Page 14 of Twenty-Three Years of Longing

“You look like a man who could use a drink,” Bennett said as I got off the elevator and entered the lobby where he had been waiting for me.

Worried that I might do something stupid? Too late. Already did that when I talked you into opening the door.

“Not going to pass one up if you’re buying.” Reesa might have something negative to say about me drinking in public as the Vice President, but she would have a lot more to say if she knew why I was. And one thing I knew about Bennett was that he was protective of the position, President. He wouldn’t invite me if he thought it would be an issue later.

“There is a dining room that is closed, but I have the key and I know my way around a bar,” he said. “I figured you might want some privacy.”

Unlike what I gave Raya.

“Lead the way.” I had this time booked out to discuss a few things with Raya. Now even if she wanted to, I wasn’t sure I would have been able to think straight enough to talk business with her.

Even as I followed him down the hallway, there was one thing on my mind. I couldn’t believe that I burst into Raya’s hotel room. She had every right to be pissed at me. My reasoning made sense when I was doing it, but in hindsight I should’ve done things a little differently.

Like knocking loudly on the bathroom door so I didn’t walk in on her naked.

The vision of her was etched in my mind. Even if I could, I didn’t want to forget it. Her breast floated teasingly. Once I knew she wasn’t in trouble, I knew I was. Fuck. My attraction instantly ignited into a burning need. One that I couldn’t, or shouldn’t, even think about. I'm not sure there is a drink strong enough to make me forget the sight I witnessed.

When we got to the bar, Bennett didn’t ask what I wanted, just handed me a cold beer before sitting down. “I take it you aren’t having your meeting tonight.”

“We rescheduled for tomorrow.” Not positive that will happen either after she has time to think about everything. Hell, she probably won’t get any sleep tonight and I won’t be shocked if I wake to an email with her resignation. I hoped that wasn’t going to be the case, but it would be expected. Since I couldn’t fix things with her tonight, I might as well do so with Bennett. I pulled him into this, unnecessarily. “I guess I owe you an apology,” I said.

“I’d like to think you truly thought she was in trouble,” he said. “I’d never have opened the door otherwise.”

“Did I overreact? Maybe. Based on what she said, she was just resting her eyes,” I said.

Bennett snorted. “No. She was asleep.”

He confirmed what I had said. Not that Raya admitted it. “I know.” A sigh escaped my lips. “When we got in the bathroom and I saw her laying in the tub, I thought...well, I thought the worst.” That she had taken her life. I had a flashback to a time I hadn’t thought about in over twenty years. I was young, and I was hanging out with my best friend. I had a crush on his older sister, who never gave me the time of day, but I had still been hopeful. But one day at his house, we heard his mother scream. We rushed inside to find her kneeling by the tub. His sister had taken her own life, and laid in the tub, lifeless. It was an image that haunted me even today. There was no need to discuss why she did it. We all knew. She couldn’t live with the memories of her innocence being sold to the highest bidder. God, I hope Raya got out of Tabiq with her innocence intact. If she had, at least it seems as though she found herself someone to help her forget. ‘My Baby’ was one lucky guy.

“I’m glad you were wrong,” Bennett stated as though he had read my mind or had feared the same.

“So am I.”

He hit me with a question I didn’t know how to answer. “Why didn’t you leave when I did? I mean, you had your answer,” he reminded me.

Because I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Not something I was about to say out loud, not to Bennett or Raya. “I needed her to know how dangerous that was. She could’ve drowned.”

“True. But you could’ve discussed that when she was decent.”

“You just speak your mind, don’t you?” I said.

“I find it works best. She made it clear that she wanted us gone. You should’ve respected that. Now you have to do some damage control. Even if she says it’s okay, don’t worry about it, don’t. She isn’t going to forget this. If you’re smart, then you need to find a way to fix it,” he said.

I chuckled. “How do you fix walking in on someone naked?” Bennett wasn’t the only one who could be blunt.

“First, by not saying those words. Focus on the reasoning behind it.”

“I already told you why,” I stated.

“Your reaction was...intense. You don’t have to tell me what made it so. But maybe you can share with her why,” he suggested.

I never spoke about that. It’d been twenty-one years, and I’ve kept it buried. As far as I was concerned, I’d like to keep it that way. Some things are best left unsaid. That meant I’d need to think of something else she might be able to relate to. Something...believable. Not that what I said already shouldn’t have been enough.

“I’ll address it tomorrow, but we still have a lot to talk about regarding her position. I heard things weren’t...as smooth as usual today. I need to make sure she knows how to handle it going forward,” I said.

“Or you could give her a chance to figure it out herself. I mean, she wouldn’t have been offered the job if she was not capable of doing it.”

“Reesa did mention you had done the background check on Raya. Is there anything that I should know that wasn’t on her resume?” I asked.

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