Fernando - Bad Boy Love (Bad Boy Love Series Book 1) (7 page)

Gwen spent a restless night and decided in the wee hours of the morning to follow Vivian’s advice. She arrived early at the office and sought out Gerald Peters, a fellow probation officer who’d been working in the department for over twenty years, hoping he’d be able to help her.

Holding her breath, she wrapped her knuckles on his doorframe and offered him a small smile. “Gerald? Do you have a few minutes?”

The big, friendly man with greying hair and a beer belly nodded. “Sure, Gwen. Come on in.” He waited until she was seated and then offered, “What’s up?”

She tried to sound as casual as possible when she got right to the point. “Well, I was wondering what the chances were of transferring one of my probationers to someone else.”

He raised a brow and sat back in his seat, resting his hands on his protruding belly. “Hmm…it’s not done often, and not something to do lightly. You’d need a valid reason to even make such a request.”

Gwen nodded, trying to hide her nerves. “I realize that.”

“Do you mind me asking whose case you want to transfer?”

“Fernando Garcia.”

The name got Gerald’s attention, and he sat upright. “The one involved in the armed robbery where they almost shot the guard?”

“Yes. Him.” She intently studied the blackboard on his wall.

Gerald’s voice showed concern when he asked, “Are you afraid of him? That he might hurt you, or someone from his gang?”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that,” she assured him.

He looked at her suspiciously. “Has he acted inappropriately towards you?”

Gwen felt blood rushing to her face. Inappropriate would exactly describe the occurrence. Deliciously inappropriate. But, she couldn’t say that. Nor that she longed for a repetition. She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I’m just afraid I’m not the right person for the job. He seems to need someone with more experience.”

“How so?” Gerald asked, squinting his eyes.

“He can’t get a job.” She knew it was a lame excuse, as excuses went, but her brain seemed frozen and wouldn’t come up with something better.

“That’s definitely not a valid reason. You have to dig into it and do your best. This job cannot be learned in a textbook or a seminar. It involves rolling up your sleeves and getting in the trenches sometimes.” Gerald’s expression softened. “Gwen, you’ve been with us for only a year. Trust me when I tell you, if you ask to transfer this case because of your lack of experience, you’ll be out in no time at all.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

He continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “The only acceptable reason to allow a transfer is if you feel threatened by him.”

Gwen held back her sigh of resignation. “Okay, I’ll keep working with him. I just want to see him succeed, you know?”

Gerald nodded sagely. “Isn’t that why we’re here? To help our clients turn around their lives and succeed. You keep working with that man. Don’t let him give up, and don’t give up on him. That mindset is much more important than experience.”

She faked a grateful smile. “Thanks, Gerald. I’m glad I came and talked to you.”

“Anytime.”

She left his office, her stomach tied in knots. There was no way out. She had to suck it up and find a way to ignore her attraction during the next twelve months.

***

On Saturday, she drove to Vivian’s parent’s house on the beach. Annie and Jeff Armstrong greeted her warmly and ushered her into the garden where two of Vivian’s brothers stood near the barbecue.

Both of them had the same features: tall, broad shoulders, thick, dark hair, and the signature blue Armstrong eyes. They were very handsome men – not as handsome as Fernando, though. There it was, she was thinking about him again, and hadn’t she promised herself not to go down that road?

Chuck was twenty-nine, worked as a private investigator, and featured even more muscles than the youngest sibling, River. It was a rare occurrence to meet River. Since he owned his own scuba diving company, he usually spent his time taking passionate divers to the most exotic locations on our planet.

The sun was shining, and as Gwen walked into the backyard, she could already smell the burgers cooking. “Smells good,” she greeted Chuck, who was manning the grill.

“Hey, Gwen. How’s things?”

“So, so,” she said, accepting a friendly hug. “Hey, River, how was your trip to Aruba?”

River smiled and hugged her, “Awesome. We got back a few weeks ago. Caribbean water is so clear, turquoise-blue, and it’s warm. Not like the Pacific, which never warms up.”

“That’s because we get all of that melted ice from Alaska.”

“Well, I’ll take diving in the Caribbean over the Pacific any day of the week. You should go one day,” River said.

She laughed. “As if I could afford your prices.”

“You know I’d give you a special discount.” He made an exaggerated pout. “For being the woman of my dreams.”

Gwen boxed him in the ribs. “As far as I remember, you change the woman of your dreams like your underwear. And thankfully I never filled that position.”

Smiling brightly, he slung a casual arm over her shoulder. “I’m putting together a trip to some of the lesser known Caribbean islands. Phenomenal diving conditions. Pristine waters. Abundant marine life. You should come. I’ll let you know the dates.”

“It sounds wonderful. I’d love to come if I can get the time off.”

Vivian came out of the house with her mother, bowls of salad and chips in their hands. “Food’s ready.”

“Great, I’m starving,” River commented.

“You’re always starving,” Vivian teased her brother. They all sat around the table, chatting and joking in a relaxed atmosphere, and for once, Gwen’s mind was able to put Fernando on the backburner.

After cleaning up the remains of their lunch, everyone but Annie and Jeff headed down to the beach. The Armstrong house stood high up on the cliffs, but a small trail led down to a secluded stretch of beach that otherwise was only accessible during low tide or via boat.

It was the perfect home as far as Gwen was concerned, and she envied the Armstrong siblings having grown up in such surroundings.

“Brrr. Man, this water is cold,” River complained.

Vivian giggled and kicked the water at her younger brother, dousing him and then running like mad before he could catch her. It was a fruitless endeavor and moments later, Gwen and Chuck laughed loudly as they watched Vivian flying through the air and landing in the ocean.

“She never learns,” Gwen commented.

Chuck laughed. “She does it on purpose. Let’s join them.” Together, they dove head first into the oncoming waves, surfacing on the backside as they veered away from the shore. Life was good! Gwen let out a heartfelt sigh, and Chuck eyed her suspiciously but kept quiet.

Of the six Armstrong siblings, he was the one who never meddled and barely asked questions. While strangers often complained about his curtness, Gwen knew he cared as much as his siblings, he just didn’t say it. His vigilant eyes always observed carefully, and he had the talent to listen well – especially to what his counterpart did
not
say. That’s what made him one of the most sought-after private investigators in California.

River and Vivian interrupted Gwen’s train of thought as they joined them and started a water battle, frolicking and splashing each other until their skin started to prune. Back on the beach, they lay down and let themselves dry by sun and wind.

Gwen looked at the blue sky scattered with a few white cloudlets. It reminded her of cotton candy.
Fernando would love this place
. A twinge of sadness zinged through her as she remembered how she’d promised to show him the ocean. And the sudden longing for the man she couldn’t have ruined an otherwise perfect day.

Fernando presented himself with little hope and even less enthusiasm for an interview at a fitness studio. The duties included helping the clientele with the machines, attending the minibar, giving out towels, and basically acting as a jack of all trades with anything else that might need to be done.

The owner of the fitness studio, Ben, was a muscular guy with broad shoulders, bulging biceps, a carefully shaved bald head, and tattoos that proclaimed him to be as bad as he looked. There wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on the man’s body. His face featured the deep lines and serious eyes of someone who’d seen and endured too much. Fernando knew that kind of man and wondered how he’d ended up owning a fitness studio.

After a tour around the facility that catered mostly to male bodybuilders, Ben asked Fernando to demonstrate his abilities to handle some of the weightlifting machines.

Fernando kept a straight face but inwardly jubilated. That was an experience he could show off. His gang had equipped an old basement room with all kinds of weightlifting equipment – although not the new and shiny ones Ben boasted in his studio – and he’d been a frequent visitor for years.

“Okay. That’s enough. You got the job,” Ben said, and Fernando stared at him in disbelief. Just when he’d given up, he’d landed a job. Or was he daydreaming?

Ben must have seen his surprise because he helped Fernando to put the heavy barbell back on the stand and get to his feet before he slapped him on the shoulder. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Man, yeah, wow…” He shook his head to clear it. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”

“Don’t disappoint me,” Ben said. “That’s all the thanks I need. You’ll earn your wages.”

“I will. I just…I was beginning to think no one would ever to give me a chance to change.”

Ben might look rough and reckless, but he was also a nice guy. “I understand. Look, I’m an ex-con, and I went through the same stuff many years ago. It’s tough. Excruciating. Many times you’ll think you’ll never make it. That it’s not worth it. The best advice I can give you is to be the man you have hiding inside of you. Be strong. It takes a big man to stand up and do the right thing when the wrong thing is so much easier and feels so much better.”

Fernando swallowed and nodded. Ben sure didn’t sugarcoat things.

“Here’s the deal,” Ben continued, “there’s a one-week trial period. If you do a good job, I’ll put you on the payroll.”

“I won’t let you down,” Fernando promised.
As if anyone would deliberately let this man down.

“Now the rules. Always comes down to the rules. While you’re working for me, you stick to my rules.” Ben’s green eyes pierced him.

“Sure.” Fernando swallowed dryly.

“Number one, no drugs, no alcohol. None. Not even over-the-counter cough syrup unless you’re sick. And the first time I smell alcohol on you, you’re gone.”

Fernando nodded, that would be easy. He’d never taken drugs, not even in his teenage years. And alcohol? An evening beer while hanging out with his gang or an infrequent glass of wine  to celebrate a special occasion.

“Number two, always be on time. You’re late, you’re gone. Number three, no criminal offenses. If I find out – and I will – you’re in prison faster than you can blink. Understood?”

“Yes, Ben.”

“And last but never least – no fighting. If someone comes in here wanting to pick a fight, or a client gets mouthy, politely ask him or her to leave. Any questions?”

“No questions. When do you want me to start?”

“Tomorrow work for you?” Ben asked. When Fernando eagerly nodded, he slapped him on the back again. “I’ve been honest for ten years now. If I could do it back then, you can do it now.”

“Thanks.” Fernando left the gym, feeling like he was floating on air he was so happy. He was dying to share his good news with someone, but who? Amada was working today, and he couldn’t call her at work. His friends? All of his friends belonged to his old gang. A smile formed on his lips at the image of the baffled look on their faces when he’d tell them. But he quickly sobered, not only wouldn’t they understand, but it might pose a risk if they knew. They might get the idea to pay him a visit at the fitness studio, and that would only lead to problems.

Gwen. I should call Gwen. She’ll understand.
Said and done. He pulled out her business card that was still tucked away in his wallet and called her office number, but only reached the answering machine. At a loss of words, he hung up the phone but dialed again a few minutes later. Still the answering machine. This time though, he was prepared and left his message. “Hey, Gwen. It’s Fernando. Could you call me back? Something happened today…and I wanted to share the news with you. Okay. Thanks. Talk to you later.”

His heart thundering in his chest, he hung up and plopped down on the couch. Today was the last day of his existence as a miserable, unemployed probationer.

Gwen walked back into her office shortly after lunch, tired and depressed. It should’ve been an easy morning with only one client meeting and enough time to catch up on paperwork.

Instead, she’d spent the entire morning visiting one of her offenders at his home. When he hadn’t shown up for the prescribed meeting, she’d given him the benefit of the doubt and gone looking for him before calling the cops.

Unfortunately, a call to the cops had still been necessary. Gwen sighed. Those were the moments she hated her job. Yet another disappointment. When the cops had opened his apartment, they’d found him splattered across the couch, completely drugged up.

While spending the remainder of the morning arranging counseling and treatment for her client, her mind had drifted to Fernando. Again. At least he wasn’t a drug addict, so his odds of making it through his probation were much better. She longed to see him and at the same time her stomach clenched at the idea of seeing him again. To hell with her raging hormones and this insane attraction she felt for him. She really should know better.

Gwen eyed the blinking red light on her answering machine. Seventeen missed calls during her absence. What the hell was going on today? She listened to the messages one after another. Five from Vivian, each one more worried than the one before. Shoot.
I forgot our lunch date.
She fired off a text to her friend.

Sorry!!! Work trouble. No worries. Will call you later.

Some callers hadn’t left a message. Her boss relaying her some information. And so on. She stopped at the message of a judge who requested some urgent reports from her and spent the next hour preparing the information. Just before his session started, she ran the two blocks to the courthouse and delivered the required reports.

She decided to grab a quick sandwich in the courthouse cafeteria before returning to her office and answering the rest of the calls. Meanwhile, several new messages had arrived. Her legs still shaky from the exciting morning, she wanted to hide in a hole where nobody could find her. She willed the red blinking light to go away, but finally pushed the replay button and listened half-heartedly to the slay of messages. She sat up straighter when she heard Fernando’s voice.

Her heart thundered in her throat. Was he in trouble? No, his voice seemed happy.

“Hey, Gwen. It’s Fernando. Could you call me back? Something happened today…and I wanted to share the news with you. Okay. Thanks. Talk to you later.”

She picked up the phone with trembling fingers and called him back. He’d sounded so positive on the phone; she was anxious to find out about his great news. Did he finally get a job?

“Hello?” a woman’s voice came over the line.

Gwen’s brain froze as instant jealousy speared through her, and her voice refused to work.

“Hello?”

A woman answers his phone? And a young sounding woman. Gwen hung up before she could say something she might later regret. Her breath came in irregular bursts, each inhale dissipating her joy of moments ago until nothing was left. Nothing but the empty feeling of betrayal.

Of course he has a girlfriend. He’s been playing me to get special treatment.

She felt like a fool. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. “How could I have been so stupid? I should have known better than to fall for one of my clients. They are all the same. Willing to do anything to cheat the system and get ahead. And Fernando has just proven he isn’t better than the rest of them.”

After her little self-talk, she turned on her computer, trying to complete some work, but the letters danced in front of her eyes, and all she could see was Fernando’s face laughing at her for being such a fool. Today definitely wasn’t her day, and after battling to concentrate for what seemed like an eternity, she turned her computer off, grabbed her bag, and called it a day.

Standing in front of her car, she made the conscious decision to forget about Fernando Garcia for good. He was nothing but a juvenile delinquent who’d grown up to become a career criminal. He was nothing to her, and she wouldn’t waste her precious peace of mind on him.

She climbed behind the steering wheel and without paying much attention to what she was doing, she entered the highway and passed her exit, heading to the one place that always made her feel better. The beach. It was almost evening by the time she’d fought her way through the traffic and pulled into her favorite spot in Los Angeles – El Matador Beach.

It wasn’t the best beach if you wanted to sunbathe, but that was only an asset in her eyes. Due to the steep gravelly path being the sole access, there rarely were many people and on a weekday like today, it was deserted. Six miles north of Malibu, it boasted pristine white sand surrounded by massive rock formations forming a crescent shape.

She grabbed her beach bag, something she always kept in the car and hiked down the steep cliff. A variety of small caves provided her enough shelter to shuck her clothes and slip into her swimsuit. The breeze coming in from the sea sent shivers across her skin, and she ran into the ocean. At the first impact with the icy water, her breath halted, but a few moments later, it felt wonderful. Therapeutic.

She swam along the coastline, setting a vigorous speed in the hopes of working every last trace of a certain hot man out of her system. When the sun was beginning to set, she returned to the beach, rubbed herself dry, donned her clothes, then sat down on the towel to watch the natural spectacle.

The sun sat inches above the horizon, as if it was resting, tired from a long day of shining. Slowly, the perfectly round ball sunk into the ocean, sending flames of orange across the water and painting the sky in glowing shades of red and pink.

Gwen sat and watched long after the last rim of the golden sun had disappeared behind the horizon – gone until the next morning. A deep sigh escaped her lungs at the beauty she’d just witnessed, and she slung her arms around her knees.

He’d like this place. I’ll have to bring him here…

That thought destroyed the peaceful atmosphere, and angry at herself, she stood up and returned to her car. Normally, the beach was her refuge but today nothing seemed to be off limits for her wayward daydreams. All of which featured a gorgeous brown-eyed man named Fernando. A man who wasn’t worth her attention.