Love’n’Lust

“Mrs Johnson couldn’t be here, she asked me to do the interview in her place.”

Ben felt her warm hands touch his when she shook him. So, she wasn’t Mrs Johnson, he had been overthinking everything just now. He looked at her face while shaking her hands, an unnoticeable smile of relief escaping him. He thought she still looked beautiful with her hair poured down.

“Please sit.” He ushered her, taking his own seat, his eyes never leaving her face the whole time. She swallowed before seating on one of the two chairs opposite to him.

She took out one of the papers containing Mrs Johnson’s questions for the interview and took out her pen. She was trying to control her breathing before doing any questioning. She had hoped not to ever see this man in front of her but here she was about to interview him. Who knew he was such an important person, she had slept with the much famous Mr Larkson, she couldn’t believe it.

He didn’t look worried after having seen her in his office, what if she was one of those crazy girls who was here to blackmail him. She knew she would never do that but just what if?

“Ms Miller.” He caught her attention back to where she was. “You do know you have just fifteen minutes with me.” He sounded professional.

“Yes.” She nodded, clearing her throat and licking her lips to prepare herself but she didn’t know it got his attention when she did that. She was about to begin when she remembered she had not yet turn on her recorder. After she pressed the start button on the recorder, she decided to begin.

“You were adopted at age five into the Larkson family, is that true?” She read the first question exactly as they were written on the paper and made to tick the question but her pen ink wouldn’t write. She looked up and met his eyes still on her, even though they weren’t looking scary anymore she felt a little nervous under his look.

Going for her pencil, it wasn’t sharpened, she began to search her purse for her mobile pencil sharpener.

“Here.” He was holding a pencil from her table in front of her.

“Thanks.” She said again, taking the pointy pencil and ticking her asked question and looking back up at him waiting for an answer because he was now leaning in front of his desk closer to her.

“Age six, not five, I was adopted into the Larkson family at age six.” He answered.

“Uhm… Was your name Ben, given to you by your adopted family or you were always named Ben.”

“I was given the name Ben after my adopted father; Benard Larkson.”

“Just Ben?” She asked but paused immediately. “Sorry, that isn’t on the paper, I just….”

“Yes, just Ben.” He smiled at her.

“Okay. Are you gay?” She read but widened her eyes in surprise when she just realized what she had read out loud. She looked up and he was smiling mischievously.

“Could you repeat that question, I couldn’t grab the first time.” He teased.

“Mrs Johnson wrote that, not me.” She explained.

“Ask the question again, would you Ms Miller?” He had this smirk, somewhat enjoying how her face turned pink when she asked him if he was gay. Belle took in a deep breath before asking again, not knowing he purposely wanted her to repeat the question.

“Are you gay?” She asked again, biting her lips in embarrassment. He smiled again before going ahead to pause her recorder. She expressed her surprise over what he just did by looking at him but he brought his face closer to hers, directly in front of her face.

“Am I gay?” He asked her and she could feel her heart beat hard against her chest, making her wonder how she couldn’t hear it beat loudly.

He was smiling, his face just few inches against hers just enough for her to breathe freely, he had caged her in the chair in which she sat by holding on to each of the chairs arms with both his hands. She didn’t answer even when she knew the answer to his question.

“Belle, I want you to answer that. Am I a gay man?” He stopped smiling looking into her eyes, not allowing her look anywhere else but at his face. She slowly shook her head as a reply.

“No.” She muttered.

“Good.” She heard him say something he had repeatedly said when they were alone in that hotel room. He brought his face closer than before to her face, so close that he could feel her breath on his face. She closed her eyes when his lips were just a kiss away, but he didn’t close his. He just studied how much she seem to be expecting a kiss from him. He chuckled and she opened her eyes to see him stand from his leaning position over the chair she sat.

She watched him press the start button on the recorder the same way he had stopped it, with a smile on his effortlessly handsome face, he went back and took his seat behind the desk.

“No, Ms Miller, I am not gay.” He gave an answer for the recorder.

She felt embarrassed about what just happened. Did she really expect a kiss from him. She looked at the paper in her hand, trying to escape the look he was still giving her.

“If it is so that you are not gay, why is it so hard to find a picture of you with females who aren’t business partners and family members?” She managed to ask.

“Do you think that’s enough reason to classify a person as gay?” He began. “I mean that is really offensive. I find that offensive. Even if I was gay, that would be offensive.” He stated, his smile was gone but he didn’t have a frown either.

“I’m sorry I asked that, Mr Larkson.” She looked up at him and met his still gaze but looked back down quickly.