Fresh Temptation

sorry. I’m the one who called him. Smart little guy .” Victor paused. “ So, I hear you might be in need of new employment .”
    Oh Lord, he really is psycho , she thought. How did he know that already? Had he planted a microphone in the house? “Uh…I don’t know what to say.”
    “ Say you’ll come to my office to interview for a position. It’s in public relations. We could use someone with your experience .”
    “How do you know anything about my experience?”
    “ Found your resume online .”
    “Oh.”
    “ Says here you ran some national projects. Very impressive. Too bad the company’s doing so poorly or they’d probably rehire you. Anyway, be here this afternoon. Two o’clock. I’ll email you with directions .”
    “Well, uh…sure, I guess.”
    “ Good. See you then .” Victor hung up.
    Perplexed, Cara stared down at the phone in her hand. “How did he get my number?” In a huff, she walked into Isaac’s room where her mom was watching him drink juice, a big smile plastered across her face. “Mother, dear,” Cara often used this term for her mother when she was upset, “do you know how Mr. Barboza got my phone number? Because it sure wasn’t from me.”
    Patty set her smile on Isaac as she said in a singsong tone, “I don’t know, I may have given it to him when he stopped by a few days ago.”
    “Mom!”
    “What? He asked for it. And he was so polite.”
    Cara paced the floor. “Well, he already found out, somehow, that I lost my job.”
    Patty’s eyes met Cara’s. “What?”
    “Yeah. How did he know that? I didn’t put my new phone number or Doyle Construction on my online resume. He wants me to interview for a job at two o’clock today.” She lowered her voice and leaned in closer, covering most of her mouth so Isaac couldn’t see. She whispered, “ Psycho !”
    Patty’s lips formed a thin line. She spoke quietly, her mouth barely moving, “You need a job, don’t you?”
    “Yeah, but not like this.”
    Patty’s eyes rolled. “You better go pick out what you’re gonna wear to that interview.”
    Cara groaned. “Oh…” she paused, looking at Isaac as she stopped herself from saying “shit.” She hit her forehead with her palm. “I hope something fits. It’s been so long since I had to wear one of my nice suits.”
    “You’ll be fine. You have time to go shopping. I’m sure the mall has plenty of clearance racks this time of year.”
    Isaac’s eyes lit up. “The maw?”
    Patty shook her head, angry with herself for using one of their forbidden words. “Not today. Maybe next week.”
    Isaac pouted. “No maw?” His expression quickly changed to a smile. “What about the pawk? Mommy said I could go.”
    “No,” Cara said. “I’m right here and I said you could go outside for a minute. Not to the park.”
    Isaac’s smile disappeared. “Can Bictow take me to the pawk?”
    Patty laughed.
    Cara answered. “No, baby. Drink your juice and you’ll be back at the park in no time.” She kissed his cheek, then turned around and left the room, ignoring her mother’s snide grin.

Chapter Four
     
    Victor smiled at the clock. It was one-thirty. Cara had replied to his email with a simple, “Thank you. See you at two.”
    He sensed her hesitation and he tried to see it her way. Maybe it was strange that he was so forward, inviting her to an interview, knowing she’d lost her job that morning. But she needed his help and he felt justified in his actions. After all, Doyle Construction was already under scrutiny of the IRS. All Victor did was call in a favor to speed up the process. Soon, she’d have a better job in a nicer environment. That’s all that mattered.
    He went over her resume again for at least the twentieth time. Thankfully, a lot of people owed him favors or he’d never get anyone to make room in the budget for a new employee, especially someone in public relations. It was one of the few areas that had to make cutbacks. He pored over her skills and experience, trying to think of a brand new position he could create just for her. Something that would overlap to his division. Then he let out a soft chuckle. Hiring Cara was a done deal. He could always think of reasons to borrow an employee. Why was he stressing about it so much? He’d keep her duties vague for now until he really found something for her to do.
    The woman had some kind of hold on him. It was undeniable. His heart raced every time he thought about her. The sound of her