Fresh Temptation

straightened his posture. “I mean, quiet, if you please, Mr. Barboza.”
    Victor laughed. He had never asked Gary to be so formal with him, and it amused Victor greatly to mess with him on occasion. Today, Victor was even more thankful for Gary’s presence in the office. It was just the tension-breaker he would need in order to calm down enough to subtly woo the new employee.
     
    * * *
     
    Cara tried to do more than stand there, blinking rapidly as if she didn’t have a thought in her head. But her mind had indeed gone blank.
    Alone, with Victor? Already? She had prepared herself for the idea of working beside him in the same office. But going to lunch was entirely different. They would enjoy a meal together. Alone. Like a date. And she hadn’t been on a date in a very, very long time.
    “So?” Victor asked patiently. “Lunch?”
    Cara inhaled a slightly trembling breath, willing herself to say the thing he wanted to hear. “Lunch. Yes. That’d be fine.”
    “Great.” Victor grinned, then abruptly turned in the direction of his office. “Meet me at the elevator in fifteen minutes.” And then he disappeared inside and shut the door.
    She put her head down and walked straight to her desk. Her short interaction with Victor had temporarily made her forget about what Rhonda had told her in the break room. But now that she remembered, her time was limited. When she reached her desk, she took out her phone to do a search for “Victor Barboza engagement.” In the days since Victor offered her this job, she had searched for him online and found nothing but the company’s official website, or other boring links that told her almost nothing. And she knew better than to use his company’s Internet connection for a search like this.
    It took a few minutes, but she finally found the name “Alexis Whitt” listed along with “Victor Barboza.” There appeared to be a wedding website that was no longer functioning, but there was still a wedding gift registry at Michael C. Fina that had not been canceled. Cara’s mouth had just dropped open at the sight of a set of sterling silver napkin rings that cost a thousand dollars when she was startled by a knock at the door.
    “Hello?” Victor entered her office. “Need to cancel already?”
    “No, not at all.” She glanced at the clock. She should have been at the elevator by now. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”
    “You sure? When I saw you with your phone I thought maybe your son was sick. How’s he doing, by the way?”
    Cara picked up her purse and slid her phone inside, then stood from her chair to follow Victor out. “He’s doing very well. Thanks for asking. You’d never know he was sick now.”
    Victor chuckled. “They recover quickly at that age, yes?”
    “Yes.” She followed him to the elevator, her purse slung over her shoulder. “A little too quickly, in fact. He’s still supposed to rest but we can’t get him to sit still.”

Chapter Six
     
    Cara and Victor chatted as they walked, making them both feel more at ease. There was no other subject that got Cara talking more than Isaac, and Victor was quite happy to continue asking questions. Not only was he amused by the precocious young boy, but he loved to hear Cara speak. This was the closest they had had to a real conversation since they first met, and it was just now that Victor began to realize how much he enjoyed Cara’s voice caressing his ears.
    Soon they were sitting at the last small table at his favorite deli. With the bustle of people all around them, Victor took the opportunity to scoot his chair closer so they could talk without raising their voices over the noise. Or at least, that’s what he’d have her believe.
    There was a question that he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Each time it seemed there was an opportunity to slip it into the conversation, he stopped.
    What’s the situation with Isaac’s father?
    Hell, it was probably considered a personal question that could get Victor in trouble for violating an employment law. But he was dying to know.
    After about a minute of eating in silence, Cara gently dropped her fork to her plate. “With all due respect, Mr. Barboza, I need to ask. Am I a charity case to you?”
    Victor wiped his mouth and finished chewing. “Well, that’s quite a subject change.”
    “Please, I need to know. I already took the job and I plan to stay. But you could at least tell me the truth now. Did you hire me out of pity?”
    Victor