Alice
The diner across from Blossom Falls probably shouldn’t be there. It’s a worn-down place in the center of a bustling downtown area full of high-rise buildings and professional offices. Still, it’s there, and it’s the perfect place for Ben and I to spend an hour shooting the shit and just hanging out.
“How was your marketing meeting?” He asks once we’ve ordered.
“About as well as can be expected,” I tell him. The marketing meets at Blossom Falls are interesting enough, but today’s meeting was all about a baby shower that’s supposed to be held later in the week. One of the women, Hannah or Heather-something, I can’t quite remember, is having a baby, and everyone wants to pitch in and buy her a cake and some gifts. The mother-to-be wasn’t there today, so it gave everyone a good chance to plan the surprise party.
I don’t mind having office parties at all, but I’m still so new at my job that I was hoping to use this morning’s meeting to actually accomplish some things related to work.
Oh well.
I reach for my coffee and add some sugar. Then I open one of the little creamers and dump it in, too.
“How was your morning?” I ask Ben.
“About the same. To be honest,” he lowers his voice conspiratorially. “I had a hard time concentrating.
“Oh? And why is that?” I cock my head to the side. “Good weekend?” I ask him playfully. He chuckles and reaches for my hands, running his fingers over mine.
“You know it was good.”
“Too good,” I agree.
I’m a little sad to be back at work. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to afford an Anchored membership, but I will admit that going was an incredible experience. I’ve thanked Joanna about a million and nine times. After my scene with Ben, I kind of went a little crazy watching all the other performers. There were so many incredible things I didn’t even know were kinks. Part of me feels like my mind has been completely opened to a world of new possibilities.
“In light of that good weekend,” Ben says carefully. “There’s something I need to talk with you about.”
Oh fuck.
My heart sinks at his words.
This is it.
I should have known this entire thing was too good to be true. This is the part where he tells me he’s engaged to someone who lives abroad. This is where he says he’s got a girlfriend he just can’t break up with. This is where he says I was nice to play with, but he’s just not interested in.
“What just went through your head? You turned white. Alice, are you okay?”
“Fine,” I gulp. “Just say it. Whatever it is, just get it over with.”
“What do you think I’m going to tell you, love?” He looks genuinely confused, and when I don’t say anything, he steels his face. “Oh, is that how we’re going to play?” He looks around, and then Ben leans in close. “Don’t think that just because we’re not at the club that I’m not willing to paddle that pretty little bottom of yours, Miss Cherry.”
My body clenches.
And I’m instantly wet at his words.
A vision of Ben calling me into his office, pushing me over the desk, and lifting my skirt flashes through my head, but I shake my head, pushing the thought away.
“You’re going to break up with me,” I whisper.
“Is that what you think? We’ve only just started spending time together, Alice. Do you really think I’d get bored of someone as wonderful as you so very quickly?”
I shrug.
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “What else could it be?”
“Actually, I wanted to share a little bit of office gossip with you.”
“What? But that doesn’t make sense.”
The waitress chooses that moment to bring our food. We thank her politely and the smell of my burger and fries wafts to my nose. I’m torn between wanting to hear Ben’s story and wanting to eat, but curiosity about his secret wins, and I place my hands in my lap.
He can tell me.
Then I’ll eat.
“There’s a rumor going around Blossom Falls that I’ve done my share of cheating,” he says carefully. He watches me, waiting to see what my reaction is going to be. I try not to chuckle because I’ve heard the rumor. It’s pretty fucking ridiculous. Obviously, it’s a totally embellished story that was started by a jilted lover. It was by baby-shower girl, if I’m not mistaken.
The rumor is that Ben started dating her and crafted this super-romantic life for them together. They went on dates, went to movies, fancy dinners: the works. Then, all of a sudden, he started acting really weird. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but then she realized it was that he was cheating on her! He was seeing another woman.
The entire gossip mill filled me in my first day on the job, but I don’t give a shit because it’s obviously super fake.
After talking to Ben just a few times, I realized it was a crock of lies.
Yeah, Ben likes to flirt, but he’s also very loyal. I don’t think this guy is capable of lying, much less cheating on someone.
“I’ve heard the rumor,” I tell him.
Now Ben is the one who turns white.
“You want me to know it’s not true,” I say, filling the silence.
“It’s not true,” he agrees.
“No shit, Ben.”
I reach for my burger and take a big bite. Is that all he wanted to tell me? For fuck’s sake. Talk about a drama queen. Maybe we all really do fit in well at Blossom Falls. That’s what had him so worried? He thought I was going to hear the story and stop wanting to spend time with him?
This thing with Ben might be a little complicated. We haven’t had sex yet. We haven’t even officially kissed yet. Not really. We had an incredible time together at the club and brunch yesterday with Joanna was great. Now we’re having lunch. Hopefully it will be the first of many.
I’m fine taking things slow with Ben. I don’t need there to be this big, huge dramatic thing. I don’t need him to sweep me off my feet and bring me to some fancy restaurant. I’m happy with the burger. I’m happy splitting the check.
“You believe me?”
“Of course I believe you.”
“But you didn’t ask me about the stories.”
“Why would I? They’re obviously not true.”
“How can you be so sure?” Ben seems genuinely baffled. “Everyone else at Blossom Falls believes it. The entire marketing department does, for sure.”
“The entire marketing department is filled with has-beens and wannabes,” I point out. “You really want to get your life advice from them?”
I like my job, but I’m not one to trust office gossip. There’s a reason rumors exist and it’s usually because people are bored and don’t have enough interesting things happening in their own life.
“Come on, Ben. Cheating isn’t your style. You’re very forthright. I get the feeling that I you were in a relationship and wanted to sleep with another person, you’d just say it. There wouldn’t be any dilly-dallying around it. You wouldn’t need to make up stories. You wouldn’t need to be crazy or lie to get what you wanted. You, I imagine, can be quite persuasive.”
“Well, yeah, I guess,” he says. He still seems shocked and surprised.
“Look,” I set my food down and wipe my hands on a napkin. This place is greasy. Then I reach for his hands. His own food remains untouched. “I think you’re really great. You’re interesting and funny and you’re thoughtful. I had so much fun on Saturday,” I add, lowering my voice. “And I can’t wait to try something like that again with you. I don’t care what other people think. Do you?”
“I’m worried you won’t think I’m good enough for you,” he says.
“I worry about that, too,” I admit. “But we can’t spend our whole lives feeling afraid, now can we? Isn’t that what Saturday was all about? Bravery and boldness and all that?”
“Yeah,” he says, nodding. “I agree.” Then he smiles and motions toward his food. “Can I interest you in a pancake? They’ve got peanut butter syrup.”
“No thanks. I’m actually allergic to peanuts,” I tell him.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ben looks around anxiously. “I didn’t know. I can send them back.”
“You’re fine,” I wave him off. “I’m only affected if I actually eat them. I haven’t had a problem with eating something with peanuts in it in years, but I always carry my Epi, just in case.”
“My sister used to carry one,” he tells me.
“A fellow peanut allergy sufferer?”
“Nah. Shellfish,” he says, cutting his pancakes. “We found out because we spent a week at Nag’s Head one year.”
“Oh, it’s so beautiful there. I went once as a kid. There are so many freaking jellyfish there, though.” I got stung more than once. It wasn’t a fun experience.
“Well, there are a ton of seafood restaurants. We decided to try one, being on vacation and all that, and my sister swelled up like a balloon. Luckily, there was a doctor in the building who realized what was happening and treated her. We had to be careful after that.”
“What’s your sister do now?”
He rolls his eyes. “She works at an aquarium. She can handle fish and ocean creatures. She just can’t eat them.”
“She seems nice,” I tell him.
“She is nice,” he agrees. “I hope you meet her someday.”
“Well, maybe if I play my cards right,” I wink at him, taking another bite of my food. We relax back into our seats. The hard part of the conversation is over and now we can just get to know one another. We don’t have much time before we have to get back to work, but somehow, just being here with Ben is calming to me. He’s kind. He’s sweet. He’s super fucking hot.
And he made me come harder than I ever have before.
Is it wrong that I think he’s the complete package?
I didn’t come to Blossom Falls looking for a life partner or anything like that, but Ben is kind of great.
I just hope I don’t do anything to mess this up.