by LB Shaw
“Well, you know I like to be prepared. And this must be the lovely Anabelle.”
How the hell does she know my name is Anabelle?
“This is Ana, Stephanie,” Rob corrected. She was smiling a little too much for Ana’s comfort level, like she was trying too hard.
“Very lovely to meet you dear. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you,” Stephanie patronized.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Ana wanted to reply that she wished she could say the same, but she bit her lip for Rob’s sake.
Things went smoothly throughout the dinner. The conversation centered on the future of Signify, and Stephanie gave her pitch on how investing in them would be an investment in themselves, blah, blah. As a dead ringer to a pre-plastic surgery Heather Locklear, she was a beautiful woman, but Ana found herself wondering what Rob ever saw in her—beyond her looks. She seemed uptight and fake, and Ana mused on what she was like outside of work.
Dan seemed to keep his tongue in check this time, behaving himself for the most part. Everyone else was very pleasant to be around. Once the investors left, Ana decided to get another drink. She figured there was no one left to impress, so why not cut loose? She had forgotten that the most important person she needed to impress was sitting right next to her. Ana took Rob by the hand and said, “Join me for a drink at the bar, babe?”
“Of course,” he replied. They made their way to the cocktail lounge where Rob introduced her to Carl Dunlap. When he asked how long they had been seeing each other, Ana nuzzled her nose in Rob’s neck and slipped a gentle kiss below the ear as Rob struggled to maintain composure and answer the question.
“It’s been a little over a month, and as you can see, we just can’t get enough of each other.” He let out a sexy laugh that made Ana’s nethers begin to throb. As soon as Carl left, Rob’s phone vibrated and he swiftly pulled it out of his pocket. Ana could feel him tense up and he drew in a large breath, releasing it slowly through pursed lips. He quickly shoved the phone back in his pants.
“Everything okay?” Ana asked.
“Yes. Look, you really don’t have to try quite so hard. Everyone pretty much thinks of us as a couple already.”
Ana cocked her head at him. “You do know that this is how couples act, right? They hug and kiss each other. If you want all of your business associates to think we’re dating, I’m going to give them a reason to believe it,” Ana stated, matter of fact.
“Okay, but can we at least keep it G-rated at the dinners?” Rob asked.
“G-rated at the dinners. Got it. What about after?”
There was that throaty laugh again. Was he getting turned on without wanting to admit it?
“Look, it’s just that… you’re making it a little hard,” Rob replied softly.
“Only a little hard? Damn, I must be doing something wrong.”
Ana’s wanton behavior seemed to be a little more than Rob expected. “Alright, let’s get you some coffee, what do you say?” he said, reaching for the drink in her hand.
“Oh, don’t be such a party pooper.” Ana swiped her hand to the side before Rob could grab her glass. “Oh snap, did I just say that out loud?”
“Did you just say ‘snap?’” Rob asked.
“No. Not me. But you just did.” Ana giggled uncontrollably.
“I think it’s time to get out of here.” Rob’s concern that she could get out of hand was probably not unwarranted. He threw some cash on the bar.
“No! I’ll be good, I promise. I can straighten up.”
She turned to set her purse on a vacant stool and got slapped with Stephanie’s chilling gaze. “Oh, just the person I wanted to speak with,” Ana said. “I’m wondering, how did you know my name is Anabelle?” Stephanie glared at her, seemingly caught off guard, and Rob placed a hand on Ana’s shoulder in what she presumed was an attempt to subdue her.
“Oh, well, I suppose I guessed. I mean, isn’t Ana usually short for Anabelle?”
“Yes, but it’s also short for Anastasia, or Annalise, Joanna, Julianna, I could keep going?” Ana argued.
“I guess I just got lucky.” Stephanie smiled her phony smile and looked at Rob. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading home now. Did you get that assignment I just sent you?”
“Yes, I did. We’ll need to talk about this on Monday.” Rob said.
“Is… there a problem?”
“Like I said, we’ll have to discuss it next week.”
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out there was some serious tension between the two of them. Stephanie’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits, and Ana thought she saw steam coming from her ears. She bit her lip to stifle a giggle.
“Fine, I’ll see you then, dear.” Stephanie said.
Dear? Look, bitch, don’t make me come across this bar…
Ana definitely had too much to drink. She had crossed a line she normally didn’t come close to approaching. Her mood was erratic and her behavior uninhibited, a little aggressive even. She felt uneasy about Stephanie and realized that she didn’t trust her, not just because she was Rob’s ex, but for some other reason she couldn’t quite pinpoint.
Upon Rob’s insistence, they left the restaurant—so quickly, in fact, that Ana could detect faint traces of Stephanie’s perfume at the exit. The scent was acuminous, stabbing her in the nostrils with its sharp aroma. As the fresh air hit her in the face, she sucked in a large gulp of air, relieved to be outside.
She followed Rob to the car, trailing three paces behind, angry with herself for being so confrontational with Stephanie. She recognized that she needed to wind it down a little, grudgingly aware that Rob didn’t belong to her, and she didn’t belong to him. Maybe she could do something to change that.
* * * * *
Once they were in the back of the limo, she couldn’t take her eyes off of Rob. God, she needed him—needed to feel him, taste him, be close to him. In a matter of seconds, she made a decision that, depending on how Rob would react, would either make or break the evening. Despite the amount of alcohol she had consumed, she was still sober enough to know that there were consequences she might not be happy about in the morning but still drunk enough that she didn’t care.
At the peak of her intoxication, she wasn’t really sure why she didn’t have the guts to tell him how she felt before now. Usually she had no trouble discussing those things with other men. But there was something about Rob that was different. It was almost like he had some sort of power over her. Maybe it was the age difference. It could have been the fact that she looked up to him as some sort of authority figure, and she wanted desperately to maintain a sense of professionalism. Then again, maybe she was scared because what she felt for him was more real than anything she had ever felt before. Either way, tonight she would push those reasons aside. She was horny as hell, and the only man she wanted was sitting in the seat right next to her. And let’s get real—what man in his right mind would turn her away? She quietly slipped off her shoes and let her toes sneak up the side of his leg.
“Hey, what’cha doing all the way over there?” she asked seductively.
Rob glanced down at her foot and chuckled. He grasped her foot and began tickling it but must have realized that Ana wasn’t ticklish as he quickly switched to rubbing. Ana let out some soft moans, and Rob turned his head to look out the window.
“God, that feels really nice,” she muttered, breathless.
“Hmm, you’ve been wearing three-inch heels all night. I’m sure your feet are sore,” Rob said as he continued to look through the glass. He seemed to be in a trance, captivated by the city lights far off in the distance. She wondered what he was thinking. After a failed opportunity to let his hands wander a little higher, she pushed a little further.
“Are you taking me home, or are we going back to your place?”
Rob looked at Ana, and they briefly locked eyes. His unyielding gaze burned through her—scared her even—as she thought that he had finally succumbed to the sexual pul
l between them.
“I think I should probably take you home. You’re going to feel like shit in the morning, and the last thing you’ll want to see is my ugly mug.” Rob’s answer was not what she wanted to hear.
“Mmm… disagreed. That mug is not ugly,” Ana replied.
A few minutes later the limo pulled into her driveway, and Ana sank into her seat in disappointment. Rob got out and helped her to the door, and she purposely took the initiative to hang on his shoulders with extra dramatic flair. She really wasn’t as drunk as she appeared, but she liked the illusion she was giving to Rob. It was risky, playing this part, but she rationalized it by thinking that if he completely rejected her, she could blame it on the alcohol.
“Ana? Do you have your keys?” Rob asked as they stood by the front door.
“Oops.” She smiled demurely. “I must have left them at your house.” She honestly had not thought about them until that very moment.
“I guess we’re going back to my place then,” he muttered.
“I’m sorry, I forgot them. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay… not a problem,” he reassured.
They got back in the limo and started down the road. Ana’s attempt at winning Rob over so far? Epic fail.
“I really am sorry, Rob. Are you mad at me? You have my permission to turn me over your knee and give me a good spanking. I deserve it.”
Rob turned his head quickly and looked out at the streetlights whipping past them in the dark, then wiped the palms of his hands down his pants. “Well, I just might have to do that but let’s get you to bed first. A good night’s sleep is what you need more than a spanking right now.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I need a spanking,” Ana said, twirling her hair between her fingers. “I’ve been really bad.” She scooted closer in the seat, turned to face him, and reached up to stroke his hair, letting her fingers gently trace a path behind his ear. He was visibly fighting the grin pushing across his face, and as he shifted in his seat, Ana couldn’t help but notice his erection. He took her hand and softly pulled it down, placing it in her lap.
“Okay, let’s not get carried away,” Rob said.
“I think getting carried away is exactly what we need,” Ana whispered.
“Ana, you’re drunk. Don’t do something you’ll regret in the morning.”
Ana reeled. His comment stung. Why would she regret it? Would he regret it? Why the hell didn’t he want her? She was so turned on that she had lost all control over her behavior, and it embarrassed and angered her that he was rejecting her. Ana pushed herself over to the other side of the limo and rolled the partition down.
“Drop me off at The Guard,” Ana snapped.
“Um, no. Ignore that, Walter.” Rob rolled the window back up.
The Guard was a local nightclub in her part of town that was known for being a total meat market. It was where chicks went with their girlfriends, and guys could show up with a solid guarantee they wouldn’t be going home alone. Ana never could quite figure out why they called it The Guard. Nothing there was guarded. If anything, the guests had a blatant disregard for their bodies, practically giving it away to total strangers.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Rob replied, “Ana, don’t be ridiculous. You don’t want to go to that place.”
“Why not?” she barked. “Sounds like you’ve paid them a visit. Besides, at least someone there will want me.” She could see Rob shaking his head out of the corner of her eye.
Dammit! Why is he being so mature? Why can’t he just lean over, rip my panties off, and fuck the ‘belle’ out of me? “Fine, I give up.” Ana was confused and hurt. And to make matters worse, her head was starting to throb. She remained quiet, sulking in her corner of the limousine the rest of the ride.
Once they arrived at Rob’s, he motioned her to the guest room and quickly walked down the long hallway. She wasn’t sure where he was going, but she didn’t feel like getting under the covers at the moment, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to chase him down. When he came back with some aspirin and water, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. She quickly sucked down the pills then handed him the empty glass before he turned to leave.
“Rob, wait… I’m sorry. I… I was obnoxious tonight. I’m not usually like this… don’t even really drink that much.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Forgive me?”
“Don’t sweat it. We’ve all had our moments. And you weren’t obnoxious.”
Ana smiled at him. “Do you have something I could sleep in?”
“Oh… sure. I’ll be right back.” He brought her one of his long sleeved shirts and told her there were extra blankets in the closet.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Rob replied.
“What in the world did you ever see in her?”
Rob seemed unmoved by her question. “You’re talking about Stephanie?”
“Um, yeah, unless there’s someone else I don’t know about?”
He studied her for a moment then sat next to her on the bed. “Ana, I don’t know. She was a very different person several years ago. Carefree, full of life, easy to please, we had a lot in common. About six or seven months ago, I noticed a change in her. It was subtle at first but ultimately became impossible to ignore. She was intensely focused on work, which initially wasn’t a problem. I mean, I admire a strong, career-focused woman, but she took it too far. She started working really late hours, cancelling our plans at the last minute, even trips we had scheduled. She became temperamental, difficult to get along with, disrespectful even to some of our staff. Right about the time I began suspecting that she was having an affair, she ended things. I wasn’t that surprised, but it hurt. A lot.”
“I’m sorry. I guess that was a pretty shitty thing for me to ask. How long were you together?” She knew it was none of her business, but she needed to know.
“A while. And it’s not shitty. I used to ask those same questions. She’s become the kind of person most people don’t want to be around.”
“Was she cheating on you?” Ana asked.
“I don’t believe so. In retrospect, she just wasn’t happy. It doesn’t really matter anyway. I’ve finally reached the point where I don’t think about her.”
“But you have to work with her. How do you handle that? She hasn’t tried to get you back?”
Rob laughed. “No. I see her every day, but honestly our paths don’t cross that much. She does her thing, and she leaves me alone to do mine. And if she ever did want to get back together, it’s not happening. By the way, how did you know I dated her?”
“You remember Dan told me about her? I asked Beth, and she said you two used to date. But she assumed I knew, so don’t get mad at her for telling me.”
“Jesus, I’m not mad,” Rob retorted. “Why would I be mad? It’s no secret or anything.”
“I know it’s not a secret, but you didn’t tell me about her. I wasn’t sure if there was a reason for that. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s not like it’s any of my business anyway.”
“No, it’s fine. I just that… I don’t like to dwell in the past, that’s all.”
The past. Ana found it interesting that Rob was so capable of letting the water flow under the bridge, whereas she spent a great deal of time overcoming obstacles that she felt had been skillfully placed by past events. She wished that she could think more like him. When was she just going to let go and stop resenting her life circumstances?
“Are you attracted to me at all?” Ana blurted the question without thinking. Rob stared at her in silence.
“It’s a simple yes or no question,” she added.
“I know. And yes, you are incredibly beautiful, but…”
“But what?” she asked.
Rob looked past her, as if searching for an answer somewhere off in the distance. “I like our business arrangement. I don’t want to lose that. And to be honest, I would never, ever take advan
tage of a woman who has had too much to drink. I’ve never had respect for people like that. So no matter how attracted to you I might be, it wouldn’t have happened tonight.”
How attracted he might be? Ana nodded and Rob walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Obviously he was uncomfortable taking the subject any further. She swallowed the lump in her throat, pushing it down where it met with the ache in her stomach. As much as it hurt to hear, she couldn’t help but feel an enormous amount of respect for him. He really was a nice guy. She figured it was possible he was attracted to her, but because she had been drinking, he didn’t want to be that guy. Maybe she should just call it a night and stop overthinking it.
* * * * *
Ana tossed and turned in the bed for almost an hour, but getting to sleep was a futile attempt—probably a combination of too much to drink and the embarrassment of the whole situation. And the thought of Rob on the other side of the wall drove her absolutely mad. What if she just got up and snuck into bed with him? Would that be too much? Maybe she should just go in there and ask if she could sleep with him. What was the worst thing that could happen? He could say no, but he had already told her that, so what was one more?
She pushed the covers back, got out of bed, and tiptoed down the hall, stopping in front of his door which was cracked open. She stood there with her ear pushed up against the slit, listening for any unusual sounds like snoring or masturbating, perhaps? Ana was curious about this and a lot of other things a-la-Rob, and she found herself rather amused at these little details. After battling with her wits for what seemed a lifetime, she finally won and quietly pushed the door open.
His back was to her, and since her eyes had already adjusted to the dark, she could see that he was breathing slowly, indicating he was in a state of deep sleep. As she padded quietly across the floor, a childhood memory jolted her. She was in one of her foster homes, probably around twelve or thirteen years of age, and she must have woken up in the middle of the night. Something had actually compelled her to wake up. There was a dark figure standing in the doorway, but she couldn’t make out who it was, being that she was half asleep and surrounded by total darkness. It was probably her foster dad, as she assumed his wife wouldn’t creepishly hover over her while she was sleeping. There was a vague recollection of being scared, but she couldn’t remember anything after that. She just saw the figure, felt a sense of fear, then nothing. Not long after that incident, Ana was removed from the home. She never did find out what the reason was, but she recalled the couple fighting for several days afterwards, then suddenly the social workers showed up and told her to pack her things.
