Free Fresh Temptation: Barboza Brothers, Book One by Reeni Austin

to
know.”
    Gary chuckled
sarcastically. “ Really? You’re already
trying to get her fired again? ”
    “What do you mean,
again?”
    He sighed loudly.
“ Have a lovely afternoon, Ms.
Whitt. ” And then
he hung up.
    Fired…again? Confused,
Alexis put her phone in her purse and looked at the deli. Seconds
later, she saw them exit, both of them smiling, but Victor doing
most of the talking.
    She shrank back, watching,
studying the portly blonde who only seemed vaguely familiar. As if
Alexis was meant to hear it, a hint of the strange woman’s voice
floated her way, just loud enough to bring back a recent
memory.
    No, it couldn’t be her—the
girl from the catering company?
    She took her phone from
her purse and held it up to take a few pictures. She said to
herself, quietly, “Oh Victor, have you really stooped to this
level? Or maybe you’re just hard up.” She groaned. “No, it must be
more than that.”
    She was instantly flooded
with theories. Maybe he’d known her all along. Maybe that’s why
there was such a familiarity that night when they were joking at
the table.
    Alexis felt her blood
pressure rising. Had she been played that night? Was this his
pathetic way of trying to pay her back for cheating on him while
they were engaged?
    It didn’t matter. Alexis
had enough information to pass along to a private investigator who
could get this straightened out. No, Victor couldn’t possibly be
interested in this cow who looked like she’d given up on herself
long ago. She would get this woman out of his life just as easily
as swatting a fly.

    * * *

    Cara’s new outfit now felt
too heavy for such a warm day, especially outside in the hot sun
with a sexy man by her side.
    She tried to resist it,
but how could she not be attracted to Victor? He was tall, dark and
gorgeous, and unless she was hallucinating, she swore he was giving
her signals that he was interested in her, too.
    Maybe Marcy was
right , she thought. Maybe he really was checking me out in the interview last
week .
    And she knew darn well he
was checking her out today.
    At least she was starting
to feel more comfortable around him. The conversation flowed
easily, and Cara was surprised by how humble and tender he
portrayed himself.
    But she’d been fooled in
the past. She wasn’t so naive. There absolutely had to be another
reason for his kindness.
    Cara and Victor chatted as
they entered the building and took the private elevator to their
floor. Thankfully, the elevator moved fast and she didn’t have more
than a minute to fantasize about him pinning her to the corner. She
took a few slow, calming breaths and went on with their friendly
banter. When they exited the elevator he gave her one last smile
before opening his office door.
    Clutching her purse to
have something else to focus on, she rushed to her own office. Her
immediate plan was to resume her Internet stalking.
    She had just shoved her
purse in a drawer when Gary appeared in front of her
desk.
    “Hey.” He looked over his
shoulder then shut the door behind him. “We need to
talk.”
    “Okay.”
    Gary took a seat in a
chair against the wall, his elbows on his knees. He leaned forward
as he pushed a button on his headset and shoved the mouthpiece
away. “Watch your back around here.”
    Cara’s stomach knotted.
“Is this about my talk with Rhonda?”
    “Oh God.” He winced a
little. “Rhonda in acquisitions?”
    “Yeah. But she said you’re
friends. Did I say too much?”
    Gary winced in pain for
only a split second. “What’d you tell her?”
    “That I worked here for
Mr. Barboza. Nothing else, really. She told me I needed to lie to
people and say I’m a consultant or everyone in the office will
start talking because he has a new employee.”
    “That’s all?”
    “Yes, I swear.”
    “Hmm.” Gary clucked his
tongue against the roof of his mouth. “It’s gotta be something else
then. And by the way, Rhonda and I are friends, in a way, but I never
tell her