by LB Shaw
Ana found it ironic that she was essentially doing to Rob what had been done to her as a little girl. Of course, she was astute enough to realize there were major differences; they were both adults, and the nature of their relationship was very different from what her relationship had been with her foster parents. Ana pushed the memory aside—a skill she had mastered over the years—and crawled slowly into the empty part of the bed, waiting to see if her movements roused him. After what seemed an eternity, he rolled over to face her. His eyes pulled at her—a pull stronger than any force she had ever experienced. He had her locked down with his steady gaze. When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she broke the silence.
“I couldn’t sleep. Can I stay in here with you tonight?”
He gently pulled the covers down for her, and as she scooted up the bed to move out of the way, he glanced at her panties that peeked out from underneath her shirt. She got under the sheets, and he pulled the bedspread up to her shoulders, neatly tucking her in.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much,” she whispered. As they lay there, Rob examined her face. He looked at her hair, then into her eyes again, then down to her mouth and chin. It was as if he was trying to memorize her every feature. He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. His shoulders glowed in the moonlight that shone through the window, and she wanted desperately to kiss him, to pull him to her, to pull him inside of her, to tell him that she wanted him, needed him, and trusted him completely. But she let the chance pass her by.
Then, just as suddenly as he had acknowledged her presence, he rolled over, his back to her once again. She didn’t mind because she knew she had won. He wanted her. It was obvious now. Why he didn’t just give in, she couldn’t quite figure out. But she knew it was simply a matter of time, and she was willing to wait.
Her hands reached up and brushed his back, and she let her fingertips blaze a path along his shoulders, down his spine, and back up to his neck. Her provocative touch elicited a soft moan from deep within him. He reached up, laced his fingers with hers, and pulled her hand tightly to his chest. The last thing Ana remembered before falling asleep—other than the smile on her face— were the slow, rhythmic patterns of his breathing and the soft beat of his heart against the palm of her hand.
Eleven
The next morning Ana woke up feeling more refreshed than she could remember. No hangover, no fogginess or headache. She felt wonderful, exhilarated even. The smell of bacon permeated the air, and she looked over and saw Rob’s side of the bed was empty. After kicking off the covers, she scuffled to the bathroom. There were no lingering embarrassments about her behavior the night before, but the old Ana was back this morning—the sober Ana. No way was she going to do anything stupid. She rubbed some toothpaste on her teeth and splashed her face with some water. When she came out of the bathroom, Rob was standing there holding a cup of coffee.
“Oh God, you’re a lifesaver. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And when you get dressed, come to the kitchen. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.” He started to walk out the door but paused and turned around. “Oh… and Ana? Don’t be late.”
She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Uh, okay.” What’s this? Is he trying to be all bossy with me? Maybe I will be late just to see what happens.
After getting dressed and pulling her hair into a small bun, she made her way to the kitchen and found a note lying on the table:
Meet me outside by the pool. Just follow the tan walkway to the large pot of red and yellow flowers. Then turn left and walk exactly 16 paces until you reach the awning with the blue tile table. You will see me there. I will be alone, wearing a green t-shirt and (shocker!) blue jeans. This message will self-destruct at 0900 hours.
Ana giggled and looked at the clock. It was just past 9:00. She grabbed the note and walked outside to the pool where Rob was sitting at the small table under the awning, just like he had said. She handed him the letter. “I think there’s a problem with your self-destructing mechanism.”
“Crap! No way.” Rob feigned shock.
“Yeah, it’s probably just a wiring issue, maybe a short or something.”
“Dammit, I’ve never had a problem before,” Rob said as he playfully examined the note.
“Well, it’s probably for the best. I’m sure you don’t want things self-destructing on your kitchen table. Just a guess.”
He gave her a cautious look. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Obviously, I didn’t think this all the way through.”
Ana sat down and noticed that the table was covered with food—bacon, pancakes, fruit, muffins, and scrambled eggs. “Wow. When did you do all this?” she asked
“While you were sleeping. You’re not the only one who can cook you know.”
“I can see that. This looks amazing.”
“Thanks. Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“I can’t remember the last time I slept so great.” Ana unfolded the napkin in her lap. “How about you?”
A smile threatened to appear on Rob’s face. “I slept great. Your little back scratch was amazing.”
“Oh yeah? Why’d you stop me, then?”
He reached over and swept the bangs out of Ana’s face, quietly observing her.
That’s my mystery man…
They ate their breakfast in silence, both of them watching the tide roll in. Ana noticed several families walking along the beach, and she found herself filled with a sense of longing for her own.
“This beach is pretty quiet most of the time,” Rob said as if reading her mind. “But sometimes families come to hang out for the day. It’s nice, peaceful. It makes me feel, I don’t know, not so alone.”
“There’s no reason you should ever feel alone,” Ana said. When Rob looked at her, his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. There was no going back, now. She was falling for him, hard.
“What are you doing tonight?” he asked, tucking the napkin under his plate.
“I have a Calculus test on Monday I need to study for, so by tonight I’ll be ready for a break. Is there another dinner? I don’t recall you mentioning anything.”
“No.” Rob took a sip of coffee. “Do you want to hang out, maybe get something to eat? See a movie?”
Sweet baby Jesus, he’s asking me out on a date! “I’d love to hang out with you.” Ana’s stomach did a dozen flip-flops as she was filled with the sudden realization that their relationship had just entered the next level. Maybe her drunken sex kitten attack was about to pay off.
* * * * *
After breakfast, Rob drove Ana home and told her he would pick her up at 7:00. After pulling out of the driveway, he made a left at the end of the street to head over to Wilshire instead of taking the I-10 home like he normally would. He wanted to stop at the office and see if he could get any more information on Stephanie’s agenda while no one was there.
Over the past month, he had been supplying her with almost everything that she had asked for. But he had become suspicious that her motives were less than ideal. Every time he tried asking her why she needed certain pieces of information, she would brush him off, saying it was for the good of the company followed with some reassurance that Ana Ross would not get hurt.
Last night, Stephanie had sent him a text after the investors left the restaurant commanding him to get Ana’s social security card. His discomfort level increased exponentially. He wouldn’t do it, and he would make that clear to her on Monday. Rob couldn’t think of any reason that having Ana’s social security number would benefit Signify, at least no ethical reason. And why would she text him about it, leaving an electronic paper trail behind? Stephanie was getting sloppy on top of everything else. It was time for Rob to take control of the situation and find out what Stephanie was up to once and for all.
On the drive, he thought about his role in all of this. He and Stephanie had been heavily involved with each other for almost three years. Several months before they split up, Rob had brought his gran
dmother’s wedding ring to the office and kept it locked in the safe. He wanted it on hand, just in case. Not long after that, he had noticed a change in Stephanie and not a good one. She was moody, bitchy, and seemed to be completely inconsiderate of other people’s feelings. As her behavior started to change for the worse, he was relieved that he had given the marriage proposal some thought.
She never really gave a good reason when she ended things. Just complained that they had simply drifted apart, and she felt as though they had nothing in common. He thought about fighting for her, mostly because it just seemed like the thing to do. But he decided that if she wanted out, there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, he figured there was a good chance she had already moved on, especially if she was cheating.
Then one night, while stopping at one of their favorite Chinese restaurants for some take-out, he spotted her there with another woman. They were holding hands, sharing an intimate dinner over a bottle of wine. She didn’t see him there, and he never told her he saw her. Though somewhat hurt and confused, he dug deep within to find that part of himself that could understand. Maybe she needed some time to explore this side of herself. He always suspected she might be attracted to other women, so it was possible she was simply experimenting. Give her some time, he thought. She’ll be back.
Several weeks later, one of the secretaries at Signify had gone through a traumatic family ordeal, almost losing her young son to a rare virus he had never even heard of. When she needed to take an extended leave of absence to care for him, Stephanie found a reason to fire her. It was the most calloused act he had ever seen her commit. He knew right then and there that no matter what, he would never take her back.
When he had met Ana, Rob and Stephanie had only been broken up for about two months. While he was over her for the most part, he still felt saddened by the loss of a relationship that he truly believed was going somewhere. Here he was, forty-years-old, facing head-on a life of lonely nights. He was tired of being alone. He wanted to share his life with someone, but he knew he needed a little more time to heal.
He recalled the first night he went to Ana’s apartment. The way she trusted him enough to reveal painful memories of her childhood and her fear of losing her scholarship sent a wave of compassion over him, and it was at that moment he felt his first desire to protect her. That’s when he came up with the idea of paying her to accompany him to social events for Signify. He really did hate being alone, and he thoroughly enjoyed Ana’s company. She needed the money, so he figured why not? It seemed harmless enough.
The day that Ana agreed over breakfast to think about his proposal, Stephanie had given him orders to investigate her. Rob was hesitant at first, but he really didn’t think he was doing anything all that wrong. And Stephanie assured him Ana wouldn’t get hurt. He believed that, ultimately, Stephanie would hire Ana on as an executive for Signify, but that didn’t seem to be the case now. And here he was, falling for her fast and still not sure about Stephanie’s intentions. If he could get into her office and see what she knew, why Ana couldn’t know about her family, maybe he could diffuse the situation, at least in his own mind. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hide his feelings for Ana. And the lies and secrets were getting to be more than he could take. It was getting near impossible to stave off her advances, and dammit, he wanted her too.
As if all of this weren’t enough, he was worried about the stability of Signify. Even with his high position there, he still didn’t have access to all the corporate information like Stephanie did. As the head of accounts, his responsibilities consisted primarily of managing the account managers, not the actual accounts themselves. Still, he was a perceptive and smart man. He knew how to look for information on the company, but it would take some time and discretion. Everyone had access to the board meeting minutes, but they didn’t reveal much more than an overview of topics discussed. He knew that Ridley Global did attempt an acquisition, but Rob was unsure of the level of financial distress that Signify truly was facing. Add to that an additional layer of complexity; a possible hostile takeover. If it happened, he could kiss his career goodbye.
He needed to get a handle on all of this, find out if Stephanie was being honest or if she was up to her manipulative ways. Too many people’s futures were at stake, including Ana’s—a future he was quickly hoping to be a part of.
* * * * *
Ana was barely able to focus on studying, but she somehow managed to squeeze in a couple hours of productive work. And as usual, she indulged in a nap.
Ana embraced the small pleasures in life. It had taken her several years of living on her own to get used to a night of uninterrupted sleep. She never felt safe in her foster homes, always sleeping with one eye open. Her sudden recall last night was an unpleasant reminder. It had been several years since she had had a nightmare, but the bad memories were always in the back of her mind, simmering and brewing in her subconscious. Even after she got used to living alone and was sleeping well, she refused to give up her naps, no matter what. At this point, it was probably something she did out of habit rather than necessity, but she didn’t care. Sleeping was her third favorite thing, next to sex and good food, or just decent food and good sex.
By 7:00, she was well rested, showered, and ready—no desperate—for Rob’s arrival. By 7:10, she began to worry that he was backing out. Her stomach twisted and turned as her mind went crazy with thoughts of how the night would end. When he finally showed minutes later, he apologized for being late, citing bad traffic as the culprit.
They ended up going to see a funny movie starring Will Smith, one of her favorite actors. Ana found herself relaxed on her date with Rob, so she began making fun of some of the people in the theater. It was one of her and Beth’s greatest forms of entertainment. When an older couple walked in and made their way down the aisle they were seated in, Ana said, “Oh look out, here comes Fred and Ethel.” Rob almost choked on a piece of popcorn but caught on to the game pretty quick.
“Watch out for Bon Jovi over here.” He nodded towards a guy who had a mullet hairstyle—long and straight, with bangs all spiked up on top. He was wearing a shirt with a guitar on it, and his date was young and resembled a groupie, sporting tons of make-up and hairspray.
Ana laughed so hard she almost wet her pants as tears streamed down her face. Her last poke was at one other couple. The man was older with gray hair but was in perfect shape and very attractive. His date was gorgeous, thirty years his junior, and was wearing a full-length, red gown.
“Okay, check out pretty woman over there.”
Wait…what? She realized the irony of her comment a little too late. But Rob, being the perfect gentleman that he was, laughed anyway.
“Damn! Who the hell wears a ball gown to the movies?” he asked.
“Not I, sir, not I.” Ana wished she had some glue or a needle and thread to sew her lips shut. She shouldn’t have felt bad, though. This date, a real, genuine date off the ledgers, was truly the most fun they had ever had together. Ana embraced it for what it was.
After the movie was over, they decided on sushi for dinner. At the restaurant, they danced around casual conversation for a while, and Ana was committed to keeping things sexually neutral. She was at least trying to let him make the next move. For better or worse, he knew where she stood.
“So, you never talk about your family other than your cousin who has the art gallery. Are your parents still around?”
“They are,” Rob replied. “They live in Prescott. They keep talking about moving to Sun City. Who knows, maybe they’ll make the move some day, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. Most of my family’s in the Prescott area, and honestly, I don’t think they could handle being very far away from them, especially my mom. Oh… I have a sister, too.”
“Really? Is she in Prescott with your parents?”
“No, she lives here. We’re pretty close.”
“What does she do?” Ana asked.
Rob took a bite
of his sushi and stared at Ana as he chewed. Ana smirked at him.
“Sore subject?” she asked.
Rob shook his head. “She’s a dancer. Entertainer.”
“Oh. She’s a stripper.”
Rob pointed a chopstick at Ana, then picked up another mound of raw fish and plunged it into his mouth.
“Hey, there’s no shame in that. Beth goes to those places all the time with Rich.”
“Yeah. I know,” Rob replied. Ana laughed and shook her head. Oddly, she found herself watching the way he handled his chopsticks. His hands were strong, and his fingers skillfully held them, moving them back and forth, getting the perfect grip on his food every time. It was always the little things like that that were such a turn-on for her.
“By the way,” Rob pointed at the plate with his chopsticks. “This is, by far, the best sushi I’ve ever had. Good call.”
“Great! I wasn’t sure if you liked it or if you were just trying to be nice.”
“I love sushi, always have.”
“Interesting. You know what they say about a man who eats sushi,” Ana said.
Rob looked at her, and she could swear that he had a gleam in his eye. The corner of his mouth turned up in a wry smile. “I don’t know, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” he said.
“A man who likes fish will eat, well, other things.” So much for her keeping the conversation neutral. She had absolutely no will power around this man. Then again, there was no doubt the sexual tension would continue with the constant dinners, the way he hugs her and kisses her on the cheek and makes sure she’s pressed into his side at all of his business functions.