In the Market for Love - By Nina Blake Page 0,50

you. Stick to the campaign and I’ll take your calls.”

A muscle in Jake’s jaw flinched. “Why didn’t you come to lunch? I waited for you. I didn’t know what happened to you. Still don’t.”

Anger simmered inside her, not to mention disappointment. He was so convincing at playing the injured party. An excellent actor.

“You can’t work it out?” she said. “Are you going to try to tell me this has never happened before?”

“You know, I thought you might apologise or that you might have had a very good reason for standing me up. I couldn’t imagine what it could be but I thought there has to be some rational explanation for all of this. It was so unlike you.”

Rachel was outraged. “You thought I might apologise? I don’t believe this. You want to know why I stood you up? I had lunch with your wife instead. You remember her, don’t you?”

A furrow formed in his brow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What were you doing with Bianca?”

“She told me everything. I know you’re still married and you live together. I know there have been other women before me but it’s got to stop now. I’m not some play thing you can toy with and then throw away. I have feelings too, you know. And I am not going to have an affair with a married man.”

His mouth fell open, his eyes narrowing. “Is that what Bianca told you?”

“She told me to stay away from her husband. And that’s exactly what I plan to do.”

He paced the narrow strip of carpet between the boardroom table and the wall. “It’s starting to make sense now. She’s worried. She knows I’m leaving her. And she’s desperate. Can’t you see?”

“All I see is a married man. You.”

“She doesn’t love me,” he said. “She only loves my money. She doesn’t want to give that up and that’s why she went to see you.”

“Is that what she did last time? And the time before that? How many other women were there?”

Jake’s eyes were daggers. “There was no last time. Bianca’s never done anything like this before because there haven’t been any other women. I’ve been on the odd date since Bianca and I separated, but there hasn’t been anyone important in my life. Until now.”

Rachel’s lower lip quivered. She hated being reduced to a trembling mess.

“That’s why she went to see you,” he said. “Because you’re a genuine threat to her, to the thing she wants the most. Money.”

He raised his voice, so unlike him. “Because I told her I’m divorcing her. I didn’t want to tell you like this, damn it. I wanted it to be a celebration, not an argument. It’s true. I’ve already spoken to my lawyer about the divorce. I’ll give you his number. Call him if you don’t believe me.”

“I don’t want to do that.”

A pang of guilt shot through her. She’d been all too quick to believe Bianca but at the time she couldn’t imagine what other motive the woman would have except to save her marriage.

She tried to think. She’d been to his house. There were no photos of Bianca in his wing of the house, no sign of any female presence. And everything that Jake said made sense. All the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m telling you the truth.”

Then it was as though a light bulb went off in his head as he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his black leather wallet and flashed it open. “Rachel, you’ve got to believe me. Look. In my wallet.”

“A picture of Connor,” she said.

He pulled out his son’s photo. Behind it lay a carefully cut out, black and white head shot of Rachel that looked familiar.

“Where did you get that?”

“From your company prospectus. It came with your initial proposal to the agency. I cut it out and kept it because it’s the only picture I’ve got of you. I keep it with my photo of Connor.”

He stared at the two images. “The picture’s been put back upside down. I think someone’s been through my wallet. I can guess who. There’s something else.” He spoke slowly, almost as though he were embarrassed. He unfolded a piece of paper from his wallet and handed it to her. “I knew I wanted you from the first minute I saw you but I didn’t even know your name. I left this note on your car because it was the only way I could