Wow, Ben thought as he watched Anna walk into the restaurant. He noticed that she was wearing a dress that hugged her body in a way that made the blood in his veins sing. The neckline was a plunging illusion. He could see the swell of her breasts, but a sheer layer of lace covered her skin. It was daring yet classy. Her hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders enhancing the contour of her face. He called her name and she smiled, rendering him speechless.
Ben had to search his brain for words. He wanted to be clever and charming, but all he managed to say when he reached her was, “Wow. Just, wow.” Smooth, you dumbass, he scolded himself. Needing to make up for that fumble, he reached for her hand and placed a kiss on it. Her skin left him feeling like he was dancing through a field of lavender as he breathed her in.
“I’m so glad you finally agreed to see me.” He took pleasure in the way her breath quickened with his touch and how her pulse began to hammer in her wrist.
Anna thanked him for sending her flowers and jealousy filled him. Some bastard was out there delivering acts of admiration? He silently cursed the asshole.
Once they were seated at their table, Ben opted for small talk. She returned his flirting with a little of her own, but it was clear she was nervous. Anna fiddled with her fingers and kept glancing around the room. Once she finally made eye contact with him, he took advantage of it and winked. Something in her immediately changed. It was as if the nervous energy she had before was replaced with fear. He needed to rectify that immediately.
“What do you enjoy most about being an interior designer?” he asked, hoping to make her feel more comfortable.
Her eyes lit up. “That’s a hard question to answer.” Their drinks arrived and she took a long sip from her vodka water. “I enjoy the clients and their reaction to a finished job. I enjoy transforming a room from something mediocre to something spectacular. I love shopping for furniture and envisioning it in a room. Everything. I enjoy everything about my job.”
The happiness radiating from her was intoxicating. He was witnessing the real Anna and it made her even more beautiful than he had ever seen her. He was completely enchanted.
“What?” Anna asked.
“What do you mean, ‘What’?”
“You’re staring at me.”
Ben leaned back in his chair. He hadn’t realized he was watching her so closely, but her words had him mesmerized. She broke eye contact and sucked down the rest of her drink. He was about to respond when a man and a woman walked up to their table.
“Ben Whitley! I’m sorry to bother you, but we are huge fans. Would you mind if I got your autograph? And maybe a picture?” The fans smiled brightly at him, and the man took off his hat to get it signed.
“Sure, not a problem.” Ben hesitated at first, not wanting to offend Anna since they were on a date. He glanced at her and she had a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. He took the hat and signed it with the provided marker and then stood for a picture. Once the pair had wandered away, Ben turned his attention to Anna. The waiter placed another drink in front of her and she was already working her way down the glass. When a quarter of the clear liquid was left in the glass, she looked up.
“What can I get for you guys?” the waiter asked, glancing between the two of them.
Ben placed his order and watched Anna. “Anna? What are you in the mood for?”
She peered over the menu once again and ordered calamari and a Margharita flat bread pizza. She handed her menu to the waiter and looked to Ben.
“What’s your favorite part about playing baseball?” she asked.
Ben reached for his gin and tonic and took a sip before answering. There had to be a hundred reasons why he loved the game, but there were also a hundred more why he was starting to lose interest.
Anna raised her hand up. “Oh, wait. Let me guess. Is it the attention you get when you’re in public?” She glanced around the room. “It seems like everyone is staring at our table.” She finished her drink and again, motioned for another. Ben eyed her closely. “Or is it the attention you get from women?” She nodded her head towards the hostess.
He chuckled. “Believe it or not, I used to love the attention. But I was young. Now, I’m happy to get through dinner without having to sign a bunch of autographs.”
She quirked an eyebrow.
“No, really!” He threw his hands up in defense. “I promise.”
Another drink was set on the table and she sipped it. “Okay, then. Enlighten me.”
“Have you ever been in a play before?”
Anna nodded. “High school drama.”
“Do you remember the feeling you got just before getting on stage?”
“You mean feeling so nervous you want to vomit?”
Ben smiled. “Okay, bad reference. How about what you felt while on stage?”
She thought for a moment and responded. “It was fun. I loved being up there with my friends.”
“That’s kind of how it is for me. I always feel nervous before a game, but when I’m out there, it’s as if nothing else exists besides the field, the players and me.” Until I saw you, he thought, not wanting to disclose that information. “Have you ever played a sport?” he asked.
“Of course I have. I played volleyball and soccer.”
“How did you feel every time you went out on that field or basketball court?”
Ben watched Anna finish another drink before she answered. “Touché. You get off on the thrill of being out there in front of thousands of people.”
“I guess that’s one way of putting it.” He laughed quietly. “Like I said, I feel like it’s just us on the field, and then I see the crowd and remember that we’re there to put on a show.”
She blinked a few times and Ben realized that she had finished three vodka waters and they hadn’t even gotten their food yet. Anna was either so nervous about having dinner with him that she felt it was necessary to suck down one drink after another, or she was a lush and had no control.
“That is an incredible dress you’re wearing tonight.” He didn’t want her to be nervous, although he knew that his doting fans weren’t helping.
“Thanks. It was something I just threw together.” Her face reddened.
“Well, it’s beautiful.” Her calamari arrived and she dug in. “How long have you and Karlie been friends?”
“We’ve been watching each other’s backs since the fifth grade.” She continued to eat her calamari without making eye contact.
“Are you ever going to look at me?”
Anna was drunk, that much was clear. He hoped she wouldn’t order another drink but his thought was too soon. Their food arrived and so did another drink for the both of them, except it was drink number two for him and drink four for her.
“I’m sorry, Ben. It’s just… I find you slightly intimidating.” Anna sipped down her drink.
Surprised by her comment, Ben asked, “Seriously? What on earth is so intimidating?” The blush in her face and neck was adorable and regardless of her inebriated state, he still found her bewitching.
“I’m not sure if it’s because you’re incredibly handsome or because you’re famous.”
“I’m hardly famous,” he said. “Although I do agree that I’m incredibly handsome.”
Anna laughed out loud causing a couple tables to glare at them. “I’m not sure what it is,” she repeated. Anna pushed her untouched flatbread away.
“You okay?” Ben asked, concerned.
“I suddenly find myself not very hungry.” Anna pressed her hand to her stomach.
Ben knew it was because she drank too fast on an empty stomach, but he had learned his lesson in the past: Never tell a woman she needed to slow down in the drinking department because it only led to fights. “Let me get the waiter’s attention and get our check.”
“Oh, no. Don’t do that. You haven’t touched your scallops yet.”
Ben shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I can take it to go. Your health is what matters.”
She gulped hard and he prayed she wouldn’t throw up in the restaurant. He waived his hand in the air and the waiter hurried over with their check. Without even looking at the bill, he handed the man his credit card and asked, “Would you mind if we get a couple boxes for our dinner?”
“Here, let me do that for you.” The waiter scooped up their plates and walked away. He came back with the food boxed up and their receipt. Ben scribbled his name on the sheet of paper and he and Anna stood to leave. He placed his hand on her hip to stabilize her and they continued to walk. They were just about to reach the front door when Anna’s heel came out from under her and she toppled over. Ben was right there to catch her.
Their faces were an inch apart. “Are you okay?” he breathed.
Her eyes danced across his face before she answered. “I’m fine. Thank you for catching me. You saved me from serious embarrassment.” Her last few words were slurred.
He helped her stand and waited until she was steady before he removed his hands.
“I need to get an Uber to take me home.” Anna blinked at the screen of her phone as if she couldn’t see it.
“Anna, I’d be happy to drive you home. I have my car.” She looked up at him and nodded sleepily. He guided her to the parking garage and as they arrived at his car, Anna pushed him away.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Before he had time to react, Anna held onto the bumper and heaved forward. Not wanting her to fall to her knees, Ben wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her hair back with his free hand. She continued to vomit for another minute before she came up for air.
“I am so sorry you had to see that.” Anna wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“No, I do. You thought you were going on this fabulous date and I decided to get drunk and let you down.”
Her slurred words caused Ben to swallow the laugh that was forcing its way to the surface. The last thing he wanted to do was offend her. “Don’t worry, Anna. I actually did have a good time tonight.” He wasn’t lying. This was the first date he had been on in a long time where the girl was more nervous than interested in what he did for a living. It was refreshing even though she was drunk and throwing up behind his car. He helped her into the passenger seat and strapped her in.
“Are you able to tell me where you live?”
Anna giggled a girlish giggle. “Why wouldn’t I know where I live?” She rambled off her address and Ben put it into the maps on his phone. Good thing, because as soon as they hit the road, Anna was out, snoring lightly against the door frame. When he pulled into her driveway, he stared at her for a minute. For being drunk and disheveled, she was still as beautiful as ever. Her lips were plumper when they weren’t stretched into a smile and the shadows on her face made her look angelic.
Ben got out of the car and took a chance on the front door and was happy to find that it pushed right open. “Damn, girl,” he said out loud. “Lock the door when you leave the house.”
It was probably an oversight on her part, but the protective side of him wanted to throttle her for forgetting something so serious. A single woman leaving her door unlocked made her a target for predators. He made a note to reprimand her for that later.
He strolled back to the car and opened the passenger door slowly. Anna’s arm fell out and she moaned lightly. “Come on, girl. Let’s get you to bed.”
He wrapped her arm around his neck and willed her legs to move. He was lucky to find that she was half conscious and matched his stride, though her eyes were still closed and her head was resting on his shoulder. Once inside, he took a left at the hall and hoped he was heading in the right direction. Luck was on his side and he found Anna’s bedroom.
“I think I’m going to be sick again.” Anna pressed her hand to her mouth and stumbled towards the bathroom. Wanting to give her some privacy, Ben opened a few of her dresser drawers hoping to find her something more comfortable to wear. He managed to find a large t-shirt and some pajama like shorts. He snuck into the bathroom to see how she was doing and found her sleeping on the bathroom floor.
Ben took a deep breath. “This just won’t do,” he said, mostly to himself. He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he stripped off her heels and dress. He expected her to wake and start yelling at him for trying to undress her, but she was knocked out cold.
Ben was a gentleman. He wasn’t looking to get a cheap thrill by checking out the private parts of some drunk woman, regardless of how much he would have loved to see her naked. It didn’t help that he did get a glimpse of her long, stunning legs and her rock hard stomach. Pushing all lustful thoughts aside, Ben pulled the oversized shirt over her head and slid the shorts up her slender legs.
Anna was dressed and tucked into bed looking so peaceful. Ben made his way towards her bedroom door and stopped. There was no way he could leave her in the state she was in. He looked at his watch. It was barely eleven o’clock at night and practice didn’t start until nine. He glanced back at her and noticed the full-sized couch in the corner. Shaking his head, he stripped down to his boxer briefs and under shirt and lay on the couch. Ben grabbed the throw blanket he found draped over the side and pulled it on top of him and closed his eyes. There would probably be hell to pay when she woke in the morning, but it was worth it. Tonight, he was going to sleep in the same room as Anna, a goddess of his senses, and that was something he would celebrate. Because after tonight, he was afraid it would never happen again.