Cinder-Effing-Rella

Chapter 9

Ben stood in a stupor not quite believing what had just transpired. His eyes drifted around the room taking in a number of breakable objects and lingering on a crystal vase that, once upon a time, he would have sent crashing into the nearest wall. But now, he found he didn't have the heart to do it. With a dejected sigh, he walked towards the bed and flopped face down onto it. His phone started to buzz but he ignored it. After he'd received half a dozen missed calls, Ben pulled the device out of his pocket ready to smash it into pieces. However, when he saw his mother's name displayed on the screen, he reluctantly answered.

"Mom, I screwed up again and I don't know how to fix it."

Rey hailed a cab, leaving behind the opulence of the hotel without a second glance. The only thing she would miss about it was the man she'd left there. But he hadn't made any attempt to get her to stay, and it stung. She didn't realise she'd mistaken his stunned heartbreak for indifference. All she could think was that he didn't even say goodbye to her. Rey gazed out of the taxi window as she recalled their last night together. Kylo made love to her so tenderly, almost reverently, and they had been as connected as two people could be. She had felt so close to him. Maybe he just got scared about the commitment, she mused, turning it over in her mind until it drove her crazy. Rey gave herself a mental shake, she couldn't go on thinking like that. Whatever she'd shared with Kylo, or Ben, she supposed, was over. Perhaps it had all been nothing but an illusion in the end.

Finn met her at the door of their shared second floor flat with a hug and a box of her favourite chocolates.

"You're the man of my dreams, do you know that?" She teased him fondly, glad to be home.

"Damn straight," he winked. "Look, babe, if you want to talk about…"

Rey put her finger to his lips to stop him from going any further. "No, no talking about anything tonight but boxes, bitches, and back rolls."

Finn gave her the thumbs up sign. "Perfect, because I've already got the pizzas ordered and RuPaul's Drag Race is good to go on Netflix."

"You know me too well," she said dumping her bags in her room. The unpacking could wait. Every piece of clothing would only stir up memories of the past week and she wasn't ready to deal with it just yet.

"Right, let's get this party started." Rey smiled brightly, a little too brightly Finn thought, but he didn't say anything.

The pair of them huddled up on their small couch, happy to be distracted from life's cares for a while.

Ben lay sprawled on the bed mulling over his mother's advice. He turned to the empty space beside him, his hand resting where Rey should be. An awful feeling of dread crept over him at the idea he might never see her again, and he didn't even know where she lived. At that moment, his eyes fell upon the piece of paper that he half-remembered her scribbling her address on. He leapt from the bed and snatched it up, clutching it to his chest. Faint heart never won fair maiden, he told himself. If he truly wanted Rey, he would have to make a grand gesture. She had said she didn't want money or fancy things, only him. But then, she had backtracked saying she'd got carried away and didn't want him after all. Ben sank back down against the pillows, what if she rejected him? His mind drifted to the last time they'd been together on that bed. He thought of the way she'd melted into his kisses, of how her body responded to his every touch as he'd buried himself as deep inside her as he could get. His cock twitched at the memory of being encased in her velvet heat. After reaching the heights of ecstasy together, he'd held her and heard her whisper that she loved him. Her words were sincere, he'd felt it. Ben knew he would stop at nothing to win her back.

Before he could get out of the door, he got a call from the hotel reception. Snoke Industries had settled the bill for his stay and had been told he would be vacating the room with immediate effect. Ben knew it to be Hux's doing, the ginger weasel's pettiness knew no bounds. As he'd been forced to liquidate most of his assets to help keep SkyTech afloat, he would need to find a cheaper hotel. His mind drifted back to Rey - perhaps he could find a bed for the night with her, and for the rest of his life, if he was lucky. Without delay, Ben packed up his belongings. He grabbed the jewellery box from the nightstand, determined to deliver the necklace back into the hands of its rightful owner. His mom had offered him his grandmother Padmé's diamond engagement ring to give to Rey, should the need arise. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that he couldn't live without her. Ben glanced again at the address on the piece of paper, 218 Falcon Road, Flat 7, Bermondsey. His fate awaited him.

Finn had done all he could to keep Rey's mind off her woes. She tried to enter into the fun of their Netflix marathon, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it. When she excused herself to take a hot bath and have an early night, he didn't try to stop her. He must have dozed off on the couch because the sound of knocking woke him up with a start.

"Alright, I'm coming," he grumbled as he hauled himself up with the aid of his crutches.

A glance at the clock told him it was well after ten and they weren't expecting any visitors, especially ones who called at that time of night. Whoever it was had started knocking again, and more forcefully than before. Finn glanced through the peephole to find a tall, dark, distinctive looking man in black clothing and a brown leather jacket standing outside. He sucked in a breath; it couldn't be, could it? The noise had likely woken up the woman he'd come in search of - if she had even managed to fall asleep in the first place.

Finn opened the door as far as the safety chain would allow it and peered out. "What do you want?" He inquired, not disposed to be welcoming to the guy who'd broken his best friend's heart.

"Is Rey home? I really need to speak with her," Ben pleaded.

Finn noted his stack of luggage with confusion. "What's going on?" He questioned his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "If you've come to cause her more grief, I'll kick your arse, broken leg or not."

Never a patient man, Ben did his best to exercise self-restraint. "Look, Fran…"

"It's Finn," he cut in with exasperation.

"I knew it started with an F. Anyway, I'm sorry, it's been a really long day and I really need to see Rey right now."

At that moment, the door to her bedroom opened and she stepped out.

"It's him," Finn mouthed as she fought the urge to run back to her room and lock the door.

Her eyes were red from crying and she'd put on her comfortable old pyjamas with the little space rockets on. She took a deep breath and rubbed her tearstained face. "Let him in."

Finn slid the safety chain off, casting the much taller man a wary look as he allowed him entry.

"Rey," Ben gasped as he stepped closer to her.

She backed away a little hugging herself and hating that he made her feel so vulnerable.

"What about your bags?" Finn questioned.

It looked like expensive stuff, and it wouldn't survive long unattended in their neighbourhood.

Ben's had his attention fixed firmly on the young woman in front of him. Nothing else mattered. She looked adorable but so very sad.

Finn huffed as he set down one of his crutches and did his best to drag the bags inside. "Hey," he protested as he continued to struggle. "A little help here would be nice." His pleas fell on deaf ears.

Rey didn't know what to make of Ben turning up on her doorstep. She stood facing him waiting for him to explain himself. He had paused to muster up his courage, momentarily unable to say anything beyond her name.

"Well?" She threw him an expectant glare.

He raked a hand through his hair, as she'd noticed he tended to do when he was nervous.

Suddenly, Ben fell to his knees before her and gazed up at her with hope-filled eyes. "I love you Rey, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you - if you'll have me."

His puppy dog expression was her undoing and she exploded in a mix of sobs and giggles. "I thought you didn't want me," she cried.

Ben captured her hand in his and kissed it over and over. "Oh, my angel, I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone or anything and I should have said so this morning."

"Then why didn't you?" She asked unable to entirely banish her hurt.

"I was too focused on saving SkyTech," he confessed. "That's why Hux was so pissed off, and why I'm currently between hotels. I haven't officially tendered my resignation to Snoke Industries, but Hux has already cut my expenses off. I'm not going to fight it even though I could. I know where the bodies are buried, metaphorically speaking, so Snoke Industries will have to tread carefully. I'll make sure they understand that if they go after SkyTech again, I can make a lot of trouble for them."

Ben smirked as he thought about how he'd got the Minister of Defence to reverse his decision on SkyTech bidding for the military contracts. He even got him to go as far as giving them preferred bidder status. He wouldn't call it blackmail, his secret surveillance and information gathering had merely been an insurance policy. His intimate knowledge of how Snoke Industries worked convinced him early on in his career with the company that he would have need of it.

He gave her a sheepish look. "I hope you meant it when you said you didn't care about the money because I've poured most of my capital into SkyTech. My uncle intends to make me a full partner once I've settled things with Snoke. But I've dropped from a seven-figure annual salary to something a lot more modest."

It wouldn't matter to her if he didn't have a penny to his name, she loved him.

He stayed on his knees and Rey gazed down at him, attempting to get it all straight in her head. "So, when you said you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, does that mean you're asking me to marry you?"

Ben smiled, "Only if that's what you want. I mean we can wait a while if you're not ready for that, maybe try living together first to make sure I won't drive you crazy," he suggested happy to go with whatever she decided as long as they could be together.

She contemplated it for a few seconds before tugging on his hand in an effort to drag him towards her bedroom. It might be insane, given that she'd known him less than a week, but it felt so right.

"Is that a yes?" Ben asked, hardly believing his luck as he got up off of his knees.

Rey threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "Yes," she shrieked. "A thousand times, yes."

"Hang on, yes to getting married or yes to living together?"

"Yes to all of it," she beamed tugging on his hand again.

He grinned as Rey opened her bedroom door and pulled him inside.

"Congratulations!" Finn yelled out after them.

It seemed they'd forgotten he was there. He rolled his eyes as he heard the sound of squeaking bed springs. Happy as he was for his best friend, he didn't need to eavesdrop on what they were doing in the next room. He went into his own and popped his earbuds in, putting his iPod on shuffle.

Ben pressed his lips together in an attempt to muffle his cries. Rey had wasted no time in stripping off his clothes and her own. She pushed him back on the bed and went down on him before he could say a word. He fisted his hands in her freshly washed hair as she sucked greedily on his cock, her appreciative moans making him rock hard. She pumped him steadily with one hand, her fingertips brushing lightly over his balls with the other.

"I'm not gonna last long like this," he warned.

Rey drew back making a soft popping sound with her lips as they slipped from him. "Then don't," she said before sucking him with renewed vigour.

Ben gave up trying to suppress his vocal appreciation as her fingers gripped the length of his shaft, pumping him harder. Her clever mouth took in almost every inch of him. She had a way of swirling her tongue around the swollen head of his cock that brought him to the edge of bliss. One more pump of her wrist and he came with a throaty roar. She kept sucking until she'd swallowed every last drop of his hot cum.

"Oh, my precious Rey," Ben murmured as she released him with a smile of satisfaction.

As soon as he recovered his senses, he flipped her on her back determined to return the favour. Her cunt was already dripping with arousal. He ran his tongue over her, paying special attention to her sensitive clit. Her soft moans spurred him on as his generous mouth and thick fingers worked her into a frenzy of desire. She grasped at his raven hair needing something to anchor her as she came hard against his tongue. Ben gave her no time to recover before shifting position and burying himself deep inside her. The sensation almost undid him as her silky cum coated his cock. He shuddered with pleasure and began thrusting into her. She wasn't expecting to orgasm again so soon, but she felt another release building with every stroke.

Ben held her gaze as they neared completion. "I love you so much," he said.

"I love you too," Rey gasped before her senses got stolen by another earth-shattering climax.

He followed her over the edge, kissing her before collapsing onto the mattress panting for breath. She draped herself over him, his large frame covering almost the entirety of her bed, as they waited for their heart rates to return to normal.

Her room was small, Ben noted as he glanced around it properly for the first time; he'd seen bigger walk-in closets. There were pictures and postcards pinned to a large notice board. Various keepsakes were scattered across a small wooden shelf, including a little rag doll in an orange outfit.

Rey drew lazy circles on his chest with her fingers. Much as she didn't want to be parted from him, she presumed he still had to leave tomorrow. "How long will you be in New York?"

Ben propped himself up on his elbow, an expression of confusion on his face. "I want you to come with me," he explained. "The apartment belongs to Snoke Industries so I'll have to clear out my stuff. Once we get settled, my parents want us to go visit them for a few days if that's okay? They'd like to get to know you."

Rey felt slightly overwhelmed, she hadn't even thought about leaving Finn and the city she'd always called home, behind. "I - I don't know," she said making him worry that she might be having second thoughts. "Would we have to live over there?"

Ben hadn't really given much consideration to the logistics but hoped they could find a solution agreeable to them both. At least she sounded unsure about the location rather than about being with him, which calmed his fears a little. She didn't appear to have much and he wanted to give her the world.

"SkyTech has offices in London and a research facility near Washington DC. I guess I'll be spending time at both. My parents live in DC and I'd like to see them occasionally. I thought, with you fixing engines and stuff, that there might be something to interest you at SkyTech. We can find a place here, though, if that's what you'd prefer."

Rey hooked her hands around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She liked the idea of putting her engineering skills to use. It wasn't as if she had much besides Finn to keep her in London. He would always be her dearest friend and she'd miss him terribly, but he would never be more than a phone call or FaceTime away.

"We'll work it out," she said between kisses. "And I would love to meet your parents."

Ben frowned, suddenly becoming aware of what introducing her to them would mean. "I should warn you, my mom is probably planning our wedding as we speak. My dad just wants to meet the girl who is crazy enough to fall for his son. He'll probably ask if I've knocked you up or something equally embarrassing."

"Don't worry," she teased kissing the tip of his nose. "Solo men seem to find me irresistible, I'm sure I'll have him wrapped around my little finger in no time."

Rey giggled as his lips found a sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. He wasn't about to argue with her theory on Solo men, opting instead to give her more evidence in its favour.

The next morning, Ben awoke to find himself alone in bed. As he listened, he could just about make out the muffled sound of voices coming from the other room. Much as he didn't want to intrude on a private conversation, he desperately needed to use the bathroom. He pulled on his silk boxers and opened the bedroom door.

Finn raised his eyebrows at the sight of Ben's toned body, his eyes drifting downwards. "Damn, girl, I can see why he's a keeper."

Rey giggled as she watched her fiancé's pale face turn pink. "Morning, sexy," she grinned.

Ben couldn't help but smile in return until his bladder started to protest. "Bathroom?" he requested jiggling about.

Rey pointed to the door down the hall and he made a dash for it. At least she wasn't having second thoughts, he assured himself pushing away his lingering worries about her getting cold feet.

When he re-joined them in the kitchen, Finn held out his hand to him.

"Congratulations, man," he said as they shook hands. "You've got one hell of a girl there, I hope you know that."

"I do," Ben acknowledged. "She's the whole world to me."

Rey couldn't help swooning a little as he ducked down to kiss her.

Things started to heat up and Finn cleared his throat to remind them they weren't alone. "Don't stop on my account." He rolled his eyes. "Where can I find a rich sugar daddy, that's what I want to know?"

Ben soon found himself being pulled in the direction of the bedroom again, not that he was complaining. Full of goodwill to all, he thought of a way to help Rey's best friend. "Poe Dameron might be able to find you an opening - In SkyTech, I mean," he added. "I'll give you his number."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure I'm qualified," the younger man replied.

"Finn, Poe Dameron is a hot, former-astronaut and he's gay," Rey informed him. "Get that number called, now!"

With that, she shoved Ben back on her bed and kicked the door shut.

"I love it when you take charge," he said his excitement mounting.

She climbed on top of him. "I'm glad you've gone back to your birth name. Rey Ren sounds silly."

"I don't expect you to take my name when we marry, but if you do, you'll be Mrs. Rey Solo," Ben announced secretly hoping she would choose that option.

"It's a nice mouthful," she winked yanking his silk boxers off. "But then, so are you."

The way he kissed her challenged her previous assertion that life wasn't a fairytale. Rey mused, with a smile she hoped would never fade, maybe happy endings did exist after all.

THE END.

Thank you to you all for reading this fanfic. Particular thanks to all those who left reviews, it's great to get your feedback.

Anyone who is familiar with Gwendy85's wonderful comic strip series "Excited Granddad Han" (which can be found on Tumblr and DeviantArt) might have noted my wink to it with Ben's warning to Rey that Han would ask if he'd knocked her up.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this story and that it captured the spirit of Pretty Woman. I know the ending is a bit cheesy, but so was the end of that movie!

Thanks again, and please do let me know what you thought of it - Mrs. P