In the Market for Love Read Online Free PDF Page A

that with a venomous bite so that now every interaction with her felt like a fist fight.
    Bianca was beautiful when they first met and when she’d fallen pregnant, he had to do the right thing by her and, more importantly, by his child.
    His son deserved a proper family and Jake was determined to give him that rather than have him suffer through a divorce as he had.
    That was the only reason he hadn’t divorced Bianca. He wanted his son’s life to be better than the one he’d had with a mother who was angry and slighted after her divorce and a father who was absent, busily building his fortune.
    The result was that Jake lived in limbo. Separated but not divorced, Bianca was still legally his wife and in fact they shared the same address. Jake and Connor lived in one wing of their house and Bianca in another so their son could feel they were still a family.
    N ow he had a meeting with Rachel on the Skin Plus campaign. It brought a smile to his face. Time to steer their relationship in a different direction.
    He opened the file on his desk and flicked through the Omega Pharmaceuticals Prospectus. The staff photos at the back of the document caught his eye. Rachel Williams, marketing manager. The picture didn’t capture her spark and personality but even laser printed in black and white, she looked breathtaking.
    Jake reached into his top drawer for the scissors, carefully cut the picture out, tossed the prospectus away and slipped the picture into his wallet behind a photo of Connor.
    Reduced to the actions of a lovesick teenager. Jake shook his head. He didn’t care.
    He slipped a gunmetal wool jacket over his white cotton shirt and left his office to collect Marcus on his way to the boardroom.
    *          *          *          *
    Rachel was admiring the stunning harbour views through the floor to ceiling windows of the agency boardroom when, at the far end of the room, Jake swung the oversized door open and ushered his colleague ahead of him.
    Marcus came bounding towards her. Over the weeks, she’d seen his flirtatious behaviour with Samantha and had come to accept his playful side without being judgemental. He may have been thirty-one years old but in many ways he was still a boy, looking for a good time.
    “Are you all on your lonesome back here?” Marcus’ voice sailed softly over Rachel’s shoulder.
    “I migh t be alone but I’m not lonely.”
    “Y ou’re not alone any more. Aren’t you lucky?”
    She laughed. “I guess I am. You’re in a bright mood today.”
    “So bright I might just sweep you off those lovely feet of yours.”
    He placed one hand on her waist and the other in hers as he lifted her hand and spun her around with the grace of an experienced dancer. Her hair flew into the air.
    He leaned closer to her. “I used to be a ballroom dancer. I bet you didn’t know that. Let me know if you’d like me to teach you a little tango.”
    Unable to take his flirting seriously, Rachel laughed. “If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”
    He brought Rachel’s hand to his mouth, gently kissing it in a gesture designed to appear chivalrous. She pulled her hand back. This was going a little too far.
    “I f you two are ready,” Jake said, “perhaps we can get on with the meeting.”
    His terseness reminded her of his arrogance at their first meeting. She thought he’d mellowed since then and had all but forgotten his initial behaviour and now it was all coming back to her.
    After they settled into their seats, Marcus ran through some of the concepts he’d produced for the campaign but it seemed to Rachel that Jake was thwarting her every suggestion.
    “I think Marcus is right and the third concept is the best one,” she said.
    “And why do you think Marcus is right?” Jake asked.
    She went on to explain her thoughts and, backed up by Samantha’s professional opinion, she believed they had a sound argument.
    “We’ll need to arrange a small presentation for my