One Week to Claim It All

by Adriana Herrera

  “Joya, espera.” As he expected, that stopped her in her tracks. She turned on him, those leonine eyes flashing with fury.

  “You don’t get to call me that anymore, Rodrigo Almanzar.” Her mouth was pursed, nostrils flaring as she glared at him.

  It had been a low blow, he knew that, to use the nickname he used to call her all those years ago, when against his better judgment he’d gotten involved with Esmeralda. No, involved made it seem like it had been a fling, something that had run its course after a time. When in fact it had been earth-shattering, all-consuming, the thing that brought him almost to the brink of losing everything. But that was what she’d been: his jewel.

  Patricio Sambrano had named his children after precious stones. Esmeralda, Onyx, Perla. And Esme was the first jewel in her father’s life. But Patricio never knew how to care for her the way she deserved. He’d never been able to appreciate the gem he’d been given. But Rodrigo had. He’d loved her as a kid, been protective of her. Of the child who lived in the shadows of her father’s life. And then he’d loved her as a woman, who even at twenty had had a clear sense of who she was. Ten years of hustling for a dream that seemed to stay constantly out of her reach had not dimmed her light. If anything, at thirty she shone even brighter.

  At the moment the light in Esme’s eyes was not warm, it was mutinous. He gestured to one of the small workrooms that were scattered around the studio. Private offices where the staff who worked in cubes could have a conference call or work on more sensitive material without disrupting others. “Let’s talk in here.” He would’ve taken her to his office, but since that was the office she was here gunning for, he figured they’d stay in neutral territory.

  She wasn’t moving, her feet firmly planted on the ground. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She pointed in the direction they’d both come from, her face pinched with fury. “You set all that up.”

  He considered her for a moment. The stubborn set of her shoulders, the defiant look in her eyes. Just beyond that there was a small quiver of lips, and a brittleness to her demeanor that told him this was getting to her. And if she was anyone else, he’d go in for the kill. He’d begin listing every reason why she would fail. How unprepared she was. But this was Esmeralda.

  “I had no idea this was what they were planning.” From her expression it was clear she didn’t believe him, and he wished that didn’t sting as much as it did. “Despite how you or the rest of the world may feel about me, I don’t actually spend my day scheming about how to steal this company.”

  “You have no idea how I feel about anything,” she said coldly, before turning on her heel and heading into one of the offices. His eyes instantly drifted to the curve of her waist and the swell of her backside as he walked in after her and closed the door.

  Her smell filled the space. The same spicy fragrance of lemongrass and ginger that she’d been using for years. This was going to be an absolute fiasco, but not in the way Esmeralda thought. He was the problem, his reaction to her was the issue.

  “I know you’re angry, but you won’t win by letting your emotions get to you.”

  She scoffed at that, but he ignored it. “And I resent the implication that I would play dirty. I would never stab you in the back like that, Esmeralda. You know—”

  “What do I know?” she demanded, her expression thunderous. “That after you promised me a thousand times that you had my back, you cut me loose in a second? That in the end you chose him?” Her voice broke just the smallest bit on the last word—him.

  He knew this was coming, but it still felt like a blow to his solar plexus, every ounce of oxygen escaping his lungs at once. He wanted to tell her the truth, explain how things had gone so terribly wrong that weekend so long ago. How Patricio had fallen for Carmelina’s lies and scheming.

  “I never—”

  The anger and frustration coursing through him felt like molten lava in his veins, the need to tell her the truth almost shattering his self-control. But he couldn’t. He swore he would never speak of how things went down, not even to defend himself from Esmeralda’s loathing. What was the use? After all these years finally telling Esmeralda what really happened would only make things worse. Minutes, merely minutes of having her back in his life and the cold and controlled demeanor he was known for was tearing at his seams.

  And yet, instead of leaving this room, going somewhere he could get himself together, he moved toward her.

  His nostrils flared, body tight with the need to touch her. To see if his caress still affected her like it used to. If his hands on her hair, his mouth on hers still made her melt. But that was not what they were to each other anymore. That part of them had been irrevocably broken. He’d thrown away his chance to have her like that.

  “We can keep this professional. I want to be CEO of Sambrano Studios. I’ve worked for it. I even think I deserve it.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she saw on his face made her pause. “But despite his faults, I respected your father and I would never interfere with his wishes. If you’re the best person for the job, I won’t stand in your way, but I won’t give it to you, either.” His back molars clenched, from the need to soothe the hurt he saw in her eyes from his words. “As a matter of fact, be prepared to fight like hell, because that’s what I plan to do.” No matter how much Esmeralda got to him, and she clearly could still undo him, he would not back down from this.

  “I don’t need you to give me anything.” She practically spat out the words. “And I plan to fight for this, too.”

  She’d come closer with every word, and now they were only inches apart. He still towered over her. She was only a few inches above five feet, but what she lacked in stature she’d always more than made up for in personality.

  “Oh, that I’m very clear on,” he said bitterly. She’d turned down every attempt he’d made to reach out to her over the years. Rejected every effort from her father or him to help her get ahead in the industry. She was determined to make a name for herself on her own. And now she was here, ready to claim her place and he knew she would fight to the death for it. His Joya was a warrior. And he would really need to figure out a way to stop thinking of her as his. But how was he supposed to do that when everything in him wanted to possess her? To take her in his arms and show her that he’d never stopped wanting her?

  “You were always much better than I was at not letting your passions get the best of you. But I’ve learned,” she assured him.

  He couldn’t contain the caustic laugh that escaped him. “Except when it came to you. I always forgot myself when I was with you.”

  “You have a funny way of showing it, Rodrigo.” Her eyes narrowed again, and she leaned in so their bodies were practically touching and he had to fist his hands to keep from bringing her against him.

  “Is that a proposition, Esmeralda?” he taunted, pressing close enough to feel her heat.

  That’s when he saw it—right behind the frustration there was just a hint of desire in her eyes. He heard it in the way her breath hitched when he leaned into her. He felt it when her body reached for his even as she tried to keep some distance. When his eyes focused on her lush lips, they parted for him like he was the only water she’d seen after days in the desert. They were fools, both of them. Hadn’t learned a thing in all these years, and yet he could not make himself walk away.

  “Esmeralda.” He said her name like it meant something all on its own. Because it did, it always had. He felt his pulse hammering in his chest, at once urgent and trepidatious. Once they’d done this, once this kiss happened, everything would change and Rodrigo could not bring himself to care.

  He placed a hand on the back of her neck and brought her forward. “You make me crazy,” he growled through gritted teeth, aching to close the last centimeter of distance between them.

  “I hate that I want you this much,” she muttered as her arms
circled his neck.

  Common sense was beyond him, need burning in him like a fever. “I could take you right here.” The tension in the room pulsed around them as they stood there, poised to crash and burn before they’d even really started. The pressure of the door opening at his back sent him tumbling forward and almost knocked him on top of Esmeralda.

  “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, Mr. Almanzar. I didn’t realize anyone was here.” He recognized the young woman as the executive assistant for one of the VPs. He couldn’t quite remember which one, but it didn’t matter. Hell, he should be thanking the woman for saving him from himself.

  “That’s fine. Miss Sambrano-Peña and I were just discussing some details about the five-year strategic plan.” He glanced in Esme’s direction and had to look away from the flush on her cheeks, because focusing on her obvious arousal would only lead to more bad decisions. “Can you give us a minute?”

  The woman’s eyes widened as she realized she’d interrupted something, but she quickly made a grab for the doorknob. “Of course.”

  The click of the door sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room, and he was sure he could hear the drumming of both their hearts. What a disaster.

  “That can’t happen again.” Esmeralda’s voice was low and husky, the heat of the past few minutes clearly still coursing through her veins. And right then, he wished he was the kind of man who could forget his responsibilities. But he was nothing if not dutiful. Hell, it was his need to always put his duty first that had cost him Esmeralda. Besides, it was all too far gone to fix any of it. This almost-kiss had been a desperate attempt to reclaim something that had long ago slipped from his fingers. The only way out was to move forward.

  “It won’t happen again.” He looked at his watch. It was almost 7:00 p.m. and this day had been a decade. “I will show you to your office, and tomorrow first thing I will guide you through some of the material the board will want you to take into consideration.”

  Esmeralda nodded, but did not say a word for a long time. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Just show me where I can work and I’ll take it from there.” She pulled the door open and stalked off.

  He followed her out, feeling off-kilter and more than a little sexually frustrated. Whether she wanted it or not, he was going to do his job, and part of that was showing her how to do hers.

  That was what he was known for after all, never deviating from the task at hand. Everything else could fall by the wayside, but Rodrigo Almanzar always delivered—even when it cost him his own happiness.

  Five

  “I’m only here to look through some of these files. It’s easier than going back and forth. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

  Rodrigo stopped short when he found Esmeralda in his office with what looked like every single one of his programming binders sprawled over his meeting table. She’d arrived yesterday morning as if the previous day’s boardroom blowout—and that almost-kiss—never happened and placidly asked for him to show her around. And as the board, and the whole world, expected him to, he did his job. He’d gotten her set up, and ever since they’d given each other a wide berth.

  Well, physically at least, because so far, he hadn’t been able to go more than a minute without thinking about her. From where he stood in the doorway he could see she was looking through news clippings and show features from 2001, and had plastered sticky notes on a few others. It looked like she’d been at it for hours. It was barely 7:00 a.m.

  “How long have you been here?” He looked at her again and noticed she was wearing different clothes than yesterday, so she must’ve gone home. Today she had on a pencil skirt in a deep burgundy and a heather-gray blouse. Her Gucci stilettos were off her feet and toppled over on the floor next to her. Her hair was in a top bun, smoothed back with her baby hair feathered out. He smiled when he saw the gold hoops in her ear. A Washington Heights girl through and through. Rodrigo thought to himself that Esmeralda would be good for this company, even if it was not as CEO.

  “Mmm, maybe a bit over an hour,” she said distractedly, as if that didn’t mean she’d arrived literally at dawn. She looked up from the notes she was jotting down and took him in. Her face was bare, no makeup except for a little bit of lip gloss. She looked fresh and young, and so damn beautiful. Always so beautiful...and intense.

  “There’s so much to go over. I still don’t have a full sense of what I’m going to do for the presentation, and the clock is ticking.” She pointed at him, but the hostility wasn’t there anymore, or at least it wasn’t there now. “I meant what I said, Rodrigo. I’m fighting for it.”

  He shook his head, noticing the small smile tugging at her lips and he wished everything in him didn’t react to her every word as deeply as it did. “I never expected for you to not give me a fight.”

  He had to watch himself very carefully with Esmeralda, because cordial was all well and good, but he could not even for a moment give her the impression this wasn’t a fight to the death. “I enjoy a good competition. Here,” he said, lifting up the bag in his hand. “I brought you something.”

  She eyed the bag suspiciously but when she saw the logo, a grin immediately appeared on her face. “You went to La Nueva?” she asked as he walked over to the table and placed the parcel in front of her on the table.

  “It’s in my neighborhood.”

  She gave him a suspicious look as she glanced at the contents. “You got me the cream cheese and guayaba Danish. How did you remember?” She sounded almost affronted he still knew what her favorite pastry was from the bakery they’d gone to as kids.

  “You never ordered anything else in the thousand times we went there.” Esmeralda may have forgotten that they had been in each other’s lives from day one, but he never would. They were tied to each other and always would be. Their mothers had been best friends, but it had always been more than that. Hell, in those days where everything seemed to be falling apart after his father had lost everything to gambling, Ivelisse had been the one to help his mother pick up the pieces.

  It had always seemed so wrong to him that Esmeralda could never be a part of Patricio’s life. She lived in a small apartment and went to the neighborhood Catholic school, while her half-siblings lived in a Park Avenue penthouse and went to boarding school in Switzerland. Although for the most part that meant she was untouched by all the Sambrano drama, protected by a mother who could clearly see how that world could taint her daughter. And here she was now, a determined, strong woman, still blowing him away with that fire of hers. And he hoped that the tough exterior matched what was inside, because he would crush her hopes for that CEO position. There was no other option.

  “We didn’t go a thousand times,” she muttered through a mouthful of pastry. He’d always enjoyed watching her eat. Esmeralda was not dainty or shy about what she loved. She took big bites and gulped things in—unapologetically ravenous for what brought her pleasure. There had been a time he’d been what pleased her the most, before he’d ruined everything with his need to do his duty despite who got hurt in the process. Before Patricio’s refusal to see through Carmelina’s lies.

  He would never forget that day. He’d made up a story at work about scoping out some potential talent in LA and gotten on a Thursday-night redeye to spend three days with Esme. On Friday they’d driven out to Laguna Beach and eaten ceviche and drank cold beer in a restaurant on the water. Their Saturday plans to go to the Getty Villa had been completely ignored, and instead he’d kept her in bed until the afternoon. It had been all the more perfect because those moments were just theirs. They’d kept their relationship secret, because they’d both known that once their families knew it would be out of their hands. But he’d been hopeful in those few days, and foolish enough to think that the love they had for each other could endure anything. He had been so wrong.

  On the Sunday morning his mother’s plea for help on behalf of Ivelisse Peña shattered the joy
of those few days. Gloria had delivered the news in hushed tones over the phone, telling him that on Friday Esmeralda’s mother had received a notice saying she had one week to vacate the apartment she lived in. All because Carmelina had gotten in Patricio’s head and he’d decided to turn the mother of his firstborn on the street.

  Without telling Esmeralda why—Ivelisse had begged him not to tell her daughter what was happening until she at least had a new place to live—he’d jumped on a plane back to New York to intercede with Patricio. He’d found the man in his office, drunk off his head raving about paternity tests and Ivelisse being a liar. When Rodrigo finally got him sobered up enough to explain, Patricio showed him the “test” Carmelina had produced as evidence that Esmeralda was not his child.

  Knowing Carmelina, Rodrigo had made quick work of discovering that his mentor’s wife had fabricated the whole thing. He’d tried to call the laboratory that supposedly had done it, and confirmed the place didn’t exist. But the damage was already done and it was twofold, because as Rodrigo worked to help Ivelisse, the truth about the nature of his relationship with Patricio’s daughter came to light. And so did the price he’d have to pay to make sure Esmeralda never found out the real reason her father had forced Ivelisse out of their home.

  Rodrigo had risked his job, his mother’s treatment and Patricio’s help getting the Almanzar family out of the debt his father had sunk them into. Once his mentor figured out he was in love with Esme, Patricio demanded that Rodrigo end it. The older man had been furious, flying into a rage about Rodrigo keeping things from him, of going behind his back.

  Rodrigo had taken all the insults and humiliation; he’d had no choice. But before he fell on the sword Patricio set for him, he asked for one last thing. One final guarantee that Carmelina could never attempt to do what she’d done again, then he gave Esmeralda up.