Pulse 3 (Pulse Series) (11 page)

“
Business, business, business,” she sighed. “That’s all they can talk about. I don’t know how they do it. Everett can really lose himself sometimes.”

“
I can understand. Rafael sometimes gets lost in his work. I have to remind him to take a break and even then, he doesn’t always listen to me.”

“
Yes, Rafael does have drive. It’s admirable in a way. And sometimes, I can imagine how annoying it might be.”

I laughed at her comment as I took a sip of my drink. The music from inside of the club seemed muted in the VIP booth. Even though it was the last place for any type of serious d
iscussion, we were secluded from everybody else and I was able to hear everything Bridget said to me.

“
Might I ask how you know Rafael?” I asked her.

“
Well, I worked for Barnett Industries. Back when the company was still being run by his parents. I didn’t know them personally but Everett did. While I was toiling away in the lower floors of the building, Everett had a much more important job. He was the important executive you picture handling the big business deals.

“
After the accident, Rafael took control of the company. Everett was one of the people who helped him with it. But he left the board to pursue bigger and better opportunities.”

“
Everett was on the board of directors?”

“
That’s right. Why is that surprising?”

“
I don’t know. He just… He seems a little young for the position.”

“
That’s why he left. There are no hard feelings between the two of them, as you can see. But there was nowhere left to go for Everett within the company. And Rafael learned everything he possibly could from him.”

I watched as Rafael and Everett continued to have a lengthy discussion. He had an enthusiasm on his face that made me wonder if they were actually talking about business. But knowing Rafael, I knew that it was actually a good possibility.

“How about you?” she asked me.

“
Me? What about me?”

“
How is life as the girlfriend of a CEO?”

“
It’s… great.”

“
That’s an understatement. I’m sure you’ve had previous boyfriends that made you feel that way. But Rafael isn’t just some other boyfriend.”

“
That’s right. But I don’t really see Rafael as any of that. He’s just… my boyfriend. He’s that more than anything else.”

“
That’s very admirable of you to think that. But you and I both know that’s not true.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
I remember talking to Everett once about Rafael’s parents. Julian was a hard-working man. He spent late nights at the office. He said that if he wasn’t working hard, there would be no reason to expect the same out of his own employees.

“
His wife, Maria… She understood that. She knew how hard he worked and she stood by his side. She played her part in all of the important business dealings but she was valuable to the company as an ambassador. Everybody respected Julian but they loved Maria. When you and Rafael get married, people are going to remember her. As unfair as it sounds, they may have the same expectations from you.”

“
Well, marriage is a long way away,” I said as I laughed. “I haven’t considered what it would be like if I was Rafael’s wife.”

“
You haven’t but you should. The word spreading around town is that the two of you are working together. I imagine you like your job. If anything happens to your relationship…”

I hadn
’t considered what might happen if things went wrong. The last thing I wanted to do was imagine what it would be like if Rafael and I didn’t end up together. In my mind, it wasn’t even a possibility.

“
I’m sure that you two love one another very much,” Bridget said to try and reassure me. “As long as you two understand that, this business should thrive just as it did while Rafael’s parents were still here.”

The expectations Bridget seemed to have of me were greater than anything anybody ever suggested. I knew that Rafael and I had a bright future but the long-term consequences of what could happen was something I never thought about.
I realized that the company was just as big a part of him as anything else. If things between us were going to progress any further, our business relationship would have to be just as strong.

Chapter 12

Working in Rafael’s office wasn’t a job as much as it was a way of life. While I spent most of my time at a desk just across from his, it didn’t deter us from spending time with one another outside of the office. I never got sick of him. At this point, Rafael was the most important person in my life in more ways than one. It was a routine I had no problem adjusting to.

Weeks passed and everybody seemed to be accepting of my new position. The board of directors didn
’t have as much resentment as they did initially. Most of the executives Rafael dealt with knew me as well as they knew him. Rafael and I were just as accustomed to working together as we were to sleeping together. Our relationship was getting better with each passing day.

As Rafael sat at his desk and dealt with a man who was un
doubtedly another important executive, I sorted through some files I was preparing for him. The deal he was working on with the John Peterman was still in the works. For the past few days, Rafael had been at his desk trying to work out an agreement that would be acceptable to both parties. There wasn’t much for me to do except observe all of it.

The workday passed quickly. Rafael spent the entire time at his desk in front of his computers. He took calls and spoke to dozens of people. Outside, the sky dimmed
and the moon took the sun’s place.

I looked outside and could see the lights of the other buildings beginning to light up. I could sense the excitement of everybody leaving as most people couldn
’t wait to get out of the building.

Rafael didn
’t move from his seat. I stopped packing my things and slowly made my way over to his desk. I stood just behind him as he continued to sort through all of the papers in front of him.

“
It’s time to leave,” I said as I massaged his shoulders.

“
I can’t,” he sighed. “There’s still a lot of work to get done.”

“
I know. But you’re not going to come up with a solution in the next few hours. Just let it be. We can go now.”

Rafael leaned back in his chair and exhaled another deep breath. I could feel the frustration in his body ju
st from holding him. I wanted to help him but I didn’t know enough to give him the answers he was looking for.

“
Stop massaging me,” he said.

“
Why? Do you not like it?”

“
No, it feels good. And I don’t want to feel good right now.”

“
Rafael, you’re tense. I can feel it in your muscles. You’re straining yourself like you’re climbing a mountain.”

“
That’s what it feels like.”

He slowly spun around in his chair. I could see how exhausted he was. The hours of work had already taken their toll upon him. Small bags a
ppeared underneath his eyes and his beard was in need of a trimming.

He closed his eyes then rested his face in my hands. I felt his sigh in my palms, my fingers caressing his cheek.

“Let’s go,” I said. “You can sit back. Relax. You won’t have to lift a finger. You need to clear your head for just a moment.”

He didn
’t move his face from my hands. I wasn’t sure if he’d even heard what I said. After spending this much time with him, I knew what his response would be.

“
You’re not going home, are you?” I asked him.

He finally opened his eyes and looked up at me. He didn
’t say a word. All he did was shake his head softly.

“
All right,” I said. “Then I’m staying with you.”

“
Alice, you don’t have to—”

“
I know I don’t have to. But I don’t have anything else to do and I don’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here.”

“
I’m just going to be working all night. It’s not going to be any fun.”

“
Rafael, that doesn’t matter to me. We can at least have dinner here. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had dinner together in your office.”

“…
I can’t say no to you,” he said as he smiled.

“
Good. Just for an hour or two. Get up out of this chair and away from your desk. You need a moment to clear your mind, at least.”

Rafael stood up from his ch
air, my hands still in his. I led him away from his desk and toward mine. I picked up the phone and had something sent up to us. As we waited for dinner to arrive, Rafael sat upon the edge of my desk and I stood just in front of him. Already I could feel some of the stress leaving his body. It felt nice to have some control over him. To know that I had this kind of an effect upon him made me appreciate what we had between us even more.

He kissed me lightly upon the lips. There was no exchange of words. We w
aited for dinner to arrive by occupying ourselves in the easiest way we knew how. In a matter of moments, servers arrived just for Rafael and we were enjoying dinner in his office just like we did when I barely knew who he was.

I sat across the table from
him and watched as he loosened the tie around his neck. He sighed again before finally taking a bite of his food.

“
Have some wine,” I said. “The alcohol will be good for you.”

“
The alcohol will confuse me, more likely. I need to think straight. Just a little bit of energy to get me through the rest of the night. That’s all I need.”

“
So, how are things going?”

Rafael stared at me without saying a word. The disappointed look on his face told me everything I needed to know.

“That bad, huh?”

“
I don’t know what’s going wrong,” he said. “We’re so far apart that I don’t think this deal is ever going to get done.”

“
You’re far apart but you’ll get there. Doesn’t this usually happen in international business affairs?”

“
They speak the same language we do. I don’t think the accent is enough to make a difference.”

“…
I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“
You’re doing more than your share of work, Alice. More than I can ask of you.”

“
It doesn’t seem that way…”

Listening to Rafael
’s struggles only made me wish that there was something I could do for him. I could make suggestions but my role in the company was clearly defined. The board of directors wouldn’t put much stock into anything I said.

“
Don’t concern yourself with this,” Rafael said. “The deal will get done when it gets done. I just have to put a little more effort into it to find an amicable solution. I’m sure the answer is there. I just need to give it a little time.”

Rafael looked across the table at me. I tried my best to enjoy my dinner
but seeing how much trouble Rafael was having was enough to upset me. The evening didn’t turn out how I planned it. Trying to make the best out of the situation was something I wasn’t able to do. He must have noticed something I did.

“
Enough talk about this,” he said. “You’re right. We should take a break. This talk about business is boring you. We can discuss something else.”

“
That’s all right. This is what I expected.”

“
Expected? What do you mean?”

I remembered the conversation I had a few weeks ago. It o
nly felt like yesterday but the words still lingered in my head. Everything Bridget said resonated with me. And I realized just how true her words were as I sat there and had dinner with Rafael at this very moment.

“
You remember your friend Everett, right?” I asked him.

“
Of course. What about him?”

“
I spoke to his wife at the club the night I met him. Bridget said a lot of things to me. It almost sounded like a warning.”

“
What did she say, Alice?”

“
She talked to me about your parents. She said that your father was a workaholic. He spent all of his time in his office. And your mother… She was always by his side.”

I paused for a moment and sighed. Rafael had his eyes still locked upon me. He looked like he was hanging on every word.

“I didn’t know your father,” I said. “I can only assume he was as great as everybody says he was.”

“
What are you trying to say, Alice?”