Miranda Lee - Australian Affairs - Taken

‘I…I don’t know, Ben,’ she said hesitantly, turning away to make herself some coffee. ‘Like you said, there’s probably no fixing Fab Fashions. We’d just be wasting our time.’

‘I don’t agree. We’ll have that chat on the drive home and come up with a new name, one which will lend itself to a successful marketing strategy. Because you’re right, Jess. Companies like ours shouldn’t just bail out when things get tough. We can afford to ride some losses for a while, especially when the alternative means that people will lose their jobs.’

Jess wanted to believe he meant it. But she didn’t. Companies like De Silva & Associates were all about making profits. They didn’t give a damn about the little people. Which was what she was. One of the little people.

Jess finished making her coffee, then carried it over to the table. ‘I’m sorry, Ben,’ she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, ‘but I’d rather not. I’m a mechanic, not some marketing expert.’

‘So you’re giving up on Fab Fashions?’

‘I’ve told you what’s wrong with the business. You’re an intelligent man. I’ll put my thinking cap on during the drive back and come up with a name which might suit. Then it’s up to you to do something with it.’

He looked at her long and hard, then shrugged. ‘Okay. If that’s the way you want it.’

What she wanted at that moment was never to have met Ben De Silva.

‘I still wouldn’t mind coming to that barbecue, Jess.’

‘No, Ben. I’d rather you didn’t.’

He frowned at her. ‘Why is that?’

‘I don’t want my parents knowing what we’ve been up to this weekend. And they will. Mum will take one look at us together and she’ll know.’

‘We’re consenting adults, Jess. Our having sex isn’t a crime.’

‘No, but it’s very unlike me, Ben, to hop into bed so quickly. Mum’s sure to jump to the wrong conclusion.’

‘Which is?

‘That I’ve fallen madly in love.’

Again, she was on the end of another long, thoughtful look.

‘I take it that hasn’t happened?’

‘You know it hasn’t. We’ve been having a dirty weekend, Ben. That’s all.’ It went against her grain to describe their weekend in such a crude fashion, but it was the truth after all.

‘I don’t see it that way, Jess. I like you. A lot. And I want to see more of you.’

‘You mean you want to have more kinky sex with me whilst you’re in Australia.’

He pursed his lips in obvious annoyance. ‘You make it all sound so tacky. Yes, of course I want to have more sex with you, but not just kinky sex. I enjoy making love to you in more traditional ways as well. I also want to spend time with you out of bed.’

Jess’s laugh was a little bitter. ‘Yes, I noticed you like having sex out of bed too.’

His blue eyes flashed with frustration. ‘Very funny. Just remember, you’re the one who knocked back my offer of our working together on Fab Fashions.’

‘I can live with that. I can’t live with you taking me for a fool.’

He sat bolt upright in his chair, his face furious. ‘I would never do that. I think you’re one of the smartest girls I’ve ever met. And the most stubborn. I suppose if I asked you to go back to New York with me, you’d say no to that as well!’

Jess could not have been more taken aback. Or more speechless.

‘Well?’ he snapped when she said nothing. ‘What would you say to such an offer?’

Jess gathered in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. ‘I would say thank you very much, Ben, but no thank you. My life is here, in Australia. I wouldn’t be happy in New York.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I just know.’

His eyes carried exasperation. ‘Most girls would jump at the chance. For Pete’s sake, Jess, you wouldn’t have to pay for a thing. You could stay in my apartment and have the holiday of a lifetime.’

The word ‘holiday’ reaffirmed what Jess already knew. He wasn’t seriously interested in her. Not the way she would have liked. But then, that was never going to happen. He’d already said he didn’t want to get married. She was just a passing amusement, one which he hadn’t grown bored with yet.

‘Couldn’t we just leave things the way they are, Ben? I’m happy to go out with you whilst you’re staying up on the coast. I like you a lot, but I don’t want to go to America with you.’

Ben should have been relieved, he supposed, that she hadn’t jumped at his somewhat impulsive offer. But he wasn’t. He was bitterly disappointed. He’d wanted to show her New York, wanted to give her the time of her life.

‘Fine,’ he bit out.

‘Please don’t think me ungrateful, Ben,’ she went on, her eyes softening on him. ‘It was a very generous offer. But it’s best I stay here in Australia.’

He sighed, then smiled at her. ‘So we’re still on for dinner tomorrow night?’

Jess smiled back at him. ‘Of course. Where are you going to take me?’

‘I have no idea. I’ll ask Mum when she gets back tomorrow. She knows all the best local restaurants. But you’ll have to pick me up. I’m not allowed to drive till I get that stupid medical clearance. Hopefully by Tuesday that’ll be done and I can drive Mum’s car.’

‘So your mother will be there when I pick you up?’ she said, sounding a bit panicky.

‘Yes, but you don’t have to worry. Mum’s really quite nice, despite everything.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘I’ll explain on the drive back,’ he said, thinking he shouldn’t have made such a leading comment. But it was too late now. Besides, it would give them something to talk about. Telling Jess all about his mother’s exploits over the years would take some time. ‘I’ll go shower and shave whilst you have breakfast. Then we should get going.’

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BY THE TIME they stopped at Sandy Hollow for lunch, Jess had a much better understanding of why Ben wasn’t interested in marriage. To find out that your mother had married your father for his money must have come as a bitter blow. Still, it had been good of his father not to say anything till Ben had turned twenty-one. That way, Ben had been able to grow up loving his mother who, though materialistic, had obviously been a good mother to him.

Despite that, Jess could just imagine how Ben had felt when his mother had admitted she’d trapped his father into marriage with a pregnancy and had never loved him. His money was what she’d loved. Yes, there were reasons for her materialism, but the bottom line was still not very nice. Her actions certainly wouldn’t have engendered faith in her son’s own relationships with the opposite sex. Given he would one day be as rich as his father, Ben would always be on the lookout for signs that his girlfriends were gold-diggers. Which was an awful way to have to live.

But it did also explain why Ben concentrated on sex when he was with a girl he liked. Sex was safe, especially the kind of sex he indulged in. Such goings-on kept his girlfriends at a distance, both physically and emotionally. Jess realised that the only time he’d had sex face to face with her had been when she’d been on top. But even then he’d adopted the role of voyeur rather than that of a loving partner.

‘Neither of your parents have married again,’ she remarked once they sat down to another pub lunch. Different pub but similar food. A steak sandwich and salad. ‘Why is that, do you think?’

Ben shrugged. ‘Mum always said she would marry again if she ever fell in love. But that’s unlikely to happen, given the type of man she usually dates—all young, handsome studs without much between their ears. Mum does like intelligence when she’s out of bed.’