Sensational

by Janet Nissenson

  Lauren pointed an accusatory finger at the squirming George. “Don’t make me regret all the hours I just spent wiping off your gross, clammy forehead. Or spoon feeding you broth. And this is as good a time as any to remind you of your promise to have my boots professionally cleaned since your barfed on them. Twice.”

  Ben swiftly removed his palm from George’s mouth, gingerly wiping it on the leg of his jeans. “Remind me to wash my hands really, really well when we get to our room,” he whispered to Lauren.

  She grinned up at him mischievously. “Our room, is it? My, but someone is taking an awful lot for granted, isn’t he?”

  He growled playfully in her ear. “And someone is being her usual bratty self. And, yes, sweetheart – our room. You really think that I’m going to let you spend even one more night away from me after everything we’ve put each other through? And especially when I just came way too close to losing you for good.”

  Lauren sobered instantly, burying her face against the soft, familiar fabric of his T-shirt. “No,” she murmured softly. “We’ve spent way too much time apart as it is, haven’t we?”

  She was unnaturally quiet during the short drive to the hotel, more than content to curl up beside Ben on the padded seat of the limo, his arm holding her against him tightly. She noticed that he, too, looked “knackered”, and wondered when he had arrived in London. Lauren knew that this entire episode had been an ordeal for everyone involved – not just her and the boys but their families and friends, and the entire staff back at the magazine. And she also realized with a shudder that this situation could have been much, much worse had they actually made that flight. She had seen first hand the horror that had unfolded in the aftermath of the crash, had witnessed the death and destruction and the cries of anguish from the families of the victims. And while her sympathies were with the victims and their loved ones, she could still find it in her to be grateful that her own family had been spared such grief.

  During the brief phone conversation she’d had with her parents and Julia on the satellite phone – all of them doing their best not to cry – Lauren had discovered that Ben had kept in frequent contact with them while waiting for word on the crew’s status. Her father in particular had sung his praises, but she’d been too overcome with mingled fatigue and relief at the time to have given the matter much thought. Now, as she buried her face against Ben’s neck, breathing in his fresh, clean scent, she wondered just what had been said between him and her father.

  As they entered the elegantly appointed hotel lobby, Lauren had never in her life been more conscious of just how grubby she looked. Her clothes were wrinkled, stained, and had gone so far beyond smelly that she couldn’t think of a word to describe the truly rank odor they gave off. She knew from having peered warily into a restroom mirror that she had dark circles under eyes that were bloodshot and bleary from lack of sleep. Her hair was a greasy, lank mess of tangled curls that had begun to itch two days ago, and she was beginning to fear it would never feel clean again.

  But Ben didn’t seem to care a whit about her bedraggled appearance as he kept her tucked firmly against him. He had already checked the four of them in – everyone into a private room, which was another perk that they seldom enjoyed. Lauren, in fact, would be the only one sharing a room, though under the circumstances she was thrilled rather than annoyed with the arrangements.

  Ben’s room was on a different floor than the others, and as he ushered Lauren out of the elevator, she caught Chris’s knowing smirk, George’s still-perplexed look, and Karl’s gentle smile.

  “See you guys at dinner,” she called out. They had all agreed to shower and then nap for several hours before meeting up for dinner later this evening at one of the hotel’s restaurants.

  “Unless,” Ben told them with a wink, “we decide to make it dinner for two and order room service instead. We, ah, have a lot of catching up to do.”

  The elevator door closed on three startled male faces while Ben and Lauren shared a laugh as they walked down the hall to his room.

  Once he’d locked the door behind them, she held up a hand as he would have reached for her again.

  “Wait.” The question had been foremost in her thoughts ever since she’d seen him waiting for her in the airport terminal. And she needed an answer before things progressed any further.

  “What’s going on with – with Elle?” she asked hesitantly. “Because if she’s still in the picture, then I don’t - ”

  Ben yanked her against his chest, shaking his head firmly. “She’s not. It’s over with her, should have never really begun. I’m not sure what - ”

  Lauren placed a finger over his lips. “Shh. That’s all I need to know for now. You can fill me in on all the other details later. Much later. Because right now you need to help me decide what I need most – a shower or you.”

  Ben grinned, and then elicited a squeal of surprise from her as he swung her up into his arms. “Well, that’s an easy choice. You can have both at the same time.”

  He carried her into the bathroom before setting her on her feet. Clothes and shoes were swiftly discarded until they were both naked. Lauren turned on the shower taps while Ben grabbed several oversized bath towels from the racks.

  And then the next decision she had to make was what sensation made her feel more like weeping with pleasure – that of the hot, steamy water on her bare skin, or the way her lover’s arms felt as they wrapped around her waist.

  “Let me,” he whispered, his chest pressed up against her back as his soap-slicked hands cupped her full, aching breasts. “Let me take care of you, sweetheart.”

  She emitted a long, low groan as he washed her thoroughly, his hands traveling a sensual path from her shoulders to her belly and buttocks, before slipping between her legs.

  “Yes,” she breathed roughly. “Oh, God, yes. Please. I need - ”

  “I know what you need, baby,” rasped Ben. “And I’m going to give it to you. Again and again and again. Let’s see if we can maybe take the edge off a little for you, hmm?”

  The slick, soapy slide of his fingers as they penetrated her body was the most exquisite sensation she could remember feeling in a very long time. She braced her palms against the cool granite wall of the shower, her legs spreading further apart to allow him deeper access to her body. Her breasts were crushed up against the wall, the hard points of her nipples being abraded by the granite, as her hips moved in perfect synchronization with the steady pump of his fingers and the rub of his thumb over her clit.

  It had been years – six long, lonely years – since she’d experienced this sort of release, since her entire body had quivered in orgasm, and she’d cried out his name. The water was still sluicing over their bodies as he took her into his arms, holding her close, stroking her back soothingly as she continued to shudder in reaction.

  He washed her hair as he continued to tend to her, take care of her, lavish her with attention. And for once she not only allowed herself to be pampered but reveled in the experience.

  And then it was her turn to tend to him, her palm slipping down the broad expanse of his chest to where his cock was now standing at full, glorious attention, thrusting out as though begging to be touched. Ben’s breath escaped in a low, almost painful moan, his fingers gripping her shoulders fiercely as she began to stroke him slowly, deliberately.

  “That feels – fuck. You’re the only one who’s ever made me feel this way, Lauren,” he panted. “The only one who’s ever been able to make me feel so damned much.”

  She continued to stroke him with long, slow pulls, her hand sliding back to squeeze his swollen balls. “Do we need a -”

  “No.” He bit down gently on her earlobe as her thumb whisked over the slit at the tip of his penis. “So long as you’re still protected we don’t. You’re the only woman I’ve ever been inside bare.”

  She retaliated by sinking her teeth into his shoulder, smiling when she heard his grunt of pain. “Good,” was all she murmured as
she guided the thick, throbbing length of him inside of her.

  For the second time that day her legs were wrapped around his waist, his brawny, muscular arms supporting her, lifting her higher to meet his deep thrusts. They were frantic, wild, in their coupling, grabbing and clawing at each other like animals in heat. Their bodies were slippery from the steam and soap, their mouths fused together wetly as the hot water continued to pour over them.

  Ben’s whole body shook when he came, immediately after she did, and Lauren clung to him tightly, half-afraid that his legs would give out from under him and topple them both to the floor. Their bodies were still joined, limbs tightly entwined, and his semi-hard cock still buried deep inside of her, when they did eventually sink slowly to the floor of the shower. They were both breathing unevenly, exhausted from the effort of their out of control lovemaking, and they could only sit there stupefied for several minutes.

  Ben finally turned the taps off and helped her to stand before reaching for a towel. Despite her protests, he insisted on drying her off, wrapping one towel around her body and a second around her wet hair. By the time he’d dried himself off, Lauren was nearly comatose with exhaustion, and offered up only a token protest when he carried her out to the sumptuous king sized bed. He laid her down gently, and began to pull the covers up over her nude body.

  “Wait.” She placed a hand on his chest, smiling a little to feel how rapidly his heart was still beating. “Aren’t we going to talk?”

  Ben smiled as he pulled the towel off her head, finger combing the long, damp strands of her hair. “Oh, we are definitely going to talk, sweetheart,” he assured her. “For a very long time. But not right now. You’re about ready to pass out from exhaustion. Sleep now, baby. And know that I’ll be here when you wake up. I’ll always be here from now on.”

  ***

  His face was the first thing she saw when she woke a few hours later. He was smiling down at her tenderly, his hand softly stroking her cheek, and it was only when she turned and pressed a kiss to his palm and felt the warm flesh beneath her lips that she knew he was really here, and not just another of the many dreams she’d had about him over the years.

  “Hey, Blue Eyes,” she murmured sleepily. “What time is it, anyway?”

  “Late afternoon,” he told her. “We still have a few hours until we’re due to meet everyone for dinner.”

  “Mmm.” She stretched luxuriantly, the covers slipping down her body to partially bare her breasts. “Best news I’ve had in a really long time. Now, tell me honestly, and no pressure here, you understand. But how many times do you think you can get it up before we have to leave for dinner?”

  Ben burst out laughing, but even though his eyes darkened with arousal at the sight of her nearly nude breasts, he pulled the covers back up to her chin. “Sweetheart, with you back in my bed, I think I could possibly break some sort of record in that regard. But not yet. Have you already forgotten what you promised me in that gut wrenching email you sent?”

  “Hmm.” She tapped her finger against her chin as she pretended to think. “You mean it wasn’t a really awesome blow job? Followed by the ride of your life?”

  Ben grinned as he brought that same finger to his mouth and nipped it gently. “Don’t tempt me, you little devil. I mean, no more than you normally do. And you know damned well what you promised me, Lauren. Now it’s time to finally deliver.”

  Her stomach chose that particular moment to rumble quite loudly, and she smirked in reaction. “Oops. Guess it’s been awhile since I’ve fed the little beast. And speaking of delivering things, any chance we could order up some room service?”

  “Already taken care of, Your Majesty. Come on, I’ll show you what I ordered. But first, you’d better put this on. Because if you walk around here naked like you always used to do, we’ll never get around to having that talk.”

  “Fine.” Lauren resisted giving him a knowing look as she slid out of bed and wrapped the white terrycloth hotel robe about her body, folding the overlong cuffs back twice.

  Ben had ordered a pot of hot coffee, some sandwiches, and a plate of assorted cookies and brownies, all of which Lauren pounced on like a bear who had just emerged from a months long hibernation.

  Ben eyed her dubiously as she poured herself a third cup of coffee and reached for yet another brownie. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll be too full for dinner?”

  She shot him a look of disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, this here is like a little afternoon snack to me. And considering how many meals I’ve skipped – vending machine peanuts do not count as a meal, I don’t care what Chris says – I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”

  “So do we.” His voice was somber as he slid a hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “And if you can eat and listen at the same time I’d say that this is as good a time as any for me to start talking.”

  Lauren nodded, her mouth too full of an oatmeal raisin cookie to speak.

  Ben took a deep breath before he began. “I never told you a whole lot about my family, or what it was like for me growing up. I mean, you know I’m from Ohio and that my parents split up when I was just a kid, but that’s about it. What you don’t know is just how different my childhood must have been from what you and Julia experienced.”

  He took a sip of his own coffee before continuing. “My parents got married real young. Barely twenty years old. They had dated since high school, figured they’d get married eventually, but when my mom became pregnant with me they had to hurry things along. And their marriage was probably doomed from the start, even though they toughed it out for seven years.”

  Ben propped his chin in his hand. “The town I grew up in was largely blue collar. Very working class. My dad worked as a mechanic while my mom was a clerk at the grocery store. Neither of them had ever once considered going to college, making a better life for themselves, moving away. All of their family and friends were there, and they were all in the same sort of situation so it never occurred to them to want something different. But once my parents split up, those same goals – the ones they didn’t want – were just about the only thing that kept me going – the need to have a different life, a better life, than what they settled for.”

  Lauren poured both of them more coffee. “I got the impression from the little you did tell me that things were pretty rough for you after they divorced.”

  “Not rough, more like lonely,” corrected Ben. “Within a few months after they split up, both of them had someone new in their lives and they each got remarried within a year of the divorce. My mom was pregnant when she married husband number two – history repeating itself, so it seems. And once she and my father started new families – well, I was never really sure where I belonged or where I fit in after that.”

  He paused a moment to stare out the window of the room. “By the time I started high school, they were each on their third marriage and third set of kids. I was more or less forgotten most of the time, shuttled back and forth between them, staying a week with one, a month with the other, always having to bunk in with one of my half-siblings wherever I went. All of my stuff – clothes, books, mementoes – were kept in a couple of suitcases and backpacks that I’d haul back and forth with me. It was little wonder that by the time my senior year of high school rolled around I had started keeping a calendar where I’d check off the days until I was out of school and on my own. And where I could finally have a bed of my own and a permanent place to keep my things.”

  Lauren’s heart ached for the lonely, unwanted boy he had been, and she cupped his unshaven cheek in her hand tenderly. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Sorry that it had to be that way for you.”

  Ben gave a little shrug. “It wasn’t that bad. Not really. I mean, I was never abused or neglected, nothing like that. I just never seemed to belong anywhere, never felt like I was part of the family. And I never felt wanted. Not until I met you. But I’m getting ahead of myself just a little.”

  She
laced her fingers up with his. “Go on.”

  “Reading – and then writing – became my escape from the time I was eleven or so. And I was a good writer, all of my teachers told me so, and I even won some awards for it. I knew fairly early on that’s what I wanted to do with my life – write. And to travel. And for damned sure to get away from the town I grew up in.”

  Lauren nodded. “I don’t blame you in the least. Doesn’t sound like the sort of place – or home life – that you’d want to go back and visit.”

  “You’ve got that right. Now, you know some of this next part already. I did a couple of years at the local community college so that I could save up enough money to transfer to Northwestern. After graduation I drifted around a lot, trying to break in with a travel publication since that’s what I’d decided I really wanted to write about. I’d sell an article now and again, pick up odd jobs along the way in order to pay the bills. And then I got the inspiration to write an article about traveling Highway One in California. I was making my way down the coast, staying a night here, a night there. And then I reached Big Sur and my whole life was changed forever in the matter of a minute.”

  Ben’s smile made her heart ache with its poignancy, and she shivered a bit in reaction as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Meeting you for the first time,” he recalled with a chuckle, “was like getting hit square in the chest with a thunderbolt. And when I touched you for the first time it felt as though I had a lightning rod beneath my fingertips. You were so full of life, Lauren, so happy and carefree. I’d never met anyone like you before, had never imagined a girl like you really existed. And those days I had with you in Big Sur were far and away the absolute best ones of my life. The happiest I’ve ever been. And,” he added as he ran a finger over her lips, “the only time in my life I ever came close to being in love.”

  Tears began to pool in her eyes, and she felt her chin wobble just a bit. “Then why?” she whispered sadly. “Why? You don’t know how many times I’ve asked myself that question, Ben, or all the different reasons I dreamed up as to why you’d want to leave me. I knew you were happy there, knew that no one could fake those sort of feelings.”