LOVE TO HATE YOU

(NEW) DIRTY AND DEVELISH AND DELICIOUS...

"You know, some people have been working on this account for years and they are pretty pissed that you're going, especially since you don't even work on this account and you are only an intern. It's just one less place for the rest of them." Ness finally spoke after a few hours of tense silence.

She glared at me and I shrugged. I felt bad, there was no good reason for me to go, especially after he'd heard what JJ and I had said and was probably wondering whether I'd managed to make a secret hole in the condom the other night. "I'm sorry, I don't know why he asked me." I looked up at his office and all his blinds were closed. I couldn't take it any longer.

"I'm going to tell him I can't go." I said to Ness. I walked up to his door and knocked.

"Who is it?" the muffled voice behind the door called out.

"It's me, uh, Sera." Awkward. So damn awkward! I was hoping he wouldn't bring up the whole baby thing and we could pretend it had never happened.

A few seconds later the door opened. I stepped inside and he closed and locked it behind me. "I don't want anyone to disturb me, I only had a few hours to pull this whole thing together.."

"And have you?"

He smiled and nodded at me. "Thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did. You cracked the big idea."

"That was an accident. I really don't deserve to go on this shoot, I mean Ness has been working on this and—"

Ben walked over to the bags I'd brought him, "the deal is that whoever cracks it, goes. And that was you. You saw the thing that no one else could today. In fact, I'm pretty impressed."

I looked down at Ben as he pulled the gold wrapper out the bag and looked at it. "Trying to hint at something?" he chuckled.

"No! It was already in there when I packed the bag."

He shot me a mischievous look, before standing straight up again and unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to change, I'm going to the client now."

"Yes, but, not here. Not in front..." I couldn't speak. He'd unbuttoned his shirt and I could see his chest. His perfect, hard, ripped, oh-so-very ripped, tattooed chest. My knees weakened.

"You... you... can't do this here." I stammered.

"Why, no one can see in."

"I can." I said.

He stopped and grinned at me. "It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"But we're at work."

He ignored me and continued. "Good choice of shirt by the way." He smiled at me momentarily, but I was quickly forced to turn around away when he started unbuttoning his belt and pulling his pants down.

"I can't go away anyway." I tried to sound indignant. "I'm working at the restaurant every night for a while."

"It's just three days, I'm sure they can do without you."

"Ja, maybe they can. But I can't do without the money." My candor surprised me.

I heard some footsteps and then I could sense his closeness. "Can't you pick up some extra shifts when we get back?" he asked.

Truth was, I needed the money right now. It was month end and I needed to pay school fees for my sister, give her some grocery money, pay the electrical bill, water and rent. So no, I needed that money now.

"No." I turned around and came face –to- face with him.

"Well, the clients usually give us a very generous per diem for these kinds of shoots, so if you shared breakfast, lunch and dinner with me and let me buy you drinks everyday, you could save all that money and I bet it would be more than you could make at the restaurant."

"Really?" I asked and immediately wanted to kick myself. Why was I even considering this? "I'll only go if you take Ness too and some other creatives that have worked on this account for years."

He started putting his jacket on now, "I was planning on taking more people anyway. The client loves it when we have a million people on these shoots. Makes him feel big and important. Sometimes this job is all about stroking egos." With his jacket now on on the look was complete and he looked hot, so damn hot. He straightened his cuffs and then grabbed the tie. I wanted to look away, but couldn't. Instead I watched his fingers moving expertly as he did up his tie and tried not to imagine his fingers all over my body again.

"O-o-ok then. I'll think about it." I said and turned as quickly as I could. I unlocked the door and was just about to step out when his words froze me to the spot.

"So... you want to have a baby with me?"

My heart thumped in my chest and my stomach dropped. I locked the door again quickly and turned around. "I swear, that was a total joke. It was just JJ being idiotic and telling me what a cliché I was because I'd had sex with my boss and we were joking about it and I said it would be more clichéd if you were a prince and I fell pregnant with your secret illegitimate baby and we fell in love and got married and I became a princess of some imaginary country and all that crap from the romance novels he loves to read."

Ben smiled. " So you want to marry me too now? This is getting more and more interesting by the second."

"No! I didn't say that." My face was suddenly on fire and my forehead felt clammy. "Well, I did say it. But I said it as a joke."

"Don't they say many a true word is spoken in jest?"

"Yes. But don't they also say stuff like the proof is in the pudding and two birds in the bush is like one in the hand or something. Those make no sense."

Ben laughed. "Beauty, brains and a sense of humor. It's a deadly combination." Then Ben's smile was gone and he was suddenly looking at me very earnestly. "Well, I'm sorry to let you know, but marriage and a baby are definitely off the cards—"

"I know! I know." I nodded my head furiously. "Of course! I totally know that!"

"Call me mad, but I usually prefer to do that kind of stuff after the women has agreed to go on a date with me first."

"U-u-u- h..." My mouth opened to say something, but I had no thoughts. None! I closed my mouth and his eyes drifted down to my lips, stunning me into a silent stupor.

"You are still thinking about it, aren't you?" he took a step closer. My eyes drifted down to his mouth and stayed there. He had the sexiest mouth, especially when it was all over my body.

I gave the tiniest head nod and then followed that up with a little shake. Nod again. Shake. Nod. Shake. It was as if my subconscious was controlling my head and the internal battle it was waging was coming out.

"That's ok, Sera. Take you time." He said as I started inching my way for the door. "But I do expect to see you on the plane on Thursday morning, though."

I nodded at this and the launched myself at the door handle.

"Max, by the way." Ben called out as I was just about to exit, "I've always fancied a son called Max."