ease with which he obviously meant it.
“Are you ok
today?” he asked, noting the shift in her mood.
“Just a bit
envious of you,” she sighed. “Things weren’t that cut and dried for me when I
was your age or even now come to think of it.”
“God now
who’s talking like their old, why don’t you just say, “it wasn’t like that back
in the day,” Ben teased.
Jen
stiffened. Looking over Ben’s shoulder, she saw Lily get to her feet and heard
her voice raised, “Do you even know Pete Cross?” she was demanding.
“Of course I
do babe,” her date replied, his hand was back on her wrist and he was trying to
force her back down to the table.” Lily looked like she was grimacing.
“Let go of
me,” she seethed. Jen jumped to her feet but Ben beat her to it,” You look like
you need another refill Sir,” he said, before knocking the creep’s cup into his
lap.
“Fuck! You
stupid bastard you’re lucky that wasn’t hot, I’d fucking sue you.”
Ben grabbed
the guy by his tie and even though the guy had him by a couple of inches, he
yanked him up and out of the booth and had him at the door before the girls’
could blink. “Good day to you sir, we don’t allow our customers to be mauled,”
and gave him a boot out of the door for good measure.
He turned
round and came back to them; Jen had her arm around Lily and was comforting the
taller girl who was trembling in shock.
“I don’t
think he knew my friends at all,” she whispered, rubbing her wrist which was
red raw where he’d gripped her.
Chapter 5
“Come here
and sit down while I clean this mess up, then Floyd can cover for me while I
walk you girls’ home. I want to make sure that asshole isn’t around to follow
you.”
Jen didn’t
like the look on Lily’s face. It struck her for the first time they had
something in common, she was innocent for her age too and she rubbed her arm
trying to transfer some reassurance.
“Lily you
don’t need me to tell you that scum like him pull stuff like that over the
internet all the time, they’re very good at it. You did exactly the right thing
- you had somebody here to look out for you. Don’t blame yourself for this, ok?”
Ben stood up
from mopping the table and joined in, “You’re too pretty to be hooking up with
jerks over the internet anyway.”
“I’m so
stupid, I was just trying to make new friends here and...” she started sobbing.
Ben coaxed
Lily into his arms as Jen stood watching them. They were a good match together.
Both blond, although Ben was kind of a dirty blond, he was a nice size - about
5 ten maybe she thought, looking at him again. Lily in her flat shoes tucked
neatly into his neck and looked like she belonged there. Jen felt a mix of envy
and excitement for them, they looked right together. She and Todd must look
like David and Goliath she thought, shaking her head.
“Come on
girls, let’s go.” Ben broke away and threw his apron to the guy behind the
counter.
During the
walk back to the apartment block the tension eased a little and the three
started to have a little joke between them at the creep’s shortcomings. Ben was
easygoing and friendly and pushed between the two of them, looped his arms
about their waists and squeezed.
“Aargh, don’t
do that,” Jen squawked. I can’t stand anybody grabbing me round the middle I’m
ticklish,” which sent Ben off tickling the pair of them and chasing them up the
pavement, until they were all breathless.
Jen was
almost home and turned to look back for a second, giggling madly, when she
stumbled into a solid wall of resistance. Before she even looked up she knew
who was there, and strong arms came about her swinging her up and around.
“It’s so
lovely to see you laughing, maybe one day you’ll drop your guard enough to let
me make you laugh like that.” His deep voice hummed in her ear.
“Hi,” she
couldn’t say much more because she was afraid of how nice it felt to be held by
Todd, and the
“Are you ok
today?” he asked, noting the shift in her mood.
“Just a bit
envious of you,” she sighed. “Things weren’t that cut and dried for me when I
was your age or even now come to think of it.”
“God now
who’s talking like their old, why don’t you just say, “it wasn’t like that back
in the day,” Ben teased.
Jen
stiffened. Looking over Ben’s shoulder, she saw Lily get to her feet and heard
her voice raised, “Do you even know Pete Cross?” she was demanding.
“Of course I
do babe,” her date replied, his hand was back on her wrist and he was trying to
force her back down to the table.” Lily looked like she was grimacing.
“Let go of
me,” she seethed. Jen jumped to her feet but Ben beat her to it,” You look like
you need another refill Sir,” he said, before knocking the creep’s cup into his
lap.
“Fuck! You
stupid bastard you’re lucky that wasn’t hot, I’d fucking sue you.”
Ben grabbed
the guy by his tie and even though the guy had him by a couple of inches, he
yanked him up and out of the booth and had him at the door before the girls’
could blink. “Good day to you sir, we don’t allow our customers to be mauled,”
and gave him a boot out of the door for good measure.
He turned
round and came back to them; Jen had her arm around Lily and was comforting the
taller girl who was trembling in shock.
“I don’t
think he knew my friends at all,” she whispered, rubbing her wrist which was
red raw where he’d gripped her.
Chapter 5
“Come here
and sit down while I clean this mess up, then Floyd can cover for me while I
walk you girls’ home. I want to make sure that asshole isn’t around to follow
you.”
Jen didn’t
like the look on Lily’s face. It struck her for the first time they had
something in common, she was innocent for her age too and she rubbed her arm
trying to transfer some reassurance.
“Lily you
don’t need me to tell you that scum like him pull stuff like that over the
internet all the time, they’re very good at it. You did exactly the right thing
- you had somebody here to look out for you. Don’t blame yourself for this, ok?”
Ben stood up
from mopping the table and joined in, “You’re too pretty to be hooking up with
jerks over the internet anyway.”
“I’m so
stupid, I was just trying to make new friends here and...” she started sobbing.
Ben coaxed
Lily into his arms as Jen stood watching them. They were a good match together.
Both blond, although Ben was kind of a dirty blond, he was a nice size - about
5 ten maybe she thought, looking at him again. Lily in her flat shoes tucked
neatly into his neck and looked like she belonged there. Jen felt a mix of envy
and excitement for them, they looked right together. She and Todd must look
like David and Goliath she thought, shaking her head.
“Come on
girls, let’s go.” Ben broke away and threw his apron to the guy behind the
counter.
During the
walk back to the apartment block the tension eased a little and the three
started to have a little joke between them at the creep’s shortcomings. Ben was
easygoing and friendly and pushed between the two of them, looped his arms
about their waists and squeezed.
“Aargh, don’t
do that,” Jen squawked. I can’t stand anybody grabbing me round the middle I’m
ticklish,” which sent Ben off tickling the pair of them and chasing them up the
pavement, until they were all breathless.
Jen was
almost home and turned to look back for a second, giggling madly, when she
stumbled into a solid wall of resistance. Before she even looked up she knew
who was there, and strong arms came about her swinging her up and around.
“It’s so
lovely to see you laughing, maybe one day you’ll drop your guard enough to let
me make you laugh like that.” His deep voice hummed in her ear.
“Hi,” she
couldn’t say much more because she was afraid of how nice it felt to be held by
Todd, and the
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