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“Hey, Vivian! How was your first day with Ben?” His cheerful tone told her that his brother definitely hadn’t spoken a word about what happened.
“It was interesting. Pretty uneventful,” she lied, playing with a cluster of bath bubbles with her other hand. She hated lying to Alex, but what could she say? Oh, hey, I almost fucked your brother, who is kind of a handsome jerk, on his desk today at work? She cringed at the thought of a confession.
“Great, great. Are you looking forward to the weekend?”
That was right! In her torrent of emotions, she’d forgotten today was actually Friday. She would have the whole weekend to forget about Ben and calm herself. Yes! She punched the air and made a mental note to sign up for yoga tomorrow morning.
“Yeah, I won’t be doing much. I’ll just be catching up on some work, of course,” she said pleasantly and prayed he couldn’t hear her splashing about happily in the water.
“That’s good, because I actually have a huge favor I need to ask,” he explained. She could already hear the guilt creeping into his voice.
“Alex, just come out and tell me,” she said flatly. She heard his nervous laugh on the other line.
“Well, you see, there’s a party tomorrow and I’ll be on a plane to France by then…” his voice trailed off. She felt her stomach clench. Oh no. That couldn’t be a good sign. “Ben will be there, representing the company and…well, I’d really like it if you could go and keep an eye on him.”
She pulled the phone away and scrunched up her face in agony, silently mouthing protests.
“Are you there Vivian?”
She quickly put the phone back to her ear. “Yes!” she replied with feigned enthusiasm. “Um, that’ll be totally fine. Should I do this secret agent style? You know, hide away so he can’t see me at all?” She prayed the answer was yes.
“Well, he knows you’ll probably be there as long as nothing comes up, so you don’t have to worry about hiding in the shadows. I really appreciate this, Vivian. You’re the best employee I could ever ask for. My wife is so grateful too. I’ll e-mail you all of the details. The dress code is cocktail, of course.”
When she hung up, she collapsed over the side of the tub with a heavy groan. How could she say no to the sweetest boss in the world? She slid back down into the soapy water and contemplated drowning herself, which she thought would be a great excuse for not showing up to further escalate the sexual tension.
Ben’s face flashed through her mind. She shivered despite the heated water and nearly cursed herself. Part of her, that yearning side, was excited for the prospect of continuing. But it did nothing for her guilt. She stared blankly up at the cream colored ceiling.
“You can do this, Vivian. You are a strong woman.”
A familiar sinking feeling told her she didn’t really believe her own words. Or that she really wanted to.
—
Vivian was wrapped in an elegant emerald green dress. It hugged her curves and plunged deeply to show off her ample bosom. She had placed a delicate charm to rest just above her cleavage and wore her finest deep red lipstick. The party was being held in a restored firehouse which had been renovated into a small hotel with a night lounge on the top floor. She headed toward the lounge. The door man smiled pleasantly at her and she knew that this dress was a good choice from the way his eyes followed her.
The glossy golden elevator doors whisked her upstairs. She had deliberately chosen to come about an hour late, hoping that Ben would already have a few drinks in him and thus be easier to watch from afar. When the doors slid open, she was greeted to a crowded room that was dimly lit with glistening crystal lights hanging from the ceiling. Bodies glided by, wrapped in varying shades and luxury brands. She straightened her back and slowly made her way to the end of the bar. It was a little less crowded here and darker.
She ordered the bar’s trademark cocktail and told the handsome bartender to keep her tab open. She estimated the astronomical alcohol levels that this night might require. Her eyes scanned the crowd. No Ben to be found…yet.
A burly older man cleared his throat beside her. “Can I get you anything?”
She tried to feign a polite smile, but it was hard when his drunk, bulging eyes were ogling her chest. “No, thank you, I’m set,” she replied as calmly as possible while holding up her cocktail.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, nearly heaving his huge body on her. She grimaced and slid backward. His breath smelled like heavy bourbon.
“I said no,” she said firmly.
“Are you sure?” His eyes were blurry and unfocused. She scowled.
“She said no,” a voice beside her ear said firmly. She looked back to see Ben hovering behind her with a hostile grin. “Please leave the lady alone.”
With a grunt, the man slunk away into another dark corner, mumbling something crude as he went. She smoothed her hair and sipped from her glass casually.
“Thank you, Ben.”
“Did you come here to spy on me?” he asked, leaning in a bit closer to her.
“Of course not. I came here for a drink,” she replied and took another swig. The alco
