The Shepherd's Crook Pt. 02

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 - 5




A Shepherd in France -- Parts 1 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 of his previous work, searchable by many intuitive attributes. He couldn't fault her work.</p>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 the faces of Trish and Catherine.
He didn't have any fixed plans for this visit which, after his visit to Europe, he appreciated.
Nope, this was a shop 'til you drop visit. Part one, at least. He promised a second trip for the ladies who couldn't join him on this shopping spree. He recalled Gabriella 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 was 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 Cebeci Escort were giving him sexy knowing smiles.
This led his mind to the sleeping arrangements for the trip. Tina had booked the hotel, after getting his approval for the ridiculously expensive rates, 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 visiting Gabriella's cousin's B shopping for us and success in finding backing for your project," Ben finished, looking to the group.
"Cheers!"
Once the glassware was back on the table, Phil 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?" Phil 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 for buildings, hazmat suits, whatever, so I kept the patent to license it. I have a contract with a company in Texas to manufacture them and a contract 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 decent 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 first hand. 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 Kolej Escort orders.
Before Phil could ask Ben his next question, he caught the motion of 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.
"Phil! What a strange coincidence, bumping into you today!" the muscular actor said.
Phil 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 Phil'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.
Phil jumped in to fill the tense silence. "Speaking of strange coincidences, Ben here just finished telling me he doesn't believe his story is worthy of a movie and that it's for 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 studios is going to make this movie. Someone is going to portray you. I believe 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 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 there's some physical similarity between us. I mean, Yenimahalle Escort aside from your tattoos and my scars. I don't know you, but you seem to present yourself very positively as an outgoing, confident, and dynamic personality. I'm an Engineering nerd. Shy, quiet, and a homebody. The only reason I'm here is 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," Phil 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, Phil 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?" Phil asked with a small smile.
Ben grinned. "The two I adopted, Karen and Penny, are doing well in school. I think Karen's looking into continuing her education into the Culinary Arts when 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."