The Proposition

 

Whether one called it racism or preference, Kelly liked her men tall, dark-skinned, and handsome. Sure good-looking guys existed in all races, but she didn’t need to look elsewhere with so many black brothers available.  

The fact that Benjamin Levy had caught her attention could be drawn up to sexual curiosity rather than a true emotional connection. Anything physical between them would remain at the surface-level of intimacy.

It was why she’d been down with making a move on her boss and exploring ‘the other side’ for one night. It was also one of the reasons she expected Benjamin to join her.

I might as well forget that now.

Kelly stared at the girl hanging on Benjamin’s arm. She was gorgeous. Her eyes were wide and sparkling, her nose was slim, her cheeks pale, and her lips plump. She had a sweet vibe—a gift of youth that Kelly could never reclaim.

Her brain pounded a warning. Get out. Get out. Get out.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Kelly turned to walk down the stairs, cursing herself for stupidly trying to seduce her boss.

Now that a white girl was in the picture, she might as well forget it. If ‘Tiffany’ was anything close to Benjamin’s preferences, Kelly could never fulfill any of the desires he’d want in a sexual partner.

Maybe seeing him with a white woman was the jolt she needed to come back to reality. She was disappointed, but on the bright side, at least she wouldn’t be putting herself in an awkward position at work.

“Wait.” Benjamin tore out of his house and stopped in front of her. “Why don’t you join us?”

Join her boss and his girlfriend? Kelly wasn’t in the mood—at least not for polite conversation with the star of some of her very inappropriate thoughts.  She would go home, regroup and come back to work a changed woman.

“No thanks.”

“I insist.” Benjamin held her hand so that sparks fluttered up her arm and whooshed through her chest. Stunned by the contact and her body’s reaction to it, Kelly allowed him to lead her into his apartment.

“Hey!” White Girl surprised Kelly by wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tight. Unfamiliar with such candid embraces, she stood stiffly. “I’m Bianca.” The chick grinned when she leaned back. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

So her boss liked them extra-chirpy.

The observation confirmed how mismatched they would be. She’d made the right choice in abandoning any thoughts of bedding Benjamin.

Okay. Maybe the thoughts weren’t fully abandoned, but she would get over it eventually.

“We were just about to eat,” Benjamin said, indicating a pizza box on the black glass dining table.

“It’s got everything,” Bianca informed her. “Belizean pizzas taste so good. It’s insane.”

It’s insane, Kelly quietly mocked. The woman looked to be around twenty years old. She would have guessed it anyway from the stick-like figure, privileged white girl twang and the University sweatshirt she wore.

“I really don’t mean to intrude,” Kelly said. Now that her senses had returned, she wanted to leave and tuck herself into bed. Alone. Or maybe not. Should she call Clayton?

“It’s no intrusion,” Bianca said, grasping her shoulders and forcing Kelly to take a seat around the dining table. “He’s a big bore anyway. All he cares about is business and basketball. I’m glad to see another friendly face.”

She stared, unblinking. They’d been standing in the same space for all of five seconds. How had Bianca determined that Kelly was a friendly faced when, for all intents and purposes, she’d marched up the stairs intent on sleeping with her man?

And what was wrong with her? If Kelly had all six foot two of Benjamin Levy to herself, she would never share him!

“Please forgive my sister,” Benjamin said, coming around the table with a soda bottle and a stack of glass cups. “She’s been cooped up in the hospital for too long so she’s forgotten how to pull back on the word flow.”

“I’m sorry… what? Did you say?”

“Didn’t you know?” Bianca reached out and crooked her elbow around Benjamin. “I think we look alike.”

Kelly’s eyes bounced between the two of them. To be fair, she thought all Caucasians sort of looked alike.

“You’re his sister?”

“That’s right.” Bianca whipped her hair off so that Kelly yelped. “And a proud survivor of ovarian cancer, baby!” The stubbles of dark hair on her extremely white scalp drew Kelly’s gaze.

Regret swum through her. What kind of horrors had this young girl been through? Her earlier animosity melting like wax, Kelly scrambled to make up for her bad attitude by smiling genuinely at Bianca.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she said, returning the blonde wig to her head. “It’s coming back in patches so I’m trying out different hairstyles in the meanwhile. I’ll be staying with Benji for a few days and the blonde wig is too hot so I’ve got to find a new one. Hey, maybe you could help me pick out my next wig while I’m here.”

“Bee, let’s not sucker Kelly into any commitments—”

Kelly cut Benjamin off. “I’d love to.”

“See!” Bianca squealed and Kelly now understood why her zest for life was so bright. “By the way, I love your name. So beautiful! Do you mind if I call you ‘Kel’? You can call me Bee.”

“Go right ahead—uh—Bee.”

Bianca tore a piece of pizza and waved it in the air. “Benji, we should invite Kel on the trip tomorrow.” Instead of waiting for her brother’s permission, Bianca turned to her. “We’re going to San Pedro to snorkel near the barrier reef. You have to come.”

“I’ve already taken care of everything,” Benjamin said. “All you’d have to bring is yourself.”

A free trip to the islands sounded heavenly, but Kelly hesitated to say ‘yes’. Her outside relationship with her boss was supposed to be a purely physical thing. The more time she spent getting to know Benjamin Levy as a person and not a prime slab of hunky meat, the harder it would be to keep herself in check.

“Benji,” Bianca moaned, “you have to convince her. I came to Belize just so I could have fun this weekend and it won’t be fun without her.”

“I’m sure you’d have fun either way. The reef is amazing.” Kelly nodded. “There’s a place you can stop in before you reach the reef that has nurse sharks and dolphins. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s an awesome experience.”

“See! She’s already making the trip better.” Bianca pulled on her brother’s arm. “Benji…”

“Come on, Bee. I can’t force her. How about I fly out some of your other friends to join us. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“You can do that,” Bianca said. “But it won’t be the same without Kel.” Bianca’s expressive blue eyes, an identical hue to Benjamin’s, zoomed in on Kelly. “I know we just met, but I can tell that you’re an awesome person.”

“You’re too sweet,” Kelly laughed, her heart melting. She was getting used to Bianca’s effervescent personality. “How can I say no?”

“Yes!” Bianca stomped her legs and waved her arms in the air. The dance was dorky and weird, but… kind of cute. To Bianca every moment was a celebration and her vigor was contagious.

“Go and call all the friends that are willing to come last minute.” Benjamin nodded at his sister. “Tell them to be ready at seven. I’ll have a driver pick them up and take them to the charter.”

“It will only be Jenna and Courtney,” Bianca said and then she turned to Kelly. “Sickness sure can clear a crowd, but at least I know who my real friends are.”

“Preach!” Kelly lifted her arms.

“I like that!” Bianca laughed and imitated her pose. “Preach!”

“Shall I do it also?” Benjamin raised his hands over his head.

“Don’t you dare!” Bianca glared at her brother and jumped up and down. “I’m so excited. I’ll go call them now.” She skipped down the hallway to what Kelly assumed was her bedroom.

“I’m sorry for backing you into a corner like this.”

“It’s no problem. I didn’t have any plans this weekend anyway.” Kelly clasped her hands together. “Bianca’s spirit is so… fiery. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it must have been to battle cancer, but she seems stronger for it.”

“Yeah.” Benjamin blew out a breath and stared thoughtfully at the table. “It was brutal. Especially when Dad got sick too. Bianca was beside herself. For a minute, I thought I’d lose them both.”

Her heart tugged her toward him, but she threw an invisible lasso at the organ and hauled it back. She was not going to fall for Benjamin Levy just because he’d lost his father and seemed to be wrapped around his little sister’s pinky finger. She would not be swayed by his manly smile, his muscular arms, or the tattoo on his arm.

Kelly would conquer her boss and get him out of her system once and for all, but that plan would have to wait until after this weekend. As soon as Monday rolled around, Benjamin Levy was fair game.