Turn Me Bad

”It was unnecessary. He was just drunk.”

”He was a loudmouth.”

She couldn’t get him to see that his behavior had been over the top. Instead he smiled and said, ”At least you know I’m ready to fight for you if needed.”

”It isn’t, I’m not a drama queen who needs that kind of guy,“ she insisted, but it was then, as they were hot footing it away from the nightclub, that Benjamin took the opportunity to reach out and grab her hand, drawing her up close.

”Hey!“ he said, suddenly going from macho to delicate as he stroked her left cheek. ”Have you forgiven me yet?”

”For that or for the other night?“ she asked.

”For the other night,“ he asked. ”I really am sorry, you know.”

”Sorry?“ she replied, still being awkward but not pushing him away. ”I bet when you were a child you could have gotten away with murder. Well, this girl’s not going to fall for it, you hear?”

”Violet, you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met,” he told her. ”And I know I made a mistake. I’m going to extend my stay at the hotel for a week and, if you’ll let me, I’ll wine and dine you every night.”

”Wine and dine? Is that what you call this?”

”It can be whatever you like, as long as I have your company. So, what do you say?”

Violet pulled a furtive expression that allowed her to stay in stubborn mode, but when he leaned down to kiss her, then she could maintain it no longer. For all the issues a girl can have with the male race, she still recalled her utter bewilderment in that he had focused his eyes her way that first time they met. Now, though he was a naughty boy who needed to learn a lesson, he was still pursuing her and his flattery was still a real draw. Surely he didn’t have to have gone out of his way and track her down. There were hundreds of beach babes in L.A., but he was kissing her and so they could go without. Plus, that instinct she had that he might really see something in her had returned despite the absurd amount of drinks she had consumed. Violet had no reason up until then to feel so proud of her brains, seeing as all Caitlin had done was make her feel abnormal for them. But if Benjamin really did think of her as smart and was drawn to her as a result, then suddenly it felt very good to be clever.

The next few days were a blur. Having promised herself she would not sleep with him that night, breaking the promise turned out to be the least of her problems when she woke up late for work and in some strange hotel room.

That time it was her turn to attempt a disappearing act, though Benjamin did wake up and suggest she take a day off. ”What harm can one day do?“ he asked, but in the cold light of morning, his persuasive powers were greatly reduced. She had never been late for work in her life, but insisted on turning up an hour late and looking in a real state.

Acting out of character meant that more than one confused glance was turned her way, but it was only once she was in front of her computer screen that she realized Benjamin’s advice had actually been pretty good. She was in no fit state to work and only then realized how hungover she really was. By lunch time, she was telling herself never again, during a sobering walk to the pharmacist to pick up some aspirin and calm her headache.

Willpower was astonishingly difficult around Benjamin, however. When he turned up outside her workplace at the end of the day, looking as fresh as ever and recalling his promise to wine and dine her, she gave in easily. His company was preferable to being at home with Caitlin, as well as serving the purpose of annoying the girl.

When the next morning came, Violet did end up taking his advice and calling in sick. He told her, ”You’ll feel better once you’ve done so,“ and he was right, meaning they could do whatever they liked for the rest of the day.

Violet did not have to have a massive self-assessment to understand that she was not herself, but any time she thought of stepping back it also hit home how much of a good time she was having. In his own way, Benjamin was doting on her. As laid back and cool as ever, but all his time was set aside to be with her, when he could have been earning more cash in L.A. shoots and catwalk parades.

His agent Max kept calling him with new work, but Benjamin didn’t want to talk, repeatedly stressing that he was taking a long overdue break and he would be back in touch when he had made up his mind what to do next.

The time they spent together was amazing. They hit the town every evening; during the day, she let him take her out into the mountains on his bike. They would seek out somewhere remote, in front of a splendid landscape, the cool breeze on their skin.

Outdoor sexual acts felt anarchic even though, unless someone was aiming a telescope in their direction, there was no one around to see.