“Yes, from the gym. My name is Benjamin,” he extended his hand. She watched him closely, with a look of concern that made Ben slightly uneasy.
He couldn’t begin to understand why she was so resistant to him. Nothing seemed to come easy with this woman who wanted nothing to do with him. She forced him to work for every inch, but in a torturous way, he enjoyed the fun of it all.
She shook his hand and in that instant, knew that everything he’d felt had been real. There was an electricity between them, and her skin was the softest he had ever felt in in his life.
“Katherine,” she finally offered, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Benjamin allowed her name to roll of his tongue twice, enjoying the sweet taste as he stared deep into her eyes. There was something about her that left him longing for more. Still standing in front of each other, surrounded by shoppers, and he already missed her. It was strange, something he had never experienced in his life.
“You have to let me take you out,” Benjamin said, hating the desperation in his tone. He needed more time with her, and he could see she wasn’t much more interested than she had been at the gym.
She shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other as she glanced over her shoulder as if waiting for someone to rescue her. Trying not to dominate the conversation, Ben waited silently for her to respond, pleading with his eyes for good news.
“I don’t like to go out. I just moved here,” she explained, her words rushed and forced.
“Well, you’ve got to eat. I mean, that’s why you’re here, right?” He holding his hands up as he looked around the market.
Hendrick’s was Ben’s favorite market. In fact, it was the only place he ever shopped for groceries. The owner was one of his premiere clients, so he made a point to stop by regularly to show his face. Unlike any other grocery store in the city, Hendrick’s only sold locally sourced products and donated a portion of the proceeds to the community.
“Well, yeah,” Katherine finally answered, still looking over her shoulder.
She was beyond timid, almost afraid, but Ben had no idea how to make her more comfortable. His charm usually made everyone lighten up. He was known for his charisma and likable personality, but whenever he was around Katherine, he felt out of his element.
“So, how about you let me take you to dinner,” he suggested, trying hard to close the deal.
His mind was already racing with ideas. Ben knew he wanted to take her to the finest restaurant in the city. She deserved caviar and high-end champagne, and he wanted to be the one who gave it to her. Something about her told him she was used to nice things, but that didn’t tame his desire to shower her with gifts in the least.
She was watching him closely, twisting her lips as she tried to find the words to answer. If only he could explain that there was nothing for her to worry about, but instead he stood quiet, waiting for her response.
“I just—” Katherine began, but her words faded. She was nervous, Ben could sense it, but this time he didn’t want to let her off the hook so easily.
“I don’t give up easily, Katherine. If you keep turning me down, I’ll just have to keep asking. I don’t want to have to stalk you, but I’ll do what I must,” Ben smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he teased her.
To his surprise, Katherine didn’t look the least bit amused. Her face went pale as her eyes widened with shock. Ben instantly knew that his joke had went left, but how could he fix it? Just when he started to stumble over his words, searching aimlessly for a way out of the awkward situation, a red-headed woman appeared out of nowhere.
Ben recognized the familiar face from the bakery. She was the overzealous girl who had helped him when he stopped in to grab treats that day he was late for the meeting.
“Hi! I’m Talia,” The red-haired woman announced herself enthusiastically, as she extended her hand to Ben.
“Nice to meet you, Talia. I’m Ben,” he announced, glancing at Katherine as he spoke. She still looked uncomfortable, but her friend’s presence seemed to give her some relief.
“Is everything okay here?” Talia asked, speaking more to Katherine than Ben.
There was a long awkward pause before Katherine nodded, silently assuring her friend as the color returned to her face. He had blown it and felt awful, already planning ways to make it up to the blue-eyed beauty.
“We were just getting ready for a girl’s night, Ben. You have some fun yourself, we’re going to get some wine.”
“Allow me to help,” he quickly suggested, holding his arm up to lead the way towards the alcohol aisle.
“Really?” Talia asked, surprised by his generous offering.
“Yeah, let me show you my favorite wine,” Ben said, stealing glances at Katherine as the trio walked through the market together.
She was much more relaxed, but it did little to calm the guilt and embarrassment he felt for the horrible way he had blown their conversation. Of all the thing you didn’t want to tell a prospective date, your intent to stalk them was undoubtedly at the top of the list.
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“Here it is. This is my favorite red. You can only get it at Hendrick’s, so I always make sure to get a few bottles every time I’m here,” Ben explained, as he held the bottle of wine up, offering it to Talia after Katherine refused to accept it.