Pulse 3 (Pulse Series) (13 page)

The alcohol continued to flow as I took advantage of Rafael
’s bottomless pockets. I was barely coherent of everything happening around me. Danica and Wesley and Travis took turns introducing me to different people around the club. I knew that I wouldn’t remember any of them in the morning but I was still having fun just the same. I danced with an inordinate amount of people. When I stepped off of the dance floor, I was being dragged back onto it. The alcohol made it easier to lose myself.

Despite how much I was drinking, I was still able to keep track of my senses. The men surr
ounding me looked more handsome than they did at the start of the night. But they weren’t enough to make me forget about Rafael. I wouldn’t risk what we had because of a single night. I had that opportunity once before. I didn’t take it then and I wouldn’t take it now.

By the end of the night, I was looser than I
’d been in months. I stumbled out of the club in my heels. My knees buckled and my legs wobbled. I wrapped my arm around my friend’s shoulder as she slowly led me outside.

“
Are you all right?” she asked me.

“
Of course, I am,” I said as I giggled. “I just need to… get some rest, that’s all.”

“
Speaking of rest, I don’t suppose you have Rafael’s card on you.”

“
Yeah, I do. Why?”

I looked over at my friend and she motioned with her eyes at the man s
tanding next to her. My vision was hazy and all I saw was a man that looked like he was in his early 20s. Danica had given me enough indication to know what was happening next.

“
You want a suite?” I asked her.

“
It doesn’t have to be the best. But it wouldn’t hurt to have something nice.”

“
All right. We’ll head to the hotel that Rafael is staying at.”

“
Next time you see him, tell him I said thanks.”

Danica laughed as she grabbed her man for the night by the arm. The three of us made our way to the hotel. Whi
le Danica disappeared into her suite, I managed to find my way to Rafael’s suite just before succumbing to the decadence of the night.

Chapter 14

I didn’t see Rafael that entire weekend. I called him. I sent him text messages. But his response was always the same: He was busy with work. I offered to stop by and spend just a few hours with him but he refused. He told me that I would just be a distraction. Against my own judgment, I listened to him. Instead of spending time with my boyfriend on the weekend, for the first time in months, I finally had the time to myself.

I took the opportunity to indulge in the luxuries that came with dating a billionaire. I w
ent out the next night with Danica and took in everything like I was on top of the world. I noticed that more people were paying attention to me but even still, I remained faithful to Rafael. When I wasn’t spending time with Danica at a club, I was having lunch or dinner with her at restaurant that I would normally frequent with Rafael. Even though my boyfriend wasn’t there, they treated me just the same. I didn’t go a second without appreciating the wealth he let me share in.

When the weekend finally ended
, I was rested, recovered and ready for the workweek. But more than anything, I was just happy to finally see my boyfriend again.

I stepped inside of the office but Rafael was nowhere to be found. It was strange, to say the least. A few moments later, he a
ppeared from the door behind me. I smiled at him as I greeted him.

“
Hey,” I said as I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “How are you?”

Rafael managed to get out of the office this weekend. For how long, I didn
’t know. But the remnants of last week were gone from his face. His beard was shaved and his face didn’t look as worn. I caressed the side of his face, hoping that this moment between us would last just a little bit longer.

“
I’m good,” he replied. “I’m doing just fine.”

“
I was surprised that I didn’t find you in your office like I normally do.”

“
I was in a meeting,” he said with a short laugh.

“
Of course. Monday morning and you’re already working with the board to try and figure this thing out.”

“
Actually, I wasn’t with the board… I was in Martin’s office.”

“
Martin? What did he have to say?”

“
We discussed some things.”

“
Business things?”

“
Sort of. But he wanted to speak to you.”

“
Me? What about?”

“
Martin will explain everything. Just go see him now, Alice. And then come back when you’re finished. We’ll go over everything when you’re back.”

“
You’re not even going to give me a clue what this is about?”

“
I don’t know what Martin is going to say to you exactly. But he does need to talk to you. I told him that I would tell you as soon as I saw you. It shouldn’t take long, Alice.”

I had no idea what Martin would want to talk to me about.  I hadn
’t spoken to him in weeks. If Rafael had anything to complain about, he would have told me directly. But Rafael gave me no indication of what was waiting for me. Instead, he went over his desk and again instructed me to head to Martin’s office.

The short trip to my destination didn
’t give me as much time to dwell on it. In just a few minutes, I found myself inside of Martin Green’s office.

“
Alice,” he said as he smiled at me. “Have a seat.”

I nodded then did as I was instructed. I was still nervous around him. Everything about him was intimidating. The years of experience on his face were enough to make any intern wish that they were somewhere else. I shuffled in my se
at and tried to calm my nerves as I waited for him.

“
How are you this morning, Alice?”

“
I’m good, sir.”

“
Are you ready to get a lot of work done?”

“
Of course. I’m working hard to do my part to get through this deal. And I’m willing to do more if needed.”

“
Ah, the magic words. Rafael told me not to expect anything less of you and I don’t blame him.”

I couldn
’t figure out what he was trying to get at. I wanted to ask him to just hurry up and get to the point but he continued to dance around whatever issue he might have with me.

“
How was your weekend, Alice?”

“
My weekend? It was… fine.”

“
Did you have a lot of fun?”

“
In a manner of speaking.”

“
Do you even remember this past weekend?”

Martin didn
’t move as he stared hard at me. I swallowed nervously as I tried to search for the right answer.

“
W-what do you—”

“
I’m only asking because it doesn’t seem like you do, Alice.”

He reached toward the side of his desk and picked something up. He was holding some kind of newspaper. He shuffled through some of the pages befor
e throwing the paper down in front of me.

“
Do you remember this?” he asked me.

I looked down at the paper and could hardly believe what I was seeing. I was immediately embarrassed. It was a picture of me, drunk and stumbling out of the club with my arm wra
pped around Danica and the friend she was with. I picked the paper up, still not sure what I was looking at. I didn’t remember anybody taking any pictures of me. But there I was. And alongside the photo, was a small blurb about how wild and crazy I was acting inside of the club.

“
Do you remember this?” Martin repeated himself.

“
Not… exactly.”

“
Ms. Pratt, there’s something you have to understand about the position you’re in. You’re not just Rafael’s assistant. You’re his partner. And, if I’m to assume correctly, that’s more important than your job. I’m sure that you value your relationship with him more than anything else.

“
I know what you want me to say. What you do with your free time isn’t a concern of mine… but it is. Don’t forget why you were promoted, Alice. You’re a representative of this company. How people perceive you affects how people perceive all of us. It doesn’t matter if you’re in this building or you’re on the clock. When they see photos of you, drunk and without Rafael by your side, people will get the impression that you’re wild and crazy. And that reflects badly upon us. Do you understand, Alice?”

“
I understand.”

“
Good. I know that you didn’t consider this before. This is something that will blow over eventually. But if this keeps on happening, it’s going to be an issue.”

“
I understand, sir.”

I wasn
’t expecting any of this. But now that I was sitting in Martin’s office and he was pointing all of it out to me, I’d never been more embarrassed in my life. But more than anything, I felt bad about what I’d done to Rafael and his company.

“
You have a lot of work to do,” he said to me. “I suggest you see what Rafael needs of you now.”

“
Yes, sir.”

I nodded my head to him and quickly made my way out of his office. Even though I no longer had to deal wi
th everything that Martin was throwing at me, I felt anxious about seeing Rafael. I was completely faithful to him. I didn’t think I did anything wrong. But now I was beginning to wonder if the entire weekend was a mistake.

When I stepped back into his off
ice, Rafael was at his desk and calmly going over some notes. I walked up next to him and waited for him to finish the last line he was writing. He looked up at me and a slight smile appeared on his face. Before I could say anything, he stood up from his chair and took my hands in his.

“
I’m sorry,” I said.

I stared at the ground, unable to look him in the eye. I watched as he rolled his fingers over mine. The diamond bracelet on my wrist was a constant reminder of just how serious our relationship was.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” he said. “I’m the one who told you to go out there. This would never have happened if it wasn’t for me.”

“
But it did happen. And I’m sorry.”

He placed his hand upon my chin and lifted my head up. I looked into his brow
n eyes and saw the compassion that made me feel like I hadn’t made that much of a mistake.

“
It’s not me,” he said. “It’s Martin. And the board of directors. And the shareholders. They’re the ones who care about things like this. They’re just upset because it was my idea that you be the face of this company along with me.”

“
Well, I won’t make that mistake again.”

“
It wasn’t a mistake, Alice. You are who you are. You did what you did because you were just looking to relax. The only thing I care about is you.”

He leaned in close to me and kissed me softly on the lips. I reached up and wrapped my hands around his neck and brought him close to me. I held him tight. I didn
’t want to let him go. It was still early in the morning and we were in his office but I could feel the desire stirring inside of me that I didn’t want to deny.

I pulled him closer to me. I shifted on the edge of his desk and lifted my ass upon it. I spread my legs hoping that he could feel me aching underneath my skirt for him.

“It’s been so long,” I moaned. “Just once…”

“
Not right now, Alice. I can’t…”

“
Fuck me, Rafael. It will be quick. Just like before. I want you to come inside of me…”

“
Alice…”

I pressed my lips hard against his. I forced his mouth open and darted my tongue inside. Our kiss be
came loud and sloppy. Our mouths smacked with one another’s saliva. At the same time, I reached down and searched for his length. He was hard inside of his pants.

“
Fuck me, Rafael…”

I jerked him through the fabric. I could feel him starting to lose himself
but he was still fighting it.

Suddenly, the intercom on his phone rang.

“Answer it,” I said. “You can still fuck me at the same time…”

“
Alice…”

“
Come on. I know you want—”

“
Alice!”

He placed his hands on my arms and forcefully pulled me away from him. He was breathing hard through his nostrils as he stared at me. I looked back at him, unsure of what just happened. The office was silent except for the sound of his intercom still buzz
ing. He pressed down on the button and answered it.