Becca turned the lock to open the door without saying anything. In front of her Austin appeared in all his manly glory. She had missed him so much! She was staring at him in a stunned stupor that was possible only when one had had too much to drink the night before. Only she hadn’t.
“Were you drinking with him last night?” Austin sounded hurt and angry at the same time.
“Oh? I did not realize that I was not allowed,” she exploded, offended by the chilling, cold look on his face that accompanied his sharp words.
“Let me in,” he demanded. “You will get your turn to speak after I tell you what I think about it,” he commanded.
“Is this a joke? Are you serious?” She did not move. The resoluteness in her voice made him freeze for a moment. He’d expected a different reaction from her.
“Okay. That’s enough.” He swept her from her feet and carried her to the bed with steely determination. She did not fight his unexpected move.
He placed her down on the bed and went to lock the entrance door.
Had she just become his easy prey?
Becca remembered the euphoria she was in the last time he carried her to his bed. She had melted inside from his powerful, hot, hard body when he’d pressed himself against her naked skin. This man knew exactly what she needed. Surrender. Oh, how she wished to surrender, to give herself to him!
This was not an option right now. He was back and placed himself directly in front of her on the chair, looking straight into her face.
How badly had she screwed up?
“Why did you do this?” he asked as if she was a thirteen-year-old in the principal’s office for some mischief.
“I wanted to ask you the same question, Austin.” She was resisting the pressure.
“You had too much to drink. You left the club with Joe and ended up in his bed. Damn! You’re still are in his suite, half-naked. What do you think I’m supposed to assume? That the bustard left you after a one-night stand?” Austin roared.
“This is not how it looks.” She would never be able to prove it otherwise. It was too complicated already. She could see that it looked exactly like he said it was.
Maybe it was better if he believed it, Becca thought, fighting her tears.
She knew that he had made up his mind about this situation already. Nothing was going to change it. She would not cry. It would not help. It was not easy, but Austin could make it easier though. If he hated her now, if he left forever, she would not need to have any further discussions about her child with him. She would avoid a broken heart and ...
“Please, explain,” the sarcastic tone of his voice cut deep through her heart.
“There is nothing to explain to you. You do what you please. You leave whenever you want and you come back unexpected or uninvited. Leave me alone! Think whatever you want!” she was fuming.
‘I wanted to look after you, Rebecca! Do you understand this? I was waiting for some things to go away, for my demons to disappear. I promised that I would be back for you. Why did you do this to us? And with him! He deserves you less than I do.” His words were pouring over her like a heavy cold rain on chilly night.
“There is no us.” She spread her arms wide. “There were never us. I don’t have much time, Austin. You need to go. Go to your free-style life, where nobody depends on you,” Becca urged.
She needed to think. She must be alone
TWENTY-EIGHT
“Becca?” Joe sounded concerned. It seemed strange to Becca that he would call her hotel room number when it was well past midnight in Miami. It was early morning here in Geneva. She and Cadence were finally ready to go shopping for some presents to take home.
“Yes?” she replied warily, looking at the clock. Her insides cramped. Joe had been calling all morning, leaving voicemail messages. She left them unheard.
“It’s me. I couldn’t reach you. Why do you never pick up the phone? It is not that complicated. I was worried.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.’ Becca had no idea why he would insist on calling her here. Even though four of them had a lot of fun this week she felt a bitter aftertaste hearing Joe’s voice.
“For God’s sake,” said Joe genuinely, “all I can think about is you!”
She suspected that Roman must had said something to make him regret that he left in such a hurry. Roman had to go to their business meetings alone. He did not like it.
Joe had been called back to Miami for an emergency involving the firm’s biggest client, to Becca’s greatest relief.
“I don’t,” said Becca. “Go back to sleep, Joe. Do not expect any explanations from me. We’ll be back in two days and we can talk then. You know I hate phone discussions.” She could not hide the irritation in her voice.
“Why can’t you use the darned phone?” His voice projected that fatherly authority again as he raised his tone a notch. Why did he always take this stance with her? The protector who knows better? He acted like he had two different personalities: one private with her and another one public. Becca did not like it. She felt like he was toying with her.
“Because that’s what I want. And I do not need you to be concerned about me.” She was fighting back the urge to just hang up the phone.
“What is your problem, Becca? All I want is for you to give me another chance. Since I left Geneva all I can think about is you. Not a minute passes without your image popping into my mind. The tempting naked image that I had a taste of once and cannot forget. Tell me, Becca, what scared you then?”
Joe was persistent. No amount of reasoning or explaining seemed to work. They already had had a few discussions about why Becca would not give him another chance.
That night was a stupid mistake.
She simply fell for his charms, allowing herself to indulge in a weakness. He was so sweet, caring, and he totally refused to give up. No man in her life ever gave her this incredible feeling of power over himself. That was alluring and seductive. But, it was a very dangerous road for her to take—especially in her current condition.
That disastrous night, they had checked into this gorgeous suite on the top floor of the luxurious hotel which had played host to royalty and celebrities for past two centuries.
Joe’s talk about his feeling for her almost lulled her to sleep. She had lost her control. He used the moment and swept her off her feet, kissing her passionately. He told her she was the only thing he had ever wanted. But as soon as his hands touched her naked body, her mind shot her a clear massage. This situation was so wrong. She must escape it. So she did.
Becca did not understand how she could even think about Joe that way, never mind of taking off her clothes!
And now she had to face his constant reminding her of her weakness. With Austin gone, something inside of her changed. She did not know what exactly. The feeling of loss combined with her pregnancy hormones acting up made her sick to her stomach. Joe’s phone call made her even sicker.
“That was totally unexplainable mistake, Joe. I never wanted anything like that between us.”
“But I did not force you to do anything you did not wanted to do,” he clung to the conversation.
“I know,” she said finally, ready to run to hug the toilet as a wave of sickness hit her again. “I fell prey to your hypnotism, I guess. Now, can we please forget it and stay as we were. Just friends?”
Becca’s mood was dark and Joe’s voice made her heart hurt. Stupid. Stupid woman! She was so emotionally drained that she could break like that crystal vase the night before.
But she was not about to give in to Joe’s pressure now. In the end she would regret it if she did.
“What is so wrong about you being attracted to me? Is it your position at the villa you are worried about? Then you should not be.” It was clear that he had already talked to Rom or Lidia about her. “Or, is all of this is about Austin?” he asked snidely. Joe was clearly not accustomed to being rejected.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
&
nbsp; Silence divided them into two different worlds across the continents.
“All right. But you should know some things about him too. He takes women and he leaves them,” Joe said. “Sometimes, he leaves them behind pregnant.” He sounded detached and outright mean. He’d been hurt by her last words.
She knew he was lying, using the newly discovered pressure point in her.
Had he made it up on spot now? Could he possibly know about her latest involvement with Austin?
Cadence popped into the room and waved to Becca to cut the conversation with Joe.
“I’ve got to go. Cadence is waiting. Bye, Joe.” Becca was glad to hang up the phone. She realized that her palms were sweaty. Thank God Cadence had come in.
“Did you sleep with him?” Cadence sharp tone jerked her to the reality.
“God, no!” Becca was not sure about that at all. Had she? Would she ever know the answers that were hidden in the dark corners of her memory? She sure hoped so.
“I think you probably should,” said Cadence. “To get Austin out of your system.”
“I would never be able to live with myself if I did that.”
“I know,” said Cadence breezily. “I was just testing your resolve. You love Austin, don’t you? No need to answer,” Cadence patted her gently on her stomach. “We have to go. Rom’s probably anxious already.”
The shame was hard to ignore and Becca knew that she had to tell Cadence what was really happening between her and Joe.
TWENTY-NINE
“Ladies? Anything in particular you want to order?” Roman broke the unusual quiet at the table. They were having lunch after a marathon shopping expedition for baby things. Both Becca and Cadence were too tired to talk.
“Whatever you want. I won’t challenge your pick today,” said Cadence closing the menu. She gave Becca a questioning look. “You?”
“I need to start with a dessert. This place is famous for their sweets. It’s always been my plan.” Becca was not sure if she could eat anything. She was so angry at herself that her stomach churned in protest. When was she finally going to learn to eat healthy?
Maybe that was another of the unnatural cravings she was developing, she thought in disgrace.
Cadence grinned, feeling better as she’d known Becca would be more like herself after the fatty overly sweetened tiramisu she’d ordered.
“Let me know when you want to be alone, girls,” said Roman politely. He had sensed the tension from the moment the two women met him in the lobby. “I’ll go grab myself a beer from the bar.”
***
An hour later, Cadence, Becca, and Rom were alone in their suite, enjoying the warmness spreading out from the classic picturesque fireplace in a center of the dining room.
“I don’t like him that much,” said Cadence. There’s something fake about him. The more I see him the more I feel it.” Cadence gently pushed Rom back. “He is like a third wheel on a bike.”
“He is our old family friend, Babe,” Rom protested. “We cannot dismiss him. My dad was best friends with his dad. And I guess we’re just used to each other.”
“More like he uses you for his own good,” observed Cadence. “Who paid for our trip to Europe? Who paid for all our hotel bills and the car rentals? Don’t forget that.” Cadence brought up the questions that were obviously on her mind.
“I cannot believe you count all those.” Roman looked puzzled.
“Well, unlike you, I grew up counting my money, mister,” she dismissed him with ease.
“Now you don’t need to.” Roman looked at his wife with adoration. He loved her fierceness and never took it too seriously.
“Have you and Joe known each other for a long time then?” Becca asked.
“We got very close a couple of years ago, after my dad passed away. Joe is ten years older than I am. I guess we hit it off pretty well. He was fun to be around. I learned some stuff from him too,” he said, winking playfully.
“The rape party drugs stuff?” said Cadence confronting him again.
“What do you mean?” Rom glanced at her with a surprise.
“I have my own sources of information. I talked to one of Joe’s ex-girlfriends at our wedding party back in June. She was a gorgeous kitten. But, as I’d expected, she was not very smart. She was a family friend, I think from your mom’s side.”
“Joe’s rule number one, being a lawyer, is that he does not allow anything or anyone to jeopardize his career. I don’t think drugs mix well with that, pretty face,” Roman defended. He wanted to tone down the conversation.
Cadence moved his hand away from her face when he playfully reached for her cheek. Clearly, those questions had been boiling inside her for a while. She needed them out of her system.
“His ex—Della, I think her name was—told me to watch out for my friend when she saw Joe flirting with Becca and disappearing inside the villa.”
“What? And you never told me that?” Becca’s eyes went wide and she was shaking her head in astonishment.
“You were safe by that time, honey. Joe had returned without you and I never let my eyes off him until the end of the evening. I had no real reason to believe her. Maybe she was just jealous of you and volunteered the information just to hurt him. Joe was Rom’s Best Man and many women were ogling him that night. He could be a charmer, as well as a delicious eye candy, you know that. I could not blame her for being hurt.”
By this time Roman was shifting on the sofa ready to jump like a wild cat locked in the cage.
Becca was sitting back in the chair, hungrily absorbing everything Cadence said.
“Maybe you should reconsider his good intentions and open your eyes to the real Joe Snowden that everyone else sees. He uses your mom pretty efficiently too. She told me she had connected him with few of her high flying friends and acquaintances in the past. They became his firm’s top clients afterward.” Cadence went on and on, recalling all negatives she could remember from her memories of Joe.
“You should confront him and put it to the end, Roman!” Cadence could be so straightforward. Becca had nearly forgotten. Becca found she was lacking this quality in herself. She could always rely on her friend for an honest opinion.
“If you think he’s going to cut and run, then you are wrong. A lot of rumors are flying around about him. It has never hurt his reputation in the past though.” Roman could not believe they were having this conversation after the nice week they’d spent together.
“He’s got a problem,” Becca said finally. She was ready to spill out everything that was eating at her.
“But he adores you, Becca. He looks at you as if you are the only one. Do you know anyone better who would court you like that?” Roman turned red in a face trying to holding his unexplained anger toward Becca.
Becca had already seen a hint of how irrational Roman could be about Joe Snowden. She was not the one to argue with Roman, but still...
“I had an experience with him,” she admitted in a small vice, not sure if this was a time or place to continue what Cadence had started. “And it is not very pleasant either.”
Roman took a sip of the beer he had forgotten he was having. “Really? Tell me what is it that you are holding against him?”
Becca thought for a moment while Cadence moved closer to her and put a hand into hers.
“Right,” Becca started and went on until there were nothing left untold. She trusted her friend and as a result, her husband too. “And, I thought that I would not have a nerve to discuss it with anyone, but now I can see I do. Who would have thought that I could screw up this big? ”
Roman was scowling and Cadence was speechless while they assimilate what Becca had just shared. She saw sympathy in their eyes, as if they truly understood her pain and confusion. They were her only friends. She felt lucky. Having told her tale, it became easier to breathe.
THIRTY
Austin had been thinking about his last talk with Rebecca for days now. He blamed himself for being such
an emotional irritated jerk. But, of course, she was intentionally bratty with him. This made his temper kick into the overdrive. He wanted to smooth things with her. In fact, he was planning his unannounced visit to Villa Grande to surprise her and apologize for his ignited temper. It felt good to finally do it. He remembered her wide opened chocolate brown eyes admiring the bouquet he brought for Lidia last time. He took it she loved the flowers. He picked the best one for today’s occasion, Austin thought proud of himself.
He knew that Roman was still in Geneva, but Rebecca and Cadence were supposed to return last night. It would be nice to spend a quiet weekend at the villa, before heading to few weeks’ long overseas business trip. His partner had flown to Central Asia to meet with their important client before Austin joined them later for the final meeting. They’d close the deal then if everything went smoothly.
Austin stopped his car with a jolt and swore loudly. The stray black cat walked lazy across the small, unpopulated street. He had stopped in time to save it from being run over by his car, but he felt somewhat jittery. Even though Austin had never been superstitious, he knew about bad luck objects. His trusty gut told him that his unexpected appearance was not such a good idea after all. He was trying to push the unfounded feelings aside.
Besides, Lidia was always happy to see him. She never stopped inviting him to stay longer than his usual short visits. With Roman away, Austin hoped to have some private time with Becca.
He suddenly remembered the childish game called ‘nervous’ he and Rebecca used to play that amazing last summer at her grandfather’s cottage. They’d played that innocent but very sensual game of touches for hours, before they ever made out. Rebecca was never fast, but she was not a prude either. She was very classy for her young age. He felt that she was more like a mature woman with him.
Certainly, Austin knew what he needed from her then. He was a stupid, hormonal teenager, thinking only of having her body. He was not even too discrete about whom he had sex with before her. Lust had ruled his world before he met Rebecca Lawson that summer.
Time After Time Page 15
