Insatiable (7 page)

“Look at me, Drake.”

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Nolan stood inside the doorway watching.

“
Querdio
,
te
amo
,” I said softly while my thumb ran over his left hand. “I didn’t take that money. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I can assure you it wasn’t me. I would never steal from
you!
”

Our gaze met for a moment, and I know he could see the love in my eyes. Then he released my hand.

“I can’t
trust
you, Bella. This isn’t just between us. You’re messing with my business now.”

“Drake—”

“Mr. Nolan, do your job!” Drake snapped. He stood and walked out of his office.

I’d just admitted to Drake that I loved him in Spanish, and it didn’t
matter.

Ms. Phillips gave me a smug, triumphant grin as Mr. Nolan led me to my office, where I quickly threw all of my personal things into a box. I was so humiliated by this. I couldn’t look any of my friends in the eyes, including Elaina, when I marched out of Hart Enterprises. I held my head high and stood firm in my beliefs. I certainly didn’t steal from my man.

Drake’s lack of faith in me hurt more.

That evening, Elaina called me, but I was too upset to speak to her. I cried myself to sleep that night, but my anger really set in the next morning. How could he terminate me without an investigation? I knew if he checked Ms. Phillips’ bank account, the money would have been found there. The last couple of weeks with Drake had meant nothing to him, if he could so easily dismiss me.

§

Elaina arrived at my apartment Friday evening after work, and I told her everything. She was shocked to discover I’d slept with Drake, but envious.

“You were in his home—in his bed—and had an up close and personal tour of his body? How is he…as a lover?” Elaina questioned. Her eyes grew big and shimmered with excitement.

“He is breathtaking and magnificent in the bed. The many positions and ways we did it. I’m a
virgin
compared to that man. Oh… and he speaks Spanish— fluently,” I bragged.

“I’ve heard Mr. Hart speaking Spanish to a client once. He speaks it well, and it sounds sexy on his tongue.”

“Elaina, I fell in love with Drake—really in love.
And now
this
.”

“You know, I bet Ms. High and
Mighty
is behind
all
of this,” Elaina declared after she heard all of the facts.

We sat in my kitchen. I opened a bottle of Tequila, and mixed us a batch of Mango Margaritas, and soon we were well on our way to getting drunk.

“I believe
it’s
Ms. Phillips as well. I accused her of it, in Drake’s office,” I added, munching on a bag of pretzels. I hadn’t eaten anything today, and I already felt a buzz from the Margaritas.

“Let me do some digging at the office. She can’t get away with this, Bella.”

“No, I want you to stay out of this.”

“I could recruit Helena and get the juice on Ms. Teresa Phillips. You know she wants to get into your Drake’s pants.”

“He’s not
my
Drake.”

“Bella, you have to fight for your man!”

“
My
man accused me of stealing from him.”

“I know; but if he
really
believed you had stolen the money he would’ve had you arrested.”

“He humiliated me in front of everyone in the company.”

“You still love him though, Bella,” Elaina said, as she sat her glass on the cocktail table.

“Right now, I don’t know
how
I feel about him.”

“Give it some time.”

“Are you going to start
jobhunting
?”

“I’m thinking about going to visit my parents for a week, and then come back home to weigh my options. I’ll polish up my resume and begin again.”

“Yes, a getaway is just what you need to clear your mind.” Elaina started to giggle.

“What is so funny?”

“Ms. Phillips wanting to get into the boss’s pants, and
you
, a junior accountant, managed to get in his bed.”

“It was sweet for the time we had. I miss him already, Elaina. I know I’m drunk. Did you just hear me say I miss Drake after what he did to me?”

Elaina was giggling again; alcohol did that to her. We were both not really drinkers, but we finished off the Margaritas and I mixed up another batch.

Much later, inebriated, we ordered pizza and fell asleep on my sofa as we watched
Obsessed.
Before I closed my eyes, I wondered if Ms. Phillips was so deep into Drake that she would ruin my life. I wondered if she’d gotten wind of our affair.

Chapter Eight

My one-week stay with my parents turned into a month. Being surrounded by their love and good home cooking made me feel like a little girl again, but one who came home to lick her wombs. I shared what was going on in my life, with my mother. She convinced me that a man who didn’t believe in me wasn’t worth having in my life.

My parents tried to convince me to move to Detroit with them. I could look for employment and start over, but I couldn’t leave Drake just yet. A part of me was praying the truth would be revealed, and he would come knocking at my door begging for my forgiveness.

Not in this lifetime, girl!

Drake was a millionaire, and he wouldn’t fall in love or marry someone who works for him, I convinced myself.
You’ve read too many romance books, and it’s time to realize sometimes dreams don’t come true.

§

I returned home a week before Christmas. My flight was uneventful. It was amazing what spending time with my parents did for me. The love my parents shared was the kind of love I wanted in
my
lifetime: unconditional love, respect, and a commitment between two adults.

I started to unpack my goodies. My mom and dad loaded me up with food, which I stacked in my freezer when my telephone rang.

“Bella, why did you turn off your cell phone? I’ve been calling you for weeks.”

“I needed to cut my expenses since I’m unemployed. What’s up,
gurl
?”

“The shit has hit the fan. That bitch, Ms. Phillips got caught in her own game. It was in the newspaper. Let me read to you what it said:
‘
HART ENTERPRISES, SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, MS. PHILLIPS, HAS BEEN EMBEZZLING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS,
AND
A PREVIOUS ANONYMOUS EMPLOYEE WAS TERMINATED FOR STEALING THE MONEY.’”

“What?” I sat down. My legs felt unsteady upon hearing this news.

“Drake has confirmation that you didn’t steal the money. He called me into his office and asked a lot of questions about you.”

“No shit.”

The ringing of her doorbell blocked out Elaina’s next words.

“There is someone at my door, Elaina. I’ll call you back.”

I ran to the door, wondering who would be ringing my doorbell at ten o’clock at night.

Drake stood at my apartment door with a dozen red roses in his hands. I debated whether to let him inside. My head told me not to let him in; and my heart skipped, then started to race. Drake was in my every dream, and my every waking thought. I decided to allow him in to explain.

I opened the door, and he stepped inside my humble home.

“I received your card, Bella,” Drake said, and pulled it out. “It read, and I quote,
‘
To
another insatiable weekend of sex—I love you, Drake.’
What I loved most was that love symbol on the back of the card. I’m
ready
for that weekend, or we could go away just the two of us? No—business—no computers, no cell phones, and no emails. No distractions; just us.”

“That invitation expired over a month ago, Mr. Hart!”

No, I’m sorry. I should’ve believed you, Bella. He walked into my apartment as if he hadn’t hurt me deeply. We were lovers; then he dropped me like I was a criminal.

“Bella, sweetheart.”
He gave me that wicked smile of his—the one where I would willingly open my legs and let him back into my body.

“
Idiota
!
Tonto!
I don’t give a fuck what you want. Get out, Drake!” I stood before him with my hands on my hips, highly pissed off.

“Love, I agree I’m an idiot and a fool at times. You have every
right
to be furious with me, but let’s channel this passion in the bedroom. Where’s your bedroom, by the way? We have never made love in your home,” he smoothly added, taking a quick look at my living room. “I like the feel of this room—homey, warm and cozy. I like to see your bedroom.”

Livid, I picked up my favorite Oriental vase and threw it at Drake.

He ducked in time. My aim was so accurate that it shattered into a million pieces against my living room wall—along with the roses now scattered into petals—broken like the vase.

“
Te
amo
,
” he crooned after ducking. The vase missed him by a hair’s
breath
and marring his handsome face.

I countered, “You love me? You physically had me removed from your office and company!”

“I know. I will be apologizing to you for the
rest
of our lives, sweetheart.”

“Get out!” My Latina blood ran hot.

“You read the newspapers. Hart Enterprises and Ms. Phillips made front-page news. When you told me you didn’t take that money, and you admitted you loved me, I should’ve followed my heart. I later hired a P I to investigate your claim. The missing money was indeed in Ms. Phillip’s account. She wasn’t a smart criminal by placing the money where my investigator could easily track it. She claimed to love me, and that she did it to save up for our future. Granted, we had lunch a few times but that was all business. The woman was disillusioned. I had no idea she thought she was in love with me.”

“What newspaper? I’ve been in Detroit for a month visiting with my parents. And why would any woman think they were in love with such an asshole,” I played ignorant as if Elaina hadn’t already given me the 4-1-1.

“I’m an asshole! I’ll admit. Everything came to a head two weeks ago, and I couldn’t reach you. You turned off your cell phone. I made a mess of things, Bella. I love you, and I’ll
never
distrust you ever again.”

“
Bastardo
!”

He chuckled.
“Bastard.
Now you know I have two parents! If you give me the chance to make this up to you, I’ll introduce you to them.”

“I don’t want to meet them.”

Drake grabbed me by the waist and kissed me. Soon, I was drowning in the man, in the taste and feel of him of his tongue stirring me up. He lifted me into his arms and carried me into my bedroom. After kicking the ajar door, he gently
lay
me in the center of my bed. He removed his shirt, dropped his jeans and shorts, and eased in besides me.

“Bella, I’ve missed you.” He pushed up my shirt and buried his face in my breasts. “You smell so good, feel so good. I missed being with you like this.”