Page 101 of Savage Bosses

It was unusually hot for February and the heat was brutal. This was the third time in the past hour that she wrung out sweat from the colorful silk.

Selene looked at the sky and thanked God that this was the last day of the business trip from hell. Traveling and evading Emir was grueling, but the career advancement was worth it.

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

For the past week, she immersed herself in the culture and customs of Palenque as much as she could. It was a closed community that offered controlled tours. What she really needed was to have an audience with community leaders to discuss what it would take for them to accept the Word Bank’s peace offering so that KJR could get paid, she could raise her consulting rate, and most of all, this Black Community would get a bit more of what they deserved.

However, she only had limited access to those leaders. Whenever she aced out another tour guide or asked a question that seemed too probing, they seemed to close down and steer the conversation in another direction.

Meanwhile, Emir kept trying to reach out. He offered assistance from his contacts and some additional money to grease the wheels of progress.

When he showed up the first day she arrived in the lobby of her hotel, their blow-up was epic.

“Why would you just leave like that!” He scolded.

Selene shot back. “Because I'm a grown woman with a company, AMEX, and a job to do, that’s why!”

Emir sighed. “Just let me help you, Selene. We can work together and get everything done in half the time. You’re just being stubborn.”

Selene glared at Emir. “Stubborn? You think I’m being stubborn! I’m trying to do this alone, and you won’t even give me a chance! Can’t you see that? What is so wrong with me wanting to do this without your help? Do you think I can’t do it by myself? That I need you to make everything work out in the end?”

“No, Selene, I know you’re very capable. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need my help.”

That’s when she left him standing in the lobby fuming.

She knew if she stayed any longer, she would have given in to Emir’s demands, and he would think he could always get his way through sheer force and resources.

He’d also think she needed him, and Selene Dubois needed no man.

Emir’s determination to interfere grew as each day passed; his calls became longer and more frequent, and his pleas became more urgent.

Reaching out to her consulting circle, she discovered Emir had a real history and connection here. Many architectural firms had attempted to develop San Basilio de Palenque for various reasons, and he helped the community shoo them all away.

His college roommate, Antonio Malemba, led the most influential Quadro, or community in Palenque, and Emir acted as his political heavy.

She could handle Antonio on her own, but she knew she was in trouble the moment she laid eyes on him.

He was the epitome of Fuck Around and Find Out. The man was a giant and he could smell bullshit a mile away. When she finally met him, the only thing he was interested in talking about was returning her to Emir.

Though Selene shared the same smooth ebony skin, full lips, and broad noses of the inhabitants, she was a stranger.

A fact that Antonio Malemba promptly let her know within five minutes of meeting her.

Even now, she bristled at his reprimanding tone:Your blue passport, blue Goyard travel bag, and naive questions made you as White as the enslavers that brought our ancestors here.

It was just her luck that yet another man who thought he knew everything about her would be her most significant hurdle to finishing the job.

Since Antonio wouldn’t talk to her, no one else would either. The arrogant ass successfully stone walled her for the entire week.

She left her rented beachside Bocagrande condominium every morning and paid seventy US dollars for his six-hour San Basilio de Palenque tour to enter the community. No matter how many ways she evaded his tour to reach the locals and their establishments, none of them ever talked.

The people would offer her a beverage and sayata uto bega.She still hadn’t figured out the phrase because her Spanish did not extend to the Palenque’s native tongue. However, their smirk while saying it confirmed that the joke was on her, courtesy of Antonio and Emir.

The latter showed up on her tour yesterday. She tried her best to ignore him, but he was relentless.And fine.

At the office in Aspen, Emir wore Navy Armani suits, but in Cartagena, he wore a black tank top that hugged his muscles and showed off the intricate tattoos that covered his arms. Despite the sweltering heat of the Cartagena sun, he looked cool and collected. his black aviator sunglasses always hid his eyes, but his displeasure with her was still evident.

Once she realized that all Antonio would do was impede her progress, she took drastic measures.

---