Taking His Woman (5 page)

“Bullshit?” She screamed the word at him.
“Bullshit is what we’ve been doing for the last year. Can you really tell me
you find me irresistible? What kind of man leaves a woman for a year without
fucking her?” She saw the guilt on his face and knew she’d hit the mark. “What
kind of man asks a woman to marry her when his best friend is the real guy he
wants?” Erica had noticed the way he’d looked at Martin. At the time she hadn’t
wanted to think about Ben being gay, but now looking at his red-stained face
and knowing her own feelings about Chris, she no longer had a choice.

“Don’t, Erica. You have no idea what you’re
talking about,” he said. He turned to look in the direction of his friend’s
bedroom.

Erica knew she couldn’t let him hide anymore.
If Chris ever found out about what she was about to do, he’d have a fit, but
this was to prove a point to her friend. There was nothing sexual in what she
was going to do.

“No?” She stood before him and pulled her dress
off her body along with her bra. She stood in her panties and shoes with the
front door at her back. Her body was full, but he’d complimented her on her
curves in the past, even though he’d never gotten hard while looking at her.

She gave him a second to look his fill and then
touched his cock. He lay flaccid in her hand. There was nothing to him. Erica
knew she was being a bitch. She needed to end this now between her and Ben. In
truth, she knew there had never been a chance for him and her. “Think about
Martin, on his knees right now in front of you.” His cock started to thicken.
“You’d love to feel his lips wrapped around your dick, sucking on you.”

He let her talk to him for several moments then
his hand covered hers. “Enough.” She let him go. They stayed close together,
staring at each other. Ben leaned down, grabbed her dress and helped her back
into it. “You made your point.”

Erica took his hand and hugged him close. Her
intention hadn’t been to hurt him. She wanted to show him why they never stood
a chance together. He wrapped his arms around her. Wetness coated her shoulder,
and she pulled back to see Ben crying. Movement distracted them. She took Ben
back to her room. He sat down on the edge of her bed, a small smile on his
face.

“I wondered what I’d do if you ever invited me
back to bed. When we messed around I always thought about Martin.” He confessed
to her. They’d messed around, and deep in her heart she had known he was
looking at someone else. Time had changed the way she felt.

“I always thought about Chris. We’re great
friends, and we’d probably make a kick-ass married couple, but we’d never be in
love. Settling for second best is not what I want from my life.”

“The pain is what you want? Chris crushed your
heart back then. Are you going to let him do it a second time?” he asked.

She shrugged, sitting down next to him. “People
change. He could have changed. If I don’t give him a chance to prove it then
I’m no better off. I don’t want to live a life of regrets.”

Ben took her hand in a gesture like so many
times before. This time it felt right. They were friends with the truth in
front of them. “Well, I’m going to be living a life constantly looking at my
best friend and the women he dates. It is so fucking awful watching him with a
different woman every day.”

“Have you thought about telling him?” she
asked.

“No way.
I would
rather deal with watching him with different women than risk losing his
friendship.”

She nodded her head.

“Are you going to give him a chance?”

Erica glanced down at their joined hands. “I’m
going to try. This time will be different than last.”

“How will it?”

“I’m not going to wear my heart on my sleeve.
The past between us is over, but it’s still there. I no longer have the freedom
to love him openly.”

Ben gave her a look.

“What?” she asked.

“You’ve never fallen out of love. I know you,
Erica Black. You love with your whole heart. Even the pain this guy has given
you hasn’t stopped you from wanting a second chance.”

Tears blurred her vision. “I really wish I
could have fallen in love with you.”

“You and me both.
I don’t
think Martin will be giving me a love bite like that any time soon.”

She burst out laughing, wiping the tears that
fell to her cheeks.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” he asked.

“Yes.”

They got ready for bed. He wore a pair of
boxers while she put on her nightshirt. She climbed in and stared at him. They
held hands, talking.

“If he hurts you, I’ll kick his ass.”

“If he hurts me again, I’m hoping you won’t
need to because
I’ll
kick his ass.”
Ben leaned over, kissed her head and settled down. She thought it was strange
having a man in her bed and still wanting a different one. The revelations
she’d brought to the surface had made their friendship stronger. She hoped her
relationship with Chris could prove to be stronger.

****

Chris let himself in at home. There was a light
shining in the sitting room. It was past midnight, so he knew it couldn’t be
Blaze or Cassie. The two love-birds would be spending as much time together in
private. He put his dress shoes by the door and made his way into the room. His
father, David, sat with a glass of something in his hand. Looking at the colour
of the liquid, Chris guessed it was a really strong whiskey. His father stared
at the fire in front of him, lost deep in thought.

“Hi, son.”

“Hi, dad.”
The whole
house was silent. “What are you doing in here?”

Chris’s father took a swig of the dark amber
liquid. “I can’t stand to be in that room on my own. For twenty-five years,
Molly has slept by my side. I never thought I’d be like this when she decided
to leave my bed.”

Molly was his father’s second wife. She’d been
a wife to his three sons and made two of her own.

“You didn’t expect her to be second best
forever, did you?” Chris asked, taking the seat next to his father.

“I never expected to have a second wife. Let
alone consider an empty bed.” David sighed. “I wish I could go back and do
everything differently.”

“We can’t go back and rectify what we’ve done
to the people we love.”

“
Ain’t
that shit the
truth? I need another one. Do you want one?” Chris nodded, watching the fire
while David made drinks. “How did your date go?”

“Fine.
I think.”
His lips tingled from where they’d kissed. He was sure he could still taste her
in his mouth.

“I hope it works well for you, son.” David gave
him his drink. “Molly is going to leave me when Luke and John leave home and
are done with college.”

Chris knew she’d planned to eventually leave
his father. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Of course I have a problem with it. Molly is
my wife, and I don’t want her to go.”

Chris took a drink of his whiskey and winced at
the taste. His father liked the stronger stuff. “You’ve spent most of your
twenty-five years telling a woman she would never be good enough. What did you
expect to happen?”

“I thought the crap I was saying all these
years was the truth. How could I know my true feelings? I love her, Chris. The
thought of living without her is fucking killing me inside.”

Chris heard the pain in his father’s voice. For
him to be talking so openly, Chris knew his father was on the verge of giving
up.

“Then prove it to her by your actions. Your
words have done more damage than they’ll ever repair. Show her with your
actions what you mean.”

David nodded, and Chris knew he had no idea how
to prove his love to Molly. “When was the last time you took her out to
dinner?”

“Years.
Actually,
I don’t think I’ve ever taken her out to dinner. Not even on our anniversary.”

Chris shook his head at the older man’s
stupidity. Over the years he’d seen the way his parents responded to each other,
and he had thought that was love. What he’d seen was the love Molly held for
her husband.

“Thank you, son.
I appreciate it.”

“Don’t
screw it up. I know what it means to hurt the woman you love.” Chris drained
his glass and stood. He went to his bedroom and froze when he saw Cassie seated
by his door.

“I
wondered when you’d get back.”

“What does
Blaze think of you waiting outside of his brother’s bedroom?” he asked.

She gave
him a condescending look, which he thought was cute. “I’m making sure you
haven’t hurt Erica in some horrid way.”

“We had
fun. I took her out to dinner and then dropped her off home. We’re seeing each
other tomorrow.” He let himself in, not surprised when she followed him inside.
Befriending her was a big mistake. When he sat down and thought about it,
Cassie was the only friend whom he trusted.

“No lip
locking action or feeling up?”

He pulled
his jacket off then turned to face her. “I’m sorry, but when did my private
life become part of your life?”

“When you
began meddling in my own life and I had no choice but to deal with it.” She sat
down on his bed.

“You’re
happier for my meddling. You’ve got Blaze, and that bitch, Francesca, is out of
your life.”

“I know.
I’m meddling because I think you’d screw up your own life.”

“Charming.”
He couldn’t argue with her. When he was around
Erica, he always managed to say the wrong thing.

“Where are
you taking her tomorrow?” she asked.

“Picnic on the beach.
I
’ll need
help
preparing one for tomorrow.”

“I’ll
help. I’ll get all the gossip from Erica, you know?” Chris knew. He liked the
thought of Erica having someone to talk to instead of being alone. “Okay. I’ll
leave you alone, but only because I need some sleep. I can’t wait to see how
you are tomorrow.”

She was at
the door ready to close it behind her. “Cassie?” She turned to him. “How have
my parents been?”

“They’re
always silent or shouting. Blaze Jr. tends to leave a room when he hears them. I
think Blaze wants to leave early because of the shouting.”

Chris
nodded, said goodnight, and watched as the door closed.

His father
had so much stuff to make up for. They both did. At the thought of Erica, Chris
cheered up and got settled into bed. Tomorrow he would begin the seduction he
should have done three years ago.

Chapter Five

Monday morning, three years ago

Chris stared out of his office window. Staff
were coming in and getting ready for the day ahead. He’d spent all weekend
making love to Erica Black. He’d dropped her back home Sunday night. Her eyes
had been filled with love for him. This morning, he’d driven by her house,
hoping to catch a glimpse of her. The way she invaded his every waking thought
scared him. No woman controlled Chris Sinclair. He loved women and discarded
them.

He walked back to his desk and slammed her
personal file shut. By the end of the day she’d be as far away from him as
possible. Her virginity, her pleasure, would become a distant memory like so
many others. Chris was determined not to turn into his father. A love-sick fool
who stayed devoted to one woman. Molly suffered daily because of that bastard.
Chris was determined not to suffer the same fate as his parent.

She arrived at the office at eight-thirty. Her
suit was pristine, moulding to every delectable curve of her body. A body that
he’d had the pleasure of awakening. She placed her bag by her chair, her jacket
on the rail by the corner. Her computer was fired up. He’d observed her morning
routine many times, and he knew she’d be entering his office shortly.

On time, a coffee cup in hand, she entered his
office. A blush stained her cheeks, and a smile graced her lips. She looked so
happy. His stomach took a dive. She looked so in love. He refused to believe he
could feel the same. Love was for fools who didn’t know how to control
themselves.

Her steps stumbled when she saw his face. The
smile was replaced with concern.

His cup went to his desk. Her hand shook, which
caused some of the liquid to spill over the rim. Chris cursed, making her jump
more. She tried to clean the mess but only succeeded in spilling more of it.

“Stop,” he said. She paused, pulling away. He
cleaned up the last of the mess. She stood on the opposite side of his desk,
her hands twitching together in front of her. She looked terrified.

“I’m sorry.”