The Shepherd's Crook

Author's Notes:

'A Shepherd's Crook' is a new tale in the Chronicles of Ben Shepherd. The chronological order of the stories is:

The Shepherd of Ashburn Court - Parts 1 - 5A Shepherd in France - Parts 1 & 2A Shepherd Afield - Parts 1 - 5The Shepherd's Crook - Parts 1 - 5

Minimal effort is made in this tale to explain the backstory, so please read the other stories first.

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

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A Shepherd's Crook - Part 2

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Chapter 9

As he flew through the skies in another of Sky Shepherd's sleek black jets, surrounded by the happy chatter of the beautiful women accompanying him to LA, Ben's sense of reality slipped, just a little.

The changes happening in his life in recent days seemed to be accelerating.

It had only been, what, less than two weeks since Captain Kendricks presented the condition for his continued interaction with the US Military's Engineering Teams.

A live-in security operative.

According to one of her former teammates, Sergeant Killcade was a one-woman SEAL team and a blue-eyed angel of death. Ben spoke to the soldier when he visited David in Washington, DC, to finalize the arrangements.

The fact that he'd received unanimous agreement from all of his neighbors when he'd called a meeting to discuss bringing the Sergeant into their midst spoke of their trust in him, and that affected him deeply. He was still getting used to having the ladies in his life showing him their devotion. Having the Wilson, McKellan, Brown, King, and the extended Hernandez and Sellini families backing him as well was overwhelming.

Ben's chair was swiveled to face down the aisle, so he looked to the last seat to see the Sergeant gazing out the window. She didn't appear to be relaxing back in the jet's decadently plush chair. As if feeling his attention, she immediately turned her head to look in his direction. Her startlingly blue eyes locked on his as she raised a brow in question. He just responded with a small shake of his head and a smile, then looked away.

Ever attentive, ready to act on his every command, the Sergeant was doing her very best to prove her value in his household. He had to admit, she was an excellent administrative assistant. Much to her delight, he'd set up a workstation for her in his lab. She'd already organized his filing system and implemented a digital repository for all his previous work, searchable by many intuitive attributes. He couldn't fault her work.

If only she wasn't so... intense and fixated on him. He'd tried to dispel her notion of his genius, but she just smiled at him knowingly, like they were sharing a private joke.

His eyes moved to take in the happy faces of his other guests on this shopping trip. Trish sat next to Catherine with Lisa and Lori facing them in a quad of seats. The four were talking animatedly. Tina and Lucy sat facing him, their babies at home, being well cared for by Daphne and the assistants who'd been arranged and vetted by the Sergeant.

The trip was only for a few days, and he thought they'd appreciate the short break. They certainly seemed happy as they grinned at him.

"We're going dancing?" Tina asked in delight as she overheard Lisa talking about an LA dance club for which she'd read reviews.

Ben smiled at her. "I don't see why not."

The twins cheered, and Ben saw smiles on Trish's and Catherine's faces.

He didn't have any fixed plans for this visit, which he appreciated after his European visit.

Nope, this was a shop 'til you drop trip. Part one, at least. He promised a second trip for the ladies who couldn't join him on this shopping spree. He recalled Gabriella had suggested New York City for the next one. She'd be traveling back to the big city in a week or two. Her business was growing quickly, and he was so damn proud of her!

His eyes moved to Catherine, whose fundraiser had once again pulled in a healthy contribution. He saw Tina smiling at him, and somehow, he was sure she knew what he was thinking.

The petite Korean beauty filled his life with joy. Combined with Lucy, they were a formidable force to be reckoned with.

Now, the two of them were giving him sexy, knowing smiles.

This led his mind to the sleeping arrangements for the trip. After getting his approval for the ridiculously expensive rates, Tina had booked the hotel, but he couldn't recall the details of how many rooms she'd arranged for them. He remembered what happened during their last trip to France, specifically when they visited Gabriella's cousin's B&B in Saint-Pierre-d'Albigny.

He'd been unaware that the ladies had worked out a schedule to share his bed or, rather, have him visit them in theirs. As he'd been traveling with eight women who all craved his attention, he'd been more than a little exhausted when it was time to leave the B&B.

Then, on the last evening, Gabriella surprised him with a request to spend the night with her cousin, Stephanie. The woman was a brilliant artist, but as she was also blind and chose to live a somewhat reclusive life, she'd confessed to her cousin that she missed the touch of a man. She'd been flirting with him throughout their visit. Ben wasn't immune to her beauty and charm, and he truly liked her, so he'd agreed. She'd more than made up for her unintended celibacy that evening, wearing him out so thoroughly he'd had difficulty waking the following day.

Now, he was looking at a couple of nights in a fancy hotel with six women who might have expectations. He wasn't sure how this was going to work. He looked closer at Tina's mysterious smile, but she was giving nothing away.

Ben pushed those thoughts aside. He'd have time to get an answer from her soon enough. He settled back and closed his eyes to recharge his batteries.

Just in case.

-=-

The Beverly Wilshire Hotel was every bit as posh as Ben expected. One of the ultimate Hollywood experiences for their brief visit to the West Coast. It had the bonus of being steps away from their main shopping destination. The ladies were all smiles and giggles as they checked in. The staff was friendly and efficient, and the reception clerks greeted Ben with broad smiles. Their familiarity with celebrity and wealth prevented them from gawking at Ben too much. Some of the other guests weren't quite as discreet with their attention, but Ben did his best to ignore this.

They had four rooms, two sets of adjoining rooms just across the hall from each other. Tina eventually explained that Trish would share a room with the Sergeant for their stay. She'd had Ben all to herself on the trip to Europe, so she'd enjoy being with him during their daytime outings.

Ben would have company in his room on the three nights they'd be in the hotel.

By the time they'd settled into their rooms, there wasn't much daylight left, so dinner was their next order of business.

Once more, Tina worked a miracle and snagged a table for them at Spago after a last-minute cancellation on a large table. Ben's name sealed the deal, and the table was theirs.

The ladies slipped on their sexy cocktail dresses, the Sergeant opting for her dress uniform, and Ben wore his usual dark suit, which sent tingles through Tina and Lucy when he posed for them.

The restaurant was only a brief walk from the hotel. Ben was annoyed to find a small crowd on the narrow sidewalk outside. He managed to get his group through them and inside, but the flashes from the paparazzo's cameras were dazzling and unwelcome.

Finally, they were inside, standing by the hostess desk. Ahead of them, a bearded man was speaking to the hostess in exasperation. A second gentleman, slimly built and wearing a rumpled suit, had dark skin and salt-and-pepper hair. He waited at his friend's elbow with a resigned look on his face. It was difficult to avoid overhearing that there was no record of their reservation. Tina was all smiles as she recognized the speaker. He'd been in so many movies and was one of the lead actors in a new TV crime drama series that she and Lucy binge-watched. She looked hopefully at Ben. He nodded.

"Excuse me, Mr. Giamatti?" Tina said, touching the man's elbow.

The actor turned to look down at Tina's smiling face. "Yes?" Then his eyes rose to see Ben's smile. Recognition flared in the actor's eyes, and he froze.

Tina continued. "We're a party of eight at a table for ten, so you are welcome to join us."

He looked to his partner, who was also watching Ben in delighted surprise. He smiled and nodded, so Paul turned back to Tina. "Thank you. That's very nice of you. We'd love to."

Ben held out his hand. "Ben Shepherd."

"Yes... Uh, Paul Giamatti. This is Eric Thompson," the actor said as he shook the big hand. Ben shook the other man's hand, turned to the ladies with him, and made the introductions. The hostess spoke to some busboys, who adjusted the table to add the two additional place settings.

Once Ben completed the introductions, a hostess guided them to their table, and Tina moved Ben to the chair at the end, with their guests on either side of him. The remaining seats were filled quickly, with Trish, Lisa, and Lori next to Paul and Catherine, Tina, and Lucy next to Eric.

The Sergeant was pleased to take the chair at the other end of the table, as this gave her the best vantage point to the rest of the restaurant, a clear view of Ben and those behind him.

"I hope we aren't interfering," Ben suggested tentatively.

Paul and Eric shook their heads with smiles. "No, we were just in town for a meeting with a studio to discuss a new project proposal. The studio was to set up a reservation for us, but it seems they dropped the ball on that, too," Paul grumbled and got a frustrated nod from Eric.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's nice you could join us, though!" Ben offered and got smiles from everyone.

"What brings you to Beverly Hills?" Eric asked.

"Just a little sightseeing and, of course, shopping," Ben said. That made the ladies grin and giggle.

"Don't forget the dancing!" Tina said happily. Ben nodded to her.

The waiter arrived, and at Ben's prompting, Catherine ordered a couple of bottles of good wine.

"As our guests, dinner's on me," Ben said as he smiled at the actor and his friend.

"Oh!" Paul traded a look across the table, but Eric just smiled happily. "Thank you!" He leaned a little closer to Ben. "I feel like we should be treating you as you're getting the lion's share of attention in the media these days."

Ben sighed wearily. "Yeah, no matter how hard I try to stay out of the damn spotlight."

Paul snorted. "You're in the wrong town for maintaining anonymity." He looked around at the surrounding tables and saw more than one guest looking their way. "You're in the wrong restaurant, for that matter."

Ben nodded in agreement with a shrug. "Yeah, but I promised them a shopping trip, and they chose to eat here," he said.

Eric nodded, then looked to Ben. "There's been a lot of speculation. Are you planning to tell your story at some point?" he asked, clearly intrigued by the notion.

"To the public? No. It's for family only. Besides, I'm just a mechanical engineer! My life isn't interesting enough to be... entertainment," Ben scoffed.

Trish snorted, then delicately dabbed her napkin against her nose with the smallest smile on her lips. Paul and Eric understood her meaning and caught the other ladies' skepticism. Then the actor noticed the secret little smile on the Sergeant's face.

He caught Evelyn's eye. "You don't agree?"

She shook her head, then answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Mr. Shepherd isn'tjusta mechanical engineer. He's a brilliant mechanical engineer."

The actor turned his smile to Ben, who shrugged as he shook his head slightly.

"Still. Not a public story," Ben insisted. He decided to push the conversation back to his guests. "Can you tell us what your project is?"

Eric nodded to Paul, and it was his turn to shrug.

"Eric brought this idea to me, and we've been working on it for a little more than a year. We want to shine a light on some brave young people in a documentary-style movie. A series of stories based on kids that slipped through the cracks of society but found a way to make it on their own."

Ben's chest felt a little tight as that story was a little too close to his own life, but he took a deep breath and moved on as he looked at Eric. "Documentary style but fiction?"

He shook his head. "No, these are true stories about real people, and the content will be raw and profoundly evocative. We met the kids. Most indicated they didn't want to be in front of the camera, but they agreed to let us tell their story. For those unwilling to portray themselves, we'd use unknown actors. This will add a sense of realism to their performances.

Ben thought about that for a bit. "The studio wasn't interested?" he asked quietly.

Paul shrugged. "We've shopped this around. No one is interested in doing it—"

"Our way," Eric clarified. "They won't do it our way. It's not a guaranteed money-maker without the well-known talent. The studios are risk-averse at the best of times. I suppose it was a long shot."

When the wine arrived, Ben indicated he'd pass and asked for some bottles of spring water for the table. A second waiter came with the water immediately behind the first. Ben filled his glass and looked up as the others had raised their wine glasses for a toast. Everyone looked at Ben.

"Ah, me. Okay. Uh, here's to a successful visit, shopping for us, and success in finding backing for your project," Ben finished, looking at the group.

"Cheers!"

Once the glassware was back on the table, Paul turned to Ben. "What exactly does a Mechanical Engineer do? You must be doing well to spring for a shopping trip in this town!"

Ben shrugged. "I invent solutions for engineering issues. Sometimes, these inventions can be used across multiple industries or have multiple purposes. I own the patents and license their use, or I sell the patent. I invest carefully, and I live frugally... well, most of the time."

"Would I know anything you invented?" Paul asked.

Ben shook his head. "Not likely. My last invention was a radioactive particle filter for uranium mining trucks at a company in Melbourne. This design adapts easily to buildings, hazmat suits, whatever, so I kept the patent to license it. I have a contract with a Texas company to manufacture them, and another with the Uranium mining company to market them. The US military is purchasing them for its use, and that generates revenue." Ben saw Eric's expression darken. "Hang on! I'm not overbilling the government. I keep the unit cost low and focus on volume. That way, the filter's base price can remain low enough to expand its marketability. They're getting them for a reasonable price." Eric seemed to accept that. "I have many patents for all kinds of different things, none of which you'd recognize or be impressed by seeing firsthand. They work and eliminate an issue someone reported on an engineering chat board. For me, they're puzzles, and it's deeply satisfying to solve them. But, nothing is exciting there for the general public to be thrilled about."

The waiters returned and took their orders.

Before Paul could ask Ben his next question, he noticed someone approaching their table. He looked up and up into the smiling face of Dwayne Johnson. Next to Dwayne was a heavyset man with a broad smile.

"Paul! What a strange coincidence, bumping into you today!" the muscular actor said.

Paul glanced at Ben awkwardly, then shook the offered hand. "Hi... Dwayne. Coincidence?"

"I don't mean to interrupt your dinner, but I was just here with Steven Koch—have you met Steven?" He brought the man forward to shake Paul's hand, but Steven kept glancing at Ben. Then Dwayne continued. "Steven contacted me today to offer me the lead role in a new movie, playing... Benjamin Shepherd." Dwayne turned his smile to Ben, but didn't see the smile he expected. His eyebrows went up.

Paul jumped in to fill the tense silence. "Speaking of strange coincidences,Benhere just finished telling me he doesn't believe his story is worthy of a movie and that it's forhis family only."

Dwayne nodded thoughtfully. He looked at Ben. "Understood. I respect your desire for privacy, and I wasn't aware that you were so opposed to the idea of a movie. That said, one of the studioswillmake this movie.Someoneis going to portray you. I would have enjoyed playing that role very much."

Ben sighed as he knew the man was right about the studios. He'd done his research, and while he was a private citizen, he'd been involved in publicly reported events for which he could expect no privacy. Events that the public was intensely curious about. He looked up at the big man.

"I'm sorry I can't be more supportive. I truly want nothing to do with turning my very private life into some public spectacle. I know there've been moments where I was very much in the public eye, but some of them were exceptionally painful for me. I don't need to relive those moments. They're always with me." He saw the disappointment on the actor's face. "For what it's worth, there's a waitress in Melbourne, Australia, who mistook me for you, so I get that there's some physical similarity between us. I mean, aside from your tattoos and my scars. I don't know you, but you seem to present yourself positively as an outgoing, confident, and dynamic personality. I'm an engineering nerd. Shy, quiet, and a homebody. The only reason I'mhereis that I promised these ladies a visit... and I truly enjoy being in their company."

Dwayne looked down the table and fixed his eyes on the Sergeant. She blinked at the intensity of his look. "I'm just his personal security detail," she blurted awkwardly.

The actor's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he looked back to Ben for confirmation.

Ben sighed. "She's also my admin assistant and liaison for the work I do with the US Military and other government offices."

"Damn, your life doesn't sound as dull as you make it out to be," Paul said with a grin.

"I know, right?" Trish chimed in with a grin of her own.

"Trish!" Ben said, giving her a stern look, but he couldn't diminish her delight.

Dwayne sighed. "More and more, I'm intrigued by the role."

"Listen, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. I'm just saying I'm not going to get involved or sanction a movie about me in any way. Nor will I watch it," Ben said reluctantly. "My lawyer will, and if the result is libelous, I'll sue the studio." He turned his eyes to Steven, and the man's smile dimmed.

"Well, I'm glad I got to meet you," Dwayne held out a hand, and Ben shook it. Catherine used her cell to take a picture of them shaking hands as Steven took one from the other side.

When their visitors left, Paul looked at Ben with a raised eyebrow. "Someone is making a movie about you? I wonder if it's just going to be about the stuff we've seen on the news."

Ben shrugged. "I want to believe that's all they have." He looked to Trish.

She shook her head. "None of us would ever spill your naughty secrets." Ben gave her an exasperated look.

"They'll probably give the movie a huge budget," Eric said. "They could make an action film based on the rescue of those kids from the slavers."

"Do you ever wonder how they're doing now?" Paul asked with a small smile.

Ben grinned. "The two I adopted, Karen and Penny, are doing well in school. I think Karen's considering continuing her education in Culinary Arts after she graduates, but Penny hasn't decided yet. The Russian twins are happy and growing up quickly, too. Mika and Rosa are taking gymnastics and are the top students in their classes. I don't know what happened to the French girl."