Wild for Him

Chapter Four

BY the time Christine arrived with Ben at Envy, her friends were already there and had claimed a table in the downstairs lounge where it was much quieter than upstairs near the dance floor and circular bar. Instead of stiff, uncomfortable bar stools, the lounge area was sectioned off with velvet armchairs, couches, and love seats in vibrant shades of purples, greens, and reds. Despite how crowded the place already was, the overall atmosphere was warm and inviting, which made for an enjoyable night club experience.

Wanting to make sure she established Ben as her boyfriend to anyone who might be watching her, especially Craig, she clasped his hand in hers as she led the way to Madison, Ronnie, and her boyfriend, Mark. Ben automatically wove his fingers through hers, bringing her attention to just how large his hand was as it closed around hers. She thought about how it would feel to have his heated palm and long fingers stroking across her bare, sensitive flesh, and shivered.

As she neared the group, she noticed Ronnie's curious expression as her long-time friend's gaze zeroed in on Ben. Then there was Madison. They'd been sorority sisters in college and had remained close friends even after graduation. Since Madison was also Christine's assistant at The Big Event and they spent days and hours together, she was the friend that knew her best, and was like the sister Christine never had. The two of them talked about the most intimate details of their lives, and shared just about everything, and that was why Madison was staring at Ben in shocked surprise, because to her best friend's knowledge, Christine hadn't been dating anyone.

Christine had already decided that she'd explain the situation to Madison and tell her the truth about her new boyfriend who was really her bodyguard-as well as their 24/7 living arrangement. But in the meantime, she had a new beau to announce to everyone.

"Hi, gang," she said brightly, and launched right into the introductions. "I'd like you all to meet my boyfriend, Ben. Ben, these are my good friends Ronnie and Madison, who is also my assistant at The Big Event. And this here is Mark, Ronnie's boyfriend."

Ben stepped in front of her and greeted the two women in that polite, gentlemanly way of his, then shook hands with Mark. Compared to most of the guys at Envy who were wearing the latest designer styles for men, Ben definitely looked dressed down in his jeans and his untucked chambray shirt. He was also so opposite of the polished men she'd dated in the past. But there was no denying that with his thick brown hair tousled in a no-fuss style, those dark, seductive brown eyes, and a hard, gorgeous body made for sin, he was sexier than most of the men in the place in an earthy, rugged way.

And Ronnie was definitely taking notice of all those little details that made Ben so uniquely male, while Madison was much more reserved in her speculation of who Ben really was.

"We didn't know you were bringing someone," Ronnie said, still checking out Ben. "So, we only grabbed one extra chair."

Christine shifted on her feet. Ronnie and Mark had claimed the love seat, Madison was sitting in one of the plush armchairs, and there was one left free, obviously for her. She glanced around for a vacant seat for Ben, but there wasn't one to be found in the lounge.

"That's not a problem," Ben said, taking matters into his own hands. "There's plenty of room for two in this chair right here."

Before Christine realized what Ben meant to do, he sat down in the plush armchair, then grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him, until she was draped across his lap with her hip pressed against the gun he'd holstered just inside the waistband of his jeans-which he'd told her he had a license to carry in public. She gasped in surprise and caught the wicked glint in Ben's gaze that told her he was taking his role as her boyfriend very seriously.

"My, my, my. Such a resourceful kind of guy," Ronnie said, seemingly impressed with Ben's take-charge approach. "I like that in a man." She took a sip of her cosmopolitan.

Ben slid one arm around Christine's waist, and rested the palm of his other hand on the bare skin of her thigh right below where the hem of her miniskirt ended, his touch undeniably possessive. And hot. Very hot.

"I'd rather keep Christy nice and close, anyways," he replied with a grin.

From across the way, Madison was sending her a What the hell is going on? look, and all Christine could do was smile at her best friend for now and keep up the charade that was of her own making.

One of the bar's cocktail waitresses came up to their group. Since Christine frequented Envy, she immediately recognized the pretty auburn-haired woman as Jodie.

"What can I get you two to drink?" she asked, eyeing Ben with too much interest.

"I'll take an apple martini," Christine said, needing something with a bit of a kick to help her get through the next few hours.

"Sam Adams for me," Ben told the other woman, once again establishing himself as someone who didn't give a damn about social pretenses. In an upscale club where most men ordered hard liquor over cheap beer, he was an anomaly.

Once the cocktail waitress headed back to the bar, Ronnie snuggled up to Mark's side and turned her green-eyed sights back on Ben. "So, Christy, where have you been hiding this fine specimen of a man?"

Forcing herself to relax against the hard, muscular thighs beneath her bottom, she slipped an arm around his broad shoulders and leaned into his chest. "We've been dating quietly for the past few weeks, and I thought it was time to take things to the next level and introduce Ben to my closest friends."

"He's definitely your best-kept secret," Madison murmured wryly, and followed that comment with a sip of her strawberry margarita.

"Well, I, for one, am glad to see you back on the market after you-know-who did you-know-what." Ronnie lifted her cosmopolitan in a mock toast, then finished off the rest of the drink.

As much as Christine adored Ronnie, her friend didn't know the meaning of subtlety. She was bold and brazen, and usually said whatever was on her mind. She'd never liked Jason, and couldn't have been happier when Christine had ended their engagement.

At least Ben knew what she was talking about, and it wasn't something she'd have to explain later.

Jodie arrived with their drinks and set them both on the table. "By the way, the bartender just told me that Craig is picking up your tab tonight."

Before Christine could issue a reply, Ben beat her to it. "Thank you, but I'll pay for the drinks," he said firmly, playing his role with a believable amount of authority.

Taken aback by his firm tone, Jodie's eyes widened. "Oh. Okay. I'll let Craig know."

Well, that was certainly one way to bring Craig's attention to the fact that she had a boyfriend, Christine thought.

"So, what do you do for a living, Ben?" Ronnie, the inquisitive one, asked.

"I work for a security firm," he said smoothly. Before Ronnie could drill him about what, exactly, his work entailed, he added, "Prior to that, I was in the military."

That bit of information caught Mark's attention. "Which branch?"

"The Marine Corps." Ben handed Christine her apple martini, but didn't touch his bottle of beer.

Mark's gaze lit up with interest. "My younger brother, Tim, is in the Marines. He was just recently deployed to Iraq. He says the conditions there are pretty deplorable."

Ben nodded in agreement. "It can be a tough assignment."

Christine knew that Ben spoke that statement from the heart. Having lost someone he cared deeply for as a direct result of the combat zone in Iraq, he had firsthand experience of just how harsh and unforgiving the war could be.

The two men continued to talk about the military, and discuss their opinions on the war. Ronnie rolled her eyes in boredom, and signaled Jodie for another cocktail, then launched into a more girl-appropriate discussion about an incident that happened at the exclusive boutique she managed. While Christine listened to Ronnie's animated story about a woman who'd attempted to shoplift a designer purse by stuffing it down her stretch pants and concealing the bulge with a loose blouse, she sipped her drink and tried to keep her mind off the way Ben's deep, husky voice was so close to her ear as he talked, and the sensual feel of those hands still on her body.

She failed miserably. Sitting on his lap, she was so keenly aware of him, in every way. His thumb absently stroked the inside of her knee as he continued his conversation with Mark, and at some point the hand at her back had glided up her spine and slid beneath the fall of her hair. His strong fingers gently kneaded the nape of her neck, and she had to swallow back a moan of pure pleasure.

Everything about the man, about his touch, was so seductively mesmerizing. So arousing and exciting, made more so by the fact that everything he did seemed so natural and unrehearsed. And while he appeared to be completely relaxed and unaffected by her close-enough-to-kiss presence, she on the other hand couldn't stop her long deprived body from reacting to each and every sensation. Her pulse quickened, something deep in her stomach fluttered, and her breasts felt tight and sensitive against her lacy bra.

Inhaling a slow, even breath, she shifted her gaze from Ronnie to Madison as they continued to chat and laugh about something her friend said, and Christine smiled and pretended to join in on the amusement. She took another long drink of her martini and was grateful when the liquid slid down her throat much more smoothly than the first few sips had.

Over the next hour and a half, the five of them talked about inconsequential things and laughed like old friends. One drink turned into two, then a third that she didn't quite finish, and Christine decided it was just what she needed to relax, enjoy herself, and have a good time.

"Uh-oh," Ronnie said, her suddenly narrowed gaze honing in on something beyond Christine's shoulder. "You'll never guess whose working the room behind you."

Christine didn't turn around to look. She didn't have to. Craig had warned her that her nemesis would be at Envy tonight, and that's the only person she knew that could shift Ronnie's easygoing personality into protective mode on Christine's behalf.

"It's Leanne, I'm sure," Christine said.

Madison, who'd taken a peek at the people mingling behind them as soon as Ronnie made her comment, now stared at Christine in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I have great radar when it comes to her." Feeling carefree and lighter than air, Christine grinned. "Maybe if I hide she won't notice I'm here."

Without thinking her actions through, not that she was thinking all that logically at the moment, Christine buried her face against Ben's neck to shield herself from Leanne's predatory gaze that always seemed to pick her out in a crowd. One deep breath later, she realized her mistake. The warm, heady male scent of him curled through her senses like a hypnotic drug. She grazed his neck with her lips, touched her tongue to his skin, and the broad hand still on her thigh tightened in reaction.

Ben's fingers tangled gently in her hair, and he tipped her head back so that she was looking into his dark, intense eyes. Forgetting everything but the two of them and the undeniable desire wrapping around her, teasing her with something so deliciously forbidden she licked her bottom lip in anticipation. She wanted to kiss him so badly, ached to see if all the heat and chemistry between them was everything she'd fantasized it would be.

He smiled at her-a sexy, bad boy grin that added to the chaos smoldering within her. "I think three drinks is right about your limit," he murmured huskily, seemingly sensing the direction her thoughts had traveled. "Who's Leanne, Christy?"

His gaze was curious, but she was sober enough to realize he'd switched to bodyguard mode. With the threat hanging over her family, his job was to make sure he knew everyone around her.

"She's just the most miserable, spiteful bitch you'd ever want to meet," Ronnie said before Christy could offer a polite, diluted version of Leanne's character. "Don't let the smile fool ya. Once you turn away from her she'll stab you in the back and give the knife an extra twist while she's at it."

Ben casually glanced over his shoulder to check out the woman they were talking about, and Ronnie was once again quick to pipe in with her own helpful description of Leanne.

"You can't miss her," Ronnie said. "She's the bleached blonde in the tight pink dress and big, in-your-face breasts."

Madison choked on her own laughter. "Geez, Ronnie, tell it like it is, why don't you?"

Mark smirked. "You should know by now that Ronnie isn't one to sugarcoat the truth. Besides, Leanne's reputation precedes her."

Ben glanced back at Christine, raising a dark, inquiring brow. "And you know her, how?"

"She's sort of a business rival," she said with a shrug. "She's a club promoter who is trying to expand her contacts, and she resents the fact that Craig has helped me so much in getting my event planning business off to such a great start." Seeing the concern in his gaze, she added, "I know who and what I'm dealing with, Ben."

He nodded, but she knew he'd just added Leanne to a mental list in his mind of people he needed to keep a close eye on.

"I need to go to the ladies' room." Madison stood and glanced at Christine. "Anybody else care to join me?"

"I'm good," Ronnie said with a wave of her hand.

Christine really didn't have to go, but there was no mistaking, or ignoring, the direct look Madison was giving her. "I'll go with you."

Easing off of Ben's lap, Christine stood and smoothed the hem of her skirt down, then reached for the purse that Ben had tucked between himself and the chair cushion. "We'll be right back." She walked away with Madison and did her best to keep out of Leanne's line of sight.

The restroom wasn't far from where they were sitting, and Ben had a clear view of the entrance and exit.

As soon as they were in the women's lounge area of the bathroom, Madison finally asked all the questions that Christine had expected from her good friend and assistant.

"Okay, what's the real deal with Ben?" Madison demanded, her hazel eyes flashing with exasperation. "Who is he, and why are you introducing him as your boyfriend and getting all cozy with him when I know damn well you haven't so much as dated anyone since Jason."

Christine headed over to the large vanity area that spanned one long wall of the room, where a few women were fixing their makeup and fussing with their outfits or hair. Setting her purse on the counter, she rummaged through the contents and pulled out her lip gloss.

She met Madison's gaze in the mirror. "He's not really my boyfriend," she said in a low tone of voice, so that only her friend could hear.

"No kidding." Madison crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Christine to explain.

"He's my bodyguard for the next three weeks, until the election is over." She went on to tell Madison the more private details of the threat her father had received, and how her dad had insisted on twenty-four-hour protection for her.

"I've never seen you get so up close and personal with your other bodyguards in the past." A small smile curved Madison's lips. "Though I do have to say, Ben is a whole lot hotter than those security agents your father normally hires for you."

Christine couldn't argue with that. "You know how Craig has been so persistent in asking me out?"

Madison nodded, causing her straight, smooth bob to brush across her shoulders. "Yes."

"Well, Ben has agreed to act as my pretend boyfriend in order to hopefully make Craig back off until I can get past the birthday party he's throwing for me here at Envy."

"Yeah, well, if the guy could take a nice, gentle rejection, he would have already backed off by now," her friend pointed out.

"He obviously can't, and I just need to be careful about how I handle things with him." Christine swiped her bottom lip with the pink gloss, noticing how flushed her cheeks looked, and how bright her eyes were. She knew her rosy glow was due to all that sensual awareness between her and Ben rather than any of the drinks she'd consumed. "So, if you can just play along, I'd really appreciate it."

"Sure, I can do that." Madison's gaze narrowed just a bit as she studied Christine's reflection. "But why do I get the feeling that there's a little more than just pretending going on between the two of you?"

"The attraction is real. It's been there between us for months," Christine admitted. Tucking her lip gloss back into her purse, she snapped it shut and sighed. "Unfortunately, Ben is all business."

Madison tipped her head. "Unfortunately?"

Christine shrugged and grinned. "What can I say? The guys turns me on like no one else ever has, and I'd love to see where all that sexual tension between us might lead, but he's been real good about not crossing any of those ethical lines, if you know what I mean."

"Maybe you ought to give him a little shove," Madison suggested, a shameless gleam in her eyes. "I mean, you'll be spending a whole lot of alone time at your place. It's definitely something to think about."

With that brazen comment hanging in the air, Madison left her to take care of personal business.

Christine ran her fingers through her wavy hair to give it more of a tousled look while she thought about Madison's parting remark. The big flaw in her friend's scenario was the fact that Christine had never, ever, been aggressive when it came to men, and Madison's idea to seduce Ben would definitely require someone far more bold and daring than she'd ever been. But the notion did intrigue her-more than was probably wise or prudent.

When Madison returned, they headed out of the rest-room together and made their way through the growing crowd of people filling the lounge and bar area. Halfway to where they'd been sitting, Leanne seemingly appeared out of nowhere, stepping in front of them and blocking their path. Christine was forced to come to an abrupt stop or risk colliding with those thrust-out breasts of hers.

The other woman was holding a fresh cocktail and sported an insincere smile. "I heard Craig gave you the O'Keefe Annual Corporate Dinner Cruise account." Her tone was more accusatory than friendly.

Such a nice, typical greeting for Leanne, Christine thought sarcastically. "Craig didn't give me anything, Leanne," she replied, determined to put Leanne firmly in her place with the facts. "He passed my name on to Lance O'Keefe, who called me to discuss the possibility of me handling the dinner cruise this year. I gave him an estimate, as did a few other event planning companies, and he liked my ideas enough to hire The Big Event for the job. It was all very legitimate."

From behind Leanne, Christine watched as Ben strode purposefully toward her, arriving by her side before Leanne could launch into some kind of rebuttal.

"There you are, sweetheart," Ben said affectionately, and wrapped a strong, protective arm around her waist. "Everything okay?"

Christine smiled at Ben, eternally grateful for his timely interruption. "I'm fine," she told him, then glanced back at Leanne. "Excuse us. My friends are waiting."

Madison, who hated any kind of drama, made a quick beeline back toward where Ronnie and Mark were watching the scene with Leanne unfold from their cozy love seat. Christine started to follow her friend, but Leanne stepped in front of her once again, her gaze roaming with blatant interest down the length of Ben's body.

When the other woman's eyes finally found their way back up to his face, there was no mistaking the predatory smile on her bright pink, painted lips. "Aren't you going to introduce me to whoever this good-looking guy is?" Leanne purred like a cat in heat.

"I'm Ben," he said, taking charge of the situation. "Christine's boyfriend."

Leanne's eyes widened, and her expression took on an incredulous look. "Really? What a surprise. You're so not Christine's type at all." She soothed that insulting remark with a smile meant to be coy and sweet. "Regardless, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Leanne Baker."

"Yes, I know." Ben's tone was bland and completely disinterested. "Ronnie was kind enough to tell me all about you."

Obviously knowing how Ronnie felt about her, and nothing Christine's friend said would have been complimentary, Leanne's too-confident demeanor faltered. Face flushed, she took a drink of her cocktail.

"Christy! I've been looking for you."

Christine heard Craig's deep voice penetrate the noise in the lounge seconds before he joined their small group, overwhelming her with his presence on top of Leanne's personal attack. Standing next to her, on the opposite side of Ben, Craig touched her elbow and stroked his thumb along the inside of her arm much too intimately.

With his pitch-black hair combed neatly away from his handsome face, and dressed in an expensive designer suit, Craig gave her a gently chastising look. "Jodie told me that you brought a friend tonight who was very insistent about paying your tab."

"That would be me," Ben replied possessively as his fingers tightened at Christine's waist.

"Christine's boyfriend," Leanne was quick to inform Craig, knowing how that bit of information would likely stir up a bit of trouble for Christine, and would hopefully, finally, turn Craig's attention her way now that Christine was off the market, so to speak.

That jolt of unexpected news caused Craig's fingers to drop abruptly from her arm. "Oh." Something dark and angry flared in the depths of his eyes, then he blinked, and it was gone. "I didn't realize that Christine was dating anyone." His voice was as tight as his clenched jaw.

Craig had definitely backed off, just as Christine had hoped he would, and she was relieved that her ploy had worked. "We were keeping things quiet, but once we made the decision to date exclusively, we figured it was time to make our relationship public."

A tight frown creased Craig's forehead. "Well, before you leave tonight, I still need to talk to you about your birthday bash here at Envy."

Christine nodded and smiled, glad to see that she hadn't sabotaged her working relationship with Craig in any way. "Sure."

Leanne shifted on her stilettos, looking annoyed that nobody was paying any attention to her. She glanced around the lounge, then met Christine's gaze with a devious glint in her eyes. "Did you happen to see your ex sitting over there at the bar?"

Leanne's announcement caused both Christine and Ben to look over at the bar at the same time. Sure enough, Jason was sitting on a bar stool, tossing back a shot of liquor that the bartender had just set in front of him. He signaled for another shot, gulped that down as well, then turned and stared at her, his eyes narrowed into dark, angry slits.

A foreboding chill shivered down her spine. She'd never seen Jason look so unkempt. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hair, normally cropped short, was long, shaggy, and uncombed. But it was the unbridled rage that she sensed from where she stood that had her stomach churning with uncertainty and dread.

Ben glanced back at Craig. "Christine has a restraining order against Jason, and he's in violation of those terms just by being in the same place as her. Would you mind summoning your security to take care of the problem and escort him out of here?"

"Of course." Retrieving a cell phone from the breast pocket of his suit jacket, Craig pressed a speed dial number. As soon as someone picked up on the other end of the line, he explained the situation, but before his guys could arrive on scene, Jason was sliding off the bar stool and heading toward Christine.

Her heart started a hard, fast pounding in her chest, the rush of fear making it difficult for her to breath.

Ben cursed vividly. "Looks like I'll be taking care of things," he muttered, then gave Christine a quick, but adamant look. "Stay put."

Nodding, Christine touched her fingertips to the sharp stab of pain in her temples, hating that Jason was about to cause a scene in a very public place. Already, people were starting to take notice of the confrontation and were gathering around to see what happened.

"I'm sorry about this, Craig," she said, hoping that Ben could take care of her ex without things getting too out of hand. "Jason shouldn't be here, and he knows it."

"You don't need to apologize." Craig stepped in front of her, as if to shield her from potential harm. "I'll make sure he doesn't get anywhere near you."

Christine opened her mouth to thank Craig, but the words got caught in her throat as a splash of chilled liquid and bits of ice hit her in the chest area. Someone had just spilled a drink on her!

She sucked in a startled gasp and glanced back around to discover that Leanne was the culprit. The other woman stood in front of her, the drink glass in her hand now completely empty. As something cold, wet, and sticky trickled its way between her breasts and continued to spread downward, Christine's fear was suddenly eclipsed by a strong flash of fury that had her seriously considering ripping every last strand of hair from Leanne's head.

Hearing the commotion, Craig turned back around, his gaze shifting from Christine's soaked top to Leanne's feigned surprised expression. "Jesus, Leanne, what happened?"

Leanne batted her eyes innocently at him. "I'm so sorry. Someone just bumped into me and jostled my arm and my drink went flying."

Since most everyone had moved into the bar area in anticipation of a brawl, there was no one even near them now. Christine bit back a scathing remark, refusing to stoop to Leanne's childish level-or engage in the altercation she seemed to anticipate.

Leanne gave her a smile that was just as deceptive as the woman herself. "You might want to go to the restroom and use some paper towels to dry off," she suggested oh-so-helpfully.

Christine couldn't believe this was happening to her, and all at once. Between Jason belligerently challenging his restraining order, and now being soaked to the skin by Leanne's drink, Christine couldn't imagine the night getting any worse.

She knew she couldn't just stand there and drip all over the floor, but neither did she relish the thought of heading into the women's restroom where a gaggle of women would undoubtedly watch her sop up the drink another woman had spilled on her-and whisper about it behind her back. She'd much prefer a private, secure place where she could take her top off and wipe off the sticky residue on her skin.

She glanced at Craig, who was looking at her in concern, and didn't hesitate to ask a huge favor. "Would you mind if I used your private bathroom in your office, where there are clean, dry towels I can use?" And where she'd be far away from prying eyes and gossipy women.

"Of course," he said without hesitating, and gently grabbed her arm, which earned Christine an envious glare from Leanne.

Hearing a shuffling coming from the bar area, along with something crashing to the floor, Christine bit her bottom lip and tried to search through the throng of customers for Ben, and to see what was going on. Whatever was happening, it didn't sound good.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here," Craig said as he escorted her toward the back of the night club and away from the sudden mayhem going on at the bar. "Until the situation with Jason has been taken care of, it'll be much safer for you in my office, anyways."

Christine nodded gratefully. As more of the crowd swarmed toward the bar in hopes of getting a glimpse of some action, she decided that leaving with Craig was the safest, and smartest bet, until Jason was out of the club and back under the restraining order restrictions.

And in the meantime, she could clean up the mess that Leanne had made in the privacy of Craig's office bathroom.