It wasn’t because of her family or because Gerald was her father. It wasn’t this castle of a house or the fact that she had the power to connect him to the man who could define his future. All of those things were great, but what smacked him so hard that it forced his eyes wide-open was the way she looked at him, the way she lit up just for him. It shifted something inside him, tantamount to rolling aside a boulder that had sealed off a cold, dark cave that had trapped his soul.
Seeing her was like stepping out into the sunshine again.
After his broken engagement, after the hell Selena had put him through, tonight he realized he could still feel. It came like a lightning bolt because it had been a couple of years since he’d been able to feel anything remotely like this. That could only mean one thing: the past was behind him now. He’d left it inside that cave that had held him prisoner and rolled that rock back into place, so those difficult times could wither and die inside and never plague him again. He wasn’t sure where this was going or if it would even go anywhere, but for the first time in a long time, he was ready to move forward.
“Hi, Joaquin.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and he kissed her back. She smelled good, like roses and honey and sunshine. He breathed in deeply, wanting to commit her scent to memory.
“You look handsome,” she said after she pulled away, making no bones about giving him the slow, sexy once-over.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” he said. “May I get you a drink?”
“A glass of white wine would be lovely, thank you.”
He made short order of fetching it, but by the time he returned to her side, Gerald had entered the room.
“Hello, everyone. Welcome and thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to join me for dinner tonight. I hope you all brought your appetites because the chef has prepared a delicious feast for us to enjoy. Without further delay, why don’t we make our way into the dining room, because dinner is ready and I am starving.”
The small crowd, about fifteen in all, made the appropriate adoring and convivial noises as they filed past Gerald. He took the time to greet everyone by name and express how happy he was to see him or her. The man seemed like a different person than the rough, gruff boss at work. Apparently he had different faces that ranged from dictatorial tyrant to beloved king of the castle. It was good to meet the more human side of him. Joaquin realized not everyone was privileged to glimpse the less gruff side of Gerald Robinson, whom one news magazine had named the Bully Genius and another had called the Attila the Hun of Technology.
Joaquin was beginning to understand why Zoe had come into his office that day and asked for help spinning her father’s reputation in a more positive direction. It made sense after glimpsing the more benevolent side of Gerald Robinson. Zoe knew and loved this side of her dad and wanted everyone to see how great he could be. Still, Joaquin would wager that Gerald Robinson didn’t give a rat’s ass what people thought of him.
“Joaquin, good to see you.” Gerald extended his hand and Joaquin gave it a firm shake. “It was short notice. I’m glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for inviting me,” he said, taking care to express his appreciation without gushing.
“Are we still on for that sit-down tomorrow? I’m looking forward to talking about what you want to do after you after you finish your current project.” Gerald turned his attention to his daughter and Joaquin was dismissed. “Hello, princess. It’s always a good night when we get to have dinner together.”
“Hi, Dad.” Zoe threw both of her arms around Gerald’s neck. It was the first time Joaquin had ever seen Gerald’s face go completely soft. But it only lasted a moment before he reclaimed his tough armor.
“Get in there to dinner,” he said to Joaquin. “It’s rude to keep everyone waiting.”
Zoe looked at Joaquin and rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but her father didn’t see it. Joaquin wasn’t sure if Gerald missed it by accident or design.
There were no place cards. The guests were free to sit where they wanted. By the time he and Zoe made it into the dining room, the places near Gerald were taken. Joaquin wished he’d gotten in there earlier. It would have been fun watching the others jockey for the prime real estate. The two seats available were at the opposite end of the sprawling table.
At each place setting there was a menu detailing the five-course feast: Oysters Rockefeller, cream of roasted walnut soup, surf and turf, salad of baby greens with vinaigrette, and flourless chocolate cake with raspberry coulis. Each course had its own wine pairing.
During dinner, everyone made small talk, but Gerald was quiet, hunching over his meal, paying more attention to the food than to his guests. While everyone except for Joaquin and Zoe tried to be the centers of attention, entertaining with their best anecdotes and worldly stories, they seemed to know better than to interrupt Gerald’s rapturous dinner.
By the time dessert was served, Joaquin thought they’d have to roll him out of the dining room. But the after-dinner Calvados was the perfect ending to the delicious meal.
When he was done, Gerald commanded the stage and regaled his guests with a bit of his own history.
“As most of you know, I’m a self-made man,” he said. “I built Robinson Tech from the ground up with my own two hands, starting with only the shirt on my back and the cash in my pockets. No one ever gave me anything, and I never asked them to.”
There was an edge to Gerald’s tone that bordered on bitter and Joaquin wondered if it had anything to do with the rumored Fortune connection. Joaquin glanced around the table, watching the others smiling and nodding and shaking their heads in solidarity. He wondered if they could hear the undercurrent in Gerald’s words. It sounded a lot like hurt.
If the man really was a Fortune, as Zoe’s siblings kept insisting, what must it have been like to walk away from that dynasty and start over? Or had he walked away? Maybe he’d been pushed. Or, as Zoe maintained, maybe it was all a moot point.
Zoe was facing questions about her family, questions about truth and lies and whom to believe, what was important and what didn’t matter. Yet she still managed to see the good in life and give those she loved the benefit of the doubt.
She had questions very similar to the ones he was facing. For a moment Joaquin wondered if exposing the truth really mattered. Would it change anything for the better?
He cast a glance at Zoe, who was listening intently. In Gerald’s case, exposing his past might not make things better. Of course, it would hurt Zoe and that in itself colored Joaquin’s opinion on Fortune-gate. Because when he thought of his own situation, the devastating questions he needed to ask his father, it still seemed necessary.
“I respect hard work and dedication,” Gerald continued. “It’s what’s gotten me where I am today. I want Robinson Tech to reflect that ethos of perseverance and independence. That’s why I’ve asked each of you here tonight. Because I recognize a similar drive and determination in your work. I want this company to forge new paths. You don’t get ahead in this business by regurgitating what your competitors have already created. So that’s where you come in. You bring the fresh and the original to Robinson Tech. Over the next few weeks I’m going to meet with each of you one-on-one and we are going to map out your future with the company.”
Gerald stood suddenly, tossing the linen napkin onto his dessert plate with the flick of his wrist. “But right now, it’s time for you all to leave. Good night, everyone.”
* * *
Zoe had never been so happy for a dinner to end. And even happier, since it was still early.
Stanley, who had been the Robinson’s butler for as far back as Zoe could remember, herded the guests to the door, and it gave her a chance to grab Joaquin’s hand and pull him toward the opposite door that led to the butler’s pantry.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Away
from here,” she said, happy that he hadn’t let go of her hand. Their fingers were laced and his palm felt big and warm against hers.
She led him through the butler’s pantry and took a sharp left down a hall that led to the family room.
“Let’s go outside,” she said. “It’s such a nice night.”
Joaquin smiled. “That sounds like a great idea.”
They walked hand in hand across the travertine porch, down the steps that led to the pool area and to a wooden bench that overlooked Lake Austin.
“This view is my favorite thing about this house,” Zoe said. “Sometimes when I just need to think, I come out here and sit.”
“It’s a great view,” Joaquin said. “What do you think about when you’re out here?”
His thigh had drifted over into her space and was resting against her leg. She liked the feel of him next to her.
“Whatever’s on my mind. Right now, I’m hoping to get a promotion. That’s one of the reasons I was at the dinner tonight. Just because I’m the boss’s daughter doesn’t mean he automatically promotes me. I have to earn advancement like everyone else. And that’s the way it should be. Why should I get special privileges? Shouldn’t I have to earn my way just like everyone else does?”
Joaquin raised his brows and nodded.
“What?” she said. “Did you think I was here tonight just to see you?”
“I was hoping,” he said.
She couldn’t believe he’d said that. It made her stomach jump and her heart race, but she tried to play it cool, even though what she wanted to do was to wrap her arms around him and show him exactly how happy she was to be there with him.
“But you live here,” he said. “Of course I’d expect you to be here.”
“I don’t anymore. I grew up here, but I have a place of my own now. This is a great house, though, isn’t it? It was fun growing up here. So, did you have fun tonight?”
Joaquin nodded. “It was interesting. I saw a side of your father I’d never seen before. I have acquired a brand-new appreciation for him.”
“That makes me so happy, you don’t even know. I wish everyone could see him the way you do.”
“Thanks for having him invite me.”
Zoe held up her hand. “Actually, all I did was ask him if you were coming tonight, and he’s the one who decided to invite you. I didn’t ask him to. He really likes you, Joaquin. And so do I.”
She saw Joaquin’s throat work. He was silent for a moment, just looking at her in way that she couldn’t read. For a second she was afraid he was going to friend-zone her again.
“I like you, too, Zoe. You know what I like best about you?”
She shook her head.
“You always see the best in everyone, even in me. I know I haven’t been the easiest person to get to know.”
Zoe laughed. Even if he was hard to get to know, Joaquin obviously had no idea what a great guy he was.
“I wish I could claim that as a heroic quality,” she said. “But it’s not hard to see the good in you. I mean, good grief, half the women in the office are in love with you.”
He made a face that said he didn’t believe her.
“Or at least Steffi-Anne is,” she said. “If you don’t know that, then you’re clueless. And if you are clueless, that’s okay, because then I can tell you that it’s true, but—”
She stopped, biting back her words before she said the wrong thing. But, really, what was the point of censoring herself now?
“Joaquin, I don’t want to share you. Not with Steffi-Anne. With no one.”
He answered her by lowering his head and covering her mouth with his. It was a kiss that she felt all the way down to her curled toes.
When they finally came up for air, he said, “In case you’re wondering, I just made a move on you.”
Chapter Nine
After the Robinson dinner, Zoe and Joaquin were inseparable outside of the office. The more time he spent with her, the more he wondered why it had taken him so long to get his head on straight. She made him so damn happy, he couldn’t imagine a day, or a night, going by without seeing her.
That was why, when Zoe decided to show Joaquin some of her favorite places around Austin, he was psyched to let her be his tour guide. Once, they went to dinner at Botticelli’s South Congress. Another night they headed to the SoCo area to hear a band that Zoe loved. They went for drinks at the Driskill Hotel. And that night after work, they’d visited the Harry Ransom Center, a museum on the edge of the University of Texas campus. The place was open until seven on Thursday nights. Afterward, they grabbed a quick bite to eat.
In the past, when Joaquin started dating someone new, this much togetherness would have made him itchy for his own space. But after dinner, when he took Zoe to get her car, which she’d left in the Robinson office parking lot, he didn’t even hesitate when she asked him to come over.
In fact, the thought of saying good-night left him with an emptiness he didn’t quite understand. So he followed her back to her place, a nice town home located about fifteen minutes from the office.
Once inside, he followed her past the small foyer and into the living room. She turned to him. The sensual way she looked at him made him crazy. He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms, weaving his fingers into her hair and kissing her deeply and soundly with all the pent-up passion that had been building in him since the first time he’d set eyes on her.
When they came up for air, she took a step back, looking a little disoriented. A piece of hair had fallen across one eye and he brushed it back, resisting the urge to pull her to him again.
“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing toward a teal blue sofa. “I’ll get us some wine.”
The living area was an open design. He could see her in the kitchen, taking two wineglasses down from the cupboard.
“Do you need any help?” he asked.
“Nope. I’m good,” she called. “I’ll be right there.”
He looked around, taking in everything. The high ceilings and the crown molding. The walls were painted light blue and the furniture was a perfect mix of formal and quirky, like Zoe herself. It was a nice place, tastefully decorated with feminine floral patterns and lots of color.
It was the first time he had been to her place. It was good to get a glimpse of Zoe’s world. He hadn’t had a mental picture of where she lived, but now that he was here, it was so her, somehow he couldn’t imagine her anywhere else.
She came into the living room, carrying two wineglasses and an open bottle of red, and set them on the coffee table so she could pour some into each glass. She handed him one, kicked off her sandals and curled up next to him on the couch.
They clinked glasses. The crystal pinged a melodic note and they each took a sip.
“I remember the first time I saw you,” she said. “It was at Rachel and Matteo’s wedding. You were late because your flight had been delayed—remember that?”
Joaquin nodded. He’d thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with those large dark eyes and long brown hair.
“I guess it turns out that you really were the best man,” she said.
They laughed and clinked glasses again.
“I just keep thinking how I had no idea at the wedding that things would turn out like this. But I’m glad it did. Little did we know.”
He’d had no idea that Zoe had noticed him. It had been his own fault. He’d been so blindsided by the breakup with Selena that he’d turned inward, living inside his head and protecting his fractured heart. At that point, he had only been free a couple months. Thinking back to that time in his life, it had been sort of a blur. He was still reeling from the breakup, but he’d wanted to do right by his brother and be the best best man possible. Matteo was obviously so m
uch in love with Rachel. What was it about these Robinson women that mesmerized Mendoza men?
“You’re so quiet tonight,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I couldn’t be better. I’m just enjoying being here with you like this.”
She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, loving the feel of her next to him.
“So, if you count the wedding as when we first met,” she said, looking up at him, “technically we’ve known each other for more than a year. Unless... You weren’t engaged then, were you?”
He shook his head. “No, by that point we’d called it off.”
“If it was that fresh, it must have been hard for you to be thrown into wedding festivities.”
“It doesn’t matter now. I was happy for my brother and Rachel. They’re family. You do what you have to do.”
“That’s one of the things I like best about you. Your family seems so important to you.”
Zoe reached out and trailed her thumb over Joaquin’s bottom lip. He gently caught it with his teeth and drew it into his mouth, suckling it before he let it go.
“So... We’ve known each other a whole year. And this the first time we’ve been alone. I mean really alone.”
Joaquin’s hands locked on her waist and he pulled her close. “It’s about time.”
He inhaled in her scent and wanted to melt with the heat of her body. His finger traced the neckline of her blouse, teasing the valley between her breasts. She took a sharp breath, which he captured when his lips closed over hers.
She tasted like the most delicious delicacy and he couldn’t help but want more.
As they kissed, his palm brushed over her breasts. Even through the fabric, he felt her nipples stiffen under his touch. Instinctively he ventured down and slipped his hand under her blouse, skimming her stomach until his thumb brushed the underside of one breast.
He ached for her with his entire being. The need quickly morphed into a ravenous hunger.
“I want you,” he whispered against her mouth.
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