She looked around self-consciously, aware she had raised her voice. Dropping it to barely more than a whisper, she continued. ‘The sex has been fantastic, more than I could have dreamed about. At my age though, it’s just not enough. You’re a handsome man and I am incredibly flattered by the attention, but I am selling myself short…. can’t you see that?’
He searched her face in disbelief. Obviously Bethany had not considered him as anything more than a fling—a brief flirtation with a guy she could not take seriously. Sometimes he hated his life and the way it seemed to give people the right to make assumptions about him.
‘So, are you saying it’s over?’
Tears sprang into her eyes. ‘I don’t know Ruben…I really don’t. I love being with you, but I can’t spend my life waiting for someone.’
‘I see.’ A thousand questions on his lips, he kept his silence, not trusting himself to stay civil. He signaled for the waiter to bring the bill.
Ruben led her through the restaurant and into his car without a word. Neither of them spoke for the short journey back to her house. Bethany kept her head turned to look out of the window. He guessed she didn’t want a confrontation, which was just as well considering how angry he was. He prayed for the journey to end before he said something he’d regret. She barely allowed him to stop at the kerb outside her house before leaping from the car.
‘I think it’s probably best if you don’t come in,’ she said.
He lost the battle to control his temper. Who the hell did she think she was? Ruben climbed quickly out of his seat. ‘Is that it?’ She turned as if to say something and then changed her mind, hurrying her steps up to the door. He swore as he made to follow her and nearly dented the car door slamming it shut.
‘Tell me what the fuck is going on,’ he demanded as he strode up the path. Her hands shook as she fumbled for her keys. He tried to help her, but she slapped him away.
‘Ruben, just leave.’
‘I will leave Bethany,’ he replied, trying to calm his voice, ‘but not until I get a proper explanation for the way you are treating me.’ Green eyes bored into his. He watched as her guilt slowly morphed into anger.
‘What is it, Ruben?’ she shouted into his face. ‘Does it hurt your pride that I don’t want to see you anymore?’
Shaking his head in disbelief, he took a step back from her. She had the door open and quickly stepped through it. Grabbing her elbow, he turned her to face him. ‘No, Bethany,’ he ground out, ‘It does not hurt my pride. It does surprise me though to find out what a cold bitch you are.’
Bethany’s hand shot out and slapped him across the face, hard. Grabbing her, he pinned her wrists to her sides, bringing her up close against him. She struggled to get free. ‘Get your hands off me.’
‘You didn’t want me to get my hands off you last night,’ he drawled. ‘Nor this morning, nor this afternoon for that matter.’ Fire sparked in her eyes as he reminded her of the one thing they had that worked…absolutely. Her eyes dropped to his mouth as she parted her lips. ‘Are you sure you want me to leave, Bethany?’ he asked, encouraged by her reaction.
He’d spoken too soon. Resolve crossed her face and she pushed him away from her, disgust etched into her features. ‘You aren’t that irresistible,’ she smirked and moved to close the door on him. He stopped it with a hand, forcing her further into the house as he stepped in, slamming it behind him.
‘Get out,’ she shouted, turning to grab a vase from the hall table. Realizing she was about to throw it at him, he grabbed it out of her hands, pinning her to the wall. She fought him like a wildcat, trying to pull his hair and scratch his face. He had no choice but to grab her arms again, if only to save himself. He had never seen this side of her before and it frightened him.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
‘You are an arrogant bastard. That is what is wrong with me,’ she spat out. ‘You think you can do what you want because you made me come a couple of times. Well, I have news for you. You weren’t the first and you won’t be the last.’
If she was trying to piss him off, it was working. Striding away from her, he punched the wall, causing the plaster to crack. Resting his head against it, he drew in ragged breaths, trying not to let his temper make a total asshole out of him like it did his father. The thought sickened him.
Why was she doing this? He’d been more open and available to her emotionally than to anyone he had ever met. Maybe he had misjudged her feelings for him?
Dropping his hand to his side, he flexed it gingerly, testing it for damage. Wouldn’t it be insane if he had managed to bust it up? He guessed it was all he deserved for allowing himself to get close to someone.
‘Oh God, Ruben,’ Bethany cried out. ‘I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to make you angry. Let me see your hand.’ Refusing at first to let her touch him, he relented when the pain kicked in. ‘I don’t think you’ve broken anything—’
‘Why don’t you want to be with me?’ he cut in, searching her face for answers. He was glad to see the anger gone from her eyes, but he couldn’t handle her pity.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not saying that I don’t want to see you anymore, I just don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.’ She began to cry then, making it hard for him to understand her words. ‘I have been in constant limbo since we met. I’m either thinking about the last time we were together or looking forward to the next.’
‘Do you think it’s any different for me?’
‘I guess not,’ she shrugged. ‘The truth is, you’re part of my life, but I have no involvement in yours. I don’t even know which country you are in half of the time.’
‘Maybe the real difference is that I am in love.’ He stopped suddenly, shocking himself as much as her. Where the hell did that come from? He had no time to think about it. He had to know how she felt. ‘Don’t you love me, Beth?’
She stared at him in silence as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Finally, she nodded, her eyes huge. Ruben let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding until that moment. Wiping the tears from her face, he hugged her.
He wished he knew what she expected him to do. His life had always been this way.
‘Come with me. Just for a few days,’ he blurted out. Her snort was hardly the response he’d hoped for, but he wasn’t surprised.
‘Ruben, I have a surgery to run. I can’t possibly leave on a moments notice.’
Refusing to be deterred, he ploughed on. ‘What would happen if you were ill, or got into an accident? Would your practice close down?’
‘Well, I guess if that happened I would have to arrange a locum,’ she admitted with a smile. He knew then she would come. He leaned back against the wall and tried not to show her how smug he felt. She saw right through him. ‘You can take that look off your face. I haven’t said yes yet.’
‘Yeah, but you will,’ he said on a grin, covering his head just in time to deflect the playful slap she gave him.
‘Wow, you really are an arrogant bastard,’ she laughed, not stopping him as his hand began to wander up her thigh.
‘But you love it though, don’t you?’ She opened her mouth to reply, but bit her lip instead as his fingers delved inside her panties. She would say yes to anything he asked by the time he was through.
Chapter 12
A few days later, Bethany sneaked back into the bedroom of their suite, finding Ruben in his usual post-coital condition—sound asleep. Unable to begrudge him his rest, she slipped quietly in beside him. Even asleep he seemed to be aware of her nearness and turned over to pull her against him without waking.
As a Latin artist, Ruben was wildly successful in Miami and had booked a suite at one of its most exclusive hotels for the whole week due to having three gigs scheduled in the city. Staying at the beautiful resort had been almost a re-birth for Bethany. She felt wonderful, but why wouldn’t she? Sleeping beside her was one of the most gorgeous people she had ever laid eyes on, never mind had sex
with, who said he was in love with her, and was insatiable for her. Bethany was sure she had never made love so often or so frantically, even as a teenager.
Days spent catching a little sun and using the world famous spa facilities had left her skin glowing with health and soft as silk. And the food! She had never tasted anything like it. Burning off the calories with Ruben at every opportunity was the only reason she hadn’t gained at least ten pounds.
Despite the comfort of his arms and the tiredness of her body, Bethany could not rest. She lay for ages with her face turned into the curve of his neck feeling his pulse beating against her lips. She had to admit to herself that he had been right. The time he had insisted they spend together had changed everything for her. He wasn’t conventional—far from it—but he was just a man. She’d been able to take him down from the pedestal she’d put him on and relate to him as a person. She was happier for it, too.
Finally giving up on sleep, she tiptoed through the suite into the living area. Piles of papers occupied a desk and she leafed through them idly. One large dossier caught her eye and she sat down to glance at it briefly.
She had no idea how long she had been sleeping when Ruben woke her.
‘What time is it?’ Hearing his reply, she groaned. Ruben sank onto the sofa with her, snuggling his head down into her lap. ‘I started reading about your charity,’ she explained. ‘I hope you don’t mind.’ He smiled at her with bloodshot eyes and shook his head.
His eyes began to drift shut, but she couldn’t let him rest. ‘I think it’s a wonderful project. Tell me a little about it.’
Voice still thick with sleep, he began to speak slowly, telling her how it all started and breaking down the main aims of his Foundation. He described passionately the problems faced by children and how he hoped to help combat them.
He woke up pretty quickly, becoming more and more animated as he spoke. Bethany could see his total commitment to the cause and marveled again at how she could have thought him so one-dimensional. It occurred to her—and not for the first time that week—that she really needed to question some of her own prejudices.
They talked for hours, barely stopping for food and coffee. Bethany was horrified by many of the stories he had told her and was a little ashamed that as a medical professional, she hadn’t become more involved in that kind of work herself.
‘I’m going to Africa at the end of this week to attend a conference on Pediatric AIDS,’ he said. ‘Most of it goes over my head, especially the medical terminology, but I can bring awareness and attention to the issue just by being there.’ His slight blush touched her. ‘I’m just a pretty face in these situations.’
She hugged him. ‘Hey, I’m a doctor, but my knowledge of treatments and research is very limited. Don’t be so hard on yourself.’
He handed her a ream of information regarding the conference. ‘Maybe you can make sense of this for me. I used to try hard to understand the terminology and actively take part.’ He laughed. ‘Now, I accept that the most important thing I can offer is money and publicity.’
Bethany quickly scanned the pages before snuggling against Ruben, explaining the parts she understood. She gobbled up the information a little selfishly, quite forgetting that the point was to help Ruben rather than expand her own knowledge.
Commonsense prevailed and they returned to bed just as the sun came up, aware Ruben had a busy evening ahead of him. They slept briefly, waking about noon. Before he left for the day’s madness, she made him collate every document and source of information he had at his disposal for her to look at while he was gone.
Time passed quickly for her—so quickly in fact that she leapt from the desk she had been working at in surprise when he walked back into the suite many hours later. Still in her robe, she began to fuss with her hair, apologizing for her appearance but he stopped her, saying he’d spent the day thinking and wanted to talk. She didn’t like the sound of that but didn’t push, allowing him to get coffee for them while she threw on some clothing.
Later, he told her what was on his mind. Rather than just lobbying governments in the countries he visited to invest more funds in health care provision and AIDS education, his charity could employ and train the much-needed staff themselves. The first step would be recruiting and educating doctors locally and giving them the tools they needed to run their own clinics. He looked at her expectantly. She didn’t understand…what was he saying?
He sighed in mock exasperation before explaining. ‘You could work for us.’
She clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle that escaped. Ruben looked a little bewildered, but didn’t comment, continuing to lay out in detail what he was getting at.
‘You could fill this role in my organization. You could speak to doctors and health care professionals in impoverished areas. Find out where the shortages are and what they need to provide these services themselves and then agree a plan of education and action with them.’ He paused for breath, enthusiasm making him rush his words. ‘The charity will fund any training and equipment they need of course. What do you think?’
Bethany was stunned. ‘I need a little time to think about this.’
‘Of course, take all the time you need. Five minutes ok?’ he joked.
He laughed as she slapped his thigh, but she was grateful when he handed her a dossier containing the new information from the Department of Health along with the job offer, and left her to mull it over. This meant a lot to him, she could tell and, knowing how pushy he could be when he wanted something, it was probably killing him not to pressure her into it. He couldn’t be the reason for her decision though. She wanted to think about it privately.
Working for his charity was a wonderful opportunity. Her newly acquired knowledge had made a big impression and the thought of becoming involved was thrilling. There was much more to consider though. The salary offered was astronomical—much more than she wanted or needed—but it would allow her to maintain her independence. She could easily employ another doctor for her practice and keep her house.
The position involved a lot of travel, not all of it at Ruben’s side. Much of the work was educational and could be arranged to match his schedule. There would be times she would need to visit the locations and countries with the greatest need for HIV and AIDS resources, but as Ruben had pointed out quite often he would be able to accompany her. He intended to remain actively involved.
There was just no way she could make a decision as quickly as he wanted. Their time together was coming to an end. This would be their last night together for at least a little while —even if she accepted the job. They agreed that the best time to make a start would be at the end of the coming month. Ruben was back in New York for a break then and it would give Bethany time to wrap everything up at her end and join him—should she decide to.
Putting the topic to one side, they focused on enjoying their last evening together. Ruben was insatiable and they made love to the point of exhaustion, as if he were trying to totally possess her body and mind, allowing no room for anything but him. Bethany’s heart weighed heavily in her chest. She couldn’t think of the rapidly approaching separation without a lump forming in her throat. They slept for brief periods throughout the night, waking and turning to each other often.
Morning came too soon. They ate breakfast in quiet intimacy. All too quickly the long week that had stretched ahead of them had flown by and all they were left with were a few brief minutes before Ruben had to leave. Bethany walked him to the door of the suite, her eyes already brimming with tears by the time he turned to her.
They had chosen not to leave together. Her flight was four hours later than his and they didn’t want to have to say their goodbyes in public at the airport.
‘Don’t cry, Beth,’ he pleaded, his own voice weak. She smiled thinly, struggling bravely to stem the tears. Holding her face in his hands, he kissed her before pulling her into his chest. ‘I’ll call you tonight. Think about what I said, okay?’ She n
odded dumbly, unable to speak.
He walked quickly through the door without turning back. Bethany rushed over to the balcony and looked down into the street. Fans thronged around the entrance to the hotel and she caught only a brief glimpse of him as he disappeared quickly into the waiting limo.
Fresh tears fell. He had not looked up to wave goodbye to her. It was foolish to expect a romantic gesture in the middle of that frenzy. She waited for the car to pull away. Without warning the limo’s sunroof slid back and Ruben’s face appeared. He was beaming up at her, waving frantically until it was no longer possible for him to see. She laughed through her tears—he was such a dork.
At that moment Bethany knew what she would do. He had only just driven away and she felt like half of her had left with him. Life did not offer a chance to be this happy very often and she would never forgive herself if she did not reach out and grab it with both hands. Whatever the outcome, she had to be with him—it was that simple.
Gathering up her belongings, she left the hotel about an hour after him, heading to the airport for her flight back to Vegas.
Closing the door behind her as she entered the cold, empty house a few hours later, Bethany looked around and realized it was no longer her home. Home was wherever he was and she couldn’t wait any longer to be with him.
Less than a week later, she was outside his dressing room door in Paris. Byron had been wonderful, keeping her informed regarding Ruben’s whereabouts. He didn’t mind helping Bethany to surprise him—Ruben had been in a foul mood since they parted, he’d told her.
Byron answered her knock and kissed her cheek before ushering her in, gesturing that Ruben was in the shower. ‘Ruben, there is someone here to see you,’ he called, hamming it up with a big wink in her direction.
For One Night Only (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9