From one speaker after the next, the presenters taught all about the charity, supporting abused women. Katherine seemed really touched, watching with tears in her eyes as a woman spoke about building up the courage to leave her abusive husband. She spoke about remembering her self-worth, and a woman stood up from the opposite end of the dining room, clapping loudly until everyone else in the room followed suit. The speaker began to cry, realizing the impact she’d had by telling her story, and Katherine moved quickly to wipe a stray tear.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” she whispered over her shoulder and Ben rushed to his feet to help her.
“I can take you,” he offered, but Katherine insisted she go alone, rushing towards the back of the room.
Ben followed discreetly, needing to know she was okay. Thankfully, most of the audience was seated, so the path to the restroom was pretty clear. Making his way after being stopped by two tables wanting to thank him for his support, Ben finally reached the bathroom.
Watching the door way, he glanced around the room, trying to spot as many familiar faces as he could. A dark set of eyes met his as he scanned the room, and a dark feeling turned in his stomach as Ben tried to place the face with a memory.
The face was gone when he looked back, but he remembered the feeling he got when he saw the man, the only angry face in the room. Looking towards the bathroom, Ben wondered if he had time to find the guy before Katherine returned, but he didn’t want to risk missing her.
She would be out in a minute or so, and the last thing he wanted was to get separated at the party. Glancing around the edge of the restroom, he decided to wait for Katherine until the man re-emerged out of the corner of his eye.
Ben followed him closely with his eyes, wondering where he had seen the man before. He was searching through the crowd for something, or someone, but Ben wasn’t sure what it was.
Just then, Will announced a new speaker and Ben’s attention returned to the stage, deciding the man wasn’t worth his attention. Slowly, he walked back towards the restroom as a hushed silence fell over the room, listening to the speaker.
Ben watched like a proud big brother as Will’s night continued to go as planned. Waiters carried out trays of drinks to each table, encouraging everyone to have the best time. It was a big step for Ben to bring a woman into this part of his life, but he was proud to invite Katherine into every facet of his world.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Katherine
“DID YOU SEE HIM OUT there? He’s so hot!” A woman’s voice shrieked from the sinks. Katherine was still in the stall when she caught the tail end of the conversation.
“You know he donated everything, right? He’s like a billionaire!” Another woman chimed in as Katherine readied herself to leave the stall.
“He’s with some model in a purple gown,” the first woman answered, as they both turned to see Katherine stumbling out of the stall as she realized they were talking about her.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t know you were in there,” the woman rushed to explain, but Katherine wasn’t offended at all.
“It’s okay. I’m not a model though,” she corrected the girl as she washed her hands.
“You sure do look like it,” the other added, and they all three laughed together.
Katherine had never found it difficult to make friends, and there in the bathroom of a charity event she had created what she thought could become a friendship, after meeting two women gossiping about her date.
The interaction made her wonder what Ben was to her. When she spoke about him, she wasn't sure how to describe him. Was he her friend, or her boyfriend? She wasn’t sure but as she walked from the restroom she decided to figure it out.
The dining area was as beautiful as she remembered it, only now they had dimmed the lights even further, creating an even more romantic ambiance than before.
Katherine turned to face Ben, but he was lost to the show, smiling as he clapped in rhythm with the young girl on stage singing while playing the guitar. It was sweet watching him as she learned of how big his heart was. Not only was he filthy rich, but he was generous and kind.
Just when Katherine thought Ben couldn’t get any better, he always shocked her with a new level of ways to impress her. Whether it was breakfast in bed or flowers at her job, he knew how to make her feel special. Taking her to the charity event was the grandest gesture th
us far.
Katherine’s hand fell to her neck as she ran her fingertips across the diamonds on her necklace. Not in a million years would she ever forget the night, or how special Ben had made her feel at the event. She was a movie star for one evening, even posing for pictures from photographers screaming Ben’s name.
She knew he must have been a big deal from the way that people whispered whenever they walked past. Everyone wanted to meet him, she could sense that much, but he made it clear that he didn’t want their evening interrupted, and that meant the world to Katherine.
She loved that he would set his work aside for her, because she struggled with that in her last relationship. Watching Ben so closely, Katherine barely noticed the dark figure towards the opposite side of the stage. Their back was to her as they circled around.
Only able to see the profile, which was covered in a shadow, she couldn’t make out the face, but she felt the hairs on her arms stand alert. Katherine knew something was wrong before Ben found her, grasping her face in his hands.
“Sweetheart, breathe. Tell me what’s wrong,” he pleaded, noticing the panic in her eyes.
Katherine was terrified and she wasn’t even sure of what yet. She knew that she had been triggered, it was now only a question of whether it was solely fear or true danger as well.