Can't Stop the Feeling

by Maria Geraci

  “Prove it.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “Go out with me again.”

  “What would be the point?”

  “I don’t know,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe a nice dinner. Some good conversation. A pleasant evening?”

  “Followed by some more sex?”

  His face hardened. “If you really think that’s all I want from you, then you don’t know me at all.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t meant to insult him, but that’s exactly how he’d taken it.

  “Hey, you two!” Viola called from the house. “The game has started!”

  “Coming!” Jenna yelled back. She turned to Ben, unsure what say. Should she apologize? Yes, she should apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that sex is all you wanted. But I thought I made myself clear the other night. We don’t have a future, Ben.”

  “Are you going to support Nora’s offer to split the land? Or are you going to vote against it?”

  She was taken back by his abrupt change of topic. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I think it has everything to do with what’s going on between us.”

  “I already told you. That’s not what Earl wanted. His will specifically states—”

  “That’s a load of bullshit, and you know it. You’re like a dog with a damn bone. You don’t care what Earl Handy wanted.”

  “You don’t know what I care about.” Then it suddenly occurred to her. “You’re afraid you’re going to lose, aren’t you? Heaven forbid that the great Ben Harrison might actually lose a case.”

  “Baby, the only one here that’s afraid of losing is you.”

  It was like he’d slapped her. “That’s not true.”

  “You tell yourself that every time some small business owner needs to go somewhere else to find beachfront property to build on, or better yet, let’s see how happy the good people of Whispering Bay are going to be when you have to raise property taxes to keep this town afloat.”

  A huge roar exploded from the living room.

  “Touchdown Noles!” Kitty screamed, followed by the sound of palms slapping as they all high-fived one another. “Jenna! Ben! C’mon back inside, you sorry Hurricane fans!”

  They stood there for a few seconds looking at one another.

  Ben shrugged. “Looks like neither of us is winning right now.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Seminoles ended up beating the Hurricanes thirty-one to fourteen, and after their little spat on the patio, she and Ben didn’t speak to each other the rest of the night.

  Which was perfectly fine with Jenna.

  Baby, the only one here that’s afraid of losing is you.

  How dare he question her motives? It just proved how little he knew her. He made her sound petty and vindictive, when all she wanted was what was best for Whispering Bay. Unlike him, who worshiped the almighty dollar and didn’t care about anything.

  No, that wasn’t fair. He cared about Rachel. He cared about his mother. But the rest of the world? Everyone else was just a pawn on the Ben Harrison chessboard of life.

  She said goodbye to Steve and Kitty, kissed Aunt Viola good night and gave Gus a hug. Ben and a sleepy Rachel had left during the third quarter when she’d slipped off to the bathroom, so at least there hadn’t been any stiff good-byes to deal with.

  Jenna got in her car and was almost home when on a whim, she decided to drive by the new rec center. Built in the Mediterranean style common to the area, it was a twenty thousand square foot, state-of-the-art, multi-purpose community center located right on the beach. No other city that she knew of had anything quite like it. Despite its enormous cost, this was something that would benefit every citizen in Whispering Bay.

  When she’d first been hired, Tom Donalan, the construction supervisor, had given her a tour of the building. He’d made her wear a hard hat, and she’d had to stay within the confines of the areas that he’d deemed safe to inspect, but that had been over a month ago. Things had progressed at an exponentially fast pace since then. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek inside.

  She parked her car in the empty lot. There was a full moon tonight, so it wasn’t completely dark, plus the bright overhead construction lights made it easy to navigate her surroundings.

  There was a rope cordoning off the building with a large, impressive sign in front that read: RESTRICTED AREA. Trespassers Prosecuted. But she was a city employee, so the big bad sign in front didn’t really apply to her.

  She ducked under the rope then trotted past the construction trailer into the large open airway connecting the main building to the locker rooms adjacent to the outdoor pool. There was no gate or barrier keeping her from exploring so she walked around, peeking here and there, enjoying the quiet sound of water lapping against the shoreline and the smell of the salty gulf air.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  If she hadn’t recognized the voice, she would have screamed. Instead, she turned to find Ben less than ten yards away. “What are you? Some kind of ninja? And I could ask you the same question. What are you doing out here? Did you follow me?”

  “I was on my way to your place when I saw your car parked in front. What the hell are you doing out here all alone in the middle of the night?”

  “Don’t yell at me. And it’s not the middle of the night.”

  “It’s after eleven. And I’m not yelling.”

  “Then don’t take that tone of—wait, why were you going to my place?”

  “You know why.”

  Her heart slammed up against her ribs, ricocheted around her chest, then tried to land back in place. Yes, she knew why, but she wanted to hear him say it anyway.

  He slowly walked toward her. “No matter what happens between us, promise me you won’t go prowling around empty buildings in the middle of the night anymore.”

  “This is Whispering Bay, the safest city in—”

  “You’re too smart to finish that sentence. Promise me.”

  “Okay, I promise.”

  “Thank you.” He blew out a breath, then glanced around the buildings. “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”

  “You’ll think I’m silly.”

  “Try me.”

  “I came out here to see what the building looked like. And to blow off some energy. And to think about…what happened tonight on the patio.”

  He nodded like he understood. “Okay, here goes, I was on my way to your house to apologize to you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said the things I said tonight. You have every right to vote the way you want.”

  “Thank you. That was very nicely put by the way.”

  “And?” he urged.

  “All right, all right. I’m sorry, too.”

  He was just a foot away now. Shadowed by the building, it was difficult to see his face. But she could feel him. All six foot three inches of him radiating heat and power and lust. And it was all for her. It was a heady feeling.

  “Oh my God, we’re going to have sex right now, aren’t we?”

  He studied the wall behind her like he was sizing it up. “Yep.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  He began to unbuckle his belt. “Why not?”

  “Because we don’t have protection.”

  He pulled out his wallet and opened it to produce a condom. “Any other objections?”

  She put her palm up in the air. “Hold on while I think of some. Okay, here’s one. Rachel was right. I look like Ronald McDonald. I can’t have sex looking like I’m ready to pimp out the Golden Arches.” She frowned. “Where is Rachel by the way?”

  “Asleep in her bed at the beach house. When we got home my mom was there. And I happen to think you look…cute.”

  “Cute? Puppies are cute. No adult woman wants to be called cute.”

  “Sexy cute, then. Those orange ribbons are turning me on. Bad.”

  “Stop. Or I’
ll think you’re serious.”

  “How’s this for serious? If we don’t fuck soon my dick is going to explode.” He took her hand and placed it over his erection.

  She laughed nervously. “Oh, yeah, I see what you mean.”

  “Any more objections?”

  About a dozen of them.

  “I have a feeling it’s going to be really uncomfortable and totally messy, if it even works at all. I mean, it looks great in the movies, but do you have any real time experience here? Having sex against a wall?”

  He hesitated. “Yes.”

  “Okay. Glad to know one of us knows what they’re doing.”

  He laughed. Dark and rich and rumbly sounding, sending a thrill all the way down to her toes. Then he kissed her, and it felt as if all that deliciousness that was him was somehow being transferred into her.

  Slipping down her leggings, he pulled her panties along with them until they bunched around her ankles. His finger easily found the little nub aching to be stroked. It didn’t take her long to get ready. He unzipped his jeans and handed her the condom. When she was finished rolling it onto his erection, he brought his hands under her legs and lifted her, steadying her against the side of the building. She wrapped herself around him. Then he locked eyes with her and thrust. From this angle he was completely one hundred percent spot-on.

  “Oh my God, Ben, yes. Right there. Please, do that again.”

  “Don’t worry,” he rasped against her neck. “I plan to.”

  Somehow he managed to support her weight while hitting that place where everything seemed to come together over and over again until she screamed out his name. Then he repositioned her slightly, spreading her thighs wider to come in deeper and it started all over again.

  Five minutes or five hours later, Jenna wasn’t sure, her legs were still wrapped around his waist and her hands were tangled in his hair. She wanted to stay like this forever. Especially since she was pretty sure her legs would turn to jelly if she stood on her own.

  “You okay?” She opened her eyes to see Ben looking at her with tender concern.

  She nodded. “How about you?”

  “Never been better.” He gently helped her lower her feet to the ground. Then he stretched out his back and grimaced. “Maybe I’ve been better.”

  They both laughed.

  “Ben, that was…that was—”

  “Yeah, it was,” he said quietly. “For me, too.”

  So where do we go from here? She wished she had the courage to say that out loud. She pulled up her leggings and was trying to do something with her hair when she caught sight of a small black… No.

  When she was able to find her voice again, it sounded eerily calm, considering. “Ben?” She pointed up to the corner of the wall. “I’m pretty sure we just had sex in front of a security camera.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “There’s no reason to panic,” Ben said watching Jenna pace back and forth in her small living room. After discovering the security camera, he’d followed her back to her townhouse, where she’d showered and changed into an oversized sleep shirt that came down to mid-thigh. Her hair was still damp, and she wore striped purple knee socks. He was beginning to think she could be wearing a garbage bag and he’d still want her.

  “We had sex on camera, Ben. For all we know we could end up on some porn channel!”

  “We’re not going to end up on a porn channel or anywhere else for that matter.”

  “How can you be so certain?”

  “I told you, I’m going to take care of it.”

  “What? You have experience here, too? Don’t tell me you’ve been taped having sex and got rid of the evidence before?”

  He gave her a look that stopped her from pacing. “Okay,” Jenna said. “Sorry, that was probably uncalled for.”

  “I’m going to get my personal assistant on this. He’s actually pretty good.” He got out his cell phone, punched in Gavin’s number and placed him on speakerphone.

  “What do you need, sir?” Gavin sounded half asleep.

  “What time is it?” Ben asked.

  “Um, it’s almost one in the morning.”

  “Shit. Sorry about that.”

  “Not a problem, but hold on one moment, sir.” There was a rustling sound, then Gavin came back on the phone. “Tell me what I can do for you.”

  “There’s a video surveillance company called We Gotcha, Inc. They provide security coverage for the city of Whispering Bay. I need you to contact them ASAP and get the footage taken at the new rec center that’s under construction. Anything they have between eleven pm and midnight tonight.”

  “I’m on it, sir.”

  Jenna stopped pacing. “Ask for Stuart Malloy,” she called out. “He’s the guy in charge.”

  “Um…did I just hear a woman’s voice, sir?”

  “Gavin, meet Jenna Pantini. Jenna, this is Gavin Porter.”

  “Hi, Gavin. I’m so sorry we had to wake you up, but this is an emergency.”

  “I have to say, that is…um, hello, Ms. Pantini. And no need for an apology, this is what I live for.”

  Really? “I see. And please, call me Jenna. Can I ask how long you’ve worked for Ben?”

  “Three months, four days and ten hours now.”

  “You like your job? Be honest. Is Ben an ogre?”

  There was dead silence.

  “Feel free to tell her the truth, Gavin,” Ben said.

  “I always tell the truth, sir. To answer your question, Jenna, Mr. Harrison is an excellent employer. I’ve learned more from him in the short time we’ve been together than I did in my entire M.B.A. program.”

  “You have an M.B.A.?”

  “From the University of Chicago. I graduated on a Saturday and went to work for Mr. Harrison first thing Monday morning.”

  “The University of Chicago? That’s really impressive.” Jenna looked confused. “Let me get this straight. You went to work for Ben as his personal assistant? After completing your M.B.A.?”

  “I know what you must be thinking. Normally, you’d need at least a few years’ experience before landing a dream job like this, but luckily Mr. Harrison was willing to take a chance on me.” There was a pause. “I don’t mean to brag, but I beat out fifty-two other very qualified candidates for this position,” he added proudly.

  “Fifty-two?”

  “Oh yes. I know this because my first assignment was to contact all of them and tell them they didn’t get the job. But enough about me, how do you happen to know Mr. Harrison?”

  Ben had never heard Gavin sound so friendly. He should probably put an end to this budding chumminess, but he was curious to hear Jenna’s answer.

  “We met in college.”

  “Harvard?”

  “U. of M.”

  “I don’t know much about Mr. Harrison’s undergraduate days. So the two of you were…friends?”

  “More like study partners.” She gave Ben the side eye. “If wasn’t for me, he’d probably have flunked calculus.”

  “Really?”

  “No,” Jenna said. “I was just trying to yank his chain, but he’s sitting here beside me with absolutely no reaction on his face. Ben was the only one in our calculus class who scored a perfect hundred on the final.”

  “Oh yes, that figures.” There was a long sigh. “He is absolutely brilliant, isn’t he?”

  Time to move things along.

  “To clear the record,” Ben said, “Jenna could hold her own in calculus or any other subject. While I have you on the phone, is everything set up with the new deal?”

  “Ms. Miller was very agreeable to the terms we discussed earlier. I went ahead and sent her the contract and I’m arranging for a transfer of funds from the bank first thing Monday morning.”

  “Good.”

  “Sir, may I inquire about the Rachel situation? Are you sure you don’t want me to look into another nanny? I still feel horribly responsible for the Greta debacle.”

  “Rachel is fine. My
mother and I are handling things for now.”

  “Yes, sir.” There was a pause. “Back to this rec center footage, sir, can I assume this is more of a personal nature than business-related?”

  “You can.”

  “Not that I have any doubt about succeeding, but just how far do you want me to push this?”

  “Do whatever it takes to get that footage. Buy the damned company if you have to.”

  “Very good, sir. Will there be anything else?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Oh, Gavin, thank you so much!” Jenna gushed. “I can’t tell you how much Ben and I appreciate this.”

  “It’s my pleasure! It was wonderful speaking to you, Jenna. And, sir, like I said, no worries. I’m on this right now.”

  Ben disconnected the call.

  “You could have thanked him,” Jenna said.

  “What for? It’s his job. Besides, you thanked him for both of us.”

  She looked at him curiously. “Was Gavin talking about Lauren Miller?”

  “Besides my work for Martinez and Martinez, I have a small company on the side that invests in growing businesses around the state. Baby Got Bump is now one of them. Lauren Miller needed an influx of cash to expand her business operations, and I needed a good investment. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

  “So that’s what the two of you were talking about at the town hall meeting.”

  He nodded.

  “Do you mind if I ask a personal question? Is Gavin straight?”

  It wasn’t the question he was expecting. “I have no idea. Why?”

  “Because he has a major crush on you. I’m just not sure if it’s because he’s into you or just in awe of you. Or maybe it’s both.”

  “I doubt it’s either of those.”

  “Trust me. A woman can sense these things.” Her smile faded. “Ben, I hate to harp on this, but do you really think we can get that video footage?”

  “Absolutely.” Despite his bravado, she still looked worried. “Baby, I promise you, no one is ever going to see that tape.”

  Her expression softened. “Did you mean it when you told him to buy the company if he had to? Because, I have to tell you, Ben, that is just so…sexy.”