Pulse 2 (Pulse Series)

by Rhea Wilde

  Almost… Don’t… stop…

  My eyes tightened shut. I clenched every muscle in my body. Then I began the long orgasmic descent. The climax slammed into my body. Steady pulses of pleasure shot through me. My mouth opened as I panted shaky breaths of ecstasy. I clutched the sheets underneath me in a failed attempt to brace myself. My body convulsed up against him as I continued to climax.

  Rafael was in complete control. He knew exactly how to please me and he did the same for himself. The sounds and vibrations emanating from my body made my orgasm so obvious. When I climaxed, he would follow shortly after. A few more hard thrusts and Rafael was experiencing the same pleasure I was. He held himself inside of me and emptied his semen. His cock was throbbing against my wet inner walls. I did the best I could to remain steady so that he could remain inside of me. I wanted every last drop of him. It felt too good.

  He pulled out of me and I collapsed completely onto the bed. My eyes were watering from how tight I had shut them. I slowly rolled onto my back and through blurry vision, I could see him fall on the bed next to me. He ended our moment with a passionate kiss before getting up off of the bed.

  I was in a blissful haze as I watched him put his clothes back on. The grin on my face from the latest orgasm he gave me would be there for a long time. I ran my fingers through my hair then sighed.

  “Are you leaving already?” I asked him.

  “Yeah,” he said as he finished dressing. “I have to go attend some meetings. And there are going to be people roaming the halls soon. They’re going to be suspicious.”

  “Right…”

  Seeing Rafael in such a hurry was disappointing. I knew that he had to leave but my moment with him was so brief. I wished that he could have stayed just a little while, even if it were just a few minutes. But I didn’t tell him that. At least, not directly.

  The grin on my face was gone. I looked out toward the beach and sighed. Rafael suddenly took a seat next to me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked me.

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  “Alice…”

  I turned and looked at him. It didn’t take him very long to get it out of me.

  “I just… I thought we were going to spend some time together, that’s all. The beach is so beautiful. I want to be out there with you.”

  “Alice, you know I can’t—”

  “I know. You’re busy. I’m used to that. But this is different. How often are we going to be in a place like this?”

  “We’ll do something. I promise. As soon as my schedule clears up, we’ll hang-out.”

  “I didn’t see you at all yesterday… Were you really that busy?”

  He sighed then ran his fingers through my hair. I knew that he could hear the disappointment in my voice. I hoped that it would help me get through to him.

  “Yes, I was,” he replied. “I have to talk to a lot of people. It’s not very interesting but I have to deal with these people.”

  “And what about Cheryl?”

  “…What about her?”

  “Who is she, Rafael?”

  “I do business with her brother. You know that. She’s my friend.”

  “She seems like more than that.”

  I couldn’t look at him. Instead, I remained staring out the window at all of the people on the beach.

  “She’s a close friend. That’s it, Alice. We have a business relationship. That’s it.”

  “Are you telling me you haven’t fucked her?”

  He didn’t say anything. I didn’t know if it was because he was upset at how forward my question was or because he didn’t want to answer it. When I looked at him, his face was calm and emotionless.

  “Well?” I asked him.

  “Cheryl and I are friends, Alice. We had something before. But that was a long time ago.”

  “So, you did sleep with her?”

  “That’s all it was, Alice. She’s just my friend now. I see her once a year, at the most.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even look at him. I turned my head away but Rafael placed his hands upon my shoulders and turned me back to him.

  “There’s no need for you to be jealous, Alice. You’re the only woman I’m sleeping with now.”

  “And that’s all I am. Just some woman you’re sleeping with. And you can’t even tell anybody.”

  “We’ve already been over this, Alice. You’re an employee. You don’t know what it will do to your reputation. To mine. No one will ever look at you the same way if they knew that there was something between us.”

  “Is there something between us?”

  “Yes, there is. But now is not the time to try and figure it out.”

  The ecstasy I was feeling just moments ago was gone. It still lingered inside of me but all it did was make me more frustrated. I couldn’t think straight. I found myself becoming more and more attracted to Rafael the more he pushed me away. It was stupid. Not knowing when we would be able to figure out what our relationship really was just made me upset.

  “All right,” I sighed. “You should probably go and get some work done. I’m sure somebody is waiting for you.”

  “I’ll see you tonight. There’s another dinner reception. I want you to be there. Okay?”

  He kissed me softly on the lips and I barely moved. When I looked up at him, he stared at me with a slight smile on his lips. Despite how frustrated and upset I was, he still managed to get the slightest of smiles out of me.

  “Okay,” I said as I nodded.

  I turned back toward the beach and enjoyed the view. Rafael got off of the bed then left my room. The door clicked closed and I was alone in my room once again. Despite having trouble trying to figure out what the two of us were, it still wasn’t my biggest problem. I remembered the presentations I would have to sit through then sighed as I collapsed back onto my bed.

  “I can’t wait to get back on the sand.”

  Chapter 12

  I sat through another boring day of presentations while most people my age were enjoying their time out in the sun. Even though I was distracted by the sun, sand and whatever Rafael might be doing, I still managed to get a lot accomplished. I knew that there was a job to do and there was a report expected out of me when the trip was over. I was grateful when today’s assignment was done.

  By the time I finished dealing with the scheduled agenda, it was late once again. I headed to my room and prepared for the dinner Rafael told me to attend. I washed away the filth of sitting around all day then hopped into a nice dress I had just for this occasion. It was a black top with a frilly blue skirt. Even though I didn’t think it would look good on me, Elizabeth always had a way of proving me wrong. The dress was another fine example of her expertise.

  I headed down toward the ballroom the reception was being held when I ran into Travis and Wesley. They were already engaged in conversation with Harold Montana. He was regaling another scandalous tale involving some of his business associates. I stood next to my two fellow interns and looked around for Rafael. With Harold here, I braced myself for the inevitability of seeing Cheryl showing-up with her arms wrapped around Rafael.

  Sure enough, Rafael arrived with Cheryl walking next to him. Rafael had a smile on his face and laughed as Cheryl excitedly chattered into his ear. They both turned their attention to me as I stood there and waited for them.

  “That’s a lovely dress, dear,” she said to me. “It looks really good on you.”

  “Thanks,” I replied. “You look nice, as well.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere, Alice,” she said as she laughed.

  Cheryl was wearing a pink dress that stood-out from everybody else. The skirt was sheer and the strapless top showed off as much skin as some of the outfits out on the beach at this moment. I was trying my hardest not to be jealous of everything I was seeing.

  “Shall we?” Rafael said to all of us.

  We all made our way into the ballroom and to our table. I took the same spot I did last ti
me. Cheryl took the place right next to Rafael right across from me. I held back a sigh then looked around the ballroom to see if there was anything there to distract me, even for just a moment. The waiter arrived to tell us what was being served. I was just waiting for him to fill my glass with the bottle of wine he was holding.

  I once again found myself in the same position as the last dinner we had. Travis and Wesley were captivated by everything Harold was telling them. Cheryl and Rafael were busy reminiscing about past memories. I sat there and gulped my wine while trying to enjoy the catered dinner. As I stared at the two of them, Rafael looked up at me and noticed me watching him. He cleared his throat and leaned ever so slightly away from his female friend.

  “Did you attend the presentations that were scheduled this afternoon?” he asked me.

  “Yes, sir,” I replied. “I took detailed notes on everything. I’ll be able to come up with a thorough report in no time. You’ll be able to make comparisons when you need to.”

  “Good. I expected nothing less.”

  “You’re too diligent,” Cheryl said to me. “There’s no need to be so formal in an atmosphere like this. True, Rafael does need this information but leaving a detail or two out of your inevitable report won’t hurt too much. I’m sure Rafael will appreciate whatever you can come up with.”

  “I don’t work hard for Rafael,” I said. “I work hard because that’s my job and it’s the right thing to do.”

  I stared at Rafael. He looked away from me and began cutting at the piece of meat upon his plate. Cheryl smiled at my response then took a sip of wine from her glass.

  “Alice.”

  I turned to the voice and saw a familiar man standing there.

  “Dante,” I said. “Hi. It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you, too. I have a favor to ask you. I was held late in a meeting. Somebody actually took my seat. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind me taking this spot—”

  “Not at all, Dante. Please. Have a seat.”

  I didn’t have to think twice about offering Dante the empty seat next to me. I looked around the crowded ballroom to see if Dante’s story was true. But I didn’t care. It was nice to have his company.

  “Hello,” Dante said to the rest of the table. “Dante Kirkwood. Detit Technologies.”

  He waved to everybody and they all greeted him warmly. Rafael nodded to him then continued cutting and poking at his food. When I looked at Rafael, I noticed that his demeanor was different. He seemed to be less focused on the chatter Cheryl was spouting and lost in whatever it was he was thinking about. She must have noticed it, too, as she turned her attention to the man sitting next to me.

  “Tell me, Dante,” she began. “What is it you do?”

  “Well,” he said with a mouth half-full of food. “I’m a specialist for Detit. I work with their engineers to help them improve some of their projects. I’ve been in the rooms their medical technology is going to be used. It helps to have someone with first-hand experience to help build it.”

  “No doubt,” she replied. “You certainly seem capable of the task.”

  “If you’re interested, my presentation is scheduled for tomorrow. You’re all invited to attend.”

  “That does sound interesting,” Rafael interjected. “But I don’t think it’s on the agenda. To be honest with you, Dante, Detit Technologies isn’t very high on our list of priorities.”

  “Oh,” Dante said with some disappointment in his voice. “I’m sorry to hear that. But if you get the chance, it would be nice if you stopped by.”

  “I’ll be there,” I said.

  “Alice, there are other presentations I need you to attend,” Rafael said to me. “I’m sure Wesley or Travis can attend Dante’s presentation.”

  “I know. But Dante’s presentation is in the morning, right? There’s still time. I can see what Detit is offering then attend the other presentations right after.”

  “Are you sure you can handle sitting through that many meetings?” Rafael asked me. “I don’t want you to lose your focus while you’re sitting there. I know what it can feel like when you’ve been listening to these lectures for too long.”

  “I can handle it.”

  I stared at Rafael for a moment then reached forward for another gulp of wine. I felt his eyes upon me but I didn’t look back at him. Instead, I turned to Dante and smiled at him. He smiled back at me then let me know that he would appreciate my attendance.

  I felt the obvious tension growing between Rafael and me. I sat here for the second time and had to endure watching Cheryl and Rafael have fun without me. Even though I knew he wasn’t doing it intentionally, the frustration I felt from being away from him had gotten to me. But now I had wine swirling around in my stomach and a good-looking man sitting next to me.

  Dinner proceeded without any serious discussion. While Wesley and Travis continued to be captivated by the endless amount of stories Harold had, the rest of us made small talk about business and happenings of the conference so far. There was nothing interesting to talk about but I didn’t mind. It was just nice to be included.

  “So, what are your plans for this evening?” Dante asked me.

  “I… don’t have any plans,” I said as I shook my head.

  “No plans at all?”

  “No. I think I might just enjoy the scenery of the beach like I did last night.”

  “Oh, is that right? How about some company?”

  “Of course. It wouldn’t be the same without you. I should remind you that I’m not interested in heading too far from the hotel this time though.”

  I winked at him as I took another sip from my glass of wine. We smiled at one another before Dante turned his attention to the couple sitting across from us.

  “You’re welcome to join us,” Dante said to Cheryl and Rafael. “There’s nothing like the beach underneath the Maui moon.”

  “I have no doubt about that,” Rafael replied. “But tonight won’t work for me. It’s still early in the conference and I have many meetings to attend in the morning. I won’t be able to forgive myself if I stay up later than I should be. You should probably go with them though, Cheryl.”

  Rafael turned to his friend and motioned for her to go with them. Cheryl considered it for a moment, her fingers tapping upon her glass.

  “It sounds like fun,” she said. “But it is still early in the week. I feel like spending too much time on the beach kind of takes all of the fun out of it. I’ll probably relax at the bar and have a few drinks. But don’t let that spoil your fun, guys.”

  She winked at Dante and me as she took a sip from her glass. The alcohol I had earlier made me suspicious of her and Rafael but it didn’t give me the nerve to actually call them out on it. If I were going to make a fool of myself, I would need a few more glasses.

  Knowing that I would be the only one he would be spending time with on the beach, Dante gave me most of his attention. We talked about work and school and all of the things we had in common. When I told him how hard I worked in college and how desperate I was to get a job with Barnett Industries, he understood completely. He laughed and told me the story of how many resumes he filled-out to get into graduate school. We were more alike than I realized, even though he was a few years older than me.

  As Dante told me the story of how he eventually ended up at this business conference, I noticed that he had my full attention. I had no idea what was happening on the other side of the table. I didn’t care. I was enjoying the conversation Dante and I had because we had so much in common. He a friend I wasn’t expecting to meet.

  Dinner slowly came to an end. Dessert was passed out and the last few bottles of wine were emptied. The small band next to the dance floor began to play. I watched as the tables emptied and people made their way out.

  “Alice?” Dante said suddenly.

  “Yeah?” I said as I turned to him.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  “It would be my pl
easure.”

  I smiled at him as he held his hand out to me. He led me out onto the floor between all of the people. I stretched my arms up and wrapped them around his neck. I looked up into his eyes and saw the sly smile on his face.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked him.

  “You’re drunk,” he laughed.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “A lot of people don’t realize that it doesn’t take very much wine to affect you. They drink it because it tastes so good. And then before they know it, they’re stumbling around and having trouble thinking.”

  “Well, I’m not stumbling or having any trouble thinking.”

  “True. But your face is quite red.”

  If it weren’t, it would have been at this point. He laughed at me again. Thankfully, the alcohol made me feel less embarrassed. I looked down at the ground and watched my feet shuffle back and forth.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re not stepping on my toes.”

  “Not yet.”

  I felt his body shake with laughter underneath my grip. There were couples surrounding us from every side. The music was loud and throbbing. Dante’s broad shoulders were hard and rigid underneath my wrists. I stopped thinking about everything and just enjoyed this moment. I sighed as any stress I might have left me.

  When the song came to an end, I stopped dancing and applauded with the rest of the crowd. The next song began and all of the couples resumed dancing.

  “Would you like to dance again?” Dante asked me.

  I looked back at our table and watched as Rafael escorted Cheryl onto the dance floor. I turned away from them and looked back at Dante.

  “I think I’ve had enough dancing for tonight,” I said. “Who knows when that alcohol will kick in?”

  “Hmm, good point. How about the beach?”

  “Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

  “Thirty minutes?”

  I nodded and smiled at him. We headed out of the ballroom together. I didn’t look back to see what was happening behind me. Instead, I thought about changing out of my dress and into something more appropriate for the sand.