揥e were leaving,?I announce, linking Ben抯 arm with mine and tugging him toward the exit.
He holds still. 揥e shouldn抰 be the ones leaving,?he argues.
揇on抰 create problems with Webber,?I snap. 揊ields is angry enough with me for messing it up. No reason to make him angry at you too.?
His jaw locks tight, and I抦 certain he抯 going to continue arguing, but instead he ushers me out, calling the driver to pick us up as we walk.
We reach the curb and he turns to me, pinching the bridge of his nose. 揌e seemed pretty possessive for a guy you ostensibly met once.?
My eyes drift to the pavement between us. 揑 met him, we had a difference of opinion about what I was there for, end of story.?
He steps closer. 揑t was more than that. I heard what he said. About letting him explain. He must have done something.?
I抦 about to lie when he touches my arm. 揋emma,?he says softly, waiting for me to look up at him. 揟ell me what he did.?
I swallow, and my eyes fall to his chest, which feels safer, more impersonal. 揥e met, in theory, to discuss what the firm could do for him. When we left he…he shoved my hand between his legs and refused to let go until I forced the issue.?
I wait then, for the doubt and blame I expect to see on any man抯 face when an accusation like this is made. I wait for him to say, 揳re you sure you didn抰 misunderstand? Are you sure you didn抰 encourage him? Explain it to me in detail so I can tell you where you went wrong.?
But his eyes are black in the light, a muscle flickering in his cheek. 揟hat lunch,?he says, with rage in his voice, 搘hen you kept rubbing your wrist.?
I nod. The car pulls up, but for a moment he just stands there, frozen. 揥hy the fuck didn抰 you tell me??It sounds like an accusation.
揅ome on, Ben,?I say, rolling my eyes, which means We aren抰 friends. Why would I have told you?
I climb in the car but he simply remains where he was, frozen in place.
揧ou抮e not coming back to the office??I ask.
He shakes his head. 揑抳e got some loose ends to handle real quick.?
I hesitate. 揥ebber抯 not one of them, right??
He shakes his head. 揘o. Just a few things I need to deal with.?
There抯 a plink of disappointment in my chest. I imagine those things involve some woman he met inside, the potential Miss Universe who is probably texting him lewd propositions even as we speak. But it抯 not like I expected him to escort me home. This isn抰 a date. 揙kay. Well匢抣l see you tomorrow.?
He merely nods, carefully shutting the door, remaining there as the car pulls away.
The driver meets my eye in the rearview mirror. 揃ack to FMG, ma抋m??
My shoulders sag. I抦 tired and alone, and suddenly the idea of going back to the office doesn抰 appeal in the least. 揅an you just take me home??
We drive through those same suburban neighborhoods, past Stadler抯 building, past Tiffany & Co. It抯 only when we reach my apartment that I realize I didn抰 think about Kyle once.
21
I walk into the office with measured, precise steps, uncertain what I will find. I don抰 know if there will be any backlash from my argument with Webber, and I also don抰 know where things stand between Ben and me.
If I抦 being honest, it was sort of Hallmark-worthy, the way he intervened when Webber grabbed me. It抯 the exact kind of toxic masculine bullshit I抦 not supposed to like but thought about for hours last night anyway.
Ben抯 office is empty. He must have had a late night, and my heart sinks a little at the idea of why he抎 have had a late night.
I ask his admin where he is, despite begging myself not to do this very thing, and she gives me a curious look. Dory is older than most of the staff, a grandmotherly sort who抯 always been surprisingly fond of Ben. Rumor has it he抯 actually nice to the people who work with him closely. 揌e抣l be in late. He had a long night.?
So I was right. I bet it was Miss Universe. She was all over him like a rash, though I can hardly blame her: he did look ridiculously good in that tux. A little twinge of jealousy twists in my gut, but I squash it down.
I抦 in no way listening for the sound of the elevators, nor am I intentionally looking up each time they ding to see who抯 arrived. I just happen to see him when he steps in at eleven, freshly showered but looking slightly more ruffled than normal. I force my gaze back to my laptop, determined to put him out of my head, but only a few minutes later Terri walks into my office with wide eyes卆nd somehow, I know it抯 about him.
揋uess who was arrested last night??she whispers. 揃en. He just met with Fields about it. Debbie told me.?
I blink. 揂rrested??It has to be a mistake. Ben is too smart for that.
揌e hit some guy at the party,?she says, 揳nd the guy is a friend of Fields? He won抰 even explain why he did it. All hell is breaking loose.?