In the Market for Love

chapter four



Jake stood on the other side of the desk from the Omega Pharmaceuticals receptionist.

“There’s a Jake Austin from Agency 66 here to see you,” she said to Rachel over the phone.

The young woman’s eyes skimmed the length of his physique, then grew visibly larger. It didn’t faze him that she should look admiringly at him but he felt a pang of something resembling regret. He wished Rachel shared that same predatory instinct, wished she would look at him that way, consider him more than a business partner.

It was time to change that, time to take her out of the boardroom and into a more intimate setting. It’d be difficult to explain his marital situation to her and the workplace clearly wasn’t the right location for such a private discussion. Tonight he planned to tell her all about his predicament. That was if she agreed to go out with him.

Rachel walked into the room.

“You’ve kept him a secret!” the receptionist said loudly enough for Jake to hear.

Rachel greeted him and steered him away into the meeting room, very plain with ivory walls, camel coloured chairs and pale melamine table. The emphasis was on the functional unlike the agency offices which were designed to impress.

As they stood beside the table, she met his gaze. “I’m surprised to see you here today.”

“I hope it’s a pleasant surprise.”

“You tell me.”

“Aren’t you going to offer me a seat?” he asked.

“You said this wouldn’t take long.”

She wasn’t making this easy for him. He’d come here to apologise for his rude behaviour and make amends but Rachel wasn’t like other women. She wasn’t going to give an inch.

She wore the same stylish pink jacket she’d worn the first time they met, though it had looked more business-like then with that tight little Lois Lane skirt. Today she seemed more feminine, wearing a dress in mottled shades of crimson and grey beneath the jacket. The dress’ scooped neckline betrayed a hint of creamy white cleavage and the skirt floated down across her shapely hips.

He’d come her for a reason. To get Rachel. To have her for himself. And even the dull boardroom setting didn’t diminish his desire.

“You must be very busy,” he said.

“I’m sure you are too,” she replied.

Did she want to get rid of him so quickly? Or was she afraid of something? Afraid of getting hurt? He’d always sensed there was something unusual in Rachel’s history, something hurtful lurking, perhaps a harsh break up, and he had to clear that up.

“Rachel, I didn’t come here to talk about work,” he said. “I wanted to talk about you. You said you weren’t married. You’re single?”

He waited for her answer. Surely she couldn’t have found someone in the last few weeks since they met. Although it would be a miracle if a woman like her were unattached.

Why had he waited so long?

* * *

Single. That word seemed so simple that to Rachel it didn’t even begin to describe her situation or feelings. To be single implied being available yet Rachel hadn’t been available for years. She was asked out from time to time and occasionally she accepted but even then it was as though she wasn’t there. It had been years since she’d had a man in her life.

Jake’s voice shook her from her thoughts. “Rachel?”

She didn’t like to talk about the past but it wasn’t a secret. And Jake had asked.

“I’m not married but I used to be,” she said. “My husband Nick passed away four years ago.”

“Rachel, I…I had no idea.”

“He died unexpectedly. Not that I think it would have been any easier if I’d known it was coming. It was a car crash. He was hit by a drunk driver. Head on. There was no hope for either of them, Nick or the other fellow. And it was quick. When I got the phone call from the hospital, they wouldn’t tell me what had happened straight away. They don’t tell people things like that over the phone but I think I knew before I got there.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Jake put his hand on hers. She felt its warmth radiate across her skin.

Except for business like handshakes, he hadn’t physically touched her since their first meeting and she was taken aback at the effect. His hand was strong and masculine and with that one simple touch he made her feel small and delicate.

“That must have been terrible,” he said. “To have been happily married and lost that. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.”

Rachel stiffened. She hadn’t said she’d been happily married but people always made that assumption. It’s true she thought she’d been happily married but after her husband died, she’d made a discovery which made her doubt all of that.

Her marriage hadn’t been so perfect after all. But she never spoke about it. Not to anybody.

“That was a long time ago,” she said. “And I have so many good things in my life. I have a good job, friends, you know, the usual.”

She didn’t know what to make of the man. At nearly all of their meetings Jake had been charming and he certainly seemed to be propelling the Skin Plus campaign at great speed but at yesterday’s meeting he’d been demanding, undermining and hindering her at every turn.

Was he arrogant or charming? Which was the real Jake?

He had a way of turning her insides into a surging molten pyre over which she had no control. She could feel all thought and reason disappearing when she snapped herself out of it.

All she had to do was keep this encounter brief and, most importantly, stick to business. That was largely why she’d refused to offer Jake a seat but that hadn’t prevented the conversation turning well away from the campaign.

“You don’t have someone special at the moment?” Jake asked, his hand still on hers. The question sent a tingle up her spine.

“No, I don’t.”

His deep set eyes had always seemed dark and impenetrable but they seemed softer now as though they were beckoning her.

Before, she’d only seen the business side of Jake but she was starting to see a complex man, an intricate personality made up of many facets.

“Would you like to go out for a drink with me after work?” he asked.

Her lips curled to a shy smile. She was a mature woman with no need for a serious relationship in her life yet now she felt like a school girl being asked out on her first date. Talk about ridiculous.

He tilted his head. “Is something funny? Because this is a serious invitation, not a joke.”

“Actually, I’m leaving work early today.”

Her sister had an appointment and Rachel had promised she’d leave work early to collect her two nieces from school and baby sit them.

“That’s okay,” Jake said. “I can pick you up from your place later. It won’t be a problem.”

Not wishing to explain she’d be at her sister’s house in Balmain, Rachel diverted him. “No, I’d rather you didn’t pick me up. I have a couple of things to do this afternoon.”

“Then I’ll meet you there. The Ebony Bar. At 6.30pm. It’s not far from here. You know where it is, don’t you?”

“I know the place.”

Although it wasn’t far from Rachel’s work, she’d never been there as she rarely went out in the evening, particularly to bars.

“Great. I’ll see you at 6.30. And if you’re up to it we can grab some dinner afterwards.”

At that moment, the receptionist stuck her head around the door to let Rachel know there was another call for her.

Jake walked towards the door. “You go and take your call. I’ll see you later. I’m looking forward to it.”

He left.

Leaving her in a daze. She was going on a date with no idea what had happened or how it came to be.

She hadn’t said she’d go on a date with him. The word ‘yes’ had not passed her lips. Had he tricked her?

Now he’d gone, she wasn’t even able to reprimand him, tease him and tell him she hadn’t accepted.

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.