Touch Me (You & Me 2)

“Well, that was interesting. Do you know him?” Katherine asked.

“No, but I imagine Jacob is making a big deal about me coming to his grand opening.” Ben shook his head at the possibility.

“Jacob?” She asked. “Who is he?”

“The owner. I called him my friend earlier, and he is, but Jacob is also my mentee. I met him when he was in high school and have helped him develop throughout his career,” Ben explained, just as the waiter arrived.

“Good evening. We’ve all been excited to see which section you would be seated in, and I have to say I am honored it happened to be mine. I just want you to know that I plan to do my very best to make sure your dining experience is excellent tonight,” the waiter said.

“Sounds great... Daniel,” Ben said, reading the young man’s nametag.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I'm Daniel and I’ll be taking care of you tonight,” he corrected his introduction.

“Sounds good. Let’s start with two glasses of water and your wine list,” Ben requested.

“No problem,” the man answered, before walking away as quickly as he appeared.

“Seems like you’re a very important man around here,” Katherine remarked.

It seemed like everywhere she went with Ben, he was the center of attention as everyone clamored to be around him. While it didn’t bother her at all, she couldn’t help but admire how he handled it. He was kind to everyone, and didn’t appear to let the attention go to his head. She liked the fact that there was no hint of his wealth or status in the way he treated others.

No stranger to wealthy men, Katherine had seen her share of millionaires and celebrities and they all walked with an added layer of entitlement that drove her crazy. Unable to understand how or why anyone would ever think they were better than someone else, Katherine really appreciated Ben’s down to earth attitude. The more time she spent with Ben, getting to know more about him and his life, the more she liked. There wasn’t anything about him that rubbed her the wrong way or set off any red flags. And for her, that was more than impressive.

“Tell me about your day,” Ben smiled at Katherine as he reached across the table, rubbing her hand with the pad of his thumb.

Over the course of their meal, Ben and Katherine shared the trials of their day, which was especially interesting to Katherine. She was beyond intrigued by his business and the many important decisions he had to make. Listening closely, she even offered some input before telling Ben all about her own day at work.

Ben’s charismatic personality always helped Katherine relax, and that night was no different. She laughed like she didn’t have a care in the world, and felt more like herself than she had since her past collided with her present, resulting in the awful train wreck at the charity event.

When it was time to leave the restaurant, she was actually sad the date was over, yet was looking forward to the prospect of getting Ben alone. Their flirtatious behavior had started out innocent enough, but had been edging towards inappropriate as the evening wore on. She was excited to see where it could go.

Thankfully, the ride back to her place seemed shorter than the ride to the restaurant, but it was enough time for Katherine to contemplate what she wanted from Ben. Recalling the circumstances of the other time he’d come to her place, she assumed he would be too. It had caught her off guard when he mentioned they could go out as friends, and she wanted to make it clear that she wanted to be more than friends with him. Much more.

Ben pulled to the curb outside her apartment building and Katherine could feel her heart beating so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. The sexual tension was—well, tense.

Looking into Ben’s eyes, she searched for any sign that she was making a bad decision. The last thing she wanted was to be rejected by him, but she couldn’t risk not getting what she wanted simply because she was too timid to ask. Katherine was tired of being the quiet fearful girl who settled for whatever she got. She knew what she wanted and she was ready to go after it.

“Do you want to come upstairs?” She heard herself ask the question, still shocked that she would invite a man into her sacred personal space, after protecting it so carefully all this time.

Chapter Fourteen

Katherine

KATHERINE COULDN’T believe those words had just come out of her mouth. Why had she invited him up? But Ben was everything a real man should be. He made her feel safe, which was a welcome feeling after being afraid for so long. And the way he looked at her made her feel like the only woman in the room. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if Ben was too good to be true. He seemed the exact opposite of Tim in so many ways. Would the fantasy end soon? She hoped it didn’t, but the cold reality of her life was always weighing on her.

When he opened the passenger door, she got out, her ribs still sore when she moved.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He glanced her way. “I noticed you winced when you got out of the car.”

She looked at him and smiled. “I’m okay. Just a little stiff.”

He was shaking his head, muttering something under his breath. “I am so sorry, sweetheart. I will never forgive myself for letting you out of my sight.”

“It’s fine. You couldn’t have known. I don’t blame you in any way. It was Tim. I did nothing wrong and neither did you. I’ve spent too many hours of my life wondering what I could have done differently. Or how I could have been a little better to keep him happy. Don’t let yourself get caught up in that kind of thinking,” she assured him.