A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (17 page)

Lara sat in her classes but could not concentrate on the subject matter. She often closed her eyes and envisioned Ben's face, heard his voice with the slight Irish accent, felt the touch of his strong broad hands. Then, she would sit up and focus on the task at hand. She impatiently waited for graduation a few short months away. She looked forward to the promise of spring, hopeful that Ben might soon tell her more about his secret life and become a free man. There were times when she thought that naïveté could be her Achilles heel.

After many texts and e-mails, Eric finally nailed Lara down for a dinner date for Friday night. She expected him to arrive at 6:00 PM, but he sent her a text letting her know he was stuck in heavy traffic. Lara dressed in a deep purple cashmere tunic and comfortable black slacks. She twisted her long hair into a soft side knot, securing her unruly tresses with dainty hairpins. As she applied a frosty mauve lipstick, she heard a gentle knock on her door. Unexpectedly, Ben stood before her as Einstein bounded through the door into her apartment. "I'm sorry to show up unexpectedly, but do you have some coffee I could borrow?" Lara smiled. "Sure…you want hazelnut, right?" He stepped into her entryway and softly wolf whistled. "Who's the lucky man tonight?" Lara made a funny face. "What do you mean?" Ben smiled, "I won't pry. You just look amazing in that…color." Lara surrendered, "Eric Henderson." Ben took the coffee and thanked her. "Have a great night." Einstein followed him down the creaky staircase just before the black Infiniti pulled into the driveway.

~Ben~

Watching from his parlor window, Ben observed Lara as she got into the black Infiniti with Eric Henderson. He appeared to be very young and looked like someone right off the cover of GQ. He was a girly-man in Ben's book. But, maybe that's the type of guy Lara liked – or not. He sensed Lara had been putting Eric off as she poured her attention into renovating his office and spending time with him at the gun range, the dojo, and walking Einstein. In fact, Ben had managed to monopolize a good deal of Lara's time since meeting her. He phoned Rusty McManus and asked for a complete background on Eric Henderson. Rusty sighed. "She's not seeing
that
guy again, is she?" Ben probed further, "Why didn't you mention him before? I want to know
everything
." Rusty answered, "I did. She has only seen him maybe four or five times. It was a few dinners and a movie. The last conversation she had with me about Eric was a few weeks ago. She said something like he's not her type, too forward. I thought she brushed him off. I'll see what I can dig up on the guy. I'll be in touch." Then, Rusty hung up. Ben didn't like the gist of that, especially the "too forward" comment.

Meanwhile, Ben had a private rendezvous of his own tonight. His FBI friend ran a thorough background check on Bill Stephens and discovered he had multiple aggravated sexual assaults on his record. Why Eliot Stone did not discover this in a simple background check was beyond him. Ben planned on making sure Stephens would be paid a little visit. He knew the pub he frequented and exactly what time he would be leaving to drive home. He would stop by the police station to make sure that a few officers were waiting to pinch him for driving while intoxicated.

Ben had spent an hour tossing Stephens' filthy apartment in a seedy section of town a week earlier. He found a raft of child pornography on his computer and made an anonymous tip to the local sheriff. And to make it a perfect trifecta, a particularly nasty informant was waiting in the local prison for Stephens to arrive. The long list of charges would put Bill Stephens away for a good long period of time and Ben wanted to ensure his time behind bars was particularly miserable. Ben always used the easiest methods to undercut an evil person. Although he would have preferred to put a bullet through Stephens' head, he knew the wisest course was to trip him up with his own evil deeds. Thus, he used the safest and least lethal means possible,
this time
. Meanwhile, Stephens was behind bars awaiting trial and sentencing. Ben pressed the matter with law enforcement and the court system without Lara's knowledge, there would be no bail. She knew Stephens was locked up and would not be released. That seemed to relieve her anxiety, somewhat. But, Ben knew she was in fear of all of the other predators like Stephens that lurked in the shadows, to the point of being obsessed with it at times.

~Lara~

As Lara got into the black Infiniti, she managed a friendly smile. Eric was tall, blonde, and a year older than her. Perfectly groomed, he had the appearance of a male model. His dirty blonde hair was perfectly styled and slicked to the side and his deep set blue eyes were disarming. Most women fell over themselves to look at him. The first time she met Eric, she, too, was impressed. He had an amazing smile and a warm handshake as he looked her in the eye. Eric wore preppy clothes, a buttoned down shirt, dress pants, and a pullover sweater. Even with all of those clothes his rugged physical fitness was obvious. She learned that he spent an exorbitant amount of time in the gym to maintain his nearly perfect physique. When she first met him, Lara was interested in Eric and wanted to hear his story. The whole time she had known Don and Olivia she had only seen a photo or two of him. She knew from past conversations with them, he attended a boarding school in Massachusetts during his high school years. Don had not told her much, except to say Eric graduated from Babson with an MBA and now managed a private portfolio for a prestigious Boston bank. Well traveled and a great conversationalist, Eric entertained her after dinner with stories of his recent vacation to Las Vegas with a group of college friends. At first, his manners were impeccable.

After the second and third dates, Lara realized that Eric was actually a self-centered, pompous person, trying diligently to get on her good side. And, she suspected he had ulterior motives for doing so. After the first date, he gave her a hug and e-mailed her to say he had a great time. The second date was a bit longer, dinner and a movie. Eric was more physical with her on that night, kissing her goodnight. Even though he didn't do anything particularly offensive, she just didn't like the way he surreptitiously eyeballed her body, thinking she didn't notice. The third date was horseback riding and Eric had his hands all over her from the beginning of the date until the end. After he cornered Lara in the barn kissing and groping, Lara gave him some strong signals that she didn't find his overt gestures comfortable. Then, for about a month she didn't see him, but his e-mails and text messages kept coming. She put him off saying she was busy with school, her internship, and walking Einstein everyday. She was purposefully brushing him aside and hoped he would get her subtle message.

~Eric~

Eric managed to get her to dinner tonight because he convinced Lara he needed her input regarding Christmas shopping for his family. Knowing her expertise in the area of antiques and rare treasures, he
snagged Lara into a lengthy conversation and she finally agreed to meet him for dinner and committed to a shopping trip after Thanksgiving. Dressed in an expensive hand-tailored business suit, Eric took Lara's gloved hand and opened the door as she stepped out onto the porch. His heart was pounding like a drum when she got into the black Infiniti with him tonight. "I found a great restaurant on Water Street in Portland. I know you love seafood…" He noticed Lara was personable, but not as warm and engaging as she was on the first few dates. She smiled at him but it did not seem genuine.

As he parked and brought Lara into the restaurant, they were greeted at the door and escorted to a table in the corner overlooking the charming buildings and cobblestone street. Eric noticed every person in the room glanced as he passed through the room with Lara. It was as if they were celebrities. He knew they made a handsome couple. Eric ordered a scotch and Lara ordered water. "I'm hoping I can get your help this year with Christmas shopping, Lara. I don't want to just pick out something my family members don't need or want. With your help, I can select items that have purpose and meaning. There's no ceiling to the budget. I just need ideas." She had connections throughout New England. Lara was in her element discussing antiques and salvage yards. Eric watched as her face lit up with ideas. He wasn't paying attention to her words; he just watched her lovely animated face as she told him about this item or that place.

"This is delicious salmon, Eric." Lara smiled. Eric was glad she was finally engaging with him. He observed as she ate in a delicate feminine way; her manners were flawless. After dinner, Eric ordered dessert to go and he guided her to the Infiniti. He took Lara back to the pink Victorian. He wanted to be alone with her in the privacy of her place more than anything. That was really the purpose of this trip.

~Ben~

Ben was completely immersed in his computer, but he heard the Infiniti pull into the driveway and glanced out of the window long enough to see Lara emerging and Eric walk inside with her. If his condo was silent enough, he could barely hear their voices on the other side of the wall. He imagined what this fancy boy wanted with Lara. He wasn't her type. First of all, he was too young and too pretentious. Ben made that snap judgment in his observation from afar. Ben decided it was time to meet this guy face to face. Stripped down to a T-shirt and running pants, Ben took the pound of hazelnut coffee and traipsed up the creaky stairs to Lara's condo. Pausing for a moment to listen, he knocked softly on her door. After a moment, Lara opened the door and her eyes met his. "Coffee, I'm returning it. And, thank you, by the way." Ben could see Eric standing in the parlor. He was a tall, lean blonde, over six-feet and looked very young. "Come in, Ben, and meet Eric Henderson. We had dinner tonight and were just thinking about diving into this fantastic dessert." Ben stepped into the entryway as Lara took the coffee from his hand.

Ben moved across the parlor and shook Eric's hand, sizing him up. Eric had a firm grip and it was obvious to Ben he was in shape. He seemed a little drunk, however, and knew that didn't sit well with Lara. "Ben Keegan, I'm Lara's neighbor." Ben sensed Eric taking in every detail about him. "Hi. Eric Henderson." Ben stepped back into the entryway, "Enjoy your dessert." he said. He felt Lara's eyes upon him as he softly closed the door and walked down the stairs. He could hear Eric asking questions. Sitting by his parlor window, he watched Eric's Infiniti pull away two hours later. It was now 10:30 on a Friday night. Ben's thoughts were on Lara wondering how this date went. Was it an improvement over the ones in the past? Was she interested in Eric Henderson? He didn't think so, if he read her body language correctly. But, he knew one thing for certain: Eric Henderson was
very
interested in her.

~Lara~

Tonight Eric seemed to have reverted back to his perfect gentlemanly behavior. She wondered if Don Henderson had a conversation with him. Eric did most of the talking tonight, as usual. She enjoyed the dinner and the dessert but wished her companion could have been Ben. She almost laughed when Ben came to her door returning the pound of coffee to get a close look at Eric. His thinly veiled plot was obvious to her and she sensed Eric saw through it, too. She knew the dinner and discussion afterward with Eric was premeditated to engage her help in the selection of unique Christmas gifts for his family members. Even though Lara wasn't really convinced that Eric's best interests were quite so selfless, she agreed to help.

Ben had been honest with Lara when he told her the consulting work was a 24/7 commitment. His phone constantly rang. He was always texting someone. Frequently, he traveled in disguise to rendezvous points in New England to meet with one of his operatives. He told her that he worked for the government but could give no details. Lara knew he subcontracted for the CIA and realized what he did was classified. She found Ben's passion for his work exciting. The level of intensity he poured into his career was an attractive quality. Any man who focused so intently on his work would surely make a great lover, husband, father, she pondered. Then, Lara quickly jerked herself back to reality:
Ben was
still married
, and his career path had not been compatible with being a wonderful husband and father. That realization constantly intruded upon the naïve daydreams she had about Ben.
Don't get too invested
, she kept telling herself. She proceeded with caution, staying within the boundaries of her checklists and living her quiet, boring existence. Except with Ben in her life, her life was no longer boring. Every day was filled with the anticipation of seeing him.

Finished for the day at the architectural firm, Lara could not wait to get to the pink Victorian. She planned to meet Ben for Einstein's usual afternoon walk. The late November sun was setting earlier now. Her final site visits for most of her architectural projects went smoothly and the clients were extremely pleased with the results.

Arriving home she put the Fiat out back. As Lara walked onto the porch Professor Harris was there to greet her. "Hello…" she said with surprise. "Come in, please." Lara unlocked the door and Harris lumbered slowly up the stairs. "Coffee, tea, or brandy?" She asked. "Brandy, if you have what I like." he smiled. Harris knew Lara had his favorite brandy on the entry table ever at the ready for him. He had made a few visits to her place, usually with serious intention. The last time he came he talked about his wife, Greta. She had recently died and Lara knew he was depressed and lonely. His wife was the love of his life and he enjoyed telling stories about her. But today he was not here to reminisce about his wife. Harris had always been a good friend and a favorite professor. Lara poured brandy for him as he sank into the down-filled armchair. "I could sleep in this thing." he joked. She pulled up the ottoman and sat close to him. "What have I done to deserve a personal visit from my favorite professor?" Lara queried. He fumbled with his pipe. She pulled the ashtray toward him. This was going to be a long conversation if the pipe was involved.