The Intern Serials: Complete Box Set (30 page)

Chapter Two

Bentley

I LAY WITH Ceci cradled into my chest. Her breaths rapid and heavy. God, I missed her. I miss her every time I leave, but lately, it’s become harder and harder to leave her behind.

I enjoy taking her with me, but I knew she had a lot to do yet before the wedding. I knew my busy schedule wasn’t allowing us to have a lot of one-on-one time, and it especially didn’t allow for me to help out with wedding details.

“Your mother’s going to be here in fifteen minutes,” she says, clenching onto me tighter. “I don’t have anything made.” I look at her as she bites her lip, worried she’s going to let my mother down or something.

My mother can definitely be intimidating, but she’s harmless. I’m her only child, and she isn’t accepting the fact that I’ll be a married man soon.

However, I know Ceci is struggling to make a connection with her even after all this time. I’ve encouraged them to spend time together to ease both of them into this new chapter of our lives, but my mother has been quite insistent on not accepting change.

“I’ll take care of it.” I lean over and kiss her softly on the cheek. “Get ready and meet me downstairs.”

I quickly get dressed and brush my hands through my hair, trying to tame it down. I grab my cell and call in an order of Thai food, my mother’s favorite.

“Well, hello, dear.” She smiles as I answer the door.

“Come in, Mom.” I smile back at her, moving away from the door to allow her inside. I’m hoping the food will warm her up so she doesn’t make Ceci feel uneasy. However, by her strong stance, I’m not so sure she’s even breakable at this point.

Ceci meets us both downstairs, grabbing us all drinks as we casually stand by the bar. Ceci’s body is rigid as my mother talks about the guest list.

“I’m thinking three, three-fifty at most. Keep it just to family and friends.” She smiles wide, gripping her glass of wine.

“Three hundred and fifty guests?” Ceci gasps as her eyes widen in shock. I’m sure, between the two of us, we don’t even know that many people. They’d be a mixture of my parent’s high-end ‘friends.’

“Mother, that’s a bit much. Don’t you think? We were thinking something small, a bit more
intimate
,” I say exactly what I know Ceci is thinking.

I watch as my mother ponders for about five seconds before she retorts, “It will be, dear. Don’t you worry.” She smiles sweetly at the both of us. I know she loves party planning and anything to draw in the Leighton name. “Most of them just send gifts anyway. It’s not like they’ll all show up,” she reassures.

Ceci swallows as her body tenses. The last thing I want to do on my first night back is get in an argument with either of them.

The doorbell rings with our food, and it immediately breaks the tension. We all sit around the table as my mother discusses her centerpiece ideas. Ceci stays quiet, sweetly nodding at everything my mother says. I can tell she’s checked out of the conversation, and I know she’s unhappy with everything my mother’s suggesting.

“Bye, dear.” She pats my cheek as if I’m a child. “We’ll speak later, all right?” She smiles at me and turns her head toward Ceci. “We can talk bridesmaid dresses later this week.”

Before Ceci can respond, she grips the door handle and escorts herself out. I slowly shut the door behind her, bracing myself for what’s to come.

*   *   *

The following morning, Ceci wakes me up eagerly with her body pressed against mine. We didn’t discuss my mother or any wedding details last night. I know she won’t talk about it, but I want her to be happy with all the details, as well. I wish I could be around more so I could help, but I’ll be happy with anything she chooses.

“Good morning,” I say roughly, barely opening my eyes.

“Morning.” She kisses my neck softly as her hands roam free in my hair. “I thought we could grab some breakfast at that one coffee house downtown. I’ve been craving a bagel.”

“Mm, breakfast sounds wonderful,” I say as her lips move down my stomach. I brush the hair off her face as she inches down my body, seductively kissing and licking on her way down south.

“I’ve missed waking up to you,” she pouts playfully, kneeling back on her heels as she rips my briefs down. I spring free, my back arching as she grips my cock firmly in her hands.

“God, sweetheart.” I pant heavily as her lips swirl around the tip. My hands fist her hair as she slowly—and torturously—licks up my shaft before putting it fully into her mouth. “Jesus Christ.”

She moans as she switches from sucking and stroking, working me hard until I release in her mouth. I watch as she licks up my shaft again, cleaning every messy inch.

She sits up and smirks at me as she licks her lips and pulls my briefs back up. “Ready?”

I sit up and grab her by the shoulders, pulling her flat to the bed and covering her body with mine. “Not quite.” I grin.

I make sure to return the favor as I devour her pussy. She fists the sheets as her toes curl around my neck, releasing hard around my tongue.

“Now, I’m ready.” I grin wide, placing a gentle kiss on the inside of her thigh. “I’m getting in the shower, join me.”

We make it to The Grind Café shortly before lunch. Ceci and I are both in line looking over the menu when someone calls out her name.

“Cecilia?” We both turn toward a guy who’s already seated. I look him over quickly before Ceci releases her hold on me and walks toward him.

“Jason? Oh, my god,” she squeals. He stands up and embraces her into a hug. The instinct to break both of his arms comes to mind, but I stand down as soon as he releases her.

“Wow, Cecilia.” He noticeably eyes her up and down—making me want to gouge his eyes out instead. He’s clearly checking her out while I’m standing right behind her. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” she responds sweetly. “I haven’t seen you in what—five, six years?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” He crosses his arms, sticking his chest out. I wasn’t getting a good vibe from him before, but now—now I was ready to intervene.

“I’m Bentley,” I interrupt, shoving my hand in his face. “Ceci’s fiancé.”

He shakes my hand with a shocked expression. “Fiancé? Congratulations. I’m Jason. I went to school with Cecilia. Or I guess you go by Ceci now.” He turns and looks at her for clarification.

“Either one is fine,” she explains. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t heard. It’s only plastered all over the local newspapers,” Ceci informs, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, I actually just got back a few days ago.” He pulls a chain of dog tags out from under his shirt.
Shit.
“I was overseas for eighteen months.”

“Oh, my god!” Ceci about screams. “I had no idea. Good for you!” She smiles genuinely.

“Thanks,” he responds softly. Now I feel like a complete douche, but that didn’t mean I was happy he was checking her out. “Well, listen, I’ll let you guys get back to ordering. Call me if you ever want to hang and catch up. My phone number’s the same.”

“Awesome, I will. It was great seeing you.” I guide her back to the checkout line, my arm securing her to me.

“So Jason…was a good friend?” I begin, hoping she’ll fill in all the blanks.

“Yeah, I mean, he was kind of an ex, fling, er—friend fling. I don’t know. We were together, but it wasn’t really official.”

“So he’s an ex-boyfriend?”

“Not really. We didn’t date, we just—” She stops herself, knowing how uncomfortable this is.

“You just fucked?” I whispered so only she could hear, but needing to know the truth. I wasn’t about to let her hang out with some guy she used to sleep with.

“God, Bentley,” she scowls, blushing. “Yes, okay. We were fuck buddies, happy?”

“Not particularly.” I deadpan. It’s our turn to order, so I drop it. For now.

We both order multigrain bagels with fat-free vegetable cream cheese and caramel lattés. We end up sitting outside since it’s a surprisingly warm winter day in Omaha.

After a couple bites, I have to speak up, or it’ll weigh on me the entire day.

“You aren’t really going to meet up with him, are you? 

“Who, Jason? Why not?” she asks, finishing the rest of her bite.

“Well, because it’s kind of awkward letting my fiancée spend time with a guy she used to sleep with. Doesn’t make me very happy to know he was checking you out, probably imagining your naked body.”

She cocks her head and scowls. “You don’t trust me?”

I grab her hand forcefully, knowing she knows the answer to that. “Of course, I do. However, I don’t trust him for a second. He’s been overseas for months with no sexual outlet. The second he saw you, his entire face lit up. He wanted you. He didn’t even care that I was right behind you.”

“That’s not true. I haven’t seen him since my junior year of high school. There’s nothing between us, Bentley. And even if he did, I’d turn him down.”

“Men can be quite persistent.” I cock a smile, knowing I was more than persistent with her.

“So I’ve heard.”

Chapter Three

Ceci

Long distance relationship

BENTLEY AND I I enjoy another week together before he’s shipped back to L.A. He and Angie are flying somewhere to Europe within the next day or two. She’s booked him solid for two weeks, but I’m hoping to be able to fly out there at the end of the week for the last five days of his visit.

Bentley
: I miss you already, sweetheart.

Me
: I miss you, too. Be safe. Call me when you land.

Bentley
: It’s going to be like 3 a.m. your time.

Me
: I don’t care. I won’t be able to sleep, anyway.

Bentley
: All right. I love you.

Me
: I love you, too.

His traveling schedule has been more hectic this past year. The more exposure he’s had, the more in demand he’s been. He signed a contract with a worldwide company, and they have over fifty different name brands. About a month ago, his agent brought up the idea of him shooting commercials, not just doing shoots. That’ll definitely add to his already busy schedule.

“I have an appointment to pick out flowers today. I’ll pick you up at eleven. And then we can grab lunch at the country club,” Mrs. Leighton says, giving me no choice, but to agree to everything she says.

“All right.”

“Great, see you soon, darling.” She hangs up before I can say goodbye. Not that I really want to spend the day with her, but perhaps it could be a good time to let her know what I want.

I dress in a simple outfit with black leggings and a teal shirt. I’m not quite sure what one wears to a country club, but I’m sure I’ll be out of place anyway.

We arrive at a high-end flower shop. It’s the most popular in town with its elegant and pricey showcases. Definitely one I know would be way out of my budget if Bentley and I didn’t have a joint account. Once I graduated college and traveled with Bentley, I never looked for a job. I wanted to, but with his schedule, it was near impossible. He’s reassured me that I should enjoy planning the wedding now and that I can go back on tour with him, but some days, I wished I had something to look forward to besides picking out flowers and lunches at the country club with his mother.

“Wow, this place is gorgeous,” I say as soon as we walk in. “So stunning.”

“They do the best work in the state. Juan is a family friend, Ceci. He’s eager to help. You’ll love him,” she reassures.

I fake a smile in return, knowing I’m already uncomfortable with this whole situation. I would’ve been happy with something simple, but I know that isn’t in Mrs. Leighton’s vocabulary.

Soon, I’m surrounded by Mrs. Leighton and Juan as they discuss centerpieces ‘we must have’ and everything for the bouquets and boutonnieres. It’s really over the top and extravagant to have a bridal bouquet cost more than our monthly mortgage.

“These are a lovely color,” Mrs. Leighton says, turning toward me.

“Oh, are you speaking to me?” I ask unsurely since she’s hardly said a word to me as she and Juan had been discussing every detail. She nods, ignoring the resentment in my tone. “I don’t think it matches,” I say.

“Off white is a perfect accent color to blue,” Juan clarifies.
Blue?

“Blue what?” My eyes widen. My wedding colors are not white and blue.

“The tuxedo vests and ties are blue, darling. Didn’t Bentley tell you that?” She turns, fluffing another bouquet that is surely to cost more than my car payment.

“No…no, he did not. They’re purple…to match the bridesmaid dresses.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. Blue is powerful. It’ll be beautiful for a summer wedding.” She smiles wide, ignoring everything I’m saying. It’s useless to even argue with her at this point.

What she really means is that blue means
royalty
, because that’s what she thinks she is.

I clench my mouth tight for the rest of the appointment, wishing I could tell her where to put those white flowers, but for the sake of Bentley and keeping the peace, I don’t. I’ll be sure to bring it up to him later. He can tell his mother the bad news instead.

I break away during our lunch to use the restroom and to quickly email Bentley. I know the plane has WI-FI but no phone service, so I’ll get to him faster this way.

Please tell me you didn’t agree on blue for our wedding color. Your mother took me flower shopping today. She has picked out bouquets that cost more than my entire car. The bridesmaid dresses are purple. I thought that’s what you and I agreed on. You need to tell her because she won’t listen to me.

He responds almost immediately.

I haven’t agreed to anything, sweetheart, but blue is nice, too. I’m sure she hasn’t ordered the tuxes yet. I’ll tell her as soon as I get back.

That’s two weeks from now. Who knows how much damage she can cause in two weeks.

No, you have to right away. She’ll have the whole thing planned and picked out before you even get back.

All right. I’ll call her tomorrow.

I sigh in relief and quickly email back before I sit back down with his mother.

Thank you. I love you. Call me when you land.

I nod and pretend to be invested in the conversation with Mrs. Leighton. I wish I could connect on a different level with her, but right now, it’s like two cats fighting for the same territory, and she’s pissing all over mine.

I thank her for lunch before she drops me off. I pass out on the bed ready for this day to be over already. I just want to hear Bentley’s voice.

*   *   *

My phone rings at three-thirty a.m., waking me out of my sleep coma. I’m eager to talk to Bentley, so I shuffle around searching for it.

“Baby?”

“Hi, sweetheart.” His voice instantly soothes me. “We made it. We’re at the hotel now.”

“Oh, god. That makes me so happy. That was a long flight.”

“Yeah, I’m beat. I’m going to be jet legged for a week now.”

“I wish I could fly out sooner. I miss you already.”

“I know, sweetheart. But it’s always so busy the first few days. You’ll be here soon.”

“I can’t wait. I need a break. Your mother is stressing me out.”

“I’ll set my alarm and call her in the morning,” he reassures me.

“Wait…no. You need to sleep. I don’t want you to have to wake up just to call her.” Shit, now I feel bad. The time difference means he’ll be sleeping while we’re awake and vice versa.

“Okay, I’ll call her in a few days when my sleep schedule is not as messed up. I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake.” He yawns.

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me, too. I’ll have off the day you arrive, so I’m sure we can find something fun to do.”

“I don’t think we need to leave the room in order to find something to do,” I tease. “I can think of plenty of
fun
things to do.”

“You’re so bad.” He laughs. “I love it.”

“I’ll let you get to bed, babe. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. Sweet dreams.”

We hang up and I’m immediately on a high from hearing his sleepy voice. I hate sleeping alone. I need a dog or something.

I call Cora in the morning, pleading with her to do something with me so my mind didn’t consist of Bentley or his mother. She had plans with Simon already but invited me to come with them.

“Never mind. I don’t need to be a third wheel,” I whined.

“You’re never a third wheel, Celia. Come with us.”

“Nah. It’s fine. You guys enjoy your day off. I’ll call Katelynn to see if she’s busy.”

The downfalls of not having a job to go to or a fiancé around. I’m starting to lose my mind when Katelynn says her and Brandon are out of town for the day.

Just great.

I decide to shower and get ready anyway. I’ll find
something
to do.

I end up back at The Grind Café with my eReader. I order my usual latté and bagel and find a comfortable spot in the corner.

I’m halfway into my new book when a male voice interrupts me.

“Well, hey stranger.” I look up and see Jason sitting across from me. He’s smiling wide holding a cup of coffee.

“Hi!” I smile back. “Your new favorite spot?”

“It is now,” he mocks. “I work across the street.” He nods behind me.

I turn around and see an old vintage bookstore. “You work at a bookstore?”

“Well, kinda. A friend owns it and is on vacation for a couple weeks. He asked me to watch over it while he’s gone. And since I don’t really have a job—and apparently nothing better to do—” He laughs at the irony. “I said I would.”

“I’ve never been in that one. I read mostly eBooks now.” I hold up my Kindle. “I wouldn’t peg you for a bookstore type of guy,” I tease, remembering what a slacker he was in high school.

He looks down and scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was a dumb kid. What can I say?” He laughs lightly. “But I graduated, joined the army, and really got my shit together now.”

“I can tell.” I smile genuinely. “You’ve definitely changed.”

“So what about you? Engaged to a professional model and planning ‘the wedding of the year?’” He smirks, doing air quotes as if he’s read it in a magazine.

“I see you’ve done some research now.” I sigh, wishing it wasn’t so easy to know intimate details about my personal life.

“Well, I had to once I saw you again. I felt like I had to catch up on civilization.” He laughs lightheartedly. I end up laughing with him because he really had been out of the loop while he was gone.

“I guess I don’t blame you. But—” I warn, pointing a finger at him. “Just don’t believe everything you hear. Bentley isn’t cheating on me with French models, and I’m not secretly pregnant with another man’s baby,” I retort, quoting an article for a gossip magazine.

“Wow, your life is way more interesting than mine.” He smirks.

I shake my head at him. “I doubt it. I’m in a coffee house in the middle of the day. How interesting can it really be?”

“Well, you’re welcome to come keep me company at the store. I get about three customers a day.”

I think it over, wondering if there’d be any harm in doing so. He knows I’m engaged, so I’m not leading him on, and my afternoon is wide open with nothing else to do.

“Sure, I can stay for a little bit.”

We walk over, and as soon as he unlocks the door, the scent of old paperbacks hits my nose.

“Wow…that smell,” I gush.

“Yeah, it’s a little strong.” He closes the door behind me.

“No, I love it. I haven’t been in a bookstore or library in ages.” I close my eyes as I inhale deeply. “God, I could spend all day in here.”

I run my fingers along a shelf of books. Most of them are old, unknown authors. I pick one up and ruffle through the pages, letting the smell overcome me.

“You’re welcome in here anytime, Cecilia. I’ll be here all week, unfortunately.” He laughs weakly. “I could use the company,” he says genuinely. I look at him and a feeling of warmth hits me. I feel bad he’s all alone because I know that feeling all too well sometimes. He’s come back from overseas after a year and a half and probably hasn’t settled back into civilization yet.

“Sure, I’d love to. I don’t know if I’ll be good company, though. I plan to dive into as many books as I can,” I say sweetly.

“Fine with me.” He stands with his arms crossed, staring intently at me. I can tell he’s genuine. He needs a friend, and if I'm honest, I could use a friend, too.

I ended up stopping at the store every day for the rest of the week. We would walk over to grab something to eat and coffee every afternoon. It’s become a nice tradition.

Bentley and I email since it’s easier with the time difference. I’m so excited to see him soon. I leave tomorrow morning for a very long twelve-hour flight.

“I’m going to miss the smell,” I say, breaking the silence as we eat. “I wish I could bottle it up.”

“When will you be back?” he asks.

“A week from tomorrow. Bentley and I will fly back together.”

“Does it bother you? The traveling and crazy schedule,” he asks, genuinely. We’ve had plenty of time to talk all week, but mostly, I’ve talked because I didn’t want to pressure him in telling me anything he wasn’t comfortable discussing.

“Yes, sometimes. But I know it’s important for him. Once the wedding is over though, I’ll travel with him more again. It’s just now that it’s less than six months away, I’m staying behind to finish planning the wedding. Or rather, watching his mother plan it.” I roll my eyes.

“Why don’t you say something?”

“She doesn’t listen. It’s really no use. Bentley’s supposed to talk to her when we get back. Every time he tries to talk to her on the phone, she changes the conversation.” Sipping my latté, I say, “She’s good like that.”

“What do
you
want for your wedding?” he asks sincerely, locking eye contact with me.