Anchor

Part 10 - Introductions

    His pulsing brain poked through the crack in his scalp surrounded by matted hair and dried blood. He  stood in front of me - a little hunched over, giving me a view of his back as he fumbled with the dishes in the sink. 

    "Dad?" I wanted him to look at me, to see his face but tears drowned my face at the sight of him. He looked to me, a small smile gracing his lips. Once round cheeks now gaunt and hollow. "Kitten. I miss you." I clasped my chest at the familiar feeling of my heart shattering. I went to move to him, to be held by him, but he lifted his hand out in front of him, warning me to stop. This was new. Like a burning photograph, he began to fade as I crumbled to the floor clasping my chest. "Be strong, Kitten. You have no idea of the power inside you. Just know that I will be here waiting." Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me back as the image in front of me ceased to exist. 

    Sweat soaked the sheets around me as I awoke screaming and crying. A chainsaw tore at my chest. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't pleased Ben was here. His head rested atop mine, one hand holding me to his body and the other sweetly stroking my hair. This man telling me that everything was going to be OK was the same man who tried to convince Jodie to let me leave with him and the same man who's intentions with me are still unclear. However this side of him tugged on my heart strings and made me hopeful. As far fetched as it was, I needed him, if only for this moment alone, he soothed me.

    I cried myself back to sleep in his arms only to awake to an empty space beside me. The sheets were cold to the touch and my guess was he was done taking care of someone he just met. To be honest I couldn't blame him, he gave me what I needed and had no reason to stay. 

    I stretched and went to the bathroom, rinsing my face and freshening up. The dream of my father still haunted me but it was overshadowed by the heated session with Ben. I ran my hand over the outside of my shorts thinking back to his hands were exploring me. The thought alone made me clench my thighs together, wishing for his touch to return. 

   Over the last few days I had spent the night in bed with two different men on two separate occasions, both irresistibly handsome and both had seen me at my most vulnerable. Now if you were to ask me a month ago or even a week ago if I thought that either of those times would have happened, I would have laughed. Yet here I stood in the bathroom of a man who gave me something no one had before, an escape from the mundane. 

    I reentered the bedroom to see Ben leaning against the wall by the door. He looked showered with damp dark locks still clinging to his forehead and a pair of tight fitting jeans and button up shirt hugging his muscular frame. The heat rose up in my cheeks as I realised I had been staring too long, in a daze of sorts. 

    "See something you like?" He dropped his head and looked himself over before smiling at me.

    "I uh... didn't expect you to be back." 

    "Well this is my house, Kitty." He laughed. 

    "s**t, yeah. My bad." Stupid word vomit.

    "Just so you know if this wasn't my house that I would still have come back," he pushed himself off the wall. "You can't get rid of me that easily." I swallowed the lump in my throat and he pulled the door open. "Come on, lets get you some breakfast." He motioned his hand out the door and I gave myself a quick once over. 

    "I don't know if you've noticed but if I have to reach up to the high counters then my bum cheeks are gonna be on full display. Let me put my leggings back on." I looked for the pile of my dirty clothes only to find them gone. 

    "I sent them to be cleaned. Don't fret, I'm dying to show my guys what they're missing out on." He walked to me and took my hand in his and lead me into the hall. When I arrived here I was carried in the arms of this man with exhaustion having took over. To me this is the first time having been outside the bedroom so as he walked ahead with his hand still clasped around mine, I analysed my surroundings with the same look an archaeologist might have when discovering fossils or bones. The house was truly breathtaking. I had a deep urge to run my hands over everything, if anything to make sure they were real. Portraits of men dating back hundreds of years adorned the walls and I'm fairly sure I noticed 'The birth of Venus', obviously a replica, although from everything I saw so far, I wouldn't put it past Ben. 

    The hallway from the bedroom to the stairs was long with many doors on either side of us. I counted four so far but I was a little distracted by the artwork. "It's beautiful," I said as I ran my fingers along the wall. 

    "Couldn't agree more." He said glancing back at me. 

    The house was like a fortress and I would need to memorise my way around in fear that I'd be lost and never found again. We descended the stairs and walked through another hallway and past the entrance hall to the kitchen. The kitchen table seated eight but there were only four people sitting. On one side sat a plump man with shoulder length Auburn hair and a sweet smile. Next to him sat another man, only he was the complete opposite of the first, with dirty blonde hair, shaved on both sides to reveal a small tattoo above his ear and a scowl on his face. Opposite him sat an older gentleman in late thirties in a suit, had dark hair peppered with grey and a beard that hid his chin completely, he looked to me and gave a wink before returning to the newspaper in his hands. Next to him Saphrine, Ben's cousin. She gave me a warm smile whilst sipping her coffee. 

    "Take a seat, I'll get you some coffee." Ben walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two mugs.

    I was nervous being around these people who I had never met. So nervous the inside of my stomach turned into a washing machine on spin cycle. However, I took comfort in Saphrine's warm smile so I opted to sit next to her. Her friendly face made me feel wanted and not so much of an outsider. It's amazing what a small interaction with someone can do. Already I was more inclined to her than Jodie. 

    "So you're the one Benji boys been talking about then." The plump man spoke with a grin from ear to ear. "I can see why he's been so insistent on bringing you here. I'm Gavin by the way." 

    "Kitty," I replied, nervously tucking my hair behind my ear.

    "Nice to meet you, Kitty. That's Oggy with his head in the paper, which I'm sure he's already read like six times this morning so you can put it down now and maybe join the breakfast conversation." He pointed across to the older gentleman with the beard. 

    "Some of us like to keep up to date with what's going on out there." Oggy shot back a look at Gavin over the paper before continuing to read.

    "I know what's going on in the outside world, I just don't care." Gavin laughed.

    Their back and forth made me feel less uncomfortable by the second. I wondered if this is what it would have been like to grow up with a big family - not that these guys were all family or maybe they were, I didn't know. Ben placed the coffee in front of me before parking himself in the seat next to me. He sipped his coffee and I sipped mine, listening to the comments thrown between the others. That was until I became distracted by Ben's hand on my knee. 

    "It's nice to finally have another girl around here. The testosterone levels are too high," Saphrine laughed. 

    Ben nodded in agreement as his hand slid up from my knee to my thigh. I choked slightly on my coffee and he smirked, running his free hand through his hair. 

    "You alright?" Saphrine asked, her voice laced with worry. 

    We were at a table filled with his family and friends and he chose to do this now. I could already see how flustered I must have looked. I mumbled a small yes before continuing to sip my coffee, fully aware his hand was now dangerously close to where my thighs ended. 

    Purposefully my legs separated, giving him room to move higher. Ben's coffee cup settling on the table was all too loud but he didn't look like he cared as his lips twitched up into a smile. Small talk continued around us but nothing substantial stuck in my head as his fingers slowly began to run little circles around my bud. f**k, I wished I was wearing a skirt. 

    "Kitty, maybe after we've finished here I can go show you around the place a bit?" Ben asked with a straight face, drawing the attention to us but playing off like he wasn't pleasuring me under the table. 

    "That would be... nice," I almost moaned the last word as he sped up his fingers almost sending me to the brink. 

    "Great stuff," Ben said before turning to the man with dirty blonde hair whose name I still didn't know. "Shouldn't you and Gav be heading off by now?" he shot him a glare and both men stood up and left. 

    "I'll take that as my cue to leave too, gonna be late anyways," Oggy stood and walked slowly past me running his hand along my shoulder, "pleasure meeting you, Kitty." 

    Ben was too engrossed in the death stare he was giving the no named man to notice but I had a small inkling that Oggy knew what was going on under his nose when he chose to walk past me to leave. 

    "I've got some assignments I need to finish but if you need anything please feel free to distract me," Saphrine stood to leave. "And Ben, feed her." I was starting to think she thought I was a goldfish or something. 

    Silence filled the house as everyone but Ben and I were left at the table, his hands now lazily toying with me. He rotated himself in his seat and observed my face. I ached to feel even half of what I felt last night so I turned in my seat to face him fully and opened my legs wider. Ben stood from the chair and towered over me whilst I sat back. He positioned himself between my legs and slid his hand under my shorts. I gasped at his fingers brushing against me. "What if someone walks in on us?" I said between breaths. He leaned over me and began placing kisses over my collar bone and up my neck. "Then let them watch," he whispered into my ear. 

    Two fingers slipped inside me, one and then the other. Both pumping in sync in and out. "So wet for me," he moaned. I wasn't ready to give myself to him fully, at least I thought I wasn't ready but I wanted to explore him like he was doing to me, so I placed my hands around his belt loops pulling him closer until his legs hit the chair I sat on. He stared down at me, his eyes filled with lust as I undid his button and then the zip and tugged at his jeans until they rested around his thighs. I couldn't hear anything over my thundering heart beat and his ragged breaths but I snuck a quick glimpse at the bulge in his tight black boxers. His fingers slowed down and he pulled me in for a passionate kiss on the lips. With a sense of urgency his tongue ran across my bottom lip asking to gain entrance. I parted my lips and let our tongues join, twisting and connecting in perfect synchronicity. I played it safe and rested my hands over the fabric of his boxers, gently running my hand over his erection. 

    The moment was cut short as a deep voice shouted from beyond the front door accompanied by the sounds of pounding on the thick wood.