11. BEN
11
BEN
“ H e didn’t take long with this one,” I said to Sofia when we walked into the living room area situated opposite the dining room. Plush, comfortable sofas and armchairs were arranged intimately around full-length windows that overlooked a private beach, and a modern fireplace, not lit but still spectacular, added a charm to the space.
Sofia ran her fingers along the sleek coffee table. She had this sense of wonder at things that I’d never really noticed before. It made me notice them. The way she looked at the world was enticing.
“At least now we’ll know what to expect and there won’t be a lot of time where we’re left wondering.” She sat back in the armchair she’d chosen. Had she chosen that chair so that I couldn’t sit right next to her? I was overthinking it.
But she was uptight today, and the atmosphere between us was strained.
Yesterday she’d been so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to take on the meeting with a positive attitude. This side of Sofia was so different; I wasn’t sure what to make of it. She didn’t look at me, and I found myself craving that mercury stare, even if it was filled with disdain.
“Here he is now,” Sofia said, nodding toward the door, and we stood.
Richard came in and glanced around, spotting us near the window.
“Good morning, good morning!” he said jovially, his smile broad. His beard was neatly trimmed, his hair combed to the side, and he wore another tailormade suit. He looked like he was in a good mood.
Maybe that was a sign.
I glanced at Sofia again, and our eyes locked for the first time. A shiver ran down my spine.
What was it with her and making me feel things that weren’t related to business? I felt things when I was around her that were decidedly meant for the bedroom.
But she was looking at me, and that was a small win for the day. She was probably still pissed about our little argument yesterday.
She would still learn that disagreements like this happened all the time in business. If I went around getting upset about everything that didn’t go my way, I would be in a constant bad mood.
I tried not to think about the fact that everyone always said I was grumpy.
“Good morning, Richie,” Sofia said with a smile. “Beautiful day, isn’t it? The ocean was so serene this morning.”
“I love it when it’s like that,” Richard said with a warm smile and he took her hand in his. He held onto it for a moment, and a spike of jealousy shot into my chest.
What the hell?
“But my favorite is when it storms and the ocean becomes someone differently entirely, a beast, a mythical creature that makes magic, dancing on the clouds and bringing the world to its knees.”
I rolled my eyes at Richard’s moment of poetry, but Sofia was mesmerized.
She was easily impressed by the small things. It was annoying… and it was fucking adorable.
Jesus, I had to get myself together. I couldn’t keep thinking about things like that with her. This was a business trip. By definition, that meant Sofia was off-limits. Besides, I never slept with the same woman twice.
That just made them think there could be more, and with me, there would never be more.
“You look ready for business,” Richard said when he shook my hand. He wasn’t as warm as he’d been with Sofia, but I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t the warm kind.
“Always,” I said and offered a professional smile as we sat down on the couches. “Lunch?”
“Oh, no,” Richard said. “It’s too early for that and I won’t be here that long. I think a good coffee could really wake things up. Let’s keep it light, shall we?”
I nodded and beckoned a server closer.
“Cold brew coffee all round, please,” I said. “And add something light. Maybe a gourmet cheese and charcuterie board. That should be quick to put together, right?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make sure they’re on it as quickly as possible.”
I nodded, and the server disappeared.
“Let’s get down to business then, why don’t we?” Richard said with an easy smile. He had a smooth way about him. He was an older man, easily deep in his fifties and something about him reminded me of my dad. But Richard had something else, too. He looked at me, and his piercing gaze seemed to bore into my soul.
It made me feel uneasy and I shifted in my seat, looking at Sofia.
“So, Ben,” Richard started, and I forced myself to look back at him. Business smile, expressionless mask , I reminded myself. “Tell me more about yourself.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?” My business acumen and achievements had all been forwarded to Richard before we’d met. He had to know everything about me.
“What drives you, beyond the numbers and the bottom line?”
I shifted in my seat again. Richard’s scrutiny was intense, and I had no idea how I was supposed to answer that question. What did he want to know? It wasn’t like we were here to discuss favorite colors or something.
Our coffee and cheese board arrived, and I was grateful for the quick break to try to pull myself together.
The coffees were handed out, and Sofia looked at the board intrigued, picking a piece of cheese and a cracker.
Richard did the same, and when the two of them chewed on something, Richard looked at me again. I sipped my coffee. My stomach was in knots and I wasn’t going to eat anything right now.
I couldn’t when Richard had thrown me for a loop.
He wanted an answer and he wasn’t going to let it go.
“Well…” I swallowed. “I’m dedicated to the success of Blackwood Incorporated, naturally.” I chose my words carefully. “I believe in pushing boundaries and striving for excellence in everything we do.”
Richard nodded thoughtfully, running his fingers through his beard. I noticed the gray streaks, the proof that Richard had been around for a while and he knew what he was talking about.
I just wished I could figure out what he was thinking .
And what he was trying to get from me. How could I give him what he wanted and seal this deal if I didn’t know what that was?
Richard looked skeptical. “Is that all there is to you, Ben?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“Surely, there’s more to life than business,” he added.
I froze. There was more to life. When I wasn’t working, I was drinking and picking up girls. That wasn’t something I was going to say in this business meeting, though.
“If I may,” Sofia said, her warm voice breaking the tension, and I let out a breath. Her eyes met mine briefly before she looked at Richard again. She was my saving grace right now. I took the break to breathe, to sip my cold brew coffee and take a moment to collect myself and try to keep up with the direction this was going.
Sofia continued. “I believe that family is the true measure of wealth. It’s about the connections we forge and the bonds we share.”
Richard’s eyes softened, and he smiled at Sofia. “Family,” he mused, “yes, I agree with you. That’s what really matters. Building something meaningful that lasts beyond time, a legacy you can leave behind…” He looked emotional again. “My wife and I never had children, and I will forever regret not pushing harder for that. It’s so easy to build a business but so hard to find someone worthy of passing it on to, and our life on this Earth is finite.”
“Children aren’t the only legacy you can leave behind,” Sofia said gently. “I’m in the same boat you are, in a way.”
“Oh?”
Sofia nodded and put down her coffee. “I was in a serious relationship. Marriage, children… it was all on the cards for me. It wasn’t for him, apparently. At least, not with me.” She suddenly looked so sad; she looked down at her hands in her lap. “It took me a long time to find a new purpose. I’d always seen myself as a mother and felt like the children we have, and their children and the bloodline that goes on… that that’s our legacy.”
“What do you feel now?” Richard asked, and I found that I wanted to know, too. Sofia was opening up, being so vulnerable, and Richard was drinking it in. Of all the ways I knew how to do business, being vulnerable and getting personal had never been one of them but Richard was eating out of her hand.
“It took a long time for me to find a new purpose,” Sofia said. “I didn’t feel like I was worth anything if I couldn’t bring children into this world, and I had to really think about what else drove me, what else was important to me. That’s where I am now.” She looked up at Richard. “My career is something that’s also important to me, but not in the way it was before. Now, I want to be able to give back to people, to help where I can. I might not be able to leave my own children behind when I pass on, but if I can help people, that’s something beautiful and fulfilling.”
I swallowed hard.
“Well, if that’s not the crux of what life is about, I don’t know what is,” Richard said with a smile and looked back at me. He sat back in his chair and drained the last of his coffee before he set it down on the coffee table.
“What about you?” His eyes pinned me again.
Shit.
I didn’t have anything nearly as relative to share and I wasn’t going to open up about my past here. For all I knew Sofia had told a story and none of it was true.
“Well, I agree with Sofia in so many ways. But to me, it’s about more than that, and when I met Sofia, it changed everything.”
“Oh?” Richard asked, his eyes sparkling. Sofia frowned.
“Yeah. I couldn’t let her go through it alone. Our visions align in so many ways. We wouldn’t be here, together, if it didn’t.”
“What do you mean?” Richard asked.
“We don’t usually share this, because we always worry that it might affect business, but Sofia and I are married.” I picked up a cracker and bit into it to keep my shaking hand from being obvious and to give myself a moment to pause.
Richard looked surprised. I glanced at Sofia, her eyes widened in shock, lips parted. Hurt flickered across her face, followed by anger, and then she controlled herself. A mask slipped back into place.
“Married, you say?” Richard’s eyes were bright now. “My boy, that changes everything!”
“It does?”
Sofia looked unsure but that was exactly what I’d hoped Richard would say. My heart hammered in my chest, and guilt tugged at me. I was putting Sofia on the spot and dragging her into a lie without a heads-up.
Smooth move, asshole . That was bound to get her to like me. Not .
“I must admit, this revelation gives me pause, Ben.” Richard looked contemplative. “I have to admit to you that I thought the Blackwoods were just about business and making money and nothing else. You four boys have quite the track record in the boardroom but in your personal lives… well, I will tell you that I believed you were lacking. But now… I’m inclined to reconsider my stance on the investment.”
I blinked at him. He’d been right about us four brothers, of course. Except Alex, who was married and had a little boy now, but that wasn’t public news.
“I wasn’t aware that you’d already settled on a stance,” I said carefully.
“Hmm,” Richard said, and I wasn’t sure what that response meant.
Sofia was quiet, but I felt her frustration from here. When I glanced at her, her eyes shot daggers at me.
I looked away.
“I’ll need some time to process everything,” Richard said. “Maybe we should continue this conversation over dinner later this week. In a more relaxed setting.”
I nodded. My mind reeled with what I’d just done.
“That sounds like a plan,” I said. “You let us know when and where, and we’ll be there.”
“I’ll send an invitation.” Richard stood, dusting off his pants, ironing out invisible creases. He held out a hand to me, and I took it. “It’s refreshing to see this side of you, Ben. I mean it.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Richard turned to Sofia. He held out his hand, and she took it, covering her hand with the other.
“Now that you’re in a better space, I hope your wishes come true, my dear. We can place our hope in more things than one.”
“That means a lot to me,” Sofia said warmly.
When Richard turned away, her warmth bled out as quickly as she’d managed to muster it.
Yeah, that had all been an act for Richard.
I was lucky that she’d played along, but the moment we were sure that Richard had left, she turned to me and all the warmth and control was gone.
She glared at me, and she looked like she was going to explode.