Though she was with Johnny, it was Ben Marianne met first. He was the general manager at the rental car company her boss favored—with so many boutiques in the Richmond area, and more scheduled to open, company policy was to use a rental whenever possible to reduce wear and tear on personal vehicles and limit liability. Most of the travel was done by Marianne’s boss, which meant she had to arrange for the rental cars to be dropped off at their office ahead of time.
The first time Ben came in, keys in hand, Marianne was smitten by his devilish goatee and sexy grin. He reminded her of a young Robert Downey, Jr., with an extra twenty pounds broadening his chest and shoulders. It was after four in the afternoon, and his suit was a little rumpled that late in the day, but it only added to his c
