Pulling his phone from his pocket, he set the alarm. He would check on her every hour. She would never know, but it would give him peace of mind.
* * *
Maria stretched and winced as her head throbbed. Oh, Lordy. All of the events of yesterday came flooding back in living color...including the memory of Alex’s big warm hands on her body.
She flushed from head to toe. And as she did, she grimaced when she realized she had no clue how she had made it from the sofa to the bed. Alex seemed to have a thing for carrying her, so that was a good guess.
Somehow, the thought of him looking after her when she was asleep made her uneasy. Vulnerability was dangerous. She needed to be on her guard, because it would be a mistake to let Alex get too close until she knew what he had in mind.
A business-trip fling was one thing. His position was secure. She had the most to lose.
But what if he wanted more? Back in Alma life would revert to the status quo. Alex would continue to be wealthy and powerful and influential while Maria would go back to being the bastard daughter of a laundress.
That wasn’t self-pity talking. It was simply the cold, hard truth.
When she climbed out of bed and stood upright, her head throbbed, but not too badly. The worst part was looking in the bathroom mirror. Holy cow. It was a good thing she had makeup with her. It was going to take a deft hand to ensure her face was presentable for a day with the Montoros.
A day with the Montoros. She chuckled out loud. That sounded like a television series. The trouble was, Maria didn’t have the luxury of changing the channel. She had to dress and play her part. Even if today’s agenda was ostensibly relaxation and recreation, she and Alex were still officially on the clock. Everything they said or did could have implications for the new regime. That responsibility was never far from her mind.
It took her a half hour to dress and cover up the worst of the bruising around her eye socket. By parting her hair differently and leaving one side loose to fall across her cheek, she managed to improve her appearance significantly.
The headache was bearable this morning, so she decided to skip the prescription stuff in favor of simple ibuprofen. Only then did she notice the small folded slip of paper on the bedside table.
Picking up the note with fingers that trembled, she opened it and studied the bold, masculine scrawl...
Gone up for breakfast at the main house. We all thought you needed to sleep more than eat. When you’re hungry, the housekeeper has something fixed for you in the kitchen.
A
If she’d been expecting a tender missive, she was way off base. Not by any stretch of the imagination could the words be construed as personal. And the “we all” was probably only Alex making his usual sweeping judgments, thinking he knew what was best.
Well, darn him, in this case he was right. It was almost ten-thirty and she was only now feeling halfway human and presentable. Given the late hour and the fact that lunch was not far off, she only nibbled at the beautifully prepared tray of food set out in the kitchen beneath a layer of thin linen napkins.
The kiwi and grapefruit and mangoes tempted her the most. And the pitcher of freshly squeezed juice. She did allow herself one of the small perfect cinnamon rolls, as well.
By the time she had eaten and brushed her teeth, there was still no sign of anyone coming to fetch her. Not willing to sit cooling her heels, she went outside and found that a golf cart sat waiting, key in the ignition. Mindful of Alex’s alligator warnings, she eyed the open side of the low-slung vehicle with reservation.
But boredom and curiosity won out. She only took one wrong turn and recognized it immediately, so she was justifiably proud when she made it to the Montoro house without incident. The same dignified man from yesterday answered the door when she rang the bell.
Feeling unaccountably nervous, she followed him down the hall to the salon where she and Alex had met the family. Gabriel was the first to spot her hovering in the doorway. He jumped to his feet and met her halfway as she entered the room.
His hands on her shoulders, he cocked his head and studied her face, his own gaze anxious. “How do you feel, Maria?” Gently, he brushed aside a swath of hair to see the bruises she had tried so hard to disguise.
Even his gentle fingertip on her brow made her wince. “Much better,” she said. “It’s not so bad...honestly.”
He kissed her on both cheeks in the European way and released her. “I believe you are a really bad liar.”
Bella hovered, as well, surprising Maria with a quick hug. “I worried about you last night. I know the doctor said you didn’t have a concussion, but they do make mistakes sometimes.”
Being the center of attention was not a comfortable position, particularly with the entire Montoro clan in attendance. “I’m fine, really. But I appreciate your concern.”
Rafael Montoro, the older, offered her a seat at his side. “We’ve been talking business. Alex wanted more information about our company’s plans for expansion.”
She glanced at Alex, perturbed to find his expression curiously blank. “I thought this was a social visit,” she said, smiling.
Rafael nodded. “Bella just called us out on that very subject right before you arrived. I promised her no more boring talk today. I believe you young people are in for a treat. Gabriel has arranged for an airboat tour of the Everglades.”
Maria clenched the arm of the love seat. “That’s very kind, but I’m sure all of you have been there often. No need to play tourist for us.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. He was standing near the window, one hand in his pocket. His posture was relaxed, but she knew him well enough to see the traces of tension in the way he held his mouth. “What Maria isn’t saying,” he drawled, “is that she is not fond of alligators.”
Everyone looked at her, including Isabella. The older woman seemed taken aback. “It’s entirely safe,” she said in her quavering voice. “I used to love those trips when I was younger.”
Even Rafe, Gabriel’s brother, nodded. “It’s a gorgeous day. You’ll love it. I promise.”
Juan Carlos chimed in. “Ordinarily, I’d be joining you, too, Miss Ferro. The trip will be delightful. Unfortunately, I have another commitment today. But you really have nothing to worry about.”
Maria swallowed her misgivings, realizing she had no choice in the matter. “Sounds like fun.”
Seven
Two hours later, after a sumptuous lunch of roasted pork and summer squash, Maria found herself with Bella in the backseat of a large, luxuriously outfitted van. Up front, Gabriel sat at the wheel with his brother in the passenger seat. Alex occupied the middle row, flanked by two large coolers filled with beverages and snacks.
Maria eyed the coolers with misgivings. Exactly how long was this trip? Eventually, they pulled into a nondescript gas station and met up with their guide, who then led them in his ancient pickup truck out to the docks where the boats were tethered.
On the upside, the airboats appeared to be modern and well maintained. The padded seats, three and three, were elevated to provide the best vantage point for viewing wildlife. But there was no railing of any kind.
Bella took her arm. “We’ll give you the seat in the middle.”
That was some small comfort. Maria had assumed Alex might want to sit beside her, but he joined Rafael in the other row. Leaving Gabriel to flank her opposite Bella.
When the guide handed out headphones to block the noise of the motor, Maria eyed her set askance, deciding that she’d rather be deaf than have that thing pressing on her injured head. Gabriel fished out a plastic-wrapped pair of earbuds from his pocket. “You may not need any of this. It’s up to you. But I brought you these, just in case.”
“That was sweet of you.”
He shook his head ruefully. “Merely my gui
lty conscience at work.”
As it turned out, the airboat was noisy, but not incredibly so. The pilot scudded rapidly through the waterways until they reached the Everglades proper. Now he slowed the pace, sliding over the surface of the water as they entered the grasslands. Birds flew everywhere. One of the first varieties of wildlife they spotted in the water was not an alligator at all, but actually a banded snake that turned out to be very rare.
In the midst of the beauty and wonder of it all, Maria forgot to be afraid. Almost. The vegetation was lush and the heat oppressive. Before starting out, she had pulled her hair into a high ponytail and donned a hat and dark sunglasses. Even so, the saunalike atmosphere was sweltering. Soon they were deep in a mangrove swamp. The creek they traversed narrowed in spots until there was barely room for the boat.
All the while she was conscious of Alex sitting behind her. What was he thinking? Maybe not about her at all. Perhaps last night meant nothing more to him than a bit of fooling around. The thought left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. And the taste of shame.
It was one thing to initiate something that might be serious, but another entirely to think that Alex saw her as an easy mark.
When Gabriel touched her arm, pointing out a bald eagle, she forced herself to ignore Alex completely. The Everglades were fascinating, 4,300 square miles, a river of grass...unlike anything she had ever seen.
Again, she asked herself why the Montoros would choose to go home to Alma. For the generation sitting in the boat today, Alma was no more home than it was to Maria. She had chosen to move there so she could keep her job when the Ramons relocated their oil business. But for Bella and Rafael and Gabriel, there was nothing but the history in dry books to tie them to the island nation. Who could expect them to tear up roots and make a new home four thousand miles away?
After they had been touring for an hour and a half, the captain steered the boat to a halt and tied it to an outcropping of bushes. Maria looked around with a frown. “Why are we stopping?”
Rafael spoke up. “We like to explore the island. You can get a feel for what it was like before humans came.”
“Um, no thanks. I’ll wait for you here.”
The other four and the grizzled captain stared at her.
She shrugged. “I looked up fatal alligator attacks on humans on the internet yesterday afternoon. I’ll be fine right here. I promise.”
The captain chewed a toothpick in the side of his mouth. “Reckon you’ll be safer on land. No gator’s gonna go after six adults together. But one might take a notion to climb into an empty airboat.”
Maria scrambled onto shore without another word, enduring the laughter that followed her. The men set up a folding table and some deck chairs. Their guide started opening the coolers and pulling out packets of boiled shrimp and French bread.
The meal had a surreal feel to it. Though Alex still avoided her, she found a quiet pleasure in the day. This trip to the States might be her last chance to travel for many years. Her position paid well as such jobs went, but if she planned to help her mother retire early, there would be little extra money, certainly not for worldwide jaunts.
The negatives facing her had piled up; the negotiations in particular were not going well. Alex was giving her the cold shoulder. She had a bruise the size of a small country around her eye, with a headache to match. But even so, she couldn’t be sorry about today. The Montoros were fun and interesting people. She was seeing an ecosystem that was both fragile and starkly beautiful.
When the meal was finished, the Montoro siblings squabbled about how to pack up the leftovers. The guide headed back to the boat. For a moment, Maria and Alex were isolated in a bubble of silence a few yards away from the others. She summoned her courage and spoke her mind. “Are you angry with me, Alex?”
She saw a muscle in his throat work. “No. Of course not.”
“You’ve barely looked at me all day. I can’t help thinking the change in you is about last night.”
Beneath his tan he was pale. He glanced around, perhaps hoping for rescue, but the Montoros were oblivious. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said.
Her temper flared. “Oh, please, Alex. Don’t lie to me. Surely I deserve better than that.”
He clenched his jaw, perspiration beading on his forehead from the thick, heavy air. “It isn’t the time or place to talk about this.”
“This what?” she asked, her gaze curious, though she knew exactly what he meant.
“We made a mistake,” he said through clenched teeth. His voice was low, barely audible. “We’re here in Miami to do a job. We have to finish writing the proposal and we have to convince them to sign it. We don’t have the luxury of...” He trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
“I see.” Hurt made her breathless. Emotion stung the backs of her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry. Her injury and her restless night had left her defenses at low ebb. “I won’t mention it again. It was nothing anyway.”
* * *
Alex watched her walk away from him and wanted to curse long and loud. The very thing he’d hoped to avoid had happened. He had hurt Maria, and all because he hadn’t been able to resist touching her.
She joined the Montoro siblings, pitching in to clean up the last of the picnic debris. When Gabriel suggested a short walk, Maria nodded. That told Alex more than anything about the state of her mind. She would rather venture into a cypress swamp rife with alligators than remain in his presence one second longer.
He let them go, unable to stomach the sight of Maria’s arm tucked in Gabriel’s. As the foursome wandered off, Rafael and Bella joked about “lions and tigers and bears, oh my.” Gabriel merely kept Maria close to his side, promising to defend her to the death. His dramatic vow made Maria laugh. Alex kicked a root at the happy sound, his thoughts grim.
It was becoming clearer every day that Gabriel Montoro liked Maria. A lot. In a romantic way? Who knew...? But Alex needed to back off or risk damaging the relationships that were integral to the success of his mission for Alma.
As he sat on the airboat and listened to the old captain tell stories of the Florida that existed before Disney and the interstate highway system, only half of Alex’s attention was engaged. He was debating his options. He could send Maria back to Alma on some pretext. That would put an end to his temptation, and she would also be out of Gabriel’s reach.
But the idea lasted only a nanosecond. Maria was a gifted, hardworking member of the delegation, and she deserved this chance to shine. Alex had no right to kick her off the team; nor did he have the moral imperative to step in between her and Gabriel.
His conclusions were sound. But he didn’t have to like them.
In another twenty minutes, the explorers returned to the boat, all in one piece as Gabriel pointed out, poking Maria in the ribs with a sly smile.
“No thanks to you,” she said, settling into her original seat and sparing no glance for Alex.
The captain started up the boat, and the rest of the afternoon passed without incident. To Alex’s critical eye, Maria seemed to flag by the end of the day, but he had abdicated any right to check on her well-being. When the Montoros dropped off Alex and Maria at the guesthouse, Maria disappeared into her bedroom without so much as a word.
Though they later rode in a golf cart together up to the main house, the journey was silent.
Dinner that night was both pleasant and awkward if such a thing was possible. Isabella was in attendance, her wheelchair pulled to the edge of the table at Rafael III’s right hand. Her nephew encouraged her to tell stories of the old times, and the elderly woman did so with enthusiasm.
She’d had one of her rare good spells today. Though her body trembled and her voice was weak, it was clear to everyone present that her spirit was unquenched. Isabella had been a very young child when the royal family was over
thrown. In all likelihood, she didn’t actually remember any of the details. But the tales of the traumatic events had been repeated often as she grew up, and to her, the end of the Montoro reign was still vivid.
Alex knew—as did her family, he supposed—that Isabella would not be happy until another Montoro ascended the throne that was rightfully theirs. She was in a fragile state. The span of her life was uncertain. What would happen if she died before a decision had been reached? Would the Montoro family choose to stay in Miami?
Alex had plenty of questions and not enough answers.
Gabriel asked Maria to stay for coffee after dinner adjourned. He glanced at Alex. “I’ll bring her home before curfew, I promise.”
Alex managed a smile, but his gut churned. Walking out of that house and leaving Maria with Gabriel was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. The hollow feeling in his chest told him he was in deep trouble. He had been lying to himself about the intensity of his feelings for Maria.
With that knowledge came stinging regret. Had he crushed something new and beautiful beneath the heel of his duty and ambition?
He should have been proud of his dedication and resolve.
But it wasn’t pride that kept him awake until three in the morning, when he heard the front door of the villa open and shut...
* * *
By Monday morning, Maria was able to conceal most of the vestiges of her contact with Gabriel’s spiked volleyball. The swelling around her eye had gone down, and, with artful concealer, her appearance was close to normal.
She had never been more thankful for the presence of the lawyer, Jean Claude. Having a buffer meant that she and Alex were able to work side by side on the draft of the official proposition without acknowledging the events of the weekend. By noon, they were so deeply involved in the knotty questions of language and ceremony that personal situations were pushed aside.
The document was shaping up nicely. Alex and Maria were composing the actual words. Jean Claude was guiding them with the necessary legal language. The collaborative effort flowed well, though as Maria worked feverishly at her laptop, transcribing the conversations, she couldn’t help but wonder if all of this would be in vain.
Minding Her Boss's Business Page 7
