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“After I gave Clara the lap dance some of our more catty clients went up to Clara. They told her about me taking home a different girl night after night and not bringing them back for seconds. And well I guess it spooked her and she doesn’t want me to take her to the wedding now.”
“And that’s it. You’re not going to go to the wedding with her. You’re just going to abandon your damsel in distress?”
“She isn’t my damsel in distress anymore.”
Both my brother’s laugh at me and press down on me even harder. “I knew it was going to happen. I just wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast.” Damien squeezes me and Axel does the same.
They let go of me and I sit up. “You’re being stupid. Nothing’s happening fast or slow.”
“Your womanizing ways finally caught up with you.”
“Nothing has caught up with me. I don’t care what Clara wants or who she wants to take to the wedding. Like I said, Fuck Clara.”
They laugh and shake their heads. “Is the synchronizing thing we do this annoying all the time?”
“You’re deflecting with sarcasm. Classic Ben move,” Axel says.
“We know you like her. It’s ok to lose yourself to her. Don’t you want to know what it would be like to have someone who likes you for you? Who doesn’t care if you're one of the Trifectas.” Damien quirks an eyebrow.
“She told me she doesn’t want to go to the wedding with me. What am I supposed to do?”
“Go to her. Find out if you can change her mind.”
I throw myself back on the bench and stare at the ceiling. “We love you big brother.” They pinch me on the cheek leaving the garage, letting me brood by myself.
“Fuck.” I slam my hands into the bench and get up. I head to the shower, snapping on the water, grumbling the whole time.
When I’m dressed and ready, I make a mad dash for the door.
“Good luck, big brother,” Axel says.
My tires screech as I pull into Clara’s work Carnet Properties. I'm glad she mentioned where she worked before we mauled each other at her apartment. I crack my neck from side to side and get out of the car with more determination than I thought I had.
“Can I help you, sir?” the woman at the front desk asks as she hurries to fix her hair.
“I’m here to see, Clara Banning.”
“Do you have an appointment?” She moves to her keyboard and types away looking for something to state I should be here.
“I don’t have an appointment, but I’m sure she’ll want to see me.”
The receptionist makes a call and I lean against the counter, waiting. The receptionist licks her lips and bobbles the phone. “There’s someone here to speak with you.” She puts the phone on mute. “What’s your name?”
“Ben.”
She waits for me to give her a last name and I give her a wink instead. “He says his name is Ben.” She ignores me and I know Clara’s giving her some lame excuse. “Clara’s busy. She said she’ll call you later.”
“Tell her I just need a minute.”
“She says she’s coming.”
When Clara walks through the door, my breath catches inside my throat. She’s stunning. She’s got on this hot little black-pencil skirt with a white-flowy blouse. Her smile melts my insides and her eyes sparkle blue.
“Ben, what are you doing here?”
I lead her away from the receptionist so we can have a little privacy. “I didn’t like the way things ended last night.”
She fidgets with her hands. “Neither did I, but that doesn’t change my mind about the wedding.”
“I want to take you. And that’s the truth.” Would it be totally inappropriate to kiss her at her place of work?
Yes.
Doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it.
“Ben, this isn’t you. You don’t need to save me and take me to the wedding just to prove something to yourself.”
“Prove something to myself?”
“Yeah, that you can actually have more than a one-night stand with a woman.” She smiles. “Trust me, your secret’s safe with me.”
She’s got me all confused. “Secret?”
“Yes, that you have more to you than meets the eye.” She steps away from me.
“Wait. I am more than what meets the eye.”
She winks. Which I see is totally sarcastic. “Sure you are.”
“What about you?” I try to turn the tables on her. “You never have any fun. Isn’t that what Maureen says?”
She parks a hand on her hip. “You don’t know anything about me.”
I smile, using her own words back at her. “And you don’t know anything about me.”
“I’ve seen enough to know that you’ve never committed to anything. That you use women. That you have never cared about anyone in your whole life.”
Ouch. “That’s not true at all. You don’t know me at all.” I’m hurt by her words. “Just because I like to have fun with the opposite sex doesn’t mean I don’t care about people.”
