A Shepherd Afield Pt. 02

"Hannah Cooper speaking."

"Hi Hannah! It's Ben."

"Ben? Aren't you on vacation? Is everything alright?" she asked with concern in her voice. He smiled.

"Yes, everything is really good. In fact I've had a little breakthrough while I've been down here."

"Oh?" Hannah's voice came through as cautiously surprised.

"Yes. There's a young woman we met here by the name of Rain Palomo. She's trained as a psychologist but she was unable to find employment in that field because she looked too young and no one was willing to give her a chance. Due to her student loans she was left in a bad financial state. We met her with a group of musicians here at the spa. She's helped me through something I've been suppressing... for years. The memories- they wouldn't stay suppressed and began to leak out. She guided me through it and I- I feel so much better."

"That's wonderful to hear Ben!" Hannah exclaimed.

"I'm going back into therapy with Dr. Granger when I get back. I need to resolve the rest of my issues. I- I want to feel like this all the time."

"Oh Ben, I am so pleased to hear you say that!" she replied and he could hear she was a little bit choked up.

"I miss talking with you Hannah. I missed you," he said as he realized he did.

There was silence on the other end of the line then he heard a muffled sound like the handset was being held against some fabric. Then a whoosh sound of the mic being moved from the cloth.

"I've missed talking with you as well Ben. We'll start up our group sessions once more when you get back, ok?"

"I'd like that," he said.

"Is Rain there now? I'd love to thank her myself," Hannah said.

"She's resting right now but you're going to be able to speak to her when we get home. She's going to live in the house I'm renovating for Karen and Penny. She may be able to help the girls with what they went through, especially Karen, and she's going to look for a job. Hopefully something in her field. She has to pay off her student loans. If you know of any clinics that are looking for help please let me know."

"I'll speak with Dr. Granger. Maybe she has some contacts," Hannah replied.

"Great! Thanks Hannah!"

"How are Trish and Rochelle enjoying the spa?" she asked.

"It's really relaxing and they are enjoying the pampering. Rochelle met a very nice man named Thomas and they seem to be getting along very well," Ben replied.

"Rochelle met a man? Didn't she go down there with you?"

"She came down here as a friend so I didn't have to come down alone. Trish joined us so I'm not alone. We also met a really nice group of people. Musicians or singers I guess. La'Shia, Dream, Killah-"

Hannah started to laugh.

"What?"

"Oh Ben, only you would go on vacation to have peace and quiet and end up hanging out with Rap and Pop music celebrities," she said with a smile in her voice.

"They're nice people! Well, one of their group was bad news but he died last night."

"WHAT?"

"He attacked Trish and then he tried to attack Rain but I protected her."

There was silence. "Did- did you-"

"What- NO! He slipped on some wet tiles and fell and broke his neck on a staircase. He was swinging a knife around, jumped at us, slipped and fell."

"Where did he cut you?"

Ben sighed in frustration. "What makes you think he cut me?"

"Ben..."

"He didn't cut me. I emerged unscathed," Ben grumped.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Hannah said and Ben could hear how pleased she was. "How's your finger doing?"

He rubbed the tip of it across the edge of his lounge chair and it only felt a little numb.

"It's definitely getting better. I haven't done any heavy lifting though I've had to massage in a lot of suntan lotion since I've been here. That makes it ache a little but not too bad."

"Poor baby," Hannah said with false sympathy.

"Have you heard from Gabriella or Catherine?" he asked.

"No, but I'm not really in their circle."

"Hannah! We're all in the same circle!"

"I don't mean the street," she asserted.

"I didn't mean that either," he insisted.

"Well either way, I haven't heard from them," she said with finality.

Ben resolved when he got back he would sit down with the three of them- then he recalled that one of the three may not be there. He felt a pang in his heart.

"OK, well it was nice talking with you Hannah."

"It was nice for me too Ben. Can I talk with Trish? Is she available?"

"Uh, well, she's uh... resting too."

"OK, don't say any more. My imagination is active enough to fill in the blanks. Have fun Ben and I'll see you when you get back."

"Bye."

Ben next called his house and got the machine. He left a message saying all was well, he missed them, and he would try again tomorrow.

He hung up and powered up his laptop. He linked it to his phone then checked his email. He spent two hours clearing away the junk and responding to a few important notes, his accountant, his lawyer, and once he was done he felt comfortable that everything was good in his financial world. His royalties were coming in as expected and there was nothing that needed his attention at this time.

He checked his chat application and saw Margaux was online. He sent her a quick hello and she responded with a request for a video call.

He made the connection and her lovely face looked out at him.

"Ben! So good to see you! I was hoping I'd be able to reach you."

"It's lovely to see you as well! What's up?"

"My company is accelerating their plan to open the Sydney office. They want me to have the office up and running in six weeks. This means I have to travel there next week to get started. I'm not going to be able to visit you!" She pouted and Ben smiled at her.

"Then I'll just have to come visit you! I have some business in Melbourne soon. Once I take care of that I'll drop by Sydney and spend some time with you. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful! It sounds wonderful!" she said with a wide smile. "I am loving the view by the way. I think from now on you must always call me with your shirt off."

He chuckled and bounced his pecs for her causing her to giggle in surprised reaction.

"Did you just giggle?" he asked with a grin.

She put her hands on her face in embarrassment. "No! You didn't hear me giggle. It must be a bad connection."

"No... that was definitely a sweet little giggle!" he teased.

"What can I say? You bring out the little girl in me." Margaux pulled her hands from her face and smiled happily. Ben shared her smile.

"Where are you going to be staying when you're there?" he asked.

"Initially I will be staying at a hotel near the office. Eventually an executive condo will be rented for me, again, someplace downtown near work," she explained.

Her phone rang, she glanced at it and she rolled her eyes. "I must get this. It's the local fellow that was hired to assist me in setting up the office. He is... most persistent."

"If you need me to give him a poke in the nose when I get there just let me know," Ben grinned.

Margaux gave him a hot look, devouring him with her eyes then gave herself a shake. "I will see you soon, Ben!"

"Goodnight Margaux!"

He disconnected the call then logged into the Engineering board. He saw a message for him from the company in Melbourne asking if he had an update. He responded with a quick note indicating his test results were positive and he'd get in contact with them next week.

He spotted a few other queries that looked interesting so he bookmarked them to look into them next week as well.

His mind took him back to Gabriella and Catherine. Their four days in Milan would have ended as he left on his trip. He called Gabriella's number but got her machine so he just left a brief message saying he called to say hello and to see how it went in Milan. After he hung up he called Catherine's line but once more he got a machine. He left the same message on hers.

Feeling unsettled by his inability to contact Gabriella, Catherine or Tina he decided to go for a walk on the beach. Back in the room he pulled his black wicking shirt on again and his sandals and quietly let himself out of the room. He had an hour before he had to get ready for dinner so that was plenty of time for a walk.

He found the beach mostly empty. The clouds had rolled in and while it wasn't raining yet the reason for being on the beach was now hidden. It was still calming to walk along the shore with the waves lapping at the sand. He walked along for a while looking out at the waters until he felt it was time to head back. He was feeling much better as he returned along the shoreline.

Ben spotted someone sitting on a rock jutting up from the sand up ahead. They hadn't been there on his outbound trek. As he got closer he saw the person was wearing a brightly colored tropical print bikini so it was a woman. The bathing suit was a strong contrast to her dark chocolate color skin. She was facing away so he saw her hair was pulled back and tied with a tie the same color as her bikini.

She turned her face to look out at the waters as he got closer and something about her was familiar. He tried to recall if she was one of the ladies with La'Shia but her face didn't register as one of her friends.

Then the woman turned to face him as she approached, revealing her brilliant white teeth with just a slight part in the front.

"Naomi?"

"Hello Ben."

"Is this a coincidence?" he asked.

"Yes. My editor sent me down to do a story on Dream and La'Shia's secret wedding. Imagine my surprise to discover you were here too. Bonus." She smiled at him.

Something about her smile was a little unnerving. "I'm not sure if it's much of a bonus. I'm no more ready to speak to the press now than I was before." Ben began walking back to the spa.

"Fair enough but you've already had some misadventures while you've been here," she replied as she left her seat on the rock and began walking with him.

"Really?"

"Your reticence to speak on your own behalf aside, others described an altercation with a member of Dream's posse, a man who called himself Night. A man who ended up dead at your feet."

Ben stopped to look at her. She smiled back, an eagerness in her eye.

"You should read the police report to ensure you have an accurate account of what happened before you report on it. You're phrasing seems to describe a homicide when it was just a stupid accident."

"Is that how you saw it?"

"That was how everyone who witnessed the event saw it. There were a number of people there," he insisted.

"I'd like to hear it in your words," Naomi smiled.

"Ask the police for a copy of the statement I gave them last night then." Ben looked down for a moment then looked the journalist right in the eye. "Look, I understand you have a job to do but I'm not interested in telling my 'story' to anyone. No one 'deserves' my story but I do 'deserve' to be able to protect my personal privacy. There are plenty of people who will volunteer to tell you their story. I'm just not one of them. Sorry." He walked away and she didn't follow. When he got back to the spa he spotted Thomas carrying a small bag of snack foods from the small store next to the reception desk.

"Thomas?"

"Hi Ben!"

"Could you let Rochelle know that Naomi Klassen is here? She's a journalist and she tried asking me some questions about the death of Night."

"Who is Naomi Klassen? How does Rochelle know her?" Thomas asked.

"Rochelle went to university with her. You can get more details from her," Ben suggested, feeling uncomfortable about talking about Rochelle's past boyfriends with her current one.

"Sure I'll let her know."

"Thanks!"

"See you at dinner?"

"Yes."

"So... will Trish be there?" Thomas asked with an odd tone in his voice.

Ben looked at him curiously.

"She made a comment before she left the beach that struck up a little betting pool. Something about being unable to walk," Thomas replied but at least he looked embarrassed to say it.

Ben shook his head with a frown and walked away. He needed to have another talk with Trish about discretion.

Back at the room he saw Trish was resting up against a bunch of pillows with her laptop resting on a pillow on her legs. Rain was in the washroom. He heard moaning through the door.

"Rain, are you alright in there?" he asked gently.

"I'm ok Ben, just a little sore. I'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry-" he began.

"Ben, please. No apologies! It was wonderful! I'll be fine," she insisted.

He walked away from the door with a frown and saw Trish grinning at him.

"You have to learn to keep our private activities private!" he said holding her eyes with his.

"What?" she said, eyes wide and innocent.

"You told people on the beach you were going to do something with me that would make you unable to walk?" Ben said with a raised eyebrow.

She snorted. "Oh yeah, I may have said something like that."

"Trish! I want to keep our intimate moments just between us!"

"You also want to maintain integrity through brutal honesty, right? Well I was just being honest. And we did do something that's made me unable to walk. You were a BEAST this afternoon!" She grinned widely as Ben's face fell.

"Shit! Did I hurt you too?" he gasped.

"Fuck Ben, it was incredible! Raw and wild! It was so fucking good! So what if I'm a little sore and need to take a little time to recover. I'm ok with that as I know the ache will go away and we can do it again. I wouldn't change a thing!" She saw his look of unease. "Come here."

Ben walked over to her side of the bed. She tilted her face up and gestured for him to bring his lips down to hers. She kissed him and his lips caressed hers. A spark shot through her body. When he pulled back her eyes looked a little dreamy.

"Fuck you kiss good, Ben," she sighed.

He looked down at her smiling face. "So, you're not going to be able to join me for dinner."

"Rain and I will order room service. You go and give our regards to La'Shia and crew."

Rain took that moment to hobble out of the washroom bracing herself on the wall. Ben immediately rushed to her side but she placed a hand on his chest to stop him and carefully crawled onto the bed.

"Ben, enjoy supper with the gang. Trish and I are going to take it easy in the room, order some room service, watch a movie or some TV and call it an early night. We'll be fine for our catamaran trip tomorrow."

Trish shooed Ben away so he collected some clothes and took a shower and changed. He gave them both a kiss before he headed downstairs and made his way to the restaurant. When he arrived alone the table at the far side of the dining room erupted in cheers. The other guests looked over at the noisy bunch with frowns and some looked at Ben as he made his way over to the group.

He spotted money exchanging hands including Thomas'.

Rochelle looked embarrassed but she was smiling as well as Ben took his seat across from La'Shia and to the right of Killah. The next two chairs to Ben's right had been left for Trish and Rain. La'Shia's friends moved over to fill in the gap. Ben nodded to the woman to his right who grinned back at him and he recognized her as the bold one who asked him to put lotion on her back.

"I'm Tilisha."

"Ben."

She was wearing an off the shoulder shimmering gold sheath dress which required attention to keep it from releasing her pleasingly full breasts.

Ben tore his eyes away from the displayed cleavage and looked across to La'Shia who was enjoying his blush.

"Trish and Rain send their regards. They will be joining us tomorrow," Ben said.

"Are they alright?" she said with a smile.

"Yes." Ben didn't offer anything else so she just nodded.

"How was that project you were working on?" she asked with a coy smile.

"It's going well. My testing proved the piece I designed should exceed the specs the customer submitted so my next step is having some prototypes manufactured. I'll do that when I get home. Then I'll fly to Melbourne to meet with the customer to have them run their tests on the part."

La'Shia thought she was going to catch Ben in a little white lie but now she was lost. "What- did you say you were a designer?"

"Of a sort. I'm a mechanical engineer. I design solutions for engineering issues, this time it's a part for a mining operation in Melbourne."

"Sounds pretty technical. Technical usually means big money. Are you rolling in it?" Tilisha asked with a grin.

Ben smiled back. "I do ok."

Tilisha's grin got wider. "I knew it!"

"When are you heading to the 'land down unda'?" La'Shia said with her best Aussie accent.

"In the next couple of weeks probably."

The waiters arrived and they placed their orders. Ben steered the conversation towards La'Shia's career and what Tilisha did. He discovered the women, most of them at the table, had all grown up together and where La'Shia had become a singer the others had become her dancers and toured with their friend. Killah's lady friend Brooklyn was actually La'Shia's choreographer and dancer. Killah said he'd been 'mesmerized by her sinuous grace' as he put it. That caused chuckles around the table and earned him a kiss from the woman.

As they enjoyed their meals they talked about their latest tour and what cities they'd be visiting next. Ben had to admit that he'd only begun traveling and hadn't really been very many places yet.

Rochelle offered that she'd traveled to several states setting up new restaurants in her chain and would be visiting California to look into opening one there. From the smile on Thomas' face Ben could guess where this new restaurant was going to be located.

Dinner lasted for a little over two hours and as they finished up some of the ladies begged La'Shia to join them in the bar as they heard music and wanted to dance.

"Ben, would you care to join us?" the singer asked.

He looked at the hopeful faces and smiled. "Sure, I love dancing!"

While some were finishing up their desserts, and gazing into each other's eyes in the case of Rochelle and Thomas, most of their group began to move to the next room which was a lovely bar with a wide dance floor. Only two couples were on the floor and the music playing wasn't exactly Hip Hop or Pop. The DJ was playing classic oldies from days gone by.

As they walked past the dance floor Ben was listening to the opening notes of the next song as he saw an older couple move across the floor. Something about the tune was familiar... it was... Lena Horne's 'Stormy Weather'... and he remembered...

Tilisha felt a hand take hers gently and she was being pulled to the dance floor. She looked up and saw it was Ben. With a grin back at La'Shia she let herself be drawn out onto the floor and spun into his arms. He took her hand in his, the other one gently resting on her hip and looked into her eyes. Tilisha was surprised by the hint of sadness in his eyes but he moved and she automatically moved with him. He glided with the music and she flowed with him in perfect step. He showed no hesitation and moved with a grace she hadn't expected in the big man. She was unfamiliar with some of his moves he was adding in and she was desperately trying to memorize them.

When he dipped her and effortlessly swept her back up to her feet Tilisha gasped with wide eyes and looked over at her friends who were all grinning at her from the sidelines. She saw Brooklyn speaking intensely with La'Shia who was watching their every move. Ben swept her away before she could catch their eye.

She didn't think of where to place her feet. It just came naturally from how he was guiding her body. She just had to follow his lead and she found herself grinning with delight at how effortless he made it feel. They were floating, light as air, carried by the music and it felt like they were all alone.

He dipped her again then brought her in close to his body, his mouth teasingly near to hers then they were moving once more and her heart fluttered. She lost track of the others and when she heard the music coming to a close she desperately wanted it to continue but Ben released her gently with a bow.