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He’d left Kitt to spend the evening with Lionel, confident she wouldn’t fuck the nerd and hopefully would send him packing. Maybe it was conceit, but Rob thought his return was what Kitt needed to get her goals straight. And if he asked her to marry him and she did, he’d have to insist she quit Ace.
A job was in his future and—he hoped—a wife and kids.
Rob started the day off with a visit to Suzette. She was still in her robe, a silky blue concoction. And there were stars in her eyes. “Rob,” she purred as she waved him inside.
“How was your date last night?” As if I don’t know.
“Marvellous, darling. But, sweetie…” She motioned him to follow her into the kitchen where she poured them both coffees. “I’m sorry, but I have bad news. It will be easy with your cooking talent to find another—”
“Job? You’re firing me?” Rob should be glad but he was incredulous. He’d worried so about letting her down.
“Jay needs a job, and he and I are so compatible.”
“One night and…never mind. I wish you the best, Suzette. But be careful.”
“I’ll deposit two months’ pay in your account as severance, sweetie.”
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
“Wait, Rob. I wanted to set things straight with your girlfriend. So I phoned and told her there was never anything romantic between us. Now what do you say to that? I really wanted to do right by you.”
Kitt was deep in disbelief. Rob’s friend Suzette was his employer. He was a gigolo but Suzette assured her that there was no romance involved. Sex minus emotion? Was that what she meant? “He’s a horse’s patootie,” she told Sugar. “A kept man. Her man, Suzette called him. He was pool boy, cook, escort, chauffeur, masseur, personal shopper. You name it. Rob Harrison did everything but wipe Suzette’s ass. I hope he didn’t do that.
“Is the Corvette his? The condo? I can’t believe he’d stoop so low.”
“Calm down, Kitt,” Sug said. “I’m shocked too, but give the man a chance to explain.”
“Explain what? Actions speak louder than words. I thought he’d made something of himself.”
Sug was looking out the front window. “He just
pulled up out front in the Vette. I’ll disappear while you two talk. But take it easy on him, honey. Pulling himself up by the bootstraps was a long pull.”
She left and Kitt met him at the door. “Kitten.” Rob stood on the other side of the screen, his beautiful blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. “May I come in?”
Not too long ago, he’d fallen through this same front door and into her arms.
She nodded and he reached for her. “I’ll try to explain.”
She loved him. That was the hard part. And the good part. But she felt betrayed and hurt. She stepped back and he followed her to the couch where he’d made her come that first fateful night.
“I have another job. I went to Suzette’s to tell her I quit. And she let me go before I could. She’s hiring Jay Terewski.”
“Jason. His name is really Jason.” Kitt suddenly got it. “She’s hiring him to take your place?”
“I warned her he was a gold digger.”
“And now he’s a…gigolo.”
“Kitt Matthews, don’t you dare say or think that I was a gigolo. I got paid for what I did but there was never, ever sex or anything physical involved.”
“You promise?” She couldn’t help smiling. Maybe she should be angry but it must have been hard waiting on Ms. Hoity-Toity. “Why did you do it?”
“She offered me more money than I was making at Fruits of the Sea, and I wanted to afford a lifestyle that would impress the people who knew me as that rotten Harrison kid. But most of all I wanted to impress you. I’ve loved you forever, Kitten. I didn’t realise it for a while. All I knew was that you were constantly in my thoughts and dreams. I didn’t know what love was. I had never loved or been loved. All I knew was I had to return with something to show for my time away. Something to validate my efforts.”
Kitt put a finger to his lips. “You’ve loved me forever?” You love me now?
“More than I can say. The condo and car are mine. I mean, they’re in my name and I’m paying on both. But I don’t have any other debts and I’m getting this new job…”
