A Shepherd Afield Pt. 02

Ben sighed. High road.

"Brooklyn explained why you and she did it."

La'Shia snapped her head back to glare at him. She obviously didn't like being reminded of her mistakes. "It doesn't matter now as the video is gone!" she hissed.

"You could have just asked me to dance again," he said.

La'Shia blinked. The thought hadn't occurred to her at all. Why it hadn't she had no idea. Maybe the moment had been so magical she couldn't imagine it could be reproduced. Her mouth worked as she struggled to find the words.

"Not today." Ben said and moved back to the other side of the net to lie down between Trish and Rain.

"You brought Brooklyn to Killah, didn't you." Rain said and Tilisha looked at him in surprise.

Ben relaxed with his eyes closed. "You don't throw love away because of a stupid mistake."

He felt the coolness of a shadow over his face then lips on his. And a bold tongue. Trish. He kissed her and smiled as she pulled back.

The sun warmed his face then shadow returned and a different set of lips were on his. Teeth nibbled on his lip and he gasped as sparks shot through is body. Rain. She pulled back and he tried to settle himself. Maybe a minute later a third set of lips, unfamiliar ones, gently kissed his and his eyes popped opened to see Tilisha smiling down at him.

"You are a good man, Ben. Thank you for helping my friend."

He blushed and nodded. His teenage libido was waking up with a vengeance so he flipped over onto his stomach.

Trish and Rain applied lotion to his back and legs so he wouldn't burn and he nodded off under their gentle touches.

When Ben next became aware of being touched Trish was gently pushing his shoulder to wake him.

"We're at the island, sleepyhead," she said and kissed his cheek.

He sat up and looked around blinking. There was an island a short swim away and some of their party was already out in the water with snorkeling gear. Most of the people in the water were wearing colorful life jackets to help them float as they watched the underwater flora and fauna from the surface.

"You going to join us?" Trish asked as she looked back at him. Rain, Talisha, Rochelle and Thomas were already moving to the back of the boat to get the gear.

"No, I'm not fond of swimming. I'll stay here and keep an eye on our stuff. Have fun!" he admitted.

"Suit yourself. See you shortly." Trish said and moved to follow the others.

Ben sat back, resting his back against the boat and began applying lotion to his chest and the tops of his legs.

La'Shia moved from her seat to get closer to Ben. He watched her approach but said nothing. She gestured to the center hull in front of Ben and he nodded. She sat on the hull with her feet on the net and took a few deep breaths.

"I'm very sorry for what I did. I don't know why I didn't think about asking you to dance again. The reporter had a high definition movie right there and all I could think of was how much I needed that video. That need clouded everything else. I remember you telling us you wanted to avoid any further exposure but last night that didn't even cross my mind." She went silent as she frowned. She was examining her behavior and didn't like what she was seeing.

"Would you say you are a driven person?" Ben asked.

She snorted and nodded. "You could say that."

"In your business you have to maintain a certain level of attention from your fans. They're always hungry for the latest thrill and novelty. Yes?" he asked.

She nodded again, wondering where he was going with this.

"You were looking for another way to feed their insatiable desire for new things, a new experience. In this case the dance. I understand your motivation even if I'm not happy with the actions you took to fulfill them."

La'Shia's expression showed her dislike of being reminded of her mistakes. Ben sighed. She must have been a difficult child to raise.

"You crave the spotlight. That seems to drive most celebrities. I'm the opposite. I don't want the public's attention. It's brought me and my family nothing but pain. End of story and end of lesson. I'm going to see if they have any fruit juice. Would you like something?"

She shook her head so he just stood and walked to the back. Some of the snorkelers were returning to the boat, excited about what they'd seen swimming around under the surface. Ben went into the cabin and got a cup of some kind of fruit punch minus the rum. He saw Naomi sitting by herself drinking and looking pretty miserable. He walked over to stand next to the table.

"May I sit?" he asked.

She looked up and nodded. "Have you reconsidered?" she asked as he slid into the booth.

"No. Do you understand why?" he responded.

Her expression closed up and he sighed. He wasn't going to solve anything here.

"You need something that I'm not willing to share. I'm a dead end for you but La'Shia has a drive for fame. Maybe she will be willing to give you a story. Didn't you tell me your editor sent you down here for that?"

"I coerced them into getting me on the boat. They don't exactly like me," she said with finality.

"Start again but begin with an apology. You need a story. She has a story and she needs the attention. Make it work. But leave me out of it please." Ben finished.

Naomi blinked at him then pulled her phone out of her bag. She checked the available space and saw she had plenty. She nodded and pulled her shoulders back. She slid out of the booth and looked forward through the windows to see her quarry had moved back to her original position on the netting.

Ben stood up as well and followed her back to the front of the boat. He took his seat and watched the two women begin to talk. La'Shia looked over at Ben in surprise and he smiled at her. Soon the women were in deep conversation, Naomi's phone in her hand, recorder running.

He sipped at the juice and found it to be a little too sweet for his taste. But it was cold and wet and the setting he was in was so beautiful. He closed his eyes and soaked it all in.

He dozed in the sun until he heard Trish's laughter as the group returned. He looked over and saw her expression begin to move to outrage when she saw Naomi back in place.

"Trish! Please come here." Ben called out.

Naomi looked up in fear but saw Trish moving to Ben so she went back to work with only one more glance in the direction of the redhead.

Ben gestured for Trish to sit next to him. Rain slid into her spot on his other side and Rochelle sat on the edge of the hull and leaned forward to hear. Ben saw he had their attention. "I spoke with both of them. Naomi needs a story. La'Shia needs an audience. They're both getting what they need and I've asked to be left out of it. Hopefully we can just get back to enjoying ourselves. No more drama. Right?"

Trish shared a look with Rochelle then Rain and nodded. "She'd just better stay out of my way," she grumbled.

Rochelle patted Ben's shoulder and went back to her spot with Thomas to fill him in. Trish and Rain talked about what they saw and shortly Tilisha joined them. She looked surprised to see Naomi but Trish gave her the scoop.

Lunch was called and they took turns going to the galley to pick up their food. There was breaded and grilled fish, grilled chicken, a few rice dishes, and several varieties of salads. They ate their lunches as they talked and planned their excursions for the next day. Style, who seemed to be the self-appointed tour director of the trip, dropped by to ask if anyone else wanted to join a group going on a canopy tour of the rainforest with zip-lining and some hiking. Trish, Rain and Tilisha signed up but Rochelle and Thomas planned to visit the city. Ben said he planned to do a little work and would hang around the hotel.

When lunch was over there was a little more time to swim then the snorkeling gear was stowed and the boat lifted anchor and headed back.

Ben moved from the netting to a spot up by the windows where he could lean back against the sloping surface of the boat and relax. Trish brought him his shirt which he rolled up and placed behind his head as a pillow. The motion of the boat soon lulled him into sleep.

They were anchoring once more when Trish woke him and they took the small boats back to the beach. Naomi left them there as she was staying at an apartment close to the resort and took a cab. For them it was back into the bus for the drive back to the resort. They stopped at the reception desk as a group and made reservations for dinner at 8PM in the Silver Moon restaurant. As it was only 3PM that gave them five hours to relax and get ready.

Rochelle made a reservation for Trish, Rain, and herself to have the full spa treatment on Friday. La'Shia made reservations for herself and several of her friends including Brooklyn and Tilisha later the same day. Ben and Thomas were signed up for massages.

Trish and Rain went down to the beach to rent Jet-Skis and Ben went back to the room. He wanted to try calling Tina once more.

Once he got settled in he went out onto the balcony and dialed his home number. The phone was picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" said a familiar voice. He felt a pang of homesickness.

"Tina! It's Ben."

"Ben! It is so nice to hear your voice!"

"It's great hearing yours. I tried calling yesterday but I guess you were out. How are you feeling?"

"I feel like a beached whale! I am so fat!" Tina said and he heard the pout in her voice.

Ben chuckled. "Tina, you are not fat. You are beautifully pregnant and I can't wait to get home to cover you with kisses! Lots of kisses!"

"Are you having fun?" Tina asked. The smile was back in her voice, put there by Ben's words.

"It's very nice here. Listen, when I called yesterday I was going to let you know I've had a little break through with one of the issues I've been carrying around with me for a long time. There's a woman we met here who's a trained psychologist. Her name is Rain Palomo. She helped me... well, I'll fill you in completely when I get home. I just wanted you to know I'm feeling much better and I spoke with Hannah to let her know I want to complete my sessions with Dr. Granger. I want to resolve these bloody blackouts once and for all."

"Oh Ben I am so happy to hear that! Did... did you lose some memories again?" she asked with worry in her tone.

Ben hesitated as he didn't want to worry her but he wouldn't lie to her. "Last night but Rochelle and Trish took care of me. All the more reason to go back to Dr. Granger."

"How is your finger?" Tina said to change the subject.

Ben sighed gratefully. "Actually, it's feeling much better! I almost have all of the sensation back and it's only slightly sore at the end of the day. I haven't been doing anything to stress the joint at all. Tomorrow Trish and Rain are going zip-lining in the jungle but I'm going to stay here and relax. I'm starting to get restless though. Have you seen any progress on the renovations?"

"Ben, I see them working hard every day but I do not look at what they are doing. You will just have to see for yourself when you get home," she gently teased him. He made a small frustrated sound.

"Have you heard from Gabriella and Catherine?" he said to change the topic again.

"Catherine came back on the jet but Gabriella did not. Catherine said Gabriella did not sign the employment contract. Something was wrong. We have not heard anything from Gabriella since Catherine came back. Maybe she sent you an email?"

Ben got up and went to get his laptop. He brought it outside and started it up. "I'll check my messages now. Is Catherine at home?"

"No, I believe she is at work," Tina replied.

"How are the girls and Lucy?"

"Penny got very good grades on her last report card. Karen's grades were not so good but she is passing. Lucy is enjoying her course very much. She is doing exceptionally well!" Ben heard the affection in Tina's voice for his daughters and her genuine love for Lucy.

Ben looked at his messages and spotted one from Gabriella. "She sent me one, uh, this morning or her late afternoon. Hang on." He quickly read the message and instantly became angry. "Those bastards!"

"What is it Ben?" Tina gasped.

"Something really was wrong. The CEO she went to meet was arrested for embezzling. He was funneling money away from his company. He was also having an affair with the president of that fashion house his company was merging with and she was embezzling funds from her company as well. They might have implicated Gabriella in this but for Gabriella's efforts. Before she'd left for Milan she'd contacted the financial controllers in both companies to get financial statements for her to review before signing. They discovered the accounts had been heavily drained. The bastards fled but were caught at the airport. The money they'd stolen is hidden and they aren't talking. It looks like they've almost bankrupted both companies. Gabriella's trying to save their next production season by calling in some favors. She's not their CEO but she wants to help as she knows these people and they'll all lose their jobs."

"I am very sorry to hear Gabriella's dream job was stolen by these people as well," Tina said sadly.

Ben struggled to understand what he was feeling. He wanted Gabriella to have her dream come true but he selfishly hoped she'd come home. He knew it couldn't be at the expense of her dream.

"I'll send her a note to see if there is anything I can do to help," he replied. He frowned, puzzled that Catherine hadn't said anything to Tina about this. He pushed that aside. "Is there anything you need me to do for you?"

"You just come home to me on Saturday safe and sound," Tina said sweetly.

"Of course! I have a lot of kisses to deliver!" Ben grinned.

"I love you Ben!"

"I love you too! Take care!"

"Bye."

He hung up and thought about Gabriella. He decided to try calling her cell to leave her a message. He dialed and after a few rings he heard a click.

"Hello? Ben, is that you?"

"Gabriella? What are you doing up so late? I was going to leave you a message. I got your e-mail."

"I've been on the phone all day trying to find investors. The banks won't offer the companies any bridging loans until the investigation is complete but if we can't secure some capital immediately we lose the next season's contracts. We miss a season we'll have to shut down."

"We? I'd heard you didn't sign the contract," Ben asked.

"That's right, I didn't but I've worked with these people for years. They are all good people, well... with the exception of a certain CEO and president. I can't understand why they did this!" Gabriella gasped. She sounded exhausted.

"Did you find any investors?" Ben asked.

"I have three from the U.S. and one in France totaling three million dollars but it's not nearly enough," she lamented.

"How much are you short?"

Gabriella hesitated. "Seven million."

"What's the budgeted return from next season's contracts?" Ben asked.

"Thirteen to fourteen million. I've seen the designs. There are some stellar products in there but if we can't afford the materials to make them it's over."

"Gabriella, I know nothing about fashion but I trust you do. Let me call my finance guy. I'll have to move some investments around but if you believe this is a sound investment I believe I can cover the seven million. May I assume I will be buying shares in these companies?"

Ben heard her start to cry. "Shhhh, Gabriella it's ok, please don't cry. I want to help."

"S-s-sorry Ben. I- I didn't want to ask y-you for the money but there's no other way to save them," she sniffled.

"I know. It's ok. You sound tired. Why don't you get some rest? I'll call my guy and I'll have him get in touch with you to work out the details. I'll CC you on my note to him. How about that?"

"Oh my god Ben. Thank you so much! I love you!" She started to cry again and Ben wished he was there to hold her in his arms.

"Gabriella, I'm imagining you in my arms, cuddled in close and I'm rocking you gently back and forth as you hold me. You feel really good against me. Can you feel my love for you?"

He heard her smile as she got control again. "Y-yes! You f-f-feel wonderful! S-so much love!"

"That's right! I have endless mountains of love for you Gabriella. I always will. Now get some rest and I'll try to give you a call tomorrow. Trish is going zip-lining and I'm still being a good boy and taking it easy so my finger will heal."

Gabriella hiccupped and giggled a little. She was tired.

"Good night Gabriella!"

"Good night Ben! I love you!"

"I love you too! Now go to bed!" he said with a grin. He heard her chuckle then hang up. He immediately called his financial advisor and filled him in on the details. The man warned him of the fickleness of that particular industry as an investment. He wanted Ben to be aware for his risk management. Ben thanked him and let him know he was authorizing him to invest up to nine million in the shares Gabriella would fill him in on. He said he's send a confirmation note and CC Gabriella so he'd have her cell number and email.

Once he hung up he sent the note and opened up a browser and pointed it to the engineering board. He leaned back and thought about how much he'd changed his spending habits in the short time he'd been involved with all the women in his life. He didn't begrudge the expense. He had money in the bank and a steady flow of revenue from his royalties and investments but until now he hadn't really had a life. Now his money was being put to good use. That said, he liked having as large of a buffer as he could so he turned his attention back to the available projects. He immediately spotted a request which could be addressed by the product he'd designed for Stern Manufacturing. He grinned and directed the poster to contact the company to see their product offering. That should generate another royalty cheque.

He spotted a few other smaller requests that he was able to answer and two interesting puzzles he bookmarked for later research.

From the noises coming from the room behind him he knew Trish and Rain had returned. They walked out onto the balcony all grins and towels over their shoulders.

"So you enjoyed the jet-skis?" he said with a smile.

"Yeah, they're so fun!" Trish gushed and Rain nodded with a grin.

"I have a little news from home." Ben said and filled Trish in on Gabriella's current dilemma.

Rain stared at him in shock when he mentioned he'd be investing in the companies to cover the outstanding amount. "What- what do you do again?"

"Mechanical engineer. I design solutions for engineering problems. I either sell the patent or just license manufacturers and collect royalties from them," he explained.

"So you're a really good mechanical engineer?" Rain asked. Ben smiled at her and gave her a nod.

"He's also extremely handy at renovations!" Trish grinned. "He updated my master bedroom with a new walk-in closet and large ensuite bathroom. Then he rebuilt my kitchen with a bay window over the kitchen sink, new cabinets, granite countertops, and French doors opening on a brand new deck with a barbeque grill and a large built in hot tub!" She looked at Ben. "You did say you'd join me in that hot tub!" He gave her a smile and a nod.

Ben shut down his laptop. "Right now though, I'm going to take a nap. All I've done today is nap and I'm still tired! This fresh air is wiping me out." Trish and Rain rushed back into the room and disappeared into the bathroom as Ben went inside and pulled down the bed spread. He climbed on and was beginning to fade when he felt the soft bodies of the two women snuggle in beside him.

Chapter 14

Ben waved to Trish and Rain as the tour bus pulled away from the lobby on its way to the rain forest canopy tour. Most of La'Shia's group were in the bus including the members of Dream's group. Killah wasn't going to be doing any zip-lining but they apparently had a volcanic mud treatment and hot spring there as well.