Microsoft Word - Starter Boyfriend.doc

by Lana Jovanovic

  “Gardens,” Ben repeated.

  “Yeah,” she smiled. “English ones in particular.” She turned in her chair as one of the musicians spoke into the microphone introducing his band. As the music began playing, they both settled back in their chairs to listen. The music was mellow and comforting.

  Feeling a bit sleepy and relaxed, Zoe looked back at Ben and found him watching her with gentle eyes. She smiled and pushed her hair over her shoulder. She looked back at the band for a moment; Ben didn’t look way from her. She laughed when she met his eyes again.

  “I think you’re very beautiful, Zoe,” Ben said. His voice was deep and soft; there was something in his eyes that told her he was being genuine. There was also something unfamiliar there, something heated and intense; something that he hid as best he could.

  It didn’t feel like the other looks she’d been getting lately—the slow ogles up and down her body; gazes dropping on her breasts—linked with suggestive comments about getting her into bed. Ben look was gentle and showed his interest in a way that wasn’t completely overbearing. He showed just enough interest that it wouldn’t scare her away.

  His gaze was attentive; when he looked at her, he really looked at her. He saw her. Saw past the outside and really got a look at what was underneath. She didn’t get that often, especially lately.

  “There’s something about your eyes—I don’t know, sorry.” He laughed and sat back. “I feel like I’m blabbering….”

  “Thank you,” she said after a moment.

  “I’m glad you decided to come out with me tonight—I’ve been thinking a lot about you,” he continued quickly, “I know how that sounds. But, I was drawn in when you bumped into me that day. I was curious about you. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, but I always hoped that I’d run into you accidently. Like today.” His fingers moved across their little table and touched hers. When she didn’t pull away, he brought her hand into his. His hands were big and swallowed hers up in velvety softness. She noticed his nails were trim and clean and his fingers felt very strong.

  “Are you having a good time?”

  “I’m having a great time,” she nodded. “I haven’t laughed so much in weeks—it feels really nice to laugh again. I’m glad that we bumped into each other, but….” She watched as he brought his other hand over the top of her knuckles. The warmth of his skin crept up her arm, she smiled nervously. “I… am sort of getting over someone….”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I can tell.”

  Zoe didn’t like that she was so transparent to him and felt embarrassed.

  “He’s sorta trying to make up his mind about who he wants in his life—me or his ex-fiancée,” Zoe whispered. Ben nodded, his fingers stroked her skin as he turned her hand over to look at her palm; his fingers continued to trace and touch. Zoe was finding it hard to concentrate. “I feel… something for him—I’m not really sure what. I’ve been trying to move on though… to not pine for the ‘what ifs.’ At the same time, I’m waiting for his decision. I don’t feel right….”

  “I’m not asking for anything,” Ben interrupted, “just friendship.” Zoe laughed and shook her head with a sigh, “That’s what he was after too. We were both after that actually—it was never meant to be serious at all. It just sorta happened.”

  “So, you don’t want to start anything new until you know what this guy is going to do,” Ben said. He still hadn’t released her hand from his; she was starting to wonder what his hands would feel like on the rest of her body. “Are you really ready to go back to a person who had to take a break to decide what he wanted? I can assure you that I would know what I wanted instantly.”

  Zoe looked away from his intense eyes and sighed. “It’s complicated. But yes—I would go back to him.”

  “So… you’re not looking to move on?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t know,” Zoe answered. She laughed because crying would be too humiliating.

  “So, how about a distraction?” Ben asked. “I’m willing to be a distraction for you—a rebound.”

  Zoe laughed, “That’s not what I’m looking for, Ben.”

  “How about someone to help you make him impossibly jealous?” Ben asked a gleam in his eyes. “A potential catch; a guy to make him squirm?” Zoe couldn’t help herself, she really liked that idea. Not that she would prance around on the arm of another man in front of Colton, she wasn’t that manipulative. But perhaps she’d know a bit more about how Colton felt about her if she were to run into him when she was with Ben. Maybe a little competition would make Colton realize what he wanted faster and she wouldn’t have to wait anymore. But what about Ben? What if Colton chose her instead of Cara—then Ben was left alone.

  Zoe was thinking about all of this when Ben scooted his chair back and rose, still holding her hand. She watched him with big eyes as he sat in the chair adjacent to hers. He smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

  “What do you say to Operation Make the Other Guy Jealous?” His fingers moved slowly down her jaw, turning her head toward his. Zoe’s heart hiccoughed in her chest as she watched Ben’s eyes carefully. He was leaning toward her, the space between them now mere inches. His left hand still held hers and his right continued to touch her face and hair.

  “O-okay,” Zoe whispered. Ben smiled and released her hand in order to cup both of her cheeks between his palms. She gasped just before his mouth pressed gently against hers.

  The warm of his skin and the soft pressure of his lips were nice—very nice. It took Zoe only a moment to get over the shock that he was kissing her; when she did, she returned his kiss hesitantly, unsure of it. With Colton it had been easy to experiment and explore because he knew not to expect much and she’d felt safe with him because he knew about her lack of experience. With Ben things were new and different. He didn’t know about her past, which was discomforting because she would have to explain her lack of skills.

  Or perhaps they would explain themselves. Either way, she prayed that she was good enough to pass off as somewhat experienced and could avoid an uncomfortable conversation.

  Ben drew back first and smiled, “Perhaps that will give him something to watch.” The tingling aftereffect of his kiss and the twisting pull of her tummy vanished instantly as Zoe was struck by an intense feeling of fear. “W-what, who?”

  “There’s a man about four tables over who’s been watching us all night,” Ben answered as he swept Zoe’s hair behind her ear. “I recognize him….” Zoe licked her lower lip and picked up the new glass of tea the waitress had brought her.

  She took a sip and set the glass down rather hard. She didn’t want to look, but how could she not? She allowed Ben to draw her against his side and took his hand when he moved it under hers. At the same time she let her eyes roam the room. She held her breath as she scanned, one, two, three, four tables over. Zoe recognized the blond woman at the table; she sipped a cosmo and leaned into her date to say something to him. As he leaned forward Zoe saw his face and gasped.

  “That’s Preston!” she hissed.

  “The guy outside of Rylie’s,” Ben murmured.

  “Yes, the brother—” Zoe frowned deeply. This was the sixth time she’d seen Preston Philip’s while she was out on a date! He was always there and always with the same beautiful woman, always steps away, always watching. This was more than a coincidence; Preston was following her from date to date. She turned toward Ben and found his eyes watching her curiously. “He’s following me!”

  “Is he?” Ben laughed and gently touched Zoe’s hair; his eyes fell to her lips for a moment and then found hers again. “Why?”

  “I have no idea,” Zoe sighed. “I mean, Preston is a jerk—he’s self absorbed, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, but he’s been following me around; keeping tabs on my dates.”

  “He’s the brother of the guy you’re waiting on?”

  Zoe frowned. “I’m not waiting on anyone,” she said stubbornly, “I just… I… okay, I’m waiting.” She i
gnored Ben’s triumphant smile; she did not ignore the soft press of his fingers against her jaw as he turned her head toward him and kissed her again. She sighed against his mouth and closed her eyes.

  Ben Wolff knew how to kiss.

  She knew she shouldn’t compare his kiss to Colton’s but she did. When Colton kissed her she felt consumed by him—and not in a bad way. He kissed her with depth and passion that she’d never experienced before. A passion that curled her toes and made her do impulsive things, like wrapping her legs around his, pressing her body intimately to his, and other naughty thing. Ben kissed her with a gentlemanly pressure and didn’t crowd her and yet still managed to be very intense. Zoe knew instantly that she’d much rather be consumed and lost in the moment, but Ben’s kiss was very nice too.

  As they parted, Ben smiled and ran his thumb under her lower lip to remove the moisture there. “That should give him something to report back.” Zoe smiled. “I don’t think he’s reporting to his brother.”

  “To whomever,” Ben shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. You know, this could be a lot of fun.”

  “I’m not sleeping with you,” Zoe said abruptly. Ben burst into laughter, leaning back in his chair he laughed and shook his head. Zoe frowned. “That wasn’t meant to be funny, Ben.”

  “I know, it was just that you were so blunt and straight forward,” he pressed a kiss to her jaw and slowly moved his lips down her throat. She couldn’t help it; she closed her eyes at the pleasure and leaned into him. “I wasn’t suggesting that at all—although I won’t lie, the idea was there. Your mouth feels good—I couldn’t help but wonder what else might feel good.” Zoe blushed hard and laughed as he chuckled against her shoulder.

  “Is he still watching?” She whispered. Ben drew back slowly; Zoe watched his eyes shift ever so slightly toward Preston’s table.

  “He’s on his cell phone,” Ben answered.

  “Okay,” Zoe smiled. “Be right back.”

  Ben released her hand and nodded, “I’ll be here.”

  Zoe pretended to head to the bathroom, but looped around so she approached Preston’s table from behind. His date saw her first and her mouth opened in shock; Zoe smiled and pulled Preston’s cell phone from his hand. He twisted and struggled to his feet when he saw that it was her. Zoe glimpsed at the phone and saw Minnie’s number on the display.

  She pressed her palm against Preston’s chest to keep him back and put his phone to her ear.

  “Minnie, you’re busted!”

  Her friend gasped in shock, “Zoe!”

  “I cannot believe you!” Zoe exclaimed. “You’re having your brother follow me?”

  “He owes me!” Minnie cried. “And after that horrible episode with Nick, how could I not send protection?”

  Zoe rolled her eyes, “You have got to be kidding me, are you serious with this?”

  “Who are you kissing?” Minnie countered. “Preston says he’s like eighty years old!” Zoe glared up at Preston who smiled charmingly and shrugged his shoulders. Zoe handed him his cell phone back after hanging up on Minnie.

  “I owed her,” Preston explained. “I treated you like crap all those weeks ago. I don’t know why, but I actually feel sorry for any pain I caused you. Even though Minnie and I aren’t that close, I figured doing this fro her would keep her from punching me in the face again. I’m honored to keep my eye on you.

  “Besides, I know how my brother feels about you too—I’m sure that I’ll earn brownie points with him too.”

  “Don’t follow me around anymore,” Zoe said flatly.

  “Sorry, I work for my sister, not you,” Preston said. “You look like you’re having fun sucking face, who’s the guy.”

  “None of your damn business!”

  Her irritation only fueled Preston who smiled wider, “You’re cute when you get mad—

  can I introduce you to Penelope?” Zoe nodded to the blond woman who was watching them with interest.

  “I’m not dating your brother anymore, so you can stop the antics,” Zoe said firmly. “Find another way to pay Minnie back or consider yourself even after the whole Nick thing. I can’t handle things now; I’m not going to act as foolishly as I did that night.”

  “Kissing a geezer isn’t foolish?”

  Zoe was about to respond when she felt a hand move around her waist. Ben was there and had probably heard Preston’s comment; in fact, Preston probably said it just to be mean.

  It didn’t seem to faze the man behind her though. Ben pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  “Ready beautiful?”

  “More than ready,” Zoe answered. “I don’t want to see you around me again Preston.” Preston sat back down and put his arm around Penelope’s shoulders, “We’re just here for a little jazz and wine. Free country right?”

  Zoe rolled her eyes and allowed Ben to lead her out of Rylie’s and to the street. He helped her into her cardigan and laughed as she grumbled under her breath. She took his outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her down the sidewalk. They’d only gone a few blocks before Zoe looked over her shoulder to see if Preston had followed, and he had! He and Penelope were about a hundred yards back. Preston even had the nerve to wave.

  “Look he’s following us! I can’t believe—”

  Ben stopped and pulled her around to face him. He took ahold of her cardigan lapels and pulled her closer. Zoe forgot all about being mad as he kissed her deeply, his tongue searching her mouth, his lips demanding. Zoe melted against his chest. It was shockingly nice to have someone showing genuine interest, and to think, Zoe had actually found this guy on her own.

  “Okay,” Ben laughed as he stepped back. “I have to admit, that one was for my benefit.” Zoe blushed deeply and felt so shy all of a sudden.

  “Can I see you again?”

  “Sure,” she nodded.

  “Good,” Ben stepped back toward the curb and held up his hand for a taxi. “I don’t mind being the guy to make the other guy jealous. I think I’m old enough to back off if things become too serious for me.”

  Zoe sighed, “Sorry about Preston’s comment.”

  Ben shrugged his shoulder indifferently and pulled open the back door of the cab. “I won’t lie that I’m probably too old for you Zoe. But age is just a number.”

  “Sure,” she nodded and slipped into the cab. Ben closed the door behind her; she rolled down the window. “You don’t want to share?” She asked.

  “I’m only a few blocks away,” he pointed up the street and then handed her a twenty.

  “Let me pay for the cab ride.”

  “N-no, that’s fine,” she stammered pushing his money back. “I had a good time, Ben.

  Thanks for putting up with the shenanigans of my best friend’s brother.” She wanted to ask him how old he was. He didn’t seem too much older, but there was something wise about his looks. He had a sexy professor vibe about him and Zoe had always liked older me. Not too old, though. She’d let him kiss her several times—and she wasn’t even drunk—so that must mean something.

  “I had a great time helping out. I’ll call you.” Ben winked and stepped back from the cab.

  Zoe settled back in the seat and waved goodbye to him. She gave the driver her address and sighed heavily as the cab pulled away from the street. Preston and his date both waved as her car zoomed by. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arm. Her phone had three missed calls from Minnie, all back to back. Zoe didn’t call her friend back.

  What a confusing evening. She could barely comprehend it all. She had a great time with Ben, even after she discovered that Minnie had Preston following her from date to date.

  Ben was charming, funny, warm, intelligent, and a great kisser. She genuinely liked him and wasn’t put off by the fact that he was older than her. Perhaps Ben was just the distraction she needed to keep her mind of Colton and onto newer things.

  And even though she was waiting for Colton’s decision, she didn’t want it to seem like she was waiting. Who knew, perhaps something
would grow between her and Ben and she wouldn’t even need Colton anymore. She touched her tingling lips. Perhaps something was growing already.

  --

  Lesson Eighteen: “Don’t ignore the clinch in your gut when you are with the one you

  love.”

  Colton’s stomach hurt and it wasn’t because of the tacos he’d eaten for lunch. It was a mixture of things: the endless calls from irate clients who felt that his attentiveness to them had slipped; clients who felt that they’d dropped to number two on his list, placed behind big money he’d been courting with Cara insistence. His stomach hurt with the worry of losing people who had taken a chance on him and made his company what it was today. But if he was really true to himself, he knew that his stomach was hurting because of the short email Paige sent him at around nine that morning.

  Date: June 5

  To:

  From: LittleRed7

  Subject: Kissing

  Colton! Minnie told me that Preston told her that Zoe went out with some guy and kissed him three nights ago at Rylie’s! She’s been seeing him almost every night. I think you should sign the contract so Zoe can move on to this new guy and not feel guilty. I’ll stop by after school with the paper work.

  xoxoxo

  Paige

  “This above all: to thine own self be true” Shakespeare He hadn’t stopped thinking about the email since he opened it. He knew that Zoe was dating other people, Preston made sure to give him very detailed descriptions of the guys she was seeing. Colton accepted that she was dating other people only because he didn’t think that any of them were serious. Actually, he thought most of them were jokes, but now he wasn’t so sure. Zoe was hanging out with some guy every night? Kissing him?

  Things were getting serious? He wasn’t going to lie, the email upset him. Zoe was doing what she was entitled to do, she was moving on. Colton never really believed that she’d wait for him; he hadn’t had the right to ask that of her, he knew that, but part of him had really hoped she would wait. Just for a few more days. The more time he spent with Cara the closer he felt to making a decision that involved Zoe. He and Cara had fallen into their normal routine and the more days he spent in therapy and at her side, the more he realized that maybe she just wasn’t want he wanted after all.