"Oh, you are insufferable! I'm going to hang up on you!"
"No, you're not. You love me too much."
In spite of herself, Savannah laughed. "You are incorrigible. What did I ever see in you?"
"There are too many lovable qualities for me to list them all. Now, get on the phone, tell the concierge what you need, and get your pretty ass on a plane."
Savannah sighed. "You are meddling in my life, you know."
"But of course. When have I ever hesitated to meddle in your life?"
And still, Savannah wavered. She had a day at the spa, telling herself that she deserved one last day of pampering. She spent another day buying yet more gifts to send back. And she still did not make travel arrangements. She was standing in the middle of her suite, hands on hips, staring at the mess around her. Every surface was littered with bags and boxes and open suitcases. Her hair was in disarray and her face was flushed as she looked at the room helplessly and poured a glass of wine. There was a knock at her door and she started, wondering who on earth it could be. The knock came again.
"I'm coming; I'm coming," she said, threading her way through the mess.
There was another knock, more insistent this time, and she threw open the door in irritation.
Her mouth dropped open in shock, and she gasped. "Ben! Oh, my god, what are you doing here?"
"I came to find out what the hell your problem is." He strode into her suite, closing the door forcefully behind him. "Your whole family is worried to death about you. You turned down the project, now what the hell are you doing?"
He stopped suddenly, staring around him in amazement. "What is going on in here? Did you have an explosion?"
She finally found her tongue. "Don't be ridiculous. Haven't you ever seen anyone pack before?"
He shook his head in wonder. "Not like this. Did you buy out every shop in Paris? Savannah, what are you doing?"
"I think I should be asking you that. What are you doing? How did you get here? I mean, Ben, you're in Paris!"
He said grimly, "Yes, I'm aware of that. I've just spent hours squeezed in between a huge man with garlic breath and an equally large woman who didn't shut up until twenty minutes before landing when she finally fell asleep."
"But why?"
"Because you have a family who loves you and is worried to death about you and wants nothing more than for you to come home. And, apparently, you want the same thing, but you're too damn stubborn to admit it. So I'm here to shake some sense into you."
Savannah was getting mad. "Well, just who do you think you are? This is my life and my decision to make. You don't get to tell me what to do."
"It's your life, all right, but it's not just you who's affected by your so-called decisions. You're not the center of the universe, sweetheart, and it's not all about you."
"How dare you say that," Savannah hissed at him, her eyes shooting sparks.
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. I haven't even begun to "dare,” as you put it." He advanced toward her, and she backed away.
"How did you even know where to find me?" Savannah demanded.
"You have a friend, another person who loves you, who cares enough about you to get you help."
Savannah's eyes widened. "Henri."
Ben nodded. "That's right. Of all the people in your life who love you, he was the only one you trusted enough to confide in. And he cared enough to try to fix the mess you've made. He was very clear about exactly what he thinks you need too. And I'm inclined to agree with him."
"Don't you touch me, Ben. Henri doesn't know what he's talking about. He thinks life is still like the good old days when the men ruled the roost."
Ben actually laughed. "I think Henri knows exactly what he's talking about. He said you were behaving like a sulking child, and I think he's exactly right."
Ben caught up with her as she backed toward the bedroom. He jerked her to him and took her mouth in a bruising kiss. His touch set all her nerve endings on fire and she kissed him back, hard. In one quick move, he had her sprawled across his lap as he sat on the padded ottoman at the foot of the bed. His hand came down hard on her silk clad bottom and she squirmed madly, trying to get away. He chuckled wickedly as he smacked her bottom over and over.
"Stop it, Ben! I did not tell you that you could do this; stop it immediately!"
Ben laughed and spanked her harder. He paused long enough to pull her skirt up and tug her panties down, admiring her pink cheeks and taking time to stroke and squeeze them. "You really do have a fine looking ass," he said with appreciation.
"You asshole," Savannah hissed at him.
He smacked her bare bottom with his big, strong hand just as she had once imagined. She squirmed on his lap, conscious of the hard muscles of his thighs under her bare skin. His hand was setting her bottom on fire and another fire was kindling between her thighs. When he stroked her hot cheeks with that same strong hand, she moaned and wriggled against his lap. She had kicked her panties to the floor, and her legs parted when his fingers slipped between them, stroking and probing between her thighs.
He pulled his hand back and gave her another flurry of hard smacks on her tender bottom. She gasped and squirmed harder against the hard bulge at his crotch. Ben's hand moved between her legs again, and she cried out when he thrust two fingers into her sweet, hot center. He smacked her bottom with his other hand while he moved his fingers in a steady rhythm inside her.
"Oh, god," Savannah gasped. "You're ambidextrous."
At his snort of laughter, she giggled helplessly, writhing against his hands. He pulled his hands away and she made a sound of protest as he pulled her upright.
"Take your clothes off," Ben said hoarsely.
Savannah took her time pulling off her clothing, moving close, then backing out of his reach. When she was naked, he caught her by the arms and pulled her against him, ravishing her mouth with his. His belt buckle dug into her belly and she pulled it free, unzipping his pants while she was at it. Ben pulled his belt out of his pants and doubled it. Savannah gave a little gasp when he turned her around and gave her a few light strokes with it, just enough to sting. When he dropped the belt, she fumbled with his shirt, pulling the buttons free and sliding it down off his shoulders.
Ben pushed his jeans down and struggled out of them while Savannah attacked his chest with her mouth, kissing and nipping at him. Finally, he swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed, filling his hands with her breasts and plundering her mouth with lips, teeth and tongue. He roamed over every inch of her body, touching and tasting. When she sank her teeth into his shoulder, he turned her over on the bed and spanked her again. Squeezing her reddened buttocks in his hands, he spread her legs wide and let his fingers explore between them.
Savannah bucked under his hands, letting out little whimpers as he drove her right to the edge of an orgasm and then pulled his hands away. Ben turned her over on her back and kissed her, but he didn't touch any part of her but her lips. Savannah moaned in frustration and reached for him, wrapping her hand around the hard length of him, squeezing and stroking. With a savage growl, Ben spread her legs and plunged into her, driving her to a blazing orgasm on the third thrust. He slowed his rhythm as she was wracked with shudders of pleasure, and then he slowly built her up again with slow, deep thrusts.