The Job Offer

Anne woke early on Saturday morning to the feel of Ben behind her; his arm was thrown over her waist, and his hand was on her breast. His lips moved over her shoulder and she sighed before rolling onto her back. He moved between her legs and entered her as he watched her face in the dim morning light. She felt the familiar pleasure enter her with each of his thrusts, and she rose to meet him. Then they found their climaxes together before Ben collapsed on top of her, their bodies still joined. She gladly accepted his weight and held him in her arms while she ran her hands over his muscled back and firm cheeks.

  They both knew that their time was running out, and their passionate lovemaking the night before was laced with a touch of desperation that heightened every sensation. Several times during the night, Ben brought her to climax, holding back his own release until she finally took control and drove him over the edge of desire. In contrast, their joining this morning was sweet and simple, and its impact squeezed her heart. She still held out hope that he would say something today to let her know that he wanted to continue their relationship. If he didn't, she would risk his rejection by telling him that she would be moving back to Seattle and hope for the best.

  There were several times when she tried to find the words in the past two days to tell him, but her fear held her back. When it came right down to it, the woman she was here on the island was not who she really was anymore. He remembered the fearless spitfire she used to be when she was a kid. But she had changed, and if he knew just how boring she really was, he would run in the other direction. Her life revolved around science now, around being careful, and in looking at things logically. She wore lab coats over tee shirts and jeans, her hair was usually pulled back into a clip, and her nails were unpolished. But she wished that she could be the sexy spitfire he said that she was.

  Ben smiled sleepily at her and kissed her tenderly before laying back down beside her. She soon fell back to sleep. When she woke up again, the sun was bright, and she looked over at the bedside clock. It was ten-seventeen. Goodness! Anne could not remember ever sleeping so late. After getting out of bed, she picked up Ben’s tee shirt and put it on before she went into the sitting room to find Ben. The room was empty, but a note had been left on the buffet next to the coffee pot and a lemon poppy-seed muffin. She smiled because he remembered the kind of muffin that was her favorite. The note told her that he would be back soon.

  Before she poured a cup of coffee and ate her muffin, she went into the bathroom for a quick shower then dressed in the pair of shorts and a blue button down shirt that she had brought over the day before. Once dressed, she went back into the sitting room and picked up her cell phone to check the text message that beeped at her. While she looked at the message, she smiled. It was from Carla. After sitting down on the couch, she pressed Carla's number in her contacts list and waited for the phone to be answered.

  "So, did you get called back?" Carla greeted Anne by asking her the question.

  "Good morning to you, too. They offered me the job." Carla screamed in excitement then told Gary, who was somewhere close by. When Carla got back on the line, Anne told her the details of the contract and when she would start. Then she told her that she would be looking for a rental on Tuesday and Wednesday.

  "Oh, I know of a place you can rent. You know that little Cape Cod at the other end of the block?"

  "Is it the blue one with the dormers or the white one with the fence?"

  "It's the blue one. It's owned by a techie who’s moving to California for a year. But he doesn't want to sell it, just lease it out. But he is picky about who he will lease it to, too. He was talking about leasing it out to someone who doesn't have kids or pets, preferably a professional. No college students. I told him about you, and he’s interested in showing it to you. What should I tell him? Will you look at it? It's a two bedroom, has a killer kitchen, a fireplace, and a big deck in back. Oh, and it has a single detached garage. You need to see it."

  "Sounds super tempting, Carla. What's he asking per month?" Carla told her the lease price that was well within Anne’s budget. "Tell him that I'll be in town on Tuesday and Wednesday. If he is available, I want to see it."

  "Will do. How's it going at the inn? Do your mom and dad have you working?" Anne took a sip of her coffee before answering.

  "No work this time. I'm just relaxing with old friends."

  "That's good, Anne. I told you that I had a good feeling about this." Anne heard Ben putting his key card into the lock.

  "Hey, I have to go now, Carla. I'll fill you in on Tuesday about what I've been doing. Ok?"

  "Ok. Bye, Anne."

  Anne pressed the “Disconnect” call button just as Ben walked into the room. He saw her sitting on the couch and put his hand behind his back before he walked over to where she sat. She was curious about what he was hiding.

  "Morning," she greeted him with a smile. He, in contrast, had a nervous look on his face.

  "Good morning. I got this for you." He pulled his arm from behind him and showed her what he held in his hand. It was a white jewelry box. Surprised, she looked up into his eyes then took the box from him. She was speechless and swallowed a couple of times to remove the lump that suddenly formed. Inside the box she found a delicate silver chain with an aquamarine stone attached as a permanent setting of the chain. It was beautiful. "It reminded me of your eyes," he said as she continued to look at the necklace. She felt her eyes water. "Anne?"

  "It's beautiful." She looked up at him, and he saw her tears.

  "Don't cry, Anne. You don't like it. I'll take it back. I'll exchange it." Alarmed, he dropped to his knees before her.

  "Don't you dare! I love it. Help me put it on." She took the delicate chain from the box and tried to open the clasp, but her hands were shaking too much. Ben took it from her and sat next to her on the couch. She lifted her hair so that he could secure the clasp, and then he kissed her nape when the clasp was secure. After letting her hair fall back down, she turned to look at him and fingered the stone that rested at the base of her throat. She was not expecting this. Hopefully it was a good sign, she thought, and not a parting gift. "When did you get this?"

  "I got it this morning. I drove over to the jewelry store in Eastsound, the one we walked by last night, and had the proprietor open up early. You look beautiful."

  She stood up and crossed over to the mirror by the door. The stone was the same color as her eyes. Ben came to stand behind her, and she spun around to kiss him then wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love it. It's too expensive, though."

  "I can afford it, Anne." He put his hands up and cupped her face. "I wanted to give you something...something to remember me by after this week." He pulled her back into his arms so that she rested her head against his shoulder and ran his hand through her hair. "I'll never forget this week together, Anne." That didn’t sound good, Anne thought. It sounded like this was a parting gift. Some of her happiness dimmed.

  "Ben, if I was in Seattle, would you still want to see me?" She said this nervously against his shoulder. It was now or never. He pulled away from her and rested his hands on her arms. He was smiling, and she became encouraged by it.

  "Of course I would, Anne."

  "What if I'm not the woman you think I am?" She suddenly decided that she should explain what she did for a living. Over the years she had found that some men were turned off by it. Although she did not think that he would be, she wasn’t sure.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, what if I'm different. People act differently when on vacation."

  "Yes, they do. Are you saying that you would think about coming back to live in Seattle? What about your job? Your life is out..." A knock at the door stopped him from finishing what he wanted to say. "I'll be happy when this wedding is over," he groaned in resignation before he let go of her and opened the door. His mother stood in the hall. She came inside the room when he opened
the door and greeted Anne when she saw her. His mother was clearly upset and full of nervous energy.

  "Ben, you're supposed to be in your tux and ready to go. It's eleven o'clock."

  "The wedding isn't until two, Mom."

  "That's right, Ben. But we need to drive to the chapel, there are photos that need to be taken, we still need to have lunch because dinner won't be served until five, and as Best Man, you cannot miss any of it. Now go and change, and for Heaven's sake, shave." Ben winked at Anne then went into the other room. A minute later they heard the shower turn on. "What was he doing this morning? I saw him drive up the front drive in your car," she said distractedly. "You wait, Anne. Men just do not get it." She looked at her watch and groaned. "Tell him that we had to get going. We're already going to be late for the chapel. Can he borrow your car?"

  "Yes. I'll catch a ride with my parents."

  "Good. Oh, Lord, if this day goes off without a hitch, I'll be very surprised. Bye, dear." Then like a whirlwind, she was gone.

  After she closed the door behind Ben’s mother, Anne smiled at the image of Ben's usually unflappable mother who was so uptight and took a deep breath. Anne had not been invited to the wedding per se, but was included as Ben’s "plus-one." It was naturally accepted by everyone that she was going, so Anne didn’t feel like she was crashing the wedding. After she looked around at the now empty sitting room, she turned once more to the mirror to admire the necklace Ben had given her only a few minutes before. It didn’t sound like Ben intended the necklace as a parting gift if his response to her asking him about her being in Seattle was any indication. She smiled happily as she fingered the stone and thought about what hers and Ben’s future would be once he found out that she was moving back to Seattle. She looked forward to telling him that night.

  Anne remembered her coffee sitting on the coffee table and walked over to pick it up. It was cold. After dumping it out into the buffet bar's sink, she poured a second cup and sat down on the couch. She was quite hungry, now, and pulled the muffin over to her, took the top from the lower portion, and nibbled the delicious muffin top, the part she always ate first. The shower turned off, and Anne heard the sound of the sink water running for a minute before the bathroom door opened. She went into the bedroom and saw Ben standing in a towel taking the tuxedo from the garment bag.

  "Your mother left and said to take my car to the chapel. Don't dawdle. She didn't say that, but it was implied."

  "I'm sure it was." He pulled on a pair of underwear and sat on the edge of the bed to begin pulling on his socks. The hair on his head and chest was still wet. "Anne, can you find my shoes?"

  She looked in the closet and found a shoebox that she pulled out and took to the bed. The shoes were a size thirteen pair of black oxfords delivered for the wedding. Ben already had his pants on and was in the process of buttoning up his shirt that was sticking in places to his wet chest and back. The rest of the tuxedo included a cream colored silk vest, a deep purple woven silk tie, and a black tuxedo jacket with a deep purple silk handkerchief that matched the tie. She watched Ben as he dressed and thought that he was an exceptionally handsome man. Once he was dressed, she whistled. He looked sharp and incredibly sexy.

  "Anne," he began as he tied his shoes. "I know that we were interrupted earlier, and I want to finish the discussion. But can it wait until tonight?"

  "It can wait. Now get going before your mother starts calling."

  He grabbed her car keys and his wallet that he had put on the dresser and kissed her quickly before leaving. Once she was alone, she turned off the lights in the bedroom and collected her hair and makeup items from the bathroom. Her dress for the wedding was still at her parents' house, and she would need to ride with them, so she decided to head over to their house now. She stepped outside and saw another piece of paper taped to the glass of the balcony door. Anne read the word "whore" on the sheet and shuttered. That Chelsea really was a piece of work, she thought. Then she pulled the note off, crumbled it into a ball, and carried it with her until she could toss it into a trash container that sat at the edge of the patio.

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