“I’ll see you tonight.” She went over to him, kissed him briefly on the cheek, and then opened the door and slipped out of his hotel room. He watched her every move willing her back but saying nothing. They both had their own lives to live today. It would be less than twelve hours, and they’d be back in each other’s arms again.
The door clicked close and brought his mind back to the present. That was more than just a peck on the cheek. A kiss that was getting dangerously close to the sort you’d give a partner. And Ben knew without a doubt that he liked it. He shivered. He loved it.
The glare from Sarina sent icy shivers hurtling through Raven’s body as she walked into the meeting room thirty minutes late. Despite the nerves cutting at her insides, she held her head up and sat down in the nearest chair.
“Sorry, traffic,” she lied. Her hair was styled messy, and she’d used a whole lot of perfume to hide whatever after-sex smell might be lingering on her skin. There hadn’t been time for a shower.
“You have the labels?” Sarina asked sharply.
“In the shared file as you asked.” She held the dark glare from her boss. Fuck it. Last night with Ben was something worthy of being late to her job over. Plus, they could’ve started without her. And what the fuck had they been doing for the last thirty minutes? She didn’t think for one moment they were waiting for her doing nothing. Her boss was very good at wooing the clients, and she would’ve just done that. But, of course, none of that mattered. And for a moment while her files loaded, Raven was acutely aware that perhaps her job might be more on the line than she realized. She needed this job. It was her first. She’d been here for two years since finishing graphic design at Adelaide Uni, and she was hoping to build a reputation so she could start her own business in a few years and save a hell of a lot of money because she wanted to buy her own home. Stuff traveling overseas. She was going to do that later, like much later, once she’d had a family, and they’d grown up. Right now, she wanted to get experience, prove that she had the talent for working in the graphic design world, and that she could be a responsible adult and save. She wanted to prove it to her parents, to herself. It had been hard going to get through uni, and with a few failed subjects, more than once she’d wondered whether this was the job for her. Somehow, somewhere inside of her, the motivation came up, and she picked herself off the ground and got on with giving the subject another attempt. There were benefits to working hard now. With a good reputation, she could be very successful.
“Is that it?”
The comment from Clive Morgan as the labels flashed up on the screen cut through Raven’s confidence.
“I was hoping for something more… these won’t do at all. They’re too basic.”
Raven rubbed her sweaty palms down her faux leather pants. She opened her mouth to say that was what you’d wanted, but her boss jumped in.
“We can re-do them.”
“I’m going back to the winery this afternoon. I don’t want to come back before then.”
“That’s fine. Raven will work on them now.”
Clive Morgan sighed unhappily. “I’m not sure if she’s the right person for the job.”
“I’ll have my team work on the designs then, starting now.”
That seemed to appease Clive.
“Okay, but they had better be a lot better than these. I’ll come by at four this afternoon.”
“We will be ready for you.” She stepped forward to go with Clive from the meeting room leaving Raven sitting there alone and somewhat stunned.
There’s nothing wrong with the designs. She looked up at the screen. Sure, they might not be complicated, they were simple, and that was the point. Though, now, she could see a few things she’d do differently. But they weren’t things that would be a deal breaker. Why can’t I do this? Not for the first time did she question if graphic design was going to be her thing. Being good at art was one thing, designing art for a client was another. She took a very long, deep breath. I have to get used to it if I want to run my own business. It was that thought that got her up from the chair, her determination sparking back into action.
“This is a warning.” Sarina stormed back into the meeting room. Somewhere between showing Clive out, to coming back, she’d boiled over with anger. “You’ve been late too many times now. This can’t continue.”
Raven’s mouth dried and any retort she had with it. There were very good excuses for why she was late. Well, okay, so the excuses were flimsy at best she’d realized, but she learned her lesson. Sort of. Being late because of last night was different. At least in her mind. This wasn’t fair. She’d even worked harder to catch up from being late. So, today she didn’t have an excuse. Well, not one she was willing to share with her boss.
“This isn’t good enough. I need designs where you’ve listened to the client and not done what you think they would like.”
“I didn’t,” Raven answered, the words sounding odd in her dry mouth.
She held up her hand. “I’m getting Jax to work on this, and you need to take direction from him with the designs.”
Wine labels just aren’t my thing. That’s what she wanted to say, but then this was the business she was in. There were going to be other projects that might challenge her. Her gut twisted. There was more. She was tired now from last night, and yesterday she was so distracted. That’s it. That’s why I haven’t been doing my best work. Hey, people are allowed off days.
“… and coming in late. That’s the real reason why Clive doesn’t like the labels.”
“That’s not a good enough reason to reject my hard work.” Raven hated how she sounded sulky.
“Really, Raven, have you been working hard on this?” Sarina stood with her hands on her hips, her face dark and grumpy.
“Yes.” It was the only response Raven could give.
“You know damn well you haven’t. I was here last night, where were you?”
Raven tried not to blush as she remembered where she was last night and what she was doing with Ben.
“I worked over the weekend to get it done.” She did a little but nowhere long enough to please Sarina. Her boss had a reputation of being a tough person to work with, but her business had a status that she was looking to be part of. Right now, she was wondering if she was ever going to make it out of the hole she was in.
“Now, I’m going to end up pushing deadlines out for other clients. This is a mess because you can’t get yourself here on time. Last warning.” Sarina pointed her finger at Raven. “You come in late again, and you’re out of here.”
Raven met her boss’s stare. “I won’t be.”
“Well, time will tell if you can stick to your promise.” She turned on her heels and left the room. Through the glass door, she saw Sarina walk straight up to Jax. He looked guiltily over the top of his computer to her. Fucking great.
With a deep breath, Raven walked out into the open office space. She kept her shoulders back and her chin up even though on the inside she felt like crying and giving up. She wasn’t about to give up. This was part of her dream. Let’s do this.
Ben hung up the fifth first prize ribbon, and then the grand champion ribbon. It was almost a clean sweep of the major prizes at the show today. A shimmer of emotion ran through his body. This wasn’t just his own work but his dad’s. He’d be stoked. Ben wished his dad could be here. A lump formed in his throat. Hell, he wished his mom and his sister, Anne, could’ve come too.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, he answered it as he took it out. “Hey, Mom.”
“So, how did you do today? I haven’t heard, so I thought I’d ring and just say no matter what, you’ve done such a good job.”
Ben smiled, the lump in his throat got a little bigger. He was getting used to the mixed emotions when grief was involved. Feeling sad and able to smile all at once was somewhat weird but was now his normal.
“And you know next year will be better. You’ve got a solid breeding program planned out.”
“Your dad…”
He steeled himself against the rising emotions. “He would be. And I don’t know that next year I could do any better.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. Of course, you can.”
That sounded more like his mom. “Hey, tell Anne hi, and I wish you were both down here with me.”
“Maybe another year.”
“Yes.” His gut twisted. His mom wasn’t doing so well. Not since his dad passed. She was frailer every day. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, dear. Bye.”
He put his phone back in his pocket. Now that the day’s events were over, he couldn’t help think of Raven. He had been off and on during the day. What made him uneasy was that his mind wasn’t thinking of her naked and with him. Instead, he couldn’t help but think about what she was doing today. How did her meeting go? Did she think this could be any more than just a yearly fling? And considering how city she was, would she even consider life on a farm? With him?
His thoughts tangled tighter as he finished up topping the water containers for his alpacas. He yawned. Will I get through another all-nighter with Raven? Maybe he might have to settle for one round of pleasure and then call it a night. They could always do more tomorrow night and the following night. Even Friday night. Saturday he was packing up and going back home to the farm.
“Looks like you need a rest, mate.” Jason came up as Ben was suppressing another yawn.
“I’ll be right after another coffee.”
“You did well today.”
“Thanks.”
“I know it meant a lot to your family that you did well. Your dad knew his stuff.”
There was that emotion again. He needed to get out of here. Get back to his hotel room. Freshen up, eat, and then go to the bar once more to wait for Raven to show up. It amused him that he wasn’t worried whether or not she would, but now whether or not what was between them could be something more.
“Drink before you go back to the Goody? My shout at the Jumbuck.”
“Sure.” Ben pushed aside the anxiety of wanting to leave. That wasn’t what this week was about. He needed to spend time with the other alpaca breeders. There was industry news he needed to keep on top of, and that was best done over a beer or two. Plus, he was in the world of the living. And he was going to live well and keep on with the family tradition of breeding alpacas.
“And we’re going to start with you telling me about that woman you were with last night, and if she’s got a best friend who’s single.”
“Nothing to say.” It gnawed at him that that was the truth. He actually knew nothing about her other than she worked in the graphic design field at a thriving business in the city. She was a bit younger than him, a couple of years, and even that he wasn’t sure of.
“I reckon a couple of beers, and you’ll open up.”
Ben laughed. Maybe this was just what he needed. Go and have a few beers and talk with people who knew his dad. “Second round is on me.”
Raven poured herself another coffee. Her stomach flipped. She didn’t think she could drink another cup. And she didn’t think she could keep awake. Her eyes were red and dry from looking at the screen all day. Jax had gone to the meeting with Clive and Sarina, and she had been spending the day working on other projects. She didn’t like how she’d been shunted off the project, but she’d soldier on. It was her long-term goal of making it as a graphic designer and getting the experience so that one day she could have her own business that kept her going. She’d managed to finish one of the projects Jax had been working on. But there was no way she was going to send it to Sarina. Her confidence wasn’t ready to be shot down again. Raven was sure no matter what she sent to her boss, it wasn’t going to be good enough. Sarina had been grumpy all day and wasn’t letting up until she’d met with Clive, turning on a sugar smile to impress him. He’d loved the design changes, which were minimal. She hated that Jax was going to be the one taking the credit for what was essentially her work.
Raven grimaced as she sipped the coffee. She glanced at the clock. It was nearly six o’clock. She wanted to go home, finally shower, and get ready to see Ben, though she wasn’t sure how that would go after the hellish day she was having.
Nothing a bit of sleep won’t fix. That can happen later. She didn’t want to miss an opportunity with Ben.
She shifted uneasily on the fit ball she was sitting on at her desk. There were a few things that were niggling at her mind. The kiss she’d given him when she left. It wasn’t the sort of kiss you give someone you were having a fling with. Then there was the sleeping next to him last night. It was the first time she’d stayed the entire night. It was an accident that she’d fallen asleep, and she was bloody glad that she had. It felt so good to be in his arms, spent from the multiple orgasms. Then to have a cheeky quickie before starting the day even though she was now in a world of pain with work.
I wonder how his day was? Had to be better than mine. There were details about him that she didn’t know and wanted to. What’s different? She hadn’t felt like this about him last year or the year before. Why the change now? Could absence really make the heart grow fonder? Surely, you had to know a person first for that to happen, and she didn’t really know Ben. Sure, she knew him intimately and how to turn him on, that he had a cute smile, hot body, and she felt safe around him. He treated her with respect. She enjoyed his sense of humor. She wanted to spend more time with him and not just in bed.
Maybe I shouldn’t see him tonight? She couldn’t believe that she was even having that thought. But these thoughts cycling through her mind were making her uncomfortable. She didn’t mind trying new things. Hell, that’s why she’d ended up in this affair-type situation with Ben. One thing she wasn’t sure about was living on a farm. She was a city girl. She was born in the city, grew up in the city, and she planned to live in the city until she died. Well, maybe she might’ve moved to a bigger city, either Sydney or Melbourne, but she was still going to live in the city. That’s all she knew. She’d never contemplated living anywhere like on a farm. Hang on. She was getting too far ahead of herself. Raven glanced around the office. Jax was talking with Sarina. Thoughts about a future with Ben were much more palatable than her current situation with her work. She sighed heavily. Was this a hole she was going to get out of? Should she leave? But where to? There weren’t a lot of jobs for graphic designers in her hometown.
She glanced at the clock. It was now six o’clock. There was no way she was leaving before Sarina today. She couldn’t. Not after what had happened this morning. It was going to be a stretch to make it on time to see Ben.
Raven switched her attention to the project she was working on. This time it was a logo for a local bakery. Her stomach rumbled. She pushed on, there was no time to stop and eat, adjusting some of the lines in the design that Jax had made. This wasn’t what she wanted to be doing at all. If all had gone well with Clive, then Sarina would’ve given her a new client portfolio to start on. But, of course, things hadn’t, and so there were no new client designs to start on. An uncomfortable feeling stirred inside of her. Was there something else going on here? Raven didn’t like it, but she chickened away from such thoughts not wanting to be paranoid.
A quick glance up from her computer screen, and she saw Sarina and Jax in conversation. They’d been chatting for a while. She wished they’d hurry it up. Then she was hoping that Sarina would leave, she could wait ten minutes, then get the hell out of here herself. As it was, the time was getting away. There was no way she was leaving here to go straight to the Goody. She needed a shower and clean clothes.
Her boss went back to her office, and Raven held her breath. Disappointment rose inside of her as Sarina typed away at her computer. She wasn’t about to go yet. Soon? At least that’s what Raven hoped.
“How are the changes going?” Jax asked as he s
at down at his desk near hers.
“Good. Want to look?” She bought up the changes on her screen as Jax came around.
“They look fine. I think they’re done. Save them and then save them in the shared file.”
Bloody great. That meant she wasn’t about to get any credit for the work she’d done today.
“There’s the local council images for you to work on now. They need to be punchier. And there’re a few profiles from members that need a bit of airbrushing. Due tomorrow.”
Raven clamped her mouth shut to stop herself from responding negatively. She couldn’t help thinking that this was a set-up. Her mind muddled. She wasn’t sure what to do about this. Nothing, right now. Except to work on these images. Or I could walk out of here? Not yet. This was her dream job, her dream plan, and she was going to hang on to it a little longer.
Raven went to the shared folder on the desktop of her computer and brought up the files. She could see immediately what needed to be changed. This was going to take a while. Hours. She pursed her lips together tightly and looked over her screens at Jax. He looked a bit smug. She didn’t like it. It was going to be a miracle if she could make it to see Ben at eight at the Goody. That irritated her just as much as the way she was being treated.
If only I had his phone number. That had been part of the deliberate agreement between them. It was an affair, after all. It was not the first time that it felt uneasy with her, like a heaviness in her gut after a big meal that wasn’t sitting right. I’ll know if it’s more when I see him tonight, she decided. That settled her stomach a little. After all, she still wanted some adult fun with him. So, by seeing him, she wasn’t about to lose out, it was what she wanted. But it was the feeling that this might, by changing into something more which was unsettling her. Was the ‘more’ part with him something she wanted or not?
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