by LB Shaw
He was rambling, but Ana absorbed every word. She was disappointed with his revelation that he wasn’t ready to get involved. Well, what the hell were they doing then? And why is he just now telling her this? Feeling a bite of anger towards the woman who broke his heart, Ana responded.
“So let me get this straight. You don’t want a relationship right now, and you don’t want to mislead anyone. But you want to have a partner who will go out with you to business events so you won’t look like a loser who can’t get a date. And you’re willing to pay me to do all this for you, or with you. Does that about cover it?”
“That covers it perfectly. You said it much better than I did, by the way. Except for the loser part. Not really worried about that,” Rob said before finally taking a bite of his eggs.
“To tell you the truth,” Ana said, pushing her plate away and folding her arms across her chest. “I’m a little surprised. I kind of thought we had a nice thing starting here.”
“I know. We did… we do. I just… I’m just being honest about where I stand at the moment. Right now. I’m sorry. I should have said something sooner. It’s just that I didn’t realize it myself.”
“No, no. I get it. But just so I’m clear, before I say yes or no, exactly how much money are we talking about here?” Ana wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of giving an answer right away. As desperate as she was for the money, she had her pride to think about. Giving it some careful consideration was crucial, although she really didn’t think this was any type of indecent proposal. On the contrary, it was a decent proposal. She knew he wasn’t asking for sex out of the arrangement. It seemed he really wanted someone to hang out with—a high-class escort, so to speak.
“Let’s just say that money is no object,” Rob replied. “I mean, I have limitations, but I get paid very well in my position, so I’m sure we could come up with an amount that would make you happy. And it would definitely be enough that you could quit your job at the bookstore. I want you to be at my disposal, with the exception of your class schedule, of course. I know that’s a priority for you.”
Ana nodded her head slowly. When all was said and done, she really wasn’t that surprised. What would a guy like Rob want with a girl like her, anyway? He was far beyond her reach. Still, she would prefer to have the chance to do the horizontal hokey pokey and show him what it was really all about. But she was going to be able to spend a lot of time with him, too. Who knew where it would lead? Essentially, her life was about to get a hell of a lot easier. She could stay in school, quit her job, and maybe even travel some. How could she say no to this decent proposal?
“Tell you what,” Rob said. “The next time I need a date, I’ll give you a call and we can try it out. That way you don’t have to make a decision until you know exactly what you’re getting into. By the way, I really want you to enjoy this. If you don’t, it’ll show and neither of us will be happy.”
“It sounds like it could work. I’d like to give it some thought, though. When do you think you might call?” Ana was suddenly anxious to know how long she would have to wait.
Rob smiled. “Trust me, it won’t be long.”
Ana swiped a napkin, wrote down her meager income, and gently slid it across the table. “This is my bookstore salary, but my scholarship alone was an additional ten thousand a year.”
Rob stared at the napkin, expressionless. “My God. How do you pay your bills?”
“One at a time,” Ana replied. Finally… someone who understands.
“Wow. Just… wow. Anyway,” Rob crumpled up the napkin and tossed it aside. “I can definitely match that. No worries.”
Ana’s eyes widened. How much money does this guy have? She would have to be careful now. If she played her cards right, Rob might turn into the sugar daddy she’s been waiting for, minus the sugar. Or was it minus the daddy? Which part of that phrase meant romantic involvement and which part meant money? Doesn’t matter. She didn’t need to get into any Freudian shit right now. Besides, she had a class to get to, so she finished off her coffee while Rob took care of the check.
“I’ll call soon, okay?” He walked with Ana across the parking lot. “I’ll try and give you plenty of time to prepare so you can take off from work if needed. And Ana, just so you know, I really appreciate you considering my offer. It means a lot. I wouldn’t ask just anyone to do this.”
Ana smiled at him before getting in her car. “And I wouldn’t consider it with just anyone either. I hope you know that.” As she drove off, she thought about all the opportunities that lie ahead of her. But she also had that nagging voice inside her head again. That voice that reminded her she better not get too comfortable because as soon as she does, that’s when the rug gets yanked out from underneath her, sending her face down in the dirt.
* * * * *
When Rob arrived at his office, he powered up his laptop and began sorting through his email. It was a typical morning routine for him. But ever since Stephanie had asked him to lighten his load and be available for her, he found his mornings to drag out more than usual. It had been a week since Stephanie had spoken with him about this person he might need to investigate, and she knew he didn’t do well when he had too much free time on his hands. He recalled an occasion several years ago when things were a bit slow for him at Signify. He visited one of the managers he supervised and asked him to send some accounts his way.
“I think I’ve over-delegated,” Rob had told him. “Let me help you catch up on some things. I don’t care which account it is.”
When Stephanie found out what he had done, she went ballistic. “Don’t ever tell your staff you’ve over-delegated! It makes you look unprofessional. Come to me if you need more work. I’ll be glad to give you some additional assignments.” Stephanie could be quite intimidating when she was frustrated, but she didn’t have that effect on Rob at all. At the time, he found her behavior endearing. It showed an incredible drive and need for success. Of course by then, they had been seeing each other for several months, and Rob’s position as head of accounts wasn’t much older than that. But now, Rob’s respect for Stephanie was slowly dwindling away.
As he stood up to head to the kitchen for some coffee, Stephanie popped her head into his office. “Do you have a sec? I want to speak with you,” she said.
“Sure. I hope you have something for me. Ever since I put Eric on the Spaulding account, I’ve been waiting—”
“I know.” Stephanie closed his door and sat down on the small sofa, motioning for him to join her. “I’m ready to put you to work on this job. You’ll have to do some digging on someone. As I told you last week, Signify is in jeopardy, and I know a way to stay ahead of this situation. There’s a young woman, she’s the daughter of William Ross, and I need as much information on her as you can get. With this threat looming over our heads, as well as the company’s, we need to have the upper hand. And the only way to accomplish this is by knowing as much about her as our competition. It’s the best way I know of to protect the company. Ridley Global will stop at nothing to get what they want. And when I say nothing, I literally mean nothing.”
Rob was confused. “Okay… so does she have some sort of controlling interest in the company?”
“You don’t get to ask questions about this, I’m afraid. Your job is to simply supply me with as much ammo as you can. And keep an eye on her, too. I need to know everything—where she shops, where she banks, what her favorite color is, who her friends are, right down to what kind of soap she uses. Do whatever it takes, but do it discreetly. She has no idea who her family is, and we can’t have her getting suspicious.” Stephanie pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Rob.
“Here’s her name and last known address. I’m not sure if it’s still correct, but she attends UCLA, so I’m sure you won’t have any trouble tracking her down. I want my first report on her ASAP.”
He took the piece of paper and glanced down at the name she had written: Anabelle Marie Ross.
“
Ana Ross? Are you serious?” he asked.
“Yes, why? Is there a problem?” Stephanie seemed put off.
“I know her,” he muttered. Could it be? The same Ana? If this was the same Ana Ross he knew, his life was about to take a bizarre turn. Their conversation the other night came flooding back. Ana’s parents had been killed in a car accident when she was eight months old. William Ross had met the same demise about twenty-one years ago. It had to be the same person. But Ana had made no mention of her father starting the company that he worked for. Could she really not know who her family was? This was getting weird.
“Good. Then this should be easy.”
“Any reason why she can’t know about this? Wouldn’t it be easier to—”
“Rob, trust me. I know what I’m doing, and I have a plan of action that will save this company. And as far as Ana is concerned, this will benefit her in the long run.” Stephanie stood up and walked to the door before turning back to Rob. “And by the way, this is a top priority for you. Your job is on the line here. I hate that it has to be this way, but like I said, the fate of this company rests on the information you provide me. So make sure you don’t screw this up.” She walked out of his office leaving her words hanging in the air.
Your job is on the line here…
No matter how stressful it was—and it was—he had always loved his job. But recently, Stephanie had turned into a real bitch. And what could she possibly need from Ana? He didn’t know much about her, but it appeared that she was the heir to a major multi-billion dollar corporation, and she had no idea. Would he be able to keep this a secret? For now, he would have to. Job security meant everything to him. He tucked the paper in his pocket and went for that cup of coffee thinking he’d rather have a shot of whiskey.
Eight
Rob wasn’t kidding when he said it wouldn’t be long before she’d hear from him. By the end of the week, he had sent her a text saying that he wasn’t going to be able to make the charity event in San Diego that weekend, but there was a local dinner planned the following Wednesday, could she come? He could send someone to pick her up. She had class that day but only until 2:00, and she could probably take the evening off. If everything went well, she would not be returning to her job at the bookstore. Ana texted back:
Sure, just let me know what time and I’ll be ready.
About thirty minutes later he responded:
Great! I’ll send the driver at 4, and he’ll bring you to my house. Don’t worry about dress. I’ll have something for you to wear.
Ana spent the entire weekend thinking about turning in her two-week notice. She knew she should probably wait. What if something went terribly wrong? What if he turns into an asshole, or does something to piss her off, or doesn’t pay enough? She would certainly find out before long.
By Wednesday, she was so nervous she could hardly focus in class. Beth had met her on campus for a quick lunch since they hadn’t seen each other much over the last week.
“Hey! Have you heard from Braveheart?” Beth asked.
Ana gave her the evil eye. “No. Braveheart died in a tragic battle as soon as Rob came onto the playing field.”
“Hmph. So when are you going to see Rob again?” Beth asked.
“Ah, we have a date tonight—one of his company dinners.” Ana hadn’t even thought about how she would explain her relationship with Rob to Beth or anyone for that matter. To everyone Rob knew it would simply look like he had a new girlfriend. But is that what she wanted her best friend to think, too? If she accepted this job, it would be pretty hard explaining how she was able to quit the bookstore. Beth had been a big part of her life for almost six years. But suddenly, she felt awkward about explaining her new potential position as nothing more than an escort with one really hot client. How would Beth react? Knowing her the way she did, Ana presumed that Beth would probably think it was pretty cool. She might even encourage her to get some action out of it. Ana could almost hear her now:
“C’mon! He’s paying you to date him, and you’re not going let him tap that? What a waste!” Or, “Are you kidding me? Don’t you at least want to grab that gearshift, put it in first, and take it for a test drive?”
Then again, she might surprise her and tell her she deserves better. Well, it was pointless to bring it up now. With tonight being nothing more than a test run, it wasn’t set in stone just yet.
“Why didn’t you tell me? We’re going, too. Believe it or not, Rich went out and bought a new suit for this one. Something is definitely going on with Signify. He’s been really stressed lately.” Beth tapped her pickle on the edge of the plate, letting the juices run down. “I asked him if he’s had to take on more accounts but he said that they’re just going through the same stuff they go through every three or four years. God, I hope he doesn’t lose his job. Rob hasn’t said anything to you has he?”
“No he hasn’t,” Ana replied. “I’m sure everything will be fine. He does work for a major investment firm, after all. With all that money flying all over the place, it’s got to be stressful, not to mention boring as hell. No wonder they have these dinners all the time. It’s probably the only fun they ever have.”
“I know one thing’s for sure. This better be temporary, because I can’t take much more of Rich acting withdrawn. We haven’t had sex all week, and my lady parts are not happy,” Beth complained. “But enough about me. You going to fuck him
Ana was taking a sip of her diet coke when Beth asked the question. Anyone else would have done a spit-take, but she was used to it. “Subtlety. Look it up, Beth. ”
Beth looked at her and shrugged, and Ana added, “I highly doubt it. But I’ll be sure to post it on Facebook for you.”
* * * * *
The ride to Rob’s house was smooth and quiet. The driver was an older gentleman named Walter, and she absolutely loved the fact that Rob had her picked up in a limo. The small fridge was stocked with fruit, snacks, and water, and the glass partition behind the driver stayed up the whole ride. Ana wondered if Walter ever got lonely. She thought about smushing her face up against the glass to see what sort of reaction she could get from him, but then she remembered: she’s not seven.
Beth’s question kept running through her mind. Would she sleep with him? That wasn’t part of the deal, unfortunately. How was she going to handle her attraction to him? Was it possible they could have an occasional roll in the hay without that making her a prostitute? If she didn’t have a list of clients, did that make it different? Suddenly this was becoming too complicated. She decided to push the thoughts out of her mind for now.
When she arrived at Rob’s home, she was amazed at its beauty. It was a large, white, two-story stucco with a geometric design. Giant palm trees lined the edge of the property while a row of gorgeous, well-pruned rose bushes cascaded along the pebbled rim of the driveway. As she opened the door to step out of the limousine, she saw him walking towards her, his stride confident, purposeful, and damningly sexy. Reaching for her hand to help her out of the limo, he looked even more appetizing close-up, dressed in a pair of Levi’s that were worn and feathered at the bottom and all but hid the brown leather flip-flops on his tanned feet. His red t-shirt clung to his chest, and his hair shimmered in the sunlight. She had a sudden compulsion to run her fingers through his dark strands that would surely feel hot to the touch. How was she going to keep her hands off of him? This would be a true test of will power, and she made a mental note to keep her hormones in check at all times now.
“Hey! Looks like you got away on time. You look beautiful!” Rob said, grinning. The scent of freshly bloomed roses filled her nostrils where it mingled with the smell of recent aftershave. As Rob hugged her, Ana closed her eyes in an attempt to block all sensory perception, as if being blind would break her sniff-ometer. It didn’t work.
“Thanks. You look nice, too, even in your jeans.” Especially in your jeans, dammit! Ana cringed as she realized how insulting she sounded, but Rob dispelled her concern with laugh
ter.
“How was the ride? Did Walter take care of you?”
“Walter was nice. Not much of a talker, but I was fine with that. Oh! And the fridge? Good job with that one. I think I ate three pounds of cheese on the way, though. We may need to stop for laxatives later.”
Oh my God. Did I just say that out loud?
Rob let out a throaty laugh. “Ah, yes. I always make sure there are plenty of snacks available for these things. Now let’s see… three pounds of cheese at four-ninety-eight a pound…” He took out his cell phone and opened up what appeared to be a voice memo application. Bringing it to his lips he said, “Be sure to deduct fifteen dollars from Ana’s pay tonight.” Ana gave him a punch in the arm as they made their way inside, giggling like a couple of school kids. Pausing by a set of large, French doors, she was mesmerized by a pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
“You swim?” he asked.
“I love to when I can.”
“Well, here’s your chance. We have time if you want to jump in for a bit.”
Only if you come with me…naked, Stop it, slut!
“I probably shouldn’t. I don’t have a bathing suit.” Of course, if you want me to go skinny-dipping, just twist my arm here. Seriously, just give it a little twist…no, the other arm. I need that one to molest you with.
