Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) (8 page)

“Ah, yes, the lone female on the board of directors,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to finally see you for myself.”

“
The pleasure is mine,” I replied to him.

Rafael and Harold took a seat across the table from me. The two of them quickly engaged in friendly banter.

“Harry here is one of the first people I met when I came to one of these conferences,” Rafael explained. “He showed me the ropes and how things worked.”

“
You’re giving me too much credit, Rafael. The truth was that I was just trying to get into your head. Being part of Barnett Industries is something every executive dreams about.”

“
I know you were just using me,” Rafael replied to him. “I just appreciate the extra effort you put into it.”

Everybody at the table laughed at their friendly exchange. I had never seen Rafael so amicable and comfortable. I wondered if this was just an act or if this was how he genuinely acted ar
ound his friends.

“
What is it you do?” I asked Harold.

“
I do a lot of things,” he chuckled. “But I suspect you’re asking what kind of business I’m in.”

“
I’m sorry. Is that not appropriate?”

Harold started to laugh then turned to Rafael.

“This girl has manners,” he said to Rafael. “You didn’t traumatize the poor girl into kissing everybody’s ass, did you?”

“
Alice is a lady,” Rafael replied. “And she’s a stellar representative for my company.”

“
Indeed,” Harold said as he turned back to me. “I could tell you about what kind of business I do, young lady. But it wouldn’t interest you. I know that your curiosity is a result of trying to create small talk. Let’s just skip all that. I trust Rafael’s judgment, including in manners of the people he hires. We’re in Hawaii. I’m sure the last thing you want to talk about is business.”

Harold had a big grin on his face that made me laugh. I chuckled not just because of the way he looked at me but from the relief I felt from not having to be on. I was so wound-up and trying
my best not to make a bad example of myself that I couldn’t relax. Harold seemed to be doing everything he could to make me feel comfortable.

Before we could engage in a more friendly conversation, a man stood on the center of the dance floor with a micro
phone. He grabbed everyone’s attention and the chattering died down.

“
Good evening and aloha, everyone,” he announced. “Welcome to Maui. We hope that you will all enjoy your stay here at this hotel as well as the sights and sounds of the city. Tonight marks the beginning of the International Business Conference. We have people from all over the world here. On behalf of the hotel staff, I’d like to welcome you to our fine city. We’re excited to accommodate all of the businesses and companies being represented here. Dinner will be served momentarily. We hope that you enjoy your night and the rest of your stay.”

The crowd applauded the man as the modest festivities of the evening resumed.

“I’ve only been here for a few hours and I’m already thinking of staying here permanently,” Wesley said to me.

“
You might be enjoying your stay here but I doubt the residents would appreciate your continued presence,” Travis said to him.

I giggled at the two of them. I almost wanted to echo Wesley
’s sentiments. We were being catered to completely. I had experienced being with Rafael and enjoying the amenities his affluence provided. But to be in a hotel with a beautiful beach just a few meters away was different. It really did feel like I was in some kind of paradise.

Waiters surrounded every table and placed dishes in front of everybody. While I ate, Harold regaled all of us with stories about past business conferences. He didn
’t bore us with details and numbers. Instead, he decided to tell us about the most scandalous things that occurred. I didn’t have any doubts that the people were involved with some unsavory things. But Harold didn’t spare any details and I wondered if he was stepping on any toes in doing so.

“
I’m sorry I’m late.”

I looked at the woman who came out
of nowhere and rushed up to our table. She was a blonde woman, her long hair tied in a tight ponytail behind her head. Her lips were a deep purple shade and were a nice contrast to her slightly tanned skin. She had these slanted eyes that were shaped like almonds and highlighted by her mascara. She was wearing an emerald green dress that looked like it was choking the life out of her body. At least, that’s the way it seemed. Either her seamstress crafted her the perfect outfit or every curve in her body managed to fit in the material perfectly.

When she arrived at the table, Rafael got up from his seat and greeted her.

“I was wondering where you were,” he said as they kissed one another on the cheek. “Dinner wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“
Oh, now you don’t have to lie to me, Rafael,” she said to him. “I thought my brother told you that kissing either one of our asses wasn’t necessary.”

“
I know. But you still enjoy it.”

“
Ah, that I do.”

The two of them giggled with one another. Rafael pulled her seat out
for her before taking his place next to her. I looked at the two of them curiously.

Who is she? Why are they being so friendly?

Rafael turned away from me and looked at me from across the table. The smile on his face disappeared and was replaced with a look of surprise.

“
Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “I want you to meet the other intern I hired. Cheryl, this is Alice Pratt. Alice, this is Cheryl Santana. She’s Harry’s sister.”

“
Hi,” she waved at me.

I waved back at her without saying another word. I was s
till trying to figure-out what was going on, if there was anything at all.

“
Wow,” she said. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. You actually hired a woman and put her in a position so she could do some real work.”

“
Alice is intelligent and hard-working,” Rafael explained to her. “She’s done a lot for me already but I know that she hasn’t tapped her potential yet. She’s the future of the company.”

“
And she’s beautiful, too. It’s nice to know that your taste is improving.”

“
My taste isn’t improving. It’s always been good.”

“
Let’s just agree that it’s not getting any worse.”

The two of them laughed with one another. The way they interacted was just as friendly as it was with Harold, if not more so. I turned my attention to my dinner to a
void staring at the two of them. I didn’t know what I was feeling but I was doing everything I could to ignore it.

“
So, tell me, something,” she said. “All of you. What’s it like working for a man like Rafael, hmm?”

“
I can’t complain,” Wesley shrugged. “The guy seems like he knows what he’s doing. Hey, if you bring me out to Hawaii, I’ll work as hard as you need me to.”

Cheryl laughed at his response. Rafael nodded his head while he enjoyed his food.

“And you?” she asked Travis.

“
Rafael does have some unorthodox methods,” Travis said. “But nothing that I can disagree with. He seems to be running his company just fine.”

“
But how is he as a boss?”

“
He gets the job done. He does what’s appropriate for a company that’s worth as much as it is.”

“
I see,” she nodded. “And how about you, Alice? How is Rafael treating you?”

I shifted my eyes up from my food and looked back at her. Her eyes were wide with curiosity. There was a smile at the corner of her mouth as she waited for my response. I glanced over at
Rafael and he stared at me for just a second before shoving more food through the smile on his face.

“
Alice?” she asked me.

“…
Um, he’s great,” I said, trying my best not to say the wrong thing. “He’s… a great boss. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“
A great boss,” she nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The two of them looked at one another and smiled. I felt just as curious as I did moments ago. I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask the both of them but I knew that now was definitely
not the time. Instead, I looked at my dinner and distracted myself with my food.

Even though I was sitting at the table, I suddenly felt alone. Travis and Wesley listened intently to the stories that Harold was telling them but I had trouble paying attenti
on. Rafael and Cheryl spoke to one another like friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages. They laughed and joked while I sat across from the two of them and watched. She would playfully feed him some of the food on her fork then wiped the mess she made on his face with her napkin.

I knew better but I couldn
’t help myself. The entire picture in front of me was upsetting me. I was chewing so hard on my food and grinding my teeth that my head was starting to throb.

They
’re just friends. So what? What does it matter, anyway? It’s not like he’s your boyfriend. This doesn’t change your relationship with him.

I tried to reason with myself. I was reading too much into every little interaction they were making. Every time I was convinced that there was nothing betw
een them, I had to tell myself that I shouldn’t even care in the first place.

I spent the entire time cleaning my plate with disdain. I could only watch Cheryl feed Rafael his dessert for so long. It felt like an eternity before dinner finally ended. Thank
fully, it was over.

“
The conference starts in the afternoon tomorrow,” Rafael said to Wesley, Travis and me. “There are a few workshops that I want you guys to attend. That’s the only agenda for tomorrow. After that, I suppose you’ll have the rest of the day to yourselves.”

I nodded along with my fellow interns. The music in the ballroom started to play and people began to empty onto the once barren dance floor. Cheryl leapt out of her chair and held her hand out to Rafael.

“Come on,” she said. “Dance with me.”

Rafael didn
’t waste any time in responding. They were quickly out on the floor. She put her arms around his shoulders and just like that, the two of them were dancing to the relaxing rhythm of the song.

“
How about you, Alice?” Wesley suddenly said to me.

“
What?” I said, unable to take my eyes off of Rafael and Cheryl.

“
Do you want to dance, Alice? What do you say?”

I finally turned my attention to him. I would have obliged Wesley in any other situation but I didn
’t feel like it at the moment.

“
I’m sorry,” I said as I searched for an excuse. “I actually think I’m just going to head back to my room now.”

“
What? But it’s still early.”

“
I know. I… I’ve got a headache. I think it was something I ate. That and the jet lag.”

“
Oh, okay. Yeah, you should probably get some rest then.”

I excused myself from the table and said good night to everybody. I told Harold it was a pleasure meeting him once again and he joked that I didn
’t have to lie to him. I let out a half-hearted chuckle before making my way out of the ballroom. Before I left, I turned around and watched Rafael dance with Cheryl one last time. He was smiling as he looked down into her eyes. His gaze was locked upon hers. I was waiting for him to look up at me before I left but he didn’t. There was no point in waiting any longer, so I turned around and headed to my room.

Chapter 9

I slept better than I thought I would. Even though I had a lot of things running through my head, the comforts of my hotel room were enough to distract me. I had a gorgeous view of the beach and the weather was so nice that I could sleep with my window open. Sleeping wasn’t the problem though.

As I sat in on one of the workshops, it was just like Rafael had promised. I listened to the presentation from a man who owned a large and successful financial business. I didn
’t take notes and there wasn’t an exam at the end but it was like being in school all over again. The only difference was that this was mandatory. It was at this time that I finally let my thoughts begin to wander.

I couldn
’t get the image of Rafael dancing with Cheryl out of my head. I had seen him dance with other women before but this was different. There was more than just a friendly rapport between them. They had a past. That much was obvious. And no matter what I did, the feelings I wasn’t sure I had for Rafael were enough to make me feel uncomfortable at the thought that something might be happening between the two of them. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know what to think. I was left looking for answers at a time when I had to pay attention.