Millionaire Girlfriend

Chapter 50: Chapter 50 - Throwing a party

It was Sunday afternoon, and Benjamin was still cooped up in his apartment, playing the same video game he’d started the day before. He hadn’t stepped outside all weekend.

At first, he’d loved it. He could play as long as he wanted, order whatever food he felt like, and forget about everything else. But after nearly two days alone, the fun had worn off. The apartment felt too quiet, and even the game that had kept him entertained for hours had become boring.

Normally, Ben never stayed home all weekend. Carl would usually show up without warning, sometimes stumbling through the door in the middle of the night with a dozen people Ben barely knew. Within minutes, the apartment would become a full-blown party.

Back then, Ben had been annoyed by how little Carl respected his privacy. Now that Carl was gone, though, he was beginning to realize that some of the best moments of his life had happened because of him.

His cousin. His best friend.

Ben put down his controller and stared at the ceiling.

What would Carl do if he were in his position?

After mentally crossing off several options that were way too crazy, Ben finally came up with an idea.

"I’m gonna throw a party."

The only problem was that Ben didn’t have nearly as many friends as Carl did. Then he remembered Carl’s phone.

He found it in the guest bedroom, unlocked it with the passcode he already knew, and opened the contacts.

The list was ridiculous. Carl’s dealer, women from the office, people from various cosplay groups, and dozens of other contacts saved under names that made absolutely no sense.

Ben picked a few and sent them the same message.

"Big party tonight. Bring some friends. Address: ******"

There. It was done.

Now he just needed alcohol.

A lot of alcohol.

Ben drove to the nearest store and went completely overboard. He bought several kinds of liquor, beer, soda, bottled water, chips, snacks, and enough disposable cups to supply a college party.

By the time he reached the checkout, he could barely carry everything.

"Hey, man, what’s all this for?" a guy in his thirties asked from behind him.

Ben glanced at the line forming behind him.

"I’m throwing a little party at my place."

A woman looked at the mountain of alcohol.

"I don’t think you need this much booze for a little party."

"I’m throwing a big party," Ben corrected himself.

With the employees’ help, he eventually got everything into his car.

Back home, he cleared as much space as possible in the living room and moved anything fragile or expensive out of reach. He was suddenly grateful his mother had insisted on such a large apartment.

Once everything was ready, Ben figured he still had plenty of time to shower and change.

Then the doorbell rang.

He checked the clock.

It was barely five.

"Who the hell is here already?"

He opened the door and immediately recognized the man standing there.

Carl’s dealer.

Ben had smoked with him several times, but he still had no idea what his real name was.

"Hey, brother. Where’s the boss?" the dealer asked.

"Uh... he’s not here. But you can come in if you’re here for the party."

The dealer stepped inside and looked around.

"It’s pretty early. You’re the only person here so far."

"I know. I always show up early to parties so I can sell my stuff."

He opened his jacket, revealing a small bag strapped against his stomach.

Ben immediately understood.

"Wow. I know you’re here to do business, but could you maybe not sell anything tonight?"

The dealer stared at him.

"I’ll pay you a thousand dollars so you don’t leave empty-handed," Ben added.

The dealer’s expression changed immediately.

"No problem. You’re the boss tonight."

Ben handed him the money. The dealer pocketed it with a grin.

"I think I can help you throw the party of the century. First thing we need is music. And a DJ."

Ben froze.

He hadn’t even thought about music.

"And before that, we need a little warm-up," the dealer added.

He pulled a small bag of pills from his pocket.

"Take one about ten minutes before things get going. You’ll have enough energy to last all night."

Ben recognized them immediately. Carl had given him something similar once, and he’d woken up the next morning in a stranger’s house with a married woman sleeping beside him and no idea how he’d gotten there.

He took the bag anyway.

Just in case.

With the dealer’s help, Ben managed to get everything organized. The guy even took over the music.

By sunset, people started pouring in.

Then more came.

Within a couple of hours, the apartment was packed. Music filled the place while people drank, laughed, talked, and moved from room to room.

Ben barely knew most of them.

But honestly, he didn’t care.

His party was a success.

The problem was that Ben wasn’t particularly good at socializing. He tried to mingle, but every conversation seemed to drain him. People kept approaching him anyway, thanking him for the party or introducing themselves.

A few women from the office seemed especially interested in him.

One of them eventually walked up.

She was the pretty intern who’d recently been hired full-time.

"So, boss, I was really sad when you ignored me after the amazing time we had in the records warehouse," she said.

She moved closer, casually playing with Ben’s tie.

Ben immediately felt uncomfortable.

"I was just pretty busy."

At twenty-nine, Ben wasn’t used to that kind of attention, especially in public. And honestly, he barely remembered what had happened in that records warehouse.

The woman smiled.

"But you’re free now. Maybe we could go somewhere a little more private."

She rose onto her toes and whispered the last part into his ear.

Ben wanted to say yes, but something in her expression told him she wanted more than a little fun.

He might have been shy, but he wasn’t stupid.

"Sorry, I’ve got a few things to take care of."

Ben stepped away and went to get another drink.

After a few more attempts at small talk, he finally gave up.

It was strange. He was surrounded by people, yet he didn’t feel like he belonged there.

Maybe that was the problem.

This whole thing just wasn’t him.

The only reason he’d ever enjoyed parties before was because Carl had been there.

Ben looked around his apartment. Everyone else seemed to be having a great time.

Then he noticed a woman standing alone near the wall.

She held an empty red Solo cup in one hand and a purse in the other, looking like she was seriously considering leaving.

Ben grabbed two cups, poured them both a drink, and walked over.

She noticed him almost immediately.

"Want a drink?" Ben asked, holding out the cup.

The woman looked at the drink, then at him, clearly hesitant.

"Actually, I’m Benjamin. This is my place, and I’m the one throwing the party."

"I’m Mackenzie," she replied, accepting the cup.

Mackenzie was in her mid-thirties, with dark brown hair naturally blended with lighter blonde streaks. She was around five-foot-nine and wore an elegant skirt suit that looked far more sophisticated than what most people at the party were wearing.

"Nice to meet you, Mackenzie. I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you a friend of Carl’s?"

"I was his therapist," Mackenzie admitted, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Ben stared at her.

"No way. You’re Dr. Perfect..."

He stopped himself.

"Boobs?" Mackenzie supplied, having noticed his eyes briefly drift downward.

"I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to disrespect you."

Mackenzie laughed at how flustered he looked.

"Don’t worry about it. Given the context and where we’re having this conversation, I’m not exactly offended."

There was something about her that immediately caught Ben’s attention. He liked the way she talked, the way she laughed, and, surprisingly, he was actually enjoying the conversation.

"I’m glad you’re not offended. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you here, Mackenzie? You don’t really seem like the kind of person who enjoys this sort of party."

He paused.

"To be honest, I don’t feel like I belong here either. And this is my house."

The irony in his voice made Mackenzie smile.

"Heh... just life stuff, you know. I don’t think I could talk about it sober without crying."

She downed her drink.

"If you don’t want to talk about it sober, we’ve got plenty of stuff here that’ll help you laugh about all your problems," Ben said, gesturing toward the table covered with bottles.

"I’m not saying that to encourage you to drink."

Ben wasn’t sure whether the alcohol was already affecting him, but he felt surprisingly comfortable around her. And Mackenzie didn’t seem bored either.

"I think I need to blow off some steam tonight. Come on. Let’s have a few drinks together, if you’re interested."

They grabbed a couple of large bottles of liquor and a bottle of soda before Ben led her somewhere quieter.

A guest bedroom.

But when he opened the door, Ben froze.

Two people were already on the bed.

He stared in disbelief.

He’d locked that room. He’d even kept the key in his pocket all day.

"Boss, can you close the door?" someone called from inside.

Ben immediately recognized the voice.

The drug dealer.

His DJ.

"Sorry."

He quickly shut the door.

For a few seconds, Ben just stood there, expecting Mackenzie to be embarrassed.

Instead, she burst out laughing.

Ben stared at her before laughing too.

Apparently, there were some things you simply couldn’t prepare for when throwing a party.

He led Mackenzie to another bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Suddenly, he felt a little nervous.

He’d only brought her here to drink.

That had been the plan, anyway.

But tonight, Ben was beginning to realize that plans didn’t mean much at a party like this.

They placed the bottles on the floor and sat down against the side of the bed.

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