Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) (20 page)

Everybody minded their own business. They chatted and mingled, spouting their mindless drivel to socialize with one another about money and finances and other redundant details that were too boring to mention. There wasn’t a single exception. People working one another in an attempt to fulfill their ulterior motive.

I felt li
ke I was the center of attention. They weren’t looking at me but I knew that they could feel my presence. I was standing there and drawing their eyes toward me.

It had finally come to this. I couldn
’t take it any longer. If I were going to do something about it, now was the time to do it. I knew that I wasn’t thinking straight but the voice of reason in my head wasn’t loud enough for me to hear it. My body was in control and I couldn’t hold back.

I looked into his eyes and saw the concern in them. His deep
brown eyes were smoldering. I could swear there was a fire burning within them. A fire so red that it looked like it was telling me to stop. I’d had enough though and I was putting my foot on the gas.

My heart pounded so loud that I could hear it throbbing
against my ear drums. Slow, deep breaths escaped from between my lips. The chatter around me turned into a numb, white noise that I barely knew was there. I felt like I was alone with Rafael in the middle of the room.

Without thinking about it any longer,
I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. He held his face to mine for only a moment before we both pulled away. It was just for a second but that was more than enough.

I stared into his eyes once again and suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the hurrica
ne hit me.

Rafael clenched his jaw. He stared back at me with an intensity I
’d never witnessed before. I could feel his entire body shaking. I was bracing myself for anything.

The people surrounding me let out a collective gasp. The sound from inside the r
eception slowly returned to me. I was no longer numb to everything. It was like recovering from a temporary moment of insanity. I turned my head to the left and right and saw everybody staring at me.

The old men who were just examining were surprised. Some
of them shook their heads in disappointment. Others laughed in amusement.

“
Getting in bed with the help,” one man muttered. “It’s good to see that Rafael isn’t above mixing business with pleasure.”

But there were few who were amused. The look on Cheryl
’s face was a combination of shock and disappointment. I guess she wasn’t as perceptive about Rafael and I as everyone else.

I backed away from Rafael and could still feel everybody
’s eyes upon me. Wesley and Travis stared at me as if I’d just committed a crime. On the other side of the room, Dante stood there and calmly waited for what was next.

I didn
’t know what to do or what to think. I just knew that I had to do something. I had told Rafael that I couldn’t take it any more and now that I’d done it in front of everybody, he would have no choice but to respond. But instead of an immediate response, he quickly regained the composure he’d lost. He straightened his tie and then stood up straight.

“
Well,” he said as he cleared his throat. “It would seem that Ms. Pratt and I have some business to discuss.”

“
Indeed, you do,” one of the old men said. “But I’m concerned, Rafael. If what I’m assuming is correct, I’m a little weary about a man who would hire—”

“
A valuable asset to the company,” Rafael interrupted him. “A woman with a remarkable resume and a bright future.”

“
Because of you, no doubt.”

“
Ms Pratt, if you’ll excuse us,” Rafael said to me. “We’ll discuss this at another time. For now, let me assure you, gentlemen, that Barnett Industries is in good hands. I make every effort…”

Rafael was doing everything he could to draw the attention away from what just happened. I backed away from the group and made my way back toward the table where the complementary breakfast was being served. I looked down at all of the
food but none of it was enough to distract me.

“
Hey, Alice,” Wesley said as he suddenly appeared next to me. “You should probably fill up. This is the last meal we get before we head back home.”

“
I’m… not very hungry.”

“
Yeah… but this is probably the last meal you’re going to have in Hawaii. At least, until the next conference.”

I looked up from the table out the window. The view hadn
’t changed. We were still just a few meters away from the beach. It looked like paradise out there. I didn’t want to leave. But not because it was so beautiful. I was dreading having to face the consequences of what I’d just done.

“
I don’t know,” I sighed. “Something tells me I’m not going to next conference.”

Chapter 20

Rafael didn’t say another word to me after the reception. I wanted to talk to him but whenever I looked at him, it was obvious that now wasn’t the time.

As I sat there on the private jet back home, I looked out the window and lost myself in the waves of the Pacific. O
n the other side of the cabin, Rafael secluded himself like usual and buried his head in a stack of papers.

“
Are you all right?” Wesley asked me.

I didn
’t respond. The words went in one ear and out the other. All I could think about was what I just did. At the time, it felt like the right thing to do. Now I was thinking that it was the biggest mistake of my life. I’d embarrassed my boss in front of his colleagues because of a crush. I let my feelings get the best of me. I was ashamed.

“
Alice?”

I turned to W
esley. He and Travis both looked at me with friendly smiles on their faces. I knew that they wouldn’t judge me. They were here with me since the beginning. I sighed then smiled back at the both of them.

“
I’m fine,” I said. “I just… I’m not really in the mood to talk right now.”

“
You know, we’re not those executives,” Wesley said. “We’re interns. We’re just like you. We all make mistakes.”

It wasn
’t a mistake.

I wanted to disagree with Wesley right there but I didn
’t have any evidence to back it up. I felt like a fool.

“
It was obvious,” Travis said.

“
What?” I exclaimed.

“
You and Mr. Barnett.”

“
Was it?”

“
Wesley and I were at those dinners, too. I saw the way he looked at you. The way you two interacted. Anybody who spent enough time around the two of you would have realized it. It didn’t take me very long to figure it out. I mean, I had to explain it to Wesley but you know how slow he is.”

“
Hey!”

I giggled softly at Wesley
’s objection. Hearing Travis explain what he saw made things seem a little easier. If it were that obvious on the surface, it was glad that I got it out of the way. Of course, there was probably a better way to admit to Rafael that I had feelings for him. Kissing him in front of his colleagues and trying to embarrass him.

“
It doesn’t mean much but we’ve got your back,” Travis said. “It doesn’t really make any difference to us. Wesley and I both know that you’re here because you’re qualified and not because… you know.”

“
I don’t know,” I said. “I think our boss is the only one who really knows for sure.”

“
More importantly, nothing is going to happen,” Wesley chimed in. “So, you two have a thing? So what? Who cares? Business has been booming for this company ever since Rafael took over. Things aren’t going to change.”

“
Perhaps,” Travis said. “That would be the rational explanation. But other corporations… other executives… the board of directors… We’re talking about men. And every man is capable of being irrational from time to time. They can make this a bigger deal than it actually is if they want to.”

“
Nothing is going to happen,” Wesley tried to reassure me. “Whatever happens outside of the office doesn’t matter.”

“
He has a reputation, Wesley. People will make judgments. Whether or not that’s fair doesn’t matter.”

I looked over at Rafael and saw the concentration on his face. He rubbed his temple with his index finger as he scribbled on his paper with his other hand. I could see the frustration on his face even from all the way across the cabin. I knew that
what I did would have consequences. But it would take a long time to see what they were.

“
I’m going to miss Hawaii,” Wesley sighed as he stared out the window.

“
Not as much as I am,” I replied.

* * *

“
That’s
your boss?”

“
Shh!”

I put my index finger up to my lips to try and quiet my best friend down. She raised her voice high enough that a few people in the cafe turned and looked at us. I smiled at all of them and they all returned their attention back to their books and laptops.

Danica examined the clipping I had taken from a magazine. It was an old article about executives in the city. Rafael was one of the people featured. There were photos of him along with a brief interview. While my friend stared at the images, I sipped on my latte and thought about the consequences that were still coming. I felt like a criminal waiting to hear the jury’s verdict.

“
You’re fucking this guy?” Danica whispered.

“
Alice!”

“
What? There’s nothing to be ashamed of. He’s hot. And it says here that he’s worth billions. That’s never a bad thing.”

“
Danica, when have I ever cared about money when it came to guys?”

“
This is different. I could understand hooking up with some guy and not caring about how much he made or what he did for a living. But you can’t tell me that you don’t care about how much money a guy makes when you’re actually trying to be with him.”

“
Well, I don’t.”

Danica scoffed at me as I lowered my latte back down onto the table.

“What?” I said to her. “What’s so funny?”

“
You know damn well that every woman in the city would be throwing themselves at this guy if they saw him walking down the street.”

“
Maybe they would. But I’m not every woman.”

“
So, why are you throwing yourself at him then? Just how big is his cock?”

“
I already told you that. It’s big enough. But it’s not because of that. Or what he looks like…”

Danica raised an eyebrow at me and I started chuckling.

“Okay, that has something to do with it,” I said. “But I’ve been with good-looking men before. Rafael is different.”

“
Yeah. He’s a billionaire.”

“
No. It’s not that. We… have a connection. He’s different from everybody else. I feel so comfortable when I’m around him. He’s so charming. He’s intelligent. It’s like he knows exactly what to say whenever I’m talking to him. And…”

“
And what?”

“
He’s… I just
get
him.”

“
What?” Danica scoffed again. “What does that mean?”

“
I know what makes him tick. I… I can’t explain it.”

I let out a frustrated sigh as I failed to get through to my friend again. I could only imagine what it sounded like. It was as if my feelings for him were just based on a hunch. It was no better than a crush. But I knew it was more than that. I could jus
t feel it in my body.

“
I met someone when I was out there in Hawaii,” I said. “You should have seen him. He was tall, charming, intelligent, handsome, everything you could think of. His body was perfect. He was a doctor.”

“
Oh yeah? Did you do anything with him?”

“
Almost. But I stopped myself.”

“
Then he’s probably not as good-looking as you’re telling me he was.”

“
No, Danica. He was. That’s my point. I stopped because of… because of my boss.”

“
Yeah, I know. You kissed your boss in front of a bunch of rich people and embarrassed him. You told me that part already.”

“
Yeah…”

“
So, now what?”

“
I don’t know.”

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. I ran my fingers back through my hair then massaged the back of my neck. It was the weekend and I didn
’t have to be back at work until the following Monday. The last thing I needed was to be back in the office and have Rafael avoid me.