A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (33 page)

She had not been drunk like this, ever. Tonight with Eliot Stone she had one too many glasses of champagne. That was her excuse for letting him kiss her. She was mildly surprised by Eliot's behavior tonight. He was helpful with the start-up of her business and even offered to back her financially. The shocker was his overt physical attraction for her. Ben had been right. Eliot had been ogling Lara for two years and she had not noticed. She thought about how Eliot presented himself tonight. Looking back on the evening with him, he was the consummate gentleman. He spoke from his heart about his intentions to see her on a personal basis. She knew it would be a delicate balancing act to keep him as a friend. She made a mental note to reinforce that theme the next time they met.

She kicked off her boots and stripped off her clothing leaving everything in a trail on the floor. Washing her face in the bathroom sink she felt dizzy. She didn't like the feeling. As she slipped between the covers in her bed, she thought of Ben on the other side of the wall. It was quiet over there. She figured he was probably sleeping. His truck was in the driveway out back next to her Fiat. She replayed the argument with Ben in her mind. She regretted saying those horrible things and slapping him. Lara had never lost control like that before. But, she felt he was putting pressure on her, while not holding up his end of the bargain. He wanted her to be exclusively his, but he could not commit to her completely.
No matter how much she loved him, he was still a married man
. She listened quietly in her bed and presumed Ben was sleeping on the other side of the wall. She missed walking Einstein. She missed Ben's voice and hearing about his day. She wondered if he was working on getting his divorce finalized or spending more time at the roadhouse. She woke in the middle of the night sweating and crying, reliving the horror of being attacked.

Lara did not have to wait long to hear from Eliot. Her phone rang the next morning and he wanted to take her to dinner at the yacht club. It was casual. Lara liked the yacht club and had an interest in sailing. She was totally ignorant on the subject, but willing to learn. She had plenty to keep her busy today. She had to finish up class work and polish her master's project. Her final day at Stone and Associates happened to be today. She was distracted in classes, and when she passed Ben in the hallway she avoided his eyes. She did not even acknowledge him. When the appointed time for Einstein's walk rolled around, Lara did not show up in Ben's office.

She walked home to the pink Victorian and got ready for dinner at the yacht club with Eliot. Searching through her closet, she chose a red silk dress with a deep plunge in the front. Wearing no bra, this could be a risqué choice but she wore it anyway. She put a tiny pin in her clutch purse just in case the dress opened up when she sat down. She chose a pair of strappy heels. Looking in the mirror she decided to wear her long hair up tonight and pinned it carefully into a loose twist leaving some strands undone. She wore the ruby and diamond earrings she had purchased for Christmas. She remembered Ben loved them. As she was applying the scent of vanilla musk she thought of Ben and wondered if he was burning the candles in his bedroom, thinking of her. She was applying a soft muted red lipstick when her doorbell buzzed. She looked out and saw the Bentley ready to pick her up for the yacht club. She grabbed a black wool coat and her black leather bag and floated down the stairs to the driver waiting on the porch. She was not aware that Ben was watching her walk down the driveway in the red dress and get into the Bentley. She also did not know he followed her to the yacht club in his truck.

Eliot was there at the door to meet her at the yacht club. The sun was setting and the view of Casco Bay from the windows was breathtaking. Eliot pointed out his
vessel on the mooring in the harbor, a beautiful 40-foot Hinckley sailboat. "I put it in early this year. I cannot wait to take you sailing, Lara, you will love it." As they entered a private room at the yacht club, Lara was speechless as she viewed all of the employees from the firm there. They all shouted in unison, "Surprise!" Eliot had set up a wonderful going away dinner for her. She sat at the head of the table with him. He handled everything, including a heartfelt speech announcing Lara's start-up of her new firm. She blushed as he spoke appreciatively of her internship and hard work at Stone and Associates. After dinner the guests stopped to congratulate her. Then after dessert they said goodnight and drifted off one by one.

Eliot and Lara were now alone in their usual private corner booth with an ocean view. He had a bottle of her favorite
French champagne brought to the table. She hesitated, "Do you really think we need more champagne?" But Eliot was in a celebratory mood, "It isn't every day you start your own business!" She agreed. It was a time to celebrate. But she would only have one glass tonight. "Here's to your new venture, Dark Horse Renovation." He raised his glass enthusiastically and said he had a little something for her. He slipped a check into her clutch telling her not to look at it until she was home. "Oh Eliot, I cannot accept your financial help…" But Eliot insisted. He would not take no for an answer. Eliot was positioned close to Lara in the booth and at the opportune moment he leaned in and gently slipped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned back and laughed at his funny sailing stories. Eliot was entertaining and well mannered. Several club members stopped by the table to congratulate Lara on the start-up of her new business. As the hour got late, Eliot whispered in Lara's ear, "Let's go."

~Ben~

Parking well away from the building in the corner of the parking lot Ben could see directly inside the yacht club. He forced himself to bring the high-powered binoculars to his eyes as he viewed the well lit scene inside. The whole waterside of the building was wall-to-wall windows. Slouching in his truck, Ben observed Lara as she sat in the private booth with Eliot. He watched as she tipped her head back laughing at whatever Eliot Stone was saying. He saw Eliot slip his arm around her. Instinctively at that exact moment Ben's fists and jaw clenched simultaneously. He felt a knot in his stomach. He
was compelled to turn away. The pain was too great. She was
his
. But it was clear to him that she enjoyed Eliot's embrace. Ben took a deep breath and continued his observation.

As Lara came out of the building, Ben watched her get into the Bentley with Eliot. Ben followed from a safe distance in his truck. The Bentley drove to Eliot's mansion and he waited until it disappeared past the thick landscape surrounding the long driveway. Then he parked on the roadside a good distance from Eliot's house and walked up to the hedgerow. He took a moment to scope out the security cameras. He spotted them and was careful to stay hidden in the cover of the lush landscaping.
Crouching and moving with caution, Ben made his way around to the backside of the Tudor.  The large three-paned arched window of the library was well lit and the drapes were open. Ben hid behind a grove of mature trees and watched with binoculars as Eliot brought a bottle of champagne to Lara. Ben knew she did not drink alcohol. Surprised, he watched Lara take the long stemmed crystal glass filled with champagne.

She was laughing again at whatever Eliot was saying. She looked stunning in the red silk dress. Ben had never seen it before. Her long dark hair was pinned up revealing the alluring nape of her neck. Lara was disarmingly feminine, difficult for any guy to resist. And he could see that Eliot was drawn to her. In fact, all night Ben noticed Eliot could not keep his eyes off her. He was especially interested in the deep plunge of her red dress. Ben was enraged to think of another man kissing and touching her. Even though he knew he had no right to feel this way, he could not stop the deep love he felt for Lara, nor the urge to protect her.

Eliot was kissing her neck and his hands encircled her waist. Then stealthily, Eliot's hands slid down to her shapely bottom. Ben, filled with self-hatred as he watched, knew it should have been him caressing Lara that way. Unable to continue watching because he felt physically ill, Ben made his way back to his vehicle and drove home in silence. He felt frustrated, enraged and heartbroken all at the same time. But he knew there was nothing he could do….or was there? As he hopped out of his truck in the driveway at home, he tapped Sienna's phone number. He would speak with her tonight on the phone and
beg
her, if necessary, to agree to the divorce.
He would give her anything
.

~Lara~

While she was trying to escape the grasp of Eliot Stone in his library, Lara heard her cell phone chime. She pulled away telling Eliot she had to take the important call. Thank god her phone rang at that moment. She excused herself to use the powder room. Looking at her phone she saw the message from Officer Bettencourt and listened to it. He asked her to stop by the
police station tomorrow. He wanted to talk with her personally. His deep voice sounded ominous. She called the cell number and he instantly picked up, "Bettencourt." She told him she was returning his call. "Yes, Miss O'Connell. I wonder if you could come by the station tomorrow. I'd like to fill you in on some details regarding Bill Stephens." Lara froze. "Sure, I'll be there in the morning. Would 8:00 be all right?" Bettencourt said he'd wait for her in the morning. She felt something foreboding in his tone. Whatever Officer Bettencourt had to say to her, he wanted to relay it in person. She sensed he didn't want to go into the details on the phone. But, she had the impression this was on his to do list, even though it was after hours.

She returned to Eliot in the library and made an excuse to leave. She thanked him profusely for the lovely going away party and the champagne. Eliot was disappointed that she could not stay longer. Lara knew he had been looking at the plunging neckline and it made her uneasy. He got his hands on her bottom when he kissed her neck earlier, and she didn't like the fast pace of his advances. Eliot walked her to the Bentley and embraced Lara tenderly. "When can I see you again?" Lara remained non-committal. "Give me a call." and she slipped into the Bentley and closed the door. She knew Eliot was expecting something more…maybe a declaration of her feelings for him. But, Ben was on her mind as the Bentley pulled in front of the pink Victorian. She noticed his condo was dark as the driver walked her to the porch.

In her condo, she slipped out of the red silk dress and unpinned her hair shaking it loose. Her cell phone rang and it was Sienna. "Lara, I hope this isn't a bad time to call you. It's late." Lara said, "I'm here alone, doing nothing." Sienna's voice sounded different, "It's just that Ben has been particularly brutal lately in our divorce negotiation. He called me again tonight. A few weeks ago he was threatening to have me declared mentally ill, so he could take William away." Lara heard sobbing. "But, now he's had a change of heart. He told me he
won't
demand custody of William." Lara listened intently. Although she felt sorry for Sienna, Lara felt she had to stand up for herself. "You think I'm responsible for all of this, don't you, Sienna?"

There was a pause and then Sienna
surprised her, "No. I don't blame you any longer, Lara. At first I did.
But now I realize Eric has been lying to me in those texts
. Now the argument with Ben is about assets. I want half of his earnings from Dark Horse. And, if he takes William from me, I will kill myself. It will be the end for me." For a moment, Lara didn't know if she heard the words correctly. "Did you say the texts from
Eric
?" Sienna paused, "Yes, Eric. He's the guy that sent the photos of you and Ben and told me all about your relationship." Lara's heart stopped beating for a moment. Her friend, Eric, had been sending the texts and photos to Sienna.
Why would he do such a thing?
She had to process that for a moment. "I'll tell you this, Sienna, I am not dating Ben and the only relationship I ever had with him was as a friend, neighbor and a designer. And, if you want to believe the lies someone named Eric is making up, then you go right ahead. But, they are lies. I wish you the best and sincerely hope you can work out an agreement that gives you peace. You said Ben is willing to give up custody of William.  That's what you wanted all along…at least that's what you told me." Sienna did not respond right away. "You are right. Thank you, Lara. You've given me a lot to think about." The phone call ended with a sense of shared camaraderie between the two women. But, now Lara had to find out
why Eric was sending lies and fake
photographs to Sienna
. She had a sick feeling in her stomach and suddenly realized why he might do such a horrible thing.

The next morning Lara arrived at the police station precisely at 8:00 and Officer Bettencourt met her at the front desk. The big man towered over her as they walked down the hallway to a private consultation room. It was the same room used to photograph her bruises. He pulled out the chair for her to sit and took the seat next to her. Placing his hat on the table he pulled out a folded piece of paper. When he spoke, it was in a low serious tone, "You need to be aware of the fact that Bill Stephens has a long record of violence against women. I'm not supposed to do this, but here's a copy of his arrest record." He pushed the folded paper toward Lara. "I just want you to know we got a tip that he was driving drunk and picked him up DUI. He's behind bars. And, the county sheriff's office contacted me the next day with a tip that Stephens had a lot of child pornography on his computer. I got a warrant and we searched his place and, sure enough, he's now being held for that charge as well. You can keep the restraining order in place, but I just wanted to let you know Stephens is behind bars without bail. With the additional assault charges, the DUI, and the porn charge, I expect he will be in the Maine State Prison for a long
sentence."