Wish I am the one
Who owns your heart
Wish I am the one
Who can make you happy
When you are feeling blue
Coz he is not truthful to you
Wish I am the one
Sitting beside you
Holding your hands
Touching your face
Telling you "wanna kiss your lips"
So sweet and tender
Wish I am the one
Whom you have loved
To let you know how much I love you
And to show to you
How much I wanted to care for you
Wish I am the one
You are waiting for
To let your love flow
But I am just your friend
And will remain as your truthful friend
Even I know I love you not just a friend….
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
**My AnGel**
i'm sitting here writing,
and thinking of you.
i love to love you
it's my favorite thing to do
i love this feeling,
this feeling they call love
god sent me an angel
straight from heaven above.
he sent me an angel
so gorgeous and sweet
god sent me you
and you swept me off my feet.
you got here to earth
and walked right up to me
you said,angel i love you
you think you could love me?
at first i was scared
wandering what do i do
i was falling so hard
i was afraiad to love you.
so i nelt down and prayed
and ask god what to do
he said go ahead and love him
i sent him to you
i sent him to love you
and hold you when you cry
he's going to make you happy
until the day that you die
i then made my decision
and thanked the lord above
for sending me this angel
and for sending me someone to love
so then i walked up to you
with my eyes full of tears
i told you yes,i can love you
i said it perfectly clear
i promised to love you
and stand by your side
and you promised to dry up
all the tears i had cryed
i promised to be faithfull
and promised to be true
i promised to be there
and to always love you
so i'll end this with saying
that dreams do come true
god sent me an angel
and that angel is you!
and thinking of you.
i love to love you
it's my favorite thing to do
i love this feeling,
this feeling they call love
god sent me an angel
straight from heaven above.
he sent me an angel
so gorgeous and sweet
god sent me you
and you swept me off my feet.
you got here to earth
and walked right up to me
you said,angel i love you
you think you could love me?
at first i was scared
wandering what do i do
i was falling so hard
i was afraiad to love you.
so i nelt down and prayed
and ask god what to do
he said go ahead and love him
i sent him to you
i sent him to love you
and hold you when you cry
he's going to make you happy
until the day that you die
i then made my decision
and thanked the lord above
for sending me this angel
and for sending me someone to love
so then i walked up to you
with my eyes full of tears
i told you yes,i can love you
i said it perfectly clear
i promised to love you
and stand by your side
and you promised to dry up
all the tears i had cryed
i promised to be faithfull
and promised to be true
i promised to be there
and to always love you
so i'll end this with saying
that dreams do come true
god sent me an angel
and that angel is you!
^^You and I^^
Lay here beside me, hearing my heart
Softly I’ll whisper my feelings for you
What you’ve meant to me from the start
How you make me feel the way I do
So here I am with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
There’s nothing to hide in these arms
Just a love that runs deeply and free
Living without you is being alone
And I hope that someday you’ll come back
And make this place feel like a home
Before this fragile heart begins to crack
As I dream I don’t want to wake
And find that you’re not next to me
Because without you my heart will break
By my side is where I always wanted you to be
You and I is how my soul has seen us
You and I is all my hearts every known
You and I was all I wanted nothing less
You and I to always be on our own
Softly I’ll whisper my feelings for you
What you’ve meant to me from the start
How you make me feel the way I do
So here I am with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
There’s nothing to hide in these arms
Just a love that runs deeply and free
Living without you is being alone
And I hope that someday you’ll come back
And make this place feel like a home
Before this fragile heart begins to crack
As I dream I don’t want to wake
And find that you’re not next to me
Because without you my heart will break
By my side is where I always wanted you to be
You and I is how my soul has seen us
You and I is all my hearts every known
You and I was all I wanted nothing less
You and I to always be on our own
New Fic- His Boss Private Affair-Chapter 8
It was no consolation knowing that Caleb was dating the beautiful Tessa only because Rosa had practically pushed him into her arms.
Watching him leave the office with Tessa on his arm, Rosa felt the full weight of what she’d done. Beside her, Macy was still trying to muster up a head of steaming anger toward Caleb.
“If he proposed to you earlier this week,” Macy was saying, “he certainly shouldn’t be taking Ms. Perfectly Perfect to that benefit tonight.”
Rosa closed the door to her office and leaned against it with sigh. “No. I did this. I was afraid of how he made me feel, so I pushed him away.”
“To that tramp, Tessa? What was he thinking?”
Rosa just shook her head. “Tessa is perfectly nice and you know it. It doesn’t matter who he’s dating. He could be dating a dog and—”
“That’s not very nice.”
“Oh, I don’t mean ‘a dog’ as slang. I mean, he could take an actual Pekingese to this benefit and it wouldn’t matter. He asked me to marry him and I turned him down. He’s not the kind of man who gives second chances.”
Macy’s ire died down enough for her to give Rosa a quiet nod. The gesture said it all. Macy agreed. Caleb wasn’t an unforgiving man, but he was decisive. Once he made up his mind, he never changed it and he never looked back.
“I said no and he took me at my word. He didn’t invite Tessa to the benefit to rub my nose in it. He did it to show me that he’s moving on.”
***
Despite Macy’s generous offers to supply sympathy, alcohol and dark chocolate, Rosa insisted she’d rather be alone.
By the time she made it through her front door, she was feeling as bruised and battered as a hit-and-run victim. But she dutifully trudged through her personal e-mails, which she’d been avoiding all week.
She had likewise been avoiding calls from her mother, who had a preternatural knack for knowing when her daughters were emotionally traumatized. But her mother was the last person Rosa wanted to talk to just now.
Just then she reached an e-mail from her sister Beatrice and a link to a YouTube video. “Hey, chica, check out this press conference that Ford just held. You think this means we can get free jewelry?”
Confused by the reference to jewelry, she clicked on the link. After a minute the video started playing. It showed Ford, her brother, in some hotel conference room. On one side stood Jonathon Bagdon, the CFO of FMJ, and on the other stood a beautiful brunette with the sort of ripe, luxuriant beauty of a 1940s film star. It seemed FMJ, her brother’s company, was buying out Biedermann’s Jewelry. The beauty was Kitty Biedermann, the heiress to the company’s fortune.
Watching Ford, Rosa noticed the unusually protective gleam in Ford’s gaze as he watched Kitty Biedermann. Was it possible he’d fallen for the heiress? It seemed impossible, and yet…
Even as Rosa pondered the issue, one of the reporters in the audience asked the same question. Ford deflected it with his usual easy charm. Of course. Whatever affection she’d thought she’d seen in Ford’s expression must have been a trick of the light.
Classic Ford. After their father’s death, he’d swept in and taken care of everyone. He was dynamic and charming…but completely emotionally unavailable. If you needed a job or a loan or, hell, even just a fancy new pair of shoes, he was your guy. If you needed someone to talk to, then you were SOL. He could charm the socks off anyone, but he never let anyone close.
After the video ended, she sat for a minute staring blankly at the busyness of the YouTube screen. Then she clicked Play again and watched it a second time. This time focusing on Ford.
After all, part of the reason she was so reluctant to deepen her relationship with Caleb was because of Ford. When she’d first met Caleb, he reminded her of Ford. They were both self-made men. Both handsome, in their own way. Both powerful and wealthy. Both free with their money. Both used to getting what they want.
Watching Ford now, she realized what a disservice she’d done by not reevaluating her opinion of Caleb once she’d gotten more involved with him. On the surface he may be similar to Ford, but that’s all it was. Surface similarities. In reality, they were no more alike than…she was like her mother.
Just like that, she knew. Maybe she’d blown her chance with Caleb. But maybe she hadn’t. Either way, she wasn’t just going to sit at home watching YouTube videos. She was going to do everything in her power to win him back.
***
This wasn’t working.
The woman Caleb held in his arms as he danced across the ballroom floor was lovely and charming. She was an old family friend. Someone he was comfortable with and admired. And he was bored out of his brain.
Unfortunately, she could tell. Tessa leaned back to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry I’m not her.”
“Not who?” he asked, more out of stubbornness than anything else.
Tessa smiled a little sadly. “The woman you wish you were with instead of me.”
Caleb gritted his teeth, angry with himself for wallowing. And more angry with Rosa for denying them both. “I don’t—”
“Of course you do. You don’t have to pretend otherwise for my sake. When a woman’s invited to a party less than twenty-four hours before the event, she assumes she’s not her date’s first choice.”
The orchestra began another benign pop song and they kept dancing without missing a beat.
“I’m sorry,” was all he could say.
“There’s no need to apologize,” she reassured him with a smile. “I had no illusions to begin with and I’m getting a nice evening out. I just hope you’re able to work it out. You’ve been alone too long, Caleb.”
“It’s over between us.”
Tessa tilted her head sympathetically. “Then she’s a fool.”
“What makes you think she was the one who ended it?”
“If you’d ended it, you wouldn’t be looking quite so grim, would you?”
“It was mutual.” Somehow he couldn’t stand Tessa’s gentle concern. “We wanted different things from our relationship.”
“Maybe it’ll still work out.”
“No.” He shook his head. “She made her choice.”
Understanding lit Tessa’s gaze. “Let me guess. You pushed her too early in the relationship and she bolted.”
Caleb stilled, pulling back from Tessa. “You make it sound like I’m the bad guy here.”
“Not the bad guy, maybe just the overeager one. You’ve always known exactly what you want. It’s served you well in business, but when it comes to personal stuff, you have to give the rest of us mere mortals a chance to catch up.”
“You think I should give her another chance,” he summarized.
“I think Rosa would be a fool not to ask for one and you’d be a fool not to give it to her.”
“How did you know it’s Rosa we’re talking about? I thought all the gossip was about you and me.”
“I never listen to gossip. But I have noticed the way you look at her. It’s obvious to anyone who knows you that you’re in love with her.” Looking over his shoulder, Tessa suddenly grinned. “Besides, she’s the one who’s shown up here looking for you.”
Caleb spun around and searched the crowd. He spotted her instantly. Which wasn’t hard to do given that she was dressed completely inappropriately in jeans and a flowing shirt. Still, she looked beautiful. Her long dark hair was loose about her shoulders. Sure, her skin looked a little splotchy, like maybe she’d been crying earlier, but her eyes held an appealing determined glint and her jaw was set at that stubborn angle he so loved.
She spotted him and began to stride across the room. Watching her, everything else faded into the shadows. Tessa, the music, the other dancers, they all disappeared.
That’s the moment he realized Tessa was right. He really did love Rosa. It wasn’t just that he admired her dedication to Alexander Enterprises. It was more than his appreciation of her beauty or her strength of will. Those things were true of Tessa also, but the sight of Tessa had never filled him with such joy.
No, he loved Rosa, plain and simple.
He’d planned to never give her a second thought, let alone a second chance. Despite that, he was thrilled to see her now.
But she didn’t look particularly thrilled to see him.
She stopped before him, her expression fierce. “You are being completely unfair.”
“I am?”
“Absolutely! You think just because you’re the boss at work that you get to be the boss in our relationship, too. But you’re wrong.”
“I am?” he repeated. He was smiling now, so pleased to see her it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and kiss her soundly. But she hadn’t noticed yet and he was enjoying her tirade too much to stop her.
“There’s no CEO in a relationship. You’re not in charge. You don’t get to decide it’s over just because things aren’t moving according to your timetable. If you’ve got a problem, we need to discuss it. Like—”
“I agree.”
“—adults. Like… Wait a minute. You agree?”
“I do.”
“I…” She blinked in obvious surprise. “I… I didn’t expect you to give in so quickly.” Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion even as a smile teased her lips. “I had a whole speech worked up. About how I loved you and how I knew you loved me, too. And how I was determined to win you back no matter what.”
Unable to resist the temptation, he swept her into his arms. Needing an excuse to hold her so close in public, he moved onto the dance floor and began to waltz, reveling in the way her body fit perfectly against his.
“It sounds like a great speech. You can give it to me later.”
“You don’t want to…I don’t know, discuss it or anything?”
He shrugged. “I got the gist of it. I love you. You love me. We belong together. Anything else we’ll sort out later.”
“Oh. Well then.” Her body seemed to melt into his.
“There’s only one thing.”
She pulled back to look up at him, a frown marring her features. “What?”
“There are a lot of people here from Alexander Enterprises. I think the days of keeping our affair private are officially over.”
Her frown vanished in the wake of her grin. “That was a bad idea anyway.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“It would probably be hard to keep things a secret now that we’re engaged anyway.”
He pulled her tighter against him. “Good point.”
THE END
Watching him leave the office with Tessa on his arm, Rosa felt the full weight of what she’d done. Beside her, Macy was still trying to muster up a head of steaming anger toward Caleb.
“If he proposed to you earlier this week,” Macy was saying, “he certainly shouldn’t be taking Ms. Perfectly Perfect to that benefit tonight.”
Rosa closed the door to her office and leaned against it with sigh. “No. I did this. I was afraid of how he made me feel, so I pushed him away.”
“To that tramp, Tessa? What was he thinking?”
Rosa just shook her head. “Tessa is perfectly nice and you know it. It doesn’t matter who he’s dating. He could be dating a dog and—”
“That’s not very nice.”
“Oh, I don’t mean ‘a dog’ as slang. I mean, he could take an actual Pekingese to this benefit and it wouldn’t matter. He asked me to marry him and I turned him down. He’s not the kind of man who gives second chances.”
Macy’s ire died down enough for her to give Rosa a quiet nod. The gesture said it all. Macy agreed. Caleb wasn’t an unforgiving man, but he was decisive. Once he made up his mind, he never changed it and he never looked back.
“I said no and he took me at my word. He didn’t invite Tessa to the benefit to rub my nose in it. He did it to show me that he’s moving on.”
***
Despite Macy’s generous offers to supply sympathy, alcohol and dark chocolate, Rosa insisted she’d rather be alone.
By the time she made it through her front door, she was feeling as bruised and battered as a hit-and-run victim. But she dutifully trudged through her personal e-mails, which she’d been avoiding all week.
She had likewise been avoiding calls from her mother, who had a preternatural knack for knowing when her daughters were emotionally traumatized. But her mother was the last person Rosa wanted to talk to just now.
Just then she reached an e-mail from her sister Beatrice and a link to a YouTube video. “Hey, chica, check out this press conference that Ford just held. You think this means we can get free jewelry?”
Confused by the reference to jewelry, she clicked on the link. After a minute the video started playing. It showed Ford, her brother, in some hotel conference room. On one side stood Jonathon Bagdon, the CFO of FMJ, and on the other stood a beautiful brunette with the sort of ripe, luxuriant beauty of a 1940s film star. It seemed FMJ, her brother’s company, was buying out Biedermann’s Jewelry. The beauty was Kitty Biedermann, the heiress to the company’s fortune.
Watching Ford, Rosa noticed the unusually protective gleam in Ford’s gaze as he watched Kitty Biedermann. Was it possible he’d fallen for the heiress? It seemed impossible, and yet…
Even as Rosa pondered the issue, one of the reporters in the audience asked the same question. Ford deflected it with his usual easy charm. Of course. Whatever affection she’d thought she’d seen in Ford’s expression must have been a trick of the light.
Classic Ford. After their father’s death, he’d swept in and taken care of everyone. He was dynamic and charming…but completely emotionally unavailable. If you needed a job or a loan or, hell, even just a fancy new pair of shoes, he was your guy. If you needed someone to talk to, then you were SOL. He could charm the socks off anyone, but he never let anyone close.
After the video ended, she sat for a minute staring blankly at the busyness of the YouTube screen. Then she clicked Play again and watched it a second time. This time focusing on Ford.
After all, part of the reason she was so reluctant to deepen her relationship with Caleb was because of Ford. When she’d first met Caleb, he reminded her of Ford. They were both self-made men. Both handsome, in their own way. Both powerful and wealthy. Both free with their money. Both used to getting what they want.
Watching Ford now, she realized what a disservice she’d done by not reevaluating her opinion of Caleb once she’d gotten more involved with him. On the surface he may be similar to Ford, but that’s all it was. Surface similarities. In reality, they were no more alike than…she was like her mother.
Just like that, she knew. Maybe she’d blown her chance with Caleb. But maybe she hadn’t. Either way, she wasn’t just going to sit at home watching YouTube videos. She was going to do everything in her power to win him back.
***
This wasn’t working.
The woman Caleb held in his arms as he danced across the ballroom floor was lovely and charming. She was an old family friend. Someone he was comfortable with and admired. And he was bored out of his brain.
Unfortunately, she could tell. Tessa leaned back to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry I’m not her.”
“Not who?” he asked, more out of stubbornness than anything else.
Tessa smiled a little sadly. “The woman you wish you were with instead of me.”
Caleb gritted his teeth, angry with himself for wallowing. And more angry with Rosa for denying them both. “I don’t—”
“Of course you do. You don’t have to pretend otherwise for my sake. When a woman’s invited to a party less than twenty-four hours before the event, she assumes she’s not her date’s first choice.”
The orchestra began another benign pop song and they kept dancing without missing a beat.
“I’m sorry,” was all he could say.
“There’s no need to apologize,” she reassured him with a smile. “I had no illusions to begin with and I’m getting a nice evening out. I just hope you’re able to work it out. You’ve been alone too long, Caleb.”
“It’s over between us.”
Tessa tilted her head sympathetically. “Then she’s a fool.”
“What makes you think she was the one who ended it?”
“If you’d ended it, you wouldn’t be looking quite so grim, would you?”
“It was mutual.” Somehow he couldn’t stand Tessa’s gentle concern. “We wanted different things from our relationship.”
“Maybe it’ll still work out.”
“No.” He shook his head. “She made her choice.”
Understanding lit Tessa’s gaze. “Let me guess. You pushed her too early in the relationship and she bolted.”
Caleb stilled, pulling back from Tessa. “You make it sound like I’m the bad guy here.”
“Not the bad guy, maybe just the overeager one. You’ve always known exactly what you want. It’s served you well in business, but when it comes to personal stuff, you have to give the rest of us mere mortals a chance to catch up.”
“You think I should give her another chance,” he summarized.
“I think Rosa would be a fool not to ask for one and you’d be a fool not to give it to her.”
“How did you know it’s Rosa we’re talking about? I thought all the gossip was about you and me.”
“I never listen to gossip. But I have noticed the way you look at her. It’s obvious to anyone who knows you that you’re in love with her.” Looking over his shoulder, Tessa suddenly grinned. “Besides, she’s the one who’s shown up here looking for you.”
Caleb spun around and searched the crowd. He spotted her instantly. Which wasn’t hard to do given that she was dressed completely inappropriately in jeans and a flowing shirt. Still, she looked beautiful. Her long dark hair was loose about her shoulders. Sure, her skin looked a little splotchy, like maybe she’d been crying earlier, but her eyes held an appealing determined glint and her jaw was set at that stubborn angle he so loved.
She spotted him and began to stride across the room. Watching her, everything else faded into the shadows. Tessa, the music, the other dancers, they all disappeared.
That’s the moment he realized Tessa was right. He really did love Rosa. It wasn’t just that he admired her dedication to Alexander Enterprises. It was more than his appreciation of her beauty or her strength of will. Those things were true of Tessa also, but the sight of Tessa had never filled him with such joy.
No, he loved Rosa, plain and simple.
He’d planned to never give her a second thought, let alone a second chance. Despite that, he was thrilled to see her now.
But she didn’t look particularly thrilled to see him.
She stopped before him, her expression fierce. “You are being completely unfair.”
“I am?”
“Absolutely! You think just because you’re the boss at work that you get to be the boss in our relationship, too. But you’re wrong.”
“I am?” he repeated. He was smiling now, so pleased to see her it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and kiss her soundly. But she hadn’t noticed yet and he was enjoying her tirade too much to stop her.
“There’s no CEO in a relationship. You’re not in charge. You don’t get to decide it’s over just because things aren’t moving according to your timetable. If you’ve got a problem, we need to discuss it. Like—”
“I agree.”
“—adults. Like… Wait a minute. You agree?”
“I do.”
“I…” She blinked in obvious surprise. “I… I didn’t expect you to give in so quickly.” Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion even as a smile teased her lips. “I had a whole speech worked up. About how I loved you and how I knew you loved me, too. And how I was determined to win you back no matter what.”
Unable to resist the temptation, he swept her into his arms. Needing an excuse to hold her so close in public, he moved onto the dance floor and began to waltz, reveling in the way her body fit perfectly against his.
“It sounds like a great speech. You can give it to me later.”
“You don’t want to…I don’t know, discuss it or anything?”
He shrugged. “I got the gist of it. I love you. You love me. We belong together. Anything else we’ll sort out later.”
“Oh. Well then.” Her body seemed to melt into his.
“There’s only one thing.”
She pulled back to look up at him, a frown marring her features. “What?”
“There are a lot of people here from Alexander Enterprises. I think the days of keeping our affair private are officially over.”
Her frown vanished in the wake of her grin. “That was a bad idea anyway.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“It would probably be hard to keep things a secret now that we’re engaged anyway.”
He pulled her tighter against him. “Good point.”
THE END
New Fic- His Boss Private Affair-Chapter 7
Caleb watched Rosa’s face, looking for any hint of what was going on in that convoluted brain of hers.
Maybe he’d raised the stakes too high, but he needed to know now where this was headed. She was everything he wanted in a wife: beautiful, smart and as dedicated to Alexander Enterprises as he was. Even better, because they’d gotten involved before she knew who he was, he knew she was interested in the man, not the position he held. As an added bonus, the chemistry between them in bed was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
In short, she was the perfect woman for him.
But he was tired of playing these games. If she didn’t feel the same way about him, he wanted to know it now.
Almost as soon as he laid his cards on the table, he knew his gamble would pay off. He watched the doubts flicker across her face in the furrow of her brow and the downturn of her lips. Then the moment of indecision passed and her expression settled into one of absolute certainty.
Just when he was ready to pull her into his arms for a celebratory kiss, she shook her head. “No,” she said. “I can’t marry you.”
***
Knowing she’d absolutely done the right thing should’ve provided some sense of satisfaction. But for Rosa, it didn’t.
It did, however, allow her to coast in oblivion for several days. For most of the week, in fact, she functioned like a semi-intelligent human being. She went to work. She held conversations and answered e-mail. Three times a day she consumed food—not that she tasted it. Work had become merely about survival. Life, about just getting through the day.
By Friday, the decision that had seemed so completely logical had gnawed through her to sit solidly in her belly like an intestinal worm. She’d made a mistake.
She had thought that by ending the affair she would regain some control over her emotions. She was wrong.
She hadn’t taken control of her destiny. She’d sabotaged it.
Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, she was digging through her enormous hobo bag, looking for any morsel of chocolate that might up her serotonin levels above rock bottom, when her fingers latched on to the jewelry box from Caleb.
She pulled it out. Friday night when she’d fled his office, she’d thrust the box into the murky depths of her purse, desperate to cast aside the earrings and the ties they represented.
Now it seemed silly; foolish, even. The earrings had been nothing. A mere token compared to what he’d offered her on Monday. Why had she been so afraid of earrings? For that matter, why had she been so afraid of an engagement?
She was still pondering the question, desperately trying to talk herself into putting the box back into her purse, when there was a knock on her office door. Macy strolled in without waiting for a response.
“Did you see—” Macy broke off at the sight of Rosa’s tears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I just—”
“You’re sitting in your office, clutching a jewelry box and sobbing.” Macy glanced back into the bull pen as if to verify no one else had noticed and then closed the door behind her. “That’s not nothing!”
Rosa pressed her lips together, trying desperately not to blubber like an idiot. But then Macy was there beside her with a tissue in one hand and a sympathetic hug in the other. The dam broke. Twenty minutes of tearful explanation later and Macy knew the whole sordid mess. Rosa’s dignity—what she had left of it—kicked in at the last minute, preventing her from sobbing out the possibility that she may have actually fallen in love with Caleb—idiot that she was.
Instead of baring her very soul, she blew her nose one last time and straightened her shoulders, channeling the inner strength of the plucky heroine from countless romantic movies.
“This is okay. I can get over this, right?”
Macy gave her an encouraging nod.
“I made a mistake. A very big mistake. People have recovered from far worse, right?”
“Sure!” Macy handed her another tissue.
Rosa swiped it under her eyes to clean up the worst of the melting eye makeup. “I just need to take a few days to get control of my emotions, so I can comport myself with dignity.” Again Macy nodded her support. “The last thing I want is to burst into tears every time I see him.”
“Or Tessa.”
“Oh, they’re not dating,” Rosa said quickly. “He explained everything. At least I don’t have that to worry about.” She glanced toward Macy, expecting the requisite nod. But Macy didn’t meet her gaze. “What?” Rosa asked.
Macy looked ready to chew a hole through her front lip. “Everyone’s talking about it. He’s taking her to the Foundation for Life benefit. Tonight.”
With a sinking feeling, Rosa propelled herself from her seat. She threw open her office door and stared across the bull pen to Tessa’s office, opposite her own.
Then, as if the whole scene was being choreographed by some evil genius, Tessa walked out. With Caleb behind her. His hand at the small of her back, just as he used to do with Rosa.
Tessa said something and then laughed that infectious laugh of hers. Her head was tilted so that her perfect blond hair spilled down her back as she looked up at Caleb.
“That lying, cheating bastard. I hate him,” Macy muttered beside Rosa. “I should hate him, right?”
But in that moment, Caleb looked from Tessa’s upturned face across the room to meet Rosa’s gaze. She saw the full truth in his eyes.
This could have been her. Weeks ago he’d asked her to the event and she’d turned him down. She’d pushed him into this.
“No,” she told Macy. “He’s not a lying, cheating bastard. He wasn’t dating her while he was sleeping with me. But he is dating her now.”
Maybe he’d raised the stakes too high, but he needed to know now where this was headed. She was everything he wanted in a wife: beautiful, smart and as dedicated to Alexander Enterprises as he was. Even better, because they’d gotten involved before she knew who he was, he knew she was interested in the man, not the position he held. As an added bonus, the chemistry between them in bed was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
In short, she was the perfect woman for him.
But he was tired of playing these games. If she didn’t feel the same way about him, he wanted to know it now.
Almost as soon as he laid his cards on the table, he knew his gamble would pay off. He watched the doubts flicker across her face in the furrow of her brow and the downturn of her lips. Then the moment of indecision passed and her expression settled into one of absolute certainty.
Just when he was ready to pull her into his arms for a celebratory kiss, she shook her head. “No,” she said. “I can’t marry you.”
***
Knowing she’d absolutely done the right thing should’ve provided some sense of satisfaction. But for Rosa, it didn’t.
It did, however, allow her to coast in oblivion for several days. For most of the week, in fact, she functioned like a semi-intelligent human being. She went to work. She held conversations and answered e-mail. Three times a day she consumed food—not that she tasted it. Work had become merely about survival. Life, about just getting through the day.
By Friday, the decision that had seemed so completely logical had gnawed through her to sit solidly in her belly like an intestinal worm. She’d made a mistake.
She had thought that by ending the affair she would regain some control over her emotions. She was wrong.
She hadn’t taken control of her destiny. She’d sabotaged it.
Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, she was digging through her enormous hobo bag, looking for any morsel of chocolate that might up her serotonin levels above rock bottom, when her fingers latched on to the jewelry box from Caleb.
She pulled it out. Friday night when she’d fled his office, she’d thrust the box into the murky depths of her purse, desperate to cast aside the earrings and the ties they represented.
Now it seemed silly; foolish, even. The earrings had been nothing. A mere token compared to what he’d offered her on Monday. Why had she been so afraid of earrings? For that matter, why had she been so afraid of an engagement?
She was still pondering the question, desperately trying to talk herself into putting the box back into her purse, when there was a knock on her office door. Macy strolled in without waiting for a response.
“Did you see—” Macy broke off at the sight of Rosa’s tears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I just—”
“You’re sitting in your office, clutching a jewelry box and sobbing.” Macy glanced back into the bull pen as if to verify no one else had noticed and then closed the door behind her. “That’s not nothing!”
Rosa pressed her lips together, trying desperately not to blubber like an idiot. But then Macy was there beside her with a tissue in one hand and a sympathetic hug in the other. The dam broke. Twenty minutes of tearful explanation later and Macy knew the whole sordid mess. Rosa’s dignity—what she had left of it—kicked in at the last minute, preventing her from sobbing out the possibility that she may have actually fallen in love with Caleb—idiot that she was.
Instead of baring her very soul, she blew her nose one last time and straightened her shoulders, channeling the inner strength of the plucky heroine from countless romantic movies.
“This is okay. I can get over this, right?”
Macy gave her an encouraging nod.
“I made a mistake. A very big mistake. People have recovered from far worse, right?”
“Sure!” Macy handed her another tissue.
Rosa swiped it under her eyes to clean up the worst of the melting eye makeup. “I just need to take a few days to get control of my emotions, so I can comport myself with dignity.” Again Macy nodded her support. “The last thing I want is to burst into tears every time I see him.”
“Or Tessa.”
“Oh, they’re not dating,” Rosa said quickly. “He explained everything. At least I don’t have that to worry about.” She glanced toward Macy, expecting the requisite nod. But Macy didn’t meet her gaze. “What?” Rosa asked.
Macy looked ready to chew a hole through her front lip. “Everyone’s talking about it. He’s taking her to the Foundation for Life benefit. Tonight.”
With a sinking feeling, Rosa propelled herself from her seat. She threw open her office door and stared across the bull pen to Tessa’s office, opposite her own.
Then, as if the whole scene was being choreographed by some evil genius, Tessa walked out. With Caleb behind her. His hand at the small of her back, just as he used to do with Rosa.
Tessa said something and then laughed that infectious laugh of hers. Her head was tilted so that her perfect blond hair spilled down her back as she looked up at Caleb.
“That lying, cheating bastard. I hate him,” Macy muttered beside Rosa. “I should hate him, right?”
But in that moment, Caleb looked from Tessa’s upturned face across the room to meet Rosa’s gaze. She saw the full truth in his eyes.
This could have been her. Weeks ago he’d asked her to the event and she’d turned him down. She’d pushed him into this.
“No,” she told Macy. “He’s not a lying, cheating bastard. He wasn’t dating her while he was sleeping with me. But he is dating her now.”
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