Fresh Temptation: Barboza Brothers, Book One (11 page)

“Does it matter? It’s
true, isn’t it?”

He scoffed. “No. Not at
all. She and I’ve been over for a while now. We were probably over
way before I…Didn’t your mom say there was wine chilling in the
fridge?”

Cara was about to respond
when Victor stood and turned in the direction of the kitchen.
“Hey!” She followed him.

He was already turning on
the light in the kitchen when she caught up.

“What are you doing?” she
asked.

“Getting some wine. Patty
said to make myself at home. So, I’m making myself at home. I’ll
get the wine if you get the glasses. I don’t know where they
are.”

Cara rolled her eyes and
opened the cabinet to get one goblet. She set it on the counter
with a light
clink
.

Victor took the bottle
from the refrigerator. “I need a corkscrew.” He squinted at the
lone glass on the counter. “Where’s yours?”

“I don’t want
any.”

“Yeah, you do.” He reached
up to the cabinet where he saw Cara get the first goblet.
“Corkscrew, please.”

She groaned and found it
in a drawer. “I’m off the clock, you know. I don’t really have to
do what you say right now.”

“And yet, you are.” He
picked up the corkscrew, smiling.

“That’s only because
you’re my guest and I don’t wanna be rude.”

“You, rude?” He narrowed
one eye, his tone clearly sarcastic. “Never.”

She rolled her eyes and
looked away as he opened the bottle and poured them each a glass.
He handed one to her.

“For you,
senorita
,” he said.
“Drink up.”

Cara felt weak in the
knees when she heard the way
senorita
rolled so effortlessly from
his tongue. No man had ever addressed her like that. She took the
goblet and raised it to her lips, ready to drink.

“Oh wait.” He extended his
glass to hers. “We didn’t toast.”

She stopped. “What’s the
occasion? To what do we toast?”

Victor rubbed his jaw,
thinking. “Race cars.”

After a brief hesitation,
she laughed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Did I overstep my bounds with Isaac?”

She lowered the glass and
took a deep breath. “I don’t know…”

“Are you afraid to let him
get attached to me?”

Her brows knitted as she
tried to think of something to say. “Uh…”

“Is that what happened
with his dad? Did he leave you and Isaac?”

She gulped. “Not exactly.
Why are you asking me this? I don’t understand you at all. That’s a
very personal question and you barely even know me.”

Victor watched her eyes as
he took a slow sip of his wine. He knew he’d hit a sensitive part
of her past. “I have almost no memories of my own father. That’s
why I ask. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. Why do you
always look so anxious around me?”

Cara cocked her head to
the side. “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because my life’s been a roller
coaster since I met you? I get fired from one job and laid off from
another. Suddenly I’m working for you and I’m not even sure what
I’m supposed to be doing all day. Oh, and you pop up at my house,
give my son gifts, talk to my mom without me knowing about it.” Her
eyes were wide. “Why would a guy like you come all the way to
Newark to have dinner on a Friday night?”

“What? All the way to
Newark? It’s not that far.” His voice softened. “Has it occurred to
you that maybe I simply
like
you?”

She fidgeted, tucking her
hair behind her ear as her eyes wandered around the room. “No.
That’s not possible. I saw the kind of woman you date.”

Gently, he covered her
hand with his. “I don’t know what you heard, but she and I are
over. Completely over. And that’s all I’m going to say about
it.”

She wiggled her hand away.
“Well, something doesn’t make sense. Men like you are never
interested in women like me without having an agenda.”

“What’s that supposed to
mean? Why wouldn’t I be interested in a woman like you? You
shouldn’t be so down on yourself.”

“I’m not down on myself.
I’m realistic.”

He leaned down to her
until his face was inches from hers. “You know what? The only thing
I find unattractive about you is your attitude about yourself.” He
nudged Cara’s wine toward her. “Drink. Loosen up a
little.”

She glared up at him. “Why
should I?”

“Because I’d like to get
you drunk and have my way with you.” He laughed, knowing she had no
idea whether he was serious.

She wanted to be stubborn.
For a second she imagined throwing her wine in his face and telling
him to get lost. But a stronger desire quickly took over. One that
made her forget her desperate urge to resist him. With her eyes
firmly set on his, she brought the glass to her lips and tipped the
bottom of it to the ceiling.

“More?” he
asked.

Her voice was weak.
“Yes.”

Victor poured more wine
for her.

Cara drank the contents in
one swallow.

He smiled.
“Another?”

“No.” She plunked the
goblet down.

“Good.” Victor put his
hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his. “If you make me
wait any longer I think I may have to fire you.” And then he bent
down and covered her mouth with his. His tongue quickly parted her
lips and slipped in between.

She melted into his arms,
unable to control her reaction.

His hands went to her
hair, his fingers trailing through her soft tendrils until he felt
the weight of her breasts against him. He instantly pulled her
closer and kissed her harder. His hands slid down her back to lift
up her blouse.

She shuddered when she
felt the tips of his fingers digging against her body shaper like
he wanted to tear it off. But she was too mesmerized by his kiss to
be embarrassed. If he was put off by the extra weight she carried,
he didn’t show it. His urgent tongue fiercely licked the inside of
her lips as his hands worked even lower, slipping under her
waistband to the fleshy rise of her backside.

Damn it
, Cara thought.
If I’d known he
wanted me like this I wouldn’t have worn my shaper.

She forgot to resist him;
she forgot about analyzing his motives. Her body was alive, her
senses ignited by his longing for her. It didn’t matter where it
came from or how long it would last. She knew she’d be a fool not
to let him ravish her.

As her arms tightly
clutched his body she felt one of his hands drift up her back and
around her waist, then cupping her breast.

He pulled away from her
for a moment, only long enough for them each to take a breath. Cara
couldn’t stop her throat from letting out a deep moan. Victor’s
mouth instinctively went back to hers as his hands resumed their
exploration.

That’s when they heard the
sound of tiny footsteps enter the kitchen.

They pulled away from each
other with a gasp.

“Mommy.” Isaac frowned as
held his stomach. “Tummy.”

Cara’s eyes flashed
between Isaac and Victor, wondering what her son had seen. She ran
to Isaac. “You’re sick?”

Patty entered the kitchen.
“Isaac! Why didn’t you come to my room?” She looked at Cara. “I’m
so sorry. I should’ve run out of my bedroom the second I thought I
heard his door open. I’ll take care of him.” She glanced at Cara
with wide eyes, then took Isaac’s hand and led him out of the
kitchen.

Victor winced and mumbled,
“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Cara
said.

“No, it’s not.” He looked
outside the room to make sure Patty and Isaac were gone, then
walked to Cara. He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“I’m so sorry. I got carried away. I know this is weird for you.
I’m your boss and now I’m some creep who’s trying to seduce you in
your mom’s kitchen—”

“Please, it’s
fine—”

“No.” He pressed his palm
against the back of her head and whispered in her ear, “I can’t
believe I did that. You’re just so damn beautiful, I couldn’t hold
back anymore.”

“Oh.” She closed her eyes,
basking in the feel of his warm breath and his
compliment.

“I don’t know what to do
now.” He gave her a slow, wet kiss on the cheek before his lips
returned to her ear. “I should go. I’m sorry.”

Victor was already three
steps toward the door before she realized he had walked
away.

Cara’s eyes popped open
and she followed him in silence, her mind racing, too flustered to
think of anything to say.

When he reached the door
he simply opened it and gave her another kiss on the cheek, then
whispered, “See you Monday,” in her ear.

“See you Monday.” She
watched him walk to his car. They exchanged a smile and a wave
before he backed out of the driveway.

Cara closed the door and
made a beeline for the wine bottle in the kitchen.

On Monday morning, Cara
stayed in her car in the parking garage, in a deep phone call with
Marcy. “Now remember, if you go by the house don’t say a thing to
Mom.”

Marcy sighed.
“
I won’t. How many times do I have to tell
you?
”

“Good. She’s so nosy. I
swear, I gotta move outta that house.”

“Give her a break. She
only wants to see her daughter in a happy relationship for
once.
”

“It was just a little
making out. There’s no relationship.”

“Maybe not
yet…
” Marcy chuckled.

“I’m not in the mood for
this argument. I have a very awkward day ahead of me and I need to
stop procrastinating and go inside.”

“It’ll be fine. Just
follow his lead. If he acts like nothing happened on Friday night,
you go along and act like nothing happened. And if he comes to your
office and throws you down on the desk because he wants more, you
just—
”

“I’m too irritated to let
you finish that sentence.” Cara opened her car door and stepped
outside, holding the phone to her ear. “I gotta run. I’m already
late…” She stopped talking when she noticed a blue car with dark
tinted windows, parked near the elevator. “You ever have the
feeling you’re being watched?”

“Watched? By
who?
”

Cara squinted,
unsuccessfully trying to see through the windshield. She shook her
head and quickly looked away, concentrating her effort on getting
to the elevator as fast as possible. “Oh, nothing. I think I’m just
nervous and paranoid.”

“Calm down. Call me if
there’re any new developments. Your life’s way more interesting
than mine right now
.”

“Sure. But I wish mine was
a little
less
interesting. Bye.” Cara chuckled as she hung up the
phone.

A few minutes later, she
was relieved to find Victor’s office door closed and Gary nowhere
in sight. The clock in her office said 8:07. Hopefully nobody would
ever know she was a little late. She turned on her computer and was
just about to head to the break room for her first cup of coffee
when her office phone beeped and Victor’s voice sounded.

“Cara? You
there?
”

She gasped, then pressed
the intercom button. “Yes?”

His voice was urgent.
“
My office. Now.
”

Does he want to pick up
where we stopped on Friday night?
“I’ll be
right there.”

Cara stood and
straightened her skirt, then rushed to Victor’s office. Her heart
sank when she saw Gary perched attentively on a chair in front of
Victor’s desk.

Victor spoke aloud to who
Cara quickly realized was a client on speakerphone. His expression
was all business when his eyes made contact with Cara’s. He
gestured for her to take a seat beside Gary and went on with his
conversation, his hands folded atop his desk. “The exchange rate
won’t be a factor…” He smirked at Gary as he continued.

Gary smiled and wrote
frantically on a notepad.

Cara fidgeted in her seat.
She didn’t think to bring a notebook.
Was
I supposed to know about this meeting? Why does he want me
here?

It went on for a while
longer as Cara did her best to follow along. She quickly deduced
this was a call with a venture capitalist who was now hesitant
about an overseas investment. Victor, however, was charming and
kept his cool during the meeting, even making the anxious client
laugh a few times.

Gary nodded and
interjected answers when Victor deferred to him. But Victor never
asked Cara for input, confusing her more than ever. Victor showed
no emotion the few times he glanced her way.

Maybe he just wants to
watch me drool over him.
Cara struggled to
keep her eyes from lingering on Victor for long, but it was nearly
impossible. He was all she had thought about for days. Watching him
work his magic with a client made him even sexier.