30 Nights With The Billionaire

Chapter 3

The plane ride was quiet as Jean dwelled in her thoughts. Ben was busy typing up a document for most of the flight. It wasn’t until they began to descend that he turned to talk to her.

“Is someone picking you up?”

She turned to look into his amber eyes, shaking her head. “No, I’m just going to get a taxi.” She watched as his lips pulled down in a frown.

“No one can bother to come and see you after you’ve been away?”

A small laugh escaped her lips as she smiled at him. “I don’t have any family alive. It’s hardly a friend’s duty to come and pick me up. Not that I’m that close with any of them anyway. Who’s coming to pick you up?” she asked, changing the topic to him.

“My mother,” he said with a sigh. “She worries when I’m away, since I don’t sleep. She’ll be there to inspect me.” He chuckled. “She likes to worry about me.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, her voice heavy with restrained emotion. He locked his gaze onto her face as he tried to decipher her hidden feelings. She remained silent, her mouth a tight line of control, until his lips slowly curved in a knowing smile.

“I’ll worry about you from now on.”

“No. No. No. Honestly I’m—”

“My pillow needs to be looked after properly, don’t you think?” His charming smirk sent her heart racing as a wave of heat rushed through her body. She glanced away in embarrassment, but the burning sensation on her cheeks was unmistakable. She struggled to put up a wall between them, but the more she fought it, the stronger her attraction grew. He was like forbidden fruit, tantalizingly out of reach yet irresistible, daring her to take a bite and damn the consequences. She could feel the burn of desire in her chest, a wildfire consuming her every thought until there was nothing left but him. He wanted a non-complicated relationship. Just a human pillow. What the hell was she doing? What was wrong with her?

“Don’t worry. Your pillow has been looking after herself just fine.” She felt the plane come to a stop and she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“That was before you became mine. I take care of what belongs to me.” There was a territorial rumble in his chest that made her toes curl in her feet.

“For thirty nights,” she reminded him as she stood up. “It’s more like I’ve been rented out, so I’m not yours.” A gentle smile rested on her lips as his eyes flashed to her.

He stood up in one smooth motion, towering over her. His broad shoulders and toned arms filled her with an inexplicable hunger. He was like a predator stalking his prey, and she couldn’t help but feel like the target of his gaze. She was both excited and terrified, unsure of what would happen next. But then, to her disappointment, he looked away. He chuckled, reaching up to grab her carry-on bag.

“Is something amusing to you?” she asked as he carried her luggage down the aisle. Was he laughing at her? Her reactions to him must be simple to read. He probably thought it was funny how easily she reacted to him.

“Nothing. Just thinking. I don’t rent anything, but I do test them out first.” He continued walking away as she mulled over what he said. Test them out? So, what happens if he likes what he tests out? Surely he didn’t mean it the way it sounded. Just something else to get a reaction out of her most likely.

His long legs moved at a pace she couldn’t keep up with without trotting, which she refused to do. He had her luggage, but she wasn’t about to race up to him. She looked to the side, seeing all the people being greeted by their loved ones. It was only a few seconds, but when she looked forward again, he was right in front of her, waiting.

“Sorry about that. I’m not used to waiting for someone else.”

“That’s okay. Thank you for handling my luggage, but I can take it from here.” She reached out, placing her hand on the handle next to his. She glanced up at him waiting for him to release his grip.

“Let me take you home.”

“You have family waiting for you. I’ll be okay.”

“BENJI!” a sweet angelic voice called out. Jean watched as Ben turned towards a beautiful woman. She had shiny chestnut hair, with eyes that sparkled like a sapphire.

“Mom, I told you that you didn’t need to come,” he said as he hugged the woman.

“Nonsense. I needed to see my baby boy.” She stepped back looking up at his face. “Well, I must say you look well. Better than you have in a while. I insist on more breaks from work.”

“I was able to sleep the last two nights. It’s done wonders for me.”

“Thank goodness. Well, make sure you repeat what you need to in order to sleep like that again.”

“I plan on it,” Ben said, throwing a side glance over at Jean. “Mom, I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine.” He shifted to the side and the woman’s blue eyes landed on Jean. “Jean, this is my mother, Rebecca.”

“It’s very nice to meet you—” She began to say as his mother came up to her to shake her hand.

“You are lovely. Simply lovely. How serious is the relationship? We’ve been wanting Benji to settle down now for a while. You are a beauty. You’ll make beautiful children.”

Jean felt the dreaded scarlet heat creep up her neck. She stuttered, trying to come up with a response, but the words caught in her throat. She had not expected such a direct question, especially not from his mother.

“Mom.” Ben stepped next to Jean, wrapping his arm around her shoulder protectively. “Jean and I are just getting to know each other. Let’s not put any pressure on things. But if there are any nights I’m not at home, then you’ll know who I’m with.” Jean felt as if her throat was about to constrict with what he was insinuating. Yes, what he said was true, but his mother was getting the wrong idea about it.

Rebecca clapped her hands together as she flashed Jean a big white smile. “Are you coming back to our house? You have to go out with me sometime. We can have a girl’s day.”

Jean smiled awkwardly, still not sure how to respond. She glanced up at Ben, silently pleading for him to rescue her from the uncomfortable situation. He must have sensed her distress because he tightened his grip on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

“Mom—”

“I know, I know. I’m not pushing for anything, just hoping. In either case, my offer still stands, Jean. Let’s do lunch sometime.”

“Lunch sounds lovely.” Jean smiled at how genuine Ben’s mother seemed. She was not like the mother of the dramas she watched. The wicked wealthy mother who must approve of any friends her son has. Of course, in those movies, they were multibillionaires who own a big family corporation.

“Regina!”

Jean turned her head to see a waving hand and a relieved face heading towards her. His blonde hair bounced as he ate up the distance easily. It was Scott, one of the baby-faced attorneys at the office. He was attractive, but she never understood the hysterics behind him. He was an up-and-coming hot shot, so why was he here?

“Mr. Rhitt?” she said, turning to greet him. She felt Ben’s hand slowly slip from her arm as she stepped away. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s Scott. I told you to quit calling me Mr. Rhitt,” he snorted as he looked at her. “Mr. Hamen asked me to come and get you. We need you to come to the office immediately. All the ladies are out with the flu, and there’s no one who knows how to work the software.” Scott’s green eyes were pleading with her as her shoulders dropped with a sigh. She was promised a break from work.

“Competition,” Rebecca muttered as they turned to look at her. Her eyes widened and she waved her hand laughing. “Oh, don’t mind me, I was just thinking out loud.”

“So... Mr. Hamen has demoted you to being a gopher? You know you could have called,” Jean said as his lips twitched up to the side.

“I thought I’d go for desperation, and I figured it would be harder to say no to my face.”

“Dirty. So, I’m to head straight to the office now?” She glanced down at what she was wearing. It wasn’t exactly office attire.

“Don’t worry about how you’re dressed. We just need your skills. I’ll take you out to dinner afterwards to show my appreciation.”

“She’s having dinner with me tonight.” Ben’s voice was low and controlled, his gaze fixed intently on Scott. Jean could feel the tension in the air, a palpable energy that made her heart race. She didn’t know what was going on between the two men, but she could sense a rivalry of some kind brewing, a challenge that had been issued and accepted. And since when was she having dinner with Ben? They hadn’t discussed anything about when they would meet again.

“Is that so?” Scott’s voice was casual, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. He chuckled lightly. “Well, I guess I’ll have to take a rain check then. There are other nights.” A small smile, almost a smirk, rested on his face as he looked at Ben. “I’m Scott Rhitt, an attorney at the firm she works for.” The man looked very familiar, but he couldn’t be who he thought he was.

“Ben.”

“Hmm, Ben. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention a Ben at work before.” Scott moved his gaze to Jean, who shifted on her tiny feet. He even had the same first name as the Cross Industries CEO. In either case, it was a chance meeting, and he was certain there was nothing between them.

“To be fair, Scott, I don’t really talk about my personal life with you.” A strange look fell across his face for a moment. Maybe disappointment? But he quickly covered it up with his charming smile.

“I guess we haven’t gotten to chat for a while. Well, we can catch up on the drive to the office. Shall we, then?” He gestured to Jean with his head. “We don’t want to keep Mr. Hamen waiting.”

She nodded her head, still uncertain about what was going on. “I guess it can’t be helped,” she muttered disappointedly. After the flight, she wanted to go home and relax. Now, she was being put to work.

“You don’t have to, Jean.” Ben placed his hand on her shoulder as his amber eyes studied her. “You don’t have to go in. You must be tired after the flight.”

“Are you going to work today?” She raised her brow at him knowingly and listened as his mother laughed. “You must be just as tired as I am. It’s alright. I don’t mind helping out.” She then turned to look at Scott. “But this day doesn’t count as my time off.”

“Not at all.” He chuckled. “I’ll take your bag.”

She looked at Ben, not sure what to say. This wasn’t exactly a handshake and see-you-later relationship. How was she supposed to part from him? He basically alluded to his mother that they were a couple, though she supposed there was a reason behind that. If she thought he was dating her, it would make sense when he stayed at her house. It was simpler than explaining the human pillow thing, which she already knew was weird, so how would others perceive it?

Ben’s hand landed on her shoulder, spinning her into him. He stared into her eyes as if he needed to memorize them. “We just had Italian, so what do you want tonight?”

“Well, you ate my burned chimichangas yesterday without any complaint, so I guess it’s your turn to pick.” She laughed as his fingers rubbed over her arm sensually.

“I want to know what you want,” he demanded gently.

“You mean as far as dinner is concerned?” She teased coquettishly as his lips curled up.

“As far as anything is concerned.”

He was back to teasing her again for a reaction. Only this time she wasn’t going to give it to him.

“I want you...” she said seductively, as his fingers tightened on her, “to pick the restaurant.” She grinned as he let out a low chuckle.

Ben leaned in until his breath tickled her ear. “How about seafood?” he asked in a low, sensual growl that made a shiver race through her body. Okay, she was horrible at playing games. Especially when she was the only one who was being affected.

Scott coughed discreetly, interrupting their moment. Ben shot daggers at the man, whose lips curled up in a haughty grin. “We really need to get going.”

“Seafood sounds great,” Jean said, as Ben looked back at her. His eyes lingered on her and then slowly he moved his head closer. His long, black lashes covered his eyes as his lips landed on her forehead.

“Seafood it is, then. Text me when you are close to being done. I’ll come and get you.”

“I can get a taxi and meet you—”

“I’ll pick you up,” he said, leaving no room for objection. “You’ll be at Hamen and Young Firm?”

She opened her mouth, slightly surprised, and then nodded her head. Of course, he heard Scott mention Mr. Hamen, so he just put it together and figured out where she worked. “I’ll see you this evening,” she said, turning to leave with Scott.

Ben watched as Jean walked away with that young, smug man whose eyes wandered over Jean far too much. Jean was beautiful but was oblivious to how others looked at her. Even the bellhop couldn’t stop staring at her. He felt a sense of possessiveness as he watched her disappear from his sight. He wanted to keep her by his side and away from the greedy eyes of other men.

“You really like her, don’t you?” His mother asked, stepping next to him. For a moment, he was quiet. He had only known her for a few days, but something about her set his mind at ease. She was real. She didn’t put on an act around him. She wasn’t trying to impress him. She was just Jean. He knew he wanted to see her again even before being able to fall asleep. That was just the perfect excuse, the perfect opportunity to be able to continue to get to know her.

He had never felt like this before. With just a glance, he felt his heart beating faster. The moment he saw her adorable blush, he wanted her. He purposely tried to recreate the delicious red stain on her cheeks over and over again. She didn’t even seem to realize the effect she had on him. At this rate, thirty nights wouldn’t be enough. He was going to need all of her nights.

“That Scott fellow is definitely interested in her.” His mom’s voice sounded annoyed.

He looked down at his mother and smiled. “He won’t be the one sleeping with her tonight.”

“Don’t be overconfident. She isn’t yours.”

“Yet.” He smiled as he looked down at his mom.

“Does this mean you’re serious about her?” She watched him as he remained quiet, deep in thought. “She’s beautiful, but out of curiosity, why her? You’ve never taken an interest in any of the other women who have been interested in you.”

“She’s special. There’s something about her that just makes everything inside of me feel calm.” He looked down at his mom. “She’s the reason I was able to sleep. I felt comforted in her presence.” His mother smiled and nodded her head.

“Your father is special to me too. I didn’t think I would ever find a love like I did with him. Sometimes someone is just your person. However, that doesn’t mean you automatically get them. If she’s the one for you, then never let her go. Fight for her with every breath you have, so she knows how important she is to you.”

Ben chuckled, “Like I said mom, we’re still getting to know each other.”

“That’s what you say.” She shrugged. “But the way you tensed up watching her walk away with another man says otherwise.”

“My life is complicated. You know this, mom. We don’t exactly live a normal life.”

“What’s normal anyway?” she teased, but then saw the slight crease in his forehead. “You’re borrowing trouble from tomorrow. If you find the right person for you, then you’ll work through the complications.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as she watched his shoulders slump in resignation.

“I guess time will tell.” Reluctantly, he turned away from where Jean had disappeared into the crowd. “Come on, let’s go home.” He then felt a strange weight in his pocket. He reached his hand in, pulling out a phone. He forgot that he grabbed it off her seat right before they got off the plane. He planned to play a prank on her but had forgotten.

“Mom, you head home without me. I need to drop this off to Jean first.”

--The story continues on INKITT. --

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