Second Chances (17 page)

To this day she regretted not working on bettering
the relationship with her mother. She’d even wondered if she’d shown more of an
interest, could she have saved her from her untimely death.   

“You should think about getting in touch with
her,” she whispered. “If something were to happen to her, you’d regret it.
Trust me.”

Renaldo rested his forearm on the door. “Enough,
Sabrina. This topic is no longer open for discussion. Do not mention her again.”
He sounded tired rather than angry, and she decided not to push it.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and
rested her cheek against his back. His skin felt warm.

She didn’t say another word. She just held him.
Because she felt he needed it.

__________

After breakfast the next morning, Sabrina and
Renaldo prepared to leave. They all stood on the doorstep of the house
exchanging hugs. Lucélia gave them one more kiss-kiss each and they reluctantly
waved goodbye. But when the little girl realized they were leaving for good,
she started sobbing and throwing a tantrum. 

Sabrina felt a distinct sense of loss when she
left Rio and already missed her family. But she was lucky enough to still be
married to the most wonderful man she’d ever met. She hoped the connection
between her and Renaldo continued to strengthen. Even though the reason for
their reunion had been a monetary one, she preferred to think their fragile
relationship was changing and growing in a positive way.

She looked at Renaldo seated beside her on the
plane. She could only see part of his profile because his head was turned
toward the window. He looked deep in thought.

We still have time.

 By the end of the probation period, she’d make
sure Renaldo didn’t want her to leave.

Chapter Fifteen

“Person of the Year, Renaldo da Silva of Silva
Development Group!”

Sabrina joined in the standing ovation as the
mayor presented Renaldo with an award to honor his achievements in real estate.

The great hall was filled with prominent
members of the business community and even a few celebrities. Sabrina and the
other guests remained on their feet as Renaldo stepped up to the microphone. She
didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world but right where she was. Looking
at him now and experiencing this moment filled her with such pride. This was
her
man.

They’d grown even closer and lived normally like
husband and wife since the return from Rio a week ago. At some point they
needed to talk about what happened that night and resolve any latent hurt and
animosity, but she’d be content for now because she knew in her heart that
their relationship was on the mend.  

“Thank you, Mayor Salazar.” Renaldo turned over
the plaque in his hand and read the inscription. “This is truly an honor. I’m
very proud of everything I’ve accomplished, but I can’t take all the credit. I
have a great staff at SDG. I’m a lucky man to have such dedicated employees. Without
them, my company would not be what it is today.”

His eyes scanned the crowd and landed on
Sabrina. “Even with all the success I achieved, my greatest achievement only came
after I found the right person to complement me. Because of this person, SDG
won the bid to complete Estação Central, the biggest project in our history. I
could not have done it without her. My wife, my partner, Sabrina da Silva.”

Sabrina was so stunned by his words that she
didn’t move, even when he gestured for her to join him on stage. Only when a
woman at the table touched her elbow and urged her to go up did her feet start
moving her forward.

When she reached him, he took her hand. Someone
in the back shouted, “The Dynamic Duo!”

Her heart was racing, but not because of the accolades,
loud applause, or flashing cameras. It was because of Renaldo’s acknowledgement.
It warmed her heart and proved yet again that their relationship had turned the
corner. There were no I-love-you’s yet, but actions speak louder than words.
And by his actions, Renaldo showed her that their marriage was strong enough to
withstand what she’d done.

He could look past it. He could forgive her. Which
meant he could still love her.

__________

Sabrina stretched and rose from the chair
behind her desk. She checked her clock and a smile slid in place when she
realized she was actually leaving work on time. A rare occurrence in the past,
but not anymore. As Renaldo had said, there should be balance.

She still loved to work because it made her
feel useful. Working gave her a sense of purpose, but there were plenty of things
more important—like spending time with her spouse. She no longer took their
moments together for granted. It was a hard lesson to learn, but she’d learned
it.

She entered Renaldo’s office through the
connecting door. “Time to head home.” She loved saying that. It felt so right
to be talking about going home with this man.

“I have to finish up a few things here.”

“Do you need some help?” She stood behind him
and looked over his shoulder. He was in the midst of reviewing architectural
plans for Estação Central on the computer. She placed her hands on his broad
shoulders and gently massaged the knotted muscles.

“Nothing you can help me with.” He groaned and
turned the chair around so he could cup her hips in his hands. “Go on home and
I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“Should I send the car back for you?”

“No, I’ll catch a taxi when I’m ready.”

Sabrina pouted. “There needs to be a healthy
balance between work and leisure.”

He chuckled, the appealing sound and the touch
of his hands spreading warmth to her lower extremities. “You’re throwing my
words back at me now, are you?” He pulled her onto his lap.

“Yes, if it’ll get you home sooner.” Sabrina
looped her arms around his neck and kissed him, nestling into the warmth of his
body. She moaned and wiggled when she felt his growing erection against her
bottom.

“The sooner you go, the sooner I can get there,”
he whispered, nipping at her neck. Quivers of pleasure ran over the surface of
her skin.

“You’re the one who pulled me onto your lap,”
she whispered back.

“True.”

His lips caressed her cheek before kissing her
with a deep hunger. She opened her mouth to let him explore the softness
inside. They’d rekindled the easy affection they used to have, and it filled
her with happiness, made her feel so close to him. She wanted to express her
love, but a quickie in the office wasn’t enough tonight. She wanted to take her
time.

Sabrina extricated herself from his arms and
slapped his hand when he growled and reached for her again. She fixed her
blouse that his nimble fingers had managed to unbutton. “I’ll have something
special for you when you get home. Don’t be too long.”

His gaze lowered to her breasts and desire
smoldered in his eyes. “I won’t.”

She walked to the connecting door with an extra
sway in her hips, the way he liked, and took a look over her shoulder. Warmth
spread through her limbs at the hungry way he continued to watch her. When he
looked at her like that, he made her ache to her core. She blew him a kiss and
slipped through the door.

With difficulty, Renaldo resumed working. He could
barely concentrate on the words he typed onto the notes field of the plans. If
the engineer didn’t need these changes tomorrow, he would’ve shucked the work
and left with Sabrina. At least he had a special treat to look forward to. He
couldn’t wait to see what she came up with.

There was a knock on his door. “Come in.”

Paulo entered and Renaldo’s gaze immediately
zeroed in on the large blue envelope in his hand. His light-hearted mood
changed instantly.

“Here’s everything I was able to find out.” Paulo
handed him the envelope.

No need to explain what it was, because Renaldo
already knew. He almost didn’t want to open it because it would spoil the high
he was experiencing. He could still smell her perfume. Could still taste her
soft mouth.

Paulo took a seat, ready to answer questions. Renaldo
pulled out the multi-page report and photos of the man named Mateo Sousa.

__________

In the back of the limo, Sabrina
pondered what to do for Renaldo when he got home. Maybe she’d greet him with
whipped cream placed strategically on her body. Or maybe she’d greet him with
nothing on at all. She grinned to herself as she thought of possibilities.

When her cell phone rang, she quickly
fished it out of her purse, but there was no number when she looked at the
screen. Unease settled in her stomach. It had been a long time since she’d
received a call from a private number, and she dreaded answering the phone because
of what it had meant in the past.

“
Olá
,” she said cautiously.

“Senhora Silva, how are you?” The
heavily accented male voice tanked her stomach. Mateo.

“What do you want?”

“That’s no way to greet an old friend.”

 Sabrina pushed a button on the console for
the privacy glass to slide into place. “You’re not my friend.”

“But we’ve been so close and had such
fun together. But maybe you’re right. Not friends. Lovers, then?”

Sabrina gripped the phone with a hand
that had turned clammy and shut her eyes tight. He was making jokes about
something that had wrecked her marriage. The sickening jolt of her stomach
threatened to toss up her lunch. “I’m not giving you any more money.”

“What makes you think that’s why I
called?”

“Isn’t it?” She waited, holding her
breath.

“Well, it is true, but I think you
should reconsider.”

“There’s nothing to consider. You
threatened to tell my husband, but that doesn’t matter anymore. He knows, and
he forgives me for what happened.” He hadn’t said so, but it was obvious he had.

There was silence on the other end. She
could almost hear the wheels turning. “Your husband is a very rich man, with
business holdings in the hundreds of millions. How do you think he would feel
if people found out about us? By the way, that was a lovely story about the two
of you in
Semanal
. What would happen if I sent them proof that your
marriage is not as perfect as you pretend it is? It would wound his pride and
turn you both into liars.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you certain?” He waited a
heartbeat. “I would like to see you. Maybe we can work something out.”

“Like what?”

“One more payment, and in exchange, I
leave you and your husband alone for good.”

It was a tempting offer, but she didn’t
trust him. “I doubt you’ll do that. You said yourself you know how wealthy he
is.”

“I’m trying to be considerate and not
greedy, but it is up to you. Of course, now that he knows, I know you have
access to more money because he would not want this to get out. Which means the
price will go up significantly if you want me to keep quiet.”

Terrified, Sabrina couldn’t think. She
and Renaldo had grown so close again. He appeared genuinely happy to have her
back at work with him and treated her with such tenderness.

“Can you meet me now?” Mateo asked.

“I can’t meet you now. That’s
impossible.”

“I just need a few hundred
real
until you can give me the rest.”

Sabrina chewed on her lower lip. Should
she meet him? If she did, maybe she could talk sense into him and convince him
to give up the blackmail. She quickly checked her purse and found she had some
money—enough to buy a little time.

“Where do you want to meet?”

They agreed on a location near the
penthouse and hung up.

She pushed aside the niggling thought
that she shouldn’t go behind Renaldo’s back. If he found out, she didn’t know
what he’d do. He may not forgive her.

That’s why she couldn’t let him find
out. He was still at the office. She could take care of this by herself and
he’d never have to know about it. Then they could continue as they were, with
no disruption to their happiness.

She lowered the privacy glass. “Drop me
off at the market near the house. I’ll walk home from there.”

The driver looked at her through the
rear view mirror. “Are you sure, ma’am? I can wait for you.”

“It’s less than a mile from home. I’ll
be fine.”

Sabrina sucked her bottom lip between
her teeth and pushed away the doubts again. She had to do this. She had to fix
what she’d done and get rid of the evidence.

At the market, she headed to the stall
Mateo had instructed her to find. She waited anxiously as the minutes ticked
by. She didn’t know where he was coming from or how long he expected her to
wait. She grew restless as the time passed and started pacing.

The minute she saw him, nausea filled
her stomach, but she squared her shoulders and let a neutral expression slide
in place over her features. One of the keys to winning a negotiation, as she’d
learned from Renaldo, was to never let them see you sweat. She could handle
Mateo. She could do it by herself.