The Job Offer

chapter 15


Anne woke early on Saturday morning to the feel of Ben behind her, his arm thrown over her waist and his hand on her breast. His lips moved over her shoulder and she sighed before rolling onto her back. He moved between her legs and entered her as he watched her face in the dim morning light. She felt the familiar pleasure enter her with each of his thrusts, and she rose to meet him. Then they found their climaxes together before Ben collapsed on top of her, their bodies still joined. She gladly accepted his weight and held him in her arms, running her hands over his muscled back and firm cheeks.

They both knew that their time was running out, and their passionate lovemaking the night before was laced with a touch of desperation that heightened every sensation. Several times during the night, Ben brought her to climax, holding back his own release until she finally took control and drove him over the edge of desire. In contrast, their joining this morning was sweet and simple, and its impact squeezed her heart. She still held out hope that he would say something today to let her know that he wanted to continue their relationship. If he didn't, she would risk his rejection by telling him that she would be moving back to Seattle and hope for the best.

There were several times when she tried to find the words in the past two days to tell him, but her fear held her back. When it came right down to it, the woman she was here on the island was not who she really was anymore. He remembered the fearless spitfire she used to be when she was a kid. But she had changed, and if he knew just how boring she really was, he would run in the other direction. Her life revolved around science now, being careful, and looking at things logically. She wore lab coats over tee shirts and jeans, her hair was usually pulled back into a clip, and her nails were unpolished. But she wished that she could be the sexy spitfire he said she was.

Ben smiled sleepily at her and kissed her tenderly before laying back down beside her. She soon fell back to sleep. When she woke up again, the sun was bright and she looked over at the bedside clock. It was ten-seventeen. Goodness! Anne could not remember ever sleeping so late. Getting out of bed, she picked up Ben’s tee shirt and put it on before going into the sitting room. The room was empty, but a note was left on the buffet next to the coffee pot and a lemon poppy-seed muffin. She smiled because he remembered the kind of muffin that was her favorite. The note was from Ben telling her he would be back soon.

Before pouring a cup of coffee and eating her muffin, she went into the bathroom for a quick shower then dressed in the pair of shorts and a blue button down shirt she had brought over the day before. Once dressed, she went back into the sitting room and picked up her cell phone to check the text message that beeped at her. Looking at the message, she smiled when she read it. It was from Carla. Sitting down on the couch she pressed Carla's number in her contact list and waited for the phone to be answered.

"So, did you get called back?" Carla greeted Anne by asking her the question.

"Good morning to you, too. They offered me the job." Carla screamed in excitement then told Gary, who was somewhere close by. When Carla got back on the line, Anne told her the details of the contract and when she would start. Then she told her that she would be looking for a rental on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Oh, I know of a place you can rent. You know that little cape cod at the other end of the block?"

"Is it the blue one with the dormers or the white one with the fence?"

"It's the blue one. It's owned by a techie who is moving to California for a year, but he doesn't want to sell it, just lease it out. But he is picky about who he will lease it to, too. He was talking about leasing it out to someone who doesn't have kids or pets, preferably a professional. No college students. I told him about you, and he is interested in showing it to you. What should I tell him? Will you look at it? It's a two bedroom, has a killer kitchen, a fireplace, and a big deck in back. Oh, and it has a single detached garage. You need to see it."

"Sounds super tempting, Carla. What's he asking per month?" Carla told her the lease price that was well within Anne’s budget. "Tell him that I'll be in town on Tuesday and Wednesday. If he is available, I want to see it."

"Will do. How's it going at the inn? Do your mom and dad have you working?" Anne took a sip of her coffee before answering.

"No work this time. I'm just relaxing with old friends."

"That's good, Anne. I told you that I had a good feeling about this." Anne heard Ben putting his key card into the lock.

"Hey, I have to go now, Carla. I'll fill you in on Tuesday about what I've been doing. Ok?"

"Ok. Bye, Anne."

Anne pressed the disconnect call button just as Ben walked into the room. He saw her sitting on the couch and put his hand behind his back before walking over to her. She was curious about what he was hiding.

"Morning," she greeted him with a smile. He, in contrast, had a nervous look on his face.

"Good morning. I got this for you." He pulled his arm from behind him and showed her what he held in his hand. It was a white jewelry box. Surprised, she looked up into his eyes then took the box from him. She was speechless, and swallowed a couple of times to remove the lump that suddenly formed. Inside the box she found a delicate silver chain with an aquamarine stone attached as a permanent setting of the chain. It was beautiful. "It reminded me of your eyes," he said as she continued to look at the necklace. She felt her eyes water. "Anne?"

"It's beautiful." She looked up at him, and he saw her tears.

"Don't cry, Anne. You don't like it. I'll take it back. I'll exchange it." Alarmed, he dropped to his knees before her.

"Don't you dare! I love it. Help me put it on." She took the delicate chain from the box and tried to open the clasp, but her hands were shaking too much. Ben took it from her and sat next to her on the couch. She lifted her hair so that he could secure the clasp, and then he kissed her nape when the clasp was secure. Letting her hair fall back down, she turned to look at him, fingering the stone that rested at the base of her throat. She was not expecting this. Hopefully it was a good sign, she thought, and not a parting gift. "When did you get this?"

"I got it this morning. I drove over to the jewelry store in Eastsound, the one we walked by last night, and had the proprietor open up early. You look beautiful."

She stood up and crossed over to the mirror by the door. The stone was the same color as her eyes. Ben came to stand behind her, and she spun around to kiss him then wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love it. It's too expensive, though."

"I can afford it, Anne." He put his hands up and cupped her face. "I wanted to give you something...something to remember me by after this week." He pulled her back into his arms so that she rested her head against his shoulder and ran his hand through her hair. "I'll never forget this week together, Anne." That did not sound good, Anne thought. It sounded like this was a parting gift. Some of her happiness dimmed.

"Ben, if I was in Seattle, would you still want to see me?" She said this nervously against his shoulder. It was now or never. He pulled away from her and rested his hands on her arms. He was smiling, and she became encouraged by it.

"Of course I would, Anne."

"What if I'm not the woman you think I am?" She suddenly decided that she should explain what she did for a living. Over the years she had found that some men were turned off by it. Although she did not think that he would, she was not sure.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if I'm different. People act differently when on vacation."

"Yes, they do. Are you saying that you would think about coming back to live in Seattle? What about your job? Your life is out..." A knock at the door stopped him from finishing what he wanted to say. "I'll be happy when this wedding is over," he groaned in resignation before he let go of her and opened the door. His mother stood in the hall. She came inside the room when he opened the door and greeted Anne when she saw her. His mother was clearly upset and full of nervous energy.

"Ben, you're supposed to be in your tux and ready to go. It's eleven o'clock."

"The wedding isn't until two, Mom."

"That's right, Ben. But we need to drive to the chapel, there are photos that need to be taken, we still need to have lunch because dinner won't be served until five, and as Best Man, you cannot miss any of it. Now go and change, and for Heaven's sake, shave." Ben winked at Anne then went into the other room. A minute later they heard the shower turn on. "What was he doing this morning? I saw him drive up the front drive in your car," she said distractedly. "You wait, Anne. Men just do not get it." She looked at her watch and groaned. "Tell him that we had to get going. We're already going to be late for the chapel. Can he borrow your car?"

"Yes. I'll catch a ride with my parents."

"Good. Oh, Lord, if this day goes off without a hitch, I'll be very surprised. Bye, Dear." Then like a whirlwind, she was gone.

Closing the door behind her, Anne smiled at the image of Ben's usually unflappable mother so uptight and took a deep breath. Anne had not been invited to the wedding per se, but was included as Ben’s "plus-one." It was naturally accepted by everyone that she was going, so Anne did not feel like she was crashing the wedding. Looking around at the now empty sitting room, she turned once more to the mirror to admire the necklace Ben had given her only a few minutes before. It did not sound like Ben intended the necklace as a parting gift if his response to her asking him about her being in Seattle was any indication. She smiled happily as she fingered the stone and thought about what hers and Ben’s future would be once he found out that she was moving back to Seattle. She looked forward to telling him that night.

Anne remembered her coffee sitting on the coffee table and walked over to pick it up. It was cold. After dumping it out into the buffet bar's sink, she poured a second cup and sat down on the couch. She was quite hungry now and pulled the muffin over to her, took the top from the lower portion, and nibbled the delicious muffin top, the part she always ate first. The shower turned off, and Anne heard the sound of the sink water running for a minute before the bathroom door opened. Going into the bedroom, she saw Ben standing in a towel taking the tuxedo from the garment bag.

"Your mother left and said to take my car to the chapel. Don't dawdle. She didn't say that, but it was implied."

"I'm sure it was." He pulled on a pair of underwear and sat on the edge of the bed to begin pulling on his socks. The hair on his head and chest was still wet. "Anne, can you find my shoes?"

She looked in the closet and found a shoebox that she pulled out and took to the bed. The shoes were a size thirteen pair of black oxfords delivered for the wedding. Ben already had his pants on and was in the process of buttoning up his shirt that was sticking in places to his wet chest and back. The rest of the tuxedo included a cream colored silk vest, a deep purple woven silk tie, and a black tuxedo jacket with a deep purple silk handkerchief that matched the tie. She watched Ben as he dressed thinking that he was an exceptionally handsome man. Once he was dressed, she whistled. He looked sharp and incredibly sexy.

"Anne," he began as he tied his shoes. "I know that we were interrupted earlier, and I want to finish the discussion. But can it wait until tonight?"

"It can wait. Now get going before your mother starts calling."

He grabbed her car keys and his wallet that he had put on the dresser and kissed her quickly before leaving. Once she was alone, she turned off the lights in the bedroom and collected her hair and makeup items from the bathroom. Her dress for the wedding was still at her parents' house, and she would need to ride with them, so she decided to head over there now. She stepped outside and saw another piece of paper taped to the glass of the balcony door. Anne read the word "whore" on the sheet and shuttered. That Chelsea really was a piece of work, she thought. Then she pulled the note off, crumbled it into a ball, and carried it with her until she could toss it into a trash container that sat at the edge of the patio.


* * * * *


The wedding was performed inside the beautifully decorated Victorian styled chapel built outside of Orcas Village. Set in a meadow and surrounded by towering pines, the chapel looked like it belonged on the New England countryside instead of in the Pacific Northwest. The white chapel, built in the 1970s to resemble a Victorian era chapel, was a throwback to days gone by complete with a center steeple and bell tower. Narrow stained glass windows flanked the front door and the sides of the building, and visitors were greeted with another large stained glass window that filled the arch behind the altar and captured the light. The cream plaster walls, stained wooden ceiling, and exposed beams complimented Lily’s chosen colors of dark purple and cream.

Lily wore a custom Badgley Mischka designer wedding dress with an off white strapless beaded bodice, a dark purple silk sash at the waist, and a flowing cream colored organza skirt with beaded calla lilies interwoven throughout the fabric. She chose not to wear a vale, but had her brown hair styled in a soft up-do with strands curling loosely around her face and beads woven through her curls. In her hands, she carried a simple bouquet of purple calla lilies tied with a cream bow that contrasted with the cream colored calla lilies carried by her matron of honor and used as boutonnières worn by the men and in the mothers’ corsages. Flower arrangements of calla lilies, alliums, and mums were set strategically around the chapel and tied to the ends of pews to complement the flowers they carried. The chapel was quaint, and the enclosed space captured the wonderful scents from the flowers. Anne breathed it in with enjoyment. Lilies were her favor flower.

Anne sat next to her parents in the pew wearing a simple aqua lace sleeveless shift dress with a scooped neck that Carla talked her into buying. It complimented her eyes and showed off her figure to the best advantage clinging to her curves and ending just above her knees. The necklace that Ben gave her earlier in the day was around her neck and she wore no other jewelry. She also wore a simple smile when she watched Lily and Tom exchange their vows and when she found her eyes wondering frequently over to Ben.

After the ceremony, Anne stood outside looking at the meadow and trees outside of the chapel instead of returning to the inn with her parents. She waited to drive back with Ben, but they could not leave right away because a few more shots were needed by the photographer. Finally, when the church was cleared of guests and the photographs were taken, they saw the newly married couple into a white Rolls Royce limousine and followed them back up Orcas Road to the inn.

The reception room at the inn was full of guests when they arrived and a small orchestra played by the dance floor. Nobody danced as it was the custom to wait until after the newly married couple took their first dance as husband and wife. The tables were covered in cream and purple overlaid cloths, and each table sported a tall clear crystal love vase holding cream calla lilies.

While Ben stood in the reception line with the rest of the wedding party, Anne looked for a place to get a glass of wine. Surprisingly, she saw several people whom she recognized. Once the guests had gone through the receiving line, Ben came to find her. She was talking with a nice couple whom she had first met years before. They were frequent guests of the inn in addition to being friends to the Carlson family. They greeted Ben warmly when he arrived at her side. Ben handed her a Champaign flute when he walked up and clinked glasses with her before sipping from his glass. He did not leave her side again until it was time to eat.

When he went to the head table to sit, Anne found her spot next to her parents at their table across the room. Soon the toasts were given with Ben's being both a stirring and funny Best Man's toast that paid homage to his sister and her new husband. There were a number of calls for the couple to kiss, and then everyone focused on enjoying the delicious seafood and beef dishes prepared by the inn's resident chef.

Sometime later, after the dinner plates were removed and the bride and groom shared their first dance, Anne was having a wonderful time talking to another couple at her table when she suddenly felt Ben at her side again. This time he was there to ask her for a dance. Anne quickly accepted and let him lead her to the dance floor where a slow waltz was being played. Anne recognized the song but could not place the composer. The waltz was played at Carla’s wedding, also. It had been a long time since she had danced with anyone, not since Carla’s wedding, in fact, and Anne was slow to start out. But Ben was an excellent leader and she was soon floating around the floor in his arms.

All too soon the dance ended and another song began. Instead of staying for another dance, Ben led her from the floor through the many couples moving to the new waltz. Anne expected him to take her somewhere to sit down so that they could talk, but instead he whisked her out of the room and into a private meeting room one door down from the reception room’s door.

Closing the door of the meeting room behind them, he quickly pulled her into his arms for a private dance that stirred her blood and left her breathless. They swayed to the sound of the orchestra playing in the other room, their bodies pressed against each other in a sexier version of the waltz they did on the dance floor. She moved her arms around Ben’s neck and looked up at him, and he found her mouth in a seductive kiss that stirred her body and left her wanting much more. She finally pulled away to catch her breath and felt Ben's lips move onto her neck and the space behind her earlobe.

"Shouldn't we go back?" She did not want to but asked because she was afraid of the kiss escalating right there when anyone could walk in on them. As it was, her voice was already breathless. "Everyone will miss you." His lips moved to her earlobe and his hands slide down her back to rest on her bottom cupping her cheeks and pulling her in closer to his body.

"Hmm, maybe... I've wanted to do this ever since you walked into the chapel." His mouth found hers again for a passionate kiss that left her moaning before he moved his mouth to her collarbone then along to the base of her throat. She could feel his erection pressed against her, and she rubbed herself against him until his hands lifted her up against him. He backed her against the wall and began to pull up her skirt, his hands sliding up her thighs until he reached her hips.

"Stop, Ben," she whispered fervently. He stopped moving his hands upward, groaned, and finally moved his hands away from her hips. Then he put his elbows by her head and ended the kiss so that he could look at her. He had a scowl on his face that clearly showed his frustration and disappointment.

"You're right. Here is not the place for this." He pushed himself away from her and took several deep breaths. "But we are not staying to close out the night. I don't care what my duties are. We still need to talk, and then I intend to make love to you all night long." He leaned forward and told her just what he had planned for her that night. The images he created with his words caused her to blush and her core to fill with moisture. He gave her a wicked look at her shocked expression. "Trust me, you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

"Well, I must say, you certainly worked fast." The sound of someone entering the room startled them both. They looked at the door and saw Chelsea walk in, close the door, and lean a shoulder against the wood surface. Ben sighed angrily.

"Would you mind leaving Chelsea? We are a little busy right now." Ben turned around and stepped in front of Anne to block Chelsea seeing her. Anne looked down at herself and saw that her shirt was still up around her waist. She quickly pushed it back down to cover herself then stepped out from behind Ben.

"I'll say you are. But then she is good at getting what she wants. Isn't that right, Dr. Conner?" Chelsea sneered at Anne then looked innocently at Ben and spoke sweetly to him. "I just want to protect you, Ben."

"Chelsea, leave now. Go back to the party and your parents. You've had too much to drink."

Anne looked at her closely. The other woman's face was red and she swayed a little where she stood as if her world was swirling around her. Her words were also slightly slurred. She clearly had been drinking too much alcohol.

"Not until you know the truth, Ben." Chelsea’s sweet tone turned to ice when she looked at Anne. "I did a little checking up on you, Jane. Did you know that the little slut was only using you, Ben?" She looked innocently at Ben again.

"That's enough, Chelsea. No more. I’ve had enough of your actions and your language." Ben's voice became dangerously cold, and Anne could feel the anger radiate from him. He reached over and took Anne's hand and pulled her to the door. "Come on, Anne."

"Oh, you're not leaving, yet. Not until I tell you what I found out." Chelsea's voice became sing song, and she turned so that her full weight was against the door barring their exit. "You see, Ben, your little fiancée there was only using you to get a job. Isn't that right, Dr. Conner? But then she never was your fiancée."

"What are you talking about?" He looked back at Anne. "What is she talking about?"

"I don't know." Anne was genuinely perplexed why Chelsea would think that Anne was using Ben to get a job with Stanford Enterprises. Anne had never even told him that she was interviewing in Seattle. She was planning on telling him tonight. How did Chelsea know? Then Anne remembered the dropped fax.

"Oh, come on, you little whore."

"That's enough, Chelsea. I’m warning you to stop with the insults." Ben’s voice became menacing with his anger. But Chelsea did not stop. Her voice became angry when she continued.

"She sold yourself to you, Ben, so that she could get a job at Stanford Enterprises. You see, Ben, she just wanted you for a job, Baby. Isn't that right, Dr. Jane Conner? There's nothing like screwing the boss to get ahead in life." Chelsea laughed drunkenly. Anne gasped in surprise. What was Chelsea talking about? "There's nothing like screwing the great Benjamin Stanford the Third. You should have asked for more money, Jane. He's loaded."

"That's enough, Chelsea. Get out of the way before I move you myself." Ben glared at Chelsea. The look in his face and the tone of his voice finally sank in and were enough to convince her to move out of the way.

"Ok, Ben." Chelsea moved away from the door and allowed them to leave. But she made sure to give Anne a smug look before Anne left the room. The look said "I win!" Anne began to understand that Chelsea’s performance was just part of her plan to get Ben back. Ben could not be the Benjamin Stanford III. Instead of going back to the reception as Anne thought they might do, Ben gripped her hand tightly and forced her to walk beside him over to the elevator in the lobby.

He did not say anything on the way to his suite. Anne was too stunned, too lost in her own feelings of confusion at learning that he was Benjamin Stanford to comprehend just how angry he really was. He opened the door to the sitting room and escorted her inside. Once they were both in the room, he walked over to the balcony door and looked out for several minutes at the darkening sky. She stood motionless in the center of the room lost in her numbness not feeling the heaviness of his mood. Finally, she began to thaw, and noticed that Ben had been standing silently for some time looking outside. The quiet became excruciating and she wanted to say something. She just did not know what to say.

"Is what she said true?" His voice reached her through the lifting fog of her mind and pulled her the rest of the way out of her reverie. His voice was calm, deep. She did not think that it was a good sign that he was calm. He should be angry. His voice should be heightened with his temper. She did not know this calm side of him and was not sure what to expect from him next.

"What part?" He laughed mirthlessly at her question. No, it definitely was not a good sign.

"Let's start with the easy part first. Are you Dr. Jane Conner?"

"Yes, but the other things she said are not true, Ben."

"What a fool I am," he said to himself. Anne became alarmed by what he said and quickly crossed over to him, putting her hand on his arm. She was about ready to say something when he shook off her hand and walked away from her. His voice became deathly cold. "You know, Anne, or maybe I should call you Jane. You know, Jane. All I can think about right now is that you said this morning that you weren't who I thought you were." He did not look at her.

"That's not what I meant, Ben,” she said calmly even though she wanted to scream. "Please look at me. I did not know who you were, and what we have between us was never about a job?" She could hear the tears in her voice. "Please believe me."

"Believe you?" His voice became even icier, if that was possible, and Anne knew just how angry he really was. He believed Chelsea’s story! She could feel her own anger rise at his unfounded belief that she had used him. "Why should I believe you? Let's look at the facts, shall we? You are Dr. Jane Conner who interviewed for a job with my company earlier this week against a strong field of candidates, I might add. You conveniently decide to visit your family at the same time that you knew that I was planning to be here. Then on the second day at the inn, you arrange it that we must pretend that we are engaged and sharing a room. Of course this is only after you already asked me to go kayaking with you. Was your mother in on it, too? How convenient. You came on to me from the first moment we ran into each other and, even though you maintained that you did not sleep around, you fell into bed pretty quickly with me."

She gasped when he said that last part and turned around. He might as well have just slapped her. It could not hurt as much as his words did. Her heart plummeted, and she struggled to stifle her rising emotions. "Do I have this right, so far?" His voice became louder with each of his points. That’s it! She was angry and extremely hurt. She could not answer him, and she could not turn around. But she could see his reflection in the glass of the balcony door, and he stood where he was before, glaring at her back. Finally she found the words to speak again.

"Ben, those were all coincidences. I did not know who you were. I thought that you were Ben Carlson." The feeling of dread increased in her chest and she blinked back sudden tears. Crying right now would not help, either. She knew that he would not believe they were sincere.

"And I'm supposed to believe that? Your parents knew who I was." Her breath caught in surprise at that bit of news. She did not know. Why didn’t they tell her? "So what were you going to do tonight? Were you going to tell me who you really were and fake innocence? Or were you just going to wait until I saw you at work then spring it on me all of a sudden? Were you going to tell me tonight that you loved me so that I would believe your story?"

"No, Ben. I didn't know who you were. I swear." Her voice came out quietly, but at least it was calm and did not reveal the turmoil of her emotions. The look on his face told her that he did not believe a word she said, and she realized that fighting further would be useless. She wasn’t who he thought, and he wasn't who she thought he was either. The fight left her when she accepted that he would never believe her capable of these things if he truly did care about her. This was just a vacation romance to him, nothing more, so why fight? Her vision became blurred, and she blinked back her tears.

The weight in her chest was almost unbearable. She was more upset about his not caring for her than she was at finding out who he really was. She had to get through this evening before he saw that she loved him and was destroyed by his rejection. She would get through it, she told herself. Straightening her spine, she blinked a few more times then turned around and faced him. "You don't believe me. I'm sorry for the confusion, Ben, but this, all of this, was not what you think." His expression remained the same. "Forget about the contract, Ben. I won't hold you to it. I don’t want to come and work for you, now."

Her softly spoken words finally got him to change his expression; only, this time to a sneer.

"Nice try, Jane. We have a contract, and if I cancel it now that we've had sex, you'll find yourself a lawyer and sue. It would get nasty. Then we would have to settle out of court, probably for a few million, making you a rich woman. It would be almost worth it to pay you off. But I refuse to give you the satisfaction. No, I'm afraid that we are stuck with each other for at least the trial period. Just stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. Now get your things and get out of my room. I'm going back to the party." He moved to the door and looked at her one more time. When she said nothing, he walked out.

As soon as the door closed, the pain in Anne's chest overwhelmed her. She could no longer stand and sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the balcony door. The tears began silently spilling over her lashes and running down her cheeks. She hiccupped and it turned into a sob that rocked through her until she was sobbing openly. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her forehead against her knees, her body shaking with each sob. It seemed like hours that she cried, but it was only minutes before she went in search of a tissue to blow her nose. Then she took the necklace off and set it by his laptop before going into the bedroom to pick up every one of her things. She looked around to make sure that she left no trace of herself behind and opened the balcony door to go down the fire escape. She did not know how she made it to her parent's house without crying again because as soon as the front door closed, the tears began again and lasted for most of the night.