Rita cleared her throat, shifting from one sneakered foot to the other. The embarrassment rose like heat to her face. This man made her make a fool of herself whenever they occupied the same space. But, enough; if she continued being embarrassed, she'd never get to proposition him and that meant she'd never get to feel if his muscles were as strong as they looked.
She rejected the possibility that he would refuse, and probably slut-shame her in the process or perhaps have a girlfriend since no ring meant he wasn't married. Never mind that she also needed to get close to him to get to the owner of Global press, that plan seemed like a distant memory as Ben occupied a large space in her mind.
Her shrug was insouciant, "I did say I liked your arse; I wasn't joking."
"Oh, Jesus Christ," he muttered, almost dropping his keys but managing to catch it last minute.
"A woman hasn't come on to you before? You're handsome," she pointed out. "I believe you should be used to admiring females and perhaps, feel some pride at the fit."
"I don't even know you." He snapped, fiddling with his phone, probably still trying to reach Kate.
"That can be arranged," Rita smiled, enjoying his discomfort.
"Kate isn't answering." He blew out breath.
"I'm not going to bite, Ben." His gaze said he didn't believe her. "Well, unless you ask me...nicely," she added, biting her lip and mock batting her lashes.
Ben breathed out noisily through his nose. He looked up the stairs while his teeth scraped a corner of his lower lip, forward, backward, over and over. The action made her breath hitch as she imagined him doing that to her lips.
He stopped the action, looked down and muttered something under his breath. Then he looked up, his eyes were hard. "How long will this take?"
Her heart leaped that her plan had worked. "Well, depends on Kate."
Rita was sure he cursed but she'd not caught the words. He breathed out noisily from his nose, "Alright, let's go." He got into the door and headed to the stairs, Rita's eyes immediately riveted below his belt.
Ben stopped suddenly and she almost barged into him. "After you," he said, waving up the stairs courteously while his eyes pinned her with suspicion. He knew she'd been staring.
Rita raised an eyebrow, "What, so you could retaliate and stare at my arse?"
His mouth dropped open. Ben shook his head, cursed again and flew up the stairs two at a time, his movement a blur, therefore she couldn't admire anything except his dexterity up the stairs.
"Kill joy." She muttered and climbed the stairs at a sedate pace.
Silent my foot.
She'd promised she'd be as silent as a mouse when she'd gotten to his office five hours ago. It was his own fault for believing her, but how could he have suspected what would happen when James arrived?
They'd hit it off like long lost friends. One minute, Ben had stepped out to accounts and the next, he'd returned to find them chuckling together and making his usually comfortable office, unbearable for him.
Where the hell was Kate?
She had returned his call to explain that she'd resumed work at a site instead of at the office and had confirmed that she'd indeed asked Rita to wait at his office as she trusted him. Ben had been flattered at the compliment, but it hadn't erased the itching need to rave at Kate for giving Rita his contact.
As though she'd read his mind, Kate had explained that she'd given Rita his contact to call in case he'd not arrived the office as at the time Rita would show up, not knowing he was first at the office every single day and that her client was bent on being a nuisance. She'd apologised for not clearing from him first before giving Rita his contact.
Kate had promised that she'd send one of her workers with her company keys so that Rita could go wait there for her. That phone call had been three hours ago.
Ben looked up at them from his laptop. Now they were discussing the merits of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United's coach for the new season. It was, sort of, nice that she followed football, but it was unfortunate they'd never be friends as they supported different football clubs.
Shit. Why would he even think something like that? Like he would have loved to pursue friendship with her after today? Impossible. Their unceasing conversation was messing with his head.
"You know you can go to his office to have this conversation, right?" Ben snapped harder than he'd meant.
Both of them pinned him with varying degrees of disgusted gazes. James leaned his hip on his table while Rita sat in front of it. He suddenly felt like a kill joy. God damn it. What if he was? After all, she'd called him that in the stairwell; he was just living up to the tag.
"Kate asked me to wait in your office." Rita smirked at his frown.
"Well, keep it down, some of us have to work," he pinned James with a pointed look; the idiot laughed.
"Hey, it's lunch time," he shrugged in a don't-blame-me manner.
"I should go." Rita announced, grabbing her knapsack from the tiled floor of his office.
His heart leaped and he deduced it as gladness she was leaving at last. But then his heart twisted painfully at James' next comment.
"Let me treat you to lunch."
"Err...some other time, perhaps?"
Ben had no idea when he'd fisted his hand but it released at her reply; weird.
"This week I hope," James pushed, guiding her out of his office with his hand on her lower back, close to the curve of her buttocks.
He didn't hear her reply. He shouldn't have wanted to fling off James hand from her body and hear her reply so bad he almost got up from his seat. But she chose then to look over her shoulder at him, her hazel eyes catching him and staying his movement.
"See you later, Ben," she waved, grinning when James repeated her words and led her towards the stairs.
He hadn't answered. He couldn't. Not when his throat had suddenly clogged for no reason. It must be overwhelming relief at her departure, Ben surmised and leaned back in his chair, breathing deep to calm his palpitating heart. A text entered his phone and he had to sit up to get it.
It was an unsaved number. He didn't feel it strange as he dealt with prospective customers all week long. He clicked it open and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Rita had sent it.
Stop frowning so hard, Ben. There's no need to wrinkle your poor, innocent behind.