Temptation

Spoiled Rotten

Cassie rubbed her head as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a long day and she just wanted to go home...well, not home, but Ben's place. Her mother has been getting worse and worse and she couldn't stand it. The worst part was that summer was coming up very quickly, which means she'll be spending more time at home with her mom.

She sighed when she realized she needed to start packing up her things. She grabbed her bag and filled it with her papers and everything she needed to grade tonight. "Hey, beautiful," a deep voice said. She looked up from her bag and saw Ben standing at the doorway of her classroom.

"Ben," she said, "what are you doing here?" He gave her a soft smile, as he walked inside. "When you called earlier, I could hear the strain in your voice. I wanted to make sure you were okay." She huffed out a laugh. He was so perfect, she couldn't believe he was even real.

As she stood up from her desk, he took her bag from her hand. "Come on, I'll take you home," he offered. She took his extended hand, but then said, "I don't want to see my mom right now." He gave her a small smile and said, "Not that home."

He walked her out of the building and to his car, where he drove them to his apartment. They got inside and he immediately sat her down and brought her a soda. She took a few sips, then set it on the table. Ben joined her on the couch.

Rather than discuss her mother (because she doesn't often like to talk about her anymore), he asked, "Have you got any plans for your summer vacation yet?" She pursed her lips, then told him, "No. I'll probably just work on the syllabus for next year, then binge watch a show or two."

He hummed, then put his arm around her shoulder. "I might have an idea," he told her. She looked at him curiously, then asked, "And what's that?" He held her close and kissed her head. "I want you to meet my parents...in London."

Cassie looked like she was in shock. "Me?" She asked. "You want me to meet your parents...in London?" He chuckled, as he told her, "Of course! We're getting into our sixth month of being together, I love you, and I want my parents to meet you. Now, I also know you're quite desperate for a long holiday, so we can take a week before, maybe...go to Paris? We can spend the next week in London, stay in a hotel there. What do you say? Sound like the holiday you've been looking for?"

She turned her body towards him and he smiled as he pulled her close to him. "Honestly, Ben...that sounds like exactly what I need. Paris? London? Really?" She laughed when he lightly tickled her side. "Really," he chuckled. "Let me handle everything; the flights, the hotels and you just don't worry about a damn thing. Okay?"

She nodded as she told him, "Okay. Thank you. You are truly the best." He placed a kiss on her lips. "I just want what's best for you. Now, I know you might not want to talk about it, but what happened with your mother?"

Quirking an eyebrow, she asked, "How do you know I'm upset because of my mother?" He quirked an eyebrow back at her. "When is she not upsetting you?" He had a point, she knew. "She just...she's just been a pain. Mainly about you. She still thinks you're a bad influence, blah, blah the usual. It's fine, though. Just a few more weeks and I can get the hell out."

He sighed and told her, "I'm sorry. If I could make time go faster, I would just for the sake of your sanity. In the meantime, though, I will be here. If you ever need to talk, I am right here." She nodded as she told him, "I know. That's one of the reasons why I love you."

He smiled, then gave her a tender kiss. "Speaking of loving me," he said, "would you still love me if I threw you a surprise birthday party?" She quirked an eyebrow and told him, "No. And what would be the point of a surprise party of I know it's a surprise?"

"Because I know you hate surprises," he said, as if it were obvious. "Anyways, I do plan on throwing you one here. Just thought I'd give you a heads up." She shook her head with a smile. "You spoil me," she said. "Seriously, you're...you're doing too much, Ben, with the vacation and now a party..."

He put his hand up to stop her. "Cassie," he said, "nothing is too much. Don't worry about the cost of these things, don't worry about anything." She cocked her head to the side and said, "But I am worried about the cost."

He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Darling, I have enough money to set my children up for life. In a few more years, I'll have enough to set their children up for life. I have a very good job, a very great paycheck coming in every couple of weeks, and I don't have anything or anyone to spoil with it, except you and I want to spoil you rotten. Let me. Please."

She put her head on his shoulder and started to laugh. She couldn't believe this man. "Fine," she told him, "but only because I haven't been spoiled in years." Chuckling, he said, "Fair enough. But for now..."

He quickly lifted her up as he stood from the couch. She let out a squeal when he did. "...I want to take my beautiful girlfriend upstairs and I want to show her just how much I bloody well love her and I am most definitely going to spoil her with her favorite form of oral communication."

He gave her a wink and that God he was holding her, or else she would have swooned from both the dirty promise and the wink.