by Stacy Hoff
He’d been chasing after his father’s affection since he was old enough to say “Papá.” He’d chased after his brother his whole life, too. Correction, half-brother. Emotional distance was important to keep firmly in place.
Mama always cared about him, up until the point she became too ill to know who he was. That little bit of solace gone forever. The few grainy pictures he had from his youth reminded him of the love she had given him. Blank stares into space are what she gave him now.
Somehow, Mel’s arrival had made him forget all this. In the short time they were together he felt connected in a way he hadn’t in years. He had opened up, talked about himself, and revealed the worst, most painful topics he had always tried to hide. Mel’s openness about her own issues made him feel valued. She had made him believe there was someone in the world that felt the exact same way he did. The black sheep. The odd man out. The younger child who would never be as good as their older sibling.
Her reason for running off—what he could surmise of it—was almost understandable. Denny must have told her to stop dating the client. He could sympathize with the amount of pressure Mel must have been under. If anyone knew how difficult dealing with family was, it was him. And yet, if the situation were reversed, he would have fought for her. Mel’s choice for flight instead of fight was barely less painful than his father’s choice to do the same.
Why couldn’t Mel have held her ground? Or at least given him a chance to speak to her family, if she wasn’t strong enough to speak up for herself? An angry voice inside his head answered him. Because she’s like the rest of them. Letting you know you aren’t worth fighting for. You aren’t even worth being dumped face-to-face.
The smart phone on his desk vibrated, shaking hard enough to get his attention. The caller’s name and number flashed across the screen. He picked up, answering abruptly and tersely. “Yes, Francine?”
“A man of few words, I see. Good thing I like the strong, silent type.”
If I answered the phone, how can she say I’m silent? “I didn’t ask for a personality evaluation. Seriously, Francine, what can I do for you?”
“It’s what I can do for you,” Francine purred.
“Again with this? I don’t have time for guessing games.”
“Can we meet in person? I won’t keep you guessing for much longer.”
Luis grimaced. A pity Francine couldn’t see his instinctive reaction. “I’ll be here in the office for another hour.” He hung up the phone. Great, now I’ll have to deal with a storm inside, too.
The knock on his office door a few minutes later surprised him. “Come in,” he called out. When Francine’s head peeked into his doorway, the muscles in his shoulders automatically tensed. “I wasn’t expecting you this soon.”
She let out a large grin. Opening the door wide she walked in and stood a foot away from his desk. “I was upstairs tweaking the design plans for some of the corner rooms.”
If he liked Francine’s personality on any level, he would have found her presence alluring. The sleeveless, black, button-down shirt she wore sported a plunge line deep enough for him to see her cleavage. A sliver of turquoise from her boldly colored bra peeked through. Her tight black skirt had a hemline as high as her heels. Either the woman liked to wear interesting business attire or she was here for more reasons than business. This woman does not give up. “You were working late, I see. Thank you for your diligence. If this conversation is work related, however, shouldn’t you be talking to my brother?”
“Who said I’m here to talk about business?”
His eyebrow quirked up. “Then why . . .?” His words died when her fingers moved to touch his mouth with a light, tantalizing stroke. Her hands traveled down his chest. Until her pointer finger glided softly over his nipple. The action was more tease than touch.
Conflicting emotions inside him battled for supremacy. Surprise. Reluctance. Lust. As Francine’s fingers drifted southward, this time tracing the outline of his lower abs, lust was gaining dominance at a rapid speed.
He wanted to be loyal to Mel, the woman who meant everything to him. Francine meant nothing to him. Yet Francine stepped in when Mel walked off. Leaving him behind, and once again, alone. “Francine . . .”
“Shhh. I’ve been waiting for this exact moment. Counting down the hours until now, when I knew you wouldn’t fight me anymore. You are an attractive man, Luis Serrano. Everyone knows it. I know it. Tonight, you will know it, too.” One hand slid up his back. The other pressed his head down to hers. Their lips were touching now. The taste of her lips unexpectedly sweet.
His arm snaked around her waist of its own volition. His lips pressed down firmly against hers. It was a surge of sexual urgency, mingled with an even deeper desire: to be wanted and needed. The war within him battled on. He knew Francine was not his type. He had no interest in her. Sex with her would complicate things between him and Raul.
Then a darker feeling crept in. Having sex with Francine would prove to Mel that he could move on with his life. Survive, and even thrive, without her. Although that idea was admittedly foolish. How could he prove anything to Mel if she wasn’t around to care?
A new thought fluttered in. Weak at first, until it grew strong. “Francine,” he said again, gently pushing her away. “Why tonight?”
“Mmmm, let’s not talk, Luis. I liked what you were doing with your mouth a moment ago much better.”
He took a step back to further separate them. “What did you mean when you said you were waiting for this exact moment? How did you know I wouldn’t fight anymore?”
Francine tugged at his shirt hard, trying to pull him back to her. “I know you finally broke free of your choke chain. The one she put around your neck. Luckily, the bitch got the hint and flew back today.”
“You mean Mel? How did you know she left the island? What do you know about my relationship with her?”
“You just admitted your relationship with her.” Francine laughed. “Who cares anyway? It’s old news. How about we enjoy some good news instead? Melanie Merritt is finally gone. Thank God.”
He wanted to defend Mel. Francine was not worthy of calling anyone a bitch, especially Mel. He almost pushed Francine away, demanding an apology until he remembered.
Francine’s tongue moved lightly over his ear with seductive little flicks. Her breath hot against his face. “I’m glad it worked,” she murmured.
Somehow her words sank into his ears, along with her tongue. He tugged her arms away from his waist and took a step back. “What worked?”
“Never mind. I want to focus on us.”
“Explain what you meant first,” he said in a steely voice.
She also took a step back and let out an audible breath, clearly exasperated. “You should thank me. I am the better designer.” She shot him a slow, sexy smile. “I am also the better lover. Nobody needs the Merritts.” She pursed her lips suggestively. “I am all that you need.”
Dios mío. What did she do? This woman is unbelievable! The lust his body had been building suddenly crumbled, dissolving into a pile of dust. But he couldn’t ditch and run. He needed to first find out what she was talking about. He forced his face to maintain neutrality and to keep his tone of voice even. “You had this planned? How?”
“Let’s just say the last time I was in your office I borrowed your phone while you stepped out.”
Despite his best efforts, he lost his patience. “Francine, if you’re trying to play the crazy stalker role, you’re doing a great job.”
“That’s not fair,” she protested. “It’s true I’ve been gunning for you, but I’m not a stalker. The phone thing was all about business. I mean, sure, I checked the messages between you and the loser. At first, I only wanted to know about my competition. Then the idea hit me. Why not get rid of her myself?”
Clamping down of his temper was becoming impossible. Only the need to hear the truth managed to keep his rage in check. “It was your idea to get the Merritts off the job.”
“No, that was Raul’s idea. I only helped him get his wish. The execution was all mine.”
“Raul? My brother knew about this?” His stomach clenched. “Why?”
“He has his reasons. Telling you would make me double-cross him.”
Luis arched an eyebrow. “What makes you think he’s loyal to you?”
“I trust him. We have a solid understanding. He’s a fine businessman and a nice enough guy. But he’s not you, and you’re the one I want. Francine narrowed her eyes. “If I tell you, are you going to blab to your brother?”
“No. Go on with it,” Luis ground out.
“Raul wanted Merritt Designs off the job to make your father hand his company over to him straight away.”
Luis felt like he’d been sucker-punched. “Raul tried to rig my failure.”
Francine’s eyes grew wide and round. “Hey, don’t be upset, sweetie. This is business. Don’t take it personally. The first design firm walked off the job because Raul paid them to leave. He promised them no repercussions. That move screwed over your father, not you. You weren’t even involved at that point.”
She let out a short, sharp laugh. “Raul is not as smart as he thinks he is. Your dad probably reached out to you because he thought something funky was going on with his favorite son.”
“Why would Raul do this? It makes no sense.”
“It makes plenty of sense. Raul wants your father dependent on him. He’s been planting little bombs in your father’s business for years. Hoping your father would become too overwhelmed and want to simply hand over the company. When the old man became ill, Raul thought it was the right time to try again. The smallest push over the edge . . .”
“This can’t be true,” Luis said, more to himself than Francine.
“Why not? All is fair in love and war. When you finally get to run your father’s business, you will have all the power in the family. Then you’re free to do what you want. Raul, on the other hand, will be left spending the rest of his life as he lived it–jealous of you.”
“Of me?” The world was spinning, as frenzied as the tropical storm raging outside. Nothing seemed stable anymore. Truth had turned the world upside-down.
“Of course Raul is jealous of you, Luis.” Francine’s finger traced the outline of his arm. “I can see why your brother would be jealous. You’re the one who got all the looks. You’re the one who became a success without any help from Daddy. You came from nothing, yet managed to conquer the world.” She laughed. “You two brothers are straight out of the eighties movie, Twins. He’s Danny DeVito. You’re Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
Raul jealous? How was that possible, when he had spent his whole life being jealous of Raul? No, this wasn’t possible. Was it? Could they both believe the other one got all of life’s aces? While they were handed nothing but jokers?
Luis knew he should react. Say something. Anything. Instead of standing there, like stone.
“Yeah, Raul is a real piece of work,” Francine continued, oblivious to Luis’s mood. “You may think I go to great lengths to get what I want, but I’m nothing compared to Raul. He researched the Merritt sisters to learn about each of their weaknesses, in case I failed. When he and his team of people dug around to discover Denise broke her leg, he was sure Melanie would be flying out. He used one of his art galleries to reach out to her and dangle a potential show in front of her face. That way he could yank the rug out from under her. He figured the Merritt’s weakest hitter would be an emotional mess. She’d be out of the interior design game A.S.A.P. Leaving you to search for a new firm.”
Luis’s lack of response didn’t perturb Francine. She flashed him a bright smile. “Let’s forget about Raul. I’m the only person who should matter to you. I will love you, Luis.” She placed her hands on the buttons of her shirt and started opening each button from the top down. The fully exposed turquoise bra barely covered her breasts. “I will make love to you for hours. Starting right now. Pleasuring you in a way you’ve never known before.”
His head was swimming. It was hard to pick out her words and give them any meaning. The verbal torrent had washed over him until he was dazed and confused. A man slowly drowning.
He did his best to fight back. To gain control. To take back the power he had been denied for too long. “You lied, Francine. You lied to my brother when you told him you would keep his secrets. You lied to Melanie Merritt when you told her something so horrible she had to leave. You hurt my business and more importantly, my relationships. Because you are a liar, I’ll be a liar, too. I am going to tell your secrets, Francine. I don’t know whether I’ll ever be able to have a relationship with any of these people again. One thing is for sure though. I will never be with you. Personally, or professionally. Get out of my sight.”
Francine’s mouth dropped open. She straightened up her back and stood stiffly. “Well, I never!”
“Never what, Francine? Been rejected? Or been fired? Because right now you’re both.”
Chapter 23
Mel was back in her SoHo apartment for less than a day before she applied for a job she found online. A Greenwich Village twenty-four-hour diner needed a waitress. She showed up to pitch herself. Her waitressing experience was zilch. Luckily, the manager’s level of desperation was high. The diner reluctantly agreed to try her out for a few days since the position was for the relatively quiet graveyard shift.
She had gone back to the diner later that night to start working. It had been a long shift with few breaks. When 7:00 AM rolled around, the end of her workday, she was toast. Her feet were swollen. The rest of her body ached as well. Her spirits, however, were surprisingly high. Being employed meant her landlord would not throw her out. As a bonus prize, she would have free daytime hours to paint. Who needs sleep, anyway?
Establishing a reputation as an artist would not be an easy task. She would need to stay completely focused. The upside of spending time and energy on painting, pitching her artwork to galleries, and waitressing, would be having no time to brood over the loss of her family. Or Luis.
When the realization she was still in love with Luis dawned on her, she had almost dropped a coffee pot onto a police officer seated at the diner’s counter. The “save” the cop made was almost as impressive as dodging a bullet. Luckily, the spill landed on the countertop instead of him.
As soon as she was off duty she changed out of her uniform and headed to the first art gallery on her list. She waited outside the closed brick building for an hour until they opened. The startled gallery manager agreed to take a fast look at her work solely due to her dedication. The manager suggested several galleries that might be amenable to a showing.
With her prospects uncertain, she decided not to pay bus fare. The long walk home should have been tiring. Not being dragged down makes me lighter. Her pursuits were important regardless of how much money she made.
Would her parents eventually learn to tolerate her artistic pursuits? She no longer hoped they would love her path in life, only that they would accept it. Stop their berating. Be silent, even though she knew deep down they would never support her decision.
Could her relationship with her sister be salvaged as well? Establishing enough of an open, civil line of communication to allow them to speak like siblings again? Halfway home, she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to find out. Grabbing her phone, she texted Denny. ‘I am sorry for our fight. We can disagree and still be sisters.’
Standing dead in the middle of the sidewalk was catching people’s attention. A group of construction workers across the street whistled at her. She ducked into a bodega and begged her phone to vibrate. After ten minutes of looking at tabloids and displays of gum
she let out a deep sigh. Maybe the answer she wanted was never going to happen.
~ ~ ~
Luis knew he needed to get on a plane. Fast. Every second ticking by meant being without Mel. That was his burden to bear. It didn’t matter. Her burden was worse. She was left thinking something awful about him. Whatever the details were, it was undoubtedly bad. Not only because Francine’s message had kept them apart, but because the words had hurt her. No doubt she was still hurting. He certainly was. The pain that stabbed his chest was sharper than Caribbean coral. Mel’s absence had pierced his heart.
Before he could board the next plane one piece of unfinished business was left to do. Escaping his mental prison was a process Mel had started and he needed to finish. If he were emotionally chained to his past, how could he ever be free to embrace his future?
The storm over, he returned to his father’s office with a new sense of calm. It was fortunate the old man had not yet left Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, his father was refusing to see anybody unless it was a potential new business deal. The old man buried himself in his office as if it were a coffin. Luis finagled a way to gain admittance. Margaretta, the old man’s secretary, had made the appointment under the name of a fictitious resort management company to ensure his father would not cancel.
It was good for Luis to know he was as sly as his Papá. The door to his father’s office needed to be opened, either by charm or chicanery. Which was why Luis had hired Olivia, Margaretta’s daughter, years ago. Nothing like having an ally on the inside. Margaretta had been beyond grateful to Luis for her daughter’s cushy employment deal.
Too bad the number of his allies was limited. Luis had called Raul to this meeting, too. The business Luis needed to discuss was family business, and that meant Raul’s presence was required. It would not be easy dealing with either man. Much less both. The fallout from the emotional bomb he’d be tossing into his father’s office was a mystery.