Page 54 of Resisting Her Playboy Boss

‘Pleasure,’ Ruben replied. ‘Thanks for the invitation.’

‘I’ve been watching what you’ve been doing for a while,’ Jack said. ‘Plus you’re all over that Australian Steffi Leigh blogger’s “List” this week.’

Yeah. Both Ellie and he had been hit on that one.

Conversation quickly turned serious. Jack wanted him in on a consortium he was putting together to construct a couple of elite boutique lodges in Australia. Ruben would oversee it. But he wanted to know why Jack wanted him involved.

‘You’re as driven as I am.’

‘For different reasons.’ They couldn’t have more different backgrounds.

A smile showed his acknowledgement of that. ‘You have the kind of focus that ensures success.’

He nodded slowly. Focus was everything. ‘And you insist on success.’

‘Absolutely.’

Yeah, this man was driven. Ruben understood, he had that insatiable pit in his belly—the fire that needed constant fuel. They might have wildly different histories, but that commonality was there. And this would be some job. It wouldn’t be days away, it would bemonths.It would be hours and hours of work. The kind of challenge Ruben relished.

‘I’d need total control,’ he said.

Jack sat back and smiled. ‘Naturally you would.’

Jack too was well used to getting what he wanted. He had that ruthless, business-first ambition. Was the kind of person who’d made sacrifices—because no one could have it all. Especially those who dreamed big.

‘I have the connections,’ Jack said. ‘You design it.’

But Ruben was struggling to concentrate and he’dneverhad trouble concentrating before. His work was everything to him. It had to be—for so long it had been all he’d had. No family, no friends, only wood and nails and garden had been the constants for him. He’d put his all into it and he’d reaped the benefits. As a kid it had been hard cultivating the ‘I don’t give a damn what you think’ mentality, but now that attitude was second nature. It had seen him take massive risks that had paid off.

But Ellie’s question circled—when would it be enough? Would it ever be enough? Or would the edge of dissatisfaction always be there?

He couldn’t afford to care what Ellie thought. It limited him. He’d start to need approval and he’d needed approval from no one for decades. But he wanted to know what she thought of this. Her doubts madehimdoubt himself.

He agreed to research the idea and get back to him. Engrossed in thought, he took a taxi from the hotel for the airport. For the first time Ruben felt his isolation keenly.

How could he feel lonely now?

He knew why and, damn it, he couldn’t afford to be thinking about Ellie all the time. Couldn’t afford to miss her. Couldn’t afford to need or the desire to talk to her. She took up all his spare brain space. Plus the space hedidn’thave spare.

He didn’t do relationships—not beyond superficial friendly or useful for business. None that required emotional investment. His business was his life. That was how he liked it and that was what made him happy. Thinking of her all the time wasnotmaking him happy.

He faced facts—it had to be over. He needed to cut her from his life so he could concentrate on what was most important to him. He’d tell her tonight, after the awards.

On a quiet Sunday morning, it could be only a twenty-minute drive to get to the airport, but in traffic like this it might be a good fifty minutes or more. His muscles clenched at the thought of seeing her again and having to say goodbye. He thought back on that conversation so late those few nights ago. The one that had turned him incandescent with rage and forced him into breaking the friendship boundary. His jaw clamped tighter but it was no use. He was powerless to resist, unable to block the constant dreams of her.

Starvation hadn’t killed the sexual attraction. Nor had that night of indulgence. He thought of her more and more. Every phone call he heard the sultry in her voice.

Seeing her would only worsen it. So what was the point of tormenting himself even more? The sooner she was expunged, the better. And wouldn’t seeing her once more only tempt him back into trouble?

The best idea would be for him to go to Australia as soon as possible and focus on that. Because what did she get from him really? He couldn’t believe she really needed his friendship. She had plenty of other friends and she was already expecting him to let her down. Her reaction when he told her about the meeting had shown that. And even if, for just a second, he let himself dream of being with her, he knew he couldn’t ask it of her. She loved her job. She was damn good at it. And it was completely incompatible with his. She didn’t need him distracting her or holding her back. She’d been in it only a few months and she was up for an award already. It was her calling. What she was best at, and what she adored. She was becoming as bad a workaholic as he was.

He frowned at that. She was tired with all these back to back tours. She needed a rest. In his most private dream he’d take her back to the hut and pin her there until she’d caught up on all the sleep she needed. He groaned at the agony. Because it wasn’t really sleep he was dreaming of.

And then he thought back to that call—the ‘it’s okay to meet someone else’ call. Wasn’t her staying ‘friends’ with him limiting her chances of meeting other people? Couldn’t there be some guy she’d meet who’d be so much better for her? Some other tour guide or someone who had more to offer her. It would happen soon enough. There’d be some charmer on her tour who’d tempt her. Who’d treat her the way she ought to be treated.

He didn’t want to be on the end of the phone when she told him about her new lover. Never.

He’d hurt Sarah with his unavailability. His ‘lack of support’ as she’d put it. Emotional—not financial, of course. He didn’t want to hurt Ellie. Not any more than he had to. There was no future for their friendship. It couldn’t ever work. It wasn’t workingnow.And he couldn’t bear the thought of feeling hurt himself. The sooner it was over, the better for the both of them.

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