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The closer he got, that tingle I experienced every time we were together turned into a full-body vibration. It felt like the entire office had frozen and we were the only two people in the world.
He stopped right in front of us and his only acknowledgment was a jerk of his chin. I sucked in a deep breath when he threaded his fingers through his hair and lifted it off his face.
“Hi,” I croaked out the word then cleared my throat.
To my surprise, Ben pulled me into a hug and planted a kiss on my mouth. It was so quick, I barely had time to kiss him back. Partly because I couldn’t register the fact that he’d just kissed me—in public.
Marta wasn’t the only one who was fascinated by Ben. Two of the women from the marketing department had made their way to the foyer and introduced themselves, their eyes roaming up and down his body in pure female appreciation.
Not that I blamed them. He was the perfection of the male species.
Eventually, one of them asked why he was at the office, and before I knew it, Ben, my three co-workers, and I were huddled inside one of the boardrooms while he practiced his speech.
Once they found out what he did for a living, the professional chat didn’t last long.
“So how gross is anal sex, really?”
“Marta!” I shoved her in the arm.
“I’m serious. You hear things…” She eased back in her chair. “Like, there’s poo so…it must make an appearance occasionally.”
“She’s right.” Ben wasn’t offended by the question. He seemed perfectly at ease giving his answer. “Sometimes there are accidents. It’s just par for the course.” He shrugged with his last statement. If only he could channel this attitude the next time he had to address the students.
“How great would it be to have a job where you can literally say shit is just par for the course.” Marta folded her arms across her chest, a disappointed look passing over her face. “You know what’s par for the course here? Paper cuts.”
Ben barked out a laugh. For the first time, I felt…jealous, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Should I shrug it off? Should I acknowledge it? Should I say something?
No. Shrug it off and move on.
You don’t have to make Ben laugh. You give Ben orgasms.
I win.
“Ben, will you be coming to Bob Crane’s retirement party Saturday night?” Marta asked as she stabbed her fork into the green leaves of her salad.
“Marta, I don’t think…” My eyes darted to where Ben sat at the head of the table.
Bob Crane might just be the only Elle executive I didn’t want to see retire, but that didn’t mean I wanted to introduce him to Ben.
Ben was not my boyfriend, although our interactions this afternoon may have proven otherwise. He had no obligation to come to that party, and I’d had no plans to invite him.
But Ben didn’t look nearly as stunned as I felt. “That sounds like fun,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “But I can’t commit just yet.”
My three co-workers actually sighed in disappointment, and I had to admit their fawning over him was beginning to leave a bad taste in my mouth. But more importantly, Ben knew without hesitation where we stood. Clo
se, but not too close. Together, but not really together. And our unspoken understanding left me feeling confident in our agreement, yet disappointed at the same time. Did I want him to go to the party? As my boyfriend?
I shook off the thought.
For the next thirty minutes, Ben entertained my colleagues with funny stories and anecdotes while we ate. I didn’t see why he couldn’t be like this in front of the students. He was charming, and despite the taboo topic, he made it all seem so down-to-earth.
Maybe next time, instead of going up there trying to be the vice president, he should just be Ben Lockwood. It wasn’t something I admitted often, but I had been wrong. I had convinced him that he needed to be someone other than himself in order to impress. I had projected, because that’s how I felt about myself.
Ben and my co-workers continued to banter, but I couldn’t concentrate. Scott wasn’t supposed to be here. It wasn’t Friday. To my dismay, he walked by the boardroom, stopping short when he realized what was going on.
He watched for a few moments and I didn’t waste the opportunity to walk up to Ben and put my arms around him in a blatant display of affection. Maybe if Scott thought I was taken, he’d back off. Even though I had zero expectations that Ben would claim me in real life, it didn’t mean Scott couldn’t think it.
To my surprise, Ben didn’t pull away, nor did he question my action. Instead, he tugged me closer, planting a kiss on my forehead.
