It’s why I called him here. I want to see it. I want other people to see it.
My heart beats faster as I glance at Ben, his face still taut with disgust. None of this would’ve been possible without him. He helped make it happen. My stomach flutters, filling with butterflies. He’s the best. God, he’s fucking perfect and I think I am done pretending I haven’t realized how much I want him. After the week we spent together and how far he went for me, I am done denying myself.
I’ve had a crush on him since I was a kid. I believed I’d gotten over it, but the moment he popped back into my life? Yeah, I straight out got checkmated. The only problem is that Iam so scared this might be a repeat of Andy. That I’m fooling myself there might be something real while in truth I’m being played because I’m an amazing fuck and make decent money.
Except that Ben wouldn’t need your money because he has his own.
He’s successful. He does what he likes, and he helps with the family business, too. And most of all, he’s a bit of a nerd like me. And there really isn’t any faking that.
I squeeze my fists. I need to confront this. Call him out on his Oscar-worthy performance and cut him off before he completely conquers my heart. I don’t think I could ever handle it being broken by him, so it’s best to put an end to things before I fall for him even more.
Ben glances my way, catching me staring. A radiant sun-like smile lights up his face, making my heart hammer like mad. Why does he look so happy just looking at me? It’s so bizarre. It’s not in the ‘I want to bend you over the table and fuck you’ way either; it’s fond and affectionate, like he thinks about me as much as I think about him.
Which is ridiculous. Yes, we are fucking, but we agreed on being friends-with-benefits only. He has no reason to like me… or hang out with me so much, or play games with me, or cook, or let me drag him around London to quaint little cafes and restaurants I think he might like… He also gets nothing by helping me get revenge on the asshole who used me. Honestly, it’s those things that make me read into his actions and consider that maybe I was wrong to write off love so quickly.
Ben frowns slightly, mouthing, “Are you okay?” He looks like some god about to bring on a devastating storm on Earth just because his current hookup was wronged. Like, seriously, who does that?
I nod at him in reply, my chest squeezing, and bite off a smile. He’s been so pissed off since he found out. On my behalf.For me. It feels so good, and it’s made this whole waiting game a lot more tolerable. My sweet revenge.
The bell attached to the door frame chimes, snatching my attention as someone enters the shop. It’s Andy. He’s decked out in a white button up and beige pants, looking annoyingly hot despite how big of an asshole he is. Ben recognizes him immediately, more storm clouds crossing his face. He looks ready to rain devastation.
I hold up my hand, gesturing him to wait. Pursing his lips, he bobs his head.
“Hi, Charlie. It’s been a while,” Andy says, sleazy and oozing self-satisfaction. “I bet you missed me, love.”
He sits down next to me and reaches for my chin. The thought of his hands touching any part of me makes me want to puke, so I lean down and pick up my hot chocolate mug, taking a sip and making it impossible for him to do what he wants.
He eyes me with distaste. “You are drinking this shit again? God, I leave you on your own for a couple of months and you go back to your bad habits. How many times have I told you to stay away from sugar and caffeine?”
Now, if you took his words in isolation, he’s generally not wrong. A good diet equates to good health. The problem is that he’s the biggest hypocrite I know and not only because he gets drunk almost every night. He doesn’t actually care about my health or he’d have known I eat things in moderation. It’s a way for him to control me.
“How many times did I ask you to stop drinking like a sad alcoholic?” I counter, trying to goad him. I need him enraged and emotional if I want to pull his nasty side out.
He bites, his nostrils flaring and his manicured eyebrows slanting. “What did you say?”
“You are an alcoholic, Andy. You need help. I can make a few phone calls if you want. Maybe get you into therapy as well. I think it would benefit you.”
He does not like what I say one bit, his eyes filling with rage. “What is this, Charlie? Did you call me here to throw a silly tantrum?” He scoffs. “I think I need to remind you who’s in charge.”
Me, duh. He just doesn’t seem to realize that yet.
Andy tries to grab me, but I scoot to the other end of the couch. “Why did you make those posts? It was a really shitty thing to do. You had no right.”
He crosses one leg on top of the other and laces his hands together. It’s such a condescending pose, it makes me want to punch his annoyingly handsome face. Instead, I simply glare at him, and in doing so, I realize that while he’s hot, he’s nowhere near the level of hot that characterizes Ben. Ben’s smile is ten times more potent, and his green eyes always make my stomach fill with butterflies when they look at me. Now that I think about it, I don’t remember Andy ever making me feel that way. I was infatuated for a while, yes, but, in hindsight, I have no idea what I even saw in him or why I let him anywhere near me.
“To teach you your place.”
“My place?” I narrow my eyebrows.
He hums. “If you think those posts are the worst I can do, you are fooling yourself. So whatever this”—he flails his hand, gesturing at me—“little rebellion is, it better stop now. I’m done humoring you.”
Red-hot violence flows through my veins. I know what he’s referring to, Ben’s hacker uncovered a lot more than those emails and that one folder. This asshole has secretly recorded us fucking. He’s crafty, if nothing else, a real sleazebag that needs to rot in jail.
Letting my aggression show on my face as I toss him a shit-eating grin, I say, “Yeah? Are you planning to blackmail me like you did Axel?”
His eyes go a little wide, but he recovers quickly. “Did that little shit speak? I’ll need to have a word with him.” Shaking his head in annoyance, he curls his lip and looks at me like he’s some lord and I am his servant who dared oppose him. “Be careful, Charlie. What happened to Axel is nothing compared to what I will do to you if you continue with this.”
“Recording someone without their consent and blackmailing them with a sex tape is a crime, you know,” I toss, draping an arm over the backrest.
