Page 43 of Vows In Corruption

“You did.”

Just ask the damn question.

“This morning, I got a notification that the money I used to pay her first semester landed back in my account. So I called the school to see if there was a problem and they told me that the money was refunded because my sister had gotten a scholarship. One from the Lane Foundation that covered everything until she graduates. You didn’t have anything to do with that did you?”

The way he just slides his hands into the pockets of his slacks and looks me dead in the eye, tells me everything that I need to know.

“The foundation gives out scholarships to hundreds of kids every year.”

“But do they give scholarships out to kids that don’t apply?”

I get a shrug from him. “I don’t know. I’m not the one in charge of the foundation.”

Bullshit.

Tired of the none answers, I ask him point blank. “Did you give my sister that scholarship?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He doesn’t answer right away. He just continues to look at me, his face unreadable. Eventually he lets out a sigh and answers my question.

“Because I wanted to help you out. You said that you needed this job. I don’t know what your financial situation looks like, but when you take a job so that you can pay for your siblings school, I’m going to take that as you need money. So I decided to help in any way that I could, which included talking to the head of the foundation and finding out there was still scholarships available and suggested your sister for one. ”

“How did you even find out her name?”

Charlie and I don’t share the same last name and it’s for good reason.

“You added her to your medical benefits.”

I did? I try to think back to when I filled out my benefit form and if I included Charlie, but I can’t remember. In the time that she has lived with me, I have never included her in those types of forms because I’m not able to. If I added her to my benefits was a huge mistake on my end.

I take a second to collect myself before I say anything else but my words come out sounding angry.

“Why would you want to help? I’ve only worked here for two weeks, I’m a practicable stranger.”

The distance between us closes some more, and I don’t notice until I’m within in a foot of him, close enough to touch. I should take a step back, but I don’t. Anger is rolling through me right now and I’m standing my ground.

Apparently I’m not the only one annoyed by all of this. The way Bennett’s nostrils flare out has the annoyance showing prominently.

“Who cares?”

“I care! Why would you do that?”

Our chest are almost touching, and neither one of us is taking a step back or putting any distance between us.

“Because I wanted to okay! I saw the worry in your eyes, I saw how had you were trying to hide the fact that you were struggling and I wanted it to go away. So I did the one thing that I could think of that would help you right there in that moment, that wasn’t giving you a one hundred percent raise, which I would do by the way if I the board would give me what I fucking wanted. I wanted to help my employee, I see nothing wrong with that and you shouldn’t either.”

I don’t know what comes over me.

Maybe it’s the proximity oh his body to mine.

Maybe it was the fact that he said that he wanted to take my struggles away as if they were his to bare.

Maybe it was the fact that he did something so big for Charlie that I know for a fact will change her life forever.

I don’t know what it was, but something comes over me as I slide my hand around his neck and bring his face down just enough for me to slam my lips against his.

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