Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
Pilar
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but it was the best sex—albeit oral and with hands—of my entire life,” I said.
“And it was with Benjamin Drake.” My sister-in-law Adeline was quieter than usual, and I couldn’t tell if it was because she was in front of people, jealous, or shocked. She was married to my brother, newly married at that, and completely in love, so I put a strike through jealous immediately.
“You’re too quiet,” I said finally.
“I’m trying to process this,” she said. “I thought you told me you’d only had sex with one guy. And this wasn’t even full-on sex.”
“That’s hardly the point.”
“It’s just…Ben has a reputation. Not that I have to tell you that, but it’s something to keep in mind.”
“I know.”
“He’s not exactly a relationship kind of guy. And I mean, what do we really know about him? Aside from him being hot and an amazing football player?”
“Not much.” I bit my lip, wishing the concern in her voice wasn’t turning into worry in my head. “My mother does background checks on everyone who goes to Sunday dinner. She has dossiers and stuff, but only you guys have access to that.”
“You want me to break into the files and see what I can find on him?” Addie asked, sounding as if it were the last thing in the world she wanted to do.
“Yes.”
“Well, you’ll have to give me a few days,” she said after a long pause. “Eli is really stressed right now, and I don’t want him mad at me over this.”
“I don’t want Eli involved at all. But I guess if you must tell him, it’s fine. I don’t want you fighting over me.”
“In that case, I’ll get back to you by tomorrow.” I could hear the smile in her voice, and it made me smile.
“Thank you, Addie. You’re the best of the best.”
“Hey, the way I see it, if this all works out, there’s a chance Benjamin Drake may be my future brother-in-law. I consider this a win for all.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You said it yourself, he doesn’t seem like the relationship type.” I laughed weakly. “Besides, I can’t be the girl who gets attached to the first rebound she has mind-blowing almost-sex with.”
“I don’t think sex and love work that way,” Adeline said softly. “Love you. Have fun, and I’ll get back to you with any important information I find on him.”
“Thanks again, Addie.”
“Talk to you soon.”
I tossed the phone onto my bed and lay back with a heavy sigh. Joslyn would definitely find dirt on Ben fast if I asked her to, but she was so busy right now. I wasn’t sure I wanted to bring it up to her until later. Besides, she wasn’t here, which meant I didn’t have to tell her every single thing that was happening in my life right now. I grabbed my bag and decided to head to the market. Maybe I’d get a few items for tonight. Like wine and cheese and stuff that I probably already had in the kitchen but wanted to buy again anyway because I was bored and needed a distraction.
I was always flanked by security. It was something I never really even thought about until I was out in public, and my guards garnered attention. When people stopped and stared or snapped pictures on their phones as we walked by, that was when I remembered that my security was there to do just that—secure and protect. It had never come to that. Not with me anyway. People saw me, snapped their photos. When I was in France, they occasionally shouted something nice to make me smile. When I was out of the country, people rarely knew who I was right off the bat. Most of them had to use the photo they took to later investigate. I had never been interested in celebrity status. Like everything else, it came with the territory. And like most things, I’d give a lot to live life without it for a day.
“Are you planning on grabbing lunch while we’re here?” The question came from Amir, my right-hand guard. I smiled.
“You only ask me that when you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry.” His lips moved just a touch, enough for me to know he was smiling without breaking his scary bodyguard persona.
“Let’s stop then. I assume you already looked up all of the restaurants in the area and know their ratings.” It was something Amir did that we all poked fun of him for. God forbid we eat a meal somewhere rated under four stars.
“There’s an Indian restaurant up ahead that’s good.” He nodded toward a building in the corner. “We could eat Spanish food if you prefer, but that’s all you’ve been eating since we got here, and I’m a little tired of it.”
“Indian is fine.” I smiled.
We headed in that direction. As we reached the door, a woman came up to us. I smiled, my usual friendly expression in place as she approached. It faltered when I saw the anger in her eyes. I stopped to fully assess her. Amir took up a stance that made it clear I was not to be touched. The woman, who was probably only a little older than I was, looked at him for a second before training her eyes on me.
“You should walk away from Ben before you get hurt.”
“Wh…what?” I felt myself frown momentarily until it occurred to me that she was probably a fan and had seen photos of him and me together. I offered her another small smile. “Oh. He’s just a friend.”
“Ben doesn’t keep women friends.”
“We’re going to have to ask you to step away from the princess.” Amir lifted an arm across my chest.
“It’s okay, Amir.” I looked back at the woman.
“Just be warned. You’ll never be the most important woman in his life. I should know. I was there before you, and I’ll be there after you.” This time, she smiled at me. “I’m the only one he travels with. Which means, I’m always there for him. Waiting. And even I’m not enough for him. Just remember that the next time he leaves your villa.”
She gave a little wave, and the phone in her hand lit up long enough for me to see that her lock screen was set on a picture of her and Ben. I watched as she walked away, my heart in my throat, wondering if the things she’d said were real. It wasn’t as if I knew all of the women Ben had dated, but I’d stalked him on social media and followed the gossip columns he’d been featured in long enough to recognize most of the women he’d been out with. If she was one of them, I’d remember.
She was beautiful, in a 1960s Italian actress way, with full hips, plump lips and big, brown eyes that glimmered when she smiled. I couldn’t help picturing her with Ben. They matched the way couples who have been together for decades did. I imagined his dark complexion against hers, fantasized what their kids would look like if they had any—adorable little curly-haired, plump-lipped babies. I shook the thought away and made myself stop obsessing about it. I hated that my brain conjured images in the blink of an eye. Still, now I couldn’t un-see any of it, and I wasn’t sure what to think about what had happened between Ben and me. Had he done those things to me and then gone to her to finish the deed? The thought made me feel inadequate.
“Do you want us to follow her?” Amir asked.
“No.” I swallowed and turned back to the door. “We don’t follow people anymore.”
There was no use mentioning that I already had Adeline looking into Ben’s file. Those were matters best left within the family, and even though I cared about Amir as if he were part of my family, at the end of the day, this was a job for him. I didn’t want more drama for my brother, not when he was doing everything in his power to start a clean reign, where people trusted him to make decisions that were best for them. I sat down with Amir at a table by the window, wishing that Joss were here for me to talk this through with. She was a woman and had more experience than I did with matters like these. Instead, I was stuck with my bodyguard, who, despite his fitness regimen and style, could be my father.
“I have a question,” I said after the longest silence ever.
“About the woman?”
“No.” I shot him a look. “I already told you to leave that alone.”
“What’s your question?” He ripped off a piece of paratha and dipped it into the chickpeas, scooping it up swiftly. He watched me as he chewed. I tried to think of a way to ask my question that didn’t seem lame, but Amir knew me, so it really wouldn’t matter.
“Let’s say you really like a person who’s famous—” I started.
“Like you.” He waved another piece of paratha at me.
“No. Not like me. I mean really famous.”
“You’re pretty famous.”
“No, I’m not. My brothers are. I’m just the princess who lives in their shadows.”
“That’s not true.” He frowned. His thick, dark eyebrows made him look menacing to others when he did this, but it always made me smile because Amir was the biggest sweetheart. “What’s your question?”
“My question.” I took a deep breath. “So, let’s say you really like a professional athlete, a really famous one, and he or she finally asked you out?—”
“She,” he said.
“For the love of God, Amir, stop getting tripped up on the details.”
“Okay.” He chuckled. “Continue.”
“So, she or he asks you out, and you have the best time. Then, you see each other again, and have an even better time. Only this person just so happens to be friends with your brothers?—”
“Let’s pause there,” Amir said. “I feel like this is an important detail since your brothers will likely kill him when they find out.”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing they’re not going to find out. And it’s another good thing they don’t have a reason to kill him.” I flashed my please-shut-up-now smile at him, and he continued eating. “So, you really like this person, but you’re fully aware that you don’t know much about them. Do you continue seeing them and start asking real questions to get to know them, or do you just enjoy your time and have fun and take it for what it is?”
“What is it?”
“What is what?”
“You said take it for what it is. What is it?”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should find out before you decide whether or not to ask more questions or lay off.”
“I guess.”
“Benjamin Drake seems like a good guy, despite all of the tabloid rumors about him being a playboy.”
“Oh my God, Amir. This is all hypothetical!”
“Sure. Maybe it can be hypothetical with someone who’s not with you twenty-four-seven.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
I groaned and shook my head. Amir had been sworn to secrecy, but so had all of the other guards and house workers, and they loved to gossip more than the rags. I could already hear the whispers, and they hadn’t even started. Part of me was amused by it. The other part wished I could call a house meeting and get all of their takes on the matter. Because I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Men were kind of a mystery to me, but Ben Drake was completely uncharted waters.