Love’n’Lust

He pulled out a chair from the table they had both walked to, she smiled as she sat but he didn’t smile back, it made her a little nervous. Taking his own seat, a waitress came forward with a pen and a writing pad.

“Good day sir, ma’am, I’ll be the serving you both tonight, may I know what you would like the chef to make?” The lady was keeping her best smile, she couldn’t afford to make a mistake while serving Mr Larkson.

Ben looked at Belle to make an order but Belle wasn’t even sure she had had any of the dishes on the menu and besides she wasn’t hungry, she already had dinner.

“You are not hungry?” He said his first words to her since the evening. She shook her head, glad that he had asked that.

“Get us wine then.” He told the waitress who nodded before leaving.

Belle saw the waitress go through a door and she also noticed that the men in suit who were there initially when they sat were gone, now it was just she and Ben.

When she turned to him, she saw that his lips were curved upwards, he was smiling again and it calmed her down.

“You look…..” He stopped and looked at her exposed cleavage which was thanks to the v-cut on the dress. He cleared his throat and looked back at her face, her pretty face. “You look beautiful, Belle, in every damn thing you wear.” He said in a husky voice, making her smile.

“Thanks.” She said in a somewhat shy but audible voice. He still kept his eyes on her. “How did you even manage to get my number?” She asked, knowing she didn’t give him her number in the first place.

“I have my ways.” He had a confident smirk on.

“I almost thought you weren’t going to call me.” She said looking at her fingers. The waitress came back with a bottle of sparkling wine and opened it carefully in front of them both.

Originally, she should open it before coming up to their table so she just had to serve it but this was Ben Larkson, she had to open it in his presence so he could see that nothing was added to the bottle.

Successfully opening the bottle, she poured into both of their wine glasses still with a professional smile and after that bowed before leaving.

“I have been busy, too busy this past few days.” He gave his reason after the waitress left. She wasn’t saying anything after him, so he had to ask;

“You are not going to have your wine?” He asked drinking a little from his glass.

“Is it alcoholic?” She asked and he thought she sounded so innocent. He found himself hungry for this innocent beauty in front of him.

“It has little alcohol in it.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Oh. I don’t….” She shook her head looking at the glass,”I don’t take alcoholic drinks.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I have had it before but that was a disaster, I mean I got drunk pretty quickly and my friends told me I was just all over the place that night.”

“This won’t make you that drunk, I don’t think it can make you that drunk, it’s just a glass, a half filled glass.”

“I don’t….. i can’t…..” She was shaking her head again.

“It’s fine, I don’t want you drunk tonight.”

“Huh?”

“Come with me, let’s go.” He stood up and set out his right hand before her.

“Where?” She asked a question he didn’t answer, so she just took his hand and followed him out of the restaurant.

He led her to a car, a different car from the one they came in. The driver (not the burly driver that had come up to her apartment to pick her up) gave the car keys to him(Ben) and they got into the car.

She didn’t know where they were going, she didn’t know where Ben was taking her but she didn’t care, she just let him take her wherever he was taking her.

He was driving through parts of the city she knew so she didn’t find need to worry. He stopped at one of the big and known buildings in city A, it was a hotel; City A’s biggest hotel.

“A hotel?” She muttered to herself but he heard her.

A valet was there to take the keys from him as they both walked inside. He took her seemingly little hands in his as they passed through the reception. He was smiling the whole time, he knew everyone and anyone present as they walked through the reception to the elevator was probably wondering who she was, he knew no one had seen her with him before.

Everyone in city A knew he wasn’t generally a ladies’ man; sure he attracted women, lots of women but he wasn’t always seen around them so whenever he was seen with a woman, it was either his mother or a model who was paid to attend a party or any business event which required a plus one.

He turned to observe her reaction when they were in the elevator, he noticed that she was a little unsettled and was trying to be calm hence; trusting him.

“Sir.” A man bowed when Ben walked out the elevator with Belle beside him. Ben didn’t nod to his greetings, the man wasn’t expecting him to.

After leading the billionaire and the woman with him towards one of the only three rooms on that floor of the suite, he swiped a card over the door, bowing again before leaving.

It was a private room in the classy suite, it was meant for only people like Ben Larkson who could afford to stay there. Belle knew the moment she stepped out of the car with him that this was a place for someone with class, it wasn’t in any way to be compared to the the one she chose to meet him for their first time meeting.