This must be what it felt like to be in the eye of a hurricane. Everything was calm. Nothing was out of the ordinary. But in the blink of an eye, you knew that everything could change.

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 like 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 the
re was a fire burning with 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 escap
ed 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. H
e 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 hurricane hit me.

* * *

Two weeks earlier

“…You should have seen the look on his face. He had no idea what he was doing. He was scrambling around on his desk for his papers like a maniac. And then when he finally found what he was looking for, he looked back up at me with this big smile on his face.”

“
So, that’s when you knew you had him?”

“
Yeah… He smiled and I did the same. We made a deal right then and there. And when it was finally over, I let out the biggest sigh of relief I ever could. It was… exhilarating.”

“
But not until after the fact.”

“
Of course. You can’t talk about a brush with death unless you survive. And when you do, you can revel in it all you want.”

The four of us at the table all began to chuckle with one another. Even though I was the only woman at the table, I felt comfortable sittin
g with the rest of them. I had spent enough time with Wesley and Travis that they were like friends. And Rafael… Well, he was more than a friend at this point. Even if we were the only two who knew.

“
So, you negotiated that deal by yourself?” Wesley asked Rafael, his eyes full of curiosity.

“
I had to,” Rafael said. “Nobody would have taken me seriously if I didn’t. It was the first time since I was announced CEO of the company.”

“
And you came at him from a different angle,” Travis pointed out. “You said something that he didn’t think you were going to say.”

“
It left him scrambling,” Rafael replied. “When he saw my offer and the numbers I was forecasting, there was no way he could turn me down. That’s what it really comes down to. When you’re in business, you have to understand that everybody has to compromise. Some people are more willing than others. But you can only come to an agreement when both sides think that they’re going to win. Give them something that makes them feel like they’re winning. That will always be enough.”

My fellow interns soaked-up Rafael
’s words of wisdom. They nodded and smiled at him. He turned and winked at me and I began to chuckle.

“
Well, thank you for dinner again, Mr. Barnett,” Travis said to him. “ I really do appreciate this time out with you. Not just for the food but the insight, as well. I’m learning a lot.”

“
You can thank me by living-up to the expectations I have for all of you,” Rafael said to us. “I’m not just treating you out to dinner out of the goodness of my heart. I really want you to get something out of it. Even if it’s just being in my presence. You’re going to be dealing with a lot of people and a lot of money. You have to get comfortable. I can’t speak for all of them. You’ve seen that for yourselves. But just know that this is serious. Enjoy this now while you can.”

“
I’m just here for the food, to be honest with you,” Wesley joked. “This place is fancier than any place I could ever afford.”

“
Don’t worry,” Rafael replied. “This is all going on the company credit card. After all, this
is
a business meeting. Speaking of which, let’s leave all of that back at the office. There’s plenty of time to discuss business politics. For now, let’s just enjoy this food.”

“
I can agree to that,” Wesley said.

Wesley immediately began digging into the steak in front of him. The rest of us smiled and chuckled at him as he quickly lost himself in the gourmet dinner. I sat there silently enjoying my meal while the rest of them continued to discuss generally irrele
vant matters.

“
So, what do you have planned for this evening?” Rafael asked all of us. “It’s a Saturday night. You all must have something to do. The night is still young.”

“
Travis and I are probably going to head out to a bar,” Wesley said. “Maybe have a few beers and see if there are any ladies interested, you know?”

“
It’ll take more than a few beers for the ladies to be interested if you treat them anything like that steak you’re mishandling,” Travis pointed out to him.

“
Hey, some women like it rough. I can be delicate, too. And besides,
I’m
not the one comparing them to a piece of meat. I guarantee that I’ll be going home with a pretty lady tonight.”

“
Define pretty.”

“
Prettier than any woman you’d be able to bring back to your apartment.”

I laughed at Wes
ley and Travis’s bickering. The two of them spent so much time with one another that they weren’t afraid of being honest. Rafael had a look of amusement on his face as he turned and looked at me.

“
And what about you, Alice?” he asked me. “Do you have anything special planned for this evening?”

“
Me? I…”

They all turned and looked at me.

“No,” I shook my head. “I’m probably just going to stay in for the night.”

“
What?” Wesley said. “It’s a beautiful Saturday night. Why don’t you come out with us? I could use a judge for all of the women I’m picking up. You can come, too, Mr. Barnett. There’s no need for this evening to end after dinner.”

“
No, I think I’m just going to relax tonight,” I said. “It’s been a busy week. Maybe I’ll call one of my girlfriends to come over.”

“
Mr. Barnett?”

“
I think that Alice has the right idea,” Rafael said. “I’m a little too old to be hanging out with the younger crowd. But don’t let that stop you. You either, Alice.”

He stared at me with the tiniest smile on his lips. I jerked my he
ad in a different direction and brought my glass up to my mouth to cover my blushing face. I took a huge gulp of wine and washed down the rest of the food in my stomach.

“
After a meal like this, I don’t think I’ll be able to move,” I said. “But maybe next weekend we can do something.”

“
Hey, it’s your loss,” Wesley shrugged. “It looks like I’m going to be the only one that gets to see Travis make a fool of himself.”

While Wesley returned to his dinner, Travis sighed and rolled his eyes at his friend. Rafael
and I began laughing at the two of them. The brief moment of tension I felt with Rafael was gone and I once again became just a woman with three of her coworkers.

After dinner was over, the waiter returned and cleared our table of all of the plates. He tha
nked us for coming and then turned to Rafael.

“
Will any of your guests be having dessert, Mr. Barnett?”

Rafael turned and looked at all of us. Wesley and Travis refused. He then turned and locked his eyes upon me. I stared back at him and softly shook my h
ead.

“
No,” Rafael said to the waiter. “Nobody will be having dessert at this table tonight.”

“
Very good, sir,” the waiter replied. “I will be right back with the check.”

“
If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the bathroom,” Wesley said. “We’re heading right to the bar and I want to make sure I’m ready.”

“
You could have all the time in the world,” Travis said to him. “You would never be ready.”

“
Whatever.”

The two of them stood-up from the table and continued bickering as they headed toward the restroom. I was sitting there alone with Rafael at the table. I looked over at him, enjoying our moment together. As he began to smile at me, I bit my lip to avoid d
oing the same.

“
How was dinner?” he asked me.

“
It was very nice,” I said. “Thank you.”

“
That’s a nice dress you’re wearing. It looks good on you.”

“
Yeah,” I scoffed as I started to blush. “I’m glad you like it.”

He had every reason to like it. The same cred
it card he was using to pay for this dinner was the same card he used to pay for it. The black dress was small and tight but still comfortable. I was showing off a lot of skin but not in a way that made me feel exposed.

“
Elizabeth is quite talented,” I said as I complemented my seamstress. “She knows what looks good on me.”

“
And what about underneath?” he asked me. “Does it look equally good?”

“
It… looks even better.”

I smirked at him. I was used to feeling like this. Rafael had a way of forcing another sid
e out of me. The devilish grin on my face was becoming a familiar habit.

He didn
’t say anything more. He reached into the inside of his suit jacket and pulled something out. He laid it down on the table in front of me. I glanced at it for a moment before quickly taking it and placing it in my purse. I looked around to see if any of the other diners had noticed but they were too busy minding their own business.

Just as I finished stuffing the object into my purse, Wesley and Travis returned from the bathroom.

“So, Travis and I decided that we’re going to head out now,” Wesley said. “Mr. Barnett, thank you again for dinner.”

“
It was my pleasure, Wesley, Travis,” he nodded to the both of them. “I’ll see you both bright and early on Monday morning. I have an important announcement to make.”

“
Important announcement?” Wesley said.

“
Just be there on Monday, Wesley.”

BOOK: Pulse 2 (Pulse Series)

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