Evelyn’s jaw dropped as she stared at the redhead. She shook her head as Ben showed no revulsion or unease around the women.
“Again, I’m not telling you that Ben is ready to accept another relationship. I just wanted to dispel the misconceptions you have about the man. He’s made of stronger stuff than the two men you set your sights on. Ben doesn’t judge women like that. What’s in your heart is what counts.”
Trish looked at the time and saw it was getting on. “I’m going to take a quick shower and get dressed for dinner. I’ll be out of the bathroom momentarily.”
Evelyn nodded gratefully to the woman and let her mind spin around their conversation. Trish had cleared her misconceptions, but now she was left with more questions. Should she ask Ben point blank if he might be interested in a relationship with her? Historically, that approach had miserable results. Alternatively, she could settle with the status quo and see how things developed.
She thought about the current state of things and realized she was in no hurry. She loved her new job, her new living quarters, and being able to interact with Ben in what might be the closest relationship she’d ever had with someone of the opposite sex.
Waiting seemed to be her best option. That didn’t mean she was going to give up on the possibility of a relationship should the opportunity present itself.
Simply put, she’d wait and see. Evelyn could be patient.
-=-
As Ben stepped into his room, he saw Catherine was relaxing in the chair by the window with the curtains thrown wide to let in the warm rays of the setting sun spill inside. A broad smile spread across his face.
“Just the beautiful woman I wanted to talk to!” he said.
She stood and rushed over to squeeze herself against his chest in a tight hug. He breathed in the wonderful scent of her shampoo as he enjoyed the warmth of her body. She turned up her face to his, and he kissed her soft lips tenderly until she purred. Once she pulled back, he saw her eyes were twinkling happily.
“How went shopping day number two?” he asked.
Her smile widened. “So much fun! The twins are a scream! Especially teamed up with Trish!”
Ben could easily see how they might be. He grinned. “But were you successful in finding something nice for yourselves?”
“Yes, Ben. We did pick up some lovely clothes. You’re spoiling us!” she said, poking him gently in the chest.
He pulled her in for another hug and kissed her temple. “I’m allowed when you’re all so deserving. Can we sit for a moment? I want to talk to you about something.”
Nodding, she led him over to the couch by the window. They sat, and she looked at him attentively.
“This project Phil DeMonte is working on; it’s about telling the story of young people who’ve found a way to pull themselves out of the cycle of poverty and despair. Self-propelled success stories. I keep thinking about that.” He paused to consider his next words. “While it’s too soon to go into details, I was wondering if you might be amenable to expanding the scope of your charity.”
Catherine blinked in surprise at Ben as his words sank in. “Expanding how?”
He shook his head. “It’s still just the seed of an idea, but I was considering setting up a foundation to support these young people – the ones who are honestly striving for a better life. Your organization helps them with their education, and that’s key. If they can get the education they need to succeed, they’re halfway there. I want to assist with the second half. Healthcare, affordable housing, occupational training, life counseling, financial planning training… whatever it takes to give them a foundation to grow from.”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “That’s a very ambitious plan. Generating the funds you’d need to get such a foundation off the ground-”
“Initially, I wouldn’t be looking at external funding,” he insisted.
Catherine stared at Ben. “What?”
“If Walter confirms some information I asked him to look into for me, I’ll be able to cover the costs for the start-up myself,” Ben explained. He didn’t mention to Cat that even if the news from Walter was negative, he intended to set up the foundation. He’d just be doing it at a much smaller scale and local only. This, he would be paying for himself, and he’d have to up his creative output to pay for it.
She felt goosebumps rise over her entire body. “Oh my god, Ben! That’s amazing! There’s some space in the building I work out of to set up an office for the people we’d need to hire to manage the program.” Her mind was already thinking of the people she could contact to assist with this. The hiring pool in the city might be a little lean for the skillsets she was thinking of so they might have to place ads in nearby cities.
Ben smiled at her excitement. “Remember, we still need to get confirmation from Walter. That will likely take a week or so. Right now, it’s all blue sky ideas.” Catherine nodded rapidly. “One more thing… if I get good news from Walter, I’m going to expand my plan to set up foundation offices in six different countries. We’d be going global.”
Catherine’s eyes went wide, and she made a choking sound. “Ben! That’s going to cost a fortune!”
He nodded. “I expect it will, but if Walter gets confirmation, it’s all going to be paid for by a new income stream. It won’t come out of my personal savings at all.”
“How- what new income? Did you get a new contract with the military?” she gasped.
He grinned. “No, no new contract. Let’s wait to hear what Walter says. At the moment, it’s just a pipe dream. But just in case this dream looks like it will come true, I’d like you to consider what it might take to make this foundation happen. I’d like you to run it, to be its face. If you’re interested.”
She froze once more as what he was asking shook her world. “You want me to run a global charity?”
Ben looked at her nervously. “I don’t want to pressure you into anything. If you don’t want that kind of responsibility that’s perfectly fi-”
Cat jumped onto Ben’s lap and kissed him deeply, her fingers tangled in his hair.
His hands settled down on her back, and she moaned happily into the kiss. His grip slid down to her ass, and he squeezed her firm cheeks. Her kiss became more passionate.
Ben was surprised when she pushed off to stand and rushed over to her suitcase. She smiled back at him over her shoulder as she dug into the case.
“Get those pants off!” she growled playfully.
He snorted softly yet moved quickly to follow her orders. Down went his pants and boxers. He heard her make a happy sound as she pulled the tube of lube from her case. Then she immediately set about wiggling out of her pants.
Ben tugged his shirt off and watched her prance back to the couch with a happy grin on her face. She pulled her shirt up and slipped her bra off to press her body against his, her lips finding his once more. The skin to skin contact sent tingles through both of them. When his big hands were back on her body again, she moaned and squeezed tighter against him.
Cat wanted Ben so badly. His body was so intensely sexy for her, and he loved her so much, the combination always got her motor revving. When she discovered how much he believed in her by offering her the top position in his new foundation, it rocked her world.
Even if Walter’s news made it impossible, the fact that Ben believed she could take on such an enormous challenge meant so much to her. She’d witnessed Ben’s faith in Gabriella’s ability to succeed in her business, and while she wasn’t jealous of her friend, she’d wondered how that would feel. Ashraf certainly hadn’t shown any faith in her abilities through their years of marriage. Chanel loved her deeply, but their relationship was still in the honeymoon phase, so their awe in each other was too fresh.
But Ben, with just a few simple words, demonstrated the incredible scope of his faith in her. She felt like she might float out the window- Her eyes suddenly caught motion on the roof of the building across the street. Their room was on the fifth floor, facing west and the setting sun. She had a clear view of someone on the roof of the opposite building. He was holding something large and black and pointing it at their window. Her smile dropped away.
Ben noticed Catherine’s attention swing to something over his shoulder, so he turned to look out the window. He saw the silhouette of the man on the rooftop across the way. Was that a gun?
A second person suddenly appeared behind the man and struck him on the back of his head. They grabbed something on his collar as he tipped forward and went over the edge of the roof to fall out of view. Catherine gasped as Ben stared at the shape of the woman backlit by the bright sunset. She was tall and svelte and holding the strap of the man’s camera dangling from her hand. The camera’s lens was quite large so a telephoto for shooting distant subjects, like hotel rooms. That’s what the fallen man had been pointing at them before the woman knocked him from the roof.
“Liliya?” Ben said quietly as her shape was similar. Close to the same height with sleek curves. The woman waved then turned to leave.
Long ebony hair caught the fading rays of the sun as she walked towards the southern edge of the rooftop. It wasn’t Liliya unless she was wearing a wig. The woman did something to the camera and casually tossed it back near the spot where the man fell. Then she suddenly sprinted forward at full speed. Ben and Cat heard popping sounds from across the street. They rushed forward to peer out the window to see where she went and caught sight of a blonde woman dashing after the brunette. Then they were both gone.