Chapter Eleven
THREE days later on the following Wednesday, Ben was sitting in the reception area of The Big Event, attempting to keep his focus on the same spy novel he'd been reading when Christine had ambushed him with her plan to seduce him on Sunday night. He kept reading the same paragraph over and over, because his mind just couldn't concentrate on the story line.
From one of the back rooms, he heard Christine and Madison talking, their animated conversation punctuated with an occasional burst of laughter. So far, since the night at the charity event, everything had been quiet in terms of anything happening to Christine, for which Ben was immensely grateful. Then again, he wasn't making it easy on anyone he didn't know to get close to her without a thorough interrogation. He was glued to her side when they were out in public, his instincts razor sharp at all times as he shuffled her from the car to her office, or wherever else she needed to go.
For now, she was keeping her outside errands to a minimum and only attending to things that were urgent. Weeding out the unimportant stuff would help to keep her as secluded as possible for the next week, until the election was finally over.
They spent their days at The Big Event, and went straight home at night and ate dinner at her place. That gave them a whole lot of alone time together, and Christine was quick to make good use of their long evenings-with sex, in lots of adventurous, daring, uninhibited positions. As if her inner seductress had been unleashed during their first time together, she'd become this insatiable, frisky, and zealous lover, eager to make up for lost time and the mediocre experiences that had left her physically unsatisfied in the past.
And even knowing they'd be parting ways in less than a week, he was so damned helpless to resist her sexy, tempting allure. Or anything else about her, for that matter.
The front door to The Big Event swung open, and Ben glanced up to see Kevin-a good friend and coworker at ESS-entering the place. Wearing one of his carefree grins, the other man strolled toward where Ben was sitting on the couch in the reception area with his feet propped up.
'Working hard as always, I see,' Kevin wisecracked. 'How is it that you always seem to get the cushy jobs?'
'It's all about charm and good looks, both of which you lack,' Ben ribbed right back, glad to see a familiar, friendly face to break up the monotony of his day.
Kevin smirked as he dropped into the comfortable chair next to the couch. 'I'm sure the hot babe I was with this weekend would disagree.'
'It only takes a woman a few drinks to turn what looks like a frog into a prince.' Grinning, Ben closed his book and regarded his friend curiously. 'Other than busting my chops, what brings you by my neck of the woods?'
Kevin tossed the file folder he'd been holding on to the table in front of Ben. 'I had the day off and I thought you might want to take a look at your next assignment, and get familiar with the logistics of the case before starting the job next week.'
'Thanks. I appreciate that.' Reaching for the folder. Ben flipped it open and quickly scanned the cover sheet, which contained an overview of the assignment. 'Surveillance on an insurance fraud case. Those are always a load of fun,' he said dryly.
'I'm sure it will be much more exciting than my security detail at the Art Institute watching over the Van Gogh exhibit for a week.'
'You might be right about that,' Ben said, and chuckled. Closing the folder, he set it aside and reclined back on the couch. 'So, what's been going on at the office while I've been out?'
Kevin spent the next forty minutes bringing Ben up to speed on the latest happenings at ESS, including the new cases that had come in during his absence, and ending with an update on Joel Wilde's upcoming nuptials to Lora Marshall, which were set for that weekend. During that time, Madison left the office to run some errands, leaving Christine alone in one of the back rooms.
'It sure is a drag that you won't be able to join us boys for Joel's bachelor party this Thursday night at Leather and Lace,' Kevin said, sounding bummed on Ben's behalf.
Surprisingly, Ben didn't even feel a glimmer of disappointment about missing out on an evening of watching various women strip down to skimpy G-strings, and that was enough to tell him just how far, and how deeply, he'd fallen for Christine in such a short span of time.
He tried not to think about that right now, because his feelings for Christine, no matter how strong and intense, made no difference to his future. After this next week, he'd still be spending it alone. 'I'm sure you all will have enough fun to make up for me not being there.'
'Yeah, you're probably right.' Grinning, Kevin sat forward and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. 'In fact, I feel so bad about you not being able to go that I'll even buy an extra lap dance in your honor.'
Ben laughed. 'Now that's a real friend for you.'
Kevin held his hands up, palms out. 'Hey, you should know by now that I'm the kind of friend who'll take one for the team, if need be.' After a moment, he inclined his head. 'Are we at least going to see you at the wedding on Saturday?'
He shook his head, his regret genuine. Joel was the first of their tight group of Marine friends to get married, and as much as Ben wanted to be at the wedding, he had a job to do that took precedence. 'I really hate to miss it, but I'll still be on this assignment and I can't leave Christine alone.'
'Of course you can't,' Kevin agreed easily. 'So, bring her with you.'
Ben sighed. After what happened at the charity event, he was trying to keep her as secluded as possible. That, and taking her to a wedding where he'd be surrounded by his best friends, and Joel's family, seemed way too intimate. 'It's not that easy.'
'Sure it is,' Kevin refuted, completely oblivious to Ben's inner turmoil. 'All you have to do is
'Ask me what?' Christine asked as she walked into the reception area. Instead of heading toward the front desk to collect the recent mail delivery that had arrived right before Kevin, she veered toward the two of them, curiosity brightening her blue eyes.
Ben groaned beneath his breath, knowing just how persistent she could be. Before he could respond to her question, Kevin stood up and extended his hand toward Christine in greeting.
'Hi there. I'm Kevin,' he said, introducing himself. Being the consummate playboy. Kevin's appreciative gaze took in Christine's blond hair, her black sweater, the red pleated skirt that showed way too much leg, and yet another pair of those head-turning high heels of hers. 'I work with Ben at ESS.'
Christine shook his hand, seemingly unaffected by Kevin's not-so-subtle interest that had Ben clenching his teeth in annoyance. 'It's nice to meet one of the guys Ben works with.' she replied with a smile, then returned her attention back to Ben. 'What did you want to ask me?'
'Nothing,' he replied gruffly, and cast a quick keep-your-mouth-shut glare at Kevin-a warning that his friend didn't bother to heed.
'Actually, he wanted to know if you'd accompany him to a wedding this Saturday,' Kevin said with a persuasive grin as he sat back down in his chair. 'Our good friend, Joel Wilde, is getting married-'
'Jesus, Kevin,' Ben said, cutting him off midstream. 'I already told you that I'm on assignment, and I'm sure Joel will understand why I'm not there.'
Christine placed her hands on her hips, looking very determined-and sexy as hell. 'You shouldn't have to miss a friend's wedding because of me. I don't have any plans for this weekend, so there's no reason why the two of us can't go together.'
Ben crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his gaze in a stern attempt to get her to back down. 'We already talked about keeping your public appearances to a minimum.'
She wasn't the least bit intimidated by his authoritative tone or demeanor. 'Where is the wedding and reception being held?' she asked.
'That doesn't matter.'
'It's a backyard ceremony at Joel's parents' place,' Kevin said, providing the details that Ben was so reluctant to share. 'Very small and low-key. Mostly family, a few good friends, and a slew of security agents to keep an eye on you and keep you safe.' He winked at Christine, letting her know that she could count on him to watch over her,
