Page 29 of A Powerful Attraction
She glared at him. “What’s your point? I’m not allowed to move on?”
No! he wanted to shout. He raked hands trembling with frustration through his hair. He needed her. Even if she never let him touch her again, he simply needed her in his life. She had brought light and happiness in the pitch darkness and then cut him off.
She cleared her throat. “We should probably steer clear of each other. If not, people will talk, and neither of us want there to be any rumors about us. We agreed we didn’t want anyone to know about our relationship.”
“Then let’s meet outside of work. Are you going to pretend you feel nothing? I don’t buy that. There was too much passion between us. We fit together perfectly. Don’t tell me—”
He broke off when a male employee walked in. His curious eyes settled on how Alex and Sherry were huddled in the corner. The employee nodded before making his way to the vending machine on the other side of the room.
Sherry took that moment to slip away.
“Alex, I have someone you need to meet.”
Rashad’s voice broke through the memory. He approached with a brown-skinned woman beside him. Her long, thick hair hung in loose waves past her shoulders, and her round face bore a welcoming smile. She was exactly the type of woman Rashad would go for, if it weren’t for the rings on her left hand and the fact that she was visibly pregnant.
“This is Simone Brooks. She’s the philanthropic ambassador for the Johnson Foundation.”
They shook hands.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “Rashad has been telling me all about Newmark Advisors and the work you do. I’m especially appreciative of the donation the two of you made tonight. That money will go a long way toward meeting the basic needs of food and shelter for children in this country.” She used perfect diction when she spoke.
Alex concentrated on the conversation at hand, temporarily shoving all thoughts of Sherry from his mind so he could focus.
“Thank you. It’s our pleasure to donate. Both Rashad and I believe in giving back, and it’s always been our plan to use our company to aid work in areas like this.”
They chatted for a while, bonding on their shared South American heritage. Simone’s paternal grandmother was Brazilian, and though she’d never visited Colombia, he’d been to Brazil. They discussed a couple of places they were both familiar with in the northern part of the country, and he spoke a few words to her in his limited Portuguese.
By the time she waved goodbye to network with other guests, he’d secured a promise from her to meet at a later date and discuss investment opportunities for her and her husband.
Both he and Rashad watched her walk away, one hand resting over her protruding belly.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Rashad said enthusiastically. He turned to Alex with dollar signs in his eyes. “I knew you two would connect well.”
“And how did you know that?”
“The South American connection, of course. You know my motto. Find common ground, and you can get people to agree to almost anything.”
Anyone overhearing the conversation would mistake Rashad for a heartless shark. In reality, he cared about his clients but was smart enough to realize that while other advisors saw their clients simply as people they did business with, establishing a rapport encouraged a long-term relationship. In that regard, he and Alex held the same belief.
Alex took another sip of beer.
“What’s wrong with you? You haven’t been yourself for quite a while. I thought you’d shake out of it a little bit once we got to the reception.”
“You know what’s wrong with me.”
Rashad sighed. “Sherry still won’t talk to you?”
“No.” Alex tilted back his head and drained the bottle.
“I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what to tell you.”
“I need to get out of here. I need to go see her.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Rashad’s brow furrowed.
“I think it’s a terrible idea, but I can’t just do nothing.”
Rashad nodded. “Go. Fix the problem between the two of you, because I don’t need your personal problems affecting my money.”
