Chapter 4
When Renee walked in the door, the aroma of a well cooked meal greeted her. She peeled off her coat and closed the door behind her. She looked up, just in time to see Ben step around the corner and greet her with a warm and friendly smile.
"Renee, a pleasure to see you again, I'm glad you arrived home safely," he said.
Renee grinned and answered back, "I'm so sorry you had to wait. I do hope Candice was able to keep you entertained."
"She's been a wonderful hostess. Here let me take your coat," he said.
She accepted his offer and pulled off her wet boots, before following him down the hall.
"Well, I'll check on dinner and pour us something to drink. Rick should be home soon. The rain seems be letting up," she said, as she made her way into the living room.
Ben grinned. "Dinner is fine, really. We're just keeping it warm for you and Rick." He followed her and glanced briefly at Candice. Candice looked up from the book she was reading. The television was on and the local news was coming to an end.
"Hey, hon, thanks for keeping Mister Tarnish entertained. I heard you were a fine hostess," Renee said. She leaned over and kissed her daughter, whispered another thank-you and stood back up.
Candice blushed, lowered her head and returned to her book. "No problem mom, it was nothing."
"Well, I appreciate it," Renee said, and turned back to Ben. "If you'll come with me, I'll pour you some wine and we can chat while we wait for Rick."
Ben's eyes held Candice's for a moment before he followed Renee into the kitchen. Candice watched them leave; her gaze never wavered from Ben's ass and her body responded instinctively. She was looking forward to having the man's cock buried deep. Her pussy still ached from the tongue-bath he'd given her.
She tried to return her attention back to her book, which she'd been told to read by Ben after she'd offered to help finish dinner. He'd ordered her from the kitchen and that was the end of their one-on-one time. He had been nothing but a gentleman and it was as if the moments before had never even occurred.
"Candice mentioned being a Junior. I bet you're excited to have her graduating next year," he said once he and Renee were alone in the kitchen. He took a seat at the table, while he watched her grab dinnerware and flatware. "Dinner is in the stove, on warm," he casually mentioned when she looked somewhat confused at the lack of food.
Renee felt somewhat flustered as she tried to appear prepared for her husband's boss, but in truth she was still nervous that he'd been forced to endure her daughter's attitude, which was not always pleasant. "I really do hope Candice wasn't a burden and I sincerely hope dinner tastes good. She's a good cook," she said, without even acknowledging Ben's question. It wasn't until she pulled the food from the oven to inspect it that she realized she'd ignored his inquiry. She took a deep breath and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry. I'm usually more together than this."
"It's no problem. Like I said, dinner is all taken care of and Candice and I got along just fine. Now tell me, are you and Rick excited about your little girl graduating?" Ben asked.
Renee took him up on the offer to have a seat; she poured them both a glass of wine, sipped from it and forced herself to relax. "Yes, as long as we can keep swinging the cost," she admitted.
"Well, I think you'll find it'll be a lot easier than you realize," Ben saw her eyes widen and a spark of excitement filter into them. He knew then that both Rick and Renee were very much aware as to why he'd called this particular meeting - at least their end of it.
"Oh?" Renee tried not to show any signs of excitement and hoped she looked ignorant of his implicating words. "How come?"
Ben sipped his wine and nodded toward the living room where Candice was. "She's a talented young woman. I think I could use her in the office, if she's looking for a job. I've not said anything to her, because well I wanted to swing it by you and Rick first."
Renee's eyebrows rose in surprise. She was not expecting this turn of events, but the idea of her daughter landing a job as well as her husband being promoted had her sitting on the edge of her seat. Ben Tarnish really was the answer to a family's prayers. "Really? You learned all that and came up with that offer in that short amount of time," she hoped she gave the appearance of a devoted mother, concerned for her daughter's well fare, but in truth she really wanted the answer to their financial difficulties to be in the man in front of her.
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a good judge of character and we've been looking into opening our offices to interns."
"Well, she wants to be a Nurse, not a business executive," Renee said, quickly adding, "but there are so many hospitals and nursing homes being run by corporations it certainly wouldn't hurt for her to gain some real world experience. As long as it didn't interfere with her studies."
"Oh, I know, and I agree, it wouldn't hurt her to know the ins and outs of a corporation either. Today's medical fields are full of red tape and all that red tape is because of corporations," Ben said.
Inside he was smiling from ear to ear. With her parents thinking her job with his company was nothing more than a gopher it would make her comings and goings much easier to explain. If convincing Renee had been this easy, convincing Rick would be a walk in the park. The wheels were churning inside Ben's mind and his palms itched to call Jon and let him know how quickly their little plan was coming together.
Renee thought for a moment, unaware of Ben and his plan for her daughter. All she saw was a future secured for not only her husband but her child as well. "I'm sure she'd love it and you're right. I know firsthand how difficult working within the perimeters of something you don't understand can be. What would she be doing?"
"Grunt work," he said, "you know - the gopher of the shop. She'll run a lot of in-house errands, but she'll make good money, flexible hours and such. I know how hard holding down a job and attending school can be on a girl. I won't over-work her."
"I'll talk to her about it after I talk to Rick," Renee said, though she knew there would be no saying "no" to the man in front of her. Without him they would most likely be saddled with years and years' worth of debt. With the job offer for Candice and the promotion for Rick, they were going to be better off than they had in years. Her stomach was churning with excitement.
"Sounds good," Ben said, "and speak of the devil, the ol' boy showed up earlier than he thought he would."
They both rose and watched as Rick made his way across the yard and up the stairs. He too shook off the rain and pulled off a sodden coat. Once inside Rick quickly offered the same apology his wife offered. He excused himself and hurried to the bedroom to change out of his business attire and into something more casual.
