A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (11 page)

Even worse, by executive order, terrorists were now being granted asylum in America. Only the United States could be this liberal, trusting and foolish. Ben was filled with frustration as he watched American institutions embracing terrorists giving them welfare, food stamps, free housing, health care and other amenities while these very people plotted to kill innocent Americans: all paid for by hardworking taxpayers. Ben hoped to someday, somehow change the minds of the lawmakers who made these critical decisions. But, right now he had to protect the American people from their own foolish government. He had to fight a war on terrorism in his own backyard.

The communiqués Ben had on Sunday were around the clock, uninterrupted, and usually filled with details, coordinates, times, suspects, and the results of months of surveillance. This was Ben's holy day. It was important for him to get everything right. He was the chief and the burden was heavy on his shoulders. Failure was not an option. He did this for love, honor, devotion and a sense of duty to the United States of America, a country he loved more than life itself. And, he did it for his brother, Patrick, and all of the other victims of Islamic radicals.

~Lara~

Lara was wrapped up in the renovation of Ben's office and thinking about how blue Ben's eyes looked today when he pulled her into that leather chair. The sun was shining and she couldn't stop smiling, thinking of how he wrinkled his nose when she said she would paint his office red. That confirmed it. It would definitely be red. But she was determined to make it a masculine office, representative of Ben in every way.

Her phone chimed while walking home and it was Eliot Stone again. She answered, "Lara, Let's have dinner at the club, talk business, and watch a movie at my place this evening, what do you say?" He seemed to be in a quirky mood today. Lara had gone to dinner with Eliot before and they usually talked business. Employees at the firm noticed the attention he showered on Lara, sending her flowers and delivering lunch to her desk for a job well done. Lara was uncomfortable with all of the extra attention. However, Eliot had always been respectful and was, in fact, quite entertaining at times. She answered, "Sounds good." She could hear him exhale lightly at the other end of the phone. "I'll arrive with the Bentley at 6:00 then." She agreed and hung up.

As she continued walking, Lara plotted the décor of Ben's office. But more importantly, she hoped by decorating his office, she would learn more about Ben. She knew Ben shared her love of original architectural features in the 1800's buildings and she planned to make his office a showplace, the envy of all the other professors on campus. It would also be a great excuse to be with her beloved Einstein every day. Renovating Ben's office was going to be a long, drawn out project. It would go into Lara's portfolio. And, it would give her an up close, personal view of Ben's working and personal life. She looked at her phone before getting into the shower. It was a text from Ben, "Dinner tonight?" She messaged back, "Sorry, have a meeting." Ben sent back an icon of a sad face and she smiled. Lara sensed Ben was disappointed, but she reminded herself again,
he was married
. His pursuit of her was futile until he got a divorce. She had to remain firm on this point. Or at least try to.

~Eliot~

Eliot Stone was a well known Portland native and his family dripped with old money. There was a rumor that his ancestors traced back to the Mayflower. The money surely did. He was a tall good-looking man with a penchant for sailing. Eliot would describe himself as refined and masculine. His thick dark brunette hair was usually a bit unkempt and his dark brown eyes brightened whenever he spoke with Lara. Eliot was careful to rein in his feelings toward her, acting as her mentor at the firm. However, he sensed Lara knew about his feelings for her. All of the women at the firm, single or married, were drooling over him. He was divorced two years ago from his ostentatious wife, Bridget. Looking back on that relationship, Eliot couldn't understand what he saw in Bridget. She was an artificial person in every sense of the word. She had artificial lips, artificial breasts, and recently had a Brazilian butt lift, all paid for by him. Bridget's days consisted of changing her hair color, having her nails done, shopping and working with her personal trainer. Eliot decided he really didn't trust anyone that wore false eyelashes and whatever physical attraction there was initially faded away quickly. Thank goodness he only saw Bridget infrequently during their marriage. He spent much of his time at the firm or sailing. It used to be particularly uncomfortable when Bridget would stop by to see him at the firm. He always made sure the door was closed when she visited because he was embarrassed to have anyone overhear their banal conversations. Eliot was the polar opposite of Bridget. Maybe that's why their marriage lasted only five years. But, in retrospect, he hadn't tried very hard to keep the marriage together. He was now thirty two and single. The rumor mill at the firm was correct; he had just ended a relationship with Elizabeth Wellington, a wealthy divorcee with two children he had been dating for six months. She was nice enough, but Eliot did not feel the fireworks with her that he felt in Lara's presence.

Being a multi-millionaire and living on the ocean in the small town of Falmouth, Eliot had a limited circle of friends and not many opportunities for dating. He was a long time member of the Falmouth Yacht Club and that defined his social connections. He tried to hide the fact that he was smitten with Lara from the moment he laid eyes on her. He talked his father, Grant, into hiring the twenty-two year old as their intern two years ago. Eliot privately schooled Lara in architectural restoration and design. She was a natural and he admired her work ethic and extraordinary intelligence.

Although he was beguiled with Lara from the first moment he saw her, he built a solid professional relationship with her at the firm. But secretly, Eliot couldn't wait for her arrival each afternoon and made excuses to meet with her. Her attire was always professional and conservative, but he could see the long legs and shapely figure beneath the suits. Every day he tried to catch a glimpse of her without her jacket, but it was rare for her to take it off. She usually did so only in her office on a warm day. Lara wore a seductive fragrance, a veil of warm vanilla and sultry musk, and it drove him crazy.

He remembered the exact moment that he knew he could no longer repress his feelings for her. It was the night she attended a Christmas Eve open house at his home last year. At the party, he finally got her alone away from the crowd to talk privately. Out of the work setting, she was even more alluring, especially that night. He remembered her enthusiasm as she asked for a tour of his beautiful Tudor style home on the ocean. Of course, Eliot was more than happy to oblige. Leaving his party guests to their own devices, he paid attention to Lara and her questions. She was feminine and sexy that night. He remembered every detail. She wore a red silk dress with a revealing neckline. Her long dark hair was pinned up into a loose twist, revealing the beautiful nape of her neck. She had no idea how difficult it was for him to focus on the tour of his Tudor mansion and not her lovely features.

Eliot knew asking Lara out for personal excursions was risky. She could possibly say his advances were unwelcome and this could put the firm at tremendous risk. But he was careful not to make their meetings outside of the office too intimate. He had yet to kiss her and would not do so without her express approval. He always had servants present or met her in public places. He was no fool. He protected himself. He had a specific agenda for tonight's dinner. He knew that Lara had very high standards and saw few men. That's why he was a bit surprised when he learned about her seeing the new professor at the university, Ben Keegan. What did she see in him? Eliot wanted to get the details from Lara herself.

~Lara~

Dinner with Eliot was always at 6, always at the club, and he always arrived in the white Bentley. Tonight Lara wore a little black dress, a patterned green silk scarf, and a moss green cashmere cardigan. She twisted her long hair into a low, loose swirl and pinned it. She slicked a soft pink pearl lipstick on and grabbed her green leather gloves. She bounced down the stairs as she saw the Bentley pull up in front of the pink Victorian. Only Eliot Stone would own a 1956 Bentley limousine. It was pure white, seated three passengers and had a champagne bucket centerpiece with two champagne glasses. The beautiful chariot also had DVD monitors in the headrests. Eliot was cheerful and he took her hand as she slid into the backseat as the driver closed the door. "You are beautiful, Lara." He said with in a soft deep voice. Lara noticed Eliot seemed to be more casual tonight. He wasn't wearing a business suit, for one thing. But, she sensed something different about him. He seemed more personable, friendly, and there was warmth in his dark brown eyes when they met hers.

~Eliot~

He could not take his eyes off her. Eliot loved her eyelashes, thick and black, when she looked down they contrasted with her flawless complexion. She often looked down when speaking with him and he read Lara as being a bit shy, especially when lavished with compliments. Her hands were in green leather gloves and he gently slipped the glove off her hand. Holding her hand in his, Eliot felt the warmth of her skin and wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her in the backseat of the Bentley. But he knew that move would be catastrophic for their relationship at this juncture. If he moved slowly, he thought there might be a chance with her. But, he had to be patient. The warmth of her hand in his was the only pleasure he could allow himself right now
…that and his eyes drinking in every detail of her person. He wore a brown tweed jacket over a crewneck and chinos. He was casual tonight. He wanted nothing more than to embrace her and feel her long lean body close to his. It seemed Lara had no idea how beautiful she was. She was also oblivious to his growing attraction to her.

~Lara~

The building that housed the Falmouth Yacht Club dated back to the 1920's. It was a shingle style design perched on a bluff above a protected cove. The building was charming as it had the appearance of a very large summer cottage complete with decks and large sweeping porches. There had been several additions since its inception, but they were so close to the original design only a well trained eye could tell what was original and what wasn't. Chef Pierre L'Abbe made his dishes from scratch often using local Maine items. To say he was a masterful chef would be an understatement.

At the door, their coats were taken and the head waiter whisked them to their favorite corner table ensconced in privacy with a lovely water view. Arriving at the yacht club with Lara on his arm, all heads turned to view Eliot Stone as he walked across the beautifully appointed dining room filled with floor to ceiling windows facing the ocean. They really weren't looking at Eliot, but at the tall dark-haired beauty on his arm. Everyone knew Lara O'Connell was his intern, eight years his junior. The men at the club were envious of Eliot; the women angry that their husbands turned to stare at the leggy dark haired beauty as she walked across the room.

Eliot ordered a bottle of champagne and a plate of antipasto to share with Lara. She always trusted his taste in food and drink. In fact, she had great fun exploring new dishes with Eliot at the club. He had expanded her palate in food as well as architectural design, and she felt indebted to him for his kindness. Tonight, however, she sensed Eliot had something else on his mind besides food and design. "So, what have you been up to, Lara?" She wanted to say she just met the most handsome man in the world a few days ago. But, instead she said, "Oh, you know, I've been doing the usual, finishing up coursework, walking Einstein for Professor Harris, working out at the dojo, and wrapping up projects at the firm." Eliot wrinkled his brow ever so slightly and his brown eyes were intently upon her. "And, I've heard you have met the new professor, Ben Keegan…." Lara sensed he was fishing. "Yes, actually we met at the piano recital and he invited me to walk Einstein with him that night, that's his dog, you know." Eliot was rapt with attention. The antipasto arrived and he speared little pieces encouraging Lara to continue. "You didn't call me back; did you see Ben for dinner the other night?" Lara felt she had to be honest. "Well, yes, Ben asked me to have dinner and picked me up on his motorcycle. We actually had dinner with Don and Olivia Henderson. We bumped into them at the restaurant and they insisted we join them." Eliot's eyes flashed when she said the word motorcycle. She could tell he was making assumptions. Lara continued, "Actually, I've never been on a motorcycle in my life." Eliot was watching her closely, "Well, that must have been fun." He said it flatly without emotion. As Lara enjoyed the antipasto, Eliot prompted her, "Tell me more about Ben, this motorcycle man, where is he from? What's his background?" Oh yes, Lara thought. Eliot was all about someone's pedigree. She continued, "Ben is a former Navy SEAL Lieutenant. He owns his own consulting firm now. Plus, he is a professor at the university." Eliot shifted his eyes away from Lara's. "He sounds like he is much too busy to be riding his motorcycle with you." Lara sensed Eliot already resented Ben. She then dropped the big news, "Ben just moved into a larger condo next to mine in the pink Victorian, so now we are neighbors." Eliot's face went from mildly ticked off to genuinely surprised. "He moved into your building? How did that come about?" He was now sitting at attention, very interested to hear more details. Lara shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. It was the strangest thing. He was looking for an apartment where he could keep Einstein with him, and I guess the condo next to mine opened up and he jumped on it." Eliot looked smug. "I'll just bet he did."