Husband With Benefits

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room as Rafael and Arabelle regarded each other while Cai went on his merry way. Rafe was still trying to process everything—her boldness, her connection to Cai, and the undeniable spark of intrigue she stirred in him. Now that they had been introduced, Rafe could vaguely remember what he knew of the Frost Family. She was one of the sisters in law of the Frost brother, if he was not mistaken...Gabe’s? He wasn’t sure though so he said nothing. He was simply relieved that she was no little girl.

Arabelle broke the silence first, cocking her head with a sly smile." Are you in shock about your good intentions going to waste? But don’t worry. I like you."

Rafale blinked. She liked him? He almost blurted out that he liked her too but before he could make that faux pas, he was saved since she continued," I mean I already liked you for all the work you’ve been doing to help relocate victims of human trafficking but that could always be considered political agenda. But now I know you have integrity since you wanted to punch your best friend if he was cheating."

Rafe decided to play it safe. He was pretty sure that his IQ had somehow fallen in the last few minutes because he simply seemed to be unable to understand what she was saying. All he wanted to do was smile and stare at this beauty.

So, gathering his thoughts, he asked tentatively,"What kind of collaboration?"

And then the girl grinned and shrugged," Collaboration? I have no idea. Unless that is Cai’s sly way of arranging a blind date for us? I mean he is over the moon in a relationship so maybe he wants to see his best friend and honorary sister in a happy relationship too?"

Rafael blinked, caught off guard by her suggestion of a relationship and almost shouted," Hell yeah." He was on board with the idea of dating this fine woman. A date with her would certainly be... unconventional. Before he could explore that line of thought, however, Arabelle shattered his bubble.

"Your expression looks so funny since I made the suggestion." As Arabelle leaned against the table, her hands on each side of her, she grinned and continued," Relax. I think by collaboration he really did mean that. The thing is, I’ve been pestering him to help me put together a fund raiser and some other things. I’m an activist for Global Centurion."

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Rafael, but he didn’t interrupt, curious to hear more of her voice.

Global Centurion is an organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking. We work to combat it on all fronts—awareness campaigns, survivor support, policy advocacy, and holding traffickers accountable. It’s a constant uphill battle, but it’s worth every ounce of effort. However, it is also an expensive battle and we need more funds all the time. Hence the fund raiser."

"Alright," he said casually, as if they were discussing dinner plans instead of a large scale fund raiser. "How about four months from now? I’m sure there’s a weekend around that time when my schedule clears up. Until then, feel free to coordinate with my assistant for anything you might need. You’ll have plenty of time to prepare."

Arabelle blinked, momentarily thrown off by his immediate agreement. Just like that? No pushback, no questions, no hesitation? She had been ready for a challenge—had even prepared an entire pitch in her head, complete with carefully crafted arguments and strategically flattering comments about his past initiatives. She had expected him to need convincing, maybe even cajoling, and now... nothing? He’d simply agreed?