Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) (6 page)

“How about you?” I asked him. “Have you ever been to Hawaii before?”

“
Only a few times,” he said. “But never Maui. My visits were to the other islands.”

“
And were those other visits business trips, as well?”

He didn
’t respond to my question at first. Instead, he remained staring out of the window at the endless blue ocean.

“
Is there any other reason I would be heading out to Hawaii, Alice?”

“
I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Maybe on vacation. With your family or… someone special, maybe…”

“…
No. Just business. I’ve never been out here with anybody close to me.”

“
But you did have a good time when you were here before, right?”

“
I did. I got a lot of work done. I networked with a lot of people. Some people I still keep in-touch with and do business with to this day.”

I nodded, resigned to the fact that Rafael wasn
’t going to divulge any personal details. We couldn’t talk about anything besides business at this point but I still figured I would try. I looked to the side and Wesley and Travis were still busy admiring the view. I wanted to tell Rafael that I was excited about the opportunity to spend more time with him outside of the office but even I knew that now wasn’t the time.

“
So, what’s on the agenda?” I asked.

“
The agenda… Let me see… First, we’ll check-in, of course. Then there will be a social mixer tonight before everything starts.”

“
Mixer?”

“
We’re all here for the same reason but first everybody gets a chance to meet each other. Millionaires and billionaires and executives galore. Not unlike the dinner party you attended with the shareholders before.”

“
Sounds like fun.”

“
It can be.”

“
What about after?”

“
After?”

“
I mean, we’re not just here to mingle. What else is there going to be?”

“
There are a couple of workshops I want you and the other interns to attend. Your schedule will be set-up.”

“
What kind of workshops?”

“
Business negotiations. Dealing with people like me. It’ll be like going to school again.”

“
I can hardly contain myself.”

I dreaded the thought of sitting inside of a room while everybody else was enjoying their vacation on the sandy beaches just outside. But I reminded myself that it was the price I had to pay for an all-expenses paid trip to a
tropical paradise.

“
Besides that, there will be a few presentations from some companies,” he said. “They’ll be looking for some type of funding. This is a chance to look at everything you’ve been studying up close for yourself. There’s more to business than just numbers and figures. Then when we get back to the office, you can present your findings to the board. I
do
expect you to start working on a report as soon as we get back.”

“
I understand…”

“
Good.”

Rafael
’s gaze was almost hypnotic. He looked at me, a slight smile on his face. Whenever there was silence between us, I couldn’t help but feel the tension building. Nothing would ever come of it, especially not up in the air with two other people sitting just a few meters away. But it was nice to know that he shared some of the underlying feelings that I had, even if it was just some form of lust or desire.

I broke free from his stare and looked out the window to once again take in the beauty of the Pacific.

“Did you have any trouble packing for this trip?” he asked me. “The weather here is a little different from how it is in the city.”

“
No. I had to buy a few new things but I should be ready for every situation. It was kind of fun, actually.”

“
Fun?”

“
Yeah,” I said as I turned and looked at him. “Buying new outfits. You should know that every woman just
loves
to shop.”

“
Well… I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve purchased.”

“
I’m still not sure if it’ll be needed. But we’ll see.”

“…
You’ll have my full attention, Ms. Pratt.”

I winked at him then
giggled as I returned to gazing out of the window. The captain announced that it would be just under an hour before we arrived at our destination. I sighed, content in the luxury of the jet cabin and the presence of the man gracious enough to bring me here.

* * *

I gathered my luggage and descended the short flight of stairs off of the jet. The weather was warm and humid but nowhere close to unbearable. We were welcomed by a group of people who placed leis around our necks. Rafael seemed to be getting even more attention as he was greeted by some of the airport staff. We followed Rafael into our limo and headed toward the hotel where the business conference was being held.

The view was even more spectacular in person. The sandy beaches of Maui were so inv
iting. The waves in the ocean crashed while surfers and swimmers indulged themselves in the water. Everybody else on the beach enjoyed the rays from the sun and lounged without a care in the world. Focusing on work now seemed even more difficult. I was willing to work as hard as anybody else but I couldn’t deny what I was feeling at this moment. The beach was calling out to me. The notion of spending more time with Rafael out there and among those waves made me sigh with a contentedness I’d never felt before.

“
I can’t wait to get out into those waves,” Wesley said. “I’m just going to dive right in and get lost… Um, with your permission, of course, sir.”

“
There will be time for that,” Rafael laughed. “But, as I’ve said before, we’re all here for the conference. Attendance is mandatory. I expect all of you to act accordingly. All eyes will be on you as representatives. And they’ll be more curious now that you’re representing Barnett Industries.”

“
What do you mean?” I asked.

“
Look around,” he said. “Look at the scenery. When we send people out to international business conferences, they’re men too old to appreciate anything around them. They’re stuffy old men here to get some work done. You’re interns. You’re young. I’m telling you ahead of time that people will be curious that I’ve sent someone without a lot of experience to represent my company. But I trust that you’ll live up to your expectations and not get too distracted. People won’t have any respect for my company if any of you get out of line. Our reputation is more important than anything.”

The way Rafael said it put a lot more pressure on me. I knew that we had important work to do out here but I never imagined this much was at stake. Filing reports and analyzing numbers I could handle. Even dealing with
the shareholders seemed like light work at this point. I could only hope that my time in Hawaii would result in some type of positive gain for the company.

The limo pulled up to the hotel and the driver held the door open for us. I stepped-out of the limo
and looked at the entrance of the hotel. A sign was up near the door:
Welcome to Maui and the International Business Conference
.

I stared at the sign, still not believing that I was actually here when someone grabbed the handle from my luggage. I looked at
the hotel staff member as he smiled at me.

“
Welcome to Hawaii.”

Chapter 7

We arrived in Maui late in the afternoon. Just as quickly as we arrived, the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon. The blue sky was repainted with an autumn hue. The night was still as warm as it was during the day. In just a few hours, I knew that it would be the best week of weather I ever had to deal with.

Rafael instructed all of us to our rooms to get settled-in. It would only be an hour before the semi-formal mixer would b
egin to signal the start of the conference. I laid on my bed for a moment to stretch myself out after sitting in the jet cabin for all of those hours then took a shower to get ready for the evening.

I was so busy shopping for an outfit to wear on the beach that I almost didn
’t consider something for the times when I wouldn’t be out on the sand. I ended-up putting on the same black dress I wore just a few nights ago. Thankfully, I had it taken to the dry cleaners and any evidence of Rafael bunching it together around my waist was gone.

I headed down toward the ballroom right next to the hotel lobby. I saw several men and women walking in and out of the room. It was clear that they were important people.
The men wore expensive tailored-suits. Their demeanor was relaxed and casual. Most of them were significantly older. They were in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Maybe even older. They chatted and mingled with one another like this entire experience was old-hat.

The women wear wearing equally expensive outfits. But instead of the gowns I was expecting, they were instead modeling modest dresses and business suits reminiscent of the things I wore to work. They weren
’t as old as the men here but they seemed to command the same kind of respect.

I made my way into the ballroom and was greeted by one of the hotel staff members. He pointed out every aspect of the amenities being offered. On one side, there was a dance floor that was occupied by nobody at all. The men and
women continued to mingle with one another at tables scattered throughout the room. I looked around for any one of the three men I knew but found nothing. I didn’t see any of them and sighed. I didn’t care about being alone. It just felt odd to be in a sea of people that I didn’t know or recognize. I had my work cut out for me.

I made my way over to the bar and ordered a drink. A little bit of alcohol always made the evening seem a little easier. I took a seat at the bar then turned around to watch everybod
y else. There was this odd tension in the room. Everybody was here trying to have a good time. But it was clear that they were here for other reasons. They weren’t just mingling. They were executives and millionaires and billionaires and officers all here to do a job. It was overwhelming to think that I was sitting right here in the center of a room where billions of dollars could potentially be changing hands.

As I observed all of the different people, I noticed a man who seemed to be standing-out from eve
rybody else. It wasn’t just because he seemed to be just a few inches taller than the other men he was talking to. He was young. Too young to be a man who belonged in a place like this. His short hair was jet black and sleek, groomed perfectly on top of his head. The way his suit draped upon his frame made it clear that there was nothing to be ashamed of underneath it. He stood there with a posture that was rigid and relaxed at the same time. He smiled and laughed at a comment from one of the men speaking to him. When he did, he suddenly turned and looked in my direction.

His eyes locked upon mine. I didn
’t know why I was looking at him. It was impolite to be staring back at him. But instead of turning my head away, I watched him as the smile slowly left his face. After a few seconds, he turned his attention back to the man he was talking to and I looked around the room once again in search of Rafael, Wesley or Travis.

They were nowhere to be found. Instead, I sat there and took sips of my drink to keep mysel
f occupied. To the left and right of me, almost identical conversations were going-on between men and women reminiscing about the last conference they were at. I sighed in boredom as I waited for things to proceed.

The ice in my glass started to melt. I to
ok a sip of my watered-down alcohol and noticed the man I was staring at from the corner of my eye. I could see him heading in the direction of the bar. I suddenly found myself trying to figure-out whether or not he was actually heading toward me. While I pondered the questions in my head, he took the spot at the bar right next to me and ordered a drink.

I turned my head ever so slightly just to look at him. He looked back at me and smiled. I returned his polite smile then turned my head away from him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one of these conferences before,” he said suddenly.

“
This is my first one, actually.”

“
Really? Who dragged you here? Your mother? Father?”

“
What? No. I’m here for the company I’m working for.”

“
Wait, you’re actually here for the business conference yourself.”

“
Why? Is that strange?”

“
Yes, it is actually,” he chuckled. “Look around. You don’t see too many people our age around here. It’s the complete opposite of a trendy nightclub.”

“
Yeah,” I laughed along with him. “I guess we’re the exceptions.”