Pulse (13 page)

“I’m sure they’ll feel that way once they see your fresh haircut,” Travis said to him.

I laughed at the two of them. Already, Wesley was doing everything he could to draw the attention of the women passing by him. Travis stood next to him. Wesley did manage to speak to a few of them. While he did his best to try and impress them, Travis was there to remind them that we were all only interns.

I stood there silently and looked around the room. I didn’t know who or what I was looking for. But the hall was becoming more and more crowded. I was doing everything I could to fit in even though I felt out of place.

“I’ll be right back, guys,” I excused myself from the two of them.

I made my way over to the bar to get myself a drink. While I waited for the bartender to finish my drink, I looked around to see if there was anybody else I recognized besides my fellow interns. I then saw a man slowly approaching me. I didn’t stare at him but it was only a few moments before he took the spot at the bar next to me.

“Hello,” he said.

“H-hi,” I smiled politely back at him.

He was a man who looked like he was in his thirties. His hair was dark with streaks of gray going through it. His eyes were a striking light gray. His skin was tan and smooth except for the faint shadow of a beard that was growing in. He stood almost a foot taller than me and even in my heels, I had to tilt my neck just to look at him.

He smiled back at me and I could see the whites of his teeth.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one of these get-togethers before,” he said to me. “This must be your first time.”

“It is. Do I look that obvious?”

“Obvious? No, it isn’t that. But let’s just say I would definitely notice a woman like you.”

I could feel him staring at me. From the corner of my eye, I could see the smile on his face. Thankfully, the bartender finished my drink and I could hide my blushing face by burying it in my glass.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Where are my manners? I’m William Burton.”

“Alice Pratt.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alice. Might I ask what brings you here to this particular event?”

“I’m… just an intern.”

“
Just
an intern? You say that as if it’s a bad thing. We all had to start somewhere, Alice.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I’m still getting used to all of this.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine if you just relax. In what sector exactly are you interning?”

“I’m… on the board of directors.”

I turned and looked at him. His eyes narrowed as if he was skeptical. I swallowed then turned back to my drink, running my fingers along the side of the glass.

“Interesting,” he said. “You’re an intern on the board… That Rafael certainly has some ideas.”

“It’s not just me,” I said. “I’m working with a couple of other interns, too.”

I pointed through the crowd at Wesley and Travis, who looked like they were enjoying themselves thoroughly at this point. William glanced over at the two of them before quickly turning his attention back to me.

“They’re just as young as you are,” he said. “Rafael
does
have some interesting ideas. But you… You are more curious, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

“Not at all.”

“You do know that you’re the first woman who’s ever been considered as a board member, correct?”

“Yes, I’ve been told that before.”

I began to laugh. It wasn’t the first time I was told that I was breaking new ground in this particular company and at this point, it was amusing to me.

“I see that you’re not letting the pressure of the position get to you,” he said to me.

“No,” I shook my head. “I might be ready right at this moment but I’m prepared to do what I need to do for this company’s continued success.”

“Ah! Spoken like a consummate member of the board. You’re learning fast.”

“I’m working hard.”

He nodded to me then took a sip of his drink. I smiled back at him then looked around the room as if to search for somebody.

“Are you waiting for someone?” he asked me.

“No,” I said. “I was just observing everything.”

“Trust me, you’ll grow tired of the entire experience at one point.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Look around. You recognize some of the board members, don’t you? They’re talking and mingling but they’re really just doing their job. They have to do everything they can to please the shareholders. But don’t worry, I won’t expect too much from you.”

“So… you’re a shareholder, I take it.”

“Yes, that’s correct, Alice. I have a stake in Barnett Industries and some of its subsidiaries. That’s why I’m real happy to hear that you’re willing to do what it takes to get the job done.”

“It’s the truth, William. I’m… I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

“I’m sure you are.”

I took another sip of my drink as I leaned up against the bar. William continued to remain in the same spot next to me and the two of us observed the scene before us. I wasn’t sure what to think of him. But I did know that I didn’t feel uncomfortable around him and I was grateful that I no longer felt completely out of place like I did when I first stepped into the hall.

As I looked through the crowd, I noticed a small group of people gathering around together. They were chatting and murmuring louder than the other conversations around us. I squinted my eyes and then I finally saw it. Through the crowd of excited people, I could barely make out Rafael’s face. He was smiling as everybody tried to get his attention. He was turning and looking in every direction, trying to carry on several conversations at once. It was a combination of men and women who were all throwing themselves at him. Every single one of them was undeterred as they tried to get his attention.

“It must be nice to have his ear,” William said to me.

“What?”

“Rafael. You get to sit in during those board meetings and speak to him directly if you like. It’s rare that anybody, even a shareholder like myself, gets the chance to speak to him. His schedule is always full. Sometimes when I call his office I feel like reaching through my phone and strangling Tina so that she can get me an appointment.”

I laughed at his comment but my eyes were still fixated on everything in front of me. I had never seen Rafael in this manner before. I had seen him at a club when nobody was bothering him. I had seen him dressed-up in a fancy business suit commanding the attention of the entire boardroom. And now, here he was, in the middle of a sea of people who were badgering him for any type of response. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for him but he seemed to be handling it well. The smile on his face never disappeared.

“Are you looking forward to the evening’s affairs, Alice?” William asked me.

“I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen tonight but I’m ready for anything.”

“Are you saying that because it’s your job or do you really mean it? Because I know what Rafael said to you. I know that the board members and all of the other employees who work for him are instructed to do everything they can to please the shareholders.”

“To be honest with you, maybe it’s a little combination of both.”

“Honesty,” he smirked. “Now that’s something I haven’t heard from a board member in a long time.”

“I’m not a board member. I’m just an intern.”

He smirked at me then took another sip of his drink. I did the same, still marveling at the amount of people that were surrounding Rafael. As I stared at him, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. The dress I was wearing was nicer than anything else I had in my wardrobe. There was a part of me that wanted to model it for him. But he was clearly too busy to notice me.

“I think they might be serving dinner soon,” William said to me. “Would you care to join me?”

I took one last glance at Rafael before resigning myself to the tall man standing next to me.

“Of course.”

William offered his hand to me. He led me into the next room where the guests were now beginning to pour in.

Chapter 15

I sat at one of the dinner tables next to William. I was later joined by my fellow interns, Wesley and Travis. Each of them was accompanied by a female that they’d managed to draw the interest of. The six of us sat at the table as the dining hall slowly began to grow more and more populated.

I was so used to sitting in the boardroom that it was weird to see all of the people associated with the company all at once. An entire building full of employees and even more shareholders crowding into the room made me realize just how much money Barnett Industries was worth. And I was lucky enough to be on the 89th floor and give some input that could potentially affect every single person in this room.

But there was none more influential than Rafael himself. I watched him make his way into the dining hall, still flanked by several nondescript ladies and gentlemen. To think about that kind of power was amazing. He was in complete control of his company. He had the power to decide the fates of so many different people. He certainly looked up to the task as his smile hadn’t wavered.

“Look at him,” William said into my ear. “A pure professional in every sense of the word. The guy’s got it all. Everybody wants a piece of him and he takes it all with a smile on his face.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “He really looks like he knows what he’s doing.”

“And he does. You’re in those meetings with him, aren’t you? Is there any indication that he’s not capable of handling the position he’s in?”

“No, there isn’t. Rafael plays the part well. To be honest with you, I’ve never seen this part of him before, so it’s kind of a surprise.”

“What part of him are you looking at right now?”

“Well, I sit in the boardroom and watch as he conducts his meetings. He deals with the board members and talks nothing but business, business, business. He clearly has a grasp on the company he’s in control of. Now to see him mingling with all of the shareholders and all of the people that work with him… It’s impressive, to say the least.”

“Yes, indeed it is.”

There was no question about his charisma. Even when I didn’t know who he was, he managed to get my attention. The more I learned about him, the more intrigued I became. He was nothing short of remarkable.

“He wasn’t always like this,” William said suddenly.

“What? What do you mean? Like what?”

“So focused. So determined. He’s really driven to make this company succeed more than anything. Everything changed ever since his parents…”

“His parents? What happened?”

I turned and looked at William. He stared back at me incredulously.

“You mean you don’t know?” he asked. “It was in all the papers. They covered the story for weeks.”

“No,” I said, half-embarrassed that I didn’t know what he was talking about. “I suppose I didn’t do my research.”

“Rafael’s parents… They died in a car accident. It sent the entire company into chaos. Look at all of the people in this room. Every single one of them didn’t know what to do. Everybody was talking about splintering the company into pieces. There was no way that a young man like Rafael could take over a company so quickly, let alone do it with the specter of his parents still looming over him.

“Something happened to him though. I can only assume he took his time to mourn, obviously. But then he took the reins of the company and was more determined than I’d ever seen him before. I don’t know what it was exactly. When his parents passed, he definitely changed. Sometimes I wonder whether that smile he’s wearing is genuine or not.”

I turned and looked at Rafael. My mysterious boss was still an enigma but learning about what happened to him certainly explained some things. I was always curious to know more about him. Part of me wondered why I didn’t bother learning more about him on my own time in the first place. But now that William had given me a lead and some insight into his personality, there wasn’t a single part of me that loathed trying to figure him out. For now, I was more than willing to put whatever it was between us off to the side. More than anything, I had the motivation to work even harder for my boss.

As the night progressed, William continued to tell me more about his experience with the company. He talked about all of the business deals he made and all of the people he encountered. I reveled in all of the newfound information he was throwing at me. I took the time to soak all of it in. Even though he wasn’t as old as a lot of the other men in the room, it was a good experience to learn and hear from one of the shareholders personally. Even Wesley and Travis took the time to listen in on some of the stories he told.

After dinner, everybody sat at their tables while Rafael took his place in the front of the room. It was no different from our board meetings except the dozen board members were replaced by hundreds of employees and shareholders. He still looked enthusiastic, his perfect smile complementing his ravishing good-looks like always. I had seen him in a t-shirt and jeans and in a suit but never a tuxedo. It was a welcome change of pace.

“Thank you all for coming out tonight,” he announced. “None of this would be possible without you. We’ve had a lot of success. Some of you have been with us for years. Some of you are new. But it doesn’t matter. You’re a part of the Barnett family. And I’m grateful for every single one of you.”

When he paused, the crowd began to applaud for one another. A few men cheered. The loud sound coming from some of the men was an obvious indication that they had taken advantage of all of the free alcohol. Rafael raised his arm and laughed to quiet the crowd down.

“But you’re all gathered here today not only to indulge in our success. I’d like to personally thank all of the shareholders for your continued support. I want to let you know that you are the reason we work so hard. And we’re also here to let you know that we’re not finished. We’re going to keep working hard so that we can continue to enjoy good times like these. Thank you again for coming out. Let’s celebrate! There’s a band here for a reason, everybody!”

Rafael pointed at the nearby band and they began to play some music. As the melody wafted through the air, more and more people began to take their place on the dance floor.