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10 - One Bad Apple

"I love your hair."

"I'm thinking of getting it all cut off."

"What? No! It's beautiful, so thick and luxuriant. I love running my fingers through it." Mmm, not half as much as I love it. Especially during sex. Oh God, how it feels when his fingers tangle in there and tug at the roots while he's...ahem! Well, yes.

"Are you really thinking of cutting it?" One look at my face told him the answer. "You're just winding me up." I grinned. "Wench!"

We were cuddling on his couch, having been dating now for a whole three weeks. Actually, could I call it a 'whole' three weeks when we only saw each other once or twice a week? Did I have to break it down to the number of dates? Hmm, no, I'll stick with weeks. It wasn't easy when the man was busy filming during the day then often had events to attend at night, while my work was predominantly at night as well as the lessons I gave in the afternoons on weekdays and on Saturday mornings.

He'd managed to sneak in to Bob's a couple more times to watch our gigs, hiding in the alcove that I had finally gotten to see then waiting in his car to drive me home afterwards.

Today we were both free all day and we'd spent it together at his place, reading, drinking coffee and just talking. The man loved his long sentences, I'd discovered, and was also easily sidetracked by his own thoughts in the middle of what he was saying – a trait that seemed vaguely familiar to me - so we ended up discussing all kinds of unexpected topics. It was pretty similar to being amongst my family actually, well except for all the little kisses we snuck in between sentences, the hand holding and sitting on laps. They were definitely only a Ben perk.

Mm, speaking of kisses. I looked up at him and he seemed to understand my thought process – hell, I'd better watch out for that, it could get me in trouble – as he lowered his lips to mine. Oh yes, he is definitely a kissing god.

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"When did you decide you wanted to be a singer?"

I shifted my position in his arms a little to get more comfortable. "I don't remember ever making a conscious decision to be a singer, I just was one. I've always loved to sing. As a child I would sing around the house all the time and when we had family get-togethers I sang for my aunts and uncles and cousins. Nonno started teaching me guitar when I was four or five and I love that too."

"You have an incredible voice and wonderful presence when you're on stage. I'm surprised you're still singing in pubs."

"I love singing in pubs."

"I know, but wouldn't you like to make an album or perform to larger audiences?"

"I'm happy doing what I do."

"But don't you want to be more?"

"More than a singer?" Whoa, I don't think I'm comfortable with where this conversation seems to be headed.

"More than a singer in a pub. More successful." Nope, definitely not comfortable.

"I guess that depends on your definition of success." Okay, buster, time to change the subject. "When is your movie premiere? And when are you going to the States?"

"The premiere is next Thursday, the second. I'm going to the US the following week; I do Letterman on the ninth and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on the tenth then back on the eleventh. Would you like to come?"

"To the States?"

He smiled. "No, to the premiere here in London. As my date." I opened my mouth to remind him we're keeping this private but he continued before I could say it. "Not on my arm in the public eye, I know you don't want that. But there are ways of getting you into the theatre quietly so you can be there to experience it. We wouldn't sit together, I'd be with the other cast members, but we could go to the after-party together."