What shocked him was Candace pulling the door open just as he reached for the handle. As usual, she was impeccably dressed and coiffed, with full makeup on. Though they lived at the beach, she had fully embraced his mother’s philosophy that a lady did not leave the house with nothing less than a full face of war paint and looking every inch the Southern belle.
Ben had never been a fan, but after a while had just given up trying to get Candace to loosen up. Just another reason they were not meant to be together. He liked blue-jean Fridays and casual Mondays and preferred not to wear a suit all day every day.
“Where the hell have you been?” Candace asked, her accusatory tone sounding too much like a suspicious wife for Ben’s comfort. “We’ve been here waiting for hours.”
Ben took a deep breath in order to keep his calm as he laid his briefcase on the bench by the front door. It took another slow breath while he toed off his shoes before he could speak without the anger that boiled in his belly. He needed to be as unemotional as possible to deal with what he knew was coming. “Where I’ve been is none of your business. Why are you even here, Candace? We are no longer a couple.”
At her gasp, the tiny twinge of remorse that pinched at his belly surprised him. She was, after all, in his home uninvited and unwanted.
“We’ve come to talk to you,” his mother said from the doorway that led into the living room.
As usual on a Sunday, she wore one of the navy-blue suits she wore every Sunday to church. Today she paired it with a pink blouse and navy low-heeled pumps, just like every other Sunday. The suit had changed over the years as she kept up with the latest styles appropriate for women over a certain age, but they were always navy blue. Which may be a reason none of the suits in Ben’s closet were navy blue. His were black, or gray or sand, but not navy.
Before he could respond with the fact that there was nothing for the three of them to talk about, she disappeared into the living room. Candace followed her, her wide swinging hips no doubt meant to entice Ben. Too bad the curves, which she maintained with strict eating and exercise habits, under the clingy yellow dress did nothing for Ben, not that they ever really had.
Standing in the hallway, Ben stared at the photograph of the empty beach he had taken just after dawn one summer morning, a few years earlier. That was when he had come to a number of realizations. First was that Candace had never turned him on, and sex had never been enjoyable with her. Second was that his mother had held the reins to his life much too tight for way too long, and Ben was tired of it. If that meant he had to cut all ties with the woman, so be it. He was twenty-five years old and it was past the time he stopped allowing her free rein to run his life.
Finally, he hated this house located only two blocks from his mother. She had picked it out and decorated it, using the argument that he was much too busy establishing his business for such drudgery. Until today he hadn’t cared what his surroundings looked like, but now as he looked at it he did not like what he saw. It was time to make a few changes. Seth had been after him since he graduated high school to stop letting their mother dictate his life path. Until now, he had always nodded and agreed, but done nothing to dissuade his mother from being the steamroller she was.
Ben pulled out his phone and called his brother. “I need help,” he said as soon as Seth answered.
“Who are we killing?”
“Mom and Candace are here and I need backup. I broke things off the other day, and apparently they still haven’t accepted it,” Ben whispered, hoping his brother could hear him and the women couldn’t.
“You did? When?”
“Not too long after you dragged me to Sex Gods.”
Seth let out a rebel yell that had him pulling the phone from his ear to keep his eardrum from bursting. “I’ll be there in five. And welcome back to the gay side, brother.”
“Yeah, thanks. Now get here before these two hog-tie me, drag me back into the closet, and nail the damn door shut,” Ben ordered before hanging up on his laughing brother.
Instead of joining the two women in the living room, Ben detoured into the kitchen. Fixing himself a pot of coffee was just the diversion he needed. As he stood and watched the coffee drip into the pot, his entire body stiffened up in anticipation of the showdown about to happen.
“Benjamin, where are you?” his mother called.
Ben did not answer, but knew she would find him once the scent of brewing coffee wafted through the house.
She appeared in the kitchen doorway just as the machine finished cycling and clicked off. “Oh good, you haven’t forgotten all the manners I taught you.”
Without answering, Ben reached into the cupboard and got down a mug. After pouring it full, he crossed the kitchen and headed for the front door. “Help yourself,” he said as he passed her.
He refused to have this confrontation without Seth by his side. After all, it was his brother’s boys’ night out that had gotten him into this sticky situation. Maybe Seth could figure out how to get it through their mother’s head that Ben would not be marrying Candace and it did not matter what threats she issued.
“Benjamin,” his mother screeched as he opened the front door and walked through it.
Seth was just pulling in the driveway as Ben closed the front door behind himself. He left the porch and met his brother halfway across the yard.
“So, you get back together with Puma?” Seth asked.
Ben nodded. “For some crazy reason, he’s forgiven me for walking away. We spent the weekend together and I came home to find Mom and Candace here. How do I get them to leave?”
Seth grinned, looking entirely too happy about the situation. “Make your stand, hold your ground, and don’t argue. You’ve drawn your line in the sand—all you have to do now is defend it. I’ll back you up, but you’ve got to be strong. And keep remembering Puma is your choice.”
“Hold my ground and don’t argue. Defend my line in the sand. Be strong,” Ben muttered as the two brothers turned toward the house. “Remember Puma.”
Ben was not surprised to find the women standing on the porch instead of patiently waiting inside. Neither looked very happy as the men crossed the grass and climbed the three steps that led to the porch.
“Seth, you don’t need to be here for this,” their mother said in a dismissive manner Ben recognized. She had been using it for years on both him and his brother whenever she didn’t want to include them in a conversation.
“Yes, I do,” Seth replied, going from the carefree, happy-go-lucky gay man Ben knew so well to the powerful attorney who so many underestimated because he looked more like a surf bum than a lawyer. “Ben asked me to be here.”
Seeing her sons were not going to behave as she wished, her frown deepened before she turned and stormed inside. Candace followed in her wake, looking a little uncertain.
“Hold steady,” Seth murmured as he followed Ben into the house.
After going to the kitchen to fix Seth a cup of coffee, the two men joined the women in the living room. Candace was sitting on the couch, and their mother was standing next to the fireplace, still looking like she was in charge of the situation.
If she only knew.
Ben knew what he had to do, so as soon as Seth took a seat on the other end of the couch from Candace, he set his mug on the coffee table, then moved to the clear floor just inside the living room door. Facing the two women, he planted his feet shoulder-width apart, crossed his arms over his chest, and took a deep breath for courage.
“I don’t know why you’re here. I will not be marrying Candace this Saturday, or any other Saturday in the foreseeable future. I’m gay, and refuse to deny that knowledge any longer. Now, I’d like you ladies to leave my house.”
“That’s ridiculous,” his mother argued. “You haven’t been gay since you graduated high school. And you will marry Candace on Saturday…or else.”
“Or else what, Mother? You’ll leave me out of your will? So what? I make more than enough money to sur
vive without whatever you might leave me. I’m a successful accountant and I don’t see you threatening Seth because he’s gay and not married.”
“That’s because she wrote me out of the will years ago,” Seth said casually. “Shortly after I told her I was gay and refused to marry some woman she had chosen for me.”
“Oh, really?” Ben said, surprised at that little tidbit of information.
Seth shrugged. “No biggie. I don’t want any of her stuff anyway.”
The two men ignored the woman’s gasp and shriek of outrage as they compared blackmail techniques that she had used on them without the other knowing.
Finally, their mother had had enough. After motioning to Candace, she crossed the room to the younger woman, who was looking a little green. Maybe she was finally seeing their mother in her true light and did not like what she saw.
Their mother stopped at the doorway and turned to glare at Ben. “I will see you married to Candace on Saturday, Benjamin. There is, after all, more than one way to skin a cat.”
Ben looked at Seth as they heard her stomp down the hall and slam the front door behind her. Only then did he ask, “What do you think she meant by that?”
“Not sure, but you might want to warn Puma she could come after him,” Seth answered just as softly.
Ben reached for his phone and called Puma, but the man didn’t answer. He had admitted that he wasn’t tied to his phone, and usually left it in his apartment when he worked in the various gardens on the estate.
“Hey, wildcat. It’s Ben. Give me a call when you get this, okay? Talk to you soon,” Ben said before hanging up.
* * * *
A horn blaring repeatedly pulled Puma from the bed of herbs he was weeding. He walked to the front gate and looked through a gap in the fence to find an unfamiliar car sitting in the driveway. Two women were inside, neither one looking very happy. After unlocking the gate, he pushed it open just far enough to step through. No one except her sons was welcome on the grounds when Mrs. Muldoon was not in residence, and she was not due back from her latest trip for another three days.
He pulled the gate almost closed behind himself before turning to face the two women who had climbed out of the rather nice sedan.
“May I help you?” he asked. He kept his tone polite, though he now recognized the younger woman as the former-future Mrs. Benjamin Chambers. Turning his attention to the older woman, he sucked a breath in recognition.
Ben’s mother had not changed a bit in the past seven years. Her hair was still styled the same way and her makeup was the same, though her suit looked up-to-date. The icy expression and aura of hate that radiated from her had not changed either.
“Puma Roberts. I should have known you were involved,” Mrs. Chambers said, her words laced with venom.
“Excuse me?”
“This charade of Ben claiming to no longer want to marry Candace. Of course you would be behind it.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Chambers, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I suggest if you have something to talk to Ben about, you go see him and leave me alone.”
As he spoke, Puma backed up, hoping to make a quick retreat back behind the fence. But the women moved in on either side of him faster than he expected.
Before he could move out of the way, Mrs. Chambers grabbed his shirt and pulled him so they were nose to nose. “You will leave my son alone. Break off whatever he thinks you have and walk away. Tell him to marry Candace, or you will be very, very sorry.”
Puma wasn’t surprised when his newly uncovered diva-bitch attitude kicked in. After all, they were attacking not only him, but the man he loved, as well.
And yes, he did love Ben. He had loved him ever since the first kiss they shared when they were both sixteen. Ben’s walking away two years later had hurt, but Puma had never been able to stop loving the man.
He narrowed his eyes and shifted to plant hands on hips as he faced off with the woman. “Ben is old enough to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants, and you should get used to it. If Ben wants to be with me for the rest of my life, I’ll keep him, and make sure he’s happy every minute we’re together. And I don’t give a flying fuck what you have to say about it. Ben is his own man and, as his mother, all you should care about is his happiness.”
The next thing Puma knew, Ben’s mother slapped him, slamming his head into the fence. It took a minute to see past the stars, but as he regained his balance, all restraint left him. Despite the pain centered on the side of his face and cheekbone, Puma slapped her back.
The woman screeched and lunged at him, but Puma retreated before she could touch him. Moving fast, he slipped behind the gate and slammed it shut. Thankfully that automatically engaged the lock, so he was safe behind the fence.
“Leave or I’ll call the police,” he screamed as Mrs. Chambers rattled the gate, trying to open it once more. After his threat, the two women climbed back into the car, but did not drive away.
Feeling warm liquid running down his cheek, Puma pulled off his shirt and held it to his face as he hurried up the driveway to his apartment. He needed to check the damage and decide whether or not the cut on his cheek required stitches.
He only hoped that Mrs. Chambers would get tired of sitting in the driveway and leave in the next few minutes. Otherwise he would be forced to call and report her for trespassing so he could leave the estate.
He wasn’t sure Sully would allow him onstage if he had stitches on his face. Then again, the man probably wouldn’t let him dance with a black eye either, and Puma could already feel the skin around his right eye beginning to swell so he could not open his eye fully. At least the injuries would not keep him from his pole dance lessons, even if it did keep him off stage for the next few days.
Chapter Seven
Ben was deep in reviewing the files for the client who was due to arrive at any moment when his cell phone rang.
He grabbed it, then swiped to answer without checking the caller’s identity. “Hello?” he answered distractedly.
“Ben?”
“Hey, wildcat. What’s up?” Ben frowned at Puma’s tentative tone. This was the first time the man had called him after Ben’s message, and he was beginning to worry about him.
“Can you come get me, please?”
“Come get you? Where are you, Puma?” He heard tears in Puma’s voice and immediately stood and gathered the papers on his desk before heading for his office door.
“I’m in jail. Your mother had me arrested for assault, though she did more damage than I did,” Puma said softly.
The man’s answer broke Ben’s heart while at the same time firing his temper. “Sure thing, wildcat. I’ll be there as soon as I call Seth.”
“Thanks, Ben,” Puma answered before the line went dead.
Ben stopped in the lobby of the small office he and Joey shared. Kate, their shared secretary, looked up at him, her expression curious.
“Ask Joey if he can meet with Mr. Richards when he arrives in a few minutes. If not, reschedule it for later this week. I’ve got an emergency to tend to. I’ll check in about the rest of the day once I figure out what’s going on.”
“I can take it, Ben. Go deal with whatever it is,” Joey said from the doorway to his office.
“Thanks, buddy,” Ben said as he headed to the front door.
He climbed into his car before stopping just long enough to call Seth. The man agreed to meet him at the police department as soon as he finished with the client he was meeting with. As soon as he hung up, he started the engine and raced to the police station. Once he pulled in and parked, Ben sent a prayer of thanks for not being stopped for speeding the entire way.
The sight of his mother and Candace walking out of the station stoked the rage building in Ben’s belly. After climbing out of his car, he locked it and headed toward the two women.
“What did you do, Mother?” Ben demanded as he faced off with the woman.
“Whatever are you talking about? I was a
ttacked and had the man arrested,” his mother returned, sounding insulted at his insinuation that she had done something wrong.
Sucking a breath to keep from throttling the woman himself, Ben pushed past the two women and stalked into the police station. Not sure what the hell his mother was up to, Ben stopped and took a deep breath only when he was inside and needed to be calm.
“Can I help you?” the uniformed officer asked from behind the information desk.
“I’m here for Puma Roberts,” Ben said.
The man nodded and picked up the phone. A quick conversation and he hung up again. “Have a seat. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Though Ben wanted answers to the dozens of questions running through his brain, he crossed to a wooden bench along the wall and sat down. He sat still for about thirty seconds before he stood and began pacing.
Seth arrived before Puma made his appearance. His brother went to the desk and had a short conversation with the officer there. After scanning several pages in a file, he moved to sit on the bench and watch as Ben prowled the room like a caged animal.
“So when are you going to tell him?” Seth asked with a smirk.
“Tell him what?”
“Tell him that you still love him,” his brother said.
Seth’s words had him stopping and slowly turning to look at Seth. Though the question rang a bell in his heart, it also caused a cold chill to race down his spine. “We’ve only been back together for a few days. Don’t you think that’s a bit soon to be declaring my love?”
Seth crossed his arms and grinned. “I think the moment you figure it out is the perfect time. Especially since that love is why he’s behind bars.”
“What do you mean?”
“Apparently Mother and Candace left your place yesterday afternoon and went to speak with Puma. According to her statement, Puma slapped her. According to his statement, Mother slapped him, cutting his cheek and causing him to slam his head into a fence. She called the police and had him arrested for assault. He was arrested at an urgent care center getting six stitches in his cheek.”
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