Three Years Ago
Samantha
Sitting in her sporty crimson red mini-Coop, Samantha Dixon gripped the steering column with nerveless fingers. Her entire body was still in a state of dazed shock as the words she’d just heard her doctor speak played on repeat in her mind.
“I’m sorry, Miss Dixon, but the tests we ran are conclusive. The odds that you will be able to conceive and carry a fetus to term are less than one percent. Biological children just aren’t going to be a possibility for you.”
She’d tuned her physician out after hearing that. He’d still been talking – something about surrogates and adoption - but after absorbing that emotional blow to her heart, her mind had checked out. Luckily, the pain hadn’t set in quite yet, but she knew it was just a matter of time before agony would envelop her. Yeah, the hurt and anger would arrive soon enough. In fact, she could already feel it seeping through the cracks of her shattered heart.
“Fuck!” she whimpered, thumping her clenched fist against the steering wheel as the first hot tear slipped past her closed eyes. “This isn’t fair!” she screamed into the empty vehicle. God, it felt like her world had just blown up in the space of a single doctor’s appointment.
It was supposed to have been routine visit to her OBGYN, just a simple check of her girly parts before she and her wonderful fiancé, Ben, got truly busy on the baby-making front. It had taken Ben months to convince her to take this leap. Since she’d had an unhappy childhood with parents that had often either ignored or mistreated her, she’d had a ton of reservations about having kids. Never having had a mom or a dad that really gave a crap about her, Sami had been worried that she would be a terrible mother herself. Over time, however, Ben had finally convinced her that she could break the cycle with their babies and be the mom she always wished she’d had as a child. He’d gotten her excited about it… this dream of a little boy or girl to love and protect.
Until an hour ago, Sami would have said she had finally been on the cusp of having it all. Because after kissing a lot of frogs, it seemed as if she had found her proverbial prince - a great man that cherished her for who she was rather than what she looked like. Yes, Benjamin Carlisle Atkins had crashed into her life with the force of a hurricane, sweeping her off her feet and stealing her heart before she’d realized what had happened. A successful model, Sami had met him on a shoot where she’d been modeling swimsuits. She’d spent the day watching as her fellow models fell all over themselves while they’d tried to flirt with the man behind the camera, but Sami had been pleased when Ben had remained coolly professional. When they’d wrapped for the day, she’d been shocked when he asked her out to dinner. Initially, she’d tried to decline. Her prior experiences with men had put her off dating. Getting a free steak wasn’t worth fending off a night of groping, but something in Ben’s eyes had told her he was different. So, when he’d persisted, cajoling her into accepting with his kind eyes and gentle smile, she’d agreed to one date.
And one date turned into a dozen more. Before she’d known it, her man had stormed her defenses, painstakingly proving to her that not all men were creeps. Since her man was a talented photographer in his own right, she’d known he wasn’t after her money. And despite models flirting with him day in and out, Sami had watched him remain detached, looking at the women he photographed with cold, dispassionate eyes. Quickly, it became crystal clear that big boobs and tight asses didn’t impress her Ben overly much. Her man was much more interested in what made up a woman’s character.
Before too long, Samantha had been head over heels in love with a man that had been perfect for her. Within three months, she’d moved into his apartment. And a year after that, he’d proposed. One year had bled into the next as they planned their lives together. They were happy. They were in love. And as their wedding day approached, they’d both looked toward the future, dreaming of the babies they’d have.
Now, those dreams had been shot to hell. The family that Ben wanted so much was going to be impossible to give him. Her body… the same body that photographers and ad agencies alike clamored to use…had betrayed her.
And because of that, she knew she’d lose Ben.
Oh, she had no doubt that he’d say it didn’t matter to him. He was a good man, and he loved her. He was a man that honored his commitments, and he had committed himself to her. It was her choice, though. She could never deprive the man who’d taught her how to love and be loved of what he desired the most.
Which meant she would have to be the one to set him free.
But not tonight.
She needed more time. Just a little more time to soak up all the good that came from being together with Ben.
Jabbing her key into the ignition, Sami started the car and drove home on automatic pilot. Pulling into the parking lot of their apartment complex twenty minutes later, she couldn’t help her involuntary smile as she spotted Ben’s black Dodge Ram parked in one of the two spots assigned to them. A quick look at the dash clock confirmed that her guy was probably home for the day, and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of the night showing him just how thankful she was to have been loved by him – even if that love could only last a little while longer. Quickly parking beside his vehicle, she took a deep breath as she killed the engine, pocketing the key as she grabbed her Fendi purse with one hand.
Stepping out of her ride, she slammed the door before she straightened the seams of her black pencil skirt before making sure her fitted white silk blouse remained unwrinkled. Today, she’d dressed a little more demurely than she usually did – mostly because Ben got off on her sexy librarian look, and she’d wanted to look her best when she surprised him with the good news from her doctor’s appointment.
At least he’d still get to enjoy the outfit, she thought glumly as she began walking toward the doorman waiting outside her building. Nodding at the man as he held open the door, Samantha quickly headed toward the wall of elevators, hitting the up button with the palm of her hand. It only took a few seconds for the steel doors to slide open and for her to step inside.
Relieved to find herself the only occupant of the car, she quickly pushed the button for her floor and leaned back against the wall as the elevator began moving. Squeezing her eyes closed, she mentally willed herself to relax, knowing that if Ben saw her this tense, then he’d know something was very wrong.
And that couldn’t happen yet.
She wanted one more good night with him. One more night to worship his body with hers. One more night to say goodbye to their life together in the sweetest way possible.
She needed this.
And since fate had already been cruel enough today, she was stealing this night for herself.
Jumping slightly as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, Sami hurried forward, her high heels clicking against the tiled floor as she made her way down the corridor to their front door. Pasting a bright smile on her face as she fished her keys from her handbag, Sami quickly let herself into the apartment.
“Hey, there’s my gorgeous vixen!” Ben’s deep voice greeted her as she walked through the door, her eyes finding her man easily where he stood in the kitchen with one hand on the refrigerator door as he searched for something inside. Dressed in faded jeans and a soft gray t-shirt that molded to his muscular body, he was a sight for sore eyes.
“And there’s my sexy stud muffin,” she replied, her smile becoming genuine as she closed the door behind her.
“I don’t know about all that,” he chuckled, pushing the fridge door closed before he headed toward her to get his welcome home kiss. It was a habit he’d begun the day she’d moved in with him. No matter what he was doing, if she came home after him, he’d stop whatever he was involved in to greet her with a kiss. “How was your day, baby?” he asked against her lips before he moved his lips down her throat to nibble at the hollow of her neck.
Samantha knew lying was a sin – especially lying to someone she loved. Sometimes, though a woman had to do a wrong thing for the right reasons. Which was why she replied with, “Same old shit, different damn day. You know how it is in our industry, honey. Cordova wants me to take another modeling assignment outside the country again.”
She was relieved when Ben simply nodded and accepted her statement without question before he bent to steal another quick kiss from her lips. “You work too hard, Sami. I’ve told you a million times that you need to leave that fuckin’ Cordova Agency. They’re a bunch of sleazeball crooks. Those bloodsuckers are draining the life out of you. Once we get you knocked up, I’m not gonna want you dealing with those assholes and their bullshit, and there’s no way you’ll be able to keep jaunting off to all these overseas photo shoots. Vixen, you know I make enough to support us both. Quit them and find an agency that appreciates you. Or, better yet, make some of those clothing design doodles in the sketch book by the bed into a reality. You’ve got incredible talent, woman! Use it and do something you enjoy,” he encouraged her as his arms pulled her closer, molding their bodies together.
“We’ve had this discussion, Ben,” Sami replied on a sigh. “I’ll give leaving Cordova some thought when the situation warrants it. Besides, I don’t need your money. I’ve saved up a good-sized nest egg of my own, you know. I’m perfectly capable of supporting myself.”
“I know that, but I like the idea of taking care of you, Samantha. I want to support you. Physically. Emotionally. Hell, I want to take care of you in every way I can. It’s my job as your man to make sure you’re cared and provided for,” he said softly as his arms tightened around her and his large hands palmed her ass, kneading the firm muscles there as he pressed her body to his.
“That sounds a little old-fashioned,” she teased, tapping her finger against his bearded chin as she tilted her head back to stare into his loving eyes.
“Maybe, but it’s how I feel. You are mine, babe. I’m always going to want to take care of what’s mine. From this sweet face,” he murmured, lifting a hand to tenderly cup her jaw. “To this loving heart,” he continued, drifting his hand down her neck until it fell over her pounding heart. “All the way down to this incredible, tight pussy,” he concluded, dropping his hand to slide beneath her skirt to brush his fingers against the damp satin of her underwear. “Every single inch of you is mine, Sami.”
“I know,” she acknowledged softly as she leaned her head against his strong chest and shifted against him, her damp panties becoming more uncomfortable by the second. She couldn’t help it! Ben’s filthy talk always got her wet and ready in record time. “It’s one of the many reasons I love you so much.”
“Then I’ll make it a point to remind you every night who this sweet body of yours belongs to,” he promised as his hands tightened possessively on her ass. “Although maybe you oughta share some of the other reasons why you love me. I think I wanna hear those.”
Biting her lip as she took a half step backward, forcing him to release her, Sami batted her eyelashes at him. “You fishing for compliments, Ben?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m fishin’, vixen,” he agreed readily. “How else am I gonna catch myself the prize of that pretty pussy?”
Sami couldn’t help her laughter. Mostly because they both knew that all Ben had to do was crook his finger at her and he could have that pussy anytime he wanted in any way he wanted to give it to her. But she’d indulge his game if he wanted to play. “Well, let’s see…” she began thoughtfully as she slowly reached for the first button on her silk blouse, unfastening it slowly. “I love the way you want to take care of me… always wanting to make sure I’m safe and well-cared for,” she purred as she continued slowly unfastening the buttons on her top, exposing more and more skin as she went.
Ben licked his lips as he watched her slowly slide the wisp of fabric off her shoulders. “Uh huh. What else do you love, Samantha?”
“I love the way you say my name… like it’s the most important word in your vocabulary,” she offered as she unfastened the button on her skirt and slid down the zipper, shimmying her hips to allow the material to slither down her long legs.
“That’s because it is. Your name represents the center of my world. You have and will always be my beginning and my end.”
Sami blinked back tears at those sweet words. “I love the way you can make me melt with just a look or a whispered word,” she confided shakily as she began to step out of her heels.
“Leave the shoes,” Ben ordered huskily, eying her almost naked body hungrily. “I wanna feel those heels digging into my back later on.”
Nodding silently, Sami reached behind her to unfasten the clasp of her white lace demi-cup bra. Watching his face as she let the lacy cups fall away from her breasts, she nearly moaned as Ben licked his lips. “I love the way you look at my body,” she confessed in a near whisper. “When you look at me like that I feel like the most gorgeous woman in the world.”
“That’s because you are. You are the most beautiful creature God ever put on this earth. And He gave you to me. You are all mine. Every sexy inch of you. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve that, but I’ll spend the rest of my life giving thanks for it,” he returned huskily, lifting a hand to brush his fingers against the swell of one breast, watching as her plump pink nipple hardened at the caress.
“Do you know what I love about you most of all, Ben?” Sami asked shakily as his hands slowly petted her heavy tits, his fingers twisting and plucking at her sensitive nipples until she wanted to scream with pleasure.
“Tell me,” he demanded hoarsely, moving closer to her as he bent to run his nose along the curve of her neck, pulling goosebumps to the surface of her flesh.
“I love the way you love me so completely. The way you can make me forget the whole world when I’m in your arms. The way you can carry me to heaven and make me believe I deserve to be there,” she whispered as his arm slid around her waist, lifting her against him.
“You’re my angel, Sami, and every angel deserves to reach heaven. In fact, I think it’s time that you and I made another trip,” he replied against her parted lips as her legs wrapped around his hips and he carried her toward their bedroom. “What do you think, baby? You wanna go to heaven with me again?”
Gasping as his hard cock bumped against her still covered mound with every step. “God, yes,” she moaned as her arms tightened around his neck and her mouth sought his blindly. Tangling her tongue with his as her back met the soft mattress of their bed, Sami lost herself to his kiss, the harsh realities of her world disappearing under the sensual haze of Ben’s touch. Gasping as she felt his hand move between them, he peeled her panties down her legs before stroking his fingers through her dewy slit, pulling a desperate moan from her lips. “Oh, God, Ben!” she gasped as his talented fingers found her swollen clit, stroking that knot of nerves with a knowing hand.
“That’s it, my sweet vixen,” he murmured as he pressed a kiss to the center of her neck. “Does that feel good?” he asked as he breached her entrance with two thick fingers, sliding deep into her soaked pussy. Lifting his dark head, he grinned down at her. “I love how wet you get for me. My own personal steaming honey pot. So sweet and sticky,” he growled as she felt his thick cock pulse through the denim of his jeans. “Fuck, baby, I think I’m gonna need me a taste of this,” he rasped before slowly pulling his fingers free from the clasp of her body and bringing them to his lips.
“So sexy,” Sami panted as she watched Ben’s fingers slide between his lips, tasting her on his flesh. “Do I taste good?” she asked in a sensual purr.
“Fuck, yeah, you do,” he snarled as he licked her from his shiny fingers. “Better than anything I’ve ever tasted. Baby, I think you might have made me an addict for that tasty pussy because I need another taste more than I want my next breath,” he declared on a growl as he rose from the bed, quickly shedding his jeans and peeling the cotton t-shirt from his body before diving back between her legs.
Sami’s neck arched and she pressed her head back against the pillow as Ben’s hot mouth found her plump folds, his tongue sliding through her slick pussy like a heat seeking missile. “God, that’s so good,” she bit out as her hands lifted to clench the pillow behind her head. “Don’t stop,” she begged as his mouth alternately licked, nipped and sucked at her tender flesh. Feeling his soft beard running along the inside of her thighs only heightened the sensations, driving her higher and making her hotter than she’d ever been. Maybe it was because she unconsciously knew this was the last time they’d be together like this. Or perhaps it was because her man was just that damned good with his tongue. Either way, Ben was pushing her toward a cataclysmic release that she knew would leave her destroyed.
Reaching for his broad shoulders, she shook her head, as her nails clawed at his skin. God, she needed him inside her and as close as two people could be. “Ben…wait, honey!” she gasped as her pussy clenched. “Together, baby,” she pleaded. “I want us to come together!”
Lifting his head from her pussy, his lips shiny with her juices, Ben stared at her. “What? Baby, let me do this for you. You know I love eating you. Your sweet pussy is my favorite meal,” he reminded her with a slow, sexy smirk. “And you love it, too, if all that moanin’ and thrashin’ around you’ve been doin’ since I got my mouth on you is anything to go by.”
“Oh, you better believe I love that dirty mouth of yours, but tonight I need you inside me, Ben. Please,” she urged, her arms wrapping around his neck as he slid up her body until his face hovered above hers.
“Does my vixen need me to make us one?” he asked softly, brushing his nose against her as his warm breath ghosted over her lips. Sami bit her lip as he used the tip of his cock to tease her swollen clit, running the fat, mushroom head back and forth over that tight bundle of nerves.
Nodding eagerly, Sami’s grip on Ben’s neck tightened. “I feel so empty, Ben, and you have what I need to make me whole again,” she entreated him as she wrapped her legs around his hips, the heels of her shoes digging into his firm ass as she dragged him closer. “Let me have it, baby,” she whispered against the shell of his ear. “Give me what only you can.”
Hissing in a breath at the unexpected bite of pain, Ben’s eyes darkened with desire as he reached between them to guide his cock toward her throbbing pussy. “Is this what you need?” she heard him ask, his voice gravelly with passion. “You need this dick?”
Hell, yes, she needed it. If pressed, she was pretty sure she’d swear on a stack of Bibles that she’d die without it. “Yes,” she answered breathlessly as she felt him begin to enter her, his hard length stretching her, claiming her as his own. “I need that dick the same way I need air to breathe, Ben,” she moaned as his cock sank deep, his balls coming to rest against her ass. “Oh, God, that’s good,” she whimpered as his staff pulsed within her. Ben’s answering deep groan of satisfaction vibrated against her cheek.
“Fuck!” Ben cursed harshly, his handsome face a beautiful mask of raw carnality, “I feel like I’m a slave to this magic pussy of yours. Fuck knows its cast a spell on me and bound me to you forever. I swear to God, it must have been written in the stars somewhere that your sweet cunt was made to hold my dick,” he rasped as he slowly began to thrust into her heat.
“Your cock is the only one I’ll ever want,” Sami vowed as Ben slammed his body into hers, his hard dick owning her with every powerful surge of his hips. Sliding her hands down his sweat slick back to cup the firm globes of his flexing ass, Sami immersed herself in the white hot pleasure that came from their two bodies colliding.
“So tight and wet. I love the way your pussy grips my cock. It’s like sinking my dick into pure bliss,” he praised through his teeth as he began to move faster. “That’s it! Squeeze that hot, velvety cunt around my dick, baby,” he urged as Sami began to shudder beneath him.
“Oh, God, Ben, I’m almost there,” Sami panted as her body began to tremble. With every heartbeat, she felt herself moving closer to her climax, her body poised on the brink of something so painfully poignant it was scary. Gripping Ben’s shoulders as her body met his, the sound of their flesh smacking together permeated the air around them. “I feel like I’m about to fly apart,” she gasped between long, deep kisses.
“I love you, baby. Just let yourself go. Don’t be scared. I’ll hold on to you. You’ll never be lost if you’re in my arms, Samantha,” Ben promised raggedly against her parted lips.
It only took his assurance to free her. Suddenly, Sami’s body was flying, hurtling toward the stars as waves of biting pleasure swamped her body. Distantly, she heard Ben’s own harsh shout of completion and felt his release flooding her womb. Turning her face toward his, she met his kiss eagerly, greedily, desperate to remain as close to him as she could for as long as possible.
Ben’s breath was still sawing in and out of his lungs when he rolled to the side. “Good God, woman,” he rasped as he hooked an arm around Sami’s waist and dragged her body toward him. “If I wasn’t already addicted to you, I would be now. I don’t think we’ve ever loved quite that wildly before,” he murmured, nuzzling her long hair out of the way so he could press a lingering kiss against the slope of her shoulder, still dewy with her sweat. “What got into you?”
Sami couldn’t help her laugh. “Uh, I’m pretty sure you did,” she teased, rolling over until she faced him.
“Damn straight I did,” he grunted, dropping a kiss to her upturned nose. “No doubt in my mind we did it that time. There’s no fucking way after that romp that I didn’t plant my baby in your womb this afternoon, vixen,” he declared with a kind of pleased confidence that only he could get away with exhibiting.
Swallowing hard, she hoped Ben never realized that he’d just spoken the cruelest words she’d ever heard.
***
Four Weeks Later
Ben
Ben’s jaw clenched as his eyes remained glued to his girlfriend’s Facebook announcement on his phone.
Super excited to book last minute photo shoots in Rome for the next several weeks! I leave THIS weekend! There’s NOTHING I’d rather be doing! Spain is JUST what this girl needs to keep her sparkle. Ciao, my bitches!
The longer he stared at Sami’s status message of mere minutes ago, the angrier he got. What happened to slowing down and concentrating on them as a couple? What happened to getting married and started a family? What the HELL happened to TALKING to your significant other about an assignment that would take you thousands of miles from home for fucking weeks?
Rage built and swelled as he continued to look down at the phone he held tightly in his hand.
“Jesus, He-man, put down the phone before you crack the screen,” Ben distantly heard Jerry, his photography assistant, warn from somewhere to his right.
Forcing himself to put his phone in his pocket before he destroyed it in a fit of hulk-like rage, Ben turned to look at the younger man that stood beside him holding his Nikon camera with nervous fingers. Taking the expensive equipment from him, Ben shook his head. “I’ve gotta go, kid. Tell the director we’re gonna need to re-schedule the wedding dress shoot for another morning this week.”
“What?” the other man balked, his eyes widening dramatically. “You know the guy is gonna shit a brick! This spread has been on the books for a week.”
“Don’t give a shit. Tell him an emergency came up,” Ben called over his shoulder as he weaved around another model, nearly getting a mouthful of tulle and lace as the two dressers behind her fluffed the long train of the wedding gown she wore. Grimacing as he sidestepped another gorgeous half-dressed woman, Ben added, “Tell them whatever you want, Jere. I’ve got my own wayward bride-to-be to find!”
“Ben, we’re gonna lose this account if you leave now!” Jerry shouted as Ben shoved open the heavy metal door to the warehouse where they’d been set up to photograph a shoot for a prominent bridal magazine.
Ben, however, was no longer listening to Jerry or anyone else as he purposefully strode toward the exit, his mind already debating where to find his errant vixen. Sami been sending his calls to voice mail all morning and ignoring his texts – probably because she knew he’d be livid after seeing her status on Facebook.
She could try to freeze him out all she wanted, he thought irritably as he reached his truck and quickly pulled himself up inside the cab of the vehicle. Her cold shoulder wasn’t going to stop him from finding her though. Swiftly jamming his key into the ignition, he started the truck and debated his options.
Their apartment or her fucking modeling agency? Where should he start looking for her?
A glance at the dash clock showed it to be just after noon.
Pulling out of his parking space, he relied on his instincts and headed in the direction of their shared home.
Why the hell was she doing this to them? It was a question he’d been asking himself a hundred times a day over the past month. Efficiently navigating the busy Atlanta streets as he steered his ride toward the building they called home, he tried to think back… to find that one moment where everything had changed between them. In the past four weeks, they’d gone from being a loving couple, nearly joined at the hip, as they planned for their wedding and life together to something he didn’t recognize. Something he didn’t want to recognize.
Because over the last several weeks, they’d changed. Or, more accurately, Samantha had changed. She’d become distant and coolly aloof. His loving, ready-for-anything girl had suddenly seemed unhappy and sad – almost as if someone had died. The only time she seemed to smile or have any life in her at all was when she stood in front of the cameras. It was only then that the light inside her flared to life and burned bright. It was as if being photographed fed some kind of hidden need inside her. Over the last few weeks, she’d become so hyper career-focused that it was the only thing she could see. And in a time where they both were supposed to be slowing down and concentrating on building a life together and putting down roots, this was more than a little bit worrisome to Ben. All plans for their wedding and adding to their family had gone by the wayside. When he attempted to address the issues between them or mentioned a problem to her at all, Sami froze up, putting a complete and impenetrable lock on her emotions. Nothing he said reached her. Nothing he did made a difference. And lately, if he made any kind of overture toward her, be it physically or emotionally, she retreated, making any kind of excuse to dodge his advance. No matter how much he tried to bridge this divide between them, Sami remained beyond his reach.
And Samantha taking a modeling job in Italy that would last for weeks? Well, that was simply her newest avoidance tactic!
And he could not allow that to happen. Not again. He couldn’t stand back and let her insert one more fucking obstacle between them. Mostly because he was terrified that if he didn’t reach her now, she’d be lost to him forever. And a life without his vixen in it wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate.
First, he had to find her. Then, all bets were off. He didn’t care if he had to chain her to their bed and sit on her gorgeous ass. He was getting to the bottom of things between them! It didn’t make sense that just over a month ago they’d been unbearably happy and so in love that it nauseated their friends, and now, they were just… existing together. For fuck’s sake, it felt as if the woman he loved was simply enduring their life together now instead of living it.
It was time for some goddamned answers, he told himself as he slung his truck into the parking lot of their high rise.
Up until now, he’d handled her with kid gloves, trying to give her time and understanding, hoping against hope that she’d snap out of this month-long mood she’d been in. That hadn’t worked.
Not even a little.
IF anything, it had made things worse.
So, now it was time to go another route, he told himself as he parked the truck and made the quick walk to their building, barely nodding toward the doorman.
Anger coursed through his veins as he rode the elevator to their floor. Balling his hands into fists at his side, he let rage fuel him as he considered how selfish his woman was being. For four weeks, it had felt like his life had turned into The Sami Show. He’d nearly broken his back trying to dance to her tune and make her happy. And for what? To find out she was ditching their life together to head to Italy for the foreseeable future.
Fuck that.
Maybe if he shoved some brutal honesty down his foolish woman’s throat, she’d take a break from her ice princess act and tell him exactly what the fuck her problem was.
Then maybe he could fix whatever the fuck was broken in her and get the hell on with their lives together.
Opening the front door with his key, he pressed his lips together in a thin line when he saw the television on in the living room and heard the muffled sound of drawers being opened and closed in the bedroom. At least she was still here, he thought to himself as he slammed the door shut behind him and walked with determined footsteps down the hallway toward the master bedroom. “Samantha,” he roared, his bellow echoing throughout the apartment as his steps fell loudly against the hardwood floor. “It’s about time you and I get a few things straight between us!”
Ben watched Sami’s lithe body stiffen as he entered the bedroom, her graceful hands freezing in the act of folding the nightgown she’d been packing into her suitcase. His eyes swept the room quickly, and he felt his wrath escalate as he noted the number of suitcases and boxes scattered throughout the room. It became clear very quickly that Sami wasn’t merely packing for a business trip. No, she was packing up her life with him. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he whispered as she slowly dropped the silk nighty she’d been holding into the suitcase, the fabric landing with a soft whoosh.
“Ben,” she whispered without turning, her small voice both sad and resigned.
“Don’t ‘Ben’ me, Samantha. What the fuck is going on?” he growled, stomping forward to grip her arm and whirl her around to face him. “First I find out on social fucking media that my fiancé has taken a job in a foreign country for weeks without getting so much as a warning phone call. Then, I come home and find you boxing up your life with me,” he bellowed, throwing an arm out toward the boxes stacked in the floor. “Start fucking talking, Samantha! What’s going on here?” he demanded.
Lifting her chin defiantly, Samantha turned her glacial eyes toward him as she jerked her wrist from Ben’s grip. “I think it’s pretty clear what I’m doing, Ben. I’m leaving,” she spat, turning to grab another handful of clothes from the bed and stuff them in her open suitcase. “Look, things aren’t working between us anymore, and I need some space. Some breathing room. I want to be free for a while. “
“Free? You wanna be free,” Ben echoed incredulously as his annoyance mounted. “Well, that’s two fuckin’ bad, Sami. You are part of a we. And we need to buckle down and work this shit out between us.”
Sami shook her head as her eyes flashed with an emotion Ben wasn’t quite sure how to define. Maybe a kind of resigned sadness. “Please, Ben. I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t. Just… let me go. Move on with your life with somebody that wants the same things you do.”
“YOU want the same things I do. Marriage. A house. Babies. We’ve discussed this,” Ben yelled, uncertain what the hell had possessed his fiancé to lose her mind this way. Throwing his hands in the air. “If you’re getting cold feet, babe…”
Sami snorted. “This isn’t cold feet, Ben. I’ve just changed my mind about what I find truly important. You want me to give up my career, and that isn’t fair. I worked hard to build my name. My brand. And I’m not leaving it behind.”
“What?” Ben balked. “YOU were the one that said you wanted to concentrate on growing our family and building our life together, Sami. I supported you.”
“Yeah, and you didn’t waste any time, did you? You couldn’t wait to turn me into some little Stepford wife. Well, I’ve decided I don’t want that. I worked hard to become one of this country’s leading models. I love the money… the lifestyle. And I’ve decided I’m not giving it up. And I’m certainly not gonna hold myself back with a clingy husband intent on knocking me up with a couple of kids. Screw that,” she snarled, curling her nose as she took a step back from him.
Closing his eyes as he absorbed the emotional blow she’d just landed on him, Ben fought with his temper. Unfortunately, if felt like a red hot wave of pure agony had just descended over him and laid waste to his world. “So you’re leaving me?” he bellowed. “What the fuck, Sami? We’re engaged. We’re planning a wedding. I’ve been doing my best to plant my baby in you… a baby that you told me you wanted more than your next breath! You can’t just announce that you’re leaving me and expect me to hold the door open for you like a gentleman. Tell me why the fuck you’re trying to blow up our life together? A life that you loved until a month ago,” he accused, reaching out to snatch the pile of clothes she held in her hands and throw them to the ground. “God damn you, you owe me a fucking clue here, vixen!”
“It’s not rocket science, Benjamin,” Sami declared frostily, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she leaned forward to reach for one of the sweaters he’d thrown. “I want the fortune and fame. I want to live fast and loose. For the last couple of years, I’ve tried to convince myself that this home and hearth crap you’re so addicted to would be worth it, but I’m young. I’ve got all the time in the world for that crap. I mean, I won’t lie, honey, you’re the hottest thing on two legs with a swinging dick, and I loved how jealous it used to make all the other models that I had you… the biggest fashion photographer in the business in my bed. But the cost of being with you is way too fucking high. You want kids, Ben,” she reminded him in a tone that made children sound like some kind of fucking disease. “Look at this body,” she demanded, striking a pose in front of him. “I am NOT letting a couple of sniveling brats destroy this amazing temple.”
Ben felt like he didn’t even know the woman standing in front of him. She sounded just like all the other brainless bodies he’s spent years photographing, each one more concerned over her caloric intake than anything real going on in the world. Ben got it, to an extent. After all, he made his money by taking pictures of these breathing Barbie dolls. But still… up until now, he’d been convinced that Sami was so much more than that. It was in the way she treated people. It was evident by the way she loved those around her. She couldn’t possibly be this vain.
“What are you doing, Sami,” Ben whispered, his eyes disheartened and disillusioned as he stared into the face of the woman he loved. “What are you doing to us?” he questioned as his mind struggled to process what was happening. He prayed this was a nightmare he’d wake up from, but no matter how many time he closed his eyes and pinched himself, when he opened them, this scene remained unchanged.
“I’m just being honest. This doesn’t need to be a scene, Ben. Just let me get packed up, and I’ll be out of here,” she replied emotionlessly, sliding her diamond engagement finger off her left ring finger and holding it out to him. “You should take this,” she said, shaking the ring at him. “I don’t want any reminders of us, Ben, and this cost a lot of money. I don’t wanna flush it down the commode, so just take it back.”
His heart breaking, Ben felt pure wrath leaking from the cracks in his heart as he stared at the ring he’d given her. She was breaking up with him. “You do this now… you hand me that ring back and choose this fucking job in Italy over staying here and working things out between us, it’ll end us. For good. I will never be able to forgive you,” he threatened. He never thought he’d be the type of guy to issue an ultimatum like this one, but he also never dreamed his Sami would cram a metaphorical stick of dynamite up his ass and blow up their relationship.
“It’s already done, Ben,” she declared with a kind of icy resolve he’d never heard from her. Watching in stunned disbelief as she reached for his hand and dropped the cold metal band of her engagement ring onto his palm, he slowly realized that this was really happening. “You fucking vapid cunt. You greedy goddamn bitch,” he seethed, moving his gaze from the ring in his hand to her face, enjoying the flash of raw pain he saw reflected in her eyes. It was quickly extinguished, but he’d seen it. He could still hurt her. And at the moment, hurting her sounded pretty fucking good. “Thank you for showing me your true colors before I put my gold on your finger. And thank God, I got to see this before I actually had a lifelong connection to you.”
And on that parting note, Ben stormed out of the bedroom, resolved to put as much distance as possible between himself and the woman who’d just devastated his heart and demolished his faith in true love.