Heart Robber (Lifestyle by Design Book 2) (17 page)

Not being with her for the last weekend, after spending every single weekend with her for the last ten weeks, was torture. He almost called her on Sunday morning after waking up and not finding her next to him. The only reason he was able to stop himself from doing so was remembering why Jessa wanted him to have this break. He needed to be sure if he was up for a serious, committed, long-term relationship. He cared a lot about Jessa, wanted her more than any woman he'd ever met. But was that enough to give up his freedom?

Maybe he should go out to a bar and test himself. Maybe he should flirt with other women and see how he felt about it. He grimaced. Just thinking about it made him cringe. He had no desire whatsoever to do that.

His phone rang again.

Damn, this woman sure is persistent.

A thought occurred to him. Maybe he
should
have drinks with Andrea. Maybe seeing her could help him clarify precisely why he was so averse to long-term commitment.

~~~~~~~

Rob was fifteen minutes late when he got to the Bondi cafe where he had arranged to meet Andrea. He was surprised to see her already seated at their table. Being half an hour late for meetings was the norm for her.

"Rob!" Andrea cried in obvious pleasure as she stood up to greet him with a peck on the cheek.

"Hi, Andrea. Where are your Bondi lifeguards?" he asked dryly.

"Oh, this time's just for you, Rob. Where's your Sydney girlfriend?"

"She's at work."

"Well, darling, I'm glad you took time out of your busy schedule to have coffee with me during working hours," she purred. "I'm really pleased."

He gave her a tight smile. "Have you ordered?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for you."

"I'm only having coffee."

"Good, 'cause I want to order their Belgian waffle with ice cream. You know I can't have all those calories, so you can share it with me," she said innocently.

He shook his head and indicated to a server they were ready to order.

Rob half-listened to Andrea's chatter about her business and social life. He made 'I'm listening' noises every once in a while to keep her talking. He was more than happy to let her prattle until she finished her waffle. He didn't feel like talking at all. In fact, he felt uncomfortable. No, that wasn't quite accurate. He felt guilty. Not that he was doing anything wrong. It was just that it didn't feel right to him that he was here having coffee with an ex-girlfriend who kept on giving him flirtatious and suggestive looks. He realised Andrea hadn't given up on him yet and he regretted his decision to meet with her.

Once she finished her damned waffle he was going. But with her constant yapping, it looked like it would take her ages to finish it off. Was it rude to leave when your companion was still eating? He sighed. For all that Andrea was, she was still a friend, so he would have to suffer a few more minutes of sitting there with her.

His thoughts turned to Jessa. He wondered what she was doing. In an hour, she would be heading home from work. His heart compressed. It was Tuesday. If he hadn't agreed to this stupid break she would be going home to him.

"Rob, have some waffle." Hearing his name brought him out of his musing.

"No, thanks. Finish it off."
Stop the chitchat and finish it off quickly.

"Hmm. It's too much for me," Andrea whined in a flirty manner.

"Then leave it."

"But that would be a shame. It's very good." Andrea fluttered her eyelids at him as she licked her spoon lasciviously.

"I have to go back to work, Andrea," he said curtly.

Andrea pouted in displeasure and gave up being seductive. "Fine, I'll finish it off."

He watched as Andrea cut off a tiny portion of the waffle and slowly put it in her mouth. At the rate she was going, they'd be there forever. He grabbed his unused cutlery and started helping her. He just wanted to leave.

~~~~~~~

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Rob muttered through gritted teeth. This would have to be the fourth time Andrea had tried to call that afternoon. What the hell could she want now? He'd already had coffee with her yesterday. He glared at his phone until it stopped ringing.

It rang again five minutes later. He picked it up to switch it off when he saw it was Will this time, not Andrea.

"Hey, Will."

"Hey, Rob. What in the fucking hell is your ex up to?" Will sounded just as annoyed as he was with Andrea.

"What do you mean?"

"She just called me to say
we
are having drinks with her at six today. And by 'we' she meant you, me, Clarise, herself
and
Jessa."

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"My thoughts exactly. I know she still wants you, Rob, and I don't trust her."

"If she expects me to turn up and also ask Jess to come, then she's sadly mistaken."

Will gave a humourless chuckle. "You obviously underestimate her. No, she doesn't expect you to invite Jess on her behalf. She's already invited both Jess and Clarise herself."

"What?!" Rob was stunned.

"Yup. After she called to tell me about the little surprise party she organised, I called Clarise. She said she and Jess got separate calls from Andrea. Apparently, Jess spoke to Andrea this morning and she only decided after lunch to accept her invitation. It looks like Andrea invited Clarise and me after Jess had said yes."

A cold shiver ran through him. Andrea was up to something - and it wasn't good.

"Anyway," Will continued, "Andrea told me she'd been trying to reach you but couldn't and told me to let you know about this in case she doesn't get to speak to you. You better be there, Rob."

"Of course, I'll be there. There's no way Jessa's having drinks with that woman without me."

"How's your week going?" Will asked him in a quieter tone. He had called Will on Sunday night when he was feeling lost and lonely.

"Like hell," he admitted. "I miss her, Will. I know it's only been five days but knowing we're on a break makes it feel much longer than that. I don't even want to wait 'til Friday to get back together with her, although I'm still confused about the whole serious, long-term commitment stuff. I know I want to be with her. There's no question about that. But this long-term commitment thing still scares the shit out of me."

"What exactly are you scared of, Rob?"

"That I'll lose my freedom."

"Freedom to do what?"

He thought for a moment. That was a good question, one he didn't have a ready answer for. He'd always carried the belief that being in a relationship meant loss of freedom to do what he wanted to do with his life - whatever that meant. He knew it wasn't about losing his freedom to choose whatever business or career to be in, if he ever chose to change. Jessa was very supportive of his dreams and he knew she would always be.

"Umm …"

"Freedom to have sex with other chicks?" Will prompted.

He considered the question. In the past, that would have been a big issue for him. But he didn't need more than ten seconds to know that his view of that had changed. "No. I only want Jessa."

"So you're still having problems getting off with other women," Will teased.

Rob chuckled. He wasn't rankled by that anymore. "Yes, and I don't really give a damn if I do as long as I have Jess. If she doesn't want me anymore, then I have a huge problem."

"Okay, so if it's not that, then what are you scared of losing? Freedom to party anytime you want?"

He snorted. "No. It was only Andrea who pushed me to party. I don't look for that anymore."

"Are you scared you'd be forced to live somewhere you don't want? You've chosen to live in Melbourne and she's here in Sydney."

He was silent for long seconds. That was a major sticking point. Would he lose his freedom to choose where to live if he was with Jessa?

Where do I want to live?

His answer came loud and clear.

Wherever Jessa is.

He felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulder. It was silly, really, thinking where they lived was a problem.

Living in Melbourne was not a necessity. Being in Sydney for more than two months while his Melbourne team ran the office efficiently without him proved he could be anywhere and still have a successful operation.

"No," he answered Will with a big grin on his face. "I just want to be where Jessa is. There's no good reason why I can't move back here. It would take some serious planning but it can be done."

"All right!" Will shouted happily. "So what are you afraid of then, Rob?"

"I'm only afraid of losing her."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jessa carefully re-applied her make-up, fussing over it more than she usually did. It was a shame she had an important client meeting that morning so she was wearing her smart pantsuit that made her look ultra-professional. It would have been better if she was wearing a dress - something more feminine. But how was she to know she'd be invited by Rob's ex-girlfriend to have drinks with her that evening?

When Elena from reception put the call through to her, she almost fell off her chair when the caller introduced herself as 'Andrea, Rob's ex-girlfriend'. Oh, Andrea was friendly on the phone. She said she was in Sydney and just wanted to meet new people, and that she also planned to invite Clarise. She also didn't fail to mention how she enjoyed having coffee and
sharing waffles
with Rob at Bondi yesterday and how great it would be to meet his other Sydney
friends
.

She almost didn't accept Andrea's invitation. She was so hurt after that call. It didn't take Rob long to enjoy his single status - with his ex-girlfriend, at that.

But something else happened that day. Victor was so incensed about the whole thing that he spoke rather loudly in her office and told her she should go out and find herself a new date pronto, just as James Bradley, who had a meeting with her today, walked in her office.

James didn't miss the opportunity. After their meeting, he asked her out. She was honest with him and said she just broke up with someone. He said he would be 'honoured' to be her shoulder to cry on. What could she say to that? It was so sweet. She was so hurt and angry at Rob that she said yes. Then she let Andrea know she was seeing her for drinks. She didn't know why she changed her mind about not wanting to meet Andrea. She guessed it was because she wanted the opportunity to scratch her eyes out. And she really wanted to know if there was anything going on between Rob and his ex.

"Ready, Jess?" Clarise asked as she walked into her office.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Don't forget to restrain me when I start becoming violent."

"I'm sure the boys will jump in and make sure you don't get into any trouble."

"The boys?" she asked.

"Yes. Will and Rob," Clarise answered, confused.

"Rob's going to be there?" she whispered in dismay.

"Yes. Didn't you know?"

"No. I thought it was just going to be you and me and her. She didn't mention that Rob and Will were coming, too."

Clarise's look turned suspicious. "I knew that woman was up to something. She sounded cagey. Do you still want to go?"

Her heart pounded as she considered her decision. A big part of her wanted to run and hide. But she wouldn't. Couldn't. She had to see for herself how Rob felt about his ex. It would drive her crazy not knowing.

"Yes, I still want to go. Can we go there early? I sort of want to compose myself before everyone else arrives."

"Of course."

~~~~~~~

"How do we know if she's here already?" Clarise asked Jessa as they waited in the already-crowded establishment.

"She said she'll stand by the entrance at six. She has strawberry blonde hair and she'll be wearing a black and silver dress."

"There's still fifteen minutes to go."

They sat in silence as they sipped their drinks and observed other people, lost in their own thoughts.

"Do you think that's Andrea?" Clarise nudged her and nodded towards the door.

Jessa turned her head and saw a tall, absolutely stunning strawberry blonde in a fetching black and silver dress and sexy high heels that showed off her gorgeous legs. The woman stood and scanned the crowd with supreme confidence. All eyes seemed to be on her, and it was no surprise when a couple of men approached her, already chatting her up.

Her heart dropped to the floor with a big thud. If this was Andrea, she could see why Rob was attracted to her. She paled in comparison.

She was still trying to scoop up her heart from the floor when
he
appeared. He must have called Andrea for she twirled around. And ran to him. And threw her arms around him. And kissed him. On the
lips
.

She watched in shock for two seconds before averting her eyes. She couldn't bear to look.

"Jess." Clarise put an arm around her shivering frame.

"Clarise, I have to go. I can't stay."

"I'll go with you."

"No. Please. Stay and tell me what goes on between them tonight. Just tell them I wasn't feeling well or something."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please."

"Okay," Clarise said reluctantly. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes. Don't worry. Could you distract them so I can sneak out?"

"Okay. We'll talk tomorrow." Clarise gave her a hug and walked towards Rob and Andrea.

She ran out, almost stumbling but grateful she didn't. She feared if she stayed there for a second longer, her chest might explode.

~~~~~~~

"You deserve the best, Jessa. It's not just because you're a brilliant writer or interviewer or editor," James Bradley said in that soft-spoken manner of his, "it's also because you are simply beautiful."

Jessa's face heated.
Geez. This night promises to be an uncomfortable one.
She kicked herself for her impetuous decision to go out with him.

She wasn't fishing for compliments when she asked him why he chose this restaurant - one of the most expensive in Sydney, where you needed to book six months in advance. She was merely trying to make polite conversation.

She would need to stem her curiosity as to how James got a table at such short notice. After the dozen long-stemmed red roses which he insisted were a 'thank you' for her 'excellent' work with their advertorials, and now these comments, she was scared to ask. She didn't want him spouting any more declarations of his infatuation.