Rick knew not to argue, hesitating for only a moment. “I’ll scan and email everything I can get within the next hour.”
“Good.”
“I just want to say thank you for allowing me to continue to serve you and your company. I did the background check on Celeste Handley myself and I saw nothing that indicated the issues that have come up.”
For once, Rafael had no idea what the man was talking about. “What issues about Celeste?”
“Benito didn’t tell you?”
“No, when and what happened?” Anger throbbed at Benito’s hiding of a major issue. Celeste Handley was the manager for the building he lived in.
“Last week it came to light she had been leasing out condos without permission, off the books and has been keeping the money herself. Benito has me doing background checks on two people he’s thinking of hiring in her place once he fires her.”
“Drop the checks, from now on if Benito calls you, you hang up and call me to tell me what was discussed. He has known since last week and the damn woman is still there, I just saw her this morning. Never mind all that for now, do my check asap.”
Hanging up, he called his head of security. “Dennis, call in the police. Take them around to my building and have them arrest Celeste Handley for theft. I want her held without bond until I can find out how much she’s gotten away with.”
Running his hand over his face he thought about calling and ripping a strip off Benito. The sight of Carrie’s closed door pushed Benito to the backburner. The memory of seeing Carrie in pain had his own shoulders clenching painfully in stress. Stopping her migraine before it got worse was the most important thing for now. Fuck, he went still. This was not happening. It was guilt for upsetting her that was all he was feeling. Her life was too complicated for him and he didn’t do long term. Carrie would need long term before he could even get her into his bed. His bed was the only place he allowed a woman into his life, the only place he wanted them.
She was an intoxicating mix of girl and woman who wouldn’t understand his sexual needs were to be satisfied as simply physical hunger. She looked like a woman there was no doubt of that, from her license he knew she was twenty six. But her blushes, shivers, and obvious confusion over the desire she felt for him told him she was trapped in the teenage mind and emotions when she first became responsible for two small children. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if she was a virgin. Fuck, why did the idea make him hard? He’d never had a virgin before, steered clear of them, not wanting the messy emotions he would have to deal with. The idea of being the first man to introduce her to pleasure filled him with satisfaction. It was possible she wasn’t, however her bitter words about learning from her mother made it highly unlikely.
Hell, getting past her bitterness would take longer than he knew he would have the patience for. Her temper had taken him by surprise, he’d loved when she yelled at him, no one had dared to yell at him in years. The thrill of her breathing fire at him had stirred feelings he’d long thought buried. Then he’d opened his mouth and snuffed out the fire inside her. Until he saw it again he couldn’t forgive himself for what he’d done.
He was only trying to help out someone who so obviously needed and deserved it. It wasn’t her fault she’d tried and failed, he’d known men who would have run from the situation. She hadn’t run, she hadn’t turned her back on two small children who needed her. She’d done everything she could to raise them as well as she could. All he was doing was throwing her a bone he had within his power to give her. That was all, nothing more.
Even as he crossed the room his straining cock called him a liar. Forcing his body under control he opened the door to the weak voice answering his knock. She was curled into a little ball on the bed. Seeing her in distress made him soft so fast it made him weak for a moment.
Settling on the edge of the bed, a hand went over her forehead. Her soft sight of pleasure from his touch had him growing hard all over again. “Carrie, do you have any medication for your migraine?” Eyes still closed, she shook her head. “Okay, sit up, mi dulce. I want you to drink this down as much as you can. Do you have any aspirin? In your purse, you can do it.”
She moaned as a look of pain shot across her face and Rafael felt his chest clench, along with his hands. The coldness of the drink warned him and he set it on the bedside table. Carefully, he picked her up and sat her across his lap. She went willingly into his arms melting into him. Her soft curves felt even better than they had in his office and now he was on the edge of a bed with her in his arms. A little sigh escaped her and he wanted to hear his name come out of her just like that. Fuck, get your mind out of the gutter Castillo, he warned himself as he looked down at her furrowed brow.
Picking up the can, he carried it to her lips and urged her to drink, she wrinkled her nose but did as he bid. A few swallows and she pulled away, he allowed her a moment before he put against her mouth again. They repeated the action again and the drink was almost gone. “One more time.” He urged and she drank it down and rested against him.
It was heaven and hell to hold her, he didn’t want it to end. She was so soft and smelled so sweet, his body was screaming to take her. He was dying to know the taste of her mouth and if her skin was as sweet as it smelled. Knowing he should lay her back on the bed, letting her go wasn’t something he could do. He held her close for as long as he dared. When she began to stir he let her go and settled her on the bed.
“I?
?m going to go get the aspirin and a glass of water, I’ll be right back.”
Rummaging in her purse, he found the bottle and shook out two. He filled the glass with water, back in her room he found her sitting up against the headboard looking dazed. At least she didn’t look like she was in pain.
“Here take these.”
“Did I fall asleep?”
“Maybe for a few minutes. I sent the boys to their room, I’ll talk to them in a minute. I wanted to check on you first. Feeling any better?”
“Yes, actually. I didn’t know a Coke would help. I would have tried it before. I don’t usually drink soda, it’s for the twins. Thank you.” She murmured as she took the pills and water and swallowed the pills. Setting the full glass of water on the bedside table she leaned back again. He picked up the glass and handed it back to her. He knew from Matteo’s lectures the caffeine could dehydrate her and dehydration could cause headaches. Making a face she didn’t argue and simply drank deeply until it was gone.
“I am sorry to be such a bother. This really isn’t like me, I promise. I’m not sure what’s the matter with me today.”
“Do not apologize to me. As I am sure I am the cause of your out of character behavior is because of how rude I was to you. You have had a hard time for the last few months, then the boys did what they did. No doubt under stress already you try to come to me and defend them. Where I tell you that you have done a bad job by them. Basically saying out loud what you have been feeling for a while. Now you are feeling vulnerable and scared of making more mistakes. I should be apologizing to you and I am, very sincerely. I want you to know things are going to be all right. You do not have to worry because I was wrong and so were you. Now that I have met them I can see I was wrong. The only thing I would say you are guilty of is spoiling them and as it’s something many parents do to overcompensate for not being available I would say you have done no worse than any other parent has done. I am sure in your case it was due to the loss of their mother. I can clearly see their clothes are new and name brand, yet something tells me that you haven’t had anything new or name brand in quite some time.
They do not seem like bad kids, simply spoiled and unaware of what it takes to give them what they have. By hiding how hard you have to work to keep them in the things they want, not simply what they need, they are unaware of the sacrifices and what it has taken from you. I can see now pressing charges is not the right decision. They will work off their debt for the summer. It will give them something to do instead of being bored and show them what earning a living means. I will pick them up tomorrow and take them to the work site. Make sure they wear clothes they won’t have a problem getting dirty and sweating in.
Are you working tomorrow?”
“No, if they would have needed me, the company would have called. There’s always a slim chance I’ll get called early in the morning but it’s not likely.”