In the Market for Love - By Nina Blake Page 0,25
to be alone with her, it wasn’t for the reason she believed.
She pointed to one wall. “That painting’s an original, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but so are those.” Jake nodded towards the pin-up board filled with Connor’s artwork. “The interior designer chose the abstract and I chose the drawings.”
“Well, you are full of surprises.”
Another pang shot through Jake’s chest. He didn’t want to give her any more surprises but he had to.
“Before we do anything else,” she said, “I dropped by to pick up the revised concepts. I know I should have called first.”
He placed a large cardboard file upright beside her, then leaned on the desk and slipped a hand on shoulder. “Why don’t you take a seat.”
Without reneging her position, she looked up at him through thick lashes. “Maybe I don’t want to. Maybe I like being this close to you. Or are you afraid? What was it you said to me the other day? Are you afraid I might try to kiss you again?”
“Ah, you’re using my own words against me.”
He longed to play this little game with her, longed to enjoy this exquisite sensual appetiser but he couldn’t. Rachel had come to his office to tell him in her own way that she was ready for him. She was tempting him to kiss her, her arms sprawled provocatively across his desk, her chest proud.
And he ached to have her. To hold her in his arms. She was like no other woman he had known.
It was time.
“I’m glad you came by,” he said. “There’s something I want to tell you. Something you need to know about me. This isn’t the ideal place to talk about this but there’s not much I can do about that.”
He paused, gathering the words in his head. At that moment there was a loud knock on the door and they heard the voice of Emma, his personal assistant, from the other side.
“Jake, it’s me. Can I come in?”
He stepped towards the door and pulled it open.
“Sorry to disturb you like this but we need you right now,” Emma said. “The execs for the hardware campaign are going to withdraw if we don’t do something quick. They’re in the board room.”
His mouth fell open. He couldn’t believe it. “Now?”
Emma glanced apologetically at Rachel, then back at Jake. “I wouldn’t interrupt if it wasn’t urgent.”
“That’s fine.” Rachel reached over for the concepts folder. “I should probably get going.”
“No, it’s not fine,” he said. “How bad is it?”
“Bad,” Emma replied. “It’s make or break time.”
Rachel stepped towards Jake and the door. “It’s okay. I can catch you another time.”
“Tonight,” he said. “I have to see you tonight. There’s something I have to tell you and it can’t wait. I’ll call you. Look, I can at least see you out.”
“No need.” Rachel headed for the door.
Emma bounded down the hallway towards the boardroom with Jake behind her while Rachel ambled down the hallway well behind them, the oversized folder tucked under her arm.
* * *
“Rachel,” Marcus called out as she passed his door. “You can’t go without saying goodbye.”
She smiled as he ushered her into his office. Proud of his achievements, it wasn’t surprising that he had an office with harbour views which he would, of course, wish to show off.
“Look, I’m sorry if you hadn’t met Bianca before,” he said. “I saw she was leaving Jake’s office but I thought she’d be well and truly gone by the time you got there. I hope I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Rachel raised her eyebrows. “Sorry?”
“That was Bianca we passed in the hallway. The blond woman.”
She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. “You’ve lost me. Bianca?”
“The woman in the hallway. That was Jake’s wife. I’m sorry if that whole thing was a bit uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure what was going on.”
Jake’s wife.
The words sucked the air from her lungs, crushed her chest, drew the life out of her. Her stomach tightened into a knot.
Marcus continued to prattle away but Rachel wasn’t there any more. She had the bizarre sensation that she was hovering above, looking down at the two of them. The harbour view was a hazy, ethereal backdrop in the distance.
Marcus’ voice was a buzz of white noise in the background and she couldn’t make sense of the words. She didn’t want to hear them.
Though still winded, she took deep breaths to revive herself. She’d been floating outside her body but now as she slowly regained her composure, her emotions returned, each one a dagger inside