Finally (13 page)

“Hey, that was two years ago,” Rebecca said. “Surely, he’s over his ex by now. He wouldn’t have wanted a committed relationship with you if he still wasn’t.”

Sarah sighed, reassured by Rebecca’s words.

*****

“I
’ll see you next week,” Sarah said to Jeff as they kissed goodbye in the privacy of his bedroom.

“Yes. On my birthday,” Jeff replied against her lips.

“I still don’t know what to get you,” she said with a little whine.

“Get me? No, baby. You don’t need to get me anything. But I want to you
give
me something. And you know what that is,” he murmured.

“You just had one,” she teased.

“So? That’s for today. By the time next weekend comes, you’ll owe me a whole week’s worth of sex. Since it’s my birthday, you have to double the amount.”

She giggled. “You really are a sex machine.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” he said smugly, squeezing her behind and pressing her hips against his.

She couldn’t help the little whimper that came out of her. Jeff didn’t have to do much to arouse her. Just his proximity made her crave. Around him, she was just as much as a sex machine as he was.

Jeff’s phone rang. “Hrrm. Whoever it is can wait,” he said impatiently, pulling the vibrating thing out of his pocket and tossing it on the bed.

Sarah glimpsed the screen. “What kind of name is ‘Bee’?”

“What?” Jeff asked, startled.

“The person calling you. Bee. That’s a funny name.”

“Oh, that’s someone from work,” Jeff said, picking up the phone and heading out of the room. “I’ll take this quickly, babe.”

“Okay,” she said with a sigh. Whoever that was must be on a weekend shift, or it could be an emergency. She followed him out and heard snippets of his conversation.

“Could it wait?... I see... Yes, it makes sense... Okay, I’ll see you tonight. Bye.”

“You’re working on a Sunday night?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah,” Jeff said, raking his hair. “It’s to do with the reopening of the hotel. As you know, it’s fast approaching and there are still things that need to be tied up here and there.”

“I feel sorry for this Bee person for having to work on a Sunday night,” she said, curving her arms around Jeff’s neck. “Did you know that I’m allergic to bee stings?”

“You are?”

“Yes. Nothing life-threatening but enough to get me scared of those little buzzing insects.”

“Not good,” Jeff murmured.

“No. And it’s also not good that you’re working on a Sunday night. I hope you’re not burning yourself out.”

“You sound like Gran,” he said with a chuckle.

“Well, we both care about you,” she murmured.

Jeff smiled and gave her a sweet kiss.

“So does this mean you have to go now? We have time for one last round, don’t we?” She placed hot little kisses on his neck.

“Sorry, babe. But I better go so I won’t get to Sydney too late.”

She put on a mock pout. “Okay.”

Jeff sighed, a worried frown marring his features.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He looked like he was going to say something but just shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll just miss you.”

“A lot?” she teased.

“More than a lot.”

She beamed at him. “I’ll miss you too.”

The kiss Jeff gave her was sweet but way too brief, but she let him go. When it came to him, she’d just become too greedy.

Maybe she could go to the gym and get on the treadmill for a few minutes to burn off her unassuaged sexual tension. Or she could have a few laps in the pool.

Guilt hit her. Here she was, having the rest of the day to do as she wished while her boyfriend had to drive for over two hours back to Sydney to work. She resolved to give Jeff a call late tonight to say goodnight.

And she hoped that the Carmichaels were paying Bee—whoever he or she was—enough money. Poor Bee, having to work on a Sunday night.

J
eff walked toward the restaurant where he’d agreed to meet Bianca. Even after the two-and-a-bit-hour drive from the Hunter Valley, the guilt that was sitting in his chest hadn’t gone away.

He’d lied to Sarah. Well, technically, he hadn’t. Bianca’s call and this dinner were indeed work-related. But he’d omitted to tell Sarah an important fact. He should have told her it was his ex-fiancée he was having dinner with.

It was too late to turn back the clock now. He’d just have to confess next week. Being his birthday, hopefully Sarah wouldn’t get too mad that he hadn’t mentioned earlier that his ex-fiancée was working with him again. After all, he and Sarah had only just decided to get serious and there hadn’t been that much time to discuss some important things. Plus he hadn’t wanted to ruin their first weekend as a couple by talking about Bianca.

Those were reasonable enough excuses, weren’t they? Forgivable enough.

They better be. Because the thought of Sarah getting angry and hurt scared the hell out of him.

Considering Sarah’s sweet and sunny disposition though, he felt confident that she would be understanding of the situation. Besides, he’d make sure she knew how much he truly cared about her.

“Jeff!”

Bianca was crossing the road to meet him, wearing a sexy black number and high heels. “How was the drive?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek.

“Not bad, thanks. Shall we go in?”

*

“W
e have a long line-up of publications that would be featuring the reopening of Magda’s Place in three weeks,” Bianca said as they enjoyed their dessert. “The only place where we wouldn’t have a mention is at
Lifestyle by Design
magazine, since we won’t be featured there until June.”

“We will be on
Lifestyle
next month, not June,” he informed her. “We’re even on the front cover.”

“Wait a minute,” Bianca said with a frown. “That’s not the information I have. My boss told me that even with intense negotiations, the earliest we were able to get at
Lifestyle
is in June.”

“That’s no longer true,” he said.

“How?” Bianca asked, her eyes wide with scepticism. “Ray Thackery’s reputation for refusing to mess with his magazine’s schedule is legendary. I remember we tried a few years ago, but he wouldn’t even bend his back for rich and powerful people like you. So how did you do it this time?”

Jeff couldn’t help his chuckle. Bianca sounded both pissed off and very impressed. “I think we owe that to Rebecca and Zach,” he answered.

“Who’s Rebecca?”

“Zach’s fiancée.”

“Oh, right. Yes, you told me that Zach was getting married. But what do you mean, Jeff? How did they do it? I really need to know!”

He snickered. That was the thing he admired about Bianca. She was as aggressive as anyone he’d known when it came to getting to the top of her field. She shared that trait with him and his brothers.

“Last Friday night, Zach and Bec attended the birthday party of Bec’s brother Trey,” he said. “Ray Thackery happened to be there too. Apparently, Ray’s the brother-in-law of Dylan Summers—Trey’s best friend and business partner. Anyway, they all got to talking and Zach found out that next month’s cover and feature article were actually reserved for Trey’s company. Fortunately, June would work just as well for the other guys as they have a new announcement to make during that month. So Zach was able to swap dates with them over some alcohol, food and conversations about weddings and wives.”

“Oh,” Bianca said with a pout. “I don’t think I can replicate that. That was luck and coincidence. But,” she continued, gathering a few sheets and handing them to him. “Here’s what else I’ve been able to do
.
”

Jeff stared at mock-ups of covers and articles for major publications—international ones included—and a long list of reputable online sites that would feature the reopening of Magda’s Place to the public. “Are all of these confirmed for next month?”

Bianca nodded.

“But aren’t we blowing the April budget with these? The hotel isn’t big enough to warrant this kind of advertising in so many top places at the same time. Wouldn’t it be better to stagger them throughout the year?” he asked with concern. Return on investment was something he and his brothers scrutinised very closely.

“The April budget is intact, Jeff. I negotiated for these for almost no extra cost. You know that’s what I do best. This line-up is important for rebuilding the brand and profile of Magda’s Place after being closed off to the public for a lengthy period. In addition, most of these publications—bar a couple—have agreed to feature a Carmichael business again in a few months’ time. I was thinking the launch of your new bottle would be perfect for that.”

Jeff grinned. “That’s why you get paid top dollar,” he said admiringly.

Bianca went on to talk about her suggestions regarding a year-long project-awareness campaign that would culminate in the unveiling of their new luxury complex in Sydney’s southern suburbs next year. Jeff was very impressed. Bianca clearly wanted to be given the whole Carmichael account, and she was pulling out all stops to achieve that. She didn’t have to work on anything else but the advertising program for Magda’s Place. Not only had she excelled in that, she’d also put together a cohesive program for the rest of their upcoming projects.

“So what do you think?” Bianca asked as she finished outlining her proposal.

“I like it. If you could email me your formal recommendations, I’ll discuss them with Zach and Greg.”

“Thank you,” Bianca said, beaming. “Does Gran still join you in board meetings?”

“Not anymore. She’s fully retired, although we still give her regular updates about what’s happening within the company. And as a twenty-five percent shareholder, she still provides her input on areas that she feels strongly about. But she leaves the final decision to the three of us.”

“Hey, I had lunch with Trish and Anthony today,” Bianca said, abruptly changing the topic.

“Oh really?” he asked, wary about the new direction of the conversation.

“Yes. They said they haven’t seen you for a while and are looking forward to your birthday party.”

“Yes, it’s been a few months since I last caught up with them,” he said. “How are they?”

“They’re good. Busy with their baby son, whom I’ve met for the first time. He’s so cute.”

“Yeah, he is. He was a newborn when I last saw him.”

“Well, they’re bringing him to your party, so you’ll see how much he’s grown. Anyway, Trish said she hopes to see me there, but I said you haven’t invited me yet,” Bianca said with a laugh. “I said I’ll see if I could wrestle an invitation out of you.”

Jeff shifted in his seat. How awkward was this? This was the first time that he’d had to contend with the complications of him and Bianca having mutual friends. It hadn’t been an issue before because she’d been overseas.

“Jeff, do you still hate me?” Bianca asked.

He glanced at her in surprise. “Hate you? No, I don’t hate you, Bee. You wouldn’t be working for us if I hated you.”

“That’s good to know,” Bianca said tentatively. “It’s just that sometimes, I think you’re still distant and cold towards me.”

“I’m sorry if you feel that way. I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Bianca nodded, then looked at him with pleading eyes. “I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life two years ago, Jeff. May I ask if you’ve forgiven me for that?”

He stared at her for a long moment. “I don’t hold any grudges against you, Bee.” He knew that was true. Mentally scanning his body, he didn’t feel any bitterness towards Bianca. All he had for her was gratitude for her work ethic.

She smiled with relief. “I’m glad, Jeff. When I was with Trish and Anthony, I’d wondered if we’ll ever be in the same room at the same time with our mutual friends again. I was hoping that soon we could catch up with them together—like during important occasions such as birthdays. Maybe we could start with yours? For friendship’s sake?” she added hopefully.

His lips tugged up reluctantly. “You never did have a problem crashing parties.”

“No, and I still don’t,” she joked. “Jeff, I’d really love to say hello to your Gran and visit Magda’s Place. I thought your party might be the perfect time for that since I’d also get to see old friends. Besides, being your advertising account manager, it would help for me to see the new changes you’ve made to the hotel. You know I work best if I experience the projects I’m working on first-hand. And I’m assuming you’ve invited some business colleagues. It would help a lot if I networked with them.”

Jeff leaned back on his seat and considered Bianca’s request. The only reasonable excuse he could find to turn her down was the fact that it might upset Sarah.

But if they were going to make Bianca the advertising account manager for the whole Carmichael account—which in all fairness she did deserve—then he’d need to tell Sarah about his working arrangement with Bianca anyway.

So perhaps inviting Bianca to his party wasn’t such a bad idea. After all, he fully intended to show everyone then that Sarah was his girl. With him publicly displaying his relationship to Sarah in front of Bianca and everyone else, it should show Sarah that she had nothing to worry about, right?

“Okay,” he said out loud to Bianca. “I’m officially inviting you to my party.”

“Yay!” Bianca said with glee. “I’m looking forward to it.”

*****

“S
o you and Sarah are getting serious?”

“Yes,” Jeff answered Greg.

“Wow. Well then, it’s very brave of you to ask Bianca to your party.”

Jeff stared at Greg, his brother’s comments increasing his doubts on the wisdom of what he’d done last night. “But I’ll be letting Sarah know about Bianca on Friday anyway—before the party.”

“So what do you plan to tell her?
‘Oh darling, by the way, my ex-fiancée’s coming for my birthday tomorrow. And have I told you she’s our new advertising account manager? That means I’m working very closely with her, since I personally oversee all marketing and advertising matters.’”

“Well, what do you suggest I say?” he asked, starting to get worried.