Page 39 of Fighting for the Forbidden
Chapter Eleven
Ben
I felta little more like myself the next day, so Lauren and I spent a couple of hours in the city. We had a very slow walk around the Colosseum and threw coins in the Trevi Fountain. I tried to put on a brave face, but Lauren could tell I was struggling. The moment she spotted a sightseeing bus, she bought us both tickets and we enjoyed the rest of the city from the open top. I hoped she was trying to reserve my energy for when we got back to the hotel room, but I was bitterly disappointed when I once again fell asleep in my tiny single bed with her in her own only a few feet away.
I’m not sure if she’s trying to torture me on purpose, but my balls are bluer than I thought possible after she walked out mid-sex the previous day. She’s standing by her words and not taking things too far. I’ve no idea how long she intends to continue it; every time I ask, she just repeats the same words about taking each day as it comes.
Our alone time passes us by all too quickly, and before I know it, we’re back at the airport, preparing to head back to whatever our lives might hold.
“Are you ready to head back and take the building world by storm?” she asks with a laugh, dragging her eyes away from the little aeroplane window beside her.
“No.”
“It is what you want, though?”
“Right now, all I want is you. My wanking hand’s in a cast, and you’re all the way over here.” Running my nose around the shell of her ear, her body shudders before she gently pushes me away.
“Behave,” she warns, raising an eyebrow, prompting me to answer her original question.
“Honestly, taking over that business is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. But…”
“But?”
I sigh. “I never imagined it would be quite like this.” A sad smile tugs at her lips.
“I feel like all of this is my fault.” It’s the first time she’s said anything about work the whole trip. “I should have seen that something was wrong. I manage the accounts, for fuck’s sake. I had no idea there was no money.”
“Don’t even think of shouldering the guilt for him, Lauren. Your dad was a scumbag, and he made sure he covered his tracks so you wouldn’t find out.” She visibly pales at hearing those harsh words, but they’re true, and she’s going to have to find a way to deal with it.
“I still should have known. How bad is it?”
“Bad. We’re going to have to let people go. Mum suggested we look at moving offices to somewhere cheaper but—”
“That’s where your dad chose for the business.” Looking over, I reach out and take her hand in mine. She’s always had this ability to know exactly what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, and this is no exception.
“Yeah. I know it’s the most sensible thing to do, but I can’t help feeling like I’m betraying him.”
“He would understand, Ben. He would want you to do whatever it takes to save the company, and if that means we run it from the double garage at Jenny’s, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“We?” I ask, my voice filled with hope. Her expression drops as she thinks over what she said.
“Oh…uh. I don’t—”
“Just come back, please?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I study her face for any sign she’s lying, but I don’t see anything.
“But we need you.”
“No, you don’t,” she says sadly. “Erica’s more than capable. You won’t even notice I’m not there.”
“Don’t. You belong there just as much as I do.”
“No, I don’t. I was only there because of him. Everyone’s going to think I was involved or whatever.” She tries brushing the conversation off with a flick of her hand, turning back to the window and trying to cut me off.
“Lauren, I want you there with me.”
“No,” she barks, and I have no choice but to drop it—for now, at least.
