Without words, the two men introduced themselves as Ben sized up this man who was threatening his date. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the excitement on Katherine’s face and it was all the encouragement he needed to stand tall, ready to defend her.
She had found a way to excite parts of him he didn’t know existed anymore, and that was a major reason Ben loved having Katherine around. She made his life exciting, and with her the most mundane tasks had become adventures. But standing on the front steps of the fancy hotel, Ben wondered if it had been a bad idea to bring Katherine to the charity event.
She was in need of help, that much he could see, but Will was right about her knowing this man who had dragged her out of the gala. It was clear they had some kind of history, and Ben wasn’t sure if he wanted to get up in the middle of that.
Just then, he remembered Katherine revealing her troubled relationship, and he looked to her innocent face trying to see if she was afraid. After determining that she was, Ben widened his stance, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the man who was single handedly ruining his night.
“What the hell is going on here?” Ben barked, showing his aggressive side.
“This ain’t got nothing to do with you, pretty boy,” the man answered, cutting his eyes to Katherine. Ben noticed that man wouldn’t meet his eyes, and could tell he was the cowardly type, eager to yell and scream at a woman, but quiet when a comparable adversary came around.
“It has everything to do with me,” Ben insisted, stepping around Katherine to block the man’s view. He wanted to completely shield her from the nonsense.
“Katherine, you better tell your little friend to go back into the party before I put you both in your place,” he said, saying the last words to Ben directly with a menacing tone.
With adrenaline coursing through his body, Ben tried to fight the overwhelming instinct to punch the man in the face, sending him tumbling down the steps as everyone watched in awe. It was the audience that was deterring him from getting too aggressive.
As the CEO of a successful company, he would embarrass more than himself if he were to allow things to get physical with the overly aggressive man, so Ben forced a deep breath before finding the calmer words to respond.
“Katherine is here with me. Unless you want me to get security involved, you need to leave right now,” Ben warned.
Ben watched, not receiving the response he had hoped for. Not only was the man not leaving, but he was laughing loudly as he clapped his hands to emphasize his amusement. Ben could sense the secret between the two of them, something he obviously wasn’t privy to.
From the look on Katherine’s face, the second shoe had yet to drop. Ben knew that whatever it was she had been holding in was seconds from finding its way to his ears. Though it was all happening, there was enough time for him to take in all the details around him.
Katherine cowered with one hand resting on the back of his arm, while the large man glared at her with a stare too intense to not have a deep history. She refused to look at either of the men,
“I can handle this, Ben. I’m so sorry.” The weakness of her voice shocked him. In fact, he barely recognized the voice he so loved to hear.
“No, you can’t.” Ben decided, using his arm to wrap her body around his. He didn’t want her within reach of this man who was determined to take her from him. She was terrified, he could feel the shivers deep in her body.
“You know what? We got off on the wrong foot,” the man said, interrupting Ben’s thoughts as he switched tones, suddenly sounding more professional. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene. You see, I’m Tim Marshall, and I’m here to speak to my wife, Katherine.”
The words might as well have been punches, each catching Ben less prepared than the last. He was speechless, searching Katherine’s face for an explanation, but if she had one she wasn’t sharing it with him. When her icy blue eyes finally found his, they were empty, and helpless.
Frozen with disbelief, Ben didn’t budge when the man pulled Katherine’s arm, freeing her from his grip. It was all moving in slow motion now, the strange man yelling at her about running away as he pulled her down the stairs, heading towards the valet.
Ben couldn’t believe his ears or eyes, allowing his mind to replay the events of the past minutes as he tried to make sense of what he had learned. Katherine didn’t confirm that the man who introduced himself as Tim was her husband, but she didn’t deny it, either.
How could she have kept something so important from him? There was no way he would do the same to her. Though Katherine had let on that she had something to hide, Ben had hoped it was more innocent. Now that he had the truth, he was finding it hard to accept.
The way she was when she was with him, it was like there were no secrets between them, so he doubted that this man was telling the truth. Flipping from one argument to the next, Ben struggled to make sense of this woman who had captivated him.
Her carefree spirit had evaporated right before his eyes, and now he watched as she marched down the steps, tugging to free her arm while following her husband. The title didn’t sound right to Ben, but when he remembered the man’s last name, he took note.
Katherine had his name, so as far as Ben was concerned, it was all but confirmed. She had made her choice,
leaving with the man who had stormed into the event hall and rushed her out. Defeat had never felt so bitter in his life.
The front door swung open, and Tim and Katherine left the building, though the audience watching them had long since scattered. It was only Ben left, watching them from the stairway with a confused look on his face.
Katherine glanced over her shoulder to find Ben’s eyes before shrugging her apology. It was all she could do, but it left him feeling more remorse than relief. He wanted to help her, but without a plan, he sat watching helplessly. If only Katherine would ask for his help, he could act, but she didn’t, so there was nothing he could do.
Now standing alone in his custom-tailored tuxedo, Ben felt blindsided. Devastated. More than being lied to, he felt fundamentally deceived. Even worse, he couldn’t find it in his heart to be angry at Katherine, which would have felt better than what he was experiencing at the moment.
Instead, he felt like he had let her down, and his conscience worried about her safety. There had to be a reason why Katherine shrunk so in front of the man, but Ben had failed to learn why. Without answers, he felt lost, and terribly guilty that he had let the asshole get away with his girl.
Chapter Three