Mafia Desire (Erotica)

Dr. Granger smiled as she watched Ben recall his young friend’s love for him. She could see his shoulders relaxing and the pain easing from his brow.

“Tonight, you stopped your friend from being hurt. The situation reminded you of Linda, and you leaped to protect your friend. Linda would be very proud of you. You’ve grown into a strong and righteous man who acted selflessly and courageously. These are things she would have dreamed for you. As long as you live to the best of your abilities, as you have been, then you’re fulfilling her hopes for you and justifying her belief in you.”

Ben’s eyes opened, and she handed him a tissue. He wiped his eyes and face. He smiled gently at the doctor.

“I think you should get some rest now. We have another session on Friday morning. We can continue to speak about Linda, or we can go back to the beginning. It’s up to you. Sleep well, and I’ll see you then.”

“Thank you, Dr. Granger. Good night.”

“Good night Ben.”

Ben did sleep well, and his dreams were filled with the happy sound of a young girl’s giggles.

Ben had a cane to help take the strain off his leg when he walked and painkillers to numb him when he needed it, but he was surprised to notice how little pain he actually felt. The doctor had explained that he had been extremely fortunate in how the blade had been oriented when it entered the muscle. It not only missed significant blood vessels, but it also split between most of the fibers instead of cutting them. There was a definite weakness in his leg, but it could have been far worse.

When he got home, Tina had been a bundle of nerves. She burst into tears as soon as he stepped through the door. He held her in his arms on the living room couch for close to an hour before she calmed down. Once her tears dried, he gave her sweet kisses, and she melted in his arms.

His stomach rumbled, and she grinned at him and hustled into the kitchen to make him some lunch. There was a knock on the door, and Tina flashed across the room before Ben could get up from the couch. She gave him a fierce look as she dashed by, so he sank back to the sofa. Rochelle followed her back into the living room, then Tina excused herself to go back to the kitchen.

“Hi Ben, how are you feeling?” Rochelle asked.

“I’m good. The leg hardly hurts at all,” he smiled.

Rochelle’s expression turned serious. He saw signs that she had been crying this morning. He felt a twinge in his heart.

She sat next to him on the couch, took his hand in hers, and looked down at it. “Ben, I just wanted to tell you how grateful you were there for me last night. I wasn’t kidding when I said it would have gotten a lot worse for me if you hadn’t shown up. Greg beat his last girlfriend pretty badly when they broke up. He has serious anger issues.”

Ben got frustrated. “Rochelle, why did you agree to go out on a date with a guy like that? You can do so much better! You’re smart, gorgeous, and fun! You can have your pick of men! Why the bad boys?”

Tears were coming to her eyes. “I know it was stupid. With the restaurant chain, I’m always working, and I was just so lonely.” She looked up into his eyes. “No one calls me gorgeous or smart, and I haven’t had fun in a long time. I don’t know why I get caught up with bad boys. They do say the right things… at the beginning.”

“I want you to start coming to our informal group talks. You need to start seeing yourself as we see you. The beautiful, powerful, and loving woman you really are, not someone others can use as a doormat. If you feel yourself becoming lonely or depressed, please reach out for help! We’re here for you! You don’t deserve to be treated that way!”

Rochelle nodded and looked down at her lap. Ben reached over and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes to see if she understood. He brushed the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

“Ben, you are a good man. If you didn’t have three women after you already, I’d be snatching you up for myself.”This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Tina returned to the living room with Ben’s lunch and heard Rochelle. “Ben does not belong to us. Our hearts are open to him, and his is open to ours. He knows we love him, and we know he loves us. That love is unconditional. It has to be. We will not impose limits on his ability to love, and I would tell you the same. Ben has a tremendous capacity for love. You shouldn’t try to restrict it.”

Rochelle looked at Tina in surprise as the small woman set the tray on the coffee table. Then she looked at Ben, who watched Tina with equal parts reverence and perplexity in his eyes. He looked back at Rochelle.

“I love them with every fiber of my being, but I can’t help feel I’m not worthy of their love,” he said softly.

“Then maybe you and I are more alike than we thought. We both feel unworthy of love. In my case, I just choose men incapable of true love. It seems to me, Ben, that you’ve found a way to get past your issue,” Rochelle said.

“It wasn’t Ben who found the solution. It was Gabriella. She knew what Ben’s heart needed and found in herself the capacity to love him that way. She showed Catherine how to do it, as well. You should speak to her. I’ve always loved Ben without limitation. It’s in my nature,” Tina explained.

Ben smiled at Rochelle. “I’m new to these friends with benefits relationships. I believed I was too firmly entrenched in a more traditional monogamist relationship, but that failed pretty spectacularly for me. When Gabriella, Catherine, and Tina all indicated they wanted to share my life, I had a terrible time at the start. Then Gabriella explained how it would work. I was doubtful at first, but she continues to amaze me. She doesn’t just talk a good game. She lives it. She is probably the wisest person I know when it comes to matters of the heart. She has an infinite capacity for love. I’m just a poor student at her feet.”

“Speak with her,” Tina suggested firmly.

“Are you suggesting I join Ben’s circle of friends with benefits?” she said incredulously to Tina, then looked at Ben, who was also looking at Tina but more thoughtfully.

“What I am suggesting is that you speak with Gabriella to see if she can help clear up your misconceptions of love. You seem to need to learn to love yourself first. Sometimes a friend can help you find your way to that. Gabriella is the best person to give that advice, and Ben is the best one to show you how true love can feel,” Tina finished with a coy smile.

“Wisdom doesn’t exclusively reside with Gabriella, it seems,” Ben said while lovingly touching Tina’s cheek. She gave him a brilliant smile in return and leaned into his touch.

Rochelle watched the exchange and longed to feel that way too. She was ashamed to admit to herself that she hadn’t honestly considered Ben as more than a pretty distraction. To find love wasn’t expected, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. Tina’s advice to speak with Gabriella was looking pretty timely. She decided that’s what she would do. First, though, she needed to apologize to Ben.

“Ben, I also wanted to apologize for how I treated you last night. I think it may have just been in reaction to your aggressive rescue. I didn’t know you could be that tough! Greg is a big violent man, yet he didn’t stand a chance against you. You put him down, hard! That got my heart pounding pretty fast, and I got a little too… familiar with your body in the ambulance with the paramedic.”

Ben blushed at the memory, and Tina looked at him curiously. “They were… handling my stuff while I was semi-conscious.”

Tina’s eyes flared angrily, and Rochelle winced. “Yeah, I’m really sorry I took liberties.”

“There must be respect! Above all else!” Tina growled, and Ben’s eyes widened at her aggression. He’d heard she was protective, but this was the first time he’d seen it. He liked it! It made him feel better about Tina’s ability to cope with the challenges she’d face in the world.

“It is time for Ben’s lunch. I suggest you speak with Gabriella as soon as you can,” Tina finished and nodded to the woman slightly.

Rochelle caught the dismissal pretty clearly. She’d have to earn her way back into Tina’s good graces. She got up, and Ben did as well with the help of his cane. He walked her to the door and helped her with her coat. As she turned to leave, Ben gripped her jacket’s lapels and turned her to him. She looked up in surprise.

“Rochelle, know that you are an amazing woman. You’re sexy as hell, gorgeous, smart, driven, and worthy of respect and love. Own that. Take it into your heart! Don’t settle for anyone who doesn’t also believe it!” Ben said firmly. She blinked up at him.

Then he kissed her, and she felt it all the way down to her toes.

“Believe it!” he growled when he finally pulled back from her trembling lips.

She nodded shakily and left the house in a daze. Ben walked back into the living room, leaning on the cane and pondering why a woman as fine as her would keep gravitating to such losers.

“I’d like to eat in the kitchen, please,” he said to Tina. She lifted the tray and carried it to the other room as he followed her. He sat down at the kitchen table, and she sat next to him after making sure Christopher was happily exploring his new activity center in his playpen.

Tina reached out and took his hand. “You are a good man, Ben.”

“Only because you make me one,” he replied and dug into his lunch.

She wondered what he meant by that.

-=-

Gabriella heard the doorbell ring. She sighed and pushed herself back from her computer. She was putting together a significant addition to her distribution deal and had been working on the contract all morning. Her eyes were burning from staring at the screen, so the break was welcome.