Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) (21 page)

But as I searched for a solution to my current dilemma, there was nothing. Having the weekend off only made my situation even more torturous. T
he clock was ticking. When I stepped into my office the following day, I knew that things would never be the same.

“
So, do you want to go out tonight?” Danica asked me.

“
Danica, I just told you that I care about this guy.”

“
But he’s your boss. You just said that this might be over. He might not even want to talk to you again. It couldn’t hurt to get a head start on searching for the next guy.”

“
I appreciate your optimism.”

“
I’m just repeating everything you said to me.”

Danica stared at me from across the t
able. She was the one person I knew I could confide in. Just having her here was more comfort than I could ask for. As she looked at me with that stupid little smirk she always had on her face, I laughed.

“
So, does that mean we’re going out tonight?” she asked.

“
No,” I said as I shook my head. “I still think I’ve found what I’ve been looking for.”

Chapter 21

I could feel the tension building up inside of my stomach as I prepared for work. It got even worse as I stepped into the elevator. I kept my head down and stared at the floor. I couldn’t make eye-contact with anybody. I didn’t know how fast word would spread but I knew that it would only be a matter of time before people would learn about my embarrassing moment.

There she is. There
’s the stupid girl who actually kissed her boss in front of everybody.

I didn
’t even get a chance to unpack my things when there was a knock on my office door.

“
Come in.”

The door opened and Estelle stepped inside. The redhead was the woman who first interv
iewed me for the job. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. At this point, I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

“
Hello, Alice,” she greeted me. “Do you have a moment?”

“
Of course. I just got in. Please, have a seat.”

“
I’m fine. This won’t take very long.”

“
Okay…”

“
I just received a message from Mr. Barnett. He’s having a meeting with the board of directors at the moment. He’s instructed me to tell you that your attendance isn’t mandatory.”

“
Not… mandatory? So, I can still go up there if I want to, right?”

“
I suppose I did say that. I’ll be frank with you, Alice. Mr. Barnett specifically told me to tell you not to come to the meeting.”

“
Did he give a reason?”

“
No. But he made it very clear to me. And now I’m making it clear to you.”

“…
I understand. Is there anything else?”

“
There is, actually. I’ve spoken to Tina and she’s cleared a spot in Mr. Barnett’s schedule for an appointment with you. He wants to speak with you after your shift is over at five.”

“
Okay.”

“
Until then, just fill out the reports like you’re used to. I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”

“
I do.”

I took a seat at my desk as Estelle turned around to leave my office. But before she did, she paused for a moment. She turned back aro
und and stared at me. I looked up at her and feared what else she was going to say to me.

“
By the way, Alice, how
was
Hawaii?”

“…
Great. Just… great.”

“
Hmm.”

She smiled at me then excused herself from my office. As soon as the door closed, I let out a deep
sigh. I was waiting for this moment. I knew there would be consequences. But I would have to wait until the end of the workday before I would finally get any answers.

I could only imagine what Rafael was going through at this point. A part of me was trying
to convince myself that it was business as usual. But I knew that something was wrong. He wouldn’t send Estelle to my office to deliver a message. And there was no indication as to why I was being excused from the meeting. I just assumed that they were talking about me.

I buried my head in my work as best I could. I organized all of the notes and numbers I had taken from all of the presentations at the conference so that I could prepare a report as soon as possible. But my mind was wandering. Never had I b
een so unfocused. It wasn’t just because of my feelings for Rafael. After being kicked out of the latest board meeting, I began to think that I was about to lose my job.

I jeopardized my career. Because of what? Some feelings that I can
’t even explain. I’m such an idiot…

My only consolation was that I was tucked away in my office for the rest of the day. I could wallow in my own shame without having to listen to someone else beat me up.

When the end of the day finally rolled around, I looked out of my office window and waited for everybody to clear out. There was no doubt that the rumors had made it through the entire building now. With everybody filing out for the day, I headed up toward Rafael’s office.

My heels clicked against the marble floor. Every step was like the ticking of a clock. It was the countdown to something ominous. And the timer was approaching zero.

I opened the door then closed it behind me. Rafael wasn’t at his desk like he usually was. The monitors with all of the numbers flying across them were shut off. The stacks of papers on his desk were non-existent. He stood next to his window, his hands behind his back. He stood there like a statue. I couldn’t even tell he was breathing until I moved closer to him.

I stood just in front of his desk and waited for him. His eyes remained locked on the view outside as he began telling me what I didn
’t want to hear.

“
The board is furious,” he said. “The shareholders are, too. I can’t blame them. They said it was an egregious error in judgment and a massive conflict of interest.”

He turned around but didn
’t look at me. Instead, he paced toward his desk with his eyes locked upon the ground.

“
Every executive in that room started talking after it happened. I didn’t say anything but the rumors and speculation were all true.

“
Mr. Barnett’s kid is fucking one of his board members. He’s hiring a woman and giving her control because her pussy fits tight around his cock. Rafael needs a woman under his desk to suck his dick while he’s negotiating his deals.

“
They said it all. It’s spiraling out of control and there’s no way to stop it. I’ve lost the respect of my peers and colleagues.

“
Every
man sleeps around. When you’re the CEO of a company, you can’t help but feel a little power. But they
never
get it confused with business. They
never
make decisions with their cock. And that’s what everybody thinks I did. And that’s what they think I’ll continue to do. They’re questioning everything I ever did. All because I hired an intern… and did something with her I shouldn’t have done.”

Rafael finally looked up at me. I could see the hurt in his eyes and I couldn
’t help but feel the same way. I felt ashamed. I was just as disappointed as he was. And I felt even worse because I had done this to him. It was my fault.

“
They’re investigating everything,” he said. “They’re going to look at the spending I’ve put on the company credit card. The outfits I bought you. The dinners I took you out to. The hotel suites I fucked you in. But it isn’t just the money. No, that’s not what they really care about. It all goes back to my error in judgment. I used company funds for my own personal entertainment. I mixed business… with pleasure.”

I swallowed nervously as I listene
d to all of the details. Every sentence felt like a nail driving through my skin. I knew I made a mistake. I just wanted it to be over.

Rafael collapsed onto his seat and let out a sigh. He tapped his fingers on his desk as he searched for what next to tel
l me.

“
The board of directors spoke to some of the shareholders. Based on their recommendations, they’re suggesting that I’m temporarily relieved of my position while they investigate the funds I’ve been spending. Mr. Martin Green, the man who took over for me while we were in Hawaii, will be conducting the meetings during my indefinite leave.”

Rafael laughed for a second then began shaking his head.

“I don’t even care about the meetings. Those things are tiresome. And I know that Martin won’t go overboard with them. They’ll start to get used to the way he does things. That’s what bothers me most about all this. He might not be better qualified but I
know
that there’s not a single person who works here that wants this company to succeed more than I do. And now I have to sit on the sidelines. Thankfully, that’s all they can do. I still have majority control. I have enough wealth to get through this. But it will take a long time to rebuild the trust I’ve gained over my career. Some people might not ever take me seriously ever again.”

Rafael propped one of his elbows up on the table then began scratching the back of his head. He loosened his tie and let out another sigh. When he looked back up at me, I could see all of the fatigue on his face. It was only Monday
but it looked like he usually did on a Friday after a long workweek.

“
You’re no longer a candidate for the board of directors, Alice. The same goes for Travis and Wesley. I’m the only one who backed an idea so radical. Everybody else thought I was insane to let someone with no experience attend those meetings. And now that I’m no longer in charge, my
radical
idea is no longer being implemented. You’re starting back at the bottom as interns in data entry. In 15 or 20 years, you might get another opportunity. Or you might get passed up by someone else. You have a lot of time to think about it.”

I
’d never felt worse about what I had done. Travis and Wesley were innocent bystanders. They did everything they were told to do. And now they were back at the entry level internship they were lucky enough to skip over. The only reason they had to stick around was because Barnett Industries was the biggest company in the city and there was a slim chance of getting back to where they were.

I already felt awful. But it wasn
’t until now did my feelings finally begin to boil over. I swallowed again to keep everything down but it was no use. My eyes glazed over. I quickly wiped the tear from my face as soon as it fell from the corner of one eye.

I
’m such an idiot. How could I be so stupid?

Rafael stood up from his seat then paced back toward the window. He looked out to the sky and lost himself in the clouds as the sun fell beyond the horizon.

“Do you remember when I told you about my parents?” he asked me. “Do you remember how I said that this view was one of the earliest memories I had? It felt like only yesterday… I was just a kid. My parents were still here. Then before I knew it, I was here. I was actually in charge of the company and doing a pretty decent job at it. And just like that, it’s gone.”

He snapped his fingers then turned back to me.

“And that’s how I know that everything will be all right. Because it happened so quickly. I don’t know how long it will take but I know that when I’m back in this office and back in charge of this company… I’ll look back on the time when they took it away from me and laugh because it only felt like yesterday.”

He slowly began making his way toward me. He took one step then stopped for a few seconds b
efore taking another. He looked down at his hands and smiled.

“
The board asked me why you did what you did, Alice. They asked if it were just an isolated incident. They asked if you were just some young naive little girl who let her emotions get the best of her. I asked them what would happen if that was the case and they said that you would be terminated.

“
But you and I both know that isn’t the truth. You did that because you felt something for me. And to let you take the fall for it would have been wrong.

“
Nearly every ounce of me is telling me that this is wrong. My brain was telling me not to hire you ever since I first laid eyes on you and it reminds me every single time I look at you. But here…”

He tapped himself on the chest a
s his voice began to crack. His throat shifted as if something was caught in it.

“
Right here, in my heart, I feel something for you. It’s something I’ve never felt before. What you did in Hawaii was completely embarrassing. I was mortified when it happened. But deep down, I wanted you to do it. I needed you to do it. It’s just like you said. I’m tired of hiding in hotel rooms and sneaking around back doors. I want to be free. And I want to be with you. Even though I’m losing control of the company for now, being with you… that’s a fair trade.”