She smiled back at him. “You are in luck then for I am fluent in many languages, English being just one. My name is Margaux De la Cruz.” Her beautiful accent and her last name strengthened his impression of her Spanish origin.
They shook hands and Ben noted the absence of wedding rings though she wore a few rings on her other fingers and thumbs. Now that he was beside her Ben could tell that she was probably close to his age. She dressed very well and her jewellery didn’t appeared to be costume so she may have been well off. Aside from her gorgeous mahogany hair that fell in waves past her shoulders, she had intense dark brown eyes framed by long lashes, a slim nose, sensual lips and unblemished caramel colored skin. Skin she was displaying a lot of in her silver halter style sheath dress. It clung to her curves and left little to the imagination. Ben just managed not to stare at her generous cleavage though she noted his interest with a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth.
“Are you visiting Paris?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s my first vacation… anywhere, ever. So my friends invited me along.” he said with a smile. “Would it be alright for us to share this table with you and… these men?”
“Certainly!” she smiled at his awkwardness.
Ben stood and caught the eye of Sophia and waved her and the others over. He sat back down. Sophia was the first one to step from the crowd and when she saw who Ben was sitting next to she hesitated for just a second. Then she made her way into the booth and sat nearest to Ben’s left. Rachel followed and Megan squeezed onto the couch. Lucy perched herself on the arm of the couch until one of the young men received a look from Margaux and gave up his seat for her.
“Carlos, get these ladies some drinks. Take Byron with you.” Margaux commanded. Carlos leapt to his feet and took their orders. Byron was the sullen one who gave up his seat for Lucy. His back was to them at the edge of the dancefloor. When the men left Ben noticed the satisfied smile on Margaux’s face. She definitely enjoyed having the young men under her control.
“Such lovely young women you are with!” Margaux smiled at Ben using a tone which implied much. He felt the need to clear up that misconception.
“This is Sophia, Rachel, and Megan. Daughters to Catherine… one of the women I’m with.” Ben said politely with a direct look. “This is Lucy, a new friend we met just today.”
Margaux gave Ben an appraising look. “Ah, I see. Forgive my misunderstanding. It has been my experience that there are many men who surround themselves with beautiful young women. My ex-husband said it made him feel young. I decided to see for myself if it was true. There are certainly some benefits to it.”
Ben nodded and noted Sophia was listening carefully. Still, he felt compelled to answer. “I have been with women who are much younger than me but instead of making me feel younger I’ve always found myself wondering why these beautiful young women are wasting their time with someone so much older. They can do so much better than me.” he said honestly.
This made Margaux and Sophia sit back a little and look at Ben. They both thought he was handsome but now they saw his lack of ego. For Sophia it just made her want him more.
Margaux wondered if Ben was making a dig at her. When she saw the young women with him she had assumed she’d met a kindred spirit. Someone enjoying what life had to offer with no strings attached. Now she wasn’t sure where he stood.
The young man sitting to Margaux’s right snorted at Ben’s words as he agreed that the lovely ladies Ben arrived with deserved someone younger, like him. He immediately cursed at himself as he had to be careful not to show interest in any other women while he was with Margaux. He wasn’t very quick witted however so he just tried to cover up his snort with a bad fake sneeze.
Margaux turned to look at him. “Anthony, you should go freshen up.” she said and he immediately took her hint to be elsewhere for a bit. He got up and slipped past the others until he entered the busy dancefloor.
She turned back to Ben curious that he’d said he was with more than one woman and implied they weren’t young playthings like she kept. She didn’t understand this. Maybe they stayed with him for his money?
“What do you do, Ben?” she asked.
“I’m a semi-retired mechanical engineer. You?” he returned the question.
“I’m a senior VP for an investment house here in Paris. I also spend time at our head office in Barcelona where I’m originally from. I keep an apartment in both cities and have offices in both as well.” she said watching his face.
“I work out of an office in my basement.” he said with a grin.
Sophia heard this and smiled as well. She knew Ben did very well for working out of his house.
Carlos returned with their drinks and Margaux insisted on paying for them. Everyone sipped from their drinks and Sophia indicated that she’d like to dance again, her look hinting she’d like Ben to join her.
“I’d just like to speak with Ben for a short time longer. I’m sure these young men would love to join you on the dancefloor though.” She looked at her men and they all stood up with smiles. Anthony returned and gestured for Lucy to join him. She cast a look back at Ben and he found himself nodding to her unspoken question. He caught himself as she left the booth. Why had he done that?
“You have excellent control over that one and you say you only met her today? Remarkable!” Margaux complimented him.
“I don’t control her or any of them for that matter.” he said uncomfortably.
“I distinctly saw her look to you for permission and she only moved when you gave it to her.” Margaux explained.
Ben scowled. His scar surfaced distinctly. “That was unconscious on my part.”
“So you’ve dealt with a submissive before?” the woman asked.
Ben’s head whipped to look at her. “Lucy’s a submissive?”
Margaux smiled in wonder. “Marvelous! You aren’t even aware of acting as her Dom!”
Ben stood and looked out over the dancefloor but he couldn’t see his friends. He sat back down and looked at Margaux’s curious gaze. “How did you recognize it?”
“It’s her body language. I see it a fair amount with the parties I attend. My Byron is a Sub. You needn’t worry about the ladies being out there with them. They know the cost of being anything less than perfect gentlemen.” She showed Ben a feral grin.
“So you ‘keep’ these young men as playthings?” Ben asked frankly.
“Yes. My previous experience with men my own age hasn’t proven to be satisfactory. I suppose I’m too controlling. I’m very dominant so I frighten most men away. These young men are easier to control and give me the satisfaction I need.”
“But what about love?” Ben asked, curious.
“Love? Can you seriously tell me these women ‘love you’ when they know you aren’t theirs exclusively?” she scoffed.
Ben felt a little uncomfortable with her attitude and worried that he might be stepping into dangerous waters. Still, he felt compelled to answer. “Yes, I can. They don’t need exclusivity. They not only say it but they’ve demonstrated this to me on multiple occasions. There’s no jealousy, hurt feelings, or drama. We’re all completely honest with each other. They have opened their hearts to me because they know I’ve opened mine to them and I would never hurt them.”
Margaux sat back and stared at Ben. She was having trouble accepting his words.
Megan returned to the table to set down her drink as she’d accidentally carried it out onto the floor. Margaux leaned forward to speak with her and caught her eye.
“Does your mother love this man?” she asked.
Megan didn’t even blink. “Yes, deeply.”
“How many others claim that?” she pushed.
Megan looked curiously at Ben seeing how agitated Margaux had become. She looked back at the woman. “Three. Gabriella, Tina, and Trish.” She looked back at Ben with a wicked smile. “Mom told us about the twins!” As Ben groaned she giggled and slipped back onto the dancefloor wiggling her hips.
Margaux looked at Ben in confusion. How did he get four women to love him? Without a guarantee of exclusivity that was impossible!
Ben’s heart sank when he saw she was upset. “Look I’m sorry if I said something to upset you. I didn’t mean to pry or judge you in any way. I was just curious. Everyone has the right to find happiness in their own way. If what you have works for you then that’s wonderful. For me, I’m a mess. I can’t do casual affairs. I get emotionally involved too easily and end up getting hurt or worse, hurting the women. With Catherine, Gabriella, Tina, and Trish I can open my heart to all of them without fear of hurting any of them. They know I love them. They aren’t afraid I’ll hurt them so they aren’t jealous of the others. It was Gabriella who showed me how it could work. And it did and still does.”
Margaux looked at Ben and wished he’d never come to her table. Her conviction that what she had was enough for her was shattered. She remembered what it felt like to be in love but for her, love always carried an element of jealousy. These women had learned to love unconditionally and more they had someone safe to do that with. Someone that protected their love and loved them unconditionally back. That made her envious. Another negative emotion.
Suddenly Lucy burst from the crowd and rushed to Ben who stood up to meet her. She stepped behind him putting Ben between her and the crowd. He spun to look at her and saw she was trembling with her left arm across her bosom clinging to her dress.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Ben gasped but the young woman wouldn’t look up at his face.
“Look at me.” Ben said and she lifted her eyes to his.
“I’m sorry I ripped the dress you bought for me.” she mumbled, her bottom lip trembling. He suddenly noticed it was split.
“How did this happen-“