Excitement coursed through Rey's body as she made her way to meet Ben for their nightly dinner. The first few had been lovely as they got to know a little more about each other, even though he was vague with the details of his own life –preferring to listen to her talk. However, their sexual chemistry grew with each meal they shared as they gazed hungrily at one another, neither making the first move.
Rey thought Ben would be the first to break as her dresses grew more and more scandalous, but he was a perfect gentleman, much to her chagrin.
Tonight, however, things would change if she had anything to do with it.
Wearing a plunging black backless dress that flowed to the floor with a slit that rose dangerously high up her thigh, Rey made her way to the garden she first met Ben for a special dinner he planned just for her birthday. Butterflies fluttered in her belly at the thought of seeing him again even though she saw him nightly. Her hand went to her throat as she remembered the way he practically manhandled her onto his lap before he passionately kissed her, her steps quickening to reach her destination sooner so she could see his reaction to her daring dress.
Unlike the first time she wandered into the area, the path to the garden was lit with hundreds of lanterns until it split into two. Smiling to herself, she walked along the path on the left as she did before until she reached the end where it opened up into an open garden with rose bushes everywhere and a table set for two in the middle –Ben standing in front of it.
Rey licked her lips as she approached him, taking in his all black attire, her eyes automatically going to his throat where a few buttons of his dress shirt were undone. Her body felt like it was on fire as she observed him take in her appearance as well. She was glad she packed this particular dress as his gaze turned hungry, his eyes traveling from her face to the swells of her breasts then finally to the slit that showcased a leg.
"Are you lost, birthday girl?" he asked seductively as he smirked, pulling out a chair for her.
Rey caressed his arm and kissed his cheek before taking her seat, smiling up at him. "I'm in the exact place I want to be."
Ben kissed her temple before moving to the other side of the table as her eyes shifted down to stare at the ass she wanted to take a bite out of in his fitted black dress pants.
As soon as he was seated, several servers appeared out of nowhere as they placed plates of food and champagne in front of them before disappearing again as if they were never there.
"I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you, but I got the chef's special."
"What if I have allergies?"
Ben raised a brow before taking a sip of his champagne.
Rey smiled. "The special is actually one of my favorite things to eat."
"Take a bite and see if it's to your liking."
"I already know it will be," she said as she brought her fork to her lips and moaned.
Opening her eyes, not realizing she closed them, Rey caught Ben staring at her with such intensity it made her clit throb, and she had to clear her throat before she spoke –taking a quick sip of her favorite champagne.
"I forgot to thank you for before."
"For what? You've already thanked me with a kiss the other day, but I wouldn't be opposed to another if that's what you're after."
Rey bit her bottom lip. "Actually, I was thanking you for the champagne from the other night. It was you who sent it, wasn't it?"
"What gave me away?"
"Just a hunch... And you're having it served for my birthday dinner."
Ben chuckled as he took a sip of the champagne again. "It's a good champagne."
"It's my favorite."
"I know."
Rey cocked her head to the side. "How would you know this is my favorite champagne? I know I never mentioned it before..."
Ben opened his mouth to answer, but Obi-Wan and Armitage came running up to them.
"Sorry to interrupt this special night, but there's an urgent package that requires your signature, Ben," the older man said, his eyes shifting to her before adding, "It might take all night, unfortunately."
Rey saw Ben clench his hand tightly into a fist on top of the table before he rose. "I'm sorry. It seems I have urgent business to take care of. Armitage will keep you company and escort you back to your room after dinner."
"But we just started... And it's my birthday."
Ben whispered something to the two men as they turned and took several steps away from them. Making his way over to her side of the table, he leaned against it before cupping one side of her face in his large hand as his thumb traced her bottom lip.
"I promise to make it up to you tomorrow when we have dinner again."
"Do you really have to leave?"
His gaze traveled up and down her body as if he was memorizing her in the dress. "I do, even though my hands are itching to touch every inch of skin the slit on your dress is exposing."
An enticing idea to get him to stay popped into Rey's head as she reached for his free hand and placed it on her knee before slowly moving it up her thigh until his fingers brushed against the trim curls at the apex of her legs.
"Fuck me, woman," he growled lowly. "You aren't wearing any fucking panties."
"Nope, and I'm very wet."
His fingers moved to dip inside of her as he cursed again, but he quickly removed his hand from underneath her dress.
Making sure he had her full attention, Ben moved his hand to her throat and squeezed lightly before placing his wet fingers into his mouth to suck on them, her knees squeezing together at his actions.
"If I didn't have to leave right now, I'd fuck you on this table."
Rey whispered a yes as she leaned her breasts into his thigh. With the sexual tension that built between them the last couple of days, Rey felt like they both needed to release some of it by finally fucking. She didn't think she could wait any longer as her hand slid up his thigh. Unfortunately, he removed himself from her vicinity and backed away to where the other two men stood as he shook his head hard as if to dislodge the thoughts that ran through his mind.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Rey," he said, his voice coming out deeper than usual.
Rey slumped back in her chair as she fanned herself, watching him walk away from her.
Why does being with Ben make me so bold, make me feel so wanted and sexy? I would have never done something like this with Finn... Would I have really let him fuck me on this table?
All sorts of questions ran through her head as one thing became clear. She wanted this man, and she was going to have him soon.
*****
Ben was pissed as he watched his men beat another in front of him, his fingers at his nose to try and smell Rey's long faded scent as his mouth watered for another taste. It had been hours since he last saw her in this very spot on the hotel grounds, which served his current purpose well since it was a secluded area. He thought tonight would have been the night to finally have her in his arms, but instead he was here with this lowlife.
"Is the girl going to be a problem?" Obi-Wan whispered next to him.
"Mind your own damn business," Ben growled as he pulled out his gun and cocked it.
"Shoot me. You know it's my job as your second to protect the family and you. Even from you, if necessary. I just worry she will distract you from your current duties when we're having problems with the Palpatine family."
Ben gritted his teeth and took a step forward, his men parting for him as he stared down at the beaten man. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
"Everyone has secrets."
"Shut the fuck up! You dare to validate yourself when you tried to smear the family's name!"
"Family," the man spat. "Spare me the details and just shoot me!"
"I'm not only going to shoot you, but I'm going to erase your existence from this world as if you never existed. That will be your punishment."
Several guns with silencers trained on the man before bullets embedded into his body. Turning as his men picked the corpse up, Ben found Rey standing at the corner of the garden before she fainted.
"Fuck."
*****
Only in pajama bottoms, Ben sat on an armchair near the bed as he watched her sleep, worried when she hadn't woken for hours as the sun started to rise and brighten the room. He took a sip of his whiskey, but quickly set it down when Rey stirred on the bed, her body tense.
"You shouldn't have seen what you saw, but you have to understand the man you saw deserved it. He was beating and smuggling children, cheating and stealing from his family, and we do not tolerate or forgive such things."
He watched her brows furrow in confusion before recognition dawned on her face as she sat up quickly, staring down at the nightgown that wasn't hers before covering herself with the duvet. Ben was glad, however, when she didn't question him further about the man.
"Who put this on me?"
"I had a maid do it."
"Why? I was already in my pajamas before when I saw you kill that vile man..."
"I thought this would look better on you, and I was right. The silk should feel better against your skin."
She turned her head to take in the masculine, yet immaculate room, finding the layout of the room strange as she stared at the glass wall of the bathroom, her gaze lingering on the dual shower heads. When her eyes snapped to his, he knew she figured out they were no longer in the hotel they were staying in before as her feet came in contact with the floor.
"Where are we?"
"In my home, on an island off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea."
Her entire body tensed immediately as a look he never wanted to see on her face appeared: fear.
"Did you kidnap me because I saw you kill a man?"
Rey stood slowly and backed away from him, heading to the door.
"And if I did?" Ben responded as he stood and took a step forward every time she took a step back.
Her chest rose and fell before she ran to the doors and threw them open, sprinting down the hall until she ended up in a vast living area, spinning in a circle to find the nearest exit.
Ben cursed before giving chase, finding her frozen near his fireplace as she stared at her face on his wall.
"What the fuck is this, Ben!? Why do you have this portrait of me? Are you some sort of stalker?!"
"Have a seat, Rey. I don't want you to faint again."
Rey's fight-or-flight response was to bolt for a set of doors off to the side, but she didn't make it two feet before his arms wrapped around her waist and pinned her to the wall. She struggled against his hold, but it was useless as he pushed her to sit in an armchair, his hand wrapped around her throat and his knee between her thighs.
"You can't keep me here against my will."
"No, I can't, but you will listen to what I have to say."
Turning to grab a bottle of water from the bar area, he was glad she didn't try to run again. "Drink, and listen because I have a story to tell you. Something so incredible that I didn't think it was true until I saw you at the airport a few days ago."
He opened the bottle before handing it to her and the side of his mouth lifted as she took several large gulps, her eyes glaring into his.
"Five years ago, my life changed. My father was shot straight through the heart and died, the bullet hitting me as well. I thought I was going to die that day too, and for some reason as I started to fade, I saw your face. Every day, I saw your image, and I searched the world for you because I had this feeling of certainty that you would be mine, standing by my side. I almost gave up hope when I came to the realization that maybe you weren't real. Then at the airport, I saw you and wanted to jump out of my moving car to pull you into my arms, but I thought better of it as I had my men find out everything about you, the party you traveled with, and where you were staying because you weren't a figment of my imagination. The feeling of hopelessness vanished, and I knew you would finally be mine."
When Rey didn't say anything he continued, handing her a large black envelope with several photos and documents inside.
"I'm glad you broke things off with Finn before I was able to show you these photos of him with other women. He didn't deserve to have you. There is nothing stopping me from having you as mine now."
"I'm not an object you can just own."
"I know. That's why I brought you here to give you a chance to fall in love with me, Rey."
"Give me a chance to fall in love with you?! You kidnapped me!"
"No, you are free to leave now without giving us a chance, but I know you feel something for me. The last few days were the best of my life because I got to see you... got to know you... got to touch you. If you agree to remain, you must stay with me for 365 days until your next birthday to give yourself the chance to fall in love with me."
"I can't stay here with you for that long. I have friends and people who care about me. I have my own life with a job I love and can't afford to take time off of."
"I've taken care of everything. I even personally told Rose that you decided to come away with me for the rest of your vacation, and she helped pack your things."
"What? There's no way you took care of everything."
"As I've said before, I have my ways," he shrugged. "And I heard the Resistance Luxury Hotel chain is now under new management, and the new CEO has graciously granted you 365 days off with pay, if you agree to stay."
"Did you buy the entire hotel chain or something?" Rey huffed jokingly before realizing he had, indeed, bought the hotel chain. "What are you a gangster with millions of dollars?"
Ben smirked. "I prefer the term mobster."
Rey bit her bottom lip thinking herself crazy because she was actually contemplating on staying with Ben as her thoughts dueled.
You saw him kill a man... A man who deserved it because he was hurting children.
He freaking kidnap you! But he said I could go if I wanted.
"And if I chose to leave right now?"
"I will not stop you, and I will have transportation available for you, wherever you want to go. However..."
"However?"
"If you leave now, you'll no longer be working for my hotel and will be blacklisted from every firm, company, and hotel you decide to apply for in the future."
"You'll have me blacklisted... I would never be able to work again, make a living."
"365 days. That's all I ask for, and if you don't fall in love with me by your next birthday, I'll let you go with no strings attached."
"It seems I don't have a choice..."
"You always have a choice, Rey."
"Do I?