Copyright Lexi Ander
Part Four: Leap of Faith
Dawson pulled a bundle
out of his side bag and tossed it to Ben. "See if that fits. The wind is
cold when you ride at night."
Ben eyed the beat-up
leather jacket but it fit with room to spare. He pocketed his wallet and cell
from the duffle before Dawson stowed it in the saddle bag. Ben stared at the
screen of the phone. If he told his family what happened, that he and Javier
were done, then there wouldn't be a way to take the news back. If he said
nothing and kept tonight to himself, then what? Would he and Javier be able to
work their relationship out privately, away from the prying eyes of public
scrutiny? What would happen to his company? There were people who worked hard
to make it successful. What would happen to them? He was supposed to get
married in two days. The guest list was close to a thousand for the event. What
would he tell them? What would they think?
Did he care?
With shaky hands he
dialed Annie.
"Did it work?"
she asked excitedly.
Ben froze. He didn't know
what to say. He wasn't sure how long he'd stood there mute when someone took
the phone from his hand.
"I'm sorry. Ben's a
bit upset." Dawson watched him intently. "No. My name is Dawson
Green. I'm an acquaintance of Ben's. It appears Javier has seriously fucked up
and Ben needs some time away. I'm going to give you the address but I'd
appreciate it if you didn't give it out." Ben felt like an idiot. A
stranger was handling his affairs. "No, Annie, he's not okay," Dawson
said.
Ben held out a hand,
silently asking for the phone back. Dawson smiled. "Yes, Annie. You'll
hunt me down and rip off my balls if Ben isn't safe. Got it. Here, Ben's ready
to talk."
Ben took a breath and put
the phone to his ear. "Hey, Annie."
"What did he do,
Ben? Never mind, my imagination is supplying enough scenarios. Does Sam know?"
Ben swallowed and blinked
back the tears. His silence was obviously enough of an explanation because
Annie swore fluently on the other end of the line.
"What do you want me
to do?"
Ben wiped at his eyes and
sighed. "Nothing. I'm going to help Dawson for a couple of days. I'll call
you back and let you know. Annie—I love you."
Dawson held out a half
shell helmet to Ben as he sat straddling the fat boy. Ben climbed on behind the
biker. He had never been on a motorcycle before. What was the appropriate
protocol? Where did he put his hands? He didn't see any handle bars for him.
Dawson seemed to sense
his dilemma and reached back for Ben's hands and placed them on his hips. "I
don't bite, Ben. Riding a motorcycle is both freeing and intimate."
Ben nodded and jumped
when Dawson started up the beast. He grasped Dawson's waistband tightly when
they gradually accelerated. Once outside the garage and on the street, Dawson
kicked up the speed, causing Ben to plaster himself onto Dawson's back, arms
wrapped fully around the biker's waist.
The rumbling vibration,
the wind, and the speed weren't like anything he'd experienced before. It
pushed back his sorrow somewhat and he decided he'd never drive a car again.
Rain or shine, this was how he'd go.
Chapter
Two
Dawson scowled at the
crinkles at the corner of his blue eyes. Crow's feet. Laugh lines. Whatever
they were called, they made him appear old. He grunted at his reflection,
snatched up a towel, and started drying his dark hair. He could smell the
breakfast Ben made. He didn't know that offering a hand to a stranger not quite
a year ago would gain him a friend and business partner. He thought Ben would
be with him two days—tops—until he could pull himself together. The man had
seemed pretty pitiful when Dawson had first seen Ben in that hot sequined
outfit. With glassy eyes, shaking hands, silent tears tracking black eyeliner
down his face, the man hadn't appeared injured but when Ben had stared at him
with those large hazel-colored eyes, so lost and hurt, Dawson couldn't simply
leave the guy alone.
It was the best thing he'd
ever done. Ben spent a week helping him clear the property the cabin was on.
For the first couple of days they didn't talk much. Dawson watched Ben and made
sure the guy wouldn't accidentally hurt himself with the power tools.
By day three, Dawson didn't
care if he had to talk to himself because the silence was killing him. So he'd
started chattering about his business as a tattoo artist. The conversation
helped to bring Ben out of his funk somewhat.
Ben never discussed what
had happened, but over the next couple of weeks, Dawson had picked up on
certain things. When he spoke to Annie, she told him enough to know Ben was
better off. He suggested Ben stay and they had become roommates. Ben offered
his talents as an artist to Dawson, which led to an apprenticeship. Ben had
been working for Dawson ever since and the arrangement had worked out well for
both of them.
Dawson vigorously dried
off, his body a map of his life. An Aries tribal tattoo spanned his shoulders
on this back, he had a blue water tribal armband, and a full color jaguar that
was wrapped around his left side from the middle of his back to the center of
his chest. His legs were covered with tribal designs, not that anyone had seen
them lately.
A fist banged on the door. "Come on,
primping time is over, breakfast is ready."
Thank you for stopping by and reading!!
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