Authors: Carlene Love Flores
Lucky for Ben,
she didn’t have the energy it would have taken to say no. He made sure to fix
her top so that it hung correctly over her body. The one he still craved.
Apparently he was more like the guys than he realized. He had to ignore the
insane need to make love to her. This was not the time and they were not in the
same place as they’d started the night.
Once she was
covered up, he took her by the hand and led her outside. She looked up at him.
“Where are we
going?”
“My
office.”
She nodded but
it didn’t look like she had the energy to make the short walk to his car. Ben,
tired and drained as well, scooped her up and carried her. They’d have thirty
minutes in the car to figure this out.
He punched in
the studio address to his GPS and they were off.
The guys were
gonna
love that he was showing up to an official meeting in
nothing but a vest and pants and with his date in tow. Not.
Chapter Twelve
“Ben, I can’t go
with you. Please, drop me off at the club. I need to be there to open up.”
“Yeah,
about that.
Mark called and said he was there so I don’t think
you have to worry about going in. You’ve barely had any sleep, have you?”
“Neither have
you. But you’re still going in. Same way I need to.”
“Hey,
Hazel.
I know we’re new at this, whatever this is. I don’t pretend to like being lied
to about being with you, but I realized tonight that’s because I actually care
about you. And I know last night was a tough night. I’m sorry about Jay…”
It had been an
exceptionally rough night, one she’d never forget but couldn’t stand to think
about too much. She’d needed Ben and she’d had him only to ruin it.
Once again.
Her words just shot out.
“We were engaged
to be married, but he killed himself one year ago. And now I need my truck.
Please just drop me off and then you can go to your meeting.” Her damn hands
were shaking so she tucked them into her armpits. She needed to breathe.
Counting in for four and out for four, she tried to get a grip on herself.
“We can talk.
Hazel, you can talk about him with me.”
“You have a
meeting to get to.”
“I didn’t say I
had a meeting.”
“I overheard
your phone call, Ben. Sorry, my apartment has thin walls.”
“Well did you
hear the part where I told Mark I’d take care of you? And you can just take my
word for it, he agreed. The studio has a sleeping room. It’s sound proof. You
can lay down in there, get some rest. And after my meeting, I’ll come get you.
Then maybe we can talk like we should have before I let things get out of hand
last night.”
“Did you say
studio?”
“Uh
yeah.”
“No. Take me to
the club.” Her hands weren’t trembling now because she planted them on his
dash. No way in hell was she going to a recording studio, not even one where
Ben had some place to stash her. “Ben, there will be people there and I’m just
not ready to be around. Please understand that.”
The club’s
parking lot snuck up on him before he was ready to have to make the decision of
taking her there or keeping her with him. She could tell. Ben’s mouth was tight
and his lips bunched together. He let out a loud huff then pulled into the
parking lot, taking the spot beside her truck. The engine died and he turned to
look at her. She was sure he eyeballed the clock on his console before manually
killing the power to his radio.
“Come with me.
We need to talk. Then I’ll bring you back here. I promise.”
There was
definite pleading in his voice and she knew he had to get to his meeting. But
no way did she want to be around Jaxon James or any other person in the
industry. Her heart squeezed at the look on Ben’s face. They needed to talk.
But he could come back this way after his meeting.
Unless he
was trying to tell her that refusing him now meant refusing him forever.
He checked his phone and then set it down. His knee bobbed against the steering
wheel.
“When you say
studio, you mean the Sin Pointe studio?”
“Yeah, Jaxon had
one built just outside of town. It’s on Berry Hill, not too far from here but
with traffic…I need to get there Hazel. I don’t want to rush you. I have to go.
I really don’t want to leave you here.”
Negative
thoughts lashed at her, telling her that if she went, it would only get worse.
She could already feel her animosity and blame for the cold, dark music world
clouding her mind. More tears came pouring out as she unbuckled her seat belt
and tried opening her door. It wouldn’t open of course.
“Hey, Hazel,
please talk to me.” Ben’s hand was on her knee, his face confused but caring.
“I can’t.” She
struggled with the door again until she heard the automatic locks pop open. Ben
was letting her go.
In one fast move,
she reached back to touch Ben—somewhere, anywhere—her hand brushed against his
chest, then she hopped out of his car and without looking back, made her way
past her truck and inside to the café.
She saw Mark,
who stopped her before she escaped back to the bathroom to freshen up and find
a spare apron.
“Hey, what are
you doing here? Are you okay?” he asked, his face crinkled up and his hands
full of coffee beans.
Unable to hide
her red, wet face from him, she said, “I have no idea, Mark. No idea. I just
need to work.”
Mark shook his
head. Maybe he knew she was making a mistake. But it wasn’t his fiancé who’d
strangled himself using one of her scarves from their bedpost. It wasn’t Mark
who lived with that vision every second of every day, no matter how much time
had passed. And it wasn’t Mark who had fallen in love with a sweet man who came
from a world she couldn’t be a part of. One who had been hurt each and every
time they’d been together the past week. Mark was wrong if he thought she was
making a mistake because this was the only way she knew of keeping Ben safe and
maintaining what little sanity she had left. She shoved past him to the
bathroom and prepared for her shift.
****
Raindrops began
their assault on Ben’s windshield. He pounded his flat palms up against the
steering wheel as he sat in his Mini Cooper outside the studio.
He should have
stayed with her. Told Jaxon no.
Ben’s arms got
all wet when he stiffly climbed out of his car and slammed the door shut. He
pulled his hat out of his back pocket and slid it on, not so much to keep his
hair dry but because he was pissed which probably wouldn’t go over well with
Vance and the cover artist. He should do what he could to shield them.
“Dammit,” he
said on his way to the door. She could have stayed. She could have come with
him. She hadn’t.
“Story of my freaking life.”
Inside, Ben went
to his desk and checked the guest log. Vance had signed in ten minutes prior
with the designer.
Time to put on his Benny face and get to
the meeting.
At least Ben would impress someone today. He sniffed in
hard as he walked down the hallway, doing his best to rock his striped vest.
Chapter Thirteen
Fuck if he
hadn’t quite gotten used to these ungodly morning hours. But waking up at the
crack of dawn to Lily’s loving arms and legs, not to mention her coffee and
French toast, his baby girl
Maryellie’s
smiling
face…those girls made it worth it. And if anyone on the face of this planet
deserved a shot at that, it was Benny.
Jaxon pulled in
to the club’s parking lot, scaring off a few Tennessee black birds enjoying a
chunk of bagel, hoping Benny’s mystery woman was here. There was no doubt in
his mind that the charming red headed singing hostess from Benny’s birthday
night was the
friend
needing his
mate’s attention this morning. And he’d bet his ass she was also the reason for
Benny’s sudden split after dinner last night.
If Lily and
Maryellie
hadn’t woken up with fevers, he’d have filled in
for his best friend.
No matter what
anyone thought, Jaxon loved the shit out of Benny.
Jaxon cursed
Erby
Wells as he locked his Land Rover and made his way to
the club. On second thought, that shit she’d pulled Saturday night might have
led his boy to someone special. Guess he was about to find out.
A guy whose nametag
was still a sticker and not a permanent
etching
greeted him.
“Morning, what
can I get you?” the guy asked.
Feeling
froggy
at this hour, Jaxon
refrained from quoting Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot
Scootin
’
Boogie.” Saying he wanted a shot of the red head yonder probably wouldn’t go
over too well with the latte crowd.
Especially since he
couldn’t really characterize that glare as looking.
“Yeah mate, just
a coffee.” The guy punched something in on the register when the young woman
with curly, light red hair that fell nearly to her waist arrived carrying a
tray of fresh pastries.
“And one of those.”
The red
head eyeballed him. “Please,” he made sure to add.
She scowled. But
even if she’d smiled, it wouldn’t have hidden the rough night she’d obviously
had. He knew all about those. Her eyes probably stung.
“Can we talk?”
he asked her, aware he wasn’t helping her crusty mood.
Clearly he
should have figured something out so that Benny could have stayed.
The woman stood
there looking like her back hurt and finally said, “About what?”
Jaxon cleared
his throat, afraid to turn on the charm and get
bitchslapped
for his efforts with this one.
Good on
her,
he thought as he figured what to say.
“There’s
something you don’t know about Benny but if you can give me a few
minnies
, I think what I have to
say might be worth you’re having to speak with me.”
That’d either
piss her off or work.
It worked.
“Is he okay?”
she asked right off the bat once they sat down at a corner table. “Have you
seen him this morning?”
She was a goody.
Benny had indeed been lucky to have been dumped by
Erby
that night.
“I remember you
from Saturday night. You have a nice voice.”
“What does that have to do with Ben?”
“Yeah um, so he
obviously thought the same or else he wouldn’t have asked to miss work this
morning. You should know he hasn’t called in sick or come in late in ten
years.”
Her scattered eyebrows
raised
like she was impressed. She should be. He went
on.
“Benny isn’t the
first person I’ve hurt, having him at my beck and call. But I’m trying to right
that.” He watched her face and hands, the most tell-tale parts on a woman, to
see if she could care less or was willing to give him another minute. Her scowl
was gone and her fingers were curled under the palms of her hands, but not in
fists. “There’s this camping trip coming up.”
She piped in
with a short reply. “Ben mentioned that.”
“Yeah, well it’s
something we do every year, or at least try to. The thing is
,
Benny’s always gone alone.”
Jaxon saw her
react to that by dipping her chin and laying the backs of her knuckles across
her lips.
“When you say
we?” she asked without looking him in the eye.
“I mean the band,
the guys and our girls.
Wives, girlfriends, significant others.”
“Look, this is
between me and you. Got it?”
She nodded.
“It’s been six
years for Benny, if you know what I mean.” He raised his eyebrows for emphasis.
“And I’m not just talking about, um, intimacy. I mean, the big guy hasn’t so
much as taken a girl for coffee.”
Her frown was
back but if he had to guess, he’d say it was less about her hating him and more
about care for Benny.
“Look, I’m just not
comfortable talking about him with you. It seems like this is Ben’s private
business and he wouldn’t appreciate the fact you’re telling me. You don’t even
know my name or else you would have used it by now. I’m neither surprised, nor
do I care. I have to get back to work.”
Well at least
Benny’s girl was being honest. She stood up from the table a little too
quickly. He heard a sniffle coming from her and knew what a woman’s shoulders
looked like when they shook to hold in tears.
“Hazel,” he said
so she’d know he wasn’t a total ass, “I’m sorry for whatever I did to get this
reaction from you, but I’ll make this quick. Be a good friend to Benny. You
said he mentioned this camping trip. I’m betting he invited you to be his date.
Would it kill you to go with him?” he said to her back. “Please.”