Chapter 4

Candice's POV

When my mom walked in the door, the aroma of a well-cooked meal greeted her. She took off her coat and closed the door behind her. I looked up, just in time to see Ben step around the corner and greet her with a warm and friendly smile.

"Renee, a pleasure to see you again. I'm glad you arrived home safely," he said.

My mom grinned and answered back, "I'm so sorry you had to wait. I do hope Candice was able to keep you entertained."

"She's been a wonderful hostess. Here, let me take your coat," he said.

She accepted his offer and pulled off her wet boots before following him down the hall.

"Well, I'll check on dinner and pour us something to drink. Rick should be home soon. The rain seems to be letting up," she said, as she made her way into the living room.

Ben grinned. "Dinner is fine, really. We're just keeping it warm for you and Rick." He followed her and glanced briefly at me. I looked up from the book I was reading. The television was on, and the local news was coming to an end.

"Hey, hon, thanks for keeping Mister Tarnish entertained. I heard you were a fine hostess," my mom said. She leaned over and kissed me, whispered another thank-you, and stood back up.

I blushed, lowered my head, and returned to my book. "No problem, Mom, it was nothing."

"Well, I appreciate it," my mom said, and turned back to Ben. "If you'll come with me, I'll pour you some wine, and we can chat while we wait for Rick."

Ben looked me in the eyes for a moment before he followed my mom into the kitchen. I watched them leave; my gaze never wavered from Ben's ass, and my body responded instinctively. I was looking forward to having the man's cock buried deep. My pussy still ached from the tongue bath he'd given me.

I tried to return my attention back to my book, which I'd been told to read by Ben after I'd offered to help finish dinner. He'd ordered me from the kitchen, and that was the end of our one-on-one time. He had been nothing but a gentleman, and it was as if the moments before had never even occurred.

"Candice mentioned being a Junior. I bet you're excited to have her graduating next year," he said once he and my mom were alone in the kitchen. He took a seat at the table, while I watched her grab dinnerware and flatware. "Dinner is on the stove, warm," he casually mentioned when she looked somewhat confused at the lack of food.

My mom felt somewhat flustered as she tried to appear prepared for my dad's boss, but in truth, she was still nervous that he'd been forced to endure my attitude, which was not always pleasant. "I really do hope Candice wasn't a burden, and I sincerely hope dinner tastes good. She's a good cook," she said, without even acknowledging Ben's question. It wasn't until she pulled the food from the oven to inspect it that she realized she'd ignored his inquiry. She took a deep breath and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry. I'm usually more together than this."

"It's no problem. As I said, dinner is all taken care of, and Candice and I got along just fine. Now tell me, are you and Rick excited about your little girl graduating?" Ben asked.

My mom took him up on the offer to have a seat; she poured them both a glass of wine, sipped from it, and forced herself to relax. "Yes, as long as we can keep swinging the cost," she admitted.

"Well, I think you'll find it'll be a lot easier than you realize," Ben saw her eyes widen and a spark of excitement filter into them. I knew then that both my parents were very much aware as to why he'd called this particular meeting, at least their end of it.

"Oh?" My mom tried not to show any signs of excitement and hoped she looked ignorant of his implicating words. "How come?"

Ben sipped his wine and nodded toward the living room where I was. "She's a talented young woman. I think I could use her in the office if she's looking for a job. I've not said anything to her, because well, I wanted to swing it by you and Rick first."

My mom's eyebrows rose in surprise. She was not expecting this turn of events, but the idea of me landing a job as well as my dad being promoted had her sitting on the edge of her seat. Ben Tarnish really was the answer to a family's prayers. "Really? You learned all that and came up with that offer in that short amount of time," she hoped she gave the appearance of a devoted mother, concerned for my well-being, but in truth, she really wanted the answer to our financial difficulties to be in the man in front of her.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a good judge of character, and we've been looking into opening our offices to interns."

"Well, she wants to be a Nurse, not a business executive," my mom said, quickly adding, "but there are so many hospitals and nursing homes being run by corporations, it certainly wouldn't hurt for her to gain some real-world experience. As long as it didn't interfere with her studies."

"Oh, I know, and I agree, it wouldn't hurt her to know the ins and outs of a corporation either. Today's medical fields are full of red tape and all that red tape is because of corporations," Ben said.

Inside, he was smiling from ear to ear. I could tell. With my parents thinking my job with his company was nothing more than a gopher, it would make my comings and goings much easier to explain. If convincing my mom had been this easy, convincing my dad would be a walk in the park. The wheels were churning inside Ben's mind.

My mom thought for a moment, unaware of Ben and his plan for me. All she saw was a future secured for not only my dad but me as well. "I'm sure she'd love it and you're right. I know firsthand how difficult working within the perimeters of something you don't understand can be. What would she be doing?"

"Grunt work," he said, "you know, the gopher of the shop. She'll run a lot of in-house errands, but she'll make good money, flexible hours and such. I know how hard holding down a job and attending school can be on a girl. I won't overwork her."

"I'll talk to her about it after I talk to Rick," my mom said, though I knew there would be no saying "no" to the man in front of her. Without him we would most likely be saddled with years and years' worth of debt. With the job offer for me and the promotion for my dad, we were going to be better off than we had in years.

"Sounds good," Ben said, "and speaking of the devil, the ol' boy showed up earlier than he thought he would."

They both rose and I watched as my dad made his way across the yard and up the stairs. He, too, shook off the rain and pulled off a sodden coat. Once inside my dad quickly offered the same apology my mom offered. He excused himself and hurried to the bedroom to change out of his business attire and into something more casual.

When he returned we, along with our house guest sat around a dining room table, enjoying lukewarm vegetables and slightly dry steak, along with an over-dressed pasta salad. Dinner conversation revolved around the storm outside that had picked up in wind speed. My dad touched on a few business topics as did my mom. I shared the plot of the new book I was reading, and Ben listened contentedly to each person at the table.

When the meal was over my dad excused himself and Ben. The two men left us women alone and headed to my dad's office. They closed the door behind them, leaving my mom and I to clear the table.

"Typical men," my mom muttered as she gathered up the dirty plates.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, run off behind closed doors and leave the mess for the little women."

I laughed. "Mom, it's a business dinner, besides I think you'll be happy with what they're discussing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Ben...I mean, Mister Tarnish is going to give Dad that promotion! No ifs, ands, or buts. It's a sure thing."

My mom spun around, her jaw slack. "What! How do you know?"

I shrugged. "We were talking about college, and I mentioned how costly it was, and he said that daddy would be making more money soon, because he was going to promote him!"

My mom's eyes brightened, and her lips rose in a huge grin. "Wow! That's wonderful! Your dad is going to be thrilled. We both figured out that was the reason behind this meeting and dinner, but one never wants to count their chickens before they hatch," my mom commented before adding, "He's a great guy."

"Who? Dad?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Mister Tarnish. Your dad is, too, but this is too much. Do you know he wants to offer you a job too?" My mom's grin was wide. "He's going to help us out tremendously. It's a blessing, Candice and I know it's not what you want to be, but don't tell him no when he makes the offer. You really need a job and..."

I blinked in surprise, lifted my hand and interrupted her. "Really? Doing what?"

"Errands, little things, nothing overly stressful and you'll probably have a lot of downtime. But it's a job and you should consider taking it," my mom demanded. Her voice had shifted slightly, the tone becoming firmer and less pleasant. "You're twenty-one and living off your parents. It's about time you..."

"Oh, I will mom, as soon as he makes the offer, I'll be all over it!" I told her. I wondered if I'd done such a good job sucking Ben that he was going to hire me to be his personal fuck toy. The idea didn't seem to bother me too much, after all I still had my eyes on that purse, and why not pick up a pair of matching pumps?

The two of us quickly put the dining room to rights and settled ourselves in the living room. I claimed the loveseat, my mom a recliner. The television played an old movie that my mom found interesting. I tried not to think about Ben and the potential meaning behind the job offer.

Just before the movie ended the door to my dad's office opened and he and Ben were shaking hands. I watched; my expression hid my curiosity. My dad moved over and took a seat in the other recliner. He sat on the edge and grinned at my mom. She looked back; her gaze was a false questioning one.

"Ben's offered me a promotion, and it comes with a weekend in Vegas," my dad said with excitement.

My mom grinned and rose to hug my dad, who joined her in the excitement rolling from her embrace. "Wonderful! Thank you so much!" Her words of praise were aimed at Ben.

Ben grinned and shook my mom's hand. "It's a great position and I know Rick's just the man for the job. The Vegas trip, though, well, that's something that I really need Rick to take care of immediately."

"Oh? I'm sure we can rearrange the schedule," my mom told him.

"I was hoping he could go tomorrow and of course, I'd foot all the expenses and I'd like you to go with him. A celebratory weekend," Ben explained.

I couldn't help but notice how he kept his eyes on my mom and dad. I knew the truth. Ben wanted them gone because he was planning on fucking me. My nipples hardened and I thanked God for the power of cotton and silk, which kept the evidence of my aroused state hidden from prying eyes.

"Leave tomorrow?" my mom asked in a stunned voice.

"Well, I've called ahead and my private jet will be waiting for you. You can leave tomorrow morning, it'll be early, and the storm will have moved through, so you should be able to land relatively on time. Rick has a meeting to attend that afternoon, but the rest of the night and the rest of the following day is all yours. I won't need Rick back till Monday, so you are welcome to stay as late as you want, just let the pilot know when to expect you, so he can be well-rested. I mean, he'll be in Vegas too," Ben winked knowingly at my dad.

My mom sat back down and stared at me. "Are you okay with this?" she asked.

"What?" I countered.

"Spending the weekend alone," my mom said.

"I'm twenty-one years old; it's no big deal. Besides, you and Dad haven't gone out for a while, so it'll be fun. And, before you say it, no, I will not throw a party." My voice came across slightly annoyed, but it wasn't a sound I could hide. My parents were constantly threatening me with banishment if I broke their rules and it had only gotten worse as I'd gotten older. The only reason I'd gotten away with blowing Bobby at my house was that I was on break and my parents worked days.

My mom chuckled softly. "I know, dear. I trust you." She took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's settled then. Tomorrow, early in the morning we'll head out and we'll spend some time throwing this new money away."

My dad and Ben both laughed before Ben once again offered his hand to my dad saying, "Well, it's getting late and I need to head home." Ben reached out and shook both my parents' hands and waved goodbye to me.

In the kitchen, my dad and Ben talked while my mom collected Ben's coat from the closet. She waited patiently while he slipped his shoes back on. Once he left, my parents hugged tight. They kissed and spoke excitedly about the unexpected blessings. They headed back to the living room, only to hear a knock on the door.

My dad frowned and went back to see if Ben had forgotten something. Ben stepped in and cursed softly. "Damn car won't start," he muttered.

"Do you know what's wrong?" my dad asked.

"No, just had it checked out, everything was running fine," Ben muttered. "I thought I'd call for a tow truck and a cab. That is if you don't mind me staying for a couple more hours."

My mom shooed away the idea. "Not at all. You know what—why not just stay the night? We have a spare room and in the morning, you can have someone take a look at the car, maybe it'll be something really simple."

"But you guys are leaving in the morning, and I don't want to impose," Ben said.

"It's not an imposition," my mom told him. "It's the least we can do. Now, we won't be here when you wake up, so feel free to use our house as if it is your own. There is plenty of breakfast food in the fridge, as well as in the cabinets and Candice will be more than willing to keep you company while you wait for a mechanic, a tow, or a cab."

"It's really not a problem," my dad said, adding to my mom's already good argument. "It makes no sense for you to rush around to get home tonight, when there is a warm bed waiting upstairs."

Ben looked up and caught my gaze. I had come into the room and stood a few feet away from my parents and my dad's boss. "Is that alright with you?" he asked, showing my parents that he valued my opinion.

I nodded my head. "I'm cool with it. The guest room is on the left," I said, as if he didn't know.

"Then I'll accept the offer and reward you all greatly," he said to my parents and me.

"Alright then, let's have a beer and enjoy the rest of the night," my dad said as my mom put Ben's coat back in the closet. Once again, Ben's shoes were by the door, and he was settling himself into one of my dad's comfortable chairs.

While they watched television, Ben would occasionally catch my gaze. I knew he was aware of the lie he'd told. There was nothing wrong with his car; he just needed a reason to stay under the same roof with me. He had planned on leaving and coming back in the morning, but the desire to drive his cock between the folds of my pussy was too great. He wanted me as soon as it was deemed reasonable, and that would be after my parents were gone.

I shifted nervously in my seat, eventually forcing myself to look at the book in my hand and not at Ben, who looked like a tiger ready to pounce. I couldn't wait to have him pounce on me. As the night grew later, the small group watched the late-night news, and a stand-up comedian played host to various celebrities. Eventually, I rose and kissed my parents goodnight. My mom smiled softly and hugged me close.

"Dad and I are going to be leaving really early, so we'll let you sleep. Is that okay?" my mom asked me.

I shook my head. "Yeah, I'd rather not be woken up at 4 or 5 or hell, even 6 in the morning. I'm more of a noon girl." The others in the room laughed, and I made my way to bed. My mom was quick to retire, and soon she too was resting soundly in her and my dad's bed.

The two men finished another beer each before they retired to bed. My dad headed to his and my mom's downstairs bedroom, and Ben headed up the stairs to his. The door to the stairwell clicked closed behind him.

When I heard his footsteps approaching, I sat up. My gaze fixated on the doorknob of my room. I had left the door unlocked, unsure if he would fuck me with my parents in the house or not. A part of me wanted him to; another part knew it wasn't the smartest move. I heard him walk away and knew that he had played the safest hand dealt to him.

I sank back into the bed and frowned. Disappointment, but also relief, swept through me. It took hours before I was finally able to fall asleep.