Australia: In Bed with a Bachelor

Control of any connection between them was all on his side and she had no control whatsoever over yearning to be reconnected. Which was turning her into a stupid, love-sick cow and she hated being like that, hated it so much when he did finally call her on Friday afternoon, the zoom of pleasure at hearing his voice was speared through by resentment at his power to affect her so deeply. She only grudgingly managed a polite ‘Hi!’ to his greeting.

He didn’t seem to notice any coldness in her response, rolling straight into the business of the call without any personal enquiries about her or her well-being. ‘I’ve been trying all week to book us a table at one of your top restaurants for tomorrow night. Can’t be done. They’re all booked up and there hasn’t been any cancellations. However, I have managed to get us a table at Peter Gilmore’s Quay restaurant for next Saturday night. Is that okay with you?’

Peter Gilmore’s Quay—listed as one of the top fifty restaurants in the world! It was a totally irresistible invitation. A rush of excited enthusiasm flooded over all other feelings.

‘Fantastic!’ tripped off her tongue. ‘I saw his amazing Snow Egg dessert on a television show. It started with a layer of guava purée mixed with whipped cream. On top of that was guava-flavoured crushed ice. Then a meringue shaped like an egg and an inside that was creamy custard apple. It was topped off with a thin layer of toffee melted over it. Absolutely to die for!’

His laughter flowed through her like a fountain of joy. She couldn’t help smiling, couldn’t help feeling happy.

‘Shall we meet there at seven o’clock? Same as last time?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

‘Great! See you then, Laura.’

Click!

That was it from him.

The happiness deflated into a rueful sigh. It was what they had agreed upon—meetings for an adventure into fine dining. Jake probably thought of any sexual follow-up as icing on the cake. And she should, too. She couldn’t fault him for not suggesting they do something else together this weekend. The problem of wanting more was entirely hers and she had to deal with it, get over it.

On the whole, Laura thought she managed that fairly well over the following week. Probably knowing they had a definite date to meet made it easier to concentrate on other things. She promised herself that at this meeting she would not expect an extension of their time together beyond the night, nor hope for it. After all, it was better for her to maintain her independence and not become slavishly besotted with the man.

Despite all her sensible reasoning, she could not control the fizz of excitement as she prepared for the big evening out. In an attempt to lessen its importance to her and show Jake she was taking this journey as casually as he was, she chose a far less dressy outfit—her best jeans, which were acceptable almost anywhere, and a peasant-style top with some wild costume jewellery she’d bought at the markets. Beaded sandals completed the look she wanted—fun, not seriously formal or serious anything else.

Eddie had been warned she would be staying overnight at his apartment again. Before leaving home she deliberately picked a yellow rose, not a red one, from her mother’s garden. It was a Pal Joey rose and it had a fabulous scent. Jake might not remember asking her to bring one to their next dinner together but it definitely showed she was keeping to her side of their deal.

The ferry ride across the harbour from Mosman to Circular Quay brought her close to the site of the restaurant. There was an excited lilt in her step as she walked around to the overseas passenger terminal where all the big cruise ships docked. Jake would be waiting for her inside Quay on the upper level and tonight would undoubtedly be brilliant all over again.

For Jake it had taken rigid discipline to wait through the fortnight before indulging himself with Laura again. It would only be a week next time, and the next, and the next, provided, of course, she wanted to go on with it. Why shouldn’t he have as much of her as he could within reasonable limits? As long as he kept the end in mind, his involvement with her would not get in the way of what he had to do. It was no good wishing she wasn’t Alex Costarella’s daughter. Nothing could change that.

She walked into the restaurant looking like a wonderfully vivid gypsy with her black curly hair all fluffed out around her shoulders, lots of colourful beads around her neck and a peasant blouse that clung to the lush fullness of her breasts. Tight jeans accentuated the rest of her sexy curves and the instant kicks to his heart and groin told Jake she was having too big an impact on him.

He shouldn’t have started this.

Shouldn’t be going on with it.

But she smiled at him as he stood up from their table to greet her and a rush of pleasure had him smiling back. Just before she reached him, her hand dived into the bag she carried and brought out a full-blown yellow rose.

‘For you to smell,’ she said, her blue eyes sparkling a flirtatious challenge.

It surprised him, delighted him, and the pleasure she brought him intensified as he took the rose and lifted it to his nose. ‘Mmmh…I shall always connect this glorious scent with you.’

She laughed. ‘And I shall always connect glorious food with you. I can’t wait to salivate through Peter Gilmore’s menu.’

He laughed and quickly held out her chair with an invitational wave. ‘At your service.’

Once they were both seated, a waiter arrived, handing them menus, and Jake asked him to bring a glass of water for the rose to keep it fresh.

As soon as they were left alone together, Laura leaned forward with another heart-kicking smile. ‘I’m glad you like it.’

He grinned. ‘I have plans for this rose.’

‘What plans?’

‘For later tonight.’ Like rubbing it all over her skin and breathing in the scent as he kissed her wherever he wanted. ‘I’ve booked us a room at the Park Hyatt at Campbell Cove…?.’

‘Another hotel,’ she broke in with a frown.

‘My place is still a mess,’ he explained with an apologetic grimace. ‘Can’t take you there, Laura.’

He never would. He had to keep her separate from his real life.

‘But I know that hotel is terribly expensive, Jake. And on top of this dinner tonight, which will undoubtedly cost the earth…’

‘The cost is not a problem to me,’ he assured her.

Still she frowned. ‘Does my father pay you so well?’

He shrugged. ‘Well enough, but I don’t count on him for my income.’ Because that was always going to end and quite soon now. He would probably become unemployable in the bankruptcy business after he’d blown the whistle on how corrupt some of it was and he’d prepared for that outcome. ‘I have a side interest that has proved very profitable.’

It piqued her curiosity. ‘What is it?’

There was no harm in telling her. He doubted she would tell her father and it didn’t really matter if Costarella knew, not this close to his resignation from the company. ‘I buy run-down houses, renovate them in my spare time, then sell them on.’

‘Ah!’ She looked pleased. ‘The property ladder. That’s another show I sometimes watch on TV. It’s always fascinating to see how each property is improved before reselling. How many houses have you done?’

‘I’m currently on my fifth.’

‘I’d love to see it sometime. See what you’re doing to it,’ she said with eager interest.

He had to clamp down hard on the strong impulse to share it with her, to hear her views on the renovations he was doing, enjoy her interest. She was so attractive in so many ways. But anything beyond sexual intimacy had to be discouraged or he risked becoming far too hooked on Laura Costarella. Bad enough that he couldn’t go to bed without wanting her in it.

‘Maybe when it’s further along,’ he said ruefully. ‘It’s virtually a shell right now. Nothing to see but mess.’

She grimaced in disappointment. ‘Okay. I guess you’d prefer to feel some pride in showing off your work. I take it you’ve made a good profit from each house you’ve done.’

‘Good enough not to worry about paying for a great night out with you, Laura, so don’t you worry about it, either. I can well afford special treats like this and having you share them doubles the pleasure.’

She visibly relaxed, smiling her heart-kicking smile at him again as she picked up her menu. ‘In that case, I’m very happy to share your pleasure. I shall have no inhibitions about ordering whatever I want to try.’

No inhibitions in bed, either, Jake thought happily, relieved that she wasn’t pressing the house issue. Their time together had to be time out from his real life. He couldn’t consider anything else with her however much he would like to.

Laura let herself wallow in the pleasure of being with Jake. He was so attractive in every respect—looks, wit, charm. There was nothing about him she didn’t like. However, he was big on control, and she shouldn’t forget that. Although there was a plus side to that, too. It had obviously taken a great deal of inner strength to set the trauma of losing his parents aside and drive himself towards establishing a professional career, and his enterprise in climbing the property ladder, as well, was truly admirable.

Something Eddie had said popped into her mind—sooner or later he’ll turn you off—but she honestly couldn’t see that happening, definitely not tonight. In fact, she was so turned on, it was impossible to find any wrongness in him.

He was the best company over dinner, relishing and enjoying the amazingly wonderful food as much as she did. The conversation between them was fun. The sexy twinkle in his eyes kept her excitement bubbling. She loved every bit of him, which should have set warning signals off in her head, but it was so giddy with delight, no sense of caution was even registered.

Again it was an easy walk to the hotel. Her body was humming with delicious anticipation. Her feet wanted to dance all the way. Jake had brought the rose she’d given him at the restaurant, twiddling it in his fingers as they walked, smiling down at it, and she smiled at it, too, imagining he intended taking it home with him as a romantic reminder of her.

She knew this wasn’t supposed to be a romantic relationship. It was probably crazy wanting it to turn into one, yet all her female instincts were insisting this man was the right man for her. He wasn’t demanding anything of her. It was simply great being together.

The hotel was brilliantly sited right below the harbour bridge. A set of glass doors on the far side of their room showcased a fabulous view of the opera house. Laura couldn’t help loving the luxury of it, couldn’t help loving the man who was giving it to her. As soon as the door was closed behind them, she turned to hug him tightly and kiss him with every fibre of her being, unable to wait another second to feel all he could make her feel.

Almost instantly they were on fire for each other, quick hungry kisses turning into fierce, needful passion. The barrier of clothes was unbearable. She broke away to get rid of hers and laughed as she saw Jake clamping the stem of the rose between his teeth to free his hands for the same purpose.

‘Just as well I picked off the thorns,’ she tossed at him.

‘Mmmh…’ was all he could answer.

Naked and still laughing with wild exhilaration, she raced him to the bed, landing and rolling until her caught her, trapping her into stillness with one strong leg flung over hers. She looked up into wickedly glittering eyes, her chest heaving for breath, her heart hammering with excitement.

‘You can’t kiss me with that rose between your teeth,’ she teased, her lower body wriggling provocatively against his.

He plucked the rose free and started caressing her face with it. ‘I’ve been fantasising about doing this all evening. Lie still, Laura. Close your eyes. Feel the petals gliding over your skin. Breathe in the scent of them.’

It took enormous control to follow his instructions but it was worth the effort, focussing on the amazing sensuality of what he was doing, the soft graze of the rose, tantalisingly gentle, followed by a trail of kisses that had all her nerve ends buzzing. It made her feel like a pagan goddess being worshipped, anointed with perfume and brought to tingling life by a ceremony of slowly escalating physical ministrations.

She had never been so acutely aware of her body, hadn’t realised she had erotic zones below her hip-bones, behind her knees, on the soles of her feet. To be touched like this everywhere, to be kissed as though every inch of her was adored…it was an incredible experience, mesmerising, heavenly.

Finally he came to her most intimate parts, caressing her to an exquisite tension, making it impossible for her to lie still any longer. Her body arched in need for release and she cried out his name, desperately wanting him to take her to the end now.

He moved swiftly to oblige and it was wondrous all over again, the ebb and flow of extreme sensations gathering momentum to a fantastic climax, then the delicious aftermath of sweet contentment, the scent of the yellow rose still lingering on her skin, adding its heady pleasure to their intimate togetherness.

Laura had never felt so blissfully happy. To have a lover like Jake…she was incredibly lucky to have met him. She could even find it in her heart to be grateful to her father for bringing him into her life. This journey was definitely worth taking and she hoped it would go on for a long, long time.

As they were leaving the hotel the next morning Jake asked, ‘Will you be free to join me next Saturday night? I’ve booked a table at Universal, Christine Manfield’s restaurant.’

Free for you anytime, she thought, her heart skipping with pleasure at not having to wait more than a week to be with him again. Glorious food was no longer the seductive temptation it had been, though she would absolutely enjoy it, having Jake as her dining partner.

‘That would be lovely,’ she said, trying not to sound too eager for his company, which was now the main drawcard. This relationship did have to be controlled. Jake was not falling all over himself to be with her every free moment he had and it was better for her if she could hold him at a distance, too, in between their meeting points,

‘Same time?’ he asked.

‘Suits me.’

‘Good!’

He gave her his brilliant, sexy smile and Laura managed a smile back though her insides clenched, wanting, needing much more of him. She had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself pleading, Why can’t we be together today? I won’t get in the way of your working on the house renovations. I’ll help. We can chat, laugh, enjoy being with each other.

The words kept pounding through her mind as they settled in the taxi that would take her to Eddie’s apartment before driving on to Jake’s place, but she couldn’t let herself voice them. It would put Jake in a position of power over her, knowing she wanted him more than he wanted her.

Had her mother fallen into that trap with her father, showing how needy she was? If so, he’d certainly taken advantage of her vulnerability. She wasn’t sure if Jake would be like that or not, but her gut feeling told her not to show any weakness that could be exploited.

It was best to keep to what they had agreed upon. If anything changed further along the line, the change had to come from him, not from her and certainly not today.

CHAPTER NINE

TETSUYA’S, a Japanese-French fusion eatery many times listed amongst the top fifty restaurants in the world, was Jake’s choice for his last night with Laura. It had the longest waiting time to secure a table—two months—and he’d actually held back his own agenda, just to have this very special dinner together before he took her father down.

He checked his watch as he waited for her to arrive, conscious of not wanting her to be late, not wanting to have a minute of this final encounter wasted. It wasn’t quite seven o’clock. The hell of it was he would miss the pleasure of her company, miss the fantastic sex they had shared even more, but knew it was stupid to try spinning out their time with each other any further.

It had been good. Great. But she was her father’s daughter and once the axe fell on Costarella he would come out fighting for blood in return and the first casualty would be any personal association with his accuser. Laura would be turned out of the Mosman mansion if she didn’t toe that line. Even if she chose not to and fled to her brother’s apartment… No, she wouldn’t do that. She would stay by her mother to deflect as much of her father’s venom as she could.

Tonight was it—the end.

No point in looking for any way around it.

Besides, once he’d achieved the objective he’d set for himself he wanted to move on, find the kind of relationship he’d seen between his mother and step-father, have a family of his own, hopefully sharing good times with his wife and children. Regardless of how powerfully drawn he was to Laura Costarella, he couldn’t fit her into that picture.

As hot she was in bed, she kept a cool head out of it, content to go about her own life without trying to get him involved in it. This was confirmation to Jake that marriage had no appeal to her—understandable given her family background. Part-time lovers was as far as any man would get with Laura. It made the end of their affair easier in so far as he knew it carried no deep importance to her. He’d given her pleasure. He hoped the memory of it would not get too tainted by the angst his actions would inevitably cause in the Costarella household.

All this past week he’d been tossing up whether to tell her, warn her what was about to happen, explain why. Somehow that smacked too much of justifying himself and he didn’t need to do that, not when he was meting out justice, which would eventually be evident to everyone. Besides, he’d told Laura right from the beginning he didn’t want to want to her. Understanding would come soon enough. Better for them both to enjoy this one last night.

Laura was smiling, aglow with excited anticipation as she entered Tetsuya’s. She was ten minutes late, due to the public transport connections needed to get to Kent Street in the inner city—where the restaurant was located—but she was finally here for another night with Jake. And there he was, rising from the table where he’d been seated.

Her heart skipped a beat. Every time he had this impact. And his smile of pleasure on seeing her…it was like a fountain of joy bursting through her. She loved this man, loved being with him, fiercely wished they could be sharing much more than one night a week.

Though she told herself it was sensible not to get too involved, not when she still had to earn her university degree. It was halfway through the year now. In a few more months… Was Jake waiting for her to be fully qualified before inviting her into more of his life? There was quite an age gap between them. Maybe he was conscious of that, too. Whatever his reasons for keeping their relationship so strictly limited, Laura felt sure they would wear out eventually. They were too good together—great together—for this journey to ever end.

She couldn’t resist planting a greeting kiss on his cheek before sitting down. ‘Sorry I’m a bit late. The bus trip was slow. Lots of people getting on and off.’

‘No problem,’ he assured her, his deep rich voice curling around her heart, warming it with pleasure. ‘You’re here. And I’ve been perusing the menu. This promises to be a fantastic dining experience.’

‘Oh, wow! I’ve been so looking forward to it.’

He laughed at her excitement as they both took their seats. Laura loved his laugh, the sexy male rumble of it, the way it lit up his handsome face, the dancing twinkles in his eyes.

‘I want us to do the gustatory menu—all eight courses of it. Are you up for it?’ he asked.

Laura goggled at him. ‘Eight courses!’

‘They won’t be big. Just a marvelous range of tastes.’

‘Let me see.’ She held out her hand for the menu and he passed it over. The list of dishes Jake wanted proved irresistible. ‘I’m up for it,’ she said decisively.

It would obviously cost Jake another small fortune, but also obviously he didn’t care so Laura refused to feel guilty about the expense. It was his choice. He grinned at her, knowing she was happy to succumb to temptation.

She sighed. ‘You’re spoiling me rotten with all this, Jake.’

An oddly rueful expression twisted his grin. ‘You’ve given me more than money can buy, Laura. I should probably thank you for being you.’

Why did that sound…almost as if he was saying goodbye to her? Laura frowned over the uncomfortable niggle. Surely he was just trying to balance out what they had together, make it feel okay to her. ‘It’s no big deal being me,’ she said critically.

He shook his head, his eyes gently mocking her. ‘I can’t imagine enjoying our dinners so much with anyone else.’

She relaxed into a relieved smile. ‘Then I should thank you for being you because I can’t imagine it, either.’

‘Good to be in accord on that point.’

She laughed. ‘I think we’re in accord on many points.’

‘True. Shall we order now?’

He signalled their readiness to a waiter while Laura happily assured herself that everything was fine between them.

Again it was another brilliant evening with Jake. The dinner was sensational. It was great fun enjoying and discussing the various tastes, comparing it to what they’d eaten in other restaurants. Laura visited the ladies’ room just before they were about to leave and on her way back to their table, she was struck by another little stab of uncertainty.

Jake was not looking for her return. He sat in pensive mode, a dark, bleak expression wiping out all the sparkles he’d shot her way during dinner. It didn’t take much intuition to realise something was wrong—something in the private life he didn’t share with her. Wasn’t it time that he did? They’d been seeing each other on a very intimate basis for almost three months now. Surely he knew her well enough to trust her with what was in his mind.

He brightened as she reached the table, pulling himself back from the place he’d travelled to without her, but Laura’s fighting spirit had been pricked into taking a stand. ‘What were you thinking of just now, Jake?’

He shook his head, a wry little smile curling his mouth as he rose from his chair. ‘A piece of the past. Nothing to do with you, Laura. I’ve called a taxi for us. It’s waiting outside.’

He tucked her arm around his as she frowned over his evasive reply. ‘I want to know,’ she said, shooting him a searching look.

He grimaced at her obstinacy, but did answer her. ‘I was thinking of my parents. How much they enjoyed sharing meals together.’

‘Oh!’ Laura’s heart instantly lifted. The memory had obviously saddened Jake but she felt it did have something to do with her—a connection to what they were doing, which he enjoyed with her! It made her feel their relationship was more meaningful to him than he was willing to admit at this point.

‘I’ve booked us into the Park Hotel tonight,’ he told her as they made their exit from the restaurant.

Another hotel. She knew it overlooked Hyde Park in the city centre, which gave them only a short trip to Paddington and Woollahra in the morning. It always disappointed her that he didn’t ask her home with him but she’d decided never to push it. Besides, she was still cherishing that link to his parents, whom he’d loved very much.

They didn’t chat in the taxi. Laura was keenly anticipating the sexual connection with Jake and she imagined his mind was occupied with it, too. It seemed to her he held her hand more tightly than usual, his long fingers strongly interlaced with hers, their pads rubbing her palm. She silently craved more skin-to-skin contact, barely controlling her impatience to dive into bed with him.

Certainly their desire for each other hadn’t waned at all. As soon as the door of the hotel room was closed behind them they were locked in a fierce embrace, kissing like there was no tomorrow, shedding clothes as fast as they could on their way to the bed, totally consumed with a wild passion that demanded to be slaked before easing into a more sensual love-making.