The Job Offer

Benjamin Stanford III, known as Ben for short, followed his stepsister back to their group, but his mind remained on Anne. He ignored the talk around him and watched Anne through the window as she climbed onto a bike and took off pedaling down the long drive. She turned out nicely, he thought, admiring the lean muscles of her long legs and the swell of her full breasts as she rode away. That wild mane of dark hair and those light blue eyes only added to the beautiful package that was Anne Petrovic. He could not help being attracted to her. Any man would.

  She apparently felt the same way about him if her physical response to his comment and look a minute earlier was any indication. She certainly had no trouble checking him out earlier, too, he reminded himself. He felt his body respond now when he remembered the feel of her lush body next to his when they bumped into each other and the sight of her breasts reacting under his gaze a few minutes ago. He had wanted to reach out to touch them just as he dreamed of doing when he and Anne were younger. She had been the subject of many of his erotic fantasies as a teenager and, no doubt, would be again. He wondered if she would let him pursue her for a little vacation romance this week. He intended to find out.

  Not that he was interested in anything long-term, he told himself. He had ended a relationship last month with yet another woman who was more interested in his money than she was in him. The last thing he needed was another relationship. He ignored the prick to his memory at the disappointment he felt earlier when he learned that Anne did not live in the Seattle area. He tried to reason away his interest in only a short-term relationship and told himself that if she learned who he really was then she would be like all of the other women. He thanked his luck that people only knew him on the island as Ben Carlson.

  Ben's mother had always called him Ben as a nickname because his father was called by the more formal name of Benjamin. Then when his father died from a car accident when Ben was only nine, people started calling him by his formal name out of respect for his father. But, by that time, everyone was so used to the nickname that it didn’t seem right to call him anything else. Now, he only used his formal name when he signed business documents, but everyone called him Ben. When his mother married Troy Carlson three years after his father died, people outside of their circle assumed that Ben's last name was Carlson, as well. This mistake became a benefit when Ben became an adult because it gave him a certain level of anonymity that he used when he travelled.

  After he turned his attention back to the business at hand, he checked in along with the rest of the party and used his assumed last name as he handed over a company credit card. Over the years he discovered that to check into hotels using his real name usually led to trouble. Benjamin Stanford III was quickly becoming something of a local celebrity in the Seattle area and most of the West Coast even though he tried to keep a low profile. Ever since he took over the helm of the family business from his mother, who ran it after his father died, he had invested heavily into researching and developing cleaner solutions for the waterways, as well as, expanding the other areas of biochemical uses in manufacturing for which the company was originally known. These investments paid off, and the once small company grew to become a world leader in research, which made him an even richer man than he was when he took over.

  That also led to him being named one of Seattle's most eligible bachelors by Seattle Magazine three years ago. Before that, his personal life was relatively uneventful, and he wished it would be again. After the article, women began throwing themselves at him, sometimes blatantly, which he could ignore, and sometimes subtly, which would require that he take the time to find out their real motivations. Some women even had the gall to follow him to hotels or would try to contact him at his home. The novelty of their interest soon wore off. After that, he always made sure to use the Carlson name when he traveled.

  At first he was flattered by all of the attention, but now he was just sick of the whole thing. At thirty-three, he was tired of dating women who only wanted one thing from him. He wanted a family of his own like his mother had with his stepfather and with Ben's father before him. He thought of Anne again, and throughout the remainder of the afternoon he found himself looking for her whenever he went downstairs or outside.

  His suite was at the back corner of the building and overlooked the pool below and the dock and President Channel down the hill. He could see the Petrovic's little house that sat behind the main building off to the right mostly hidden in the shadow of several large trees. Long ago, he learned that their home was once the caretaker's cottage. Now sitting on the back balcony, he looked over at the little house while he sat at his balcony table and answered emails. Interviews for the new biochemical scientist were going well his HR director, Bernie Tomlinson, wrote. That day, Dr. Jane Conner and another scientist were interviewed, and two more would be interviewed tomorrow. There was also one more interview planned for Wednesday morning. Bernie gave her impressions so far, and Ben smiled in agreement. Ben had reviewed the candidates’ resumes a few months ago, and after following up with a few phone calls to colleagues, he was leaning toward Dr. Conner, too.

  He saw a flash of mint green and white out of the corner of his eye and looked up just in time to see Anne walk into her parents' house. After quickly shutting off his laptop, he waited and watched the door to see if she would come out again. When she didn't, he knew that she was getting ready for dinner that she would likely eat in the dining room with her parents. He had almost asked her to have dinner with him earlier before Lily had interrupted, but the moment was lost with the interruption. As it was, he would be eating with his family and the rest of the wedding party tonight in the dining room. But if he played his cards right, then he should be able to also spend some time with Anne after dinner.

  She finally began to walk up the path to the back entrance, and his mouth went dry at the sight of her. Her hair was down loose over her naked shoulders, curling in that wild mass that he always loved. She wore a white halter-top dress that clasped around her neck. The fabric molded to her breasts and her hips before ending at mid thigh. The dress was one step away from being indecent, but it still maintained respectability. She had the best legs, and they were shown to perfection with a pair of heeled silver sandals. Each movement she made as she walked aroused him, and he shifted in his chair to ease the discomfort. Who would have thought that the brainy girl with the adventurous spirit would also become so damn sexy? He was definitely finding her later.

  Ben quickly showered and shaved before he dressed in charcoal gray trousers, a dove gray button down silk shirt, and his black dress loafers. After he splashed on some cologne, he quickly went downstairs to the dining room where he saw Anne sitting with her parents across the room from where his party was seated. Lily and Tom, Lily’s fiancé, were already at the table talking to his mother and stepfather. Also sitting there was Melissa, the matron of honor. He was the last person to arrive. Well, he thought, as long as he was late, what were a few more minutes? He quickly crossed the room to the Petrovic table.

  "Ben. How nice it is to see you again."

  Anne’s mother, Jane Petrovic, greeted him as he approached. Anne was facing away from him when he walked up and gave him an excellent view of her naked back. She turned around suddenly to look at him when Jane said his name.

  "It is nice to see you too, Jane. Jim. Anne." He acknowledged each of them individually. Now that he was standing there next to Anne, he was suddenly tongue-tied. After he searched for something to say that didn’t sound like pure blathering, he commented on the nice weather. Did they think it would last through the weekend? Yes? Well, that was good. Anne looked up at him with a curious expression on her face. He knew that he didn’t sound like his usual self-assured self, and certainly not like the CEO of a company. "How is the water this year? I thought I might kayak over to Waldron Island tomorrow."

  "It's fine, Ben. The water along the northeast shallows is quite warm alre
ady. Good enough to go swimming, or so I’ve been told," Jim reported.

  "Anne, you just said that you wanted to kayak over to Waldron," Anne’s mother chimed in. "Why don’t you and Ben go together tomorrow?" Anne blushed beautifully and shot her mother a pleading look to stop. Apparently you were never too old to be embarrassed by your parents. Ben stifled a laugh at the obvious setup. He was all for it.

  "I don’t want to impose on Ben’s time, Mother." Yes, Ben thought. Anne was either angry or nervous. He remembered that she became formal when she was angry and nervous. He wondered which one it was. Hopefully it was nervousness. He felt plenty of that himself right that second. "He has so much to do."

  "That’s quite alright, Anne. I would certainly be available for kayaking tomorrow." She liked being manipulated even less than being set up. But she also could not be rude, especially to a guest, something that worked in Ben’s favor.

  "Ben, would you like to come with me tomorrow? I would be delighted if you joined me." She suddenly asked the question then relaxed and smiled up at him. She never could keep a bad emotion for long, especially when he would charm her out of one.

  "I would like that, Anne." Her smile made his stomach flutter. He tore his eyes away from her face and looked back at her parents. "I must get over to my table. Thank you for your suggestion. Enjoy your dinner."

  "You also, Ben," both of Anne’s parents said by way of a goodbye. Ben noticed that Anne remained silent. While he hoped that was a good sign, he made his way across the room to his table and sat down. After he sat, he looked over at Anne again. She was staring at him. When she saw him looking back at her, she turned away and talked to her parents. Yes, Anne Petrovic, he thought. We will definitely become reacquainted this week.

  Chapter 5