Bennett"What are you waiting for, Bennett?"My mouth hung open as I glanced at the door Henley had just exited through. I was speechless for the first time in a long time. Not only because of the offense of her remarks, but also because of her tenacity. Nobody has ever spoken to me like that before. Not even my closest companion. And what about the hair flip? Was it really necessary?"Bennett," Sebastian said again, his voice firm.Turning to face him, I cleared my throat and straightened up a little straighter in my seat. "W-what?"His brows raised slightly, but he swiftly returned to a disapproving expression. "What are you doing just sitting there? Follow her."Should you go after her? "Why would I do such a thing? You just heard what she said to me—""Have you been listening to yourself all night?" he asked. "Ben, I'm serious. I knew you were stupid, but I didn't realize it was this terrible."I attempted to recall what I had said. Nothing felt particularly insulting to me. Maybe
"It's time for you to settle down with someone, Bennett."I looked up from where I was reclining on my VIG Chesterfield sofa, in the middle of a shift to avoid indenting the material, as I'd trained myself to do. My mother stood at the foot of it, giving me such a deep disapproving look that I nearly, almost made an effort to sit up properly. Her expression was the epitome of dissatisfaction. Thin nose turned up, demon red lips twitched. With a sigh, I let my cheek fall against the cool leather, knowing where this talk was going."This again?" I inquired."You're almost thirty, Bennett," she murmured, folding her arms across her chest, her many diamond-studded bracelets jingling as she moved361."You're almost thirty, Bennett," she murmured, putting her arms across her chest, her many diamond-studded bangles jingling as she moved. Her dark hair was wrapped in a tight bun on top of her head, giving her an overall stern appearance.I cocked my brow at her. "I'm twenty-five years old. Th
Henley"Hattie, table four has been waiting for someone to come and collect their drink order for over two minutes," Collin, the manager on duty, stated as he passed me on his way to the hostess stand.I glanced at him, trying to overlook the fact that he spelled my name incorrectly for the thousandth time while wondering if he spotted my arms full of food for a separate table. When he peered over his shoulder and frowned at me, I offered him the fakest smile I could produce. "I'll be there right away.""Good."I hurried back to table number seven, rolling my eyes. Table seven was my least favorite. I wasn't sure if it was just bad luck or if the table was cursed, but whoever sat there was invariably the rudest, crudest, and most arrogant people on the planet. This time, it was a group of businessmen in sleek suits who tried to ogle down my shirt whenever I stooped down to clear a dish or drink."Chicken Cordon Bleu," I said as I placed one of the plates in front of a large man dresse
Bennett"The hotel plans in Wailea, Maui, have gone as planned. The blueprints have been authorized by both our construction team and the mayor of the municipality. I have the anticipated budget here, and if you approve, you may sign and we may begin construction the following week."When I looked up from my phone, I noticed several worried pairs of eyes blinking at me. I looked across to my wild-haired helper, Henry, who had the same worried expression on his face. I hadn't realized I was in the middle of a meeting. I had no idea what we were discussing. I swallowed and cleared my throat. "Let's go along with it if my mum approves.""Um, Bennett, your mother asked you to supervise this," Henry murmured quietly to me. "If we go to her, she will reprimand us."My seat shifted awkwardly. Were they still discussing the construction of the Wailea hotel resort? Or had we moved on to another topic? Today I couldn't concentrate.It was entirely Henley's fault. It had been a week and she stil
Henley"Does the surname Calloway ring a bell for you?" I asked Ariana one week after the whole restaurant disaster. We were at my second part-time job, a coffee shop called Coffee House.Ariana was unquestionably my best friend. She may have played that position purely because I didn't have any other pals and we worked together for most of the week, but she was more than enough for me. She was adorable, kind, and an all-around nice girl. Everyone needed someone like this in their lives."If I say yes, will you fishtail my hair?" She reacted by pointing to her dark hair, which was tied in an untidy bun on top of her head. "I was already late for work and couldn't do much about it.""All right, all right, sit down."Ariana gladly sat down on one of the stools that lined the countertop. Fortunately, the coffee shop was rather empty, as it always is in the afternoon, so I had plenty of time to style her hair. "I'm concerned that you don't recognize the name," she told me. "But you do spe
BennettHook, line, and sinker are all included.I knew I'd won Henley over the instant I made my offer and saw her face go blank. After all, money could buy anything."Well, what are the terms?" she inquired, and I found myself wide-eyed."Should we talk about them?" I proposed. I unlocked my phone and opened the agreement I'd worked on all week.I unlocked my phone and opened the agreement I'd drafted over the previous week.Sebastian rose from his seat at the table, opting to give us some space. He stepped over to the counter to keep the other girl company while she looked over at us wistfully, obviously intrigued but not wanting to intrude on our privacy.I could practically see Henley's inner conflict as she observed me carefully. While I didn't blame her for having difficulty agreeing to this, I didn't perceive it as negatively as she did. We were utilizing one another. That's how all business transactions operated."Don't you think $10,000 is a bit much?" she inquired."Not at
HenleyFor the tenth time in twenty minutes, my phone rang. Annoyed, I pulled it out of my pocket to see the name Bennett Calloway flashing on the screen. Was he some sort of insane stalker? I'd never met somebody who would call someone every two minutes if they didn't respond immediately. Not wanting to give him the joy of me answering it, I opted to just switch off my phone. It would then be less distracting."Bennett once more?" Ariana summoned me from the back room."Doesn't he realize I'm at work?" I enquired aloud. I'd provided him my Coffee House schedule for the week, as he'd requested. So, if he'd gotten it, why was he attempting to contact me in the middle of my shift? I couldn't just pick up the phone at work.Well, I could, but I wouldn't tell him."Aren't you a little excited?" As she returned with an armful of coffee bean bags, Ariana murmured. "He's very attractive.""He's cute, but his demeanor needs some work," I said, recalling the remark about my breasts. Didn't he
HenleyEverything went swimmingly for the first half of the vehicle ride. Bennett kept his mouth shut while the music remained loud. Finally, at the hour mark, he turned down the sound."I'll park my car just outside of town, and a driver will pick us up to take us the rest of the way," he explained."Why don't we just pull over to a gas station and ride in?"He creased his brow. "Why would I take dirty public transportation when I can pay a driver to drive these streets?"While I wasn't a huge fan of public transportation, I wouldn't have gone quite that far. In the congested city, the subways and trains were extremely handy. We'd probably spend more time stuck in traffic than it would take to ride into town. But I didn't argue. I expected my comments to fall on deaf ears. Bennett appeared to be the type to do whatever he wanted regardless of what others thought.And I was being paid to do it, so I didn't have much say in the matter."What are we going to do?" I inquired, staring dow
Bennett"What are you waiting for, Bennett?"My mouth hung open as I glanced at the door Henley had just exited through. I was speechless for the first time in a long time. Not only because of the offense of her remarks, but also because of her tenacity. Nobody has ever spoken to me like that before. Not even my closest companion. And what about the hair flip? Was it really necessary?"Bennett," Sebastian said again, his voice firm.Turning to face him, I cleared my throat and straightened up a little straighter in my seat. "W-what?"His brows raised slightly, but he swiftly returned to a disapproving expression. "What are you doing just sitting there? Follow her."Should you go after her? "Why would I do such a thing? You just heard what she said to me—""Have you been listening to yourself all night?" he asked. "Ben, I'm serious. I knew you were stupid, but I didn't realize it was this terrible."I attempted to recall what I had said. Nothing felt particularly insulting to me. Maybe
HenleyBennett remained staring at me as we walked down the street, looking for his driver. I tried not to be self-conscious, but it was difficult. I wasn't used to being so... well-dressed. It also angered me that he hadn't looked at me before I got all dolled up, but even I could acknowledge that my new look had taken me from a solid six to a ten."How about we take the subway?" I offered, returning to frown at him and catching him ogling me once again.When he peered around for his driver, he coughed slightly and placed a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. "Were you aware that around 15% of the air you breathe in on the subway is made up of skin particles? Not only from bare skin. From the entire body.""How on earth do you know that?""I enjoy reading," he replied. "It was in a metro study back in 2008."He didn't appear to be the type to read. Yet, it did explain how he learned such odd stuff. "Isn't human stuff present in all air? Particularly in New York City?""Tr
HenleyEverything went swimmingly for the first half of the vehicle ride. Bennett kept his mouth shut while the music remained loud. Finally, at the hour mark, he turned down the sound."I'll park my car just outside of town, and a driver will pick us up to take us the rest of the way," he explained."Why don't we just pull over to a gas station and ride in?"He creased his brow. "Why would I take dirty public transportation when I can pay a driver to drive these streets?"While I wasn't a huge fan of public transportation, I wouldn't have gone quite that far. In the congested city, the subways and trains were extremely handy. We'd probably spend more time stuck in traffic than it would take to ride into town. But I didn't argue. I expected my comments to fall on deaf ears. Bennett appeared to be the type to do whatever he wanted regardless of what others thought.And I was being paid to do it, so I didn't have much say in the matter."What are we going to do?" I inquired, staring dow
HenleyFor the tenth time in twenty minutes, my phone rang. Annoyed, I pulled it out of my pocket to see the name Bennett Calloway flashing on the screen. Was he some sort of insane stalker? I'd never met somebody who would call someone every two minutes if they didn't respond immediately. Not wanting to give him the joy of me answering it, I opted to just switch off my phone. It would then be less distracting."Bennett once more?" Ariana summoned me from the back room."Doesn't he realize I'm at work?" I enquired aloud. I'd provided him my Coffee House schedule for the week, as he'd requested. So, if he'd gotten it, why was he attempting to contact me in the middle of my shift? I couldn't just pick up the phone at work.Well, I could, but I wouldn't tell him."Aren't you a little excited?" As she returned with an armful of coffee bean bags, Ariana murmured. "He's very attractive.""He's cute, but his demeanor needs some work," I said, recalling the remark about my breasts. Didn't he
BennettHook, line, and sinker are all included.I knew I'd won Henley over the instant I made my offer and saw her face go blank. After all, money could buy anything."Well, what are the terms?" she inquired, and I found myself wide-eyed."Should we talk about them?" I proposed. I unlocked my phone and opened the agreement I'd worked on all week.I unlocked my phone and opened the agreement I'd drafted over the previous week.Sebastian rose from his seat at the table, opting to give us some space. He stepped over to the counter to keep the other girl company while she looked over at us wistfully, obviously intrigued but not wanting to intrude on our privacy.I could practically see Henley's inner conflict as she observed me carefully. While I didn't blame her for having difficulty agreeing to this, I didn't perceive it as negatively as she did. We were utilizing one another. That's how all business transactions operated."Don't you think $10,000 is a bit much?" she inquired."Not at
Henley"Does the surname Calloway ring a bell for you?" I asked Ariana one week after the whole restaurant disaster. We were at my second part-time job, a coffee shop called Coffee House.Ariana was unquestionably my best friend. She may have played that position purely because I didn't have any other pals and we worked together for most of the week, but she was more than enough for me. She was adorable, kind, and an all-around nice girl. Everyone needed someone like this in their lives."If I say yes, will you fishtail my hair?" She reacted by pointing to her dark hair, which was tied in an untidy bun on top of her head. "I was already late for work and couldn't do much about it.""All right, all right, sit down."Ariana gladly sat down on one of the stools that lined the countertop. Fortunately, the coffee shop was rather empty, as it always is in the afternoon, so I had plenty of time to style her hair. "I'm concerned that you don't recognize the name," she told me. "But you do spe
Bennett"The hotel plans in Wailea, Maui, have gone as planned. The blueprints have been authorized by both our construction team and the mayor of the municipality. I have the anticipated budget here, and if you approve, you may sign and we may begin construction the following week."When I looked up from my phone, I noticed several worried pairs of eyes blinking at me. I looked across to my wild-haired helper, Henry, who had the same worried expression on his face. I hadn't realized I was in the middle of a meeting. I had no idea what we were discussing. I swallowed and cleared my throat. "Let's go along with it if my mum approves.""Um, Bennett, your mother asked you to supervise this," Henry murmured quietly to me. "If we go to her, she will reprimand us."My seat shifted awkwardly. Were they still discussing the construction of the Wailea hotel resort? Or had we moved on to another topic? Today I couldn't concentrate.It was entirely Henley's fault. It had been a week and she stil
Henley"Hattie, table four has been waiting for someone to come and collect their drink order for over two minutes," Collin, the manager on duty, stated as he passed me on his way to the hostess stand.I glanced at him, trying to overlook the fact that he spelled my name incorrectly for the thousandth time while wondering if he spotted my arms full of food for a separate table. When he peered over his shoulder and frowned at me, I offered him the fakest smile I could produce. "I'll be there right away.""Good."I hurried back to table number seven, rolling my eyes. Table seven was my least favorite. I wasn't sure if it was just bad luck or if the table was cursed, but whoever sat there was invariably the rudest, crudest, and most arrogant people on the planet. This time, it was a group of businessmen in sleek suits who tried to ogle down my shirt whenever I stooped down to clear a dish or drink."Chicken Cordon Bleu," I said as I placed one of the plates in front of a large man dresse
"It's time for you to settle down with someone, Bennett."I looked up from where I was reclining on my VIG Chesterfield sofa, in the middle of a shift to avoid indenting the material, as I'd trained myself to do. My mother stood at the foot of it, giving me such a deep disapproving look that I nearly, almost made an effort to sit up properly. Her expression was the epitome of dissatisfaction. Thin nose turned up, demon red lips twitched. With a sigh, I let my cheek fall against the cool leather, knowing where this talk was going."This again?" I inquired."You're almost thirty, Bennett," she murmured, folding her arms across her chest, her many diamond-studded bracelets jingling as she moved361."You're almost thirty, Bennett," she murmured, putting her arms across her chest, her many diamond-studded bangles jingling as she moved. Her dark hair was wrapped in a tight bun on top of her head, giving her an overall stern appearance.I cocked my brow at her. "I'm twenty-five years old. Th