by Elle Everton
Bennett nods. “Yes. Right in Echo Park.”
“Fancy,” I say, teasing.
He shakes his head. “Hardly. My mother wanted to be an actress but …”
“Was she?”
He snorts. “Not unless you count the role of junkie. She played that one her whole life. Until she died when I was twenty-one.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, Bennett. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
He brushes it off. “I didn’t tell you that for sympathy. If anything, coming from nothing made me more determined to achieve my goals and make something of myself. I think it’s why I’m so driven.” He pauses, flashing me a charming smile. “Well, that and the fact that I like nice things.”
I smile, but my heart aches a little for the young Bennett, living with his junkie mom.
“What were your parents like?” he asks, turning the conversation back to me.
I shrug. “Just regular parents, I guess. My mom died when I was ten — car accident — so it’s just been me and my dad for quite a while now.”
Bennett frowns. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What’s your dad like?”
My face lights up immediately. “He’s amazing. Best dad you could hope for. That’s why it was so hard to see him get sick. For a while there, it’s like he wasn’t even the same person.”
“Sick?” Bennett asks, sipping his sake and regarding me with concern.
I nod, looking down at my napkin. “He had colon cancer. He’s in remission now but …”
“But what?”
“It’s still hard. He can’t work, at least not yet, but he’s technically not sick anymore so he doesn’t qualify for any kind of assistance. We’ve just barely been scraping by, and it would be fine except for the fact that part of me is terrified the cancer is going to come back, or maybe that they’re wrong about him being in remission and that they didn’t really get it all.”
I spit it all out in a rush, but it feels good to get the words out in the open. I haven’t really told anyone all of that before — I’m not close with anyone at work, and I definitely wouldn’t want to dump it on Dad — and I guess it’s been weighing on me more than I realized.
Bennett’s face now looks even more concerned. “God, Lila, I’m so sorry. That must be so difficult, especially if it’s just you and your dad. He probably hates having to put you through this.”
I nod. I know he’s right.
“Well,” Bennett continues, reaching across the table and taking my hand. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
His hand feels so warm and firm, wrapped around mine, that it sends a shiver up my arm, despite the somber subject matter.
By now our waitress has returned, and Bennett lets go of my hand as she lays out plate after plate of food on our table, most of which I can’t recognize.
Bennett sees me puzzling over a plate of something that appears to have … tentacles. He chuckles.
“Trying new things, right?”
“Right.” I grin and try to steel myself. I can do tentacles. Sure. No problem.
To my surprise, everything is delicious. Even the tentacles. Bennett walks me through everything on the table, and I end up trying things I’ve never had before in my life — eel, sea urchin, tiny little tempura octopi.
Even with the food, Bennett’s manner is so commanding and confident. I find myself wondering what it will be like to sleep with him. To wrap my legs around him as he thrusts in and out of me. To suck him off while he tugs on my hair. To feel his clean shaven jaw against my inner thighs.
“Are you all right?” Bennett asks, his face concerned. “You look flushed.”
“Must be the sake,” I mutter. Sure, Lila, blame it on the sake.
“It’s definitely stronger than it seems,” he chuckles. “Would you like some water?”
“No, I’m fine.” Just a bit horny, apparently. I try to remember the last time I had sex — probably over a year ago now. That was the last time I’d gone on a date. It was just before Dad got sick though, so the relationship, such as it was, fizzled out pretty quickly.
Judging by the way Bennett is staring at me right now, though, I have a feeling my dry streak is about to end tonight.
“Would you care to see a dessert menu?” Our waitress asks, once again choosing the most opportune moment to appear at our table. Bennett nods slightly and she drops two menus on our table.
I’m just about to ask Bennett what kind of dessert they serve in Japanese restaurants when a voice interrupts us.
“Well, well, well. Isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”
I look up at the sound of the voice and am shocked to see Sam standing there beside our table. He’s wearing a sexy navy suit and a coral tie, and he looks nearly irresistible with that layer of stubble and slightly mussed hair. He’s also got a smug grin on his face, the kind that says this isn’t much of a surprise at all.
I glance over at Bennett and watch as his jaw clenches and his face goes crimson.
“Yes, quite a coincidence indeed,” Bennett drawls, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He clenches and unclenches his fist next to his sake glass.
“Mind if I join you?” Sam looks to me, completely ignoring Bennett.
“Um…” I falter, unsure of how to react to this situation. I know Bennett is unhappy but Ava had made the point that it wasn’t my job to play peacemaker. They’re supposed to sort out their own issues.
Before I can decide on a course of action, Sam grabs an empty chair from the table across from us, and pulls it up to our table, positioning himself right between Bennett and I.
“Why don’t you guys order some dessert and we can talk?” Sam smugly looks between Bennett and I.
“We were actually just leaving,” Bennett says through gritted teeth. He eyes me, as if to make sure I’ll go along with this.
“Then why are you both holding dessert menus?” Sam slyly points out.
“Can’t you take a hint, asshole? Tonight is my date with Lila. One I won, fair and square. You can have yours another time.”
“I’m sure I’m not interrupting anything important…Lila?” Sam looks to me for some back-up.
“I, um…” I stumble again and shrug, ready to give up. To be honest, I’m a little irritated with both of them right now. If they’re already having fucking problems sharing me after one day, then I’m not sure how this is going to work out for a month. I wonder again what Ava was thinking with this arrangement.
“You’re making my date uncomfortable, Sam,” Bennett hisses, his jaw still clenched.
“Is that true? I’m so sorry.” Sam puts on his most considerate face as he touches my shoulder lightly. I get the distinct impression, however, that he isn’t sorry at all.
“Don’t touch her,” Bennett hisses.
“I’m sorry,” Sam says again. “I didn’t realize she was your property, Bennett.” Sam glares at his opponent in a game I don’t want to play anymore, but can’t find any way out of.
“She’s as much mine as she is yours,” Bennett retorts. I want to tell them both that I’m nobody’s property, but the truth is, they’re right. I belong to them for the month. What I really want to do is get up and walk out of here, but I don’t know if that would be in violation of my contract. Instead I ball up my napkin in irritation and refuse to look at either of them.
Bennett must finally see my discomfort, because he waves our waitress over and gives her the universal signal for check, please.
“Sam, if you’ll excuse us, I’m about to take Lila home for the evening.”
Sam finally loses some of his smugness as he looks from me to Bennett.
“Fine,” he says. The cocky grin slides right back into place, and for a fleeting instant I see it for what it really is — a defense mechanism. A mask.
“I can take a hint,” he says, folding his arms. “Lila, I’ll call you.” He plants a kiss on my cheek and my eyes follow him as he leaves the restaurant.
I find myself wondering a
t the rivalry between Sam and Bennett. At first I’d assumed they disliked each other because they differed on everything, but now I wonder if the opposite isn’t true. If maybe the reason they hate each other is because they’re so much alike.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Bennett says, as soon as Sam is gone. He does truly look apologetic, and I soften.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault he showed up unannounced.”
Bennett shakes his head. “Well, in a way it is. It’s our rivalry that put you in this position to begin with. I hope you’ll let me try to make it up to you.”
The self-awareness in his words makes me soften further.
“I’d like that,” I say softly.
Bennett grins and drains the last of his sake. “Good. Then what do you say we get out of here?”
“I’d like that,” I say again. Bennett’s smile broadens and I feel the heat between us growing.
He helps me out of my seat and then keeps his hand on my lower back as we make our way out of the restaurant.
“What a beautiful night,” I say, as soon as we step outside. It really is — the kind of night where you can’t even feel the air around you because it’s the same temperature as your skin.
“How would you like to take a walk on the beach?”
The beach? God — I haven’t been to the beach in years. You’d think that living in LA I’d make it to the beach once in awhile, but it just hasn’t been on my radar.
“That sounds nice,” I say tentatively. “Where should we go?”
“I know a little place,” Bennett says slyly. “If you don’t mind letting me take you for a spin.”
“My car is here,” I point out.
Bennett brushes it off. “No problem. I’ll take you back here to get it when we’re done … whenever that is.”
His words — and accompanying gaze — send a shiver down my spine. But this is what I signed up for, after all.
“I’m game,” I say, meeting his gaze, and then I let Bennett lead me to his car and to whatever the rest of the night has in store.
Chapter 9
Lila
“Where are we?” I ask, peering out the window of Bennett’s Audi as we approach a menacing black iron gate. Bennett had said he knew a place where we could take a walk on the beach, but this place doesn’t seem exactly friendly to visitors.
Beside me, Bennett chuckles. “It’s my home, Lila. I’m sorry — I suppose I should have mentioned that part.”
I gape at the gate as it swings open to allow the car through, and then at the manicured grounds as we make our way up to Bennett’s palatial mansion. Holy shit. No wonder the guy could afford to spend ten million dollars at an auction on a whim.
I try to keep my mouth closed so that at least I don’t look like a complete bumpkin, but Bennett seems amused by my awe.
“Twenty acres,” he tells me proudly. “I should have developed it — it’s prime Malibu beachfront property — but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it so I had my house built here.”
“I don’t blame you,” I say wistfully, as I look around.
Bennett stops the car and hops out, quickly coming over to my side to open my door for me. It’s so sweet and chivalrous that I lean up and plant a kiss on his cheek.
“What’s that for?” he grins.
“For salvaging this evening,” I tell him. That makes him grin more.
He slips his hand through mine and leads me down a winding path. I can hear the ocean get louder and louder as we approach, and when we finally come over a little slope and get our first glimpse of it, I gasp.
In the moonlight, the entire scene is painted silver. The white sand glows, almost luminescent, and the dark water shimmers. Bennett squeezes my hand.
“See why I fell in love with it?” he asks. His voice is husky.
I can only nod, speechless. Maybe it’s the moon or maybe it’s the late summer air or maybe it’s the gorgeous man who’s stroking his thumb over the inside of my wrist, but at that moment, I feel like I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.
I turn to face Bennett and find him gazing down at me. I swallow and part my lips and then he’s leaning down and grazing his mouth against mine.
The softness lasts only a moment, and then he’s pressing against my mouth hungrily, claiming me with his kiss. His tongue thrusts pasts my lips, tangling with my own and seeking out all my secret places. I twine my arms around his neck as his strong hands roam my back and then slide down to my hips, pulling me closer to me.
My breath is already becoming shallow. I press my body against Bennett’s and realize with a start that I can feel his erection pressing against my abdomen.
I whimper against his mouth and he chuckles softly. In answer, he slides his hand down, cupping my ass, and pulls me even closer to him. He groans softly as he nuzzles my neck, planting a trail of kisses all the way down to my collarbone.
My body buzzes against him. His hands, his tongue, his lips are all working a kind of magic on me, but … I want more of him. I want all of him.
I press my hands against his chest and look up into his deep brown eyes. Take me to bed, I silently beg him.
Bennett gazes down at me. He strokes his finger gently along my cheek.
“Do you have any idea how fucking beautiful you are, Lila?”
My cheeks flush. “Bennett…”
“I’m serious. When I saw you on that stage at Orchid, I knew I had to have you. Whatever the cost.”
“Well, you have me,” I whisper, my hands splayed against his chest. “What do you plan to do with me now?”
Bennett growls, deep and low. Without warning, he scoops me up into his arms, as if I weighed no more than a feather, and starts carrying me back towards the house. I shriek in surprise and then lose myself in breathless laughter.
Bennett doesn’t set me down again until we’re in the middle of his foyer. I see the huge aquarium that takes up one entire wall, and the bright tropical fish that flit through it, but I don’t notice much else. All my attention is on Bennett, on the throbbing ache between my legs.
Have I ever wanted anyone as much as I want him in this moment? I honestly don’t know.
In any case, the feeling seems to be mutual. Bennett nips at my jaw, and then growls against my throat.
“Get your ass upstairs now, Lila. Otherwise I’ll be slinging you over my shoulder again.”
Bennett nudges me in the direction of the soaring staircase that seems to lead up into the sky. I concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, hoping my shaky knees won’t choose this moment to give out.
Bennett follows me silently up the stairs and then leads me down a hallway to what I assume is his master bedroom. It’s as grand as I expect it to be — minimal, like the rest of his home, yet architecturally stunning, with soaring ceilings and windows that stretch the whole way up, overlooking the ocean.
Bennett crouches to a sleek white modern fireplace and uses a tiny black remote to click on a gas fire inside. The flames lick silently against the glass. I’m spellbound for a moment or two, until he stands again, stretching out his muscular frame and strolling towards me.
“Are you having a good time?” he asks as his voice turns low and deep. I can smell his intoxicating cologne, spicy and masculine, wafting off him and enveloping me.
Electricity shoots between us. Suddenly I feel like I’m burning up; heat covers my skin, from my forehead to my toes.
I stand on my tip toes to give him a soft kiss on his lips. His mouth tastes delicious, like the sake we drank at the restaurant. I raise my eyebrows. “Does that tell you I’m having a good time?”
He grins. “I think that answers my question, yes.” His voice is so low I can barely hear him but I can feel the vibrations thrumming through my body.
Bennett runs his fingers along my jaw. His hands are burly, strong and masculine and I can feel calluses on the edges of his fingertips.
Without warning, he pushes
me up against the wall next to the fireplace. I gasp as he leans in and covers my mouth with his. It’s like the kiss we had on the beach, but even hungrier now, because we both know where this is going.
Bennett trails his mouth down my neck, pouring sensual kisses all over me, leaving no trace of skin untouched. When his lips reach the top of my dress, he yanks it down roughly. My breasts spring free and Bennett groans.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says, before leaning over and running his tongue all over my tits. He sucks one pert nipple and then the other into his mouth, flicking them with his tongue and then nipping at them with his teeth. I yelp, even though it doesn’t hurt — well, only in the good way — but Bennett only lets out a low chuckle.
Burning desire rises up through my belly and spreads across my limbs. My pussy throbs with need, and I ache for him to touch me there, to fuck me with that hard cock I can still feel pressing against my stomach.
After a moment or two, Bennet spins me so that I’m facing the wall. He yanks down the zipper on my dress, and then shimmies it the rest of the way down my body. It stays pooled at my feet as he keeps he pressed up against the wall. The only thing I’m wearing now is a lacy purple thong, and the silver heels I still have on.
Bennett drops to his knees behind me. I don’t have time to wonder what he’s doing before I feel his face pressed between my legs. He takes a long breath, inhaling deeply, and I know he can tell exactly how ready I am, how wet I am for him. He gently pulls my thighs apart, and then I feel his tongue pressing against my heat through the thin fabric of my thong.
My pussy quivers and I shimmy my ass out a bit, giving him a better angle as he works me with his tongue from behind. My legs are quaking beneath me but I brace myself against Bennett’s bedroom wall.
Just as I’m starting to get frustrated with the fabric barrier separating me from Bennett’s tongue, he rips my panties aside. There’s a tearing noise but I don’t even care. All I want is to feel his tongue on my pussy.
Bennett doesn’t waste any time, plunging his tongue deep inside me. My heart beats so hard I swear it’s going to pound right out of my chest, but I just press my face against the cool wall.