Chapter 1
“Hello, handsome…” I whisper, brushing a hand across the cold coated paper. The slight shake of the magazine makes it hard to focus on the bold headline—Latino Businessperson of the Year. His thick black wavy hair flows away from his face, his bedroom eyes whisper, Remember me. And I do.
The sound of laughter invades my private moment with Mateo Rodriquez. My eyes dart to my open office door and back to the man who has invaded my dreams ever since he called Platinum Prestige a week ago.
According to Hunter, one of my best friends and business partners, Mateo contacted us about importing supplies and asked for me by name. I haven’t returned his call because quite frankly I’m scared. Then I went to the corner store for a Coke and there he was on the magazine rack.
I’ve unintentionally kept up with his career. Here and there. Not going out of my way, not avoiding it. It’s hard to ignore him when the man is featured in magazines and on television shows. And now he’s on top of the list of the Most Powerful Latinos in Business.
The steady cadence of my breathing is an act I've perfected. I'm the big bad Alexandria Martinez. I don't take shit from anybody, and I live by my own rules. But with him, it was different. I was different.
My invincible, artificial superpowers seemed to have a loophole. Mateo had me ready to leave my parents, Texas, and my life behind until my grandfather and my mother forbade any involvement with him.
A sudden tremble spreads through my entire body. I wonder what they’d say about him now. The kid they ran off that is a billionaire on the cover of a national magazine. My heart twists, and I stare at Mateo. I've begged for him to give my heart back after fifteen years, but my stubborn soul still wants him. The man that embodies everything I shouldn't desire. But I do.
I have to get this longing in check before I call him.
“What’s that?” Charlee slips Mateo from my line of sight. “Aye, Papi.”
“Give it back.” I swipe at the air with the desk between us. “You’re supposed to be on maternity leave. Why are you not at home?”
“Because somebody asked to see Raine.” She rolls her eyes in my direction. “Why does he look familiar?”
"Uh...it's a new issue. I want to see the baby." I reach for the magazine, and she dips out of my reach again. This is what happens when you work with your best friends. We're prone to reverting back to our non-professional behavior. I should have closed my door.
“I may forget names, but I know faces. Damn baby brain." Her head wags, and I chuckle. "I forgot the pin to our security system the other day. The operator called, and I'm so glad Darius was right behind me. Did you know they give a $250 ticket if a cop responds to a false alarm? Ask me how I know." She's thumbing through the pages talking to herself. "Mateo…Mateo…."
"He's just a guy on the cover of the magazine," I say, and the butterflies in my stomach call my bluff because Mateo was never just a guy.
"Charlee Raine…" Darius calls from down the hall. But her husband's call doesn't disrupt Charlee's struggle to summons the distant memories from college.
“You’re going to make me miss the baby.” I walk to the doorway and peak out around the corner.
When Ben had the floor remodeled, he made the focal point the sitting area. It's where we gather. Right now, they're crowded around Peyton, holding a bundle of pink minky.
“I want to hold her.”
“I got it.” Charlee shakes the magazine in my direction. “You used to tutor him. When was that?”
Oh hell. Why does her baby brain have to turn off now? I chew on the inside of my lip, praying Charlee changes the subject.
“How are the boys enjoying their little sister?”
"Ethan loves it. Little D isn't impressed." She answers without looking in my direction. "Harper…" Charlee passes the magazine, and I want to disappear.
"Charlee, stop teasing Alex. Look at her face." Harper pulls me close, rubbing my back, then she looks down. "Oh, I saw him last week."