Fresh Temptation

desperate situation would make both her and Isaac stronger; she always found a way to get through. She shook away from Victor’s grasp, sniffling. “Please don’t. I really need to go.”
    Cara ran to the back room to retrieve her purse from her locker. Victor didn’t follow. Soon she was driving home, leaving her catering job behind. She no longer cared whether or not she was fired.
    Maybe that rich bitch was right , she thought. Maybe she should’ve been taking care of her son instead of working tonight.

Chapter Two
     
    It was Monday morning and Victor was tired. He had spent the last two nights since the fundraiser tossing and turning in bed, feeling sick about the woman Alexis had gotten fired.
    Why couldn’t Alexis just let it go? When she came back to the table and learned how unpopular her decision was, she apologized. Claimed she wasn’t jealous. She was only trying to look out for her family’s best interest and she got carried away.
    Victor had never hit a woman in his life, but he secretly wished one of the other women at the table would have smacked Alexis. Betsy Kisch was quite vocal with her outrage. In her younger days, the feisty socialite probably would have taught Alexis a lesson or two. The thought almost made him smile…until he thought about that woman again.
    He could tell by the way the now-fired woman spoke to Alexis that she was as disgusted with the event as he was. Damn, he hated himself for attending those showy dinners, but at least he tried to keep his attendance to a minimum and make sure he donated as much as possible.
    Why didn’t he ask her name? He now kicked himself. All he knew was the name of the company for which she had worked: Luna Lee Catering. And so far, calling every possible number for this company had resulted in him leaving at least ten unreturned voicemail messages.
    But it was now Monday morning. Time for people to check their voicemail and call him back regarding his inquiry. He simply had to track down this woman and rectify the situation.
    Victor’s first stop was his assistant’s desk. “Mornin’ Gary.”
    “Morning Mr. Barboza,” Gary said. As usual, he was bright and perky, wearing his headset with a smile like he’d been happily waiting there at attention for hours by then.
    Victor grinned. “Hope you had a good weekend. Say, did you get my email?”
    “About the woman you’re trying to find?”
    “Yes. Could you—”
    “On it. Waiting on a call back from the receptionist. Said as far as she knew they hadn’t fired anyone over the weekend, but it’s early.”
    Victor let out a heavy sigh. “Okay.”
    A half hour later, Victor was about to head to a meeting when Gary rang his phone. “Yes?”
    “I have Stacy at Luna Lee on hold. She said there were two people fired over the weekend and another quit. She thinks they all have at least one child. Could you give me a physical description to narrow the options?”
    “Sure,” Victor said. “Blond hair, green eyes, glowing skin. Lovely girl. Breathtaking, really.”
    It was only when Gary let out a small chuckle that Victor realized perhaps he remembered a little too much about her. And he knew how it sounded, like he had an entirely different agenda for tracking down this beautiful woman. But Victor didn’t care what anyone thought. He simply had a situation to fix. A woman with real problems had touched his heart and reminded him of his own mother. That’s all it was. So what, she had a stunning appearance? He wanted to help her even if she didn’t. Perhaps he wouldn’t have remembered her so vividly, but he certainly would have wanted to help. Victor cleared his throat and continued, this time calming his enthusiasm. “I have no idea how long her hair was. She had it pulled up in a bun. Don’t know if that helps.”
    “ I guess we’ll see. Let me click over .”
    Victor’s heart raced as he waited for his answer.
    Gary’s voice quickly returned. “Okay. Sounds like you’re looking for Cara Green. That’s ‘Cara’ with a ‘C.’ She lives in Newark. I have her address and phone number.”
    Again, Victor stifled his enthusiasm. “Great.”
    “Would you like me to have accounts payable cut her a check? It probably wouldn’t be hard to find her bank account and wire some money.”
    “Just give me the address and phone number. I’ll take care it from there.”
     
    * * *
     
    “He’s doing fine,” the nurse told Cara. “The doctor will decide if he needs to stay