That One Night (That One Series Book 1) (16 page)

“Ben, breathe. It’s all as baby safe as it gets. You do remember the gates at the stairs that you had to open every time you wanted to get to the floor below or up here, the drawers and cabinets, the doors and windows that don’t open without you taking off the safety latch? And yes, the furniture is also stable and safe. It’s all taken care of.” I give him a pat on the shoulder. “It’s all good.”

“Good.” He relaxes again, cuddling Archer to his chest.

“Guys, I’m off to read,” Dean says, before leaving us alone.

Without wanting to push or prod Ben, I still can’t refrain from asking. “Ben, you okay? With the phone call earlier?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I just took off after dinner. I just needed a moment to clear my head.”

His expression is tense, probably waiting for me to bombard him with questions.

“Well, if you want to talk, I’m here.” It’s all I say and he visibly relaxes, the apprehension vanishing from his face. “And now let’s get the little troublemaker to bed.”

That’s what we do—together. When Archer is asleep, Ben walks to the door, but stops before opening it.

“Thanks, Frankie, for not pushing the topic.” I just smile and nod at him.

He has no idea how hard it is. It seems easier after my conversation with Dean, but it still preys on my mind, wanting to know what has him so wound up. Asking about it before hasn’t gotten me anywhere, so maybe Dean’s approach will work better. The fact of the matter is I want to know what was so important that he left. I want to know what was more important to him than me, because that night he was all that mattered.

When the next morning rolls around, Archer wakes me up at the crack of dawn, slightly fussy, but nothing too bad. All the things we’ve bought to ease the teething process seem to be doing their job. At this point, the rest of the gang, including Mrs. Walsh, have gotten themselves the teething jewelry pendants, so no matter who is holding Archer, he can chew and drool away. And drool he does.

I get him out of his crib, laying him down in the bed next to me. With everything going on, I feel like I didn’t give him all the attention I should have. Knowing I have another half an hour before I have to start getting ready, I cuddle him, tickle his tummy, and shower his head with kisses. He giggles and laughs, at times making those cute hiccup noises. I could stay right here all day and just spend time with him. Unfortunately, that isn’t the most realistic option, so instead, I start getting ready, setting Archer back down in his crib with his favorite teddy bear. Poor teddy is covered in so much drool I fear he’s going to dissolve in the immediate future.

After getting dressed, Archer and I make our way to the kitchen. Alex has already gone to court, and Dean has gone out for breakfast before classes. Viv is probably sleeping so it’s me and the little man. I feed him and eat something myself, before setting him in his play pen. Planning to quickly let Ben know that I’m leaving so he can take over baby duty, I head upstairs and knock on his door lightly in case he’s still sleeping. I don’t want to rouse him by banging on the door. When I don’t hear an answer, I open the door and walk in. The room is illuminated by the light of the breaking dawn.

My eyes fall onto Ben’s bed. What I see there has my mouth forming an O, but no sound escapes. He’s lying on his bed, his sweats lowered, freeing his hips, his abs are strained allowing me to see the slight touch of a six-pack. What makes my throat go dry, while I can’t say the same thing about other places, is his hand wrapped around his cock, halting mid-stroke while he looks at me with what I suppose is a similar expression to mine. For a second we’re both like a deer caught in the headlights.

While I still can’t move my body, I can’t help my eyes from straying from his face to his cock and back up to his eyes. I repeat this for what feels like forever, although in reality it’s just seconds, worrying I might give myself an epileptic seizure if I keep up these rapid eye movements. I can hear his labored breathing, mingled with the pounding of my heart. I’m surprised that blood still reaches those areas of my body. It feels like it all went down south. I guess this stuff doesn’t just happen to men. The sight is so sexy it would bring every red-blooded woman to her knees. Surprisingly, I’m still standing. But I think this has more to do with my fear of what my next move will be if I so much as twitched a muscle. My brain, my heart, and my vagina aren’t on the same page at all. While my brain wants me to get the hell out and take a cold shower, my heart wants to be close to him, while my vagina wants to ride him into oblivion.

I don’t know how many minutes pass. For all I know it could be seconds or hours. I feel suspended in time, entranced by the sight before me. I only feel a little like a pervert, not enough to make me stop from ogling his cock. When he clears his throat, he breaks the spell and self-preservation or maybe even some manners kick in. I start talking, although I doubt speech therapists would consider the mumbles that leave my mouth speaking.

I sound breathless, like I ran for a few miles or well, fucked for a few hours. My voice is low and husky.

“Um. Sorry. Um. Archer’s awake. Downstairs. Classes. I mean...I have classes.” And what comes out of my mouth next, has me praying for the gates of hell to open and swallow me alive. “You have fun… ahh... a great dick... oh God... I mean day.”

While I turn around to save myself from any more embarrassment, quickly closing the door behind me, I can hear him chuckle. Mortification doesn’t even describe what I’m feeling. I got hypnotized by his cock; my brain cells going on vacation. It doesn’t help that I now keep remembering how his cock felt inside of me—every stroke, every thrust.
Why doesn’t someone shoot me?

I’m downstairs, when a sleep drunk Viv pokes her head out of the kitchen.

“Frankie, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I shake my head, trying to shake the images that are now seared into my brain. “No, I saw a cock.”

Not waiting for a reply, I make my way through the living room, grabbing my purse as I go.

I can hear Viv snort, before I close the door.

***

In my whole life, I’ve never been so thankful for classes and work, knowing it’s allowing me to stay far away from home and Ben. I feel like a teenage girl, not wanting to face him. Every time I think of this morning, it’s as if my face catches on fire. I wish it would be the only thing though. My hormones are raging inside of me, and I keep on pushing the thought back to where it came from. It doesn’t work very well. Every time I let my thoughts drift away from what I’m doing at the moment, I see him in front of me, his hand around his really impressive, sexy cock. I squeeze my legs together to stop the throbbing between my thighs, wanting nothing more than to go home and climb him like a tree.

My concentration is sub-par to say the least and even Professor Winston notices. When I get myself a glass of water from the kitchenette in the counseling center, he suddenly appears beside me. I’m baffled at how a man his size can sneak up on people like a cat.

“You okay, Frankie? Is it still Anna’s story that’s haunting you?”

“I’m fine. I mean, when I think about it, it does throw me off balance, but it’s not at the front of my mind.”

“What’s up with you then?”

I give Professor Winston a pained look. For a second I consider spilling the beans to someone before I explode. Then again, I don’t think it would be wise to tell my Professor and boss that I’m hornier than a Viking’s helmet.

“Let’s just say, as much as I managed to spare myself embarrassment through most of my childhood and teenage years, I seem to be catching up on it now.”

“You embarrassed?” He puts his hand to his chest, gasping in mock horror. “I don’t think I even want to know.”

“Trust me, you don’t.” I leave him standing in the kitchen, definitely not planning on relieving this morning’s fun moments.

I dread going back home, knowing that it’ll go one of two ways. Either Ben will be a gentleman about it and keep his mouth shut, or he’ll tease me until I’m ready to fling myself off the roof. Yeah, I have a feeling it won’t be the first option.

***

When I walk in, everyone is hanging out on the couch. Alex is reading some files, while Dean has his nose in a book. Viv is playing some video game with Ben and Archer watching. Well, Archer is drooling on his father, chewing the life out of the pendant.

“Hey guys. What’s for dinner?”

“Oh, we decided we don’t feel like cooking, so we ordered some Chinese. It should be here soon.”

“Great. I’ll just go change.” I avoid looking at Ben at any cost, not wanting to see his stupid grin. Viv’s delighted smile tells me she already knows what happened, probably interrogated Ben as soon as he appeared downstairs. I hate her right now.

I take my time upstairs, even jumping in the shower quickly. When the doorbell rings, I know that unless I want to starve, I have to get back down and face the music.

“Took a cold shower, huh?” Ben asks, while walking past. Without looking at him, I flip him the bird, wishing I signed up for the night shift at the crisis hotline.

I concentrate on my food, barely engaging in conversation. I really want the dinner to be over soon, so I can go upstairs to sulk and wallow in self-pity, after giving my vibrator a run for its money. But because fate is an evil little bitch, after about twenty minutes, Dean addresses me. “Frankie, everything okay?”

“Uh huh, just eating.”

“You sure?”

But before I can answer, Ben takes over.

“Oh, don’t worry. She just walked in on me jerking off this morning. And now she can’t stop thinking about my cock every time she looks at me.”

I don’t need to look up to know he has a satisfied, cocky grin on his pretty face.
Damn, this word seems to haunt me.

I can hear that Dean is trying to suppress a laugh. “Is that so, Frankie?”

I don’t reply. Instead, I drop my head onto the table, banging it a few times before I mumble, “I hate you all so much right now.”

Apparently, my misery is the most amusing thing of the evening as my so-called friends break out in a fit of laughter. Sulking, I grab my plate. “I’ll finish eating in the living room.” That only makes them laugh harder, while I wonder if a judge would have pity on me after I strangled them all.

Later that night, while I’m getting ready for bed, there is a light knock on the door and Ben pokes his head in.

“You still want to kill me?”

“Yes, slowly and painfully,” I pretty much growl at him.

“Oh, come on. It’s not my fault you walked in.” He gives me a pleading look, but ruins it all when he adds, “And stayed. And stayed. And looked.”

“I was just surprised, okay?” Huffing, I try to walk past him to get to the bathroom.

“You tell yourself that if it makes you feel better. We both know you wanted to do way more than just look.” With a smug grin, he closes the door behind him and leaves me to my sulking and pouting.

Although it’s Saturday, I get up early, quickly make breakfast and feed Archer, before I get us ready to go outside. It’s only a bit over a week until Christmas and I need to pick up some presents.

Thankfully, we’re all fairly relaxed about that. It’s not a crazy hunt for gifts, not a the-bigger-the-better mentality. From the start we always agreed on a price limit. Each person gets a maximum of $80 worth of gifts. So it’s either one big present from all of us pitching in or a few small things from each individual. That way we make sure not to max out our credit cards and accounts, as well as ensure that Christmas doesn’t revolve around gifts only. Instead, it’s about spending time together, enjoying each other’s company, and making the other smile with a little something. It’s worked great for us and has taken a lot of pressure and stress out of the equation.

A lot of my gifts are already wrapped and ready to go. Viv will be getting a new video game she’s been waiting for impatiently, something with pirates from what I gathered. We’ve all put our money together for it, so she’ll only be getting one gift.

Alex is suffering the same fate. He wanted a new fancy briefcase and Dean has found the perfect one, dark leather and nylon. It’s sleek and will look really good on Alex. I still have to pick up Dean’s gift and the one for Ben. I really hope he’s going to like it. I have bought it two days ago on the way home from work, but had to drop it off to have it engraved.

***

Before anyone else is even up, I make my way into town, listening to Christmas songs and singing along. Archer isn’t paying me much attention, chewing away on his teething ring instead. I smile at him in the rearview mirror while waiting at a red light and am eternally thankful that he gets to spend his first Christmas with not just his mommy, but his daddy as well. That’s more than I have ever hoped for.

Pulling up in front of the little store, I take Archer out of his seat and with him in my arms I make my way inside. An old-fashioned doorbell rings once I open the door, and I have to smile at the surroundings. It’s all a bit chaotic, dusty, and antique looking, but has much more character than any big modern store ever could.

An older man peeks his head out of the back office.

“Oh, it’s you. I just finished engraving it about an hour ago. Perfect timing.”

I’m curious to see it, waiting impatiently at the front counter until the store owner makes his way there.

He puts the tool belt I got for Ben on the counter, allowing me to see the design. The results are breathtaking and it makes me all giddy and excited to see how well it turned out in the end.

The tool belt is all dark, oil-tanned leather with multiple pockets, buckles, and hangers. It has that typical, sexy and exciting, leather smell. Or maybe that’s just me having dated a guy that practically spent all his day in a leather jacket. A simple, yet stunning, engraving of a howling wolf now decorates the right side pocket. It’s done in a tribal-style. The tribal patterns that surround the wolf hold the letter B, which is intricately designed, melting into the background of the tribal design, yet stands out at the same time. I’m in awe. It was beautiful on paper, but seeing it on the dark leather is nothing short of gorgeous.

When we were younger, Ben always had a fascination with wolves. Before he had started going out and partying, he used to actually spend time reading. He read everything about wolves that he could get his hands on. He was inherently fascinated by the symbolism. Standing for leadership, power, and loyalty, wolves are what I would now call his totem animal. Back then, he was a boy with a serious fascination. He begged his mom for months to let him get a wolf as a pet. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t very successful. I remember him having posters of wolves hanging in his room, talking big about getting a tattoo of a wolf as soon as he was old enough. From what I’ve seen in the past weeks, he hasn’t gotten that tattoo. And God knows I’ve seen all of him. But I still think it’s the right animal for him. Having read up some more on it, the wolf also stands for intelligence, compassion, generosity. And after all, a wolf is a pack animal, taking care of his own. I thought it to be fitting for Ben, as he’s gracefully slipped into the role of a father.

One of Viv’s tattoo buddies drew up the design, and this wonderful man in front of me made it happen. I’m absolutely elated. Ben has been getting more and more into repairing or restoring things for people in the neighborhood, and thanks to Mrs. Walsh’s pimping talents, he’s getting calls nearly daily. Apparently, old people have a lot of things that need some TLC. By getting him this present, I want to show him that I believe in his talent.

The rest of the gang has put their money together to get him some tools, things that he mentioned he needed to get sooner or later. I could try naming what they were but I honestly have no clue. I hate hardware stores. Everything looks the same to me. I get lost, people always think I work there, and it’s a bitch to find anything I’m looking for.

“God, this looks absolutely stunning. I’m over the moon. Thank you so much,” I squeal at the man behind the counter, leaning over to give him a hug.

He seems amused by my little emotional outbreak.

“Glad you like it.”

I hand him the money, and grabbing the tool belt I make my way out to the car.

“Your daddy is going to love this, don’t you think, Archer.”

Archer looks up at me. “Dada?”

“Yeah, it’s a gift for your daddy.”

Once Archer is secured in the car, I put the belt in the box I have for it, satisfied with the gift. Ben will be getting two more gifts that cost next to nothing, but will hopefully mean the world to him. Those are already in my desk drawer, waiting for Christmas Day. I’m excited to see his face.

Next in line is the little New Age shop in town. I could spend days in there. All the stones, oils, and smudging stuff, along with jewelry, books and tarot cards—it’s a little hippie heaven.

“Hi, Daisy.” I greet the owner when I walk in with Archer in his car seat and not in my arms for once. I usually end up spending quite some time in this store and don’t want to be carrying Archer around the whole time. Since there are way too many small or breakable things in his reach, I also can’t set him down on the floor. I don’t want to even imagine the chaos he could create here. So he has to stay in his seat for a bit.

“Hey, Frankie. What can I help you with today?”

“I’m looking for some really nice tarot cards for Dean. He’s been getting more and more into it, but the ones he has are so tiny, he’s soon going to need a magnifying glass to read them.”

“Well, you know where they are. Why don’t you go and look for the right ones, and I’ll look after Archer,” she says, while making her way over to him.

“Hello, little man. You remember Daisy, don’t you?” Archer smiles at her, that little flirt. “Yeah, you do.” She takes him out of his seat and cuddles him.

I leave the two to it and make my way over to the cards, taking my time until I find the perfect set. They are bigger, but not so big that they won’t easily fit in his hands. The designs on them are in a gothic style, depicting angels. I know as soon as I see them, that they are perfect.

Looking over my shoulder, I see Archer is still in a good mood, being entertained by Daisy; therefore, I take my time to look around the store some more. I get lost in the sea of beautiful crystals, the smells from the various smudging herbs. As always, when I come in here I can’t refrain from buying something for myself, and this time it’s a simple, yet beautiful bracelet made from rose quartz. Pink is normally not my color, in any way, shape or form, but I just like the look of this bracelet so much, I can’t help myself. And for not even ten dollars, it’s something I can afford.

“You found your cards?” Daisy inquires when I finally get back to the counter.

“Yeah, they are gorgeous. Dean is going to love them.”

“Oh, he was in here the other day. Mentioned something that Archer’s dad is back and living with you guys.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. Daisy, Dean, and I sometimes hang out together, so she knows about Ben, though not all the painful details.

“Dean is such a damn gossip. Can’t keep his mouth shut,” I groan, making Daisy laugh in return.

“So the infamous Ben is back. Back in your bed as well?”

My jaw drops and I blink a few times in surprise at her blunt question. “If you must know, no. But your concern for my sexual activities is really appreciated.” My tone is dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh, come on. Like you haven’t thought about it? I heard you had quite the fascination with his cock.”

I feel the heat rising to my face and the blush spreading over my cheeks.
Dean is going to suffer.

My eyes dart to the side to prevent her from being able to read what I guess is clearly written in them. I never was a good liar.

“Thought so,” she laughs dirtily.

“Oh, shut up. Want me to pay or not?” I point to the tarot cards, hoping this will distract us from the current topic. 

After she rings them up, she notices the bracelet. “I’m guessing that is not for Dean, huh?” she laughs.

“No, that’s for me. I just couldn’t control myself.”

“Ah, someone is in the mood for love, huh? Rose quartz is the stone of love and relationships. But I’m sure you knew that already.”

She rings the bracelet up, without looking at me, but with a smile on her face.

Not even gratifying her comment with a response, I take the bag once she’s done, putting it in my purse. Taking Archer from her, I strap him back into his seat.

“Have fun with the bracelet,” she says when I’m about to walk out.

I can’t help laughing. “Yeah, whatever. Bite me.”

Her laugh is still ringing out when the door closes. What is it with everyone? Do I have little hearts shooting from my eyes? Jesus. I just like the bracelet. Or so I try and tell myself.

***

Arriving back home, I notice movement in the shed. Ben had cleared out part of it to be able to work in there. He has a twelve by twelve space to do some repairs now, while the rest of the fairly huge shed is still cluttered to the point of bursting out of its seams. Taking Archer out of his seat, I make my way over to the shed, opening the door.

“Hey, Ben.”

But instead of a reply, the door slams close right in my face and I stumble back two steps.
What the fuck?

“You can’t come in. Forbidden zone.”

I’m baffled and curious like a cat.

“What in the world are you doing in there?”

I can hear the grin in his voice when he answers. “Jerking off. Wanna watch?”

“Asshole. You’re not funny!”

“Yet, you’re grinning.”

“I’m not.” I totally am, but he doesn’t need to know that. I huff and walk with Archer to the house, curiosity eating away at me.

***

The rest of the day is fairly quiet. We don’t go to visit Vince, as he called me to let me know he’s preoccupied and has no time for us today. When I asked him what his plans were, he only muttered that I was too young for that. I don’t even want to think about it.

Instead, I play with Archer and then Dean, Alex, and I watch
Golden Girls
with cookies and brownies, as well as hot cocoa and tea. Archer is snuggled up to me on the couch, trying to tear the eyes off of his teddy, while we are enjoying ourselves. Midway through our little marathon, Mrs. Walsh comes over, and although she only wants to quickly say hello, she ends up stealing half of our cookies and laughing right along with us at the show. Viv, the social butterfly is out and about as usual, and Ben spends the whole day in the shed doing God knows what. If he’d be really jerking off that long, I guarantee he wouldn’t be walking or sitting for a few days.

He only shows up for dinner and then disappears again.

“What’s that all about?” Dean asks.

“I have not the slightest clue. Trying to enter the shed earned me a door in my face.”

Mrs. Walsh starts cackling like an evil, little witch.

“You know, don’t you?”

“Child, I know everything. I just don’t tell.”

I shoot her a glare. “Good to know whose side you’re on.”

Ignoring my comment, she turns back to the TV with a grin on her face. Ben has her wrapped around his little finger, that charming jerk.

He appears again to put Archer to bed, not wanting to miss out on that, and then he’s gone again, fueling my curiosity like crazy. This leads to me creeping outside while the others are still in front of the TV. I try to peer in through the window in the door of the shed, only to be confronted with a white piece of paper with the words “Go back inside, Frankie” written over it in black, bold letters. Stomping my foot, I yell through the door.

“Asshole.”

The only answer I get is his soft, rumbling laugh. He knows me. He knows me too well.

When I lay in bed later that night, about to drift off to sleep, I hear Ben come inside, quickly poking his head into my room to check on Archer before he disappears to his bedroom. Somehow, knowing he is here makes me feel safer than I have ever felt before.