Hidden Heart

by Camelia Miron Skiba

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You know exactly what I am talking about. First, you pretend not to recognize me, then you call me a coward, then you intervene with my dinner plans. I don’t appreciate it and for your information, thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need a babysitter. What do you think you’re doing?” She propped both palms on his desk, then leaned forward.

  He stood and copied her body position.

  Two players face-to-face weighing each other’s strength. Who’d make the next move?

  Alessandro searched her face, lingering on her lips.

  Tessa licked them instinctively.

  “What I think is not important for our business arrangement. In Victor’s absence I have authority to lead this office. You have the wrong impression, Ms. Cosma. I assure you my coming to dinner tonight is not to babysit you, but to ensure our possible investor is well taken care of.”

  “You don’t trust me, is that it?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You think I’d compromise the deal? You think I stole the farmers’ money and I’ll steal again.”

  “Again, you put words in my mouth, words I didn’t say.”

  Tessa glanced mechanically to his lips. God, how much she’d wanted to crush them! She forced herself to look down; she saw a tennis ball signed “Andre Agassi” sitting on a small pedestal right between her palms. She took it and toyed with it while walking away. She stopped at the door, and turned to face him.

  “I’m here because Victor asked me to help out with this deal. I need the freedom to move unrestrained, make decisions as I see fit. I have no idea why you called me a coward, but if you think I’ll go down without a fight, you have something coming. Someone trashed my reputation, I’ll die finding out who, but I will find out.”

  She threw the tennis ball back at him.

  With expert moves, he caught it in the air without even flinching.

  ***

  “I’ll be in the office tomorrow for the meeting with the French people,” Tessa spoke in to the phone as she moved about her apartment. “Yes, I’m actually trying to decide what to wear for the dinner, pants or skirt…no, we meet at seven…yes, Victor felt better this afternoon and I told the doctor to keep him in the hospital for a bit longer and he tried to throw his pillow at me, so he is in good spirits.” Tessa pulled her closet open, searching through her clothes. “Okay, sounds good, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  By the time she hung up with Eva, Tessa had picked a jersey black dress, with an asymmetrical hem and pleats around the chest. Not too formal, not too casual. She brushed her wavy hair to a shine then looped it and secured it with a big pin she had gotten from one of her trips to China. Silver earrings and a matching necklace, high-heels and a small handbag finished her look. She tried on some new pink gloss she had bought a few days earlier and loved it’s creamy, soft texture.

  Once she arrived at the restaurant, Tessa saw her party seated at the bar area. Monsieur Deuvault waved and walked up to her.

  “Tessa, so glad to see you again.” This time he took both her hands in his, and kissed them one by one, prolonging the moment, his head bowed, but his eyes locked on hers. “Everyone is here waiting.” He showed her to the bar as the waiter announced their table was ready.

  Tessa found herself surrounded by four men, all—except one—eager to have her attention. Politics, sports, cars, no matter the subjects discussed that night, she had a good knowledge of, which made it easier to be among men, and even able to lead some of the discussions.

  Alessandro sat across from her, studying her above the rim of his glass. He was polite and well-mannered, but avoided directly addressing any of her statements.

  Monsieur Deuvault on the other hand, sat to her left, leaned towards her several times and whispered silly jokes when he thought the others at the tables weren’t paying attention.

  Two hours later, she felt exhausted. She tried to hide a yawn, but Alessandro saw her.

  “I hate to end such a wonderful dinner, but I think we all are tired, and we don’t want to exhaust our host here.” Alessandro signaled the waiter for the check.

  “Of course not, Miss Tessa, I can have a cab take you home,” Monsieur Deuvault said.

  “It’s not necessary, I can get one myself,” she said at the same time Alessandro said, “I’ll take her home.”

  If looks could kill, Alessandro would’ve been dead. He didn’t flinch, just raised an eyebrow and stood his ground.

  Tessa had one too many battles for just one day. She figured arguing with Alessandro over the cab would be futile and chose to ignore him while waiting for the taxi.

  Politely, Alessandro helped her in the cab; he ensured they wouldn’t touch throughout the ride. She gave her address to the cab driver and then he gave his. Surprisingly, it was not the address of a hotel but rather a normal address of a house or apartment, close by the office. That explained why he used her gym. Did he plan to stay longer? Did he rent a place? He kept quiet, looked out the window and made no attempt at conversation. But his jaw clenched, a sure sign that he wasn’t as calm as he pretended to be.

  Tessa steamed inside, furious at him. “Did it feel good to embarrass me in front of everyone?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alessandro said without looking at her.

  “You like aggravating me, don’t you?” She took a deep breath, drumming her fingers on the door handle.

  “Ms. Cosma, I have no idea what you mean. I’ve been enjoying a lovely evening in the company of interesting people, ate and drank; nothing else occurred, so I am honestly confused by your questions.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, then caught herself. He was right; nothing happened, but then why did she feel the need to defend herself? Why did she feel he didn’t trust her, didn’t believe in her?

  “I can take care of myself. I don’t need you taking me home. I don’t want you ending my meetings. Why do I feel like I have to prove myself, explain what I do, my actions, everything? It’s exhausting!”

  “I am really sorry I make you feel this way. This is in your head. I am here to protect the interests of my bank and nothing else.”

  The cab stopped and the city’s night-lights illuminated the inside of the cab. He finally looked at her. His eyes burned into hers. He looked down at her lips and she thought he’d kiss her. Her heart skipped a beat.

  The raw physical attraction that neither could deny invaded their senses. Yet they both knew if they fell for it, there was no escape.

  He didn’t kiss her, instead he said, “I believe we’ve arrived at your house?” He told the driver to wait for him, opened the cab’s door to her side and helped her out. When their hands touched, it was electrifying.

  She felt a chill down her spine and butterflies filled up her stomach.

  “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  “Thanks, but I am okay, I am safe…”

  He walked with her, keeping his hands safe in his pockets. She realized there was no point in arguing. She kept walking, fumbling with her purse, and trying to find her keys.

  Little lights placed every couple of meters illuminated the alley to the building; trimmed bushes stood guard on either side. The night felt warm and a light breeze made the leaves rustle.

  Before they got to the door, a shadow came out from behind the bushes, on the right. Tessa let out a scream.

  “Well, well, look who’s here,” a drunken Daniel said, his words slurred. “Now I know why you aren’t answering your phone. You’re too busy having fun, aren’t ya?” He almost fell, but regained his balance; he tried to get closer to her and grab her arm.

  She looked horrified and tried to say something, but fear paralyzed her voice.

  Alessandro, as if on cue, placed himself between Daniel and her, “Do not touch her.” His low and controlled voice caught Daniel’s attention.

  “Who the hell you think you are?” asked Daniel, again losing his bala
nce.

  “It doesn’t matter who I am. You are in no condition to speak to a lady and you’d better leave,” Alessandro said.

  “This is no lady. This is my woman and you are the one who needs to leave. My woman and I have to talk. Besides, you are in Romania, you should speak Romanian,” Daniel said.

  “Daniel, please leave. I have nothing to talk to you about.” Tessa came from behind Alessandro’s back and walked past the two men without looking at either of them. “Don’t make a fool of yourself. Go home. You are drunk.”

  That was an understatement and for a moment Daniel seemed to be surprised by her words.

  “I’ll leave if you promise to call me tomorrow. You have to listen to what I have to say.”

  She opened the building door and said, “Fine. Now go,” and then towards Alessandro, “Thank you for bringing me home, good night,” and closed the door behind her.

  She called the elevator mechanically, entered her apartment and turned on all the lights. She locked the door and placed a chair in front of it. She finally felt safe away from everyone. She could let her guard down and breathe easily. Her stomach rolled up and down. She ran for the bathroom, vomiting all her dinner. She felt worn out, physically and emotionally; she just rested on the bathroom floor and let her stomach calm down.

  There must be something wrong with her; she never vomited in the past other than the times she caught the flu once every other year or so; she must have some stomach issues she needed to get checked by a doctor. Plus, her stress level must’ve been the highest it has ever been, but then again she never went through so many problems at once as she had been through the past few months.

  Tessa knew she owed Alessandro an explanation. Too bad he had witnessed the exchange between her and Daniel. She realized she never saw Daniel so drunk, nor so out of his mind…but she didn’t fear him…or did she? Could’ve that situation turned into something worse? She didn’t think Daniel was the violent type; at least he never showed her such a side to his character.

  She dragged herself to bed. She slept through the night, no dreams, no tossing or turning, and when her alarm rang at five in the morning, she woke up energized. She jumped into her gym clothes, packed a little bag with her work clothes and her makeup, and drove to the sports center. She worked out for forty minutes, showered and prepared for work.

  Tessa arrived at the office shortly before eight o’clock and asked Eva to tell her the minute Alessandro came in. She ate yogurt and fresh fruits. She spotted him coming in on her way to the kitchenette where she went for a cup of green tea. Her pulse accelerated.

  She searched his face for any emotions, but saw nothing. He wore a dark grey suit, white shirt and a blue tie. His hair looked damp probably from the shower that morning and his face freshly shaved. He exuded confidence and sex appeal, something Tessa couldn’t get used to in the work environment.

  “May I come in?” The door to Alessandro’s office stood wide open and Tessa knocked twice before entering.

  “Sure, but I don’t have much time.” He printed several pages, then took them out of the office to Victor’s assistant and asked for multiple copies. He returned shortly and continued typing fast on his laptop.

  “I need to talk to you, about last night.” She played with one of her fingernails, just to keep her hands busy. “I am embarrassed you had to witness such a stupid thing, but I had no idea he would be there. Thanks for helping me out.”

  “Don’t mention it. Sorry, I need to focus on preparing for this meeting. You ready for it?”

  “What meeting?”

  “The one with the group we chose to work on the French deal.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, I talked with Victor yesterday and he recommended people from various departments. Here’s the list,” he handed her a piece of paper. Her name was written on top of it, then five other of her co-workers and at the end, Alessandro’s.

  The group met shortly after Tessa left Alessandro’s office. Each received an agenda along with instructions and a meeting plan. They had a break at ten o’clock; thirty minutes later the meeting resumed. They discussed managerial, legal and logistics problems. Each one of them had more experience in one area than the other.

  Just before six o’clock, Alessandro asked if they would prefer to have dinner delivered, since the discussion continued and breaking the meeting would most likely be a bad idea. Victor’s assistant placed the order and within twenty-five minutes, food was served. They kept working until after eight o’clock.

  Tessa walked toward the parking lot, when Alessandro approached her.

  “I’ll take you home.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because someone might want to talk to you again.” He took the car keys from her hand, opened the door and helped her in. Then he got into the driver’s side, adjusted his seat so he could fit in, adjusted the mirrors and drove away.

  She could get used to him driving her home each night. Now that she had time to think, there was a chance that Daniel would be waiting for her.

  “How come you know where to drive? You cannot know your way around in just a couple of days…” Tessa wondered.

  “Who said I’ve been here only a couple of days?”

  “You’ve been here longer?”

  “Si.”

  She waited for him to carry on, but when he didn’t, she said, “Hello? Anybody in there? I asked a question.”

  “Well, let’s just say I have been in town for a while now; I learned a couple of places, restaurants. Toured the museums and even cooked myself dinner the other night after buying all groceries at the store. I rented a car and drove around. The GPS is one heck of a tool, you know?”

  “I’m impressed,” Tessa said and meant it.

  Alessandro had been in town longer, had learned his way around, and all of that so close to her without her having any idea of his presence. She had to give him few directions to her neighborhood and when they arrived, he asked where to park but didn’t get out right away.

  “I meant to ask you about the investigation, but we’ve been so busy and we’re never alone…where do I stand?”

  Alessandro drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you much. We are out of the office and I have a rule about never discussing business during personal time.”

  “Do I need to ask for an audience?”

  “You can ask for a meeting. Have Mara take a look at my calendar.”

  “Alessandro, please. My job is at stake and you can’t just say something?”

  He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. How she’d love to do that for him. She crossed her hands for fear she might act on impulse and start playing with his hair.

  “I’ll make an exception. We are on hold with the investigation, now that Victor is unavailable. Not a word more.”

  She stepped out, “Thank you so very much… I can walk alone from here.”

  “I’ll take you to the door.”

  “Do you want me to get you a cab?” she asked.

  “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll walk, I am sure I can get a cab; there are so many around here.”

  They walked side by side to the building’s door; no Daniel to disturb the night. Alessandro waited for her to open the door and once he saw her safely inside he said, “Buona notte” then turned around and left without another word or glance at her.

  Chapter 6

  “Watch out, he is grumpy!” Dina met her in front of Victor’s room. “He hates being bedridden, no cigars and no coffee. Hell on earth!”

  Tessa took her friend’s hand, shrugged and said, “Tell me something I don’t know already.” She opened the door and entered, but when she came around the corner and saw Alessandro standing, she stopped so brusquely that Dina almost bumped into her, coming up fast behind.

  “Oh, you have visitors, sorry I can come later.”

  Dina pushed her forward.

  “Speaking of the devil, hey trouble
-maker, did you sneak in some coffee?” Victor’s eyes lit with anticipation.

  Tessa came to Victor’s bed, looked at him innocently and pulled out of her bag a few things and spread them on his bed.

  “I’ve heard you’ve traded doughnuts for yogurt, steak for bananas and coffee for orange juice.” She lifted her shoulders slightly, inclined her head to the right and fluttered her eyelashes.

  Dina muffled a chuckle; Alessandro pretended to cough.

  “You see what I have to put up with every single damn day? No wonder I have a weak heart when I have to handle this, this, this disrespectful behavior from my employees.” Victor raised his palms in the air, and then dropped them on the bed.

  Such a comedian!

  “I’m not your employee here; I’m your friend.” Tessa put away the items she brought, then came and squeezed his hand. “Hi, Victor, you okay?”

  “Do I look okay to you, huh? Do I? Get me out of here and then I’ll be okay. These idiots here have no idea what I need, my wife is on their side and I have to eat horrible things, and drink water. Can you believe, they made me drink water?” He wrinkled his nose just to make sure everyone knew his distaste.

  A nurse and a doctor came for the afternoon rounds and both Alessandro and Tessa left the room.

  “He is such a character.” Alessandro leaned against the wall and Tessa followed suit.

  “Yes, he is. Didn’t know you make personal visits.”

  He looked sideways at her. His charming smile—the first since she saw him in Romania—took her breath away.

  “There are many things you don’t know about me.”

  When Dina called them back in the room, Victor’s mood improved considerably.

  “Did you hear, did you hear? I’m going home Thursday, we’ll have a get together at our house on Saturday, right, Dina? And we’ll barbeque and stay up all night, okay? And kids, we need to talk, serious talk.” He pointed his finger first at Alessandro then at Tessa.

  ***