A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (32 page)

Her words were harsh and Ben felt the sting. Maybe he had it coming. But he had an instinctive feeling about Eric Henderson. "Oh, and one more thing," Lara added, "Eric has changed jobs. He is now working at an investment firm here in Portland. That's why he purchased the house here…" Ben felt his heart sinking. He had to state the obvious, "He's moving here, Lara, to be closer to you.
Can't you see that he is stalking you?
He's obsessed with you." But, Ben never saw the next arrow coming. "Like
you
stalked me, Ben?" He never thought he would hear Lara say that. But he could not challenge her words. Technically, Ben did stalk her. "I'm sorry, Lara. You are right. I investigated you for two years. I couldn't wait to meet you. I thought we had something more than a casual friendship." Lara had tears in her eyes. "Ben, you are
still married
. I want a relationship with you, but I have to protect myself. Do you know how many women I have met that have had a fling with a married guy, fell madly in love with him, only to be dumped a few months or a year later? I always thought: how could they be so stupid?
But now I understand how it happens. And, I don’t want it to happen to me
."

Those words really stung. Ben had to differentiate himself from those other guys, and fast. He was not the typical married man looking for a fling. "That's not me, Lara. I am not that type of guy. And, if you think that's what I'm about, you couldn't be more wrong. If you tell me you don't want me around, I'll go. I'll respect your wishes. I always have." Lara had tears of anger in her eyes, "You don't trust my judgment!" She slapped him across the face. Stunned for a split second, Ben didn't move. He realized being a gentleman at this moment was the best course. The more he begged with her, the worse the situation became. She wanted her freedom. He wanted her mind, body and soul.

Ben walked slowly down the creaky staircase and into his condo and closed the door. Einstein was waiting for his walk. For the first time in eight months, Ben took his dog on a walk alone. It wasn't the same without Lara. Even Einstein missed her. Ben took Lara's favorite route past the purple Victorian. As he approached, a sense of resentment filled him as he saw the black Infiniti parked in the driveway. Eric had purchased the purple Victorian that Lara loved, the one Ben had promised to buy for her. Eric bought it, and that sneaky bastard was hiring Lara to renovate it.

~Lara~

Eliot Stone did not waste any time, "How about a quiet dinner at my place tonight? He dangled the invitation in his impromptu phone call. "We can talk about setting up your new design firm." Lara was silent for a moment. She had been sobbing prior to his phone call. "What time would you like to have dinner?" Eliot asked. "I'll send my driver for you. I have a great bottle of wine and Charles is cooking seafood tonight. How about 7:00?" Lara thought she could wash her face with cold water and regain her composure by then. "Yes, Eliot, that would be fine." She hung up the phone and splashed cold water on her face. Her eyes were swollen and red.

She was shocked the argument with Ben had gotten so out of control. She couldn't believe she slapped his face….Ben's beautiful face. What came over her? It was like all of her frustration spilled out at once and she could not stop. As harsh as her words were, they did ring true. Ben
did
stalk her. He wanted a total monopoly on her affection. She wanted to give him all of her affection more than anything in the world. But she couldn't have a romantic relationship with him until he was divorced. She could not tolerate his angry outbursts every time she was in the company of another man. Ben acted possessive and treated her like a child. He wanted to be in control, calling the shots. But Lara had the same personality. This may be the one thing that would destroy her relationship with Ben.

She decided tonight, with Eliot, she would focus on starting her new business. He was willing to help her and she wanted to keep him as a friend. After washing her face, she used eye drops to soothe her red eyes and applied a fresh coat of rosy pink lipstick. She dressed in non-business attire wearing a white shirt with a feminine ruffle down the front. It was the same shirt she wore on the first dinner date with Ben. No bra. She wore a long black skirt and boots. She left her hair loose tonight. The April night air was chilly and she cinched the hot pink wool jacket around her waist as the driver pulled up in the Bentley. She was not aware that Ben was watching her get in. Lara listened to classical music in the Bentley as she treated herself to a tall glass of chilled champagne. The driver had opened the bottle just before picking her up so it wasn't too fizzy. Lara never drank alcohol. She tried it when she turned twenty-one, but never developed a taste for it and didn't like the thought of being out of control. But this champagne tasted a bit like ginger ale and she had a second glass.

As the Bentley coasted along Route 88 in Falmouth Foreside, Lara stared out of the window as she swept past multi-million dollar homes. The car pulled into the long smooth circular driveway and parked in front of the Tudor style mansion. Soft golden lamplight radiated from within. Perfectly manicured shrubs and flower beds were lit by outside lanterns mounted at an ornately carved wooden door. The driver took Lara into the foyer and Raphael removed her jacket. Then Raphael escorted Lara to Eliot waiting in the luxurious parlor deep within the mansion. She passed through the library and an outer reception room before she got to the arched mahogany door of the parlor.

As Raphael opened the door, Eliot was
seated in a comfortable chair wearing a crew neck sweater and khaki pants. No tie tonight. His brown eyes lit up when he saw her, "Lara, I'm so happy you could come tonight." He rose from his chair to greet her taking both of her hands into his. Without the business suit, he appeared rugged and youthful. His thick brunette hair was usually tousled but tonight it was combed. His smile was genuine and he smelled wonderful. Lara immediately recognized the cologne, Polo, by Ralph Lauren. An outdoorsman, Eliot always had a slight tan. Being an avid sailor, he had lines forming on his forehead and crows feet at the outer edges of his eyes. Lara never thought of him as being handsome, like Ben. Even though he was not a rough and tumble type of guy, he was a sailor and had masculine qualities that were appealing. For Lara, Eliot's most important attributes were his kindness and patience. Although he had great wealth, he did not have the usual arrogance that accompanied it.

Lara sat in the quiet parlor with Eliot for an hour and had a third glass of champagne. It tasted good and seemed to calm her nerves after the earlier scene with Ben. Lara felt Eliot's eyes on her. Even when she looked down, she sensed he was observing every little detail about her. She realized he probably never saw her dressed in anything except a business suit. She tossed her hair over her shoulder. Eliot had a slight smile, "I'm sorry for staring, but I've never seen your hair like this."

Dinner was served in the formal dining room filled with flowers and candlelight. It was lobster and tenderloin and everything was prepared perfectly. Lara ate with a voracious appetite. "I'm sorry, Eliot, but I have not eaten all day and this is so delicious." Eliot seemed to enjoy her enthusiasm for the food. "It's a compliment to the chef if you enjoy the meal." He smiled and his brown eyes met hers. Lara was trying not to be impressed with her surroundings, but it was difficult to ignore the opulence Eliot lived in. "I really appreciate your help with getting my new firm established. I was going to call it Dark Horse Renovation, but I thought I'd get your input. What would you suggest?" Lara waited for Eliot's opinion. "I like Dark Horse Renovation; that's a beautiful name. Or, you could just use your name, O'Connell and Company. But there's something about Dark Horse. It is unique. I can envision the website already. Actually Lara, I asked you here tonight because I think I have your first big client, even if you don't have a name for your firm just yet." Lara's eyes were fixed on Eliot's face with anticipation. "Who is it?" Eliot smiled into her green eyes, "I was thinking of asking you to take on a big decorating project, this place. What do you think?" Lara paused for a second, a bit surprised, but interested at the same time. "What renovations are you thinking of doing here?" He went through a long list of items, but the main renovation would be the kitchen, parlor, several bathrooms, and his master bedroom suite. The discussion led to a detailed discussion about her new firm, contracts, liability insurance, and start-up capital.

As they moved into the library for dessert, Eliot schooled her in all of the details of setting up her new business. He helped her map out a business plan. Lara took notes. He shared his knowledge and expertise with her freely. As dessert arrived, Eliot sat across from Lara. She perched on the velvet settee facing the fireplace and he on a smaller upholstered chair facing her. Raphael brought them cheesecake with fresh blackberries. Lara was bathed in soft firelight and she sensed Eliot drinking in every detail of her face and person.

There was a lull in the conversation as they finished. Then, Eliot started talking about his personal life, or lack of it. "I spend too much time at work. I'd like to see you, Lara, as a friend, if you would be comfortable with that. I'd love to take you sailing this summer." Lara smiled, "I can always add another friend to my roster…and you'd be a good one." She tried to keep it light. But Eliot was going deeper, "Lara, I don't know if you have noticed, but I really enjoy being with you, on a personal level. I have never said this to you before because, as an employee, I did not want you to feel uncomfortable. But, now that you are going to be my equal, I feel I can be honest with you." Lara was grateful for his kind words and a little bit drunk on champagne. "Eliot, I'm flattered. I would be fine with having dinner with you. But you need to understand that I'm a free agent, so to speak. I'm seeing other people, too." …or was she? At this moment, Lara wasn't sure if she was still seeing Ben. She twirled the antique ring, Ben's Christmas gift, nervously on her finger.

~Eliot~

He instantly knew when Lara agreed to a personal relationship with him, there was a fissure in her relationship with Ben Keegan. Eliot caught just the slightest suggestion of that while they ate dessert. She never brought Ben Keegan up once. She gave her full attention to Eliot, for
the entire evening. And, he loved it. He found Lara delightful in every way. He could not stop staring at the subtle hint of her bare breasts showing through the white ruffled shirt. He was shocked that she didn't wear a bra. For two years she worked in his office and he never knew this. Her beautiful green eyes were expressive when she spoke about ideas for her new firm. He could not take his eyes off her sensual rosy lips. He fought to maintain his composure. If she could read his thoughts, she would know he was excited and planning his next move with her.

As Eliot walked Lara to the Bentley, the April air was chilly and he put his arms around her. His athletic body felt strong and she had just enough champagne to let him embrace her. Holding her close made his heart race. She backed away blushing and disappeared into the backseat of the Bentley. Her beautiful face peered up at him, "Thank you for the nice dinner, Eliot." At the last minute, Eliot decided to slide into the backseat of the Bentley to accompany Lara on the ride home. He held her hand in the Bentley and tried to set another date with her.

~Ben~

Ben watched Lara get into the Bentley at 6:45 PM. He knew she was with Eliot Stone. She told him earlier that she would be talking with him about setting up her new business. However, Ben was stunned she ran off to see Eliot so soon after the blow-up she had with him. He surmised that Eliot contacted her for dinner right after he left her condo and, in a weak moment, she accepted. He knew Eliot was seriously attracted to Lara. Ben even mentioned it to her once or twice, but she dismissed it out of hand. But, being a guy, Ben saw the way Eliot looked at her the few times he dropped by the firm to pick her up. Ben got the feeling that Eliot thought he was superior to him. In Ben's mind, Eliot Stone was just another spoiled trust fund brat who lived a pampered life. He lived off his family's wealth and was a well-known playboy at the Falmouth Yacht Club. Now he was moving in on Lara, and this gave Ben heartburn. Then he realized the stomach pain wasn't heartburn, but gnawing hunger since he hadn't eaten all day.

Earlier, right after the dispute with Lara, he took Einstein on his walk and came home and fed the dog. Then Ben sat by his parlor window in the dark watching as Lara got into the Bentley. He was still waiting for her to return. He drank water for five hours at the window. Finally, at midnight, she arrived home. Ben peered from the darkness in his condo just in time to see Eliot Stone kissing her. Not just a peck on the cheek. This was a full-fledged kiss. Ben thought he saw Lara push him away. Ben continued watching as the driver escorted a wobbly Lara to the pink Victorian porch. He never knew her to drink but she was obviously compromised. He could faintly hear her walking up the stairs and listened as she latched her apartment door. He stayed in the dark parlor on his sofa listening for her movements a wall away from him. He suppressed the urge to run to her and embrace her. He knew that would only make matters worse. He had to give her space and time to think. And he would use this time to get his divorce finished once and for all. He sent a text to Sienna asking her to speak on the phone in the morning. There had to be some way he could convince her to sign the divorce paperwork and get it over with.

~Lara~