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‘Forget the damn coffee, woman!’ Jake threw back the covers on the bed, to all intents and purposes coming after her. ‘Come back here and get into bed.’
‘Why?’ Despite her resolution not to let herself down by crying, Caitlin knew her eyes were already filling with tears. ‘So that I can be even more reckless and stupid than I’ve been already?’
When he didn’t answer but instead shook his head, as if her outburst was totally incomprehensible, she flew out through the door without another word and headed determinedly for the bathroom.
CHAPTER NINE
I’M SORRY I DIDN’T talk to you a bit more about how I felt. Silently rehearsing the words, Caitlin wished she’d said them out loud to Jake before he’d abruptly left the flat that morning to go God only knew where.
He’d barely acknowledged her when he got up, and when he’d emerged from the bathroom he’d simply told her he was going out for a while and slammed the door. His cold manner had made her want to curl up into a little ball and disappear. Even as he’d moved towards the door Caitlin had wanted to plead with him to stay.
It was evident that she’d soured things by getting out of bed and declaring that they should come back down to earth and concentrate on the band. Even though it was the sensible thing to do, the right thing, she knew it wouldn’t make either of them happy. How could it, when the intensity of their lovemaking had clearly demonstrated how strong their attraction was? Would doing the right thing help them to deny it?
Weary with going over the same ground over and over again without resolution, she diverted her restless energy with undertaking a little light cleaning round the flat. Although it was obvious that the fashionably minimalist living quarters barely needed it, to Caitlin’s mind it was better to do something rather than sit there twiddling her thumbs and worrying herself sick about what had happened.
She would never regret their lovemaking. How could she ever regret revelling in the joy of being a woman, in the power of her body to give and receive such mind-blowing pleasure as she had done with Jake? Their brief union had stirred feelings and emotions long buried, and she couldn’t be angry about that. Not when her body still glowed and throbbed with the attention he’d given her.
And even if he hadn’t been motivated by love, the truth was…Caitlin had. There was no longer any point in denying it.
Locating a vacuum cleaner and duster, she cleaned the flat to within an inch of its life. When all the surfaces gleamed to her satisfaction, and the living room sang with the scent of beeswax, she opened the windows to allow fresh air to circulate. Then she went into the kitchen to make herself some toast and coffee.
Her appetite taken care of, she retreated to the living room to browse a lone copy of a glossy music magazine. Her attention was immediately caught by an interesting little snippet ringed in red. It was all about Jake.
What’s former music promoter and artist supremo Jake Sorenson up to these days? Rumour has it he’s gone back to his roots and is managing a tight little foursome called Blue Sky. After the lead songstress Marcie Wallace recently walked out, a little bird told yours truly that the search is on for a dazzling new diva to replace her.
All we know is that she’ll have to be pretty exceptional to meet Jake’s well-known exacting standards. Remember that this is the man who made his fortune bringing world-class bands Soft Rain and The Butterfly Net to prominence, then dropped out into self-imposed obscurity for five years after a vindictive exposé by his ex, Jodie Parks.
Knowing Mr Sorenson’s famed proclivity for discovering matchless talent, we’d seriously advise watching this space…
‘“Dazzling diva”? Are they serious?’
Chewing anxiously on the inside of her cheek, Caitlin dropped the magazine onto the small mahogany table as though she’d suddenly been burnt. Because the idea of her being a diva in any shape or form was preposterous.
She leant back into the cream-coloured futon and gathered a cushion close to try and absorb the shock and disbelief that rolled through her. Yes, she’d made a good start with the band—she’d dipped her toe in the water and got her feet wet, and the enthusiastic reception from the audience last night had been more, much more than she’d hoped for. But could she come up with the goods night after night for the next three weeks without letting herself and the others down?
