Rick texted back with the details of a restaurant, and I hailed a cab to take me there. I might not have bought anything, but since lunch could be charged back to Caesar and Krause, I decided to order the most expensive items on the menu. It might not really make any difference to Devon that I was deliberately squandering the company’s money on fine dining, but it would give me a tiny twinge of satisfaction to think that I was getting one up on him, even if it was a really petty thing to do.
I arrived at the restaurant before Rick and ordered myself a glass of wine the moment the waiter had seated me. True to my resolve, I scanned the menu paying more attention to the price of everything rather than what I was going to be eating, and by the time Rick arrived, I’d already mentally spent over a hundred dollars.
“Red wine, eh?” Rick raised an eyebrow. “I would have thought that you’d steer clear of it after last night. You know the effect it has on you…”
Rick was right. There was something about red wine that always made me lose my inhibitions, but I was in a bad mood and didn’t care about the consequences. My client didn’t care that I’d turned my life upside down for his sake, and my boyfriend had spat the dummy because I wouldn’t turn my life upside down for him. What was the point of being on my best behavior if it didn’t get me what I wanted?
“Yeah, well, it’s not as if there’s anyone important around to see.” Cheekily, I stuck my tongue out at Rick, and he laughed.
“Touché.” He poured himself a glass from the bottle the waiter had left on the table and raised it to me. “Here’s to getting this case signed off by the end of the week. Joe Clark’s game-playing aside, I’m confident we can get this sorted within the next few days and then we can head back to New York.”
“I’ll drink to that.” We clinked our glasses together and I took a long draft of my wine. It might not be ladylike, but there was a strong streak of self-destructiveness running through me at times, and right now, I really didn’t care about anything much except getting back home as soon as possible.
“So fill me in on what happened this morning. I was expecting you to be in negotiations all day. How did Joe manage to shut things down so effectively?”
Rick started to explain how the meeting had gone, but I found myself tuning out and thinking about Devon. There really hadn’t been any real reason to send me away with Rick. It was obvious that Charles preferred dealing with him, and although on the surface it was a difficult case, once we’d found the right angle, everything was going to be pretty straightforward and something Rick could easily have handled by himself.
For all that Devon had claimed that he wanted Charles to feel as though he was getting VIP treatment by sending me in, I wasn’t that big of a name that it would have made much difference if I’d stayed home. Indeed, if Devon had really wanted to make a good impression, he’d have come with me instead of sending Rick. Things would have gone so much differently with him by my side.
I found myself wondering whether there wasn’t an ulterior motive for sending me away. Maybe Devon had asked me to move in knowing that I was going to say no to give himself an excuse for a breakup. Maybe he was lying about India Mays. Maybe he’d got me out of town so that he could spend more time with her.
Maybe, maybe, maybe… There were too many things I didn’t know, and it made me uncomfortable. I hated not being in control of my life.
“Earth to Rebecca. Come in, Rebecca.”
I was startled out of my thoughts as Rick snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
“I asked you your opinion about which direction we should take in tomorrow’s meeting.”
“What were my choices again?”
Rick shook his head, smiling. “I knew you were miles away. What’s on your mind? Because it’s certainly not on the case, and I know you well enough to know that it’s pointless trying to discuss business until you’ve worked through whatever it is that’s bothering you.”
I bit my lip, wondering what I should say, if anything.
“It’s Devon, isn’t it?” Rick reached over and put his hand on top of mine. “I knew as soon as I saw him that he was going to be nothing but a distraction. Why he flew over to check up on you, I don’t know. Doesn’t he trust you or something?”
“Of course he does!” My tone was more aggressive than I intended, and it gave Rick the ammunition he needed.
“Does he really? Because you sound a bit defensive, Rebecca. Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? I know it’s not my place to interfere in your romantic life anymore, but take it from someone who knows. If he’s acting as if he can’t trust you, that means only one thing: he’s the one who can’t be trusted.”
“Devon wouldn’t cheat on me.” Even as I said the words, I knew how unconvinced I sounded.
“Are you so sure about that? What did he say about that article?”
“Apparently it was just business.”
“And what do you think?”
I wanted to defend Devon, I really I did, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know what to think about him anymore.
“You know, you deserve better than someone like him taking you for granted. I know he can buy you fancy presents and he’s shown you the high life, and that’s addictive. I get it. But how well does he know you? Does he know how you cry at black-and-white movies, even the happy ones? Does he know about how they remind you of your grandmother and the times you spent watching films with her before she died?”
Grandma Betsy had had Alzheimer’s, and in the last few months of her life, I used to go and keep her company. She always thought I was my mother, but I didn’t mind. It seemed to comfort her to think that her daughter was with her, even if she had no idea that she was living in a nursing home and Granddad had died many years previously.
I shook my head, a single, solitary tear trickling down my cheek as Rick continued. “I know I messed up in the past, but surely you can see that I’ve changed? I know you can still feel that spark between us. Otherwise, last night would never have happened. And last night felt good. I really hope that Devon hasn’t made you regret it, because I’ll never regret being with you. Never. And if you gave me the chance, I’d spend every waking moment of my life proving to you how much I mean what I say.
“Don’t waste your life with some little rich kid who just sees you as another plaything. Come back to me. Let me get things right this time around.”
“I don’t know, Rick…” I looked away, but didn’t move my hand from his. He turned my hand over and started gently stroking my wrist with his thumb, the simple movement surprisingly erotic.
“I don’t want to pressure you, but if you were to come back to me, I’d be the happiest man in the world. We always made a great team. We said that we were going to conquer the world together after graduation. Let’s do that. You and me, Rebecca. You and me.”
I gulped and said the word I never thought I’d say: “Okay.”
Thirteen
It was almost as though Rick couldn’t get back to the hotel fast enough. Once I’d agreed to give our relationship another try, he gulped down his food and signaled for the bill, while I pushed my food around my plate, my appetite nowhere to be seen.
“Are you all right?” Rick finally noticed that I wasn’t exactly thrilled as he waited for the waiter to bring back his credit card. “Your headache hasn’t come back, has it?”
“It has,” I lied, unwilling to open up to Rick about my real concerns. Was I moving on too quickly? It might feel as though it was over between me and Devon, but perhaps if I went back to New York and we were to talk, we’d work things out.
Or maybe I was kidding myself. Devon and I were from completely different worlds. As much as I loved the fact that he didn’t have to think about money and could drop a couple of thousand dollars on a weekend away at a moment’s notice, it was hard sometimes to get my head around his lifestyle. Rick and I had grown up together. He understood me in a wa
y Devon never could. Maybe now that we were both older, we’d be able to work together and build a strong relationship.
“Let’s get you back to the hotel, then, and I’ll give you a nice massage. That’ll help relax you so you’re ready to face Charles tomorrow.”
“Mm-hmm.” Really, I wanted to be left alone to think things through, but Rick looked so excited, almost like a puppy dog when you’ve just thrown it a bone, I didn’t have the heart to tell him to give me some space.
Once in a cab, Rick put his arm round me and I snuggled into his shoulder. He put his hand up to my forehead. “Well, you don’t have a temperature, so that’s a good thing. Hopefully this is just the tail end of things and you’ll be back to your usual self in no time.”
I closed my eyes, and for a moment, I could kid myself that it was Devon sitting next to me. I placed my hand on Rick’s thigh and he ran his hand through my hair, twirling it in his fingers. If I couldn’t have Devon, then Rick wasn’t a bad alternative. He could be kind, considerate, and thoughtful, and for the first few years we were together, things were good.
It was only toward the end of our marriage that he’d changed. We’d been together since we were sixteen, and it was as though he’d suddenly decided to make up for lost time. I probably didn’t know about half of his affairs, but the ones I did know about had been more than enough to make me call it quits.
Thinking about it brought a tear to my eye, and I sat up, dashing it away as I moved to sit on the other side of the cab from Rick.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure whether this is such a good idea after all. I just remembered about the things you used to do to me, Rick. You didn’t just break my heart. You absolutely devastated me. It took me years to get over the way you treated me. How do I know you’re not just going to do the same to me again? Once a cheater, always a cheater.”
“Oh, Rebecca.” Rick took my hand in his. “There’s nothing I can say to make up for what I did to you, and if you decide you can’t trust me, then that’s the end of things. But I know that if you give me a chance, my actions will show you that I’m serious about you. All those other women did was show me that you’re the only one for me. Not one of them could come anywhere near you. Apart from the fact that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, I love your wit, your sparkle, your sarcasm, everything about you. There’s no way I’m going to let you go a second time.”
We arrived at the hotel, which saved me from having to talk anymore. “I’m going to go and get my things,” Rick said. “I might as well move into your room while we’re here, and then when we get back to New York, we can figure things out from there.”
Rick headed off to his room without waiting for my reply, leaving me to head to my room.
I flopped on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. How on earth had Rick just managed to get me to agree to let him move into my room when Devon and I had just split up over exactly the same thing?
My cell rang. I looked at the screen and saw that it was Devon. I hesitated before answering, not sure if I really wanted to speak to him right now. On the other hand, if we talked, maybe it would help me figure out what I really wanted, because I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this confused.
“I thought you weren’t going to answer.” The moment I heard the familiar tone of Devon’s voice, my heart lurched. How could I survive without him in my life? There was no way I could carry on working with him, not if I was seeing Rick. I couldn’t humiliate him like that.
“My phone was buried at the bottom of my bag,” I lied. “I would have called you back.” Eventually, I added in my head but didn’t say. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing, really. I just wanted to hear your voice, see how you’re doing. My flight’s been delayed, so I’m just sitting in the departure lounge, kicking my heels while they sort out whatever technical issue it is that’s keeping the plane grounded.”
“That’s nice.” For the first time in I didn’t know how long, I found myself lost for words. I had no idea what to say to Devon. I didn’t want to tell him about Rick until I’d figured out where that relationship was going, but it felt wrong to pretend as if we were still together and everything was fine.
“So…”
“So…”
“What’s happened to us, Rebecca? I thought we were doing great.”
“Yeah, well, you were the one who wanted to change things. If we were doing so well, why would you want to interfere with that?”
“Oh, come on, Rebecca. It’s exactly because we were doing so well that I wanted to take things to the next level. Isn’t that what people do? Fall in love and start building a life together? What’s so wrong with wanting to do that?”
“And I told you that I wanted that too, just not yet. You need to give me time. The more you push me, the more I’m going to run away. I don’t like being told what to do, Devon. You might be my boss at work, but that doesn’t mean that you’re in charge of the rest of my life.”
“I wasn’t telling you what to do!” I could hear the frustration in his voice, and I knew we were heading into another fight I didn’t want.
“Well, it sure sounded like that to me.” I sighed. “Look, Devon, I really don’t want to talk about this right now. I’m still not feeling great, and this is the kind of conversation we really need to have face to face. Can’t this wait until I get back? I’ll only be a few more days. Are you really so desperate to finish things that you can’t wait until then?”
“Finish things? So we’re over?”
I bit my lip. This was not how I wanted this conversation to go. “That’s not what I’m saying.” There was a knock at the door. That would be Rick, and I didn’t want Devon to hear him arrive. “I’m sorry, Devon, but I’m going to have to go now. We’ll talk when I get home.”
I hung up without waiting for his reply, as I hurried toward the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t Rick after all. It was a waiter carrying an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and a couple of flutes. “Courtesy of Room 417,” he told me, as he swept into the room and set it up by the table. I tipped him and poured myself a glass, not bothering to wait for Rick.
I felt so stupid. For years I’d wanted nothing more than for Rick to come back to me. Now that he had, all I could think about was the fact that I was losing Devon. The last thing I wanted to do was celebrate, but I owed it to Rick to give him a chance. I couldn’t ignore our history.
I tossed back my champagne and poured myself another glass. If Rick didn’t come back soon, I’d finish the bottle without him. I could feel the alcohol going to my head already, taking the edge off the pain I felt about Devon.
There was a knock at the door. This time, it was Rick. “Hey, gorgeous. I see you got the party started without me.” He pushed me up against the wall and kissed me passionately. I moaned as he ran his hand through my hair. “Now I seem to recall that I promised you a massage…”
He kicked the door shut as he led me over to the bed. He took the champagne flute from me and set it on the bedside cabinet. “Let’s get you out of those clothes. I can’t massage you properly while you’re still dressed.”
I kicked off my shoes and started to unbutton my blouse, but Rick batted my hands away and worked his way down the buttons before slowly pulling it back to reveal my bra. He reached behind me to unclasp it, running his hands over my breasts as he took off my bra. “Magnificent!”
He pushed me back to lie on the bed, and motioned to me to roll over while he went into the bathroom to fetch some lotion.
“Get yourself comfortable.” He unzipped my skirt and pulled it down, leaving me lying on the bed wearing nothing but my panties and stockings. When he placed his hands on my back, I gasped at the feel of the cold lotion on my back, but as his hands started moving I moaned as he started to work away at the knots in my muscles. “You’re really tense. Just relax.”
I tried to do as he told me, letting his hands
work their magic. I had to admit that Rick gave some of the best massages I’d ever had, and as my body melted under his touch, all thoughts of Devon slipped away and I focused on how Rick was making me feel.
His hands worked lower and lower, every now and then slipping between my legs to run lightly over me. I could feel myself getting wet, and my backside lifted involuntarily, desperate to feel him inside me. “Do you need me?”
I nodded.
“Say it. Tell me that you need me.”
“I need you.”
“Tell me that you want me.”
“I want you, Rick. Jesus, just fuck me already!”
He laughed and rubbed his hand over his hard-on before sitting up and hurriedly unfastening his pants. He didn’t bother to take them off completely. He pulled me into his lap and pushed his massive cock deep inside of me. I sat astride his lap with my back to him, angling my buttocks at the optimal position to take his punishment. He began to pound away, gripping me around the hips to hold me against him, helping him to penetrate me deeper and deeper. I placed my hands on his knees and rode him in reverse as we both raced to the finish line.
I could hear him panting behind me, sounding like he was out of breath. I knew I was the only woman who could make Rick get out of breath with just a few strokes. A salacious grin flitted over my lips before a moan twisted my mouth into a moue of satisfaction. My cries filled the room with music. My spine arched. All the while, I kept rising and falling with the abandonment required to take the both of us to nirvana.
He knew what he was doing and just how to do it. It didn’t take long for him to come, angling up deep within like a spear. I cried out as I slumped back against him. Rick brushed my hair away from my face and turned my head so he could kiss me. “You’re incredible, Rebecca. I’m so glad you came back to me.”
He lay behind me, putting his arm around to spoon me. With my back to him, it was easy to hide the solitary tear trickling down my cheek.
The Red Eye (The Red Eye Erotic Romance Series Book 2) Page 7
