The Secret Attraction

They drifted into an easy, cosy chat. Katherine realised it was an unusual situation for her, talking with another adult who was not either a mother of one of her children's friends, or Edward, or one of his relatives. And it was a refreshing situation, despite her initial fear that she might fall into the trap of discussing schools or other domestic arrangements, subjects she knew were boring to others.

Similarly, it seemed that Ben was adamant that neither his work nor the company would be topics for discussion. That pleased Katherine, partly because she had no interest in her husband's work, but mostly because she did not want to be reminded of Edward.

Eventually though, after almost half an hour after they had finished eating, her curiosity got the better of her.

'So tell me Ben,' she asked, 'do you have a girlfriend?'

'I was in a long term relationship which lasted almost five years. But it finished soon after Christmas.'

'Oh, I'm sorry, that must've been painful,' Katherine said, noticing that while Ben appeared to be staring towards the ground, his gaze was actually concentrated on her bare calves.

She was delighted that her pale slender legs, which she reckoned were probably her best feature, were still capable of grabbing attention. She was even more pleased that she had summoned up the effort to wax them last night, despite being almost too tired to bother.

'I think it was painful - very painful - for her. It wasn't an amicable split, that's for sure. She still hasn't forgiven me for walking out on her, which is understandable. I've not really forgiven myself, if I'm honest. She was probably expecting an engagement ring, not a break-up.'

'Oh dear, scared of commitment, Ben?' Katherine joked in an attempt to keep the mood light, but immediately sensed her attempt at humour was being ignored.

'No, not at all. The trouble was I met someone else. Someone who - and I know this sounds corny - I thought was the ideal woman for me. Attractive, funny... I think there was a spark there.'

'But you said you don't have a girlfriend. So you didn't get together with her?'

Ben looked up at her, a sad smile on his face.

'Oh God, this is embarrassing,' he said, hesitating. 'That ideal woman...'

'What?' she said intrigued.

'It's you Katherine.'

Katherine was stunned. They sat in silence for a few moments staring down at the grass, not daring to face each other. Ben seemed mortified that he had made such a revelation.

She tried again to recall their conversation at the Christmas Ball. What on earth had they talked about? What she had said or done to make such an impression on this man?

They hardly knew each other, but maybe Ben was correct, perhaps there was some kind of spark between them? After all, she had spent most of this afternoon thinking about him, but that might only be because of how he compared to Edward; not a tough benchmark, really.

How ironic, Katherine thought, as she realised she was now grateful for today's enforced abstinence. At least it meant she could think more clearly, but she was still very confused. However, she knew what she must do.

'Look, Ben, you're a lovely guy, and I'm very flattered, but I'm married,' Katherine told him gently but firmly, even giving a little wave of her left hand to emphasise her wedding ring. 'I should go. People will be wondering where I've got to.'

With that, she stood up from the bench and started to make for the opening in the azaleas. But only after two steps she felt him tug on her hand.

Then, suddenly, they were stood facing each other, only inches separating them. Katherine knew that she could have turned from him then; and she should have pulled away as he drew her nearer, too.

But Katherine did neither of those things, and she found herself being kissed by this man, his lips hard against hers. She wanted to resist, but soon her tongue was against his, as her arms wrapped around his waist. Ben was a good passionate kisser, which was about the only thing she was sure of right now.

Their bodies pressed closer together, their skin sticky with a slight sheen of perspiration brought on by the June heat. Katherine could sense her nipples hardening as her breasts were squeezed against him and, from the pressure against her stomach, it was obvious that Ben was getting aroused too. He held her head, running his fingers through her hair as their mouths moved greedily together.

Suddenly, they heard voices approaching. In a panic, Katherine pulled away, although her by now unkempt hair and the scarlet blush rising up her neck and across her face would immediately cause suspicion in whoever caught them. Both of them stood completely still, waiting. Katherine, her chest pounding, bit down hard on her bottom lip.

The voices - one of which she now recognised as belonging to her sister-in-law Sophie - got louder. But then, to Katherine's relief, she heard the people begin to move off. The secret garden had, thankfully, helped to keep their secret. When she was sure they were alone once more, she opened her mouth to speak to Ben, but he was ahead of her.

'That was close,' he said, grinning.

'Close! Close! Do you know what would've happened if that bitch had caught us?' Katherine hissed in a stage whisper, now worried that they might be overheard by persons unseen beyond the shrubs. 'I thought you were supposed to work in risk management Ben.'

'I'm off duty,' he replied with an innocent shrug of his shoulders. 'Listen, I'm sorry we nearly got caught, but I'm not sorry I kissed you... and I didn't exactly feel you struggling to get free, Katherine.'

At that, her frown disappeared, and she let out a little chuckle. The truth was that the kiss, and almost getting caught, had been a thrill for her.

'I really do have to go now, I have to find out what havoc my children have been causing, and my drunken husband will probably need chauffeuring home.'

'Wait, let me give you this,' Ben said, reaching into his wallet to retrieve a business card. 'Call me. Please.'

Katherine took the card and, without looking at it, slipped it straight into the pocket of her dress. As she disappeared through the gap in the azaleas and strode quickly towards the marquee, her eyes scanned the other partygoers. Fortunately, there were fewer people about now, and so her exit from the secret garden went unobserved.

She knew she should not call Ben, but a nagging feeling inside told her that the temptation would be hard to resist.