by Amy Brent
She gently prodded his leg, checking where it hurt. He winced in pain at her touch, but not badly enough for her to think that it was broken. “You'll need to get down to the hospital,” she told him. “I don't think it's broken, but you need to get an x-ray just to be sure.”
“I'll be fine,” Ben said. He touched his leg against the ground, pressing down on it a bit. “It doesn't feel too bad.”
“You really shouldn't put any weight on it. I'm serious. Don't make me get tough with you.” Sharise gave him her sternest glare, the one she reserved for the most troublesome patients. He'd already risked himself by going forward with the race despite his injury. She didn't want to see him putting himself at further risk just because of his own stubbornness.
He grinned, his eyes lighting up, almost as if he enjoyed her getting tough with him. “Well, who am I to argue with the doctor.”
They got some help carrying him to a car. One of his friends, who Sharise recognized from the day at the emergency room, got into the driver's seat. It took a bit of work to get Ben into the car without jarring his leg, but Sharise instructed the men with the same experience she had directing nurses in the emergency room. While they were loading Ben into the back seat, taking care not to jostle his leg too much, he looked up at Sharise and asked, “Are you going to be my doctor today?”
She met his eyes. He looked eager, and Sharise got the feeling there was more to it than his trust in her medical expertise. She blushed, then nodded. “I'll follow in my car.”
“I'll see you there.” He winked at her, then settled in for the ride.
They drove down to the hospital. Sharise wasn't on duty, so she didn't get directly involved in Ben's treatment, but she did spend some time consulting with the physician on duty. They went over Ben's previous history with his broken leg, and Sharise explained what she'd seen when the accident first happened. Ben was taken in for an x-ray. Sharise joined Ben in his room while the on duty doctor went over the results with him, and she was relieved when she saw that it was good news.
“You're very lucky,” the doctor said. “The bone didn't break again, though you definitely put your leg through some unneeded stress. You really should still have your leg in a boot, and you definitely shouldn't have been running.”
“But, Doc,” Ben said, grinning and leaning back with his hands cradled behind his head. “I almost took first place!”
Sharise crossed her arms and glared at him. “Ben, this is serious. If you keep taking such risks with your health, you could wind up with an injury that will be a lot harder to recover from.”
Ben laughed and shook his head. He nodded to the doctor and asked, “Do I have to stay here? Or am I free to go?”
The doctor sighed and made a note on Ben's chart. “There's no reason to keep you here, but I recommend saying off that leg for at least a few more days. And I can prescribe you something for the pain.”
“No thanks, Doc.” Ben climbed out of the bed, gently setting his leg down and putting weight on it. He winced in pain, but he powered through it. Sharise and the doctor shared a look. Both of them had seen patients like this plenty of times. Sometimes, there was nothing you could do when it came to dealing with a stubborn patient who didn't want to take advice, even when it was for their own good.
Sharise discussed the situation with the doctor out in the hall for a few minutes while Ben got dressed and ready to go. When Ben emerged from the room, Sharise fell into step by his side. “At least let me get you a pair of crutches,” she said. “I don't want to see you back in the emergency room in a few days because you didn't take this situation seriously enough.”
He put a hand on her shoulder, leaning slightly against her as they headed for the door. “You doctors worry too much. I've been running for years. I know how to work through the pain.”
“You know how to get yourself hurt even worse, you mean,” Sharise said. “God, I just don't understand men sometimes.”
“Men?” Ben paused in the hallway, arching an eyebrow at her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Isn't that a little bit sexist, Doc?”
She crossed her arms, staring him down. “I've never seen a woman decide to act all macho and push herself like this because she was trying to prove something.”
Ben laughed, shaking his head. He stepped back to let another patient walk past them, then stepped closer, looking down into her eyes. “Is that what you think? You think I'm being macho?”
“How else do you explain why you'd try to run that obstacle course? Especially on a wounded leg. There's no reason to do something like that unless you're trying to prove something.”
Ben laughed again. “Maybe. Maybe you're right. But I don't think I have anything to prove.”
“Then why do it?”
He pursed his lips, thinking it over. “Maybe because I like the challenge. It doesn't matter whether I win or lose, so I'm not trying to prove anything. But I have to at least try.”
“Why?”
He looked her right in the eye, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Because if I never tried, I wouldn't know what my limits are.”
Sharise frowned, studying the look on his face. He certainly seemed serious. She sighed. “Well, I guess some of us don't feel the need to push ourselves quite that hard. You'd better be careful, or one day, you'll end up going over your limits, and then you'll be in a lot of trouble.”
He leaned forward, bracing his hands against the wall on either side of her head. He was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath. She swallowed a lump in her throat, trembling. “Maybe you should start learning to take some risks, Sharise.”
She licked her lips. “I think I'm fine the way I am, thanks.”
He chuckled and reached out to caress her cheek. “So, you never take chances?”
“Not with my health, no.”
“What about with your heart?”
She blinked, taken off-guard by the unexpected question. The truth was, she hadn't taken any risks with her heart in years. She hadn't dated for most of the time she was in medical school, and she had been too busy since she started working in the emergency room to really think about romance.
Ben stared into her eyes, waiting for an answer. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “I guess there's some risks that are worth taking.”
“Good,” Ben said. “That means you'll have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Her jaw dropped open. “What? But I hardly know you.”
“That's what dinner is for.” He took both of her hands in his, giving them a light squeeze. “A chance to talk. To get to know each other better. To find out if there's any risks we might want to take together.”
Sharise's breath felt tight in her throat. She didn't know what to say. She felt like he'd cornered her, and there was no way she could say no. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to say no. He was certainly an attractive man. Though she normally didn't go for the athletic type. She preferred an intellectual man. A man who liked to read.
But then, she realized she wasn't being fair to him. Just because he was into sports, that didn't mean he wasn't also intelligent. There was something to be said about his idea of taking risks with her feelings. Maybe she owed it to herself to give him a chance.
“All right,” she said, a shy smile on her lips. “You've got yourself a deal.”
“Good.” He touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Give me your number. I'll come by tomorrow night to pick you up.”
She gave him her phone number, part of her wondering if this was a good idea. But she realized that she had to take the chance. She would never find romance or happiness if she always played it safe. Just because she wasn't into extreme sports didn't mean she couldn't handle a little excitement and uncertainty in her life.
Ben showed up at Sharise's house the next day in an expensive sports car. A very expensive one. She couldn't be sure of the price tag without looking it up on her phone, but she was sure that the car must have cost him at least six fig
ures. It made her wonder what he did for a living and how well-off he was. So far, all she knew about him was that he like to run in the mud. But surely there must have been more to him than that.
She met him at the door, wearing a midnight blue dress that accentuated her ample curves and complemented her dark skin tone. He was dressed in pressed black pants and a silk shirt with a few buttons undone at the top. He was handsome in a casual, uncaring way. Though she suspected that he had put a lot of time into making it look like he hadn't put any time into his appearance.
He took her hand and kissed it. “You look lovely,” he said. “I hope you like Italian. I know a wonderful little place.”
“I could go for some Italian,” she said, heading out the door with him. She had the feeling he wasn't going to be taking her someplace as quaint as Olive Garden.
They drove over the bridge into Philadelphia, then navigated through the city streets until they reached a restaurant that was built into the ground floor of an elegant hotel. Ben pulled his car right up to the front door, where a man in a valet's uniform waited to open the door for Sharise. He helped her out of the car, then circled around to the driver's side. Ben shook the man's hand and whispered to him before he got in, and Sharise caught a glimpse of him pressing something into the valet's palm. A sizable tip, she was certain.
“You really go all out,” she said as Ben took her arm and led her inside. She immediately felt under-dressed. The waiters were dressed in tuxedos, and even the hostess was wearing a more expensive dress than Sharise's.
“I believe in living a life of extremes,” Ben said. “I don't like doing anything if it's only going to be an average experience.”
As the hostess sat them at their table, Sharise asked, “Does that include me?” She had never thought of herself as anything more than average. The only thing she felt like she excelled at was her job, and that was what she devoted the majority of her attention to.
“If I didn't know you were a woman who is above and beyond, I never would have asked you out.”
Sharise hid her blush behind her menu. She noticed the menu didn't even have any prices on it. Apparently, this was the sort of place that only catered to people who didn't care about how expensive things were.
“So, tell me about yourself,” she said as she looked over the menu. “What do you do when you're not breaking your leg in the mud?”
He laughed. “Well, the old man owns the hotel chain,” he said. “I'm on the board, though I only show up for the big meetings.”
“Owns the hotel?” Sharise asked. She looked around the restaurant and out the door into the hotel lobby beyond. “You mean this hotel?”
Ben smirked as he unfolded his napkin and set it into his lap. “Among others, yes. Though I don't get involved much in the day-to-day affairs. Sitting around the board room talking about stock and investors and market trends bores the hell out of me.”
“Not 'extreme' enough?”
“Not by a long shot.” He winked at her, and she felt her face heating up.
They chatted while they ate a meal that probably cost enough to pay Sharise's mortgage for a month. For awhile, Ben kept talking about sports. In addition to his obstacle course racing, she learned that he enjoyed mountain climbing, white water rafting, and snowboarding. He was a real sports nut. And it didn't end with the sports he took part in himself.
“So, who do you like for the Superbowl?” he asked, after a long tirade about his opinions on the recent NFL draft picks.
“I don't pay much attention to it,” Sharise said. “I'd rather sit at home with a good book.”
“Ahh, excellent,” Ben said. “What was the last thing you read?”
Sharise pursed her lips, wondering if she would find out there was something deeper to this man than his fixation on sports. “Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. It was one of the more interesting things I've read lately.”
Ben nodded. “I've heard of that one. It jumps around a lot, between different timelines and characters? Pretty impressive, if you ask me. I can't imagine how someone could weave together so many different story lines and do it so effectively. Though I'm always interested in authors who challenge the traditional narrative structure.”
Sharise stared at Ben, her eyes wide, trying to keep her jaw from dropping open. It had been a long time since she'd met a man who could actually discuss literature with her. “So you're not a fan of traditional structure then, I take it?”
“Oh, I enjoy a good traditional literary work as much as anyone else. But the old formula gets stale after awhile. It's nice to see books that play around with the format, moving between different timelines and perspectives, or weaving together multiple character arcs. When it's done well, it can be really compelling.”
“Well.” Sharise leaned her elbows on the table, looking at this man in a whole new light. “I must say, I'm impressed. Most people I know say they'd rather wait until the movie or TV show is out instead of reading a book.”
Ben waved a hand dismissively. “I don't watch TV. Except for ESPN.”
They chatted for awhile longer, sharing a bottle of wine. Sharise started to relax, glad that she had given this unusual, yet compelling man a chance. She was genuinely enjoying the evening, and after dinner and dessert were over, she found she didn't want the night to end.
After he finished his last glass of wine, Ben stood up and offered her his hand. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
She arched her eyebrows, curious, but took his hand anyway. He led her to the elevator, then inserted a key into a slot near the bottom. The elevator started to rise, going up past the highest floor listed on the buttons. When it opened, she stepped out into a spacious room and her breath caught in her throat. They were in a luxurious penthouse suite, with broad floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the entire city. The lights of the city sparkled below them like a sea of stars, and she started to get just a bit dizzy from the feeling of being up so high.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Ben asked.
“I bet you ask that of all the girls,” Sharise said.
Ben chuckled and slipped his arms around her. “I don't bring just any girl up here. Like I said, I don't care for anything or anyone who's just average.”
He pulled her close and leaned down, pressing his lips against her mouth.
Sharise hesitated at first, but his lips felt warm and firm against hers. She let her body meld against his, while his hands caressed her curves. His hands were warm and strong against her soft, caramel skin. Her head felt light, either from the wine, the altitude, or the lust. She couldn't believe that this night was real. But Ben's body felt very real pressed against hers.
He led her over to the sofa and laid her down on it, lowering his body atop hers while he tasted her lips. She wrapped her legs around him, eager for more. He reached up and pulled down the straps of her dress and bra, exposing her full, firm breasts. He took them in his hands, kneading her soft caramel flesh. She gasped and whimpered. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her like that. She didn't want him to stop.
He pressed his body closer against her, until she could feel his hardness through his pants. She reached down and grabbed it, squeezing it and rubbing her fingers up and down its length. He groaned and leaned back, unzipping his pants to give her full access. She rubbed him in firm, quick strokes, getting him even more worked up. He started pulling down her dress, and she knew he wouldn't be able to wait much longer before he got what she wanted. Part of her still wanted to hesitate, to wait and save this for another night. But her sensible objections were lost in the waves of arousal passing over her. She needed him, needed a night of passion. And she knew that this was a situation where Ben was right: there was no point in accepting anything average when she could embrace the extreme pleasures that life had to offer.
She pulled off her panties and spread her legs for him. Ben grinned and knelt on the couch, then slid himself inside of her. He took her hard and fast, driving it i
n deep and pinning her down on the couch. She clung to the cushions, biting her lower lip as moans of pleasure erupted from her throat. The man had the stamina of an athlete and he knew exactly what he wanted. He didn't stop until he'd driven her over the edge and she floated in wave after wave of orgasm, then he leaned down closer and held her body tight against him as he was driven to the edge himself.
Right at the end, he almost pulled out, but she grabbed his face and held it close to hers. “No. Inside me.”
He didn't hesitate, and they clung to each other as his seed filled her. Then he collapsed on top of her, sweaty and breathless, and they held each other until their bodies cooled down and the euphoria passed into a tender, comfortable silence they shared together.
In the morning, they had breakfast together while looking out at the cityscape that spread out below them. They at in a comfortable silence, though Sharise couldn't help wondering about the question that had plagued her mind since they first woke up. Towards the end of the meal, she finally asked him, “So, Ben, what was this to you?”
He paused with his knife and fork in hand. “What do you mean?”
“I mean last night. Us. Was this just about experiencing another thrill? Or is there something more to it?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You mean, was this just a one night stand?”
She nodded, a slight pout on her lips.
He got up and moved around the table to kneel beside her. He took her hands in his and kissed them. “I told you, I don't do anything half-assed or average. I'd never get involved with a woman just for a quick, easy experience. Whatever I do in life, I commit myself to it fully.”
“So that means you want to see me again?” she asked, her breath caught in her chest.
“Absolutely.”
They kissed, then got dressed. They spent the rest of the day together, and over the next few weeks, they saw each other regularly. Ben took her out to dinner at fancy restaurants. He took her on tours of the city's museums, including some private exhibits that he had to pull a few strings to get access to. They drove up to New York and saw a few shows on Broadway. He even convinced her to go to a few football games and see how the Philadelphia Eagles were doing this season. She didn't enjoy the game itself too much, but she had a good time anyway, especially when she saw how excited Ben got every time his team scored a touchdown. He was so passionate about everything in life, from his sports to the way he doted on her and worked hard to show her the time of her life.