“Fine.” His voice sounds clipped.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
“Oh, okay, then. Would you be interested in grabbing dinner?”
“No, like I said before, I have work to finish. I’m sorry, but it’s been a terrible week.”
Maybe it is his work. But he’s whiplash Ben again. Or asshole Ben. And I’m too inexperienced to know how to deal with this.
He stands and slips out of me, removes the condom, and ties off the end. I wonder what he’s going to do with it when I watch him toss it in his trashcan. In another nonchalant move, he bends down and pulls up his pants, tucks in his shirt and I’m left sitting on his desk bared assed.
I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “Okay. What’s the deal here?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re acting strange. That’s what I mean.”
“Sam, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to connect with you. Work is crazy like that, which is one reason I don’t do the relationship thing. You came, you wanted to fuck. I made time and did that. This is what fuck buddies do; they don’t expect more.”
Why do I just feel like he slapped me in the face?
“Okay. But you’re Mr. Hyde. A few minutes ago you were Dr. Jekyll. Why the change? Why are you acting so different? We were fuck buddies the other night and you didn’t act cold like this.”
His hand is in his hair again.
“I don’t know what you want from me. But this is the real Ben Rhoades. As you can see, there are many facets to me. And this is what I have to offer. If it’s not what you want …” He shrugs.
His blunt words sting so I keep my mouth shut, despite the dozen not-so-nice replies I’d like to throw at him. Instead, I hop off the desk and put my thong on and then my skirt as quickly as I can and with a, “See you around,” I do a fast walk of shame out of there.
What a douche. I’m not sure what happened after the explosive orgasm, but something surely did. And whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I don’t know if I want to scream in anger or cry my eyes out. Or maybe both. The damn elevator takes its time getting to the floor as I pound the call button with my fist. When the doors open, I fly through them like I have a firecracker up my ass. And I think I do. His name is Ben Rhoades, resident asshole.
By the time I get to my car, I’m sure my blood is as hot as the surface of the sun. Slow it down, girl. You’re going to crash the damn car.
As I stomp through my front door, I come to one resounding conclusion. This fuck buddy thing was the biggest mistake of my life. What the hell was I thinking? Clearly, I wasn’t. Why can’t I be like other girls and choose men who treat them right? And not total twatheads who fuck me over every single time. I am so done with this crap. So done.
Lauren is watching TV and she hollers out to me, so I pop my head in the room. “You do not want to be around me tonight.” And I burst into tears. What in the wide world of fucks is wrong with me? I barely ever cry. Since Ben Rhoades, Produce Asshole From Hell entered my life, it seems that’s all I ever do. That and curse like a sailor.
“Oh my God, now what?” She immediately rushes to my side.
When I tell her, she just hugs me. In her true fashion, I don’t get the old, I told you so. And that’s what I love best about Lauren.
“Everyone has to go through the worst things to enjoy the best. You’ll get your knight in shining armor one day. I swear you will.”
That night I dream of my knight, only he has messy dark hair and compelling gray eyes, with a body that drives me to the point of orgasm. I wake up with the sheets all rumpled and my hand in my panties, bringing me to a climax. Damn that Ben Fucking Rhoades.
The next day, my brain is all over the place and I’m supposed to be bringing Nick up to speed on all the current projects we have taking place. Poor guy. I’m sure at various points during the day, he’s asked himself why he agreed to come to work for me.
“Sam, are you okay?”
“I’m sorry, Nick. I’m fine. I promise I’m not always like this.”
“It’s okay. You do seem a little off.”
“Yeah, that’s an understatement,” I murmur.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks sweetly.
Oh hell to the no on that. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. What I do want is to review everything I have set up to propose to Martin Rhoades at Rhoades Investment Team. He wants to do a corporate outing for the employees and their significant others and he’s offered me the job if I can come up with something that piques his interest. So let me brief you on what I have.”
I review the golf and spa options, down to the smallest detail.
Nick looks up and asks, “What do you think he’ll go for?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know him that well and haven’t ever worked with the company before.”