Torn By Two- Book One

A Passion Like This - Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

One week on and Emma was ready for her first shift at The Harbour Room since officially being with Bennett.

Last weekend had been spent locked away in Bennett's apartment, doing nothing but making love, eating and drinking. For two whole days the whole world had been shut out and it was the best feeling. Emma had been re awakened, refocused, and ready to take on the world. With Bennett by her side, good things were going to happen.

Bennett offered to drive Emma to work, even though she told him it would be better for her to turn up alone. It was going to be awkward having Bennett around. The staff despised her enough as it was, without making things even worse for her. Bennett didn't get it, didn't care, either way he was taking her.

When he pulled up at her apartment at five o'clock, Emma found him in the drivers seat of the Bentley.

"Andy?" She asked him, as she took a seat in the front.

"Andy is off tonight. It's just you and me," Bennett grinned.

Emma's stomach exploded with butterflies when she took a good look at her man. Tonight he was just Bennett, and Emma loved it when he was in his comfortable, relaxed state. His jeans were a dark denim, and his navy blue pinstripe shirt was untucked. His hair was hanging loosely in his face, and he even had some stubble on his chin. He looked sexy, and she could not believe she was going to walk in with him. The owner. This hunk of a man. She was bursting with pride.

"Are you going to hang around for my entire shift?" She asked him, as he drove out into the traffic.

He looked over at her and smiled cheekily. "Maybe. Maybe I'll fire you tonight,"

Woah! That came out of nowhere.

"Fire me?" Emma asked, her eyes almost popping out of her head. "Why would you say that?"

He reached his hand out and squeezed her thigh. "I'm just kidding. If I did, you know why. So I can have you all to myself,"

Emma shook her head, a faint smile on her lips. Whenever she heard Bennett talk like this, it just made her soar higher and higher. Her confidence in their relationship was growing at an ever increasing rate. They had spent not one day apart since the night she had worked the Tiger Bar and found him in her room, waiting for her. That night now only showed her that he did care about her, and had gone to great lengths to get her. The feeling it gave her was beyond anything she had ever felt before. The way he made her feel wanted, like she was worth the fight, only strengthened her feelings and hopes.

"You look just as good as the first day I saw you there, at my club." He switched his gaze from the road to give Emma a quick once over. Her face grew warm under his appreciating eyes. He could be so intense sometimes, it was delightful and just the thing she craved. She felt quite ordinary in her work attire, of black slacks and a black polo shirt, but he made her feel beautiful.

"You're not so bad yourself," She smiled at him.

---------------------------------

The looks they received made Emma want to laugh. Elise almost fainted when she saw them enter the Harbour Room hand in hand. Her eyes grew wide with some untold emotion. Jealousy? Emma wasn't sure, but she could almost bet that was it. All the others just stared. Stopped and stared. Bennett tried his best to hide his grin and remain the ever demanding boss, but he just did not fit the part outside of his suit and tie.

The one person Emma was nervous about finally seeing after all this time was Seth. She had managed to avoid him pretty well, and up until now, had also managed to keep the guilty, nagging thoughts at bay. She had heard though, that Seth had since moved on, and was dating someone new. That made her feel a whole lot better. She never imagined that Seth had any feelings for her after their night together, but a new partner always helped with moving on. Emma could definitely vouch for that.

When Seth came out to the bar area, where Emma and Bennett were sitting down and having a drink before Emma began her shift, he stopped in his tracks. He looked at Emma, who's face deceivingly began to light up like a Christmas tree.

With a pounding heart and a stomach full of nervous anxiety, she looked away and stared down into her drink. She wished now that she had taken Bennett up on his offer, and never had to set foot in this place again. Shocked and disgusted by her reaction, she promised herself she would find a way to make this her last night here, job or no job needed. She didn't care for the awkwardness, the tension or the guilt of her betrayal.

"Are you okay, Emma? What's wrong?" Bennett asked her, his hand moving down to her knee, as they sat on the bar stools, their drinks on the countertop.

Emma cursed inwardly. She wanted to leave, but this would be too obvious. Bennett had always had the tiniest suspicion that Seth liked her, or the other way around. The last thing she wanted to do was add fuel to the fire.

"I'm fine," She replied. It was all she could say. She mustered up a weak smile, and hoped he would buy it.

"Bennett! Good to see you!" The voice that sounded from just inside the front door caused them both to look up.

A young man dressed in black pants and a checkered black and white shirt walked in and Bennett immediately extended his hand out.

"Lionel," Bennett smiled. "Glad you could make it,"

Oh? This was news to Emma. Who was this guy?

"Of course, it's been far too long between drinks buddy. I even managed to wrangle up Eddie and Smith. They'll be here shortly," The man shook Bennett's hand like old friends would. Strong yet casually.

Bennett placed his arm on Emma's shoulder. "Lionel, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Emma. Emma this is my old friend from Columbia University, Lionel Hacking,"

Lionel extended his hand to Emma, who took it, smiling.

"So you're the girl I saw with him in the paper last week. Nice to meet you," Lionel was beaming.

"I'm sorry? The paper?" Emma blurted out, all polite introductions disappearing. When had she been in the paper? How come she did not know?

"Sure, it was you. Pretty little thing like you, hard to forget," Lionel smiled.

Bennett too, smiled over at Emma. "I have the paper at home in my study. I'll show you later when we go home,"

The way Bennett said those words. Go home. It held so much promise. The truth was, Bennett's apartment kind of did feel like her home. She knew it well, having spent so much time there already. As terrible a friend she felt towards Abby, she wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Being with Bennett was the best thing. Her heart swelled and if Lionel had not walked in to spend the evening with Bennett here, Emma would no doubt have picked herself up and gone home with him.

"I better get started. I'll see you later," Emma hopped off from the bar stool and kissed Bennett on the cheek before walking down the corridor to the staffroom to put her purse down.

"Wow, you really managed to dig your claws in, haven't you?" Elise sat on the black leather couch, pretending to read a magazine. She startled Emma, who did not see her tucked away in the corner of the room.

"Are you mad that he chose me and not you?" Emma snapped, unsure of where her courage had suddenly sprouted from. The words had flown out before she even had a chance to stop herself. But she felt brave, and the sudden burst of confidence was something she was going to hold onto.

"Ohh, aren't you all tough now that you have bagged the boss?" Elise hissed, putting down the magazine and sitting up straight. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun and Emma wondered if it was cutting off the circulation to her brain. How she disliked this girl.

Shrugging her shoulders, Emma closed her locker door and headed out. "Did I ever have something to worry about when it came to you, Elise?"

As she walked out, Elise's next words sent a chill down Emma's spine. A cold, electrifying chill.

"I know more than you know. Especially about someone here in particular. I know you have been a very naughty girl, Emma."

-------------------------------------------------

"I feel sick,"

It was only eight o'clock, three hours into her shift at The Harbour Room, but Emma was not going to stay a minute longer.

Bennett frowned, and placed his rum and coke down on the table in front of him before standing up and putting a hand on Emma's cheek.

"What is it, baby?" He asked, concern etched across his beautiful face.

"I just don't feel well. I want to leave," Emma knew she sounded demanding, but she felt she had no other choice.

It was hard enough seeing endless girls flocking shamelessly to his table the entire time she worked, but it was Elise's words that had cut her to the quick.

Seeing Seth giving her weird looks all night had sent her crazy. The two of them, had they been conspiring this whole time? Why had Seth told Elise, of all people? He knew she hated Emma, and still he opened his big mouth. She was never coming back to such a vile place. She could not believe for one second that she had even tried to fight Bennett about working here last week. How foolish had she been? She should have just accepted his offer with open arms. Tonight was her last night here. She would accept Bennett's offer to be fired in a heartbeat.  An excuse as to why she was not going to return, well, she would think of that later. Right now, the only thing that was going to calm her frazzled nerves was to go home. To her home. To her bed. She just hoped Bennett would join her there.

Relief washed over her when Bennett excused himself and said goodbye to his friends. She felt sad that he was leaving them so soon, but she assured herself that three hours of chatting and drinking was substantial enough. She bid them goodnight also and walked to the staffroom to get her bag, thanking her lucky stars that the room was empty.

"But I'll be short staffed," Emma heard Seth whine to Bennett when she returned.

Well tough shit, she wanted to lash out at him and say, but she held her tongue as she turned the corner and stood beside Bennett.

Bennett waved his hand like it had nothing to do with him. "Well then sort it out."

With no further words, Bennett took her hand and they walked out of The Harbour Room. Emma felt eyes watching her back as she slinked away, relieved to be going.

Ill at ease, she knew this secret was inching it's way closer to the surface.

------------------------------

Bennett had not questioned Emma when she asked if they could stay at her apartment tonight. He genuinely believed that she was feeling unwell.

Happy to see that Abby was home, Emma excused herself to take a quick shower, and left Bennett and Abby in the lounge room to chat.

As the cool water washed away the filth of the lies and secrets that The Harbour Room now carried, Emma felt completely lost. She was deeply hurt by Seth, knowing that he had spilt such a huge secret out to that bitch Elise. Now nothing was safe. Did he want Bennett to find out? Is that why he had told Elise? So it would come from her mouth and not his? So he would look like the innocent bystander in what could become a complete mess?

Should she tell him herself? Would it be better to come from her? The anxiety was now eating away at her, it had done nothing but consume her since those words fell from Elise's poisoned mouth only hours ago. It was already beating her down. How would she live like this from now on?

Resigning herself to the fact that it would make no difference anymore whether it came from herself or from Elise or Seth, she decided to just bury it away once more. The truth would hurt either way, no matter who's mouth it came out from now. Although now that she would no longer be seeing either one of them anymore might help keep the secret locked away. Bennett never showed his face there really, so that just might work.

It calmed her down, somewhat, and as she towel dried her hair she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were wide with worry. The corners of them creased, and her mouth, a tight line. The stress was showing here. Closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths to calm herself helped only minimally.

When she was dressed in her long pink cotton t-shirt, she walked out of the bathroom, only to find that both Abby and Bennett were no longer in the lounge room. The bottom of Abby's closed door was lit up and she saw her door was the same. They had retreated to bed for the night.

Emma walked in her room, smiling and ready to just about forget the horrible night she had just had. Yet the door frame suddenly became her means of support to stand when she saw Bennett. Her heart lurched at the sight of him, and her stomach tightened into an incredibly hard knot that she had never felt before.

Her hand slowly moved to her mouth to stifle her gasp when she saw him there, sitting on her bed, surrounded by photo upon photo, all from an upturned yellow box with pink stars around it.

Adam's box. Bennett had found it.

He did not even so much as look up at her as his hand skimmed over the photos. There were many of them, forty maybe even fifty. He held one photo in his hand for a while, looking at it intensely, as though he was studying it for an exam, or for future reference.

It was an eternity before he looked up at her, his green eyes ablaze with an emotion Emma had never seen from him. She was sure she had seen it only hours before in the eyes of someone else. Elise.

How had he found the box?

"I accidentally knocked your photo frame down. Then I found this," He waved his hands over the photos, answering her unspoken question.

"You still have all these? Even now, even though you are with me?" His voice was husky, as though he was trying to get past a lump in his throat. Emma doubted that, though.

Emma moved her hand away from her mouth and took one step forward, She was weary of him. He was angry, she could sense that. The tension in the air was now palpable.

"I can explain," Her voice was but a whisper.

Bennett closed his eyes. "Please, do,"

Taking his words as an open invitation, Emma leapt to his side. She grabbed at the photos, trying her best to scoop them all up into her hands, but Bennett's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed one of hers. His grip was tight, painful almost.

"Explain. Now."

Emma's heart was beating so fast it hurt. Bennett's voice was laced with such hostility, she was almost afraid.

"I forgot these photos were even there Bennett. I've been spending so much time with you that I haven't had a chance to even do anything about them,"

"Oh?" Bennett's interest seemed fake. Emma suddenly felt so small beside him. So insignificant. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"Please Bennett, i'm sorry. They were going to be thrown out, by me. I swear. I just haven't had the chance,"

Letting her hand go, Bennett stood suddenly, and with two solid sweeping movements had gathered the photos and thrown them back in the box dejectedly.

"Then lets go, right now." He placed the box under his arm and Emma's hand with the other. He led her out of the room and to the front door.

Emma could barely keep up, but she stopped and pulled back. "Bennett, where are we going?" She asked, suddenly feeling an incredible amount of shock course through her veins.

"To my apartment," He stated.

"I'm not dressed to go out. I'm in my pyjamas! What if someone photographs us?" The mere thought of being splashed on the front cover of a magazine or newspaper in nothing but a pink t-shirt mortified Emma beyond words.

Bennett relented, and let her hand go. "Fine, go get dressed." The box stayed planted firmly underneath his arm. "I'll wait,"

------------------------------------

The flames of the fire crackled and spat, burning bright and sinister.

Emma stared into the fire from her chair, mesmerised. Adam's box felt like a lead weight in her lap.

Memory upon memory was in there, a driving force to her misery. Every tear that she had shed for the past five years had been based solely upon the person who's photographs lay in the box.

They had been good times, yes, but those good times were long gone. She knew she had held onto this for far too long. Was he coming back? Would it even matter now if he did?

No. It would not.

A tear slid down her face, and Emma let it go, unmoving. Where it came from, she did not know, for inside her there was really nothing left. Adam was gone.

The hand that touched her shoulder sent a renewed energy through her, making her smile. It was not a big smile, just a small upturning of her mouth, but there had never been a smile on her face where Adam's box had been involved. Bennett put that smile there now.

Bennett was fixing this, fixing her.

The lid came off easily enough. And there it was. Emma reached out and took one single photo out. She looked at it for the last time. It just so happened to be her favourite one. Of the two of them, in each others arms, smiling carefree at the camera. Adam's face was smiling up at her, like it always had, night after night. His eyes were unseeing now, of the pain she had endured for him, year after year.

"I lost it all because of him." Emma spoke softly, almost to herself. "I lost my family, myself, what I could have been,"

Bennett squeezed her shoulder in response.

"I almost feel as though I hate him. When I use to love him so much,"

"Then the time has come for you to really move on, Emma. Let all of this just go," Bennett was the voice of reason.

The fire took hold as soon as Emma reached her hand out and held the photo out toward it. Pulling her hand back sharply, to avoid getting burnt, she watched as their faces shrivelled up and were eaten away. Grabbing a whole bundle, she gave them to the fire. She was emotionless, and it was not surprising. Before Bennett, these photos were her lifeline, but now as the fire devoured and consumed them, she felt void of any feelings for them. They were gone now. Adam had been gone for a long time, too. What once was, was finished now. Had she done this before meeting and falling for Bennett, her heart would have been shred to pieces. Now, it was not the case. It made Emma feel empowered, brand new.

Bennett was on his knees beside her, when she leaned back. Emma had not even felt him move.

She turned around to face him.

Emma smiled at his gorgeous features. She ran her finger over his full, pink lips and stroked his cheek. Her fingers slid effortlessly through perfect strands of blond hair. She yearned to love again after Adam and now, with this man beside her, she was ready to do it again. In the time she had been living in New York City she had felt nothing but depression, sorrow and constant sadness. Now, with Bennett here in her life, a switch had been turned on. She wanted to reclaim her life, take hold and do what she always knew she could. She would go to University and study. She would become someone, someone other than Adam's. She would love again, because she already had fallen in love with Bennett.

"You know why I'm doing this. You surely must know now," Emma was almost scared to tell him, fearing it was just way too soon. But she had to. He had to know.

Bennett shut his eyes and drew in a slow, deep breath. He let it out as he opened his eyes again, as though he was bracing himself for the news.

"I love you," Emma said, and her heart ached with the adoration the words held for this man.

Bennett's face broke out into a smile. A teeth flashing, beaming smile.

"That's good to hear you say." He replied. "Because I love you, too."

This chapter is another one I am dedicating to my wattpad buddy jjpeebody. For her great advice!! Thanks :) and I appreciate it!!