Love’n’Lust

Both seated inside a different restaurant from last night, Ben watched Belle devour the dish in front of her. He couldn’t stop smiling because it had been so long since he sat with someone, a woman who was willing to be as free as Belle was as she ate the spaghetti she ordered.

She didn’t even remember he was there with her, the food was delicious and she was hungry, that was all she knew as she ate on.

She sucked in a strand of spaghetti into her mouth even though her lips were pressed together. Some spaghetti sauce stained her lips when she did that so she reached for the table napkins at the middle of the set table and that was when she remembered Ben was sitting with her.

Her right hand was on the napkins like she was frozen, she looked up slowly and he was smiling, that genuine smile that she had noticed was rare and scarce to the public. She became grateful that there was no one else sharing the part of the restaurant where they sat with them, it was a reserved spot.

Her eyes were still on Ben, and she noticed that he hadn’t even touched his. She was screaming at herself in her head right now, maybe she was supposed to wait for him so they could eat together.

He placed his hand over hers before taking out one of the white napkins and leaning in closer to her side of the table, he started to wipe the sauce off her lips for her, taking his time like he was doing artwork.

Belle just let him continue with it, she was very glad she wasn’t embarrassing him and there was no one else there with them.

“I’m sorry.” She thought she should say when he was done.

“Don’t,” he said still smiling, “I enjoy watching you eat.” He told her his thought, honestly.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Is it related to what you asked in the car on our way here?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“No, not really. We will talk about that after we are done here.”

“Okay.” He agreed to her asking her question.

“If you weren’t in a situation where you had to take over from your father as the next head of your company, what would you be doing?”

Ben smiled before he answered;

“I believe I would be building my own company.”

“What if you don’t have a way to be in an office environment, what if building a company was not an option for you?”

“I’m a businessman, I would find a way.” He smiled confidently.

“What if there was no way, what then?”

“There will surely be a way, there are banks, that’s one of the things banks are for, I could generate capital and start a project.”

“You make it sound so easy.” She said drinking from her glass of water.

“I won’t lie, it isn’t, I’m just projecting possibilities of the situation you are talking of.”

“Well, let me rephrase that question,” Belle cleared her throat.”If you had to choose to be something else other than a businessman, what would that be?”

“What do you think?” He wanted to know.

“I think… I don’t know but I think you would be a famous golf player or something.” She laughed.

“Golf, huh?”

“Yeah?” She nodded, not laughing anymore but smiling.”You do like golf, right? I mean, you should, it’s expected that you rich guys like to play golf.”

“It’s expected, really? I do play golf but it’s not a hobby, it’s something I do when I need to be alone.” He said and watched her turn quiet for a short while, he could read through her actions.

“So what would you be?”

“This isn’t what you want to be discussing right now, is it?” He knew she wanted to talk about their relationship.

“Well..” She trailed off, he was right.

“You want us to talk about what we are?” He asked her the very thing on her thoughts and she nodded. He smiled lightly before he said something else.

“Belle,” he called then cleared his throat, “tell me, do you want me to be completely honest with you?” He asked and looked her in the eye, he could see her state of worry through her charming blue eyes.

“Yes.” She gave her reply even though she wasn’t sure of the position his honesty would leave her.

Drawing in a deep breath, Ben stopped smiling, he was going to tell her his thoughts on what they had and what it was and try to do that without hurting her emotionally because he could see how happy she was around him.

“What will be your reaction if I told you that I’m only attracted to you sexually?” Belle’s throat hitched when he asked her that question.

She didn’t give a reply so he went on;

“You are beautiful Belle, very, very beautiful and I can’t get my mind off you even when I try, many would mistake that for love but not me Belle because I know it’s not love, it’s not, I don’t love you, I’m just sexually attracted to you, if love is a true thing then I am in love with your body.” He said in what he thought was the simplest way he could explain his attraction to her.

Belle just stared at him as he went on, she didn’t believe he would actually say what he was saying. She had seen it coming, she had read all about him and his dislike for the topic of love. She knew he would say what he just said before now. He had told her during her interview with him that he wasn’t a romantic.