Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3) (8 page)

Rita gave him another one of her flirtatious smiles and he groaned silently. For an intelligent woman, he couldn't understand why she still hadn't gotten the fact that he wasn't attracted to her. He didn't know what else to do to make her accept his lack of interest, short of saying something to her. But he didn't want to have to embarrass her by saying it out loud.

He just hoped that if Faye was watching them, she'd pick up on the fact that he wasn't returning Rita's come-ons. He didn't want to give Faye any reason to be jealous of anyone.

He shot his secret girlfriend a quick look. She was laughing with her friends. She didn't look bothered at all.

He relaxed slightly. Earlier on, he thought she looked surprised, even put out, to see him here with another woman.

"I really like your watch, Ray," Rita said as she lightly touched his wrist to get a closer look at his timepiece.

He forced his attention back to Rita. Was it his imagination or was she starting to be a little bit bolder?

"I've been getting a few requests from people to extend my range to include men's accessories. I've decided it's not a bad idea," she disclosed.

"That sounds interesting," he answered politely.

"If you were a guy looking for accessories, what would you want to have?"

"Err, I'm not really someone who likes to accessorise. A watch is the only thing I'd wear apart from clothes."

"Not even a ring?" his client asked, batting her eyelids at him.

"No, not unless I'm married and it's a wedding ring." A picture of Faye flashed before his eyes.

"Well, a wedding ring is not exactly an accessory. Hey, maybe I can show you some designs I've commissioned and you can tell me what you think."

"I don't know how I could be of help with you on that."

"Oh, but what you say will be valuable. I plan to ask all types of men and gather all information I can for marketing purposes."

"Right." What else could he say? She was talking business.

"Maybe I'll even bring some sample rings for you to try on. Don't worry, it's one of those manly looking designs. I think you'd be surprised. I just want to see what it would look like on your finger," she said huskily. She grabbed his right hand and inspected his ring finger. "Let me just guess what size you are."

His eyes darted to Faye as Rita stroked his finger. Faye was chatting along, looking totally unconcerned. Did she even notice that another woman was flirting with him?

Suddenly, he became perturbed at Faye's lack of reaction. Here he was, having lunch with another beautiful woman who was obviously flirting with him and she just sat there, uncaring? Was it because she didn't want her friends to notice that something was going on between them? He could understand that, but how could she be completely unaffected? Did he mean anything to her at all? Couldn't she give even just a half-second look of annoyance?

Rita had stopped touching him and had gone back to her food. Jesus, she was a slow eater.

He was still mulling unhappily, hating the insecurity he felt, when his employees and his girlfriend - okay, not officially his girlfriend yet but soon-to-be - came around to say goodbye. They had finished lunch and were heading back to work.

"I'll see you three back in the office, and Faye, I'll see you again soon." He gave her a heated look, not caring if anyone read anything into it.

"Sure, Ray," Faye responded with a friendly smile. A
friendly
smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Rita," she was saying warmly to the woman who wanted to steal him away from her. "And congratulations on winning your Businesswoman of the Year award."

"Thank you. It was great meeting you, too. I hope to see you all again soon. Perhaps when I see Ray again with some of my new range of men's accessories. I promised to bring him some rings to try on." Rita gazed at him with a smitten look on her face.
 

Yes, smitten, not friendly
, Ray thought to himself.
How do you react to that Miss Summers?

"Oh, great!" Faye exclaimed. "Good luck with that. Hope it's as successful as your current range." She looked sincere.

The two of them continued to prattle on about Rita's new products, joined by the others, and he watched the interaction as his disquiet increased. Surely Faye wasn't blind. Could it really mean she simply didn't care?

His heart felt like lead sinking to his stomach.
All that lovemaking didn't mean anything to her?

His mind flew back to when they met at the food court and he remembered her words. '
I'm not ready for anything serious.'

He hid a deep sigh as he processed his thoughts. She clearly meant it when she said she wasn't ready for a relationship. Jesus, why the fuck did he feel so morose all of a sudden?

Okay, fine. If you're not ready yet, that's fine,
he grumbled silently. As long as they continued to see each other, he could live with her not loving him back because he planned to make her fall for him eventually. That was what he'd resolved to do the moment she agreed to go out with him, anyway.

*******

Faye dragged her exhausted mind and body back to her office. She had the most tiring day, meeting four of her most emotional clients at four different premises in one afternoon.

Sometimes even the most professional of people cracked under the pressure when they knew they were being retrenched and that their high-powered jobs and commensurate high salaries would be no more in a couple of months' time. It was her job not only to help them find new roles but to also prepare them for the difficult job market they were sure to face.

She walked past reception and said hello to Angela, their receptionist.

"Busy day?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. Any important messages for me while I was away?"

"There were a couple of client calls and I think one of them was from your ex-boyfriend. They're on your emails," she responded.
 

Faye raised her eyebrows. She had also diverted her mobile phone to reception for that afternoon. "Who? Steve?"

"Yes."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

She powered on her laptop and checked her messages straight away. It was indeed from Steve. She wondered why he called.

She picked up her phone, took it off divert and called Steve. She hadn't spoken to him for two months. They were still friends and Steve had called a couple of times since they split up to see how she was going.

When he moved to Adelaide because of his job, she was sad that she was losing the closeness they shared. They were together for one year, although he was always travelling for work, so half that time they didn't see each other.

It had been a mutual decision for them to break up when they did. The role in Adelaide was a big career move for him and she didn't want to leave Sydney, her family, her friends and her job to join him there. It was one of those times when other things were more important to them than their relationship.

"Hi, Stranger."

She smiled at Steve's warm greeting. "Hi yourself. How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks. You?"

"I'm good. What's new?"

"Well, I'll be in Sydney for three weeks from this Saturday. Are you free to catch up?"

"Sure, that'll be great. What day do you have in mind?"

"I'm having dinner with Pete and Lisa on Sunday. It would be great if you could join us."

"Oh, that'll be good. I haven't seen them in ages!"

"Yes, Lisa told me. Apparently you haven't seen them since … we broke up?"

"I know," she replied regretfully but didn't say anything else. Pete was Steve's best friend. They'd known each other since they were kids. When they ended their relationship, she got consolation from her friends and she imagined Steve turned to Pete.

"Anyway," she continued, "where are we meeting?"

"At our favourite restaurant in Neutral Bay at six-thirty. Do you want me to pick you up? I have use of a company car while I'm there."

"No, thanks. I'll be fine. I'm popping in at my parents' for lunch on Sunday so I will be coming from there."

"Okay …"

She thought Steve was about to say something else but there was only silence. "Well, I'll see you on Sunday night, then."

"Yeah. See you, baby."

Faye frowned at her phone after she hung up. An uncomfortable feeling came over her when Steve called her 'baby'. Of course, it must have been due to a force of habit since he used to call her that for a year. She was sure she just imagined the emotion in his voice, too.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"I haven't been here for so long I'd almost forgotten how special it is," Faye said softly as they leaned against the guardrail at the Echo Point lookout, admiring the Three Sisters rock formation and Jamison Valley.

Ray stared at her, drinking her in. She looked so lovely, so introspective. Her cheeks were pink from being out in nature for hours. She was just as breathtaking as the sceneries they had visited today, and he was content to simply watch her.

It was late in the afternoon and most of the big tourist buses had left the popular Katoomba destination.
 
There were still a number of people about but the place had an air of quietude.

He was delighted to discover that Faye liked the outdoors. Last night, he thought long and hard for a good excuse to spend the whole Saturday with her, not just the nighttime. That was when he came up with a plan to drive to the Blue Mountains for the day. Faye loved the idea. He picked her up at eight-thirty in the morning and they'd been playing tourists since then, hopping from one town to another.

He fished his phone out from his pocket and opened his camera app.

"I want to take another picture of you."

"Haven't you taken enough?" she asked with a laugh.

"Of you? No."

Faye turned around so she had the scenic view behind her and smoothed her wind-blown hair. She smiled sweetly for him as he clicked a couple of times.

One of these photos would be the new wallpaper on his phone and laptop.

"Would you like me to take one of the two of you?" a middle-aged woman with an American accent and a cap with NYC on it asked him.

"Sure, that would be lovely. Thank you." He handed the kind lady his phone and guessed she and the man hovering behind her must be tourists.

He planted himself next to Faye and placed an arm around her, pulling her close to him. She embraced him around the waist and placed her head on his shoulder.
Our first picture together.
He grinned happily and didn't need further encouragement from the nice volunteer when she asked them to say 'cheese'.

They returned the favour and took some shots of the American couple, making small talk with them about their trip to Australia.

Afterwards, they walked for a bit around the area, taking more photos of the vista, talking, laughing and munching on the snacks they brought with them.

"Ready to head home?" Ray asked as they walked back to his car, satisfied they'd had their fill of the place.

"Yes. Do you want me to drive?" Faye offered as he opened the passenger door for her.

He frowned. "No. I'm okay. Do you want to drive?"

"I just thought you might want a bit of relief since you've been driving us around all day."

He smiled fondly at her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, but I don't mind driving."

"Okay." She tilted her head to one side. "You're not feeling stiff or tired or anything?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No. I'm feeling energetic and relaxed."

"That's good."

His heart thudded at the sultry look in her eyes as she curved her arms around his neck.

"I was thinking you might need a massage when we get home. I'd be happy to give you one after dinner," she said seductively.

He inhaled sharply. "You know what? Now that you've mentioned it, I do think I'm getting stiff in a certain part of my body. A massage from you would greatly relieve it."

She ran her hands on his shoulders and down his chest. "It'll be my pleasure," she purred then got in the car.

He took a deep, steadying breath before walking to his side and getting in the vehicle, wishing home wasn't a long couple of hours' drive away.

~~~~~~~

They had a quick dinner at a nearby pizzeria before heading back to Faye's place.

"Do you want a glass of wine or some coffee?" Faye asked Ray as they walked into her apartment.

"Not really," he replied with a heated look. "I want what you promised me."

"Oh, you mean the massage?" she asked coquettishly. "Sure. But I need a shower first. It's been a long, sweaty day."

"Me, too. I'll join you," he said eagerly, following her to the bathroom.

She turned around and halted him with a hand on his chest. "If you shower with me, I might not get around to giving you a massage." She raised an eyebrow, awaiting his decision.

He swallowed visibly. Damn, this was a hard choice. Sex in the shower now or sex with the massage in bed later.

"Ah, okay, I'll wait 'til you finish showering, then I'll have mine," he answered hoarsely.

She smiled and started stripping off her clothes.

Oh, fuck.
 

He hastily left the bathroom before he changed his mind and jumped in the shower with her.

"Lie on your front," Faye ordered in a soft voice.

Ray leapt to the bed, adjusted himself for comfort and lay still with his arms by his side. He was naked and already very horny. This would test his limits - he wanted to bury himself in her right then and there - but he was determined to fully enjoy the massage experience he was about to get. He groaned softly at the thought.

"Eager, are we?" Faye commented.

"Hmhmm," he responded, giving her a wicked grin.

He watched her open a bottle of edible massage oil. She looked utterly desirable wearing only a short satin robe the colour of lavender. He couldn't wait for the feel of her slick hands on him.

She walked towards the bed and settled herself on his upper thighs, straddling him. She squirted a generous amount of oil on her palm, rubbed her hands together and started to work on his back and shoulders. With warm hands and strong fingers, she massaged away the tightness in his muscles.