Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) (19 page)

He slowly made his way toward me. My hea
rt thumped inside of my chest. I exhaled a deep breath and my body vibrated in anticipation.

Are you really going to do this, Alice?

It’s just one night…

But what about Rafael…

Rafael is with someone else… This won’t change things…

The thoughts raced throu
gh my head. The argument flashed before my eyes. I was torn. But with each step Dante took toward me, I found myself no longer trying to find reason.

He leaned in close to me. His face drifted toward mine. His hands fell upon my waist and he kissed me on t
he cheek.

“
Be with me tonight, Alice,” he whispered. “Just for tonight. We can enjoy ourselves and make a memory that lasts forever.”

Yes…
I want it… I want you…

The blood inside of me was burning. My stomach was twisting and turning in nervous anticipatio
n. I was losing myself to my own carnal desires.

I shut my eyes tight as his lips fell upon mine. Our kiss slowly became more and more passionate.

Is this what you want, Alice?

Yes…
It feels good…

And what about after?

I… don’t care…

Yes, you do…

Dante worked one of his hands up from my waist and across my stomach. I shuddered again from his touch and sighed into his mouth. His hand trailed up toward my breasts.

This isn
’t you, Alice…

I don
’t care…

He does…
Rafael…

He rubbed me through my bikini top. His touch felt so amazing. I was losing myself to my own desire. But somewhere deep inside of me, I was still fighting it. I wanted to stop kissing him but I couldn
’t.

Alice!

I reached my hands up and put them on his chest. I pulled my head from Dante and pushed him away. I opened my eyes and regained my senses. I was breathing quick and short breaths, trying to regain my composure. I was fighting a desire and frustration fueled by alcohol. When I looked up at Dante, there was confusion in his eyes.

“
Alice, what’s wrong?”

I shook my head. I could lose myself again at any moment. I put my hand up to keep him away. This isn
’t what I wanted. I was sure of it.

“
Alice?”

Dante was confused but he didn
’t make another move toward me. After finally composing myself, I sighed a deep breath then smiled at him.

“
I can’t,” I said.

“
It’s just one night, Alice.”

I exhaled another deep breath and shook my head again.

“The first night I was on the beach, I saw some of those college students we had dinner with tonight. They were drinking and partying and having a great time. I felt something the first time I was around them. And I felt it again tonight… I’m not one of them. I’m past that point in my life.”

“
What are you saying?”

“
I’m saying that if things were different, I would have no problem going further with you, Dante. But I’m not interested in a fling. I want something more.”

“
Who’s to say that we won’t have it? I can make time to see you—”

“
No,” I said as I shook my head at him. “I thought that I could do something with you and not care. But being with you made me realize that I already have something… with someone else. It might just be in my head. It might already be gone. But I’m going to do everything I can to keep it. That’s what I want, Dante. Not… this. I’m sorry…”

Dante placed his hands upon his hips. He looked to the side and let out a disappointed sigh. It was obvious that it wasn
’t what he wanted to hear. Even I was a little upset that I’d said it. But he pushed me as close to the edge as he possibly could and I didn’t jump. When Dante turned his head back to me, he had half of a smile on his face. He nodded his head then held his hand out to me.

“
Okay,” he said. “We don’t have to do anything. But you can at least celebrate with me and everybody else tonight. What do you say?”

“
All right,” I said as I exhaled a sigh of relief.

“
Come on. The party’s still going-on. They won’t even know we were gone.”

I smiled at him then took his hand. We laughed as we raced through the water and
in the sand back toward the luau. I enjoyed my last night in Hawaii among a crowd of excited people. It wasn’t what I expected but it was fun. And in the back of my mind, I thought about Rafael. Everything was nearly perfect. The only thing left was for him to do his part.

Chapter 19

After I finished packing my things, I took in one last view of the beach. I sat on the edge of my bed then looked out into the ocean. Just like every single day I’d been here, the surf and sand were full of life. There was no doubt that I was going to miss waking up to this every morning. But I knew that it was time to go back home. It was time to return to the life I was used to. And that’s what I wanted.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. The saltwater in the air fil
led my lungs and cleared my nostrils. I laughed as I thought about the smog I was returning to.

There was a knock at my door that I ignored.

“Alice, are you in there? It’s Wesley.”

“…
Yeah, I’m fine,” I shouted back to him.

“
We’ll be down at the closing reception. Make sure you give your luggage to the bellboy.”

“
I will. I’ll be down in just a few.”

I
’d been through so much this past week. The work was harder because I didn’t have the privacy of my office. I was the only representative for the company at times. They were depending on me. And despite the expectations, all I could think about was the people I met and the emotions I felt. When I got back home, I would have to sort out all of my feelings as well as my notes.

I took on
e last look in the mirror and straightened my suit. After handing all of my things to the bellboy, there was nothing left to do except say my final goodbyes to the conference.

I stepped inside of the ballroom and the atmosphere was a complete contrast to e
verything that happened on the beach just a few hours ago. The men and women in their suits were finishing their business and putting the final touches on their negotiations. It was a nice calm to have to deal with after everything I’d been through.

I grab
bed a cup of coffee to help with the lingering effects of the alcohol that was still in my system. Right as I took a sip, I felt someone standing right next to me.

“
I could use a cup myself,” he said.

I turned and saw Dante smiling down at me. I held the c
up out to him and he put his hand up.

“
That’s too much cream and sugar for me,” he said with a laugh. “I had a little more to drink than you did.”

“
Did you? I was too busy dancing to remember.”

“
Yes, I remember that. I was sitting off to the side and watching with a few other gentlemen. I told you that you had the body for it. I’m glad I got to see it.”

He winked at me and I shook my head as I began to blush.

“I’m
never
wearing that thing again,” I said.

“
You should consider it. I’m sure there’s some special man in your life who would appreciate it.”

Dante and I looked at one another. When I stared into his eyes, I could see how disappointed he was. I had led him on because I wasn
’t sure what I wanted. He was a better man than most though. I sighed at how well he was taking it.

“
If this was another time and we were in another place—”

“
I know,” he interrupted me. “Sometimes things happen in Hawaii. Sometimes they don’t.”

We remained staring at one another. As the grin crept onto his face, I couldn
’t help but smile back at him.

“
Did you have a good time, Alice?”

“
Yes. Yes, I did.”

“
I did, too. Maybe at the next conference…”

“
Who knows? But I appreciate you giving me the time.”

“
I’d rather spend a week with you on the beach doing nothing at all than be locked in a room with a bunch of stuffy old men twice my age.”

“
Same here.”

I nodded in agreement then looked around the room. I searched the crowd until I saw something catch my eye. Rafael was standing there in his suit talking to a group of executives. It made th
e blonde woman in the skirt and blouse standing next to him even more glaring.

I didn
’t know if he’d done anything with Cheryl last night. But I knew that it would hurt me if he did. I accepted that fact after denying Dante.

“
Does he know?”

“
What?” I said as I turned and looked at Dante.

“
Does he know?” he repeated himself. “How you feel?”

“
I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“
All I asked you for was one night. And you couldn’t even give me that. You can’t keep this up, Alice. If you have to hold your heart back, then what’s the point?”

I looked at Rafael and saw the smile on his face as he entertained the executives surrounding him. Cheryl seemed to be the most enthusiastic as she laughed and bared her perfect white teeth for everybody to see.

“Is it that obvious?” I asked.

“
Even a blind man could see it.”

I didn
’t know what to think or what to do. I knew that what Rafael and I had, whatever it was, would finally come to a head. But he refused to acknowledge it. Even when we were alone, he didn’t want to talk about it.

“
Don’t tell me I took a cold shower last night for no reason,” Dante said.

“
You took a cold shower?”

“
Well, I jumped into the ocean. But it’s almost the same thing.”

We laughed with one another. But it wasn
’t enough to deny the underlying tension I was feeling. I looked forward at Rafael and tried to sort my feelings out. It finally dawned upon me. I was just going to have to take matters into my own hands.

I finished my coffee then placed it on the table. I turned and looked at D
ante with a smile. I reached forward and gave him a big hug.

“
Thank you,” I whispered as my head pressed against his chest.

“
Don’t regret this.”

“
I won’t. I promise.”

I pulled away from Dante then smiled at him one last time. After that, I made a beeline s
traight toward Rafael. From the corner of my eye, I could see Wesley and Travis still captivated by another story from Harold. When I finally reached Rafael and his group, they all turned and looked at me. I exhaled a sharp deep breath and smiled at all of them.

“
Oh, Alice, I’m glad you’re here,” Rafael said. “Everybody, I want you to meet Alice Pratt. She’s one of my newest interns. And in a short while she’s going to be on my board of directors.”

“
An intern?” one of the men said incredulously. “And you’re putting her on the board?”

“
She’s the future,” Rafael said to him. “I assure you that she’s very capable.”

“
And just how old are you, Ms. Pratt?” the old man asked me.

“
She’s old enough,” Rafael said before I could answer. “That’s all you need to know. I assure you that Barnett Industries is in good hands.”

Despite his praise, Rafael
’s efforts didn’t have any effect on them. The old men looked at me skeptically. Some of them had a puzzled look on their face. I didn’t have anywhere near the experience they had. It was an easy argument to say that I wasn’t qualified for the position. But Rafael remained defiant and adamant about me.

While the men looked me up and down, Cheryl stood next to Rafael and examined me along with them. They
were all looking at me in a certain way. I felt more objectified in my suit than I did in my thong last night.

But I didn
’t care what any of them thought about me. I didn’t even care about Rafael’s opinion. I didn’t care about my job any more. Reason had gone out the window. I only cared about one thing. And there was only one way to get my point across.

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.