In the Market for Love

by Blake, Nina

  He made her feel like no other man had before but that didn’t mean she wanted him. Surely her mind was in control of her feelings and actions. She wasn’t weak and wanton, at the mercy of her emotions.

  Yet something about him made her nervous as though he was different in kind from other men. As though he had a power over her that no one else did.

  Still, it was her life and she was in charge of it. She wouldn’t be duped by Jake Austin’s charm and she also wouldn’t back down.

  She would meet him.

  It was only a drink, after all.

  * * *

  Rachel admired Jake’s choice of venue as she walked into the Ebony Bar.

  One wall was taken up by a long dark wooden bar behind which bottles had been lit to glitter like jewels on the shelves. The rest of the room was divided into different areas through the clever use of furnishings. There was a standing area, a section filled with tiny tables and chairs and another area decked out with sofas.

  Elegant though it was, it was a bar, and she wasn’t sure she was comfortable there. She also didn’t understand how she’d been trapped into going for a drink with Jake. He’d twisted her words and now here she was.

  “Hello Rachel.” She heard the soft suede of Jake’s voice behind her. “Let me take your jacket for you.”

  His fingertips brushed the back of her neck as he gently slipped the dark linen jacket off her shoulders. A tingle shot up her spine.

  He grinned and his whole face lit up. His eyes, normally dark and mysterious, were full of warmth.

  “Let’s go over to the sofas,” he suggested.

  She was in a quandary over where to seat herself as she didn’t want to sit on a single lounge chair as if she were scared of sharing a seat with him. She decided to sit at one end of the sofa but not at the very end, giving her some room to retreat if needed.

  “Nice bar,” she said.

  Was that the best she could do? She knew her attempt at small talk was pathetic but she had to do something, say something. She couldn’t just sit there and allow herself to be consumed by this man.

  “Yes, I think so too.” Jake draped her linen jacket over a chair before relaxing beside her. “It’s not very nice when it’s crowded. Too many people looking to make an impression or a pick-up or something. Have you been here before?”

  “No, not here,”

  She hoped he wouldn’t ask her which bars she went to as a conversation on that subject would be extremely brief. She waited anxiously as he went to the bar to order the drinks. He appeared to know the bar staff.

  It gave Rachel the chance to admire him from behind. And he did look good from behind. His jeans followed the contours of his firm butt. He’d dressed the jeans up with a navy shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. He was certainly a fine example of manhood.

  “They’ll bring the drinks over,” Jake said when he returned to the sofa. “You look good in red, you know. It suits you. It contrasts beautifully with your hair.”

  Rachel had debated what to wear. Not wishing to look overdressed and make herself look too keen, she’d decided on a pair of black boot leg pants and a simple red sleeveless top. The top showed off her toned arms and followed the silhouette of her waist down to her hips without being provocative.

  “Thanks. You look good out of your work clothes too.” She shuddered at her poor choice of words. “I mean, you know, in jeans.”

  This wasn’t going the way she’d hoped.

  Jake grinned, clearly enjoying her embarrassment. “I liked the way you put it better the first time.”

  “Perhaps you shouldn’t be so pleased with yourself. It was just a slip of the tongue. Or are you used to having women make saucy comments to you?”

  “Maybe they do. But you don’t. Unless you’d include ‘Mr Porsche’ as being saucy?”

  She shrugged. “No, that was more of an observation.”

  He had a way about him. Even when he was teasing her, he made her feel like a woman. Attractive. Desired. She wasn’t a marketing manager any more. And she didn’t think she was a friend either.

  This wasn’t the first date she’d been on since she’d been widowed. And he wasn’t the first man to show some interest in her. But he was the first one who made her fumble with her words and lose her self-restraint.

  She couldn’t let him guess her feelings. “So, you’ve got a son?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “Connor. He’s seven.”

  “Does he live with his mother or with you?”

  As Rachel asked the question she suddenly had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. He had said he was single, hadn’t he?

  She’d found herself going out on a date with a man and she didn’t know anything about him. She’d assumed he must be single but the longer Jake took to answer the question the more her stomach churned.

  Something wasn’t right.

  * * *

  Jake didn’t usually feel anxious at the thought of explaining his marital situation to anyone. What he felt tonight went beyond anxiety. It was closer to turmoil.

  “Connor lives with me,” he said. “I’m lucky in that way. So many fathers miss out when their children live with their exes.”

  Jake lived with his son but their house also had another occupant.

  “And does your ex, his mother, live far from you?” Rachel asked.

  The thought of Bianca sent a distressing pang through Jake as he recalled her constant threats that she would get custody of Connor should they divorce. Nothing was more important to Jake than his son. Nothing.

  “No, she lives close by and that’s been good for Connor but a little hard for me.”

  Connor’s mother lived very close by indeed. In the same house.

  “So you’re divorced?” Rachel asked.

  “No, separated. We have been for about four years now.”

  “But not divorced?”

  He had to tell her now. This was the time.

  “Sorry to have kept you waiting.” A slender young waitress appeared, bearing a tray with a long neck of cold Stella Artois, a stemmed beer glass and a glass of white wine. She took her time as she poured the beer with its thick creamy head into Jake’s glass and placed the wine on the coffee table in front of them.

  Rachel had been cold and unflinching when she said there was no excuse for a married man seeing another woman. And at the time they’d only been discussing two actors smearing sun screen on each other. What would she think when she found out he and his wife still lived in the same house? She wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him after that.

  Other women in the past hadn’t questioned Jake’s predicament but then none of them had Rachel’s high standards and none had been important to him in the way she was.

  He wanted her so badly but knew how close he was to losing her respect with just a few words. And he didn’t even have her home phone number or address yet. Surely he should get that before risking their relationship by trying to explain his situation.

  But as they swapped phone numbers, Jake found himself increasingly trapped.

  “So what’s your home number?” she asked.

  “No, it’s impossible to catch me at home so use the mobile number,” he explained. “We’re always out and about, Connor and I.”

  She frowned. “So who looks after Connor after school?”

  “Kate, the nanny, mostly.”

  It was true there was a nanny but often Bianca looked after Connor after school.

  He had to tell Rachel now.

  Jake opened his mouth to speak. He had to choose his words carefully but he was well aware that with the slightest slip Rachel would jump to the wrong conclusion. If he phrased it badly she’d stop listening and walk out on him. He had no doubt about that.

  “Jake, my man, long time no see,” boomed a gruff voice from behind him.

  He turned to see the red face of a middle-aged man in a business suit, and quickly took to his feet. It was one of Marcus’ clients
and he couldn’t possibly let him sit down with them. He’d have to steer him away or they’d never get rid of him.

  Client or not, the man’s timing could not have been worse. If it had been a long time since they’d seen each other, there was probably a very good reason. What’s more, the guy was clearly drunk.

  “How’s Marcus doing?” He slurred his words. “You know, we should get together for lunch some day, the three of us.”

  Jake stepped forward. “You look like you’ve had a big one, mate.”

  “How did you guess? We’ve been partying since lunch time.”

  “Might be time to get going, don’t you think?”

  “But you haven’t even introduced me to your friend. The little lady over there’s your friend, isn’t she?”

  The drunk man leaned across, lost his balance and nearly landed on Rachel except Jake grabbed his arm and swung him back. Beer spilled from the man’s glass onto her.

  He reached across to wipe it off her leg. “S-sorry, miss.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Rachel pushed the man’s hand off her damp pants. “It’s only beer.”

  A look of gratitude washed over her face as Jake pulled him away from her.

  “I think you’ve had enough, mate,’ Jake said

  “Geez, I dunno. I didn’t think I’d had that much…”

  * * *

  Rachel couldn’t make out Jake’s words but she heard the suede of his voice turn to gravel as laid his hand on the man’s shoulder and walked him back to the bar. The drunk guy appeared to be explaining or apologising, gesticulating with his hands and nodding.

  She took a sip of wine then put her glass down as she didn’t want to drink any more. Suddenly everything changed. In truth, the man hadn’t spilt much of his drink on her but he’d made her realise she didn’t want to be surrounded by drunks and she didn’t know what she was doing at a bar.

  Jake was taking her out of her comfort zone. It wasn’t the boozy old fellow. He was just a drunk. But he made her see she should stop fooling herself. A man like Jake was more than she could handle. He was too clever and would devour her.

  And she’d be hurt, abandoned, devastated. She couldn’t let it happen again.

  She stood and waited until Jake came back to their seats.

  “Rachel, you’re not going are you?” He leaned closer and placed one hand on her forearm, letting it slip down to her fingers in a gentle caress. “Don’t worry about that guy. He won’t be back.”

  Though outwardly calm, on the inside she was collapsing, all because he’d touched her. There was a sudden wave inside her, a tidal wave, and she felt herself being swept away with it. If this was the effect of him holding her hand, what would happen if things went further? She’d be completely swept away by the undertow. This had to stop now.

  “It’s not that,” she said. “I have to go now.”

  She had one chance to escape or she’d lose herself completely. She grabbed her fine linen jacket, crushing it recklessly, and bounded out of the room.

  Jake followed, calling her name.

  She made it down a narrow laneway to the car park and as she fumbled with her keys, she dropped her jacket onto the pavement.

  Turning, she looked down at the spot where her jacket had been but Jake had scooped it up. He reached across at the same time as she leant forward and their faces nearly collided.

  In a kiss that was barely there, his lips brushed against hers in the most wonderful accident in the world. Perhaps not even a kiss.

  Their mouths had swept across each other but there may have been neither intent nor desire behind it. It was a moment of whimsy that lay somewhere between action and nothingness.

  For a moment they stood still and the world stood still with them. There was no movement, not a single motion as they stood in the cool evening air.

  Rachel’s mouth fell open, her lower lip trembling. Jake, meanwhile, was a as inscrutable and unreadable as ever. His face betrayed no hint of emotion or desire. His eyes lingered on her face but any longing in them was hidden by their dark depths.

  She felt a satiny swell rising up inside and savoured this rivulet of yearning. She didn’t know what had happened, whether there was purpose in his movement or whether it was an accident caused by the sudden turning of their heads.

  She didn’t know if it had been a kiss but she knew it was tantalising and promising and she savoured the delicious thrill of the moment.

  It had been a long time since any man had had that effect on her and as much as it was intoxicating, it was also frightening. He tilted his head towards hers. She flinched and lifted her hands between them.

  Jake’s shoulders dropped and his lips curled into the seductive smile of a man so powerful he could capture his prey or release it.

  He could consume her if he wished or he could let her down with ease.

  “Your jacket,” he said.

  Rachel lowered her gaze. “Thank you.”

  The words seemed so trite, so ordinary. They didn’t do justice to the charge she felt between them. Maybe she was the only one who felt it.

  She took her jacket and stepped to one side to unlock her car.

  The moment was gone.

  She had put a barrier between them and rejected him even before she was sure he’d made an advance. With a single movement, she ensured it was over before they’d had a chance to begin. The gesture, so defensive and premature, had clearly put Jake off.

  Yet, however she tried to convince herself otherwise, a single thought cut through her with crystal clear clarity.

  A man like Jake Austin. Handsome. Powerful. Successful. If he’d wanted to kiss her, sweep her into his arms or take her completely, he would not have let anything stand in his way.

  If he’d wanted her.

  Chapter five

  Jake fixed his dark eyes on Rachel. “This is the right time to change things if you’re not happy with them. Although I think the work Marcus has done so far is excellent.”

  The sound of his voice made her jump. There were many things she’d like to change and none of them were relevant to the campaign. She shifted in her chair and pushed her hair behind her ears, biding a few more moments. They were at a meeting. She had to concentrate.

  “The roughs look promising but I’d like to take them away so we can think about it a bit longer,” she said.

  “Certainly,” he said. “But your gut reaction is more important. With a campaign like this one, it’s better to follow your instincts and not over analyse things too much.”

  “Hmmm.” Rachel nodded but her voice came out as a throaty croak. He was talking about the campaign, wasn’t he?

  “I’ll get you some water.”

  He poured a tall glass of cold water and stood to pass it to her across the boardroom table. Their fingers overlapped as he did so, the sudden touch sending a nervous charge through her.

  He’d taken off his jacket and wore a pale blue patterned shirt, the top button undone exposing the small V of tanned skin at the top of his chest. The sleeves were rolled up, the burnished gold of his watch striking against the bronzed skin of his arms.

  All she had to do was keep her mind on the job. And away from his physical attributes. It sounded so simple.

  With Jake Austin sitting across from her at the boardroom table, she didn’t even notice the sweeping harbour views or the contemporary elegance of the room. She was having trouble concentrating on the concept roughs for the campaign.

  Her mind was on only one thing. Jake.

  Clearly, his mind wasn’t a molten mass of conflicting, surging thought and emotion as hers was. He was focussed, business-like and professional.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  “Absolutely.” Rachel nodded keenly, gesticulating rather too enthusiastically.

  His face was like a sculpture. With a strong bone structure and high cheek bones, he was extremely handsome and there was also something that made him look a little dangerous. It was his da
rk eyes, deep set with thick eyebrows. They gave away no inkling of emotion, no hint of what might be going on beneath them.

  His mouth was so different from the hard, well-defined features of the rest of his face. His mouth was soft and lush. That’s how it had felt when his lips brushed against hers the other night. Barely there, she wasn’t sure it was even a kiss, just an accident.

  This uncertainty had been an infliction on Rachel for two days, one she thought would be solved by seeing Jake. She would look at him and know. Yet seeing him had only raised more questions.

  Running out on him after one drink was such a childish thing to do. Of course he had to chase after her to make sure she was alright after his associate had spilt his drink on her. And handing back her jacket was the polite thing to do. He could hardly do that at their next meeting, letting their colleagues know they’d been out together.

  Clearly, sustaining the interest of someone like herself was not the kind of challenge Jake Austin was after. If there was any chance he might have been interested in her, she had put him off.

  “The final concepts will look much more professional than these roughs,” he said. “Take them away and think about them. We can discuss it at the next meeting.”

  “I think Marcus has done a great job,” Samantha said, a glimmer in her eyes.

  Samantha went to pour herself a glass of water from the refreshments tray in the centre of the table but as she lifted the jug, it was empty.

  “I’ll get you a glass of water,” Marcus said. “We might even have some mineral water out in the kitchen.”

  He held Samantha’s gaze as he motioned towards the boardroom door. “I’m not sure exactly what we’ve got. Why don’t you come with me and take a look.”

  “Stretching my legs for a bit would do me good,” she said.

  “Okay, we’ll wind up the meeting after you get back,” Jake said.

  Marcus smiled, a puppy dog expression washing across his face, as he rose to pull back Samantha’s chair and usher her to the door.

  The boardroom door closed behind them. Rachel’s eyes remained fixed on the papers spilling out of her folder. One simple movement could betray her. Then Jake would see through her polite exterior to the surging torrent of desire he had created in her.