The Decent Proposal (Trust In Me) (6 page)

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 laughter.

“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.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I don’t keep extra swimsuits
on hand. Maybe some other time?” Rob continued as he led Ana down the long
hallway. “I’m actually planning on having a pool party next month after some
things settle down at work. I’ll definitely want you to be there. If everything
works out, that is.”

“Speaking of things settling down at work, Beth
says Rich has been really stressed. Everything okay there? His job isn’t in
jeopardy, is it?” Ana hoped she wasn’t acting out of line by asking.

Rob cast a surprised look at Ana. “Rich’s job?
No way, he’s one of our most valuable account managers. There’ve just been some
rumors floating around lately. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but
I’m sure this will all blow over soon. He’s probably just feeling a bit of the
pressure we’ve all been feeling.” Whatever was going on, he sure didn’t seem to
be too worried about it himself. He either wasn’t concerned or he was doing a
good job of hiding it.

“Are you ready to try on your dress? If for some
reason it doesn’t fit, we can find a suitable replacement.”

Ana glanced at her watch. “Really? You think you
could find something else before we have to leave?”

Rob winked and produced a devilish grin. “I’m
pretty resourceful.” He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his
chest and nodded towards the bathroom. Ana walked in where she saw the dress
hanging in a protective, white covering on the wall. She closed the door and
carefully unzipped the garment bag to reveal a beautiful, royal blue gown covered
in sequins, cut to just above the knee. Ana thought it was classic, timeless,
and elegant. After a few minutes of fighting with the back, she cracked the
door and summoned Rob. “Hey, can you help me out in here?”

Ana was standing in front of the full-length
mirror as Rob poked his head around the doorway. “Oh, sure,” he said, making
his way in and stopping right behind her. His hands gently stroked her bare skin
as he grabbed the metal piece with his fingers, pinching the fabric below to
hold it in place. Their eyes locked in the mirror, and they held each other’s
gaze as Rob slowly pushed the zipper all the way up. When he reached the top,
he pulled Ana’s hair around, letting it spill down the curve of her shoulders.
She felt tiny bolts of electricity dance across her skin, sending shivers down
her spine, making her realize just how much she wanted him. She sucked in a quick
breath of air, almost allowing a sigh to follow close behind. Rob seemed to
shake off the magic pretty quickly as he spun her around to take in the full,
frontal view.

“Wow,” he muttered. “You look absolutely
stunning.”

Ana smiled at him, but it quickly faded when she
remembered something critical. “Oh crap! I don’t have any shoes!”

“No problem. I told you I’d take care of
everything.” Rob told her to look in the armoire in the next room, teasing her
about what’s inside and only hinting that Beth had given him her shoe size. There
on the shelf lay the most beautiful black suede, open toed, stiletto heels she
had ever seen.

“Giuseppe Zanottis? Are you freaking kidding? I
went broke
looking
at a pair of those
online once.” Ana was acting like a giddy eighth grader, and she didn’t even
care. Without wasting a minute, she plopped down on the bed to try them on. Sliding
them over her heel, she felt the soft interior nestling her toes as the smell
of new leather penetrated her nose. When she stood up, she was at least three
inches taller. Feeling like a princess, she strode over to Rob, looped her arm
through his, and said, “Why don’t we go have a drink by the pool and start this
party early?”

Rob poured her a small glass of wine and made
himself a scotch on the rocks. They moved outside where they stood watching the
ocean waters swell in the distance. Ana could feel the alcohol relaxing her
right away.

“How can you stand living here? I would never go
to work or school, or get anything done. I’d be out here staring at the ocean
all day.” Ana said dreamily.

“It’s pretty awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for
anything in the world. The only thing missing is someone to share it with.”

Ana’s head snapped in Rob’s direction. He seemed
lost in his own thoughts.

“I don’t know. Somehow, I think I’d manage,” she
replied, somewhat confused.

Rob dropped his head and let out a sorrowful
laugh. “Yes, but you’re still so young. You have a lot more time than I do to
find that special person.”

“Ah, come on. You’re a nice guy… successful. I’m
sure you’ll find that person someday.” It seemed awkward giving him a pep talk
when usually it was the woman in these situations being told not to give up on
romance.

“Maybe I can find her.” Rob turned to look at
Ana. “The question is, will she want to be with me because of who I am or what
I can offer her?”

Ana was surprised and a little intimidated by
his rhetorical question. He was obviously feeling lonely. And to add fuel to the
fire here he was, paying her to go out with him. It was his idea, after all. He
made it clear this was the lifestyle he wanted for himself, at least for now.
Could he have been testing her? What if he met someone in the next few months
and gave her the boot? She cautioned herself not to entertain such thoughts.