Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection

by Ember Michaels

  So much for wanting to create my own concealer formula, I bitterly thought. I don’t even have a company anymore.

  Bennett’s voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I left the bathroom with a sigh. I walked over, hesitating to touch him. As soon as the cool washcloth touched his forehead, his hand immediately reached up and grabbed hold of my wrist.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he growled.

  My body tensed with fear as he glared at me, his eyes bloodshot red. “I…you were sweating and talking in your sleep and…”

  He sighed and let go of me, wiping a hand down his face. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” he finally said.

  “Sorry,” I murmured. After a few moments of awkward silence, I held the cloth out to him. “I figured you might need this.”

  He sat up in the chair and put his face in his hands, shaking his head. “I’m good,” he mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands.

  I sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you…want to talk about it?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Okay then,” I said with a sigh. “I just figured you—”

  “I’m fine, Aurora,” he exclaimed, lifting his head.

  I dropped my gaze to the washcloth in my hand. “Do you dream about her often?” I asked.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Stephanie,” I answered, meeting his gaze.

  Even without looking him directly in the face, I watched out of my peripheral as his expression hardened at the mention of her name. “I’ve told you once that she isn’t your fucking business,” he snapped.

  I sighed deeply. He made it fucking impossible to penetrate any of the iron walls surrounding him.

  “Well, I’m sure you loved her very much,” I finally said, getting off the bed. “And whatever happened to her, I’m sure she doesn’t blame you for it.”

  Just when I reached the doorway to the bathroom, he spoke.

  “I did,” he said. I turned to look at him, his head hung low and his hands clasped in front to him. “And I’m sure she would’ve blamed me.”

  “Why?” I asked cautiously.

  He sighed and leaned back in the chair, focusing his gaze on the ceiling.

  “Because she wanted to get away from all of this. She always told me something like that would happen, and I didn’t listen to her.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions, Bennett—”

  “I blame myself for not being able to protect her. The one time I left her home alone, she was killed. You don’t think that fucks with me daily?” he asked, finally meeting my gaze. His eyes were filled with fresh anger and guilt, his face turning red.

  I kept my face neutral as I leaned against the wall. “You of all people should know I understand what you’re feeling. I blame myself every day for Heath’s death,” I said.

  “You didn’t kill him. I did.”

  “See my point then?” I asked.

  He looked at me for a long moment and scoffed. “That’s not the same thing.”

  “Why isn’t it? You say this life is the reason she’s dead and this life catching up to me is why Heath is dead. And you know what? There isn’t a damn thing either of us can do about it. Being angry and grieving for eternity isn’t going to bring him back,” I said, tears burning my eyes. “Sometimes…I’m a little relieved that he’s in a much better place. I’m sure the heartache of losing me and not knowing where I was would’ve hurt a lot more. I wouldn’t have wanted him to suffer that way.”

  “Are you saying you’re glad I killed him?” he asked with a raised brow.

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course not, you asshole. I’m just saying that I don’t have to worry about him and how he’s coping with me being gone. It’s bad enough that Savannah’s caught up in this shit, too. I wouldn’t have been able to deal with Heath suffering every day because of this.”

  Bennett was quiet for a moment, biting his bottom lip as he stared into space. “The night she was killed, she’d told me a few hours before that she was pregnant,” he admitted, his voice low. “All I did was go to a meeting at my father’s. I told him the good news before leaving, only to come home to find her gunned down in our bed.”

  I scoffed. “Sounds all too familiar. Heath proposed to me the night before only to be gunned down in front of me the next evening,” I reminded him.

  He looked at me and frowned. “What is this, some kind of pissing contest to see who suffered the most?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I’m proving to you that you’re preaching to the choir,” I said. “You’re not the only one who’s hurting, Bennett. And quite frankly, if I’m stuck here, we have to figure out a way to get along.”

  “Get along?” he chuckled. “Aurora, you realize what you are, right? You’re a pet, not my fucking girlfriend. For your sake, you should just follow the rules and act like you have common fucking sense.”

  “So, just shut up and be your sex slave then,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

  “If that’s what you want to interpret it as,” he said with a shrug.

  I shook my head. “Are you so against being vulnerable that you choose to be an asshole at every turn?” I asked.

  “Being vulnerable is a weakness,” he said.

  “No, it isn’t, but your toxic masculinity will make you believe that.”

  “Then what would it make me?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Fucking human, Bennett. You’re not a fucking machine with no emotions. Your nightmares prove that you once cared about something. I don’t know who you’re trying to convince, but you’re not fooling me,” I said and walked away to put the washcloth back in the bathroom.

  By the time I entered the bedroom, he was gone. I rolled my eyes and got back into bed, turning the light back off and trying to lull myself back to sleep. The numbers on the clock changed as I continued to toss and turn.

  At least I knew what happened with Stephanie, but I wasn’t sure how to use that information in my plan. Even after he told me about her, those iron walls went right back up as if we hadn't just shared a moment. It was almost as if he didn’t think he was worthy enough to feel the things he did, instead consuming himself in blame and guilt to justify not properly grieving.

  I rolled onto my back and sighed. It was going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

  “Time to wake up, sunshine,” a cheery voice suddenly said.

  I groaned and pulled the blankets over my head. It seemed as if I’d finally just dozed off and then someone came along to force me out of bed. The blankets were snatched off, the cold air in the room making me shiver.

  “Come on, girl; you seriously need to get up. We have a long day ahead of us to get you prepared for tonight,” the voice said again.

  I sat up on my elbow and rubbed my eyes, glancing over at the clock to see it was a quarter to ten.

  “What’s happening tonight?” I asked as I slowly pulled myself up.

  “You’re going with Bennett to a business event,” she said idly.

  When my eyes focused on the mystery woman, I finally recognized her as the woman Bennett had called his sister, though they looked nothing alike. Her dark brown hair and bright green eyes looked nothing like his; I assumed she was adopted.

  She had her hand on her hip, working a pair of ripped jeans and a graphic tee that said “Fuck off, I’m busy.” Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her sparkling eyes staring at me from behind a pair of glasses.

  “Are you going to get up or continue staring at me like a deer in headlights?” she finally asked. “I’m not kidding when I say we have a lot of work to do to make you look presentable.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, standing to my feet. “Who are you again?”

  “I’m Carrie, but today I’m playing fairy godmother,” she said and clapped her hands. “Bennett has a whole spa day set up for you to get you pampered and prepped, and we don’t have all day.”

  “Oh,” I said, a bit surpri
sed.

  Maybe it was because we had somewhere important to go or from our little heart-to-heart early this morning, but I definitely wouldn’t refuse a spa day.

  “We’re starting in the bathtub. Gotta get you washed, exfoliated, and waxed. So, chop, chop,” she said, shooing me into the bathroom.

  Two other women in white uniforms entered the bathroom after me as Carrie stood in the doorway. While I thought this would be a relaxing experience, it hurt like hell. They scrubbed my skin with something that felt like a bristle brush. I was compelled to check and make sure I still had skin when they’d finished.

  I was thankful I’d had enough time to heal between my legs and that the stitches were gone. Otherwise, they probably would’ve ripped them out with how hard they’d scrubbed.

  Waxing wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, and once they finished, they both applied a lotion that smelled of peaches and cream. Neither said a word to me the entire time, only bowing slightly before they left me in the middle of the bathroom with my skin on fire from their sponge assault.

  “Squeaky clean and smelling fresh,” Carrie said with a smile. “Hopefully that wasn’t so bad?”

  “Maybe I’m delirious, but can you check to see if my skin is still intact? I feel like I was dragged through a cactus patch,” I complained.

  She giggled. “I promise the next part will be better,” she said, gesturing toward a towel. “But wrap yourself up. This is getting a bit weird.”

  I smirked and grabbed a plush towel she'd placed on the counter before following her back to the bedroom to see a massage table placed a few feet away.

  “Does this always happen when I have to go out with Bennett?” I asked.

  She only shrugged. “I don’t know. I usually only come to dress his pets. He did it all the time for Stephanie, but it wasn’t limited to events.”

  I tightened my grip on the towel. “She must’ve been something special, huh?” I said.

  Though Bennett told me a little, I wanted to know if I could pry information from her, too, since she was so chatty. She gave me a small smile.

  “She was,” she said.

  “Was Bennett always the way he is now?”

  She shook her head. “Not this bad. I mean he was a menace before, but Stephanie somehow kept him grounded. She actually saved a lot of people’s lives; people he probably would’ve killed for the dumbest reasons.” She sighed. “I actually miss that Bennett, you know, when he was happy. And then when she died…”

  “He got worse?” I asked.

  “I think a part of him died, too. He locked himself in his bedroom for a week, only talking to his right-hand men to bring him food and such. And when he came out of that bedroom, he was on a war path, angry at everything. And then you.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Me? Me what?”

  “I don’t even know how he can be around you without losing his mind when you look so much like her, minus the blonde hair and blue eyes.”

  “Oh.”

  “Just give him time. He wouldn’t have kept you as a pet if he didn’t see something in you. He hasn’t had a pet since Stephanie, even though there are many girls capable of being one. Follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.”

  “So I’ve heard,” I said just as another woman in a lavender uniform appeared in the bedroom.

  “All set for your massage?” she asked in a cheery voice.

  “Yes!” Carrie exclaimed. “I’m just in here running my mouth. You can go ahead and get started while I grab my clothes rack.” She disappeared from the room, leaving me with the masseuse.

  She smiled at me. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

  After a relaxing massage, hair, makeup, and Carrie finally getting me dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror. Tears burned my eyes as I gazed at my reflection. The black dress was long with a high slit, the thin spaghetti straps making the top low cut. Plenty of cleavage was on display, and I wasn’t sure if Bennett would appreciate it or hate it for the attention it would cause.

  My make-up was dark, a sexy shimmering copper eye with a maroon lip. My dark hair hung in loose curls, and the strappy stilettos made me feel desirable. It felt like forever since I last dressed up, and it was so nice to finally be in beautiful clothes that wasn’t a night gown or bathrobe of some sort.

  “Jesus, girl, you look amazing,” Carrie said with an approving nod. “Bennett should be here any moment now to get you.”

  “Any last words of advice for tonight?” I asked, nerves running rampant within me.

  I didn’t know what the fuck to expect with these kinds of events. Would I be expected to bow in front of everyone? Was I supposed to stand around and look pretty instead of talking to people?

  “Just listen to what Bennett tells you. It’ll be safer for you that way. You get too many men in a room and those egos start to rear their ugly heads,” she said with a tsk.

  “Carrie, are you almost fin…”

  His sentence trailed when his eyes fell on me. I turned to face him, trying to gauge his reaction. His tuxedo was tailored perfectly to his body, showcasing broad shoulders, a hard chest, and lean legs. He’d shaved a little, and his hair was messy in a sexy, yet fashionable way. Even though he was the bane of my existence, he was sexy as hell.

  “What do you think?” I asked, my voice a bit shaky.

  His eyes traveled up and down my body, taking in how much of my thigh the high slit exposed, how tight the dress was, and how my boobs just might fall out of my dress if I sneezed.

  My heart fell a little when he frowned. “Great, now I need to bring another magazine for my gun,” he said, his voice flat.

  Carrie rolled her eyes. “Why can’t you give a normal compliment, you maniac?” she fussed.

  Bennett’s lips ticked up in a grin. “I’m serious about the extra magazine. Having my pet look this sexy is going to cause an issue with the others. Now that I think about it, maybe I want to stay home and fuck my pet instead.”

  His words both repulsed me and turned me on at the same time. My mind conflicted with memories of when he’d graced my body with incredible pleasure and then tormented me with unforgiving pain. Regardless of all that, I had to suck it up and accept that sex with him was a definite possibility. He owned me, and until I figured a way out of the shit I'd found myself in, he could do whatever he wanted to me whenever he felt like it.

  “I didn’t do all this work today for you to just stay home,” Carrie said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

  Bennett chuckled. “Okay, okay, we’re going.” He looked at me. “Ready?”

  “I guess so,” I said, walking over to meet him.

  The playful look on his face disappeared as I passed him to exit the bedroom, stopping when he grabbed my arm. A chill moved down my spine as he pulled me to his chest and breathed in deeply.

  “I thought I specifically said for them not to use this scent,” he said, his voice tight.

  “I wasn’t in the bathroom when they moisturized her, otherwise I would’ve told them. I’m sorry,” she said.

  I discreetly sniffed myself. Did he hate peaches and thought I smelled bad?

  “This is going to be a long fucking night,” he muttered before ushering me away.

  Instead of heading out the door, we moved toward the bunker. I didn’t say anything, only letting him guide me by pulling me alongside him as his face slowly turned red.

  What the hell is his problem?

  If this peach bullshit earned me a punishment despite it not being my fault, I’d kill those spa workers myself.

  We made our way down the stairs and into an open conference room where five of his men already sat waiting. They eyed me up and down but didn’t say anything, though the lust in their eyes was still evident. Three of them wore tuxedos, and two of them wore regular clothes.

  I fought the urge to smirk. I hadn’t seen Bruce in anything but jeans and form-fitting shirts, and I had to admit that he cleaned up just as nicely as Bennett. Such a shame that psyc
hotic men could still be so handsome.

  “Sit down over there,” Bennett said, his voice still tight.

  I fought the urge to say something back to him. He was literally fine a couple of minutes before, but he'd gone back to being an asshole because I smelled like peaches. I moved away from him and sat in a chair in the corner, glaring at him.

  “We’re gonna need to do this fast because we don’t want you to be late. It could raise some red flags,” Bruce said as he stood with a wire in his hand. Bennett nodded as he unbuttoned his dress shirt. “If we hear gunshots, we’re coming in to extract you.”

  My brows bunched in confusion. Why the hell did we need an extraction plan? It was just a business meeting about the girls Bennett had, not a military operation.

  Don’t say anything, Aurora. Don’t agitate the beast any more than he already is.

  “I still don’t feel comfortable about this,” Bennett muttered. “I feel like my father is trying to set me up for something that’s going to end badly.”

  “Yeah, I had my suspicions about that when he specifically asked you to bring your pet, who isn’t for sale. You don’t have a lot of girls who look like her, and it’s gonna seem like you’re false advertising,” a man I didn’t recognize said.

  I looked at his brown eyes, low-cut dark hair, and tattoo across his arm that read “Saint.” He was stacked with muscle and tall, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was a guy from Bennett’s security detail.

  “Exactly. I looked over the layout and am familiar with the exits, but I still don’t know where the actual meeting is to know which exit I should focus on,” Bennett replied.

  “We have you covered on that,” a deep voice said behind the computer as he typed away.

  Bruce taped the wire to Bennett’s bare chest and gave him a nod. As Bennett buttoned his shirt back up, I became a bit nervous. If Bennett already had doubts about a successful meeting, why the hell did he want me to go? The last thing I wanted was to be in the middle of a gunfight with only a stiletto as a weapon.