The Decent Proposal (Trust In Me) (8 page)

Ten

The following Friday, Ana and Rob had another
event to attend. It was a smaller, more intimate dinner, and a few of the
managers were expected to simply go and entertain some potential investors. Rob
told her this was a really big deal for Signify. Therefore, she should plan on
coming to his house early in order to have plenty of time to relax. This time,
she packed her swimsuit.

When she arrived, he wasn’t home, but he had
left a spare key for her in the limo and told her to make herself at home. He
would be there by 5:30, he had said. Ana was flattered that he trusted her
enough to allow her to spend the whole day at his house alone. She wasn’t sure
she knew anyone, other than Beth, whom she would let stay at her apartment, and
she didn’t even have anything of real value. His trust in her spoke volumes.

She spent the afternoon swimming and sunbathing.
Mid afternoon, she went inside to get a snack from the fridge and found it
appallingly empty. She sent Rob a text:

:
Where do u keep all your food?

:
At the store.

:
Oh, OK. Guess I’ll just gnaw off my arm, here. No biggie…

:
Haha… Please don’t. You may need it for something. There’s cash in top drawer
of office desk. There’s a key taped under the kitchen table that opens the file
cabinet in the office. In the front folder of that cabinet is another key with
the number 7 on it. That’ll open the desk.

:
R U serious? Wow. Paranoid much? Lol

:
No, just have a lot of important documents that need to be kept safe.

Ana giggled as she sent him another text:

:
Guess you’ll have to find another hiding place now that I know it.

:
Nah. BTW, if you find any pictures of naked women, just disregard them. They
were former victims, and you need not concern yourself with them. You’re
different…

:
LMFAO! Hmm, thx for the cash offer, but I think I’ll pass. I brought my own
money.

:
See? I knew you were different. ;)

Rob’s comment about the former victims? Holy
shit, she knew he was just joking, but something about it stirred up some weird
feelings within her. It made her a little scared and a lot turned on. Truly,
she trusted Rob almost completely by this point, but there was something about
a man who liked to tease and keep a woman on edge just a little that drove her
wild with lust. He was the shit-bomb master of seduction by her standards with
his little game of
see if you can figure
me out
… The mysteriousness that surrounded him made Ana want him all the
more.
How the hell could Stephanie let
him get away,
she wondered.

After munching on some crackers she found in the
cabinets, she went back outside to finish her afternoon of relaxation. Around
5:00, she decided it was time to get out and dry off. She dipped her head under
the water and was stepping out of the pool when she saw Rob standing in front
of her.

“Ah, I see your arm’s still intact. I trust
you’ve had a nice afternoon?”

“Yes,” she laughed. “Thanks for letting me come
early. I really needed this.” As she made her way up the steps, Rob slowly looked
her up and down. For the first time, she was confident that he liked what he
saw. Feeling brazen, she stepped close to him. “What, no hug?”

“New suit,” he replied, seemingly distracted. She
could feel her nipples getting hard from the breeze kissing her wet skin. He
let his eyes trail to her breasts, took a deep breath, and his lips formed the
shape of an
Ooh
.

“Don’t be a wuss. You can get a new suit. I need
a hug.” Ana opened up her arms to receive a body press from Rob.

She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. Well,
she was sure, but why here and now,
that
she
wasn’t sure of. Whatever it was, she went with it. Challenging him further, she
stepped even closer, dazed from the dynamic surge of energy flowing between the
two of them. The result was a magnetic pull that was getting harder and harder
for her to fight.

“Come on and hug me before I drag your ass in
this pool and totally ruin your new threads.”

“Not. Going. To happen,” Rob muttered before
picking her up. He slung her over his shoulder and threw her into the deep end of
the pool with the ease of tossing aside an article of clothing. Ana let out a
scream and spanked him as hard as she could before hitting the water. She sank
quickly to the bottom, pushed off the cement with her toes, and came bounding
out of the water like a shark attacking its prey.

“Asshole! You’re going to pay for that!” she
yelled.

Rob still managed to get the last words in. “Feisty!
I like it!” He brushed his hands clean and strode into the house, leaving Ana
all alone with her embarrassment. She waited a good five minutes before going
inside. Really, she wasn’t all that embarrassed, but she wanted him to think
so. Maybe send a little guilt his way for being so harsh. The truth was, she
kind of liked it. Any excuse for physical contact was good enough for her, but
she wasn’t going to tell him that. Not yet anyway. After entering the house, she
passed him in the hallway and said, “Next time, I pull you in with me.”

“Good luck with that,” Rob responded. Ana
laughed and pulled the bathroom door closed and got in the shower. After
putting on another beautiful dress that had been bought just for her, they
headed to the meeting.

* * * * *

The dinner was at an upscale restaurant near
Beverly Hills. Ana had never eaten anywhere in that area, so she felt
positively spoiled. On the way, Rob briefed her on who would be there.

“You remember Jack and Caroline, they were at
that first banquet you went to. And of course Dan and his wife will be there.
You met him last month.” Ana raised a brow as Rob continued. “Stephanie will be
there as well. I’m not sure if she’s bringing someone. These investors we’re
meeting with are pretty important to the future of the company. Now, there’s no
pressure on you. Just be yourself and have fun.”

Ana had seen Stephanie at some of the other dinners,
but Rob had never taken the time to introduce the two of them, and Stephanie
hadn’t bothered to take the initiative to introduce herself. And she was still
waiting for him to admit that Stephanie was a former lover, but he had yet to
say anything. She speculated that he chalked the whole thing up to irrelevant
information. Why would he need to discuss his romantic past with her, anyway?
She felt the need to know more, to get inside his head. Recalling a comment
that he had made not long ago, she decided to probe a little.

“Do you remember last month when we were getting
ready for our first dinner? You made a comment that someone might only want you
for what you can offer them?”

Rob pulled into an empty spot, put the car in
park, and looked at Ana curiously. “I think so, why?”

“Is that what you think of me?”

“What? Of course not. Why would you ask that?”

Ana looked down and fiddled with the strap of
her purse. “I have a confession. I’ve always had this… thing… about finding a
sugar daddy.” Ana laughed. She couldn’t believe she was confessing something so
deep, so intimate. But somehow, she trusted that Rob would understand. And
besides—technically, he wasn’t her sugar daddy. They weren’t
together
, together.

Rob looked out the window and nodded. “Well, what
girl hasn’t?”

Ana examined his profile as he watched the sun
setting in the distance. She wanted to lean in and fall on him, wrap herself
around him, but she restrained herself. When he looked at her, she smiled. “So
you’re not upset?”

“No. I know you. You’re not the kind of person
who would take advantage of someone.” Rob pulled the keys out of the ignition
and let them fall in his lap. “It’s just that… years ago I had met some women
who—for lack of a better word—were gold diggers. We’d go out a few
times then they’d come back to my place, and before you know it, they’re on the
verge of bankruptcy and can’t pay any of their bills.” Rob blew out a little
laugh. “One time, this girl I had been involved with for several months
actually asked me to give her my car so she could sell it and pay off her
credit card. When I told her no way, she got pissed and told me to go fuck
myself, even though I offered to loan her a couple grand. She didn’t want a
loan, she wanted a handout. Nothing I ever did for her was good enough. Since
then, I’ve been a little gun shy, especially about letting my dates come over.”

Ana wasn’t sure if she was comforted by his
openness or intimidated. She sure as hell didn’t live a life of luxury, but she
also would never ask Rob for money. Outside of her paycheck, that is. She had
been taking care of herself for over four years now, and she always bounced
back from financial woes. But he had let
her
into his home. Was that because she was only in the friend category or did he
really trust her that much?

“Well, you’re right. I wouldn’t ever take
advantage of you like that.” Rob looked at Ana, his eyes filled with compassion
and understanding. There was that pull again, damn him.
  

 
“Oh,
I almost forgot… speaking of handouts,” Rob said rubbing his hands together and
breaking the momentary magic spell. “I have something.” He reached under the seat,
pulled out a long, black suede box, and handed it to Ana. “I picked these out
yesterday. I thought they’d look nice on you.”

Ana opened the box to reveal a beautiful black
pearl necklace. She looked at him, shocked. “These are for me? They’re gorgeous,
Rob.”

“Glad you like them. Here, let me help you put
them on before we go in.”

Ana pulled her hair out of the way and swiveled
her back to him so he could fasten the clasp, then pulled the mirror down to
look at herself.

“They look even more beautiful on you,” Rob said.
Ana’s approval was easy to spot in the smile that tugged at both corners of her
mouth.

“I
am
supposed
to accept these guilt-free, right?”

Rob smiled and reached over to tuck some hair
behind Ana’s ear. “Yes. They’re a gift.”

“Thank you,” Ana replied, reminded of something
that her high school guidance counselor once told her: “Always, always accept a
gift. You never know when the next one will come along.”

They were the first ones to arrive, and the host
seated them at a large table in a quiet room towards the back of the
restaurant. A few minutes later, Rob glanced up and quickly hopped out of his
chair. For a split second, Ana thought something had bitten him. When she saw
the reason for his hasty jump, she grunted. Stephanie was approaching, a broad
smirk across her face. Ana could swear she saw two red horns projecting from the
top of her head.

“Stephanie, good to see you here early,” Rob
said.

“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.”