gone, presumably back to the city, and maybe she inadvertently drove him back into the arms of his former fiancée. She was alone again, and the realization caused a potent sick feeling inside her to leave her shaken. The love of her life was gone.

  ***

  Ben drove halfway back to the city before turning his car around and heading back towards Unity. He would not give up yet.

  As the afternoon traffic began to build, he pulled off into the parking lot of a shopping mall and headed inside. His first purchase was a new cell phone. At the same time, he was able to have the salesperson cancel the service on his lost phone.

  “Before we cancel the service, would you like to listen to your messages?” the salesman asked.

  “Sure,” he shrugged. What could it hurt? The messages were all from Josselyn. She tried multiple times to get in touch with him the evening before. Each message her tone became more frantic. She was afraid something terrible had become of him. At the end of every message, she finished with the three words, I love you.

  Added to the deep, nagging pain in his belly, was an intense ache to his heart.

  While he waited for the salesman, he chose a new phone for Josselyn as well. With Tracey having her number and already invading her privacy, he owed it to Joss to buy her a new phone with a new number. He wanted Tracey out of their lives forever.

  What a mistake he had made by not telling Josselyn his real intention for going into the city. All he wanted was to keep his old life separate from his new one. By not being up front and honest with her, had he shattered everything they built together?

  With the new phones in hand, he made one more stop in the mall to send Autumn Leighton an arrangement of flowers as an apology for missing the dinner engagement the night before.

  After leaving the mall, he drove to the closest Burger World for a burger and fries and ate his dinner in the car, followed by a generous slug of antacid. When he finished, he gathered his courage and used his new cell phone to call home.

  Josselyn answered on the fourth ring.

  “Hi Joss, it’s just me,” he tried to sound normal. He half expected her to slam the phone.

  Her tone was guarded. “Hey, Ben, what’s up?”

  “I made a rash decision by leaving today. I would like to come home. I wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be okay? It’s your home, too. I’ll probably be in bed when you get here. I’ve had a splitting headache all day.”

  He wondered if she wasn’t ready to see him face-to-face yet. “There’s Codeine and Vicodin in my bag. Take something, and get right into bed.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve already taken Tylenol. I don’t want to take any chances with prescription medication.” She paused before adding, “Just in case.”

  At first he didn’t catch her meaning, but then he understood. She didn’t want to take anything potentially harmful to an unborn baby. His stomach clenched. “Well, just rest then, Joss. I’m going to go out to the lake for a while to collect my thoughts. I’ll be home soon. I’ll check on you in bed later, if that’s alright.”

  “Sure. Oh and, Ben, I left something for you on the kitchen table.”

  What now? He wasn’t sure how much more stress he could take. “Okay, rest and make yourself well, my lovely. I’ll see you soon.”

  ***

  Dusk fell as Ben arrived at the lake. Just the sound of the gently rippling water was enough to lull him into a sense of peace. As he settled beneath his favorite oak tree and closed his eyes, he heard a voice shout his name in the distance.

  Opening his eyes, he saw Ryan Maine motioning for him to join him and his fiancée Amii, enjoying a barbeque on their patio.

  Ben groaned. He hoped to spend some quality time alone to think about his life and what direction he wanted to take. Instead, not wanting to alienate his new friends, he lumbered to his feet, and sprinted toward the couple.

  “Hey, it’s great to see you two again.”

  He strove to sound upbeat and friendly. The first thing he noticed when Amii stood up, the little midriff top she was wearing exposed a gently rounded belly. He was once again reminded of a real chance Josselyn could be pregnant.

  “Oh, this is our little secret,” Ryan said with a huge grin, as he placed his hand on Amii’s bare belly.

  Ben’s face immediately heated. He hadn’t meant to stare.

  “We wanted to keep something so special and intimate just between us for a little while longer. It’s starting to become more obvious with each passing day,” Amii explained.

  “I completely understand. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. Congratulations to you both.”

  She smiled and sat back in her chair. “You can tell Josselyn.”

  “So, Ben, are you hungry?” Ryan asked.

  “No thanks, I’ve had dinner.”

  “How about a beer or a soda?”

  He accepted a soda. “I came out to the lake while Josselyn is getting an early rest. She’s not feeling well, and I wanted her to have a quiet house to herself for a while.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope she’s feeling better soon. Please give Josselyn our best,” Amii said.

  “Thanks, I will.” He liked this couple. They were friendly and sweet, but clearly they marched to the beat of their own drummer.

  “I’m glad you stopped by, Ben. I was speaking with Nick earlier this week. He mentioned you might be interested in buying this house.”

  Ben shrugged and sipped his soda. “I have always loved this lake. It’s so peaceful here. You two got lucky.”

  “Well, we’re buying a new home over in the subdivision where Nick and Evan live with their families.”

  Ben was baffled. “Why would you want to leave this serenity for a crowded subdivision? It’s like a little piece of heaven tucked away from everyone and everything.”

  “It’s not that we want to leave; it makes more sense for us, with the baby coming and all,” Amii interjected.

  “Originally, we were going to have this house extended to add two bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, and a formal dining room, an office, and a guest bathroom downstairs. We even had the plans drawn up by an architect,” Ryan explained. “But we’re so bogged down with work between the television writing we do, and my legal consultancy, it just makes more sense to move. I’m sure you’re well aware this is a very small house.”

  “Right now, we use the laundry room as an office,” Amii added with a chuckle.

  “Plus, I don’t want to risk Amii breathing in any dust or fumes while she’s pregnant, and we certainly don’t want any dust or noise when the baby arrives. I want what’s best for my family. It seems more efficient for us to move. Besides, there are some gorgeous new homes being built in the subdivision.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” Ben agreed.

  “So I want to give you first crack at the house before we put it on the market. No pressure though. Take some time to think about it.
We’re going away for a few days next week anyway,” Ryan said.

  The offer was certainly worth considering. He dreamed of owning this property. He could either follow through with the extension of the house, or tear it down completely and build his dream home. Of course, he was considering buying into a medical practice, and that would be an enormous financial undertaking.

  “Don’t worry, we won’t gouge you on the price—you can buy it for the same amount of money I paid Nick,” Ryan said as if he was reading Ben’s mind. “I’ll throw in the architect’s plans as well.”

  “I’ll definitely think about it and talk it over with Joss. I know she’s happy and settled at our house on Little Pine Road.”

  “We just want to give you first refusal.”

  Ben opted for a change of subject. “So, are you two going for a much-needed vacation?”

  The couple looked at each other and smiled.

  “Don’t tell anyone—we’re going to the Bahamas to get married.”

  “Congratulations,” Ben said sincerely.

  “I have a friend who has a Gulfstream at the private airport in the city. He’s loaning us the use of the plane and his pilot as a wedding gift. We’re going to fly out Wednesday evening and return Sunday,” Ryan said.

  “It’s not that we don’t want our friends to know about the wedding, but Ryan and I don’t like fuss and hoopla. We would rather go away, get married, and tell everyone when we get home,” Amii explained.

  “Perfectly understood.”

  “Plus, with our schedule, we could barely fit in this trip to get married,” Ryan added. “Besides, I don’t want to wait any longer,” he said casting a long, loving look at Amii.

  “There’s plenty of room on the plane if you and Josselyn would like to come along. Think about it—a nice private wedding on the beach, a five-star hotel. It would be very romantic,” Amii suggested.

  Ben nearly choked on his soda. “Do you mean Josselyn and me getting married, too?” He had planned on proposing, but to actually consider getting married in a few days was mind-boggling.