Heart Robber (Lifestyle by Design Book 2)
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Authors: Miranda P. Charles
Heart Robber
(Lifestyle By Design Book 2)
By Miranda P. Charles
Copyright
©
2012, 2013 Miranda P. Charles
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded or distributed in any form without the express permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, locations, organisations and events described in this novel are either products of the author's imagination, fictitious or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to any event, locale or person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Other Books by Miranda P. Charles
- coming soon
CHAPTER ONE
Jessa Allen was vaguely aware she was staring with undisguised interest at the most attractive man she had ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. But it was just that - vague. If someone shoved a mirror in front of her so she could see her dreamy eyes, dilated pupils and slightly open, almost drooling mouth, she would have blushed darker than beetroot red.
She wasn't the type to openly gawk at handsome men. She was more subtle and reserved than that. But this hunk with jet black hair and mischievous gray eyes that exuded masculinity affected her with unexpected potency. She hadn't even noticed that she'd stopped mingling with the other guests who attended Megan Carson's charity fund-raising event. From the moment they were introduced to each other by the host after dinner, she had been stuck to his side, unable to move a single step away from his magnetic force.
"In so many respects, I just got really lucky," Rob Granger said with a self-deprecating smile that pulled her attention to his lips. "I still remember the moment when I realised how quickly my business had grown. I got a big jolt. So I decided I better treat it more seriously. Anyway, enough about my business." Rob changed the subject. "It must be fun writing for a magazine as popular as
Lifestyle by Design
."
"Oh, it is," she answered distractedly. For the umpteenth time, she wondered what it would be like to be kissed by those full, sexy lips.
"If I wasn't running a marketing consultancy firm, you know what kind of work I'd love to have?" Rob asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"What?" She gave herself a mental shake and tried to focus on what was coming out of Rob's mouth instead of what it would feel like against hers.
"I was thinking it would be great to have a job where not only do I get to interview owners of top restaurants, tourism businesses and high-end professional services in Australia but I also get to sample their offerings so I could write about them. Imagine getting paid to do that." Rob paused as if he remembered something. "Oh, that's right. That's what
you
do," he teased.
She laughed. "I must admit I do have a great job. That's why when the opportunity arose I didn't hesitate to move from Melbourne here to Sydney."
"I read your article on David's on this month's edition of
Lifestyle
. Sounds like a great restaurant to try out."
"Yes, you really should go there one time. Their food's great."
"Maybe you and I can go."
Huh?
Jessa was momentarily speechless, unable to believe what she'd just heard. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"I said, maybe you and I can go have dinner at David's. Are you free, say, Tuesday?"
"Uh, yes, that would be great." She was thankful she was able to respond without showing the astonishment she felt. Men like Rob didn't look twice at someone like her.
She came to Megan's charity event to support a good cause, not to get a date, but she was definitely not complaining! To think that before tonight, she was feeling melancholy that she was still single, while her three closest friends had all found someone special. Then, the most gorgeous man at the function asked her out to dinner. Who would have thought?
"Rob! There you are!"
They both looked to see Megan approach them with a lady who looked to be in her early sixties.
"Sorry, are we interrupting something?" Megan asked.
"No, of course not," Jessa answered.
"I just want to introduce Rob to the lady from whom he bought the box of wine," Megan said with a big grin. "Rob, this is my future aunt-in-law, Bonnie Smithson. She donated that box of wine you won at the auction."
"It's great to meet you, Bonnie. Thank you for donating the wine. They're one of my favourites.
"Well, thank you for bidding for them, Rob. Just make sure you don't drink them all in one sitting," Bonnie said with a hearty laugh. "Now, I heard you run a successful business. How old are you?"
"Thirty-two."
Bonnie shook her head in awe. "So young." She proceeded to tell them the story of how she and her husband George almost went bankrupt twice while trying to build their business, just as Jessa's attention was caught by her friends Clarise and Faye motioning for her to come over to them.
She dragged her feet away from Rob to walk towards her friends.
"Hey, girls, what's up?"
When Jessa moved to Sydney to take up a senior writing and editing role at
Lifestyle by Design
magazine four years ago, she instantly bonded with her work colleague Clarise Carson and Faye Summers, Clarise's best friend. These two women plus Victor Michaels, the head graphic designer at the magazine, were now her best and dearest friends.
"You tell us, Jess," Faye said teasingly. "You seem to be busy with a certain someone tonight."
Her eyes lit up with wonder. "You wouldn't believe this, girls. I don't believe it myself. But that sexy man, Rob Granger, asked me out to dinner."
"Okay, before I say what I have to say, why are you so surprised?" Clarise asked with a hint of challenge in her voice.
"Clarise, I know you only have eyes for Will, but have you seen Rob?"
"Yes, and?"
"He's gorgeous!"
"Sure, and?" Clarise's impatience was obvious.
Jessa turned to Faye, who was looking at her with a censuring look. She shook her head at them fondly. "You know what I mean. Men like Rob, who look like they belong on the pages of a magazine, don't usually go for someone average like me."
Faye put her hands on her hips and Clarise folded her arms across her chest. Both glared at her.
"Okay, granted I'm not unpleasant to look at--maybe I'm even pretty to some people--but you have to admit I'm still quite average. In the looks department, I'm not in the league of women such as you two." She smiled at her stunning friends with a tinge of envy. They were truly hot. And so were their boyfriends.
Clarise and Faye stared at her like she was growing horns.
"Jessa Allen, are you kidding me? We obviously still have a lot of work to do with your self-esteem issue!" Faye said incredulously.
"Hey, I'm just stating a fact. The last two guys I went out with were blind dates introduced by Aunt Evelyn. I hardly ever get asked out. So when a seriously gorgeous guy asks
me
out, I'm shocked. Thrilled, but shocked."
Clarise shook her head in disbelief and exchanged a look with Faye. "We need to do the JAB again. I'll get Victor." Faye nodded gravely.
Jessa sighed, resigned to what was about to happen. She watched as Clarise walked towards the bar area where Victor was chatting with a group of people. Before Clarise got to Victor, her boyfriend, Will Matthews, stopped her for a quick kiss and a hug. His reluctance at letting her go was obvious. He watched her longingly until she reached Victor before going back to his friends.
Jessa felt a certain sadness mixed with envy envelop her. She wanted that, too - wanted someone to love and look at her like that, like she was the only woman in the world.
At twenty-eight she had had two boyfriends. They were nice enough, but the relationships she had with them didn't have much passion. It didn't take long for the little spark that was there to die down. There was nothing to fan it to flames.
When Clarise came back with Victor, Faye dragged them all inside the house and into the quiet living room, away from the party going on outside in the manicured gardens of Megan's future parents-in-law.
Jessa's palms started to sweat. She knew her friends meant well. It got irritating sometimes but she loved them for it. But they hadn't been and wouldn't be able to convince her that she was as much of a man-magnet as they were.
Her life story had proven that to her. She was always surrounded by people more attractive and vibrant than she was. She had learnt to accept she would never command attention like her younger sister did, or her school friend Iris, or her previous flatmate Anna, or her three best friends, who were now ready to put her through another round of JAB - the Jessa Allen Booster. They believed she had low self-esteem issues when it came to men and relationships. Well, sure, she probably did. But for good reasons.
"Won't Megan mind that we're in here when she has a function going on outside?" she worried.
"I could call my sister right now and she would be happy to join us for the JAB," Clarise said, knowing Megan wouldn't mind at all. "The charity auction is finished. Everyone's in party mode now."
Jessa took a deep breath. "Okay, then."
"Why don't we do it differently this time? I'd like to try something different." Faye had a determined look about her that she often had when she was ready to whip someone's ass with her words.
"Sure," Clarise and Victor responded readily, while Jessa winced.
Faye was a lovely person with a sharp tongue that could cut you with its honesty. She would tell you what you needed to know, not what you wanted to hear. As a senior career consultant at one of Australia's leading career consulting firms, this trait had been very effective and beneficial to her clients.
"Don't worry, Jess. I'm not going to bite you. I just want you to answer me this," Faye said in a quiet voice that demanded a no-bullshit answer. "Why do you think you're so average that it was such a surprise to you Rob asked you out to dinner?"
"Why?" Jessa repeated with a surprised look. This wasn't the usual Jessa Allen Booster. The JAB typically had her friends taking turns telling her where they thought she was beautiful and attractive to the point that she got embarrassed enough she would pretend to agree with them so they would stop. Now Faye wanted her to talk about the ugly truth? Okay, not so ugly but definitely not so beautiful, either.
"Yes. Why, Jessa?"
"Well … because men as good-looking as Rob tend to be attracted to women who are as attractive as they are. You know--the model types."
"And apart from your height, which is admittedly a little too short for the runway, why do you think you're not attractive enough to be a model?"
She snorted at Faye's reference to her height. Whichever way you looked at it - five foot three or one hundred sixty centimetres - she undeniably didn't have a model's height.
"I need an answer, Jess."
"I don't look like one."
"And why is that?"
"Why don't I look like a model?"
"Yeah."
"What do you mean? I just don't look like one."
"So tell me exactly why you don't look like a model, Jessa."
Jessa turned to Clarise and Victor for a bit of help but they appeared riveted at the conversation going on between her and Faye. They were content to let Faye run this the way she wanted. She couldn't blame them. Faye had helped them work on some of their issues just by being blunt, direct and relentless.