Kiss Me (You & Me 3)

She giggled and playfully pushed his shoulder. “I know that. I’m not that naïve.”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Thank god, I thought I was going to have to explain it all to you. Just kidding, of course. But really, what does the girlfriend have to do with anything? How does that help you?”

“Because now I’ve got dirt on him. Dirt that could ruin him. I can shred that perfect little image he’s created. The same one that had everyone believing him over me when I tried to get away the first couple times. Tim is a master at charming people and he uses his good looks to persuade people he’s a good guy. He’s nothing but a damn snake charmer.”

Ben nodded his head. “I agree with you there. But what kind of dirt, if you don’t mind me asking. Do you have proof of the abuse?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I did but it’s probably gone. It never seemed to do any good. The girlfriend lives with him though,” she said, her devilish grin back in place.

That led him back to his original conclusion. A live-in girlfriend didn’t necessarily make him a horrible human. “I know the fact he has a girlfriend works in your favor, but you’ve got me.”

She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “And I am so grateful for that. The girlfriend, Alex, she and I had a long talk. Tim is abusing her as well. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and has a strong support system.”

“You talked to her?” he asked with surprise.

“I did, twice actually. She’s nice and I’m really glad I reached out. My goal was and is to prevent another woman from going through what I did. I think Alex already had a good grasp on where things were headed though. Unlike me, she was already planning an escape. All I had to do was give her the last little nudge she needed.”

Ben shook his head, feeling like he’d missed something big. “Start at the beginning and fill me in.”

“Gladly.”

She quickly filled him on her journey to Oregon, finding out about the lawsuit and then finding Alexandra. He was impressed with her sleuthing and even more impressed with her ability to get Alex to give up the papers that would surely put Tim away for a while if they were released.

“I’m going to make him drop his suit against you and he will sign those divorce papers. I’m also going to demand he give me some kind of settlement. He’ll negotiate, and I’ll drop my initial figure, but I am going to make him hurt where it counts the most—his wallet. I did not put up with that man and give up my entire life to come away with nothing. I lost too much time. I want him to pay,” she said vehemently.

“Katherine, it’s a dangerous move. You’re putting yourself in the line of fire. Tim is not a stable man. He might truly hurt you or hire someone t

o do it for him. I can’t let you do that for me,” he insisted.

“It isn’t just about the lawsuit against you. It’s him making you pay for being with me. That ends now,” she said, her eyes fiery with anger.

“He’ll sign the divorce papers one way or another. I’m not worried about the lawsuit. After our last meeting, I have no doubt Meredith will get him to back off. I’ll have to pay his medical bills, but that’s probably it. I would rather pay him to go away and leave you alone for good,” he assured her.

“No way. Tim is going to keep bullying people unless he is stopped. I’m not going to let him keep doing this. He’s going to keep coming back. That’s what bullies do. You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. When Alex leaves Tim, that is going to piss him off and he is going to lash out. I don’t want her to suffer like I have, and I certainly don’t want him turning that anger back on me,” she said, her voice shaky with a combination of anger and fear.

It was his turn to kiss her. He loved how feisty she was. The newfound confidence she had was almost worth the ten days he’d been worried sick about her—almost. “I’m proud that you want to fight back, but I think you have to be careful.”

“No. I’m tired of being careful. I’m not going to live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”

“Katherine, sweetheart, I understand, I do. But please, let me help you. Let me help you take this guy down.”

She reached up, cupped his cheek and looked him directly in the eyes. “This is my battle to fight. I need to be the one to put an end to this. I know you want to help me, but please, let me do this. I need to do this,” she pleaded.

Ben still didn’t like the idea, but he understood her reasoning. This was Katherine taking back the control. It had been a long time coming and he was glad she was ready to push back and push back hard. This was her standing up to her abuser and letting him know she wasn’t going to take his shit anymore. He hoped it would give her closure and allow her to move on with her life and unpack that last suitcase. He didn’t want to worry about her running anymore. He wanted her, and this was the first step in having her truly be his.

“Okay.”

She grinned. “Okay?”

He nodded. “But, you have to let me be near. I don’t want you meeting with him alone.”

“I don’t know how I could get him to agree to that.”

“He is supposed to be meeting with me and Meredith on Wednesday to try and work on the settlement. The last meeting did not go well. I’ll talk with Meredith and see if she can arrange some time alone for the two of you. It’s a glass wall, so I’ll be able to keep an eye on him, but you two will have your privacy,” he explained.

She thought about it for a minute. “Do you think that would work?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I have full confidence in Meredith to make just about anything happen. Tim will be in the conference room with his lawyers. She can make up some excuse to pull them out of there. You’ll sneak in while they’re away and drop your bombshell,” he said, smiling as the plan took hold.