Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Cat
L ooking into the mirror, I drag vanilla-scented lip gloss over my mouth as I try to think of a way out of this. I can’t go with Maverick this evening. I want to spend more time with Bennett. We were finally getting somewhere, and now this happens.
But I can’t say no. It’s no secret that I had a major crush on Maverick, and as far as everyone else is concerned, I’m still hung up on him. Staying behind when he’s asked me to an activity would be suspicious as fuck.
I step out of the bathroom and head to the bed to dress. I’d hoped to find Bennett sitting on my bed by the time I finished getting ready, but I guess he changed his mind. Not that I blame him.
He probably sees this situation as me choosing Maverick over him, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Bennett is the man I want. He just can’t know how badly. He can’t learn how much I miss him when he’s not around. It’s like I’ve lived my entire life with a piece missing from me, and now that I know how well he fits in that gaping hole, I want to be filled all the time—double entendre intended.
I just need more time, that’s all. Telling Kindra about this will be one of the most difficult conversations I’ll ever have, and Bennett’s side of things won’t be any easier. The difference is that he doesn’t care what everyone thinks.
But I do.
Black fur clings to my pale pink bra as I lift it from the bed. I give it a good shake, but it doesn’t matter anyway. No one will see me in this. Maverick might make a move, but I’ll have to play coy. Because my heart belongs to someone else now.
“Shorty, come give your mama a cuddle,” I say as I dress. “I need it.”
By the time I finish piling on clothes—including Bennett’s coat, which still smells of his cologne—Shorty hasn’t emerged. Even when I get on my hands and knees and reach for the ever reliable pspsps , he doesn’t show his adorable little face.
“You might be able to resist my charms, but you’ll never say no to treaties!” I say in a sing-song voice.
I hurry to the dresser and pull the little tube of stinky cat treats from the middle drawer. After giving them a good shake, I turn, expecting to hear heavy little paws padding toward me.
But he doesn’t appear.
My heart beats a little faster in my chest, but I hold the panic at bay. Shorty can be a bit difficult sometimes, but he’s still in my room. He has to be. It’s not as if he grew opposable thumbs and opened the fucking door.
I grab my phone from the nightstand and use the flashlight to look under the bed, dresser, and inside the closet, but my poor cat is nowhere in sight. I hurry to the bathroom next. It isn’t his favorite room, what with all the water, but he sometimes sneaks in when I’m getting ready.
He isn’t in there, either. The bathroom is just as empty as I left it.
Despite my best attempts to remain rational, panic creeps in. What if he got out of my room? Worse, what if he got out of the mansion? My poor baby isn’t cut out for cold weather, and the expensive mansion furnishings aren’t cut out for cat piss. He’s litter-box trained, but the only litter box is in this room, where he isn’t.
I hurry into the hall and knock on Bennett’s door. He takes too long to answer, but I’m too flustered to complain when he finally appears.
Tears brim in my eyes. “Shorty is missing. I think I lost my cat.”
“Hey, hey, don’t panic. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” Bennett steps into the hall and wraps his arm around my shoulder as he closes his door behind him. “Let’s go to your room and find him.”
Relief washes over me the moment he says he’ll help me, and we head into my room. Bennett begins searching all the obvious places I’ve already looked. Under the bed and dresser. In the closet and bathroom. He has the same luck I had. Shorty isn’t in here.
I can’t hold the tears back anymore, especially once Bennett wraps his arms around me. I weep against his chest, not caring that I’m getting snot all over his shirt.
“I suck at acting. I suck at being a personal assistant. I suck at being a friend because I can’t even talk to my bestie about the guy I’m fucking.” I take a deep breath in. “And now I can’t even take care of a fucking cat. A cat , Bennett. I chose this species because it’s the most difficult to fuck up, and yet I still managed.”
Bennett guides me to the bed and sits beside me, but he doesn’t hold me and let me cry. He grips my chin in his hand and forces me to look at him.
“You don’t suck at acting,” he says. “In fact, you’re so good at it, you have everyone at the retreat thinking you hate me more than ever. So what if a few casting directors can’t see your worth? I see it. Fuck all the rejections.”
While his words are sweet, they bring forth a question. “How did you know about the rejections? I never mentioned them to you.”
Bennett shrugs and closes his eyes. “I may have talked to Maverick, and he might have mentioned them.”
“You talked to Maverick?” I almost shout the words at him. “What the fuck were you thinking , Bennett?”
He sets his jaw as he looks at me. “Are you afraid your little crush might catch on? Afraid he might not want you once he finds out Bennett’s had his dirty dick inside you?”
“I don’t have time for this,” I say as I head toward the door. “I have to find my cat.”
I almost run into Maverick as I fling the door open. He’s standing in the hallway, his fist raised to knock. I leap back into my room and slam the door before he can get a good look inside.
“Hide!” I whisper-shout toward Bennett.
Like a crazed cartoon character, he runs from one side of the room to the other before diving between the bed and the wall. He bumps the nightstand on his way down, and the lamp teeters before coming to rest at the edge.
I take a deep breath before opening the door.
“Everything okay in there?” Maverick asks as I peep through the small crack.
I smile up at him. “Oh, yeah. Everything’s great. I just . . . I can’t go because my cat is missing.”
“Want me to help you find him? He couldn’t have gone far.” Maverick pushes his way into my room. I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long, but it’s playing out like a nightmare now.
“He’s probably just sleeping somewhere,” I say as I hurry to get in front of him before he can check the other side of the bed. Or under it. “I’m sure he’ll turn up soon.”
Maverick stops in the center of the room, his left eyebrow raised as he studies me. “So you aren’t concerned, but you’re too concerned to attend shooting practice?” He fingers the hem of my coat. “You’re already dressed and everything.”
“I got dressed before I realized the cat was missing. Now I can’t go. You understand, don’t you?” I blink up at him, silently pleading for him to let it go.
But instead of leaving, he grabs my hand and guides me toward the bed. Again, the moment I’ve dreamed of is now cast in a nightmarish light. The man I want is now cowering behind the bed, where the man I no longer want is leading me.
And I don’t know how to stop this train from derailing around the next bend.
“You know what?” I say. “Maybe you could give me, like, thirty minutes. Just let me find my cat, and I’ll meet you down at the barn.”
Maverick stops. “Is someone under your bed?”
My eyes widen, and I freeze. “No. Why would you think that?”
I turn to see if he’s spotted a boot or some dark hair, but I don’t see any sign of Bennett. Then, I hear it. The slight creak of the bed at regular intervals . . . like when someone breathes.
“Well, that’s probably Shorty. Mystery solved!” I push Maverick toward the door. “I’ll be down to the barn soon. Thanks for your help.”
He braces himself in the doorway, and I’m nowhere near strong enough to push him through. As he spins and rushes past me, I nearly fall into the hallway. I can only stand and watch as he rounds the side of the bed and stops, his eyes wide, but when he reaches down, I’m forced to act.
“Don’t hurt him!” I shout as I rush toward the bed.
But as he stands upright again, he isn’t gripping Bennett’s shirt collar in his hand. He’s holding the lamp cord and shaking his head.
“You have to be more careful. This could have started a fire.” He holds up the cord. Copper wire peeks through the places where Shorty has chewed.
I smile and bite my bottom lip to hold back the scream. “Well, now that you’ve saved us from a fiery death, I’ll see you down at the barn.”
As he goes to turn, I spot Bennett’s boot peeking from under the bed. Maverick will trip on it as soon as he turns around, so I halt his progress.
“On second thought, have you seen how comfy my bed is?” I yank him forward, and he falls onto the mattress. “Really soft, huh?”
He tries to stand, but I pull him down again.
“No, you really have to lie on it to get the full effect. Come on.” I coax him onto the bed, and he reluctantly agrees. “Man, they really spent a lot on these luxury mattresses, didn’t they?”
He lies back and folds his hands over his chest, like he’s in a coffin. Meanwhile, I wish for death more with each passing second.
“Yeah . . . the bed is great.” He sits up. “Who were you worried about me hurting?”
“Huh?”
“When I went to the side of the bed, you said, ‘Don’t hurt him.’ Who were you worried I would hurt?”
“Oh, the . . . the cat. I was worried you’d want to hurt him once you noticed that cord.”
“Do I strike you as the kind of guy who would hurt a defenseless animal?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
He holds out his hands, silently asking the question.
Then why?
I don’t have a convincing answer.
“Cat, everyone’s really worried about you. Could you just tell me what’s going on? Maybe if we understood, we could help you.”
“Why is everyone worried? I’m fine.”
“For starters, you’ve spent most of your time here holed up in your room. We understand why, since Bennett is always sniffing around, but we’re trying to keep him away.”
“Is that what tonight was about?” I ask, realizing how deep this conspiracy goes. “Are you trying to cheer me up by taking me on a pity date?”
Maverick drops back and sighs. “Don’t be pissed. Rosie and I thought it was a bad idea. And for once, Bennett was looking out for you, too.”
“Bennett knew about it?”
He nods his head and covers his face. “It was so stupid. I never should have gone along with it.”
Part of me is angry about this betrayal, but the other part of me is still worried about Maverick discovering Bennett under my bed. That side wins out. I can forget about the turmoil surrounding this pity date if he’ll just leave my room.
“You shouldn’t have gone along with it, you’re right about that,” I say, “but the reasoning behind it was sweet. If it helps you out, just tell Kindra that I said you and I make better friends than lovers.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you, Cat.”
I laugh because this is too funny. I should be hurt right now. Tears should be streaming from my eyes, and I should be embarrassed that I chased this man who didn’t want to be caught. Now I’ve caught a man who didn’t want to be chased.
“I’ll be okay with time,” I tell Maverick through the most somber face I can muster. “Just go to your room and think about what you’ve done.”
He eyes me, and I don’t blame him. My blasé reaction isn’t quite right. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can still take you bow hunting, and I want to stay friends.”
Before I can answer, a horrible smell drifts toward us. The fetid stench of ass singes my nose hairs, and I’ll have to thank Bennett later for this perfectly timed fart.
“Look, the real reason I don’t want to go is because my stomach is . . . Well, you smell it.” I offer a sheepish smile and run my hand through the fart cloud that refuses to dissipate. If anything, the smell is stronger.
Maverick’s nose wrinkles, and I’m pretty sure I see him battle a gag. “That’s you? Are you sure we don’t need to call a doctor? Cat . . . it smells like you’re dying inside.”
“Yeah, I should probably use the bathroom.”
“Smells like you might have already done that,” he says as he goes to get off the bed on Bennett’s side.
“No!” I shout. “Come this way.”
I slide off the bed and hold my hand toward him as an audible fart rumbles the floorboards.
“Is your asshole into ventriloquism, because that sounded like it came from...” He gets off the bed, bends over, and peers underneath.
And just like that, my tryst with Bennett is no longer a secret.