Benjamin Cantrell

"But you can decide whether or not to have a child?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Stop being so fucking specific. Literally. Yes or no, can I have your baby?"

"Yes. I'd like to see him."

"Don't be picky," Grace scolded.

"Her?" I offered.

"Our child will be a 'him,'" Grace promised.

"Bene Gesserit," I accused.

"Goddess, if you only knew," Grace laughed. "I've read those books too, you know."

"I'm glad that somebody gets my references," I admitted.

"All of us are quick studies," Grace announced. "It isn't against the rules to seduce you with our brains."

"You know what, Grace? I like that."

"Thought you might."

Grace and I spent the night together, her taking charge as many times as I. She was magical, without the magic. When I was cooking breakfast for us, she came out dressed in Louise's yoga pants and sports top. "I hope this is okay, you kinda ripped all my clothing to shreds. I don't want you to think like I am trying to replace..."

I held up my hand. "It's okay, Grace. You are just fine...and really hot in that getup."

She snickered. "I didn't want to run around naked."

"Don't do that," I smiled. "Come, eat."

"Do you promise not to rip them off me?" Grace asked with a demure smile.

"No."

Grace and I had sex, or as I thought it, 'making love,' twice before she decided to leave. She gave me a kiss and a promise to see her again, albeit probably not naked, as the elevator door closed.

What had I gotten myself into?

***

Tuesday night at the club proved fruitful, with just one exception: I owned the club now, it was mine, all mine. I had a private snack with Juanita, revealing the surprise to her at the end. She almost choked on her potato stick. "What?"

"Juanita, I own the club in all ways now. Do you think I should tell that to the assistants?"

"You own the club? Papers and everything?"

"Papers were filed yesterday, Arthur assured me," I told her.

"If it were me, I'd tell them. All of the assistants, the chefs, the staff, everyone. They need to know, Benjamin, all of the people who stood by you because you stood by them. I appreciate that loyalty, because you stood by me more than anybody else stood by their people."

"Qualify," I ordered. Half-ordered.

"Benjamin, some of my friends, they weren't as lucky as I was during the last recession. You kept us on as their bosses turned tail and ran. I couldn't help them, as you couldn't have helped them."

I knew, because I had been told, there was only so much money in the world.

Later that night, watching Ellie Harris croon the song 'Second Chances' on my stage, I made my mind up about CJ. I only hoped that she would be the one to give me the second chance. I called the number on Johan's card, not knowing who else to call to reach CJ.

"Eight one two four," the woman at the other end of the call announced.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Johan Birch if he is available," I said.

"Benjamin, are you sure you don't want to speak to Chicago Jane?" The woman asked.

"I want to speak to her," I confirmed.

There was a click, then a lovely voice in my ear. "Hello, Benji."

"CJ, I'm sorry. Can I have a second chance?"

"That depends."

Yeah, I had expected that. "On what?"

"Tell me, was Grace any good in bed?" CJ asked.

Nothing to do but tell the truth. "CJ, she was very good in bed."

"Good." There was a long pause. "I thought she might catch your eye. She told me that you were a nine out of ten."

Playful.

"Why only a nine?" I asked.

"Because the moment she walked out the door, she heard a little thought from you. You were thinking: 'I thank the goddess that CJ came into my life, because if I didn't know her, I never would have met Grace.'"

"You're absolutely right," I admitted. "I thank you for wanting me."

"You are very welcome," she replied. "There is so much I want to share with you, Benji."

"I welcome you showing it to me, Chicki," I tested a pet name for her.

"Hmm, that sounds nice," CJ agreed. "Chicki, rhymes with 'Benji.'"

That was chuckle-worthy. "I suppose."

"Benji, I have seen the world, and I want to share it with you. From a village in Lesotho to the hidden town of Laurel in North Carolina."

"Where?" I asked.

She laughed. "It wouldn't be a secret if everybody knew about it. I was actually surprised to hear that you knew about Shannonburg."

"Such a gossip net you have," I commented. "Lesotho, such an isolated country."

"You have such disdain in your voice, Benji. Leave it alone, okay?"

Louise had a collection of athletic and exercise clothing made in Lesotho. I had never heard of it, so I did some research. Lesotho was a small country with people making little income compared to the prices of the products they produced. I didn't like it, but I asked Louise to try and find USA-made companies to buy from. She did. "Okay, Chicki, I will leave it alone."

"When you say 'Chicki,' I get the feeling of butterflies in my stomach," CJ joked.

"Maybe someone actually conjured them there," I offered. "You never did say if you would take me back."

"Benji, I officially forgive you and welcome you back with all my heart," CJ announced.

"Thank you."

"Very welcome. I will tell you one thing, Benji. While I didn't plan for you to walk out on me like that, I am glad you did. Just the very knowledge of magic helped you save Juanita's life."

She was right. If I hadn't walked out on CJ, Johan would have never come to see me, and Juanita would be in a hospital, dying. "I still feel bad that I hurt you, CJ. Nora showed me, how bad I hurt you."

"Nora will apologize at her earliest opportunity. She wasn't showing you how I felt, she was actually showing you how she felt seeing me cry like I was."

"Oh."

"We'll work it out. I have to stay where I am, Benji. I have a contract to fulfill, Laws of Man and all that. I'd like you to come see me, but I would get distracted with your presence. I need to be at my best."

"But I don't understand, I want to be with you," I revealed.

"You will, I promise."

"Chicki..."

"Benji, I have kissed you, my want of kissing you again will not go away. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I didn't make any request for a forgetfulness spell to be cast on me. Johan was bullshitting you, no spell like that exists."

"Yeah, I figured that out," I chuckled. "One week seemed too arbitrary for me, like he pulled it out of his ass."

"He did," CJ admitted. "Benji..."

"Yes?"

"Grace told you that I would aim women at you. She was right, I want to."

"Chicki..."

"They will all be willing, I promise you that."

"Well, I have locked that into my head, at-will and free-will? I get it. Why?"

"Because they want you too."

"That is not an answer."

"Because you shouldn't be alone, ever again."

"I think that you don't want to give me a straight answer," I countered.

"Benji, I seriously don't want you to be alone anymore. How much sex have you had in the last ten years?"

"None," I answered. "Well, Rosie Palmer doesn't count."

"You should have someone to wake up to for the rest of your life. Grace told me that you felt absolutely ecstatic to sleep next to her."

"She's right," I admitted. "Then she came out into my kitchen, wearing that athleisure outfit? I didn't think of Louise then, I only thought about how hot she looked."

CJ snickered. "Well? How do you feel?"

"You're not worried about me choosing them over you?" I asked. It was a perfectly valid question.

"As long as you are happy, I wouldn't care."

She sounded so truthful. "I don't understand."

"Chalk that one up to feminine mystique," CJ laughed.

I didn't need to chalk up anything. "Chicki, I don't need to chalk up anything. Just know this: If I agree to your indecent proposal, I will love anyone who shares my bed equally."

"Yes, Benji, I know that. You held on for ten years, and you will love every other with all your heart until you take your last breath."

"Chicki, you know me so well."

"That's why I went through three marriages, Benji, I couldn't leave you alone, alone."

"While I feel a tiny bit bad for those you left, I am glad you did," I admitted.

Another laugh. "Me too. I am told that it is very rare, extremely rare for immortality to be delivered through a kiss."

"Or even unlocked with a kiss," I explained what Marti had told me.

"Hmm. Not so special after all then," I could almost see her pouting.

"You're special, Chicki."

"So are you, Benji. So are you." CJ let out a huff. "I need to go, Benji, I'm wanted on-set."

"I eagerly await our next conversation," I admitted.

"Same here. Good-bye, Benji."

"Good-bye, Chicki."

***

Grace showed up at my club that Friday. I exercised my right to sing on stage with her, and she 'Had the Time of Her Life' singing with me. She told me that while Johan wasn't too happy that she had latched onto me in particular, and had gotten her pregnant, he would accept her choice. I took her home again, jokingly looking over my shoulder for Joshua. I got a hard punch in the arm for that admission.

The next morning Grace told me that she was going away for a little while. She immediately explained that she would be back to introduce me to our son. I asked her why, and she told me that she was going to cheat a little. There was a plane of existence called 'Uliona,' and it was the place to be for a pregnant woman. The gravity was a little bit lighter, and the climate more temperate. There was also a time dilation factor, so she would come back in three months in Plane Terra time, the plane where we lived, with our son. It made a tiny bit of sense, and I watched her pass through an orange-edged portal and vanish.

On the following Friday, we were doing great business and I was in a good mood until Travis Maple showed up in my club. He was the third of CJ's ex-husbands, and possibly trouble. I signalled Locke, one of my indoor bouncers, to keep a close eye on him. Sure enough, Travis chose a song and was planted in my queue. That was when the warning light went off in my head. Travis couldn't sing, I knew that because I had seen a movie with him as a co-star, and heard his performance had been so bad that the executive producer had ordered him to lip-sync the song that he was supposed to sing.

Travis had picked an older song, 'That Ain't Love' by REO Speedwagon. The lead of that particular group had a rather unique voice and even though I could mimic it, Travis was going to murder it.

I went to the bar and ordered a double scotch, the good stuff. The assistant managing the bar, Laurel, put her hand on mine when I retrieved my glass. "Sir, are you really going to let him sing that song?"

"Laurel, it wouldn't make any difference. He's just in here to get his gun off."

She withdrew her hand, letting me have my drink. "His gun off?"

"He suffered embarrassment from CJ asking for an annulment, and shame at being dropped off of the A-list because she publicly shunned him at the Rocher Awards earlier this year."

"Yeah, that was epic," Laurel agreed. "She gave the board a piece of her mind for trying to seat him next to her. What does that have to do with the now?"

"All of that embarrassment has built to a point, and he came here because I was seen with CJ at the Pink Foundation dinner. I'm sure that my and CJ's performances were shared online, and while it probably took some time to find me, he's here to try and show that he's better. He chose that song specifically, mostly because I sang 'In My Dreams' specifically in CJ's honor earlier tonight and 'That Ain't Love' is a counter."

"I get it," Laurel nodded. "I'm sorry for the familiarity just now. I guess I wanted your attention."

When I turned to face her, she looked down at the counter. "Laurel, don't be sorry, okay? It was just a touch, just like you do any other customer. It was just fine."

"Okay," she looked at me and smiled. "Here he comes."

Travis started out badly. Some of the patrons, knowing that he was going on-stage, had their cell-phone cameras ready. That wasn't a total violation of the rules, but the 'social media' sign wasn't going to prevent sharing of his performance online. By the time the song ended, the patrons looked ready to throw their dinnerware at Travis, and I couldn't help but snicker.

He immediately stomped over to the bar. "What did you do to the microphone?"

"Nothing, you are just that bad," I retorted. "Bad enough for me to ban you from my club. Forever."

He might have retained his dignity had he not taken a swing at me. First came the punch from the left. I whirled clockwise to my right, getting inside his defenses and delivering an elbow to the side of his head. While he was still contemplating where that blow had come from, I swept his right foot into his left and knocked him over.

Before he could get up, my bouncers Lamar and Wilhelm had his arms pinned behind his back. They escorted him to the door and onto the street. I got a round of applause as my customers sat back down to enjoy their dinners and deserts.

"I can only imagine the memes and giffys that are going to come out of this," I muttered.

"Free publicity," Juanita offered.

"Laurel, can you add another finger to this?" I indicated my glass. She added two. "I'm going back to my table before any more exes show up."

"We'll call Lamar if either of the two remaining exes show," Juanita promised.

About twenty-three Shiny flipped the house music on, signaling that there weren't any singers in the queue. I found that disheartening because we had lots of people in the club, just no interest in my key attraction, the karaoke.

I grabbed my tablet and started scrolling through the 80's section. I had settled on the song 'Transformers' by Lion. I always thought it was a shame that the song was left out of the remake. I had the license, and I was going to use it.

"Boss," Shiny came into my ear. "You have a patron that wants song 111394-delta."

The number sounded familiar, but I looked it up anyway. It was 'Lay All Your Love On Me' by ABBA. "Shiny, I locked that song for a reason." The last quartet who tried that song had totally mangled it, and I always locked songs that got mangled.

"Dash delta, boss."

"Oh, the solo cover by Sylver. Wait, who is requesting it?"

"She looks like Delphine Fischer."

I knew that name, Delphine was an A-lister and a multi-platinum singer, worldwide. "Shit, let it play, Shiny!"

"The song is listed as one of your faves, boss. Sign seven?"

"No, I'm not going to mangle it. Go!"

At the end of the house song, a woman came onto my stage. It was definitely Delphine. I saw her eyes looking for the prompters, but she was only looking for the countdown. She gave the sign, a double snap of the right hand because she was a lefty, and the song began.

Yes, she had the voice of an angel, begging someone to lay all their love on her. I couldn't help but wonder if that someone was in my audience. Delphine performed to a standing ovation, with calls for an encore. She waved the audience down, then vanished from the stage.

Shiny came into my ear, panicked. "Boss, she's doing a scan through your bookmarks."

I knew that I was officially in trouble. Knowing that, I could either head for the doors or head for the stage. I chose the latter and went for the stage. I'd pick up the gauntlet, if I could. My tablet beeped, telling me that she had chosen her song. It wouldn't be too bad, I both knew and loved the song called 'Destiny' by Markus Schulz.

Delphine remounted the stage. "I found my song and I am invoking a reverse sign seven!" Delphine called through her microphone. "Sign seven!"

Definitely calling me out.

I reached the point of no return thirty seconds later. I had the hall to the stage on my left and the emergency exits on my right.

I heard the audience pick up her chant, telling me I was officially screwed. I went left. Delphine was waiting on me at the table where the monitors were sitting.

"Thanks, Miss Fischer. I'm going to have to retire that sign now." I fitted a monitor in my ear.

"Don't be a shit, Benji," she said with a smile. "Besides, CJ says you've got the chops for it."

"Shiny, give me a house track. 'Faith of the Heart.'"

"Which one?"

"The long one. Watson."

"Yes, sir."

"That's kind of rude," Delphine prodded.

"I need time to negotiate. 'Destiny' is not really a song that can be stretched into a duet, and the end is kind of repetitive."

"I know."

"You just wanted to freak me out?"

"Of course." I looked into her eyes and saw playfulness there.

Yep, I'm in trouble.

"Next Time I Fall?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow. "After all?" An eye-roll.

Delphine showed me her tablet. She had chosen 'Let's Make Love' by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. "This one."

I knew the song well, It had been a favorite of Louise's. We had never had the chance to sing it onstage because I had only recently gotten the rights to it. "That's a really intimate song."

She took a step toward me, then another, then she leaned into a kiss. I put my hand behind her head to deepen the kiss. She didn't fight it. The only reason I pulled away from her was because the filler song was almost over.

"We gotta go," I held out my hand.

She was rubbing her lips. "You better sing this song like you mean it, Benji."

"Right back at ya."

We passed the edge of the wings and she hadn't let go of my hand, so I wasn't to let go of hers.

Delphine had the opening stanza, and she sang it while facing me. I thought that if she could get any closer, she would have. She was almost done with her part of the song when I realized I hadn't grabbed a microphone. She gladly handed me hers when it was my turn.

That meant one thing of course, we had to sing the duet part face-to-face over the microphone. And we did. When the final notes played, I reached around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. The way she fell into me, I could tell she didn't mind. The entire place went wild with applause and hoots.

She pulled away from me and took my hand. "You better follow up on that."

"You too."

We reached the bottom of the stairs when Shiny came into my ears. "Boss."

"Yeah?"

"That entire performance was livestreamed and liked by pretty much all of Miss Fischer's fanclub. She has, like, ten million fans."

"Plug Delphine in, Shiny."

"Miss Fischer, your duet has exploded. It was livestreamed and liked by almost all of your followers. Oh, and now the OA's are weighing in on it."

"Did they like it?" Delphine and I asked at the same time.

"They loved it," Shiny replied.

"Forward the rest to my tablet," I said.

"On the way," Shiny promised.

I pulled out my monitor and slipped it into my pocket. Delphine didn't remove hers, just turning her ear toward me so I would pull it out for her. I got another kiss as a reward. "I really enjoyed that," I admitted.

"You're not the only one," Delphine said. "You sang with such passion, will you sing to me later?"

"I want to sing to you later," I said. "All but you have to ask."

"Sing. Me. To. Sleep." It wasn't a question, it was a song.

"Good."

We went to my table, my bouncer Geoff blocking the passage behind us. Carrie, my assistant for the night, brought us a bottle of champagne and a bowl of strawberries, then vanished.

"Goddess, you're beautiful," I said to Delphine.

"I know," she gave me a big smile. "You're very handsome."

My tablet beeped, so I grabbed it and unlocked it. "Not a moment of peace," I grumbled. Shiny took control of the interface for a second, then returned control to me.

The pages he had loaded all referenced Delphine's and my performance. Her fans had gone wild, some of them asking what 'sign seven' meant. I handed it to Delphine. "We're famous."