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Post by Thursday on Aug 31, 2010 16:20:14 GMT -5
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The rage had fled as soon as the object of it had left and now he was left with annoyance, shame, and a healthy dose of embarassment just to top it all off. "Um yeah. That was Nicole." It was bad enough she had already shown up at the bar but it was a whole new level of wickedness for Nicole to show up at his house, unaccounced and to use his key. He remembered regretfully he had not gotten that key back from her. Great. "I should go," Rachel said uncertainly. Her hair was wild from their passionate embrace a few minutes ago, her lips bright red. Ben wasn't quite ready for the night to end but he knew he owed Rachel some explanations. "Can we talk?," Ben pleaded. "Let me explain this." "I'm not sure. It seems like you and that ho-I mean Nicole need to talk, not you and me. I can call a cab." She was angry, Ben saw now as well she should be. He needed to make it right. Ben walked swiftly towards her and grabbed her hands, pulling her close. It was as if he had known touching her would bring down all her walls. "Please." It wasn't a question and Rachel melted. "Okay," she sighed in resignation. "Have you got any liquor in this place?" She then asked with a wry smile. "I thought you didn't drink?" Ben teased, already leading them towards the kitchen. Rachel winked at him. "I said I don't drink much."
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Post by Thursday on Sept 3, 2010 9:32:48 GMT -5
As Ben poured them each a generous dollop of whiskey into a couple of tumblers, Rachel took the time to try and compose her thoughts. Though she was not at all surprised to find Ben had a gorgeous ex, she was still slightly bothered by it. She wasn't looking for a guy with baggage. Goodness knows she had enough of her own. "Here you go," Ben said with a smile handing her the amber liquid. He'd raised an eyebrow at her choice of poison but Rachel was the product of a Scottish great-grandfather. Water is for the feet, he'd always said. "Thanks," she said and resisted the impulse to toss the entire drink back at once, compromising with a hearty gulp. They settled back on the couch, this time sitting chastely beside each other, knees barely touching, without Ben on top of her, running his hands down her body. She flushed just at the memory. "I'm more than sorry than I can say about Nicole. I had no idea she still had her key." Ben started awkwardly. "When did you two break up?" Rachel asked, not looking at him. She swirled the whiskey around in her glass, watching the streams break up over the ice cubes. "About two months ago. I ended it. We'd been living together for six months and she'd been cheating on me with multiple partners for five months." "What a bitch!" Rachel exclaimed and Ben felt a wonderful surge of affection just for her saying that. "Yeah, she's been harassing me ever since. I think she wants to get back together but there is no way in hell that is going to happen." Rachel looked at him now. He was gazing off across the room. She couldn't read his face. "Are you sure?" She asked quietly. Ben quickly looked back at her. "Of course. Me and Nicole? We're over. We were never right for each other. I just saw it too late after I'd already-" He stopped here. "Fallen in love with her?" Rachel guessed. "I thought I was. But now I'm not so sure that's what it was. Have you ever been in love?" Ben asked abruptly. "Me? Well, yes. A few times." Rachel didn't really want to talk about her past. Her history with Jake was just still too fresh to bring up. Ben felt an irrational wave of jealousy of these unknown men whom Rachel had loved. "And were you sure? When you together?" "I was. They weren't most of the time.It's just as easy to fall out of love as to fall in it." Ben snorted at that sentiment. "Can I be honest with you?" She asked him. "Please." Ben was worried. He could kill Nicole if she screwed this up for him. "I'm not looking for anything serious right now. It kind of seems like you and your ex have a lot of issues going on, maybe this just isn't the best time for us to date and I'm not really crazy about being the rebound girl." Ben's heart sank a little at her words. "Look," he said leaning foward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You can't help when you meet someone. Believe me, I know. I understand your concerns. But I think we need to give this a chance. I like you a lot Rachel and I love spending time with you. It doesn't have to be serious. Let's just have fun." Ben hoped that that having fun turned into something more permanent later but he wasn't going to push her right now. "Fun," she said, tasting the word on her tongue. Rachel liked the sound of that. "It's a deal." Ben edged closer to her on the couch, wrapping his arm around her, and a shiver of delight ran through her at his touch. "How about we seal that deal with a kiss?" He asked already moving in. Rachel couldn't have agreed more.
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Post by Thursday on Jul 9, 2011 17:23:09 GMT -5
The door to the small expensive black car slammed shut with such force, Nicole worried for half a second that it had broken. God, knows she would have been shit up a creek if it had. The little Audi was a gift from an admirer so to speak and nothing Nicole could have afforded on her own meager income from designing. But it closed without a hitch and she wasted no time reving the powerful engine. That little whore with Ben was all she could think about. Some blonde country bumpkin coming in and stealing her man right from under her nose! And that idiot Ben! A $900 Coach bag in the trash! It was appalling and the only thing keeping her relatively sane was the fact that she hadn't bought it herself. Nicole slammed the car into gear and with a squeal, drove away from Ben's apartment. That Rachel person was probably just a gold-digging tourist! Nicole had been certain Ben still wanted her but it seems like he was getting his needs met by somebody else now. Damn. Her body had been her highest card. What was she going to do now? Nicole pondered for a minute if he was really worth it? But she looked at her wrist at the diamond bracelet Ben had given her on their third date and thought of the other pieces sitting at home in her jewelry box and of Ben's gorgeous apartment which was worth half a mil alone and that ranch sitting up in North Texas that god knows she hated to go to. There was way too much wilderness up that way for her, not to mention the havoc all the dust and wind reaked on her hair. But that wasn't the point Nicole reminded herself. Benjamin Morgan was worth more than all the men in the county put together. She would have him if it was the last thing she did. All she needed to do, she realized was to get a little dirt on the competition.
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Post by Thursday on Jun 22, 2012 23:04:42 GMT -5
The next day, Rachel slept late. After their last kiss, she had asked Ben to take her home and like the gentleman he was, he did. Passionate embraces and knocking over lamps seemed to be done for the night. The moment had unfortunately, passed. She could have killed that woman for interrupting. Just remembering the feel of Ben’s lips, his hands on her body made her blush. It was ridiculous. She still barely knew the guy but her lady-parts had no qualms about societal expectations, ex-girlfriends and drama. The wanting hadn’t stopped. The girls had already been asleep when she had crept in, which was a shame. Rachel was dying to tell somebody about these latest developments and get some much needed advice. The revelation of psycho ex-girlfriend was far from surprising. A guy as gorgeous as Ben was guaranteed to have left a trail of broken hearts behind. That woman, Nicole, seemed to be hell on wheels and she was without a doubt, unbelievably good looking. Rachel was trying really hard not to compare herself to her. Ben had seemed genuinely distressed. Whether he wanted Nicole back or not, there were some major issues and while they didn’t exactly make Rachel a happy camper, there was nothing she could really do about it. Granted, she hadn’t been entirely honest with Ben. Throughout out the whole conversation about exes and rebounds, Rachel had neglected to mention that she was also just getting out of a relationship. She knew it was hypocritical of her but the situation was entirely different. Well, mostly. It did seem like Jake wanted to get back together but he had never returned her anxious email telling him to stay away. That couldn’t be a good sign. A familiar knot of anxiety filled her stomach as she thought about Jake. It had been weeks since she had seen him but she replayed their last meeting in head often, curing her own stupidity. It was supposed to be like every other Saturday night. Saturday was date night without fail. They had a routine and they were comfortable in it. However, Jake had insisted on making her dinner at his place and she remembered being surprised. Jake rarely cooked and they usually went out anyway. But she threw on a little black dress and went willingly. Maybe some change was a good thing. She tried to push out the doubt that had crept up over the last several months. She loved Jake but she wasn’t sure what kind of love it was anymore. “You look beautiful,” he said with an easy smile as he opened the door and leaned in for a kiss. He was wearing a dark polo shirt and jeans. His hair was freshly washed and combed and Rachel could still smell the Irish Springs soap on his skin from his shower. “Thanks. It smells wonderful. I can’t believe you cooked!” He smiled. “Would you love me less if I told you that I picked it all up at that Italian place downtown? Rachel laughed. Now that was the Jake she knew. “Of course not. I love that place and I was kind of nervous about what you would whip up anyway.” Jake put his hand up to his heart. “You know just how to wound me,” he said sarcastically. He took her hand and led her through the familiar apartment to the small balcony. Jake had set up a table with a white table cloth, the food spread out like an offering. “This is lovely Jake, thank you.” And it had been. Throughout the meal, they laughed and talked and joked like always. It was easy being with him. Good food and a lovely white wine had her relaxed. She was looking out at the sky, not thinking about anything when Jake spoke. “Rachel.” She looked back over. Her plate had been cleared and in its place was a small, black velvet box. “Rachel,” he said again and Rachel forced herself to look up at him. Panic was spreading through her body. No, this wasn’t what she wanted. He wasn’t really going to do this, was he? No, no, no, her mind screamed. “From the first day I met you, I knew you were the one.” He grabbed the box and came and knelt by her chair. Jake opened the box to reveal the small diamond ring. Any other girl would have been thrilled. It would have been perfect but as Rachel stared at it, misery wound itself around her heart and pulled tight. “Will you marry me?” Tears filled Rachel’s eyes and not out of happiness. It was here, the decision and he was making it for her. “Oh, Jake!” She cried out. He smiled. “No.” The smiled wavered. “What?” The disbelief was evident in his face. “What?” he repeated a little bit louder this time. “I can’t marry you.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Jake, I love you but-“ “Stop,” he said, holding out his hand. “Don’t say that. If you love me why would you say no?” Anger was replacing the shock and it made Rachel cringe. “Jake, I just can’t. I’m sorry.” She stood up and walked around the still kneeling man before she started running. Rachel shook herself out of the memory. It definitely wasn’t where she wanted to go right now. She knew the time would come when she would have to face him, but took comfort in the fact that it wasn’t now. She had known without a doubt the second she saw that box. It just wasn’t right. Without knowing it, she had fallen out of love with Jake. Guilt filled her when she thought about it. She should have just broken up with him when she’d felt it. It was cruel to lead him on, especially when it ended like it did. Rachel had no excuses. She wasn’t very experienced when it came to men but she knew she was in the wrong on that. Rachel sighed. She was coming off of her Ben high and decided that solace could be found in coffee. *************** “Ben!” A voice called distantly. He glanced up, startled from his computer screen. His long-time friend and accountant, Jet, stood leaning in the doorway of the shop office, grinning at him. “What’s up with you, man? I’ve been trying to get your attention for like five minutes.” “Oh, sorry. I got a lot on my mind right now.” He had been thinking of Rachel and wondering ceaselessly how the night would have gone if Nicole hadn’t stormed in. “What’s going on?” His buddy strolled into the office and took the chair on the other side of the desk. He wasn’t a tall man but seemed to make up for it with dark, gravity defying hair. He had dark eyes and a sharp hit and was one of Ben’s best friends. “I have to have a reason to visit my favorite client?”He asked in his low, southern drawl. Ben rolled his eyes. “No, but you usually do.” Jet grinned wickedly. “You know me well. So here’s the thing: I’ve having a little party tomorrow down at my parent’s beach house. I humbly request the pleasure of your company. Well, you and some of your truly excellent beer.” Ben raised his eyebrows. It seemed like a good way to spend some time with Rachel after last night’s incident. “One question; Can I bring a date?” Jet whistled. “Please tell me, it’s not Nicole. That little bitch, why I-“ “It’s not Nicole,” Ben interjected before Jet could get caught up in his tirade, though he did appreciate the loyalty. “I met someone the other night.” “It’s about damn time.” “I know it and I really like her, Jet.” It was Jet’s turn to raise his eyebrows. He had been worried about his friend for a while. It wasn’t often that he got hurt so deeply. It sucked royally to have to watch your friend get screwed over and not being able to do a thing about it. They had all been fooled by that slut Nicole. But what a body she had had on her, not that he had ever looked at his best friend’s girl of course. Well, not a lot. “By all means, bring her and ask her if she has any friends. Our female to male ratio is suffering.” Jet was interested in meeting the girl that could pull Ben out of his funk. She had to be something. Ben’s eyes lit up like a damned firecracker when he talked about her. Ben laughed. “Will do. What’s the occasion anyway?” “Since when do you have to have an occasion to get drunk on the beach with friends on a gorgeous summer night?” “Good point. Did you actually have anything business related to discuss?” Jet sighed. “You own two thriving businesses and stock in half a dozen companies. There’s always some paperwork.” Ben grinned. “And that’s why I have you, Jet.” “The things you do for friends.”
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