Fresh Temptation: Barboza Brothers, Book One

by Reeni Austin

  Isaac said, “Mommy up?”

  Patty’s voice sounded closer now. “No, sweetie, Mommy will be home tonight. Remember we talked about this?”

  “No.”

  Patty sighed. “Yes you do. Mommy had to work last night.”

  Isaac whined and stomped his foot. “Mommy!”

  “Shh,” Patty said. “Look what I have for you. A cinnamon roll.”

  Isaac’s tone was instantly happy. “Ooh!”

  “Now, I’ll give you this but you need to be good, okay? Here. Go back to your room and I’ll be there in a minute.”

  A few seconds later, Patty opened her bedroom door. “Good morning, handsome,” she said.

  Tom chuckled. “Good morning, my dear.”

  “This is for you.” She handed him a hot cinnamon roll on a small plate, with a fork. “I hope you like sweets for breakfast.”

  Tom took the plate. “I love them. How’d you sneak out of here and have time to do this?”

  With an air of false humility, Patty brushed her hair off her shoulder and said, “A woman has her ways.”

  Tom thought back to recent memories of the previous night. “Yes. She sure does.”

  They shared a knowing look and burst into laughter until Tom realized Isaac might hear. Then he got quiet.

  He gave Patty a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry. I’ll have to eat and run. I don’t want your grandson to catch me here.”

  “Oh, I can take care of him. Don’t worry about that.”

  “I really do have to go. I’m sorry. I have some important business to take care of and it can’t wait any longer. I wish it could.” He let out a wistful sigh. “Oh, I wish it could.”

  Disappointed, Patty nodded and watched him get dressed. “I understand.”

  A few minutes later, Patty and Tom walked down to the front door, quickly joined by Isaac, who hid behind Patty’s leg.

  “Well, you have my number and you know where to find me,” she said.

  Tom looked down at Isaac to make sure he was not watching, then kissed Patty’s cheek. “I’d like to see you soon, if that’s okay.”

  Patty beamed. “Dinner here tonight? You could meet my daughter.”

  A nervous twinge formed in Tom’s stomach at the mention of Cara. “I’d like that.”

  “Seven o’clock then?”

  “Yes.” He kissed her cheek once more. “I’ll be here.”

  An hour and a half later, Tom arrived at the usual meeting spot to speak with Alexis.

  After sipping water at a table by himself for a few minutes, he watched the socialite waltz through the room, smiling.

  Alexis sat across from him. “So, this must be important. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.” She rubbed her hands together. “So, let’s get to it.”

  Tom folded his hands across the table. “Fine. There’s no easy way to say this.” He cleared his throat. “I can’t work for you anymore.”

  “What? No!”

  “Yes, Ms. Whitt. I’m off the case.”

  Alexis crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. “You can’t be off the case. We have a contract. I’ve already had money wired to your account.”

  Tom shrugged. “I’ll unwire the money. Send it right back to you. Either of us can void that contract at any time.”

  Alexis fumed. She was more desperate than ever for new information, especially after hearing from another source that Cara and Victor went away on a business trip the previous day. “So, you have nothing new to tell me? I thought you were working this case all day yesterday.”

  Tom gave her a lighthearted grin and adjusted his glasses. “I was, indeed. But no more. I got no news for ya. I’m done.”

  Huffing loudly, Alexis spit out her words. “I’ll ruin your name. You’ll never work for anyone again if I have anything to do with it.”

  Tom took a deep breath and stood. “Well, you do what you gotta do, Ms. Whitt. I got some other business to attend to. Expect the money to be returned to your account in the next few days.” And with that, he nodded one last time and walked out of the restaurant.

  Cursing under her breath, Alexis took out her phone to make a call. “Hey, Sally?”

  “Hey Alexis. Let me put you on hold for a sec.” Sally, a staff accountant at Monarch Enterprises, waved for one of her co-workers to leave her cubicle, then returned to the phone. “So, what can I do for you today?”

  “I just wanted to double check what you told me about Victor’s trip request. His flight’s scheduled to return at what time today?”

  “Give me a moment to pull it up.” Sally double-clicked on the travel module and entered Victor’s name. “Hmm. He’s traveled a lot lately. Okay, here’s today’s trip. He was originally supposed to return today at four o’clock. It can change at the last minute, though.”

  “Four o’clock?” Alexis’s heart sank. “That means they’ve spent almost all day together.”

  “Sorry, hon. I can’t do anything about that.”

  Alexis sighed. “I know. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I gotta go.”

  Sally had barely said, “Goodbye,” when Alexis ended the call.

  Alexis hung her head, quietly crying in the middle of the crowded restaurant. It was time to plan her next move. She had no idea it would hurt so much to think Victor may have an interest in another woman. Whatever it took, she would get him back.

  Men don’t say, “no” to Alexis Whitt.

  * * *

  At five o’clock, Cara and Victor greeted Gary as they walked to Cara’s office.

  Victor waited for Cara to set her laptop bag down, then he shut the door behind them and pulled her into a kiss.

  Cara never thought she would feel so comfortable kissing a man in the office, let alone her boss. But she came back from Houston with a new sense of confidence, ready to see where life would take her and Victor.

  His tongue searched her mouth desperately until he absolutely had to pull away. “I’m sorry. I’ll be late for a dinner meeting if I don’t leave now. I’d ask you to join me but I’ve already kept you from Isaac for too long.”

  Cara nodded. “I understand.”

  “Please tell him Big Toe says hi.” Victor laughed. “I’ll call you tonight, hopefully not too late.” He gave her another peck on the lips, then opened the door and left.

  Cara walked to her chair and sat down, taking a moment to steady herself before docking her laptop to finish some work. Her life had never felt more like a whirlwind, and for once, she appreciated the sudden changes instead of doing everything in her power to stop them.

  After she was settled in at her desk, she found her cell phone in her purse and dialed Marcy.

  “Cara?” Marcy answered.

  “Hey. How are you?”

  Marcy let out a little gasp. “Me? No, no, no. You better be calling to tell me all about what happened with Mr. Boss Man. Especially after that little text message you sent this morning.”

  Cara giggled and peered through her door to make sure Gary was busy at his desk. “I don’t know where to start. He’s amazing, Marcy.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet. Did he show you some amazing moves last night?”

  “Shut up!” Cara felt her cheeks blush. “And yes.”

  Marcy cackled. “It’s about time! Details! I need details!”

  “Not now. I’m at work. You free to come over tonight?”

  “Maybe. Lost one of my offices today. Got swiped out from under me by some other cleaning crew.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry…”

  “It’s okay. I’ll figure it out. So, back to you. Is it getting serious? Or is it just a sizzling hot work fling?”

  “I really don’t know.” Cara bit her fingernail. “He says we’re dating.”

  “Well, what do you say? Are you dating or not?”

  “Yeah. I suppose we are.”

  “Good. I was gonna slap you if you said no to that.”

  Cara laughed for a moment. “But it’s a little scary. He says if
we don’t work out he’ll find me another job. How do I know he’s telling me the truth?”

  “Stop freaking out. Just let it happen.”

  “I’m not freaking out. I’m a lot calmer than I sound.” Cara sucked in a breath. “I remember what I wanted to tell you. He has a brother. Ramon.”

  “Okay. A single brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “So…you wanna introduce me?”

  “Maybe, but there’s a slight catch. He lives in Texas.”

  “Texas?”

  “Yes. He lives on a ranch.”

  “Huh? A ranch? Like, with cows and stuff?”

  “Yes, with cows and stuff. It’s the same ranch where Victor and his brothers grew up.”

  “Huh.” Marcy paused. “Would he move to Jersey, you think?”

  “It’s doubtful. But he’s so gorgeous. Totally your type.” Cara smiled as she imagined introducing the two. Marcy was a curvy, pretty brunette who seemed cursed with bad luck when it came to picking the right men. Maybe she just needs someone else to do the picking, Cara thought.

  “Hmm. Well, you never know.” Marcy sighed. “Let’s work on you first, though.”

  “Okay. Just wanted to let you know about him. Hey, I probably better go. I have a few things to do before I leave.”

  “See you tonight.”

  “Bye.”

  At five-thirty, Cara strolled through the parking garage, dangling her keys in her hand. As she approached her car, the door of a small Mercedes convertible opened two spaces away from her. Cara’s neck tensed when she saw the woman who stepped out of it.

  “Are you Cara?” Alexis asked.

  Cara stopped in her tracks. “Excuse me?”

  Alexis took off her sunglasses and slinked toward Cara, her stilettos clacking loudly across the pavement. She narrowed her eyes and looked Cara up and down. “Well, well, well. Victor must be slumming these days.”

  Cara put her fist on her hip. “Again. Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” Alexis scoffed. “You don’t really think you have a chance with him, do you? What man in his right mind would pick you over,” she gestured to her small frame, wearing a tight blue dress, “this?”

  Her jaw firmly set, Cara looked in her eyes. “He didn’t seem to have a problem with it last night.” She grinned. “Or this morning. Or yesterday—”

  Alexis stepped forward. “Do you really think you can please a man like him? He’s used to a different class of woman. A higher class.”

  “A higher class? You mean, the kind of woman who gets another woman fired just to assert her power?”

  “You got yourself fired. You’re the one who broke the rules with your cell phone that night.”

  Cara’s jaw dropped. “Are you really that petty? You think I deserved to be fired because I took five seconds to find out if my son needed emergency surgery?”

  Alexis shrugged. “Rules are rules. If he was sick, you should’ve been home with him. I’d never do that if I had a sick child at home. Never.”

  “I’m sure you wouldn’t, because if you had a child you’d just pawn him off on one of your nannies and forget about him. You’d be too busy with your little fundraisers and your designer clothes to worry yourself with actually raising a child.”

  Alexis shook her head. “You’re pathetic. You know, when I first heard you were working for Victor, I thought maybe you’d planned the whole thing at the benefit dinner that night. Maybe he already knew you somehow. Knew you’d get fired. He wanted to paint me as the evil ex-fiancee in front of our friends. But no. I see what happened now. You got fired, fair and square. He felt sorry for you. And now, you’re using that precious little boy of yours to win him over.” She squared her shoulders. “Because honey, that’s all you got. Trust me.”

  “Are you kidding me? Are you so out of touch with reality that you think a man like Victor Barboza could be won over by a single mom? Do you know how hard it is to date anyone, at all, when you have a child?”

  “Well, I can think of no other explanation for why he’d hire someone like you.” Alexis shrugged. “Maybe that’s what he wanted all along. A child. An insta-family. That’s the only thing you have that I don’t have. A cute kid he can play with.” She let out a loud huff. “I’m sure Victor just loves to go to your house in Newark for a home cooked meal and let your kid play with his car. But it’ll get old. You’re like a new toy to him. He’ll move on soon enough.”

  “Wait. How’d you know about any of that?”

  With a smug grin plastered across her face, Alexis said, “It’s a small world. For all you know, maybe Victor told me himself. Maybe he came running to my house after he left yours that night.”

  In her anger, a million thoughts raced through Cara’s mind. But there was one question on her mind. If she had the answer, maybe all of this would start to make sense. “Why did you and Victor break up?”

  Alexis chuckled to herself as she walked around to the door of her car and opened it, staring at Cara over the roof. “He cheated on me.” Alexis then put her sunglasses back on and slipped inside her car. Her tires squealed when she pounded the gas pedal.

  Dumbfounded, Cara stared at Alexis’s car until its taillights disappeared.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cara drove home in a zombie-like state. Her altercation with Alexis felt like the world’s biggest slap in the face after the euphoria she had experienced when she was out of town with Victor.

  She tried to call Victor several times on her way home, but every time, his voicemail picked up. This was not unusual for him. She had heard Gary mention that Victor turned off his phone when he was with a client, to give them his undivided attention. Cara thought best not to leave a voicemail. For one thing, she didn’t even know where to start with such a message.

  Also, what if she became frantic and sounded as crazy as Alexis?

  But what if Alexis wasn’t crazy? What if she was completely sane, and she met Cara in that parking lot simply to warn her?

  Cara’s emotions went from angry to doubtful to everything in between. How dare that rich witch think she’s so much better than me?

  But what if she’s right? What if I’m fooling myself to think Victor could be happy with someone like me for very long? Maybe it’s good that Alexis came along to try to burst my bubble.

  Still in a daze, Cara finally arrived at home. She parked in the driveway and retrieved her lone suitcase from the trunk to roll it into the house.

  As soon as she opened the front door, she heard Isaac’s sweet voice.

  “Mommy Mommy Mommy!”

  She let go of her suitcase and let her purse drop to the floor to scoop him into her arms the moment he ran to her. “My baby boy.” She sniffled against unexpected tears. No matter what happened, no matter what kind of crazy emotional roller coaster she may go through because of a man in her life, she could always come home to Isaac. She cradled the back of his head, holding him against her chest. “I love you so much.”

  Oblivious to her tears, Isaac immediately began talking in a long string of words, some of which were barely audible. When she placed him down on the floor, he kept going, talking with his hands as if he were acting out the events of the past day that she had missed. There were explosions and other sound effects, all of them making Cara laugh as she cried.

  After a few minutes, Cara took Isaac’s hand and they went to the kitchen where Patty was preparing dinner.

  Patty dropped her potholders on the kitchen counter and gave her daughter a hug. “Hello there.”

  “Hi Mom.” Cara squeezed her tight, dreading the inevitable questions. “I hope Isaac wasn’t too much trouble without me here.”

  Patty let her go and gave her a dismissive wave before picking up her potholders. “He’s never any trouble. He’s my grandson.”

  “Well you’re in an awfully good mood.” Cara looked around the kitchen. The last time she saw some of these ingredients was the night her mom had invited Victor for dinner. “Hmm. We�
��re having this dinner again, already?”

  “Yes, but this time I made carrot cake.”

  “What’s the occasion? Don’t tell me you invited my boss again.” Cara sighed.

  “What?” Patty stopped what she was doing, giving Cara a wide-eyed stare. “Oh no. You don’t wanna see him after your big trip? That’s not good. You can tell me all about it later…after,” she glanced down at Isaac, who hovered at Cara’s feet, “someone goes to bed.”

  “No, no. It’s not that. It’s a long story. So tell me. Who’s coming over for dinner?”

  Isaac spoke up. “Tom. Fwom the pawk.”

  Patty blushed, devoting her attention to stirring a pot on the stove. “Little one, you are too smart for your own good sometimes.”

  Cara laughed. “Tom, huh? What happened to Stanley?”

  “Oh, nothing.” Patty rolled her eyes. “Stanley was so…three weeks ago.”

  “Wow.” Cara’s eyes and mouth gaped. “I’m shocked. I don’t even know what to say. So, tell me about this Tom. When did you meet him? Is he nice?”

  “We met yesterday. He’s a widower. Retired from the police force. Has some grandchildren.” She giggled. “Likes my cooking.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you. Everyone likes your cooking.”

  “Yes, well, it makes me feel good to cook for a man. Call me old-fashioned. Hey, why don’t you go get unpacked so you can help me with some things. I’m running a little behind.”

  “Sure. Is it okay that I invited Marcy over tonight? Didn’t know we were having company.”

  “That’s fine. I didn’t want her here with your boss because I wanted you to have the spotlight. Tonight’s different.”

  Cara nodded. “Ah. He only has eyes for you.”

  “I think so, yes.”

  Cara smiled and led Isaac out of the kitchen.

  Fifteen minutes later, as dinner was almost ready, the doorbell rang.

  Patty untied her apron and slung it onto the kitchen counter. “I’ll get it.” She fluffed her hair as she ran to the front door.

  Cara gave Patty a minute to greet Tom by herself, then walked out to meet him.