Chapter 10
TOMáS
Suppressing a groan, I clench my jaw as I lower into a squat to complete the last rep in my five-by-five set. My muscles burn from the extra ten-pound plates I added on either side of the barbell, totaling the weight I’m squatting to three hundred seventy-five pounds —a new personal record.
No matter how hectic my schedule is, I always try to carve out time in the mornings to get a workout in before my workday begins.
The gym is one of the only forms of self-care I have.
It’s where I can block out all the noise and endless demands that are expected from me, and just…
be. Or at least that was the case, before my path crossed with a certain blue-eyed, clit-pierced stranger that I’ve been unable to shake from my memory.
It's impossible not to recall every heated detail of our night together. I swear, every moan, every sensation, every damn detail down to the way her taste lingered on my tongue hours after I had her on it, has been on replay in my head.
“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath, kneading my temples with my palm, as if it will alleviate this ache I have, that’s been made worse from the post-workout adrenaline rush.
The whole walk back to my penthouse my work phone becomes inundated with emails pouring in.
Thankfully none need my immediate attention and can wait until I’m in the office.
That is until I see the subject line of one email in particular from Ralph, the senior partner who oversees the real estate group, that catches my immediate attention.
Just as I’m about to open it, he calls me.
“Ramos, you’re alive.”
“Um, yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You usually email me back within seconds. Anyway, how’s it going with securing Tesoro Development Group?”
I don’t know why he’s asking me, as if he doesn’t already know firsthand how it’s not going.
Still, he’s technically my superior, and despite him tasking me with what feels next to impossible, I can’t show that. I must remain even-keeled, to feed into the illusion that I have it figured out.
“It’s going.”
“Don’t lie to me,” he deadpans.
I fumble my words a bit, trying to think of what to say that’ll get me out of this unscathed.
“God, Ramos, you’re so damn wound up all the time. Calm down. I’m messing with you. I just wanted to let you know that I think I found a solution to your issues securing Tesoro as a client.”
There’s a lot I can say to Ralph in my defense as to why Michael Tesoro has been extraordinarily difficult to sign on as a client. He’s arrogant, disrespectful, and purposely difficult. And however true that all may be, if I said all that to Ralph, he would dismiss every claim as an excuse.
Regardless, my interest is piqued. “Oh yeah? And what might that be?”
“If you got your head out of your ass and read my email you’d know.”
Choosing to bite my tongue, I switch the call to speaker and open the email. “I’m getting a new paralegal? But Margaret didn’t leave the firm, she’s still on maternity leave.”
“Yes, I’m well aware, but since you took it upon yourself to pay for her to have an extended maternity leave, your nobility has left you without a paralegal for longer.”
“I told you it was fine with me so that Margaret gets the time she needs. I don’t think replacing her…”
He cuts in, sounding irritated. “We aren’t replacing her. Your new paralegal is temporary.”
“You’ll have to excuse me, but it’s early and I haven’t had my coffee yet, but what does you giving me a temporary paralegal – that I never asked for by the way– have to do with Tesoro Development?”
His aggravation morphs into amusement. “Fate, Ramos.” I hear him clap as he says it. “Fate led a certain application our way, from someone who can most certainly get us closer to securing Michael Tesoro as a client.”
“Go on.”
“She has connections to him. You’ll see today when she starts. See you in an hour.”
I hang up the phone. I can already sense the day this is going to be.
Lorena
Ma wants to know if you’ll be at Sunday dinner this week.
I glance at the calendar on my desk hidden amongst the papers scattered all over.
Between back-to-back meetings and on-going projects with deadlines approaching, this Sunday will be the third in a row that I won’t be able to make dinner.
I know my mom will understand, but the guilt eats at me as I text my sister back.
I can’t this week. I’m swamped with work. Next week I’ll be there. I promise.
Three dots appear as Lorena types what I’m sure will be a snarky response, though I’m distracted by the voices on the other side of my office door.
As soon as I hear my secretary, Grace, say to what I can make out is Ralph, that I’m in my office, I close my personal phone and set it on my desk.
Ralph’s voice grows louder as he approaches my office.
So does the sound of heels clicking on the marble floor, reminding me that I will be meeting my temporary paralegal, with some connection to the client we’ve been trying to secure.
“You’ll enjoy working for Mr. Ramos,” I hear Ralph say as he does his signature three-tap knock.
“Come in,” I call out, rising from my desk to meet the two of them.
A sultry and familiar voice emerges just as the door swings open. And for some reason beyond my own understanding an abrupt sense of déjà vu has my eyes drifting to the ground instead of forward, where they should be.
Ralph’s throat clears for my attention, but my head remains lowered as my gaze works upward in slow motion, taking in the very set of legs that were wrapped around my neck over a week prior.
This can’t be happening.
I hoped – fantasized even – that our paths would somehow cross again.
But not like this.
Ralph seems increasingly annoyed with me. I can only imagine how foolish I look right now. “Tomás,” he says my name with a reprimanding tone, as if he’s trying to get me to snap out of it. “I want to introduce you to—”
My heart is beating overtime, causing my pulse to flood my eardrums.
This is the moment I’ve waited for. I finally get to put a name to my mystery woman. Even if the circumstances are less than ideal.
“Sarina…”
Sarina, I recite her name in my head, loving the way it flows off my tongue, even in silence.
“…Tesoro,” he adds, with glee that I can’t match.
Not only is this not how I imagined that I would see her again, but now I’m reminded of my phone conversation with Ralph earlier this morning, and the connections he was hinting at.
“Tesoro,” I repeat just as my stomach drops.
I wish I could share in the clear bliss Ralph has smeared all over his goddamn face, since he’s in scheming mode. But I can’t. This has disaster written all over it.
Ralph swoops in. “Yes, that’s right. Sarina is Michael Tesoro of Tesoro Development Group’s daughter.”
Fuck.
I look away from Ralph, and the moment her ocean eyes meet mine, I can’t help but notice the disappointment glossing over them.
Attempting to maintain some professionalism in these less than ideal circumstances, I do what I do best, push through and ignore the storm surging inside of me, as I offer her my hand.
I don’t know what was going through Ralph’s head when he thought this would be the best way to get Tesoro Development Group as a client, but here we are.
And since Ralph is a Vize, and the eldest son to Ralph Vize Sr., the co-founder of the firm, and considering what her and I have done, I’m in no position to say anything, so my opinion on the matter is null and void.
Ralph introduces me, only getting my first name out before she finishes his sentence for him.
“Ramos,” she breathes, breaking our eye contact.
Ralph claps, clueless as can be. “Yes! That’s right.” He points to the nameplate on my desk where she’s staring. “This is one of our Junior Partners who works here in the real estate group, Tomás Ramos.”
Our hands flee from each other’s and Ralph steps closer to me, slapping his hand on my shoulder. “Looks like Ms. Tesoro will fit right in here. We hardly ever call anyone by their first name. Ramos, Tesoro. Tesoro, Ramos.”
The more he says our names, the more she looks like she’s seen a damn ghost, and it’s throwing me off.
Ralph lets go of my shoulder and heads to the door.
“Unfortunately, Ramos is all business all the time,” he says to Sarina, “so the stoic personality you see is what you’ll always get with him.
But don’t worry, I think you’ll handle him just fine.
You two have a lot of ground to cover, so I’ll let you get started.
” This time he’s talking to me, reminding me the angle he wants me to go with this.
“Good luck.” Ralph slams the door, leaving us alone, and the silence that falls over us makes the air feel thick.
She looks so beautiful. Horrified, but beautiful.
There’s so much I want to say and from the looks of it, she does too, but our moment is robbed when our phones go off at the same time.
An odd coincidence, but considering how words have escaped us both, I welcome the distraction from my sister, this time in the group chat.
Lorena:
We have a new member to the chat
Everyone welcome my bestie from NYU … Sarina
Fuck.
Lorena
Oops I hit sent by accident. Sarina Tesoro but I call her Ri.
Fuckkkk.