Victor was almost angry enough to curse aloud in Spanish today.
If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. A meeting ran too long. Then a traffic jam. An important business associate needed an hour-long phone call to make a simple decision. And now, another traffic jam. He had looked forward to this morning for days, and it seemed like fate was working against him. But he would not be discouraged.
All morning, his thoughts were with Cara. Was she happy in her new job so far? Had Gary made her feel comfortable in the office?
Was there any chance at all that she had been thinking about him the way he was thinking about her?
His interest in Cara had grown immensely since he’d last seen her, made worse by the fact that he’d done some informal detective work…via Facebook. She only had five pictures available for public view and he could’ve probably found a way to see them all, but it made him feel creepy. Successful businessmen don’t cyber stalk, do they? He chuckled to himself. It didn’t matter what others did. He had to find a way to see her and he was grateful for the pictures.
There were, however, no public pictures of Isaac. Victor could still hear his high-pitched voice on the phone, mispronouncing words. So cute. He had never thought of dating a woman who had a child before, but now, he wanted to.
Victor wasn’t much older than Isaac when his own father passed away but some of those early memories stuck with him in tiny fragments. The most vivid memories were of the way he laughed when he and his brothers climbed all over him like they were wrestling. His father always pretended he was losing, and the brothers always reveled in their victory. They had no idea how poor they were; a family of five living in a tiny clay house with no running water and barely enough food to eat. But Victor was grateful for those hard times. He knew they helped mold him into the man he was today.
As he sat in a long line of cars at a busy intersection, he took a moment to analyze his obsession with Cara once again. Perhaps she’d merely come along at a time when he needed someone like her. A real woman. A woman of substance, in every way, her life somehow crashing into his and bringing back memories he’d buried long ago. She was unlike any woman he’d met in a very long time. Hell, maybe ever.
He took out his phone and looked at one of the pictures he’d found online. Wisps of blond hair framed her face so perfectly. God, she’s beautiful . How he wanted to taste those plump lips. Mmm. And peel her out of that dress…
Victor took a deep breath and put his phone away. He couldn’t let himself think about it right now. Soon, he’d see her and welcome her to the office. What if she was still way too rebellious and skeptical of his motives? Shit. She had every reason to be. That was another reason why he absolutely must act professionally around her.
He ignored his urge to buy her flowers to welcome her aboard. It took him approximately five minutes to realize what a stupid, dead giveaway that would be. Damn it, the woman made him think irrationally, and he found that extremely frustrating.
Women were never this much of a challenge to him.
Several minutes passed and he finally entered the parking garage. Quickly, he parked and took the elevator to the top floor. As he stepped out of it, he adjusted his tie and his jacket, then headed around the corner, stopping at Gary’s desk.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Barboza. Long morning?” Gary swiveled in his chair, smiling.
Victor’s head shook. “You don’t wanna know.” He grabbed an unopened letter on the counter in front of Gary’s desk, pausing for a second so he didn’t sound too excited about the question on his mind. Then he stared mindlessly at the envelope and asked, “So, is our new employee having a good first day?”
Gary leaned forward as if listening for a distant sound. “You can ask her yourself if you like. That sounds like her now.”
Victor’s
If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. A meeting ran too long. Then a traffic jam. An important business associate needed an hour-long phone call to make a simple decision. And now, another traffic jam. He had looked forward to this morning for days, and it seemed like fate was working against him. But he would not be discouraged.
All morning, his thoughts were with Cara. Was she happy in her new job so far? Had Gary made her feel comfortable in the office?
Was there any chance at all that she had been thinking about him the way he was thinking about her?
His interest in Cara had grown immensely since he’d last seen her, made worse by the fact that he’d done some informal detective work…via Facebook. She only had five pictures available for public view and he could’ve probably found a way to see them all, but it made him feel creepy. Successful businessmen don’t cyber stalk, do they? He chuckled to himself. It didn’t matter what others did. He had to find a way to see her and he was grateful for the pictures.
There were, however, no public pictures of Isaac. Victor could still hear his high-pitched voice on the phone, mispronouncing words. So cute. He had never thought of dating a woman who had a child before, but now, he wanted to.
Victor wasn’t much older than Isaac when his own father passed away but some of those early memories stuck with him in tiny fragments. The most vivid memories were of the way he laughed when he and his brothers climbed all over him like they were wrestling. His father always pretended he was losing, and the brothers always reveled in their victory. They had no idea how poor they were; a family of five living in a tiny clay house with no running water and barely enough food to eat. But Victor was grateful for those hard times. He knew they helped mold him into the man he was today.
As he sat in a long line of cars at a busy intersection, he took a moment to analyze his obsession with Cara once again. Perhaps she’d merely come along at a time when he needed someone like her. A real woman. A woman of substance, in every way, her life somehow crashing into his and bringing back memories he’d buried long ago. She was unlike any woman he’d met in a very long time. Hell, maybe ever.
He took out his phone and looked at one of the pictures he’d found online. Wisps of blond hair framed her face so perfectly. God, she’s beautiful . How he wanted to taste those plump lips. Mmm. And peel her out of that dress…
Victor took a deep breath and put his phone away. He couldn’t let himself think about it right now. Soon, he’d see her and welcome her to the office. What if she was still way too rebellious and skeptical of his motives? Shit. She had every reason to be. That was another reason why he absolutely must act professionally around her.
He ignored his urge to buy her flowers to welcome her aboard. It took him approximately five minutes to realize what a stupid, dead giveaway that would be. Damn it, the woman made him think irrationally, and he found that extremely frustrating.
Women were never this much of a challenge to him.
Several minutes passed and he finally entered the parking garage. Quickly, he parked and took the elevator to the top floor. As he stepped out of it, he adjusted his tie and his jacket, then headed around the corner, stopping at Gary’s desk.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Barboza. Long morning?” Gary swiveled in his chair, smiling.
Victor’s head shook. “You don’t wanna know.” He grabbed an unopened letter on the counter in front of Gary’s desk, pausing for a second so he didn’t sound too excited about the question on his mind. Then he stared mindlessly at the envelope and asked, “So, is our new employee having a good first day?”
Gary leaned forward as if listening for a distant sound. “You can ask her yourself if you like. That sounds like her now.”
Victor’s
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