Pulse 3 (Pulse Series) (6 page)

“
Did he now?”

“
Yes. I’m the only one from the company who has any contact with you. I know that you’ve distanced yourself from everybody.”

“
Well, that’s what they wanted. They said that I should take a break so that they can settle everyone down. There were more than enough investors who didn’t approve of our relationship.”

“
I know. Martin said most of that talk has died down now. He said that he’s offering you the opportunity to come back. Not in the same capacity at first. But eventually you would be back in control of the company. Just like it was before.”

“
Yeah, I figured it was about time…”

Rafael sighed then leaned back in his seat. I watched him as he thought about what to do next. I didn
’t know what was going through his mind but I knew that I would support him. Whether or not he was my boss didn’t matter to me. In my eyes, it wouldn’t change our relationship.

“
You’re going back, aren’t you?” I asked him.

“
It’s not that simple, Alice.”

“
What? Why not?”

“
I know that I can control this company and lead it properly. I know that I’m capable of making the right decisions. But everything I did with you was a mistake.”

“
A mistake?”

“
A good mistake. I don’t regret meeting you and hiring you and… falling for you. But it wasn’t the best business decision. Putting you up for a spot on the board was only a good idea in my own opinion. I didn’t take anybody else’s thoughts into consideration.”

“
It’s not like that any longer. I’m not up for a seat on the board. I’d be working in a completely different area in the building.”

“
I know. I’m just concerned about what I did. I let my instincts get the best of me.”

“
Rafael…”

I could see the disappointment on his face. Six months after it happened, he looked like he was still beating himsel
f up over it. I felt sorry for him since it was just as much my fault as it was his.

I reached forward and put a hand on the side of his cheek. I caressed the side of his face with my fingers to try and comfort him.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” I asked him. “You made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. You’re human just like the rest of us. You’re… perfect. Perfect in every way that matters.”

“
What do you think I should do, Alice? Should I go back?”

Rafael looked into my eyes. The way he stared at
me made it seem like he was looking for some guidance. It was almost as if he were asking for my permission. I looked back at him and began shaking my head. I chuckled softly to myself as I turned away from him.

“
What’s so funny?” he asked me.

“
It was something Martin said earlier. He told me my role in all of this. He told me how important I would be in your decision. And here I am, listening to you ask me for what to do next.”

“
It’s true, Alice. You
are
important to me. What you think matters.”

“
I know. But I’m exactly what I should be. I’m some intern working in data entry. I’m not anything more. Is our relationship really going to influence your decision to come back? This is exactly what everybody was afraid of. My opinion could affect the future of a billion dollar company.”

Rafael sighed another deep breath and leaned back in his seat.

“I’m not going to make this decision for you,” I said to him. “I just want you to be happy. And I want to be there for you. But I do think the answer is obvious.”

“
Is it?”

“
Look around. You’re doing all of these things to keep yourself from being bored. Even at night, you spend most of your time with me when you can be out there having fun with so many other people. It just… It doesn’t look right when you’re not in your suit conducting business. You threw away all of those years because of me and now you’re getting another chance.”

Rafael nodded his head in understanding. He clenched his jaw as he turned his attention to the fire burning in the fireplace. I sat there
next to him, my hand caressing his arm in an attempt to put him at ease. It wasn’t a decision to take lightly but it was his to make.

“
What else did Martin say about me?” he asked.

I thought about it for a second. It didn
’t take me very long to remember my conversation with him.

“
He seems torn,” I said. “He has an obligation to the company. Because of your parents. And he also has an obligation to you. Not as a former CEO but as a person. I don’t know what he really wants. I just think he wants what’s best for everybody.”

“
And if I come back, is that really what’s best for everybody?”

“
As long as everybody’s heart is in the right place. But that’s something you have to decide for yourself.”

I didn
’t say another word. There was nothing more for me to say. Rafael reached his hand up to my face. I closed my eyes as I felt his rough palm gently slide down the side of my cheek.

“
This won’t change anything between us,” he said. “I’ll just be doing something differently during the day.”

I opened my eyes and nodded a
t him. He leaned in close to me and softly kissed me on the lips. He moved his head in closer and kissed me on the cheek before standing up from the couch.

“
I think we’ve had enough serious discussion for tonight,” he said. “What do you say we have dinner and actually enjoy the rest of the night?”

“
I was already enjoying the night just being here with you.”

“…
No wonder I like you so much.”

He smirked at me and I giggled at him. I stood up from the couch and the two of us made our way to the dinner table. We
quickly returned to the relaxed atmosphere our relationship usually had. The rest of the evening turned out to be nothing more than just another wonderful night with Rafael.

Chapter 7

It didn’t take him much longer to make his decision. After being away from the company for nearly six months, Rafael set a meeting with Martin and the other board members. I was sure that things would go smoothly. Despite their old-fashioned way of doing things, even they couldn’t deny that Rafael was capable of being in charge of the company.

I showed up to work the next day without thinking too much about it. I knew that they were up there somewhere dozens of floors higher than I was, discussing the situation. But I had nothing to do with it. I was right where I should
be. I was still just an intern.

I didn
’t think about what was happening. I lost myself in my work. Then I heard some rumblings in the cubicle next to me. Rafael had been seen in the building. Word of his appearance quickly spread and made it here. Everybody knew about my relationship with him. They knew that his leave of absence coincided with my demotion to this position. All I could do was ignore all of the gossip surrounding me and focus on my work. The last thing I intended was to cause another distraction.

I packed my things away to get ready for my lunch break. The office cleared out and everybody made their way to freedom from the monotony of work for an hour. When I stood up and turned around, I was greeted by the same woman who had spoken to me jus
t yesterday.

“
Alice,” Estelle said to me. “How are you doing today?”

“
I’m fine,” I replied. “Twice in two days… Is something wrong?”

“
Nothing is wrong,” she said with a smile. “I’m sure you know that Rafael Barnett is meeting the board of directors today.”

“
I might have heard something.”

“
I spoke with Mr. Green just a few moments ago. He’d like to see you in his office.”

“
Me? When?”

“
Right now, if you don’t mind. Don’t worry. He hasn’t forgotten your lunch break. This will only take a few minutes.”

“
All right. I’ll be there in a moment.”

I followed Estelle out of my office and into the elevator up toward Martin Green
’s office. I tried to think of what more he could possibly want from me but couldn’t come up with anything. Rafael was here but his return had nothing to do with my relationship with him. This was supposed to be just a business meeting.

Estelle escorted me to his office. When I stepped inside, I didn
’t know why I was surprised to see Rafael waiting for me, as well.

“
Alice,” Martin greeted me. “Have a seat, please.”

I took the chair in front of his desk. Rafael sat just across from me. I wanted to smile at him but I didn
’t know how serious the nature of our conversation would be. Martin dove right into it.

“
Rafael
will
be returning to the board of directors,” Martin explained. “He will work in unison with all of the board members to lead this company to continued success. That’s he wants. That’s what I want. I’m sure that’s what you want.”

“
Yes, sir,” I replied.

“
That goes without saying. Alice, we’ve asked you here to discuss certain parameters now that Rafael is back.”

“
Parameters? What do you mean?”

“
Rafael will be back in the spotlight. He will be the face of the company once again. As we’ve all just experienced, his reputation is just as valuable as anything else. It doesn’t matter how intelligent, well-spoken or insightful he might be. People may be more willing to do business with us if Rafael proves to be an upstanding citizen, which I’m sure he is.”

“
What does that have to do with me?”

“
Rafael reiterated to me the seriousness of your relationship. As such, you will be judged almost as much as Rafael will be. You
are
a big representative of this company, regardless of your current position because you are by his side. Do you understand, Alice?”

I turned to Rafael. He smiled ever so slightly at me and bowed his head. I smiled back at him then turned my attention back to Martin.

“I won’t cause any problems,” I said. “I’m still just an intern.”

“
You are,” Martin said. “But you won’t be doing what you’ve been doing for these past six months any longer.”

“
What?” I exclaimed. “I don’t understand.”

“
I recommended that you be promoted,” Rafael said to me.

“
Promoted? But that’s what got you in so much trouble in the first place.”

“
Not to the same position you were in. Alice, you’re my girlfriend. That’s no secret to anybody any longer. We don’t have to hide that fact anymore. In fact, I suggested to Martin that we should promote it.”

Rafael leaned forward in his seat toward me. He looked into my eyes
and stared at me with a seriousness I hadn’t seen since I embarrassed him back in Hawaii.

“
I want you to be by my side,” Rafael said. “I want you to be there as I run my business. I want people to see that I’m in a strong and healthy relationship. It’s good for business.”

“
What?” I said, hardly believing what he was saying.

“
It’s true,” Martin said. “When most people see Rafael, they see a young maverick who’s trying to do things his own way. They associate his youth with all of the negative things. He’s brash. He’s rude. He’s carefree and lazy. There’s a stigma that Rafael will always be trying to fight against, regardless of what he does. The incident in Maui certainly didn’t help matters.

“
But if people were to see that Rafael is in a stable relationship and not running around like a lot of men in his position would, it would put their doubts about him at ease.”

“
So, I want you by my side,” Rafael said. “I want them to see it for themselves. But this isn’t merely for show. I’ve tried to impress upon the board the potential that you have. This will give you the opportunity to see things up close without actually having any direct involvement. After all, that
is
the purpose of an internship.”

W
hat they were suggesting seemed like it had come out of nowhere. I still had a lot of questions in front of me. This wasn’t just about my future with the company. This was about my future with Rafael, too.

“
I know that it’s a lot to ask of you,” Martin said. “Frankly, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t change a thing. But Rafael does have his sway. This was something he was most adamant about.”

I looked down at the floor of Martin
’s office. I listened to everything he said while I pondered their proposal.