Seduced by Mr. Right(41)
Brad scoffed. “Like hell I do.”
Tension filled the room, and a long, awkward silence followed. No one spoke, and as the seconds ticked by, Sharleen wondered if Brad’s outburst was going to cost him his job. I sure hope so! she thought, glancing from her enemy to her boss. Brad’s an embarrassment to this company, and he doesn’t deserve to be a life coach.
“Pathways Center is a safe, peaceful environment, and I won’t allow you to abuse my staff and clients.” Mrs. Fontaine spoke calmly, as if she were in complete control, but her face was covered in anger. “I’d like to have a word with you in my office to discuss this matter further.”
Brad stalked out of the room, mumbling to himself, and Sharleen released the breath she’d been holding. Before she could even think of what to say to smooth things over with her boss, Mrs. Fontaine rested an arm on her shoulder and said, “I’m sorry about that. Brad’s behavior was completely uncalled for, and I want you to know I am taking this matter very seriously.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Fontaine.”
“Will you be around this evening? I’d like to hear your side of the story.”
“No, I, um, have an eight o’clock session with Emilio Morretti,” she said, the white lie rolling smoothly off her tongue. Her contract had ended with him yesterday, so technically she wasn’t his life coach anymore, but the less her boss knew about their relationship the better. “He wants to discuss renewing our contract. Do you want me to cancel?”
“No, of course not. Mr. Morretti is an important client, and I don’t want to disappoint him. We’ll talk one day next week.”
Sharleen felt her cell phone vibrate inside her blazer, but she didn’t answer until Mrs. Fontaine turned and left the staff room. It was Emilio, and hearing his voice instantly calmed her nerves. He sounded relaxed, as if he were stretched out by his pool sipping a glass of merlot. The image of him in swim trunks made her mouth dry. “Hi, Emilio,” she said, suddenly feeling upbeat. “How are you?”
“Terrible. I miss you.”
“I saw you on Tuesday, remember? We had dinner at Restaurant Eugene.”
“I know, but it feels like I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
“You’re so dramatic,” she teased, with a laugh. “You should consider a career in movies, Mr. Morretti. You’re quite the actor.”
“And you’re quite the beauty.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Sharleen said, in a singsong voice.
“Will it help me win your heart?”
Goose bumps tickled her skin, and her pulse roared in her ears. Sharleen wished she could stay on the phone with Emilio, but she had to warn Jocelyn about Brad. There was a good chance he’d show up at her house unannounced, and she wanted to give her friend a heads-up. “I have to go,” she said, apologetically. “I have an important call to make.”
“I’ll be at your place by six. Don’t forget to pack your bathing suit.”
“How can I forget when you keep reminding me?”
Emilio chuckled. “’Bye, gorgeous. See you in a few.”
* * *
Emilio hung up and put his cell phone into his shirt pocket. His smile couldn’t be any bigger, any brighter. Having Sharleen in his life made him feel invigorated, as if he could do anything. Emilio was anxious to see her, ready to finally kick off their romantic weekend, but he had an important stop to make before he picked her up. I hope Sharleen loves flowers, because I’m going to have dozens of roses delivered to our cottage at the Fisher Island Club.
Standing, he swiped his car keys off the dresser and jogged downstairs to the main floor. As he reached the foyer, he saw his sister enter the house through the front door using her key. All dolled up like a pop princess, her glittery eye makeup, pink jumpsuit and sky-high heels screamed for attention. “I got here just in the nick of time,” Francesca said, whipping off her Prada sunglasses. “We can talk during the drive to the track.”
Emilio gave his sister a hug and a kiss on each cheek. “I don’t have practice today. I’m flying to Miami tonight for the Exotic Car Show.”
“I love South Beach. Do you want some company?”
Yes, that’s why I invited Sharleen to join me. This is my chance to prove myself to her, to show her how much she means to me, and I’m going to pull out all the stops to make her mine.
“No, not this time.” Emilio picked up his suitcase, activated the alarm and led his sister outside. The sky was overcast, threatening rain, but it didn’t dampen his good mood “I have to go, but I’ll call you when I get back to town. We can have dinner.”