Going Up!

Chapter Twenty Six

They opened the banquet hall and people started pouring in. Morgan, Rose, and I sat back at the bar, watching the stream of celebrities flow in. Was that Tom fucking Hiddleston?  Rose was squirming in her seat beside me. Unable to sit still with such amazing names in the same room as her.

"Holy hell," it was Morgan's turn to pick her jaw up off the floor, "is that Alexander Skarsgård?"

"Oh, my God, it is." Rose squeaked, her eyes wide.

"Shhhh." I shushed them both, "Guys, that's Michele Morrone, the guy from that new Netflix show 365 Days."

All three of our eyes floated over to him, he was gorgeously tall standing around six foot two and his deep caramel skin radiated warmth, like he spent a lot of time in the sun. I couldn't help but notice he arrived alone. My gaze slid to Morgan.

She wanted fun. The pesky devil in my head swirled her pitchfork.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ben's voice broke our trance and I jumped.

"Oh, shit." I giggled. "We were, umm, admiring Michele." I smiled sweetly at Ben, as I wrapped my arm around his waist, his hand settling on my hip.

"Ben," Morgan's voice carried over to us from where she stood against the bar, "do you know him?" Her eyes were alight with something, I couldn't quite put a pin on what it was.

"I do." He said, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

Fuck. Could you imagine? Ben and Michele in the same room, naked. Drool. Fuck. Head out of the gutter, Rey.

"You should introduce Michele to Morgan." I purred at Ben placing my hand on his chest. "I bet they could get in some trouble together."

"You're being especially difficult this evening Rey." He shook his head at me smiling. "I thought we were trying to distract Poe with Morgan?"

"Yea, but look at him." I waved my hand at him in an unobvious gesture.

"Ok? What am I looking at?" Ben scrunched his brow looking at the man who was just slightly shorter than him.

Michele's eyes caught Ben's and they lit up in recognition, he immediately turned and started walking towards us. My heart picked up its pace with every step he took in our direction.

God. I want him too. Shit. What the actual fuck is wrong with me?

"Ben," Michele's Italian accent floated around my ears, washing over me. "It's so nice to see you again. Who is this Bella you have here?" He extended his hand to Ben and they shook hands smiling. But I knew better, you see I had Ben's other hand around my waist.

Ben's grip on my waist tightened a fraction before he spoke. "It's so good to see you, this is my girlfriend, Rey Johnson."

"Girlfriend, you know I've known you for six years and seen you at countless events, I've never once met a girlfriend, looks like for a good reason too," his eyes floated my body, lingering at the slit right below my thigh.

A low growl rumbled in my ear, "Yes, I fully intend to marry her if she will quit being stubborn." I coughed into my drink. Turning to him, the smug satisfaction on his face was enough for Michele to understand and back off.

I extended a hand and he took it, "It's nice to meet you, this is my sister Rose and friend Morgan." I nodded down the bar to the ladies.

He took each of their hands, pressing a kiss into the back of them as he introduced himself, something I noticed he didn't do to me. I'm certain Ben would have ripped his throat out on the spot.