Authors: Jess Dee
Melissa blinked in surprise. “You could tell?”
“Hell, yeah. He despised it, and in the moment, he despised me. His expressions and his behavior told me the very act was eating him up inside.”
The penny dropped. “Which is why you gave him an out. Told him we could stop.”
Will nodded. “But he was determined to go through with it…” He hesitated, regarding her with wise eyes. “Because he thought it was what you wanted. He believed it would make you happy. And as he told me, he’d do anything you wanted, as long as it made you happy.”
She gaped at him, speechless. He’d done it for her, to make her happy—even knowing how his threesome with Sienna had turned out. And if, as Will had said, Ben was still in love with her, he’d done it knowing he risked losing the second woman he loved.
Did that make him the biggest idiot on earth or the most generous lover a woman could ask for?
Possibly a bit of both.
“That bloke is gone for you, Mel. Bloody hook, line and sinker in love.”
“He is?”
“He is.”
Then that would make him the most generous lover a woman could ask for. Perhaps wrapped up with a little idiot.
Melissa jumped to her feet. “I have to speak to him.”
“That’d be a good idea.” Will stood too.
“I’m going, now. But first…”
“First?”
She stepped forward and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Will. For everything.”
He hugged her back. “Trust me, beautiful, the pleasure was all mine.”
She could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Granger. But I think, from now on, that blind on Ben’s window will remain closed at night.” It was time. If indeed Will was right, and Ben did love her, and she loved Ben, then it was time for just the two of them to be together. Alone.
He released her, and she stepped back.
“I’ve kind of been expecting that.”
“You have?”
“You and Ben are good together. It’s very clear. But now you need to be great together, and you don’t need me there to complicate matters.”
She smiled at him. “You really are wonderful, ya know?”
“I know.” His answering smile was mischievous. Sexy. “And now…” Will hitched his thumbed at the window. “I think you’d better go back to your offices and deal with a very jealous colleague.”
Melissa turned to look through the window. And there, in a complete reversal of roles, stood Ben—the man she loved—in the building next door, watching her and Will.
Chapter Sixteen
Ben hurt all over. The pain in his chest radiated outward until not one inch of his body remained unaffected. The ache was overwhelming. All encompassing. He couldn’t see through it, couldn’t get past it. He’d tried not to think about it. Tried to ignore it. Tried for hours. But the pain kept spreading, and the agony was unavoidable.
Melissa had been in Will’s office.
Hell, fuck that. Melissa had been in Will’s arms.
Nausea threatened to choke him.
He forced himself to take a steady breath and tried to quell the need to hit something—or somebody. Tried—
“Ben? Do you have a minute?”
Melissa.
She didn’t wait for his response. Or maybe she did, but he spent so long formulating one, she finally gave up. “I have a document that needs proofreading. Do you mind?”
Yes, he fucking minded. He minded that she’d been in Will’s office. He minded that she’d been in Will’s arms. He fucking minded a lot. But then he’d been the one to drive her there, so he couldn’t argue. He didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Ashamed of himself, mortified right down to his bones, he wished he could take it all back. Wished he could change the way things had worked out between them. But what was done was done. There was no going back, only forward. And as soon as he was stable enough to move forward, he would. He’d go after Melissa with everything he had. Apologize to her. Profusely. Beg her forgiveness. And get her to see that Will was not the man for her. Ben was.
In the meantime, she was in his office, asking him to proof a document, and he was not at all prepared to see or face her. Couldn’t she get Jerry, Sue or Pete to read through it? It’d be much easier on both of them that way.
Ben drew his shoulders back and, like Melissa had done a thousand times before, stepped into professional mode. He could not, would not let her see how put out he was. He’d proof her document like she asked. But if she thought for one minute he wasn’t going to fight for her, wasn’t going to win her back and make her love him like he loved her, she had another thing coming.
He wasn’t going down without a fight. He’d fought for Sienna and lost. But then he’d been arrogant enough to think he hadn’t stood a chance of losing. He wasn’t that arrogant anymore.
He knew he stood every chance of losing Melissa. Probably already had. Will was a decent bloke, a real decent bloke. One of the best. But damn it, Ben loved her. Loved her! Against all odds he’d fallen in love with another woman. He wasn’t about to let her walk off with the other man. Not this time. No matter how decent that man was.
Just as soon as she left his office, he would put his mind to it and come up with a foolproof plan. A plan Melissa would not be able to resist. A plan that would have Melissa back in his arms and back in his life for good. And this time, he would not challenge another man for her affections. He wouldn’t be so fucking stupid. This time he would keep it between the two of them. Just him and Melissa.
He held out his hand. “Not at all. Bring it over.” Hah. See? Mel wasn’t the only consummate professional in this office. He could act like one as well.
Although he couldn’t help but wonder what Melissa would do if, instead of taking the document, he took her hand, hauled her in close and held her until she melted into him, became part of him.
Probably slap the crap out of him.
Ben expected several pages. Their contracts were never less than fifteen pages. But Melissa handed him just one. He looked at it in surprise. Then brought it close and began to read.
Two minutes later he read the entire thing again, and then once more to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
“Are there any mistakes? Spelling errors? Addresses in the wrong place?” Melissa asked.
Ben shook his head. The letter was perfect. But that was irrelevant. “What the hell is this?”
“Exactly what it looks like. A letter of resignation.”
“But…but it’s signed by you. Written by you.”
“Well, yes. Of course it is. It would be ridiculous if you wrote and signed my letter of resignation.”
“You’re leaving Preston Elks?” Impossible. Implausible.
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because I no longer wish to work here.”
Full-blown panic slapped him across the face. Because of him? Because of what he’d done to her? Was he responsible for her complete change of mind?
“But you haven’t made partner yet.” Christ, if his challenge had interfered with her accomplishing something she’d worked towards her entire adult life, he would never forgive himself.
She nodded. “I know. Funny how that turned out. A month ago it was all I wanted, all I lived for. Now it holds no interest for me.”
He jumped to his feet. “Mel, if this is about me, about what I did to you with Will, I’m sorry. So goddamned sorry. I never should have done it, never should have put you in a position to choose, never should have set up the challenge. It was a dumb-arsed, selfish thing to do, and I regret the day I ever involved you in my fucked-up psychological problems.” His throat was raw. Talking hurt. “Just please, please, don’t quit because of me. Don’t ruin your life and everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve because I’m an idiot.”
Mel listened with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I agree with one thing. You are an idiot. You should never have seen sex with me, you and Will as a challenge you had to win. Never have been such an idiot as to think I might even want to choose.” She shrugged. “But even so, that challenge has nothing to do with my reasons for quitting.”
“It doesn’t?” Her answer confused him. It didn’t let him off the hook, not by a long shot, but it did give him some measure of relief that she wasn’t leaving because of their ménage. “Then why are you going?”
“Because you were right. It’s ridiculous to live a life I hate. Ridiculous to work my arse off to earn a promotion I want only to prove to myself I can get it.”
Ben rubbed a finger and thumb over his forehead, massaging the dull pain that had started a slow throb there. “I’m not going to lie. You’re confusing the hell out me. You’re quitting because you don’t want to work here any longer?”
“I am. I hate investment banking. Have for a long time. But I’m only just learning that I don’t have to remain in a job I hate just to prove I can succeed in it and reach the top. In fact, I no longer care if I succeed. It’s not important anymore. It’s not what I want.”
“So your die-hard ambition to make partner? What, it’s just…gone?” He snapped his fingers. “Like that?”
She gave a
humph
. “Funny, huh? But yep, there you have it. It’s gone.”
He stared at her in disbelief, unsure whether to celebrate with her or march her straight to the closest doctor’s office out of fear she’d developed a serious mental illness.
“You’re not messing around?” He held up the letter. “You honestly intend to give this to Preston?”
“Just as soon as I’ve popped it into this envelope.”
Maybe he was the one hallucinating and this wasn’t real. “And once you’ve handed it over? Then what? What do you plan on doing with your life?”
Melissa put a finger to her mouth, stared dreamily at the ceiling and smiled. “I don’t have the faintest idea.”
“You don’t have another position lined up?”
“Nope.”
“A meeting with a headhunter, perhaps?”
She shook her head.
“You have no idea, no plans?”
There it was. The dreamy expression again. “Not a single one.”
Okay, now Ben was starting to worry. Big time. This was not Melissa. Not at all. This was a stranger standing before him. Granted, a happy, excited stranger, but a stranger nevertheless. The Melissa he knew would never give up her job in favor of…nothing.
“I don’t get it. What happened?” He shoved a hand through his hair, perplexed. “Three days ago you were determined to stay here and make partner. Determined to work towards your long-term goal. Today you’re resigning. What changed?”
“
I
did. I realized that what once was important no longer is. I’ve started to see myself in a whole new light. Yes, I may once have been a failure, but I’m not anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. But the thing is, remaining in a job I detest, living a life I don’t want to live is in itself a failing. I’m failing me. I’m failing to make myself happy, and I can’t do that anymore. I won’t.”
He gaped at her, astounded. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious.”
“This is what you want? You’re sure?”
“Never been more sure in my life.” She looked it. Looked resolute. But more than that, she looked happy, carefree and dreamy-eyed. She looked exactly the way he’d always wanted her to look: content within herself.
“What will you do, Mel? If you’re not working here, where will you work?”
She grinned. “I have no idea. None. And I love that. Love that I don’t have any direction in my life. Love that for once I can just settle back and appreciate life instead of letting it pass me by while I work.” Melissa took a great big breath of air, inhaling as if for the first time ever she could appreciate its life-giving properties. “You know, I have you to thank for all of this. If you hadn’t pushed me, hadn’t made me open my eyes, I’d never have seen what I was doing to myself. I’d never have taken the time out to appreciate all life has to offer and I’d never have fallen in love. So yes, while you may be a complete arsehole for challenging Will for my affections, I forgive you. Because in the end it all worked out for the best.”
Before Ben had a chance to process her words, before he could make sense of them, Melissa marched over and kissed him on the cheek. A chaste, friendly kiss. “Thank you, Ben. For everything.”
And then she was gone.
Ben had maybe a half a minute before comprehension slammed into him, leaving him winded.
What the fuck?
She’d fallen in love? And she had him to thank for it? He’d opened her eyes?
No way. No freaking way in hell was she walking away. Not now. Not ever.
If he’d opened her eyes to a different, happier way of life, if he’d helped her fall in love, then there was no way he was letting her go.
And it was too fucking bad if she’d fallen in love with Will. She was his. Ben’s. They belonged together. They were explosive together. He would not lose her to another man.
Couldn’t
lose her to another man. So help him God, if he had to get down on his knees and beg, he would. He’d do whatever it took to make Melissa see they were meant for each other.