Hidden Heart Read Free Page A

club
where the rest of the group waited. Lara looked ready to throw up
and after short introductions, everyone was on their way outside.
They parted in front of the club, making plans for the next morning
to meet and drive up to Taormina’s beach. Of course, Alessandro had
been invited to tag along.
     
    ***
     
    “ You’re kidding me, Victor,
right?” Tessa slumped on her bed, her cell phone caught between her
shoulder and her head while she snapped her watch and bracelet open
from her wrist.
    Once inside her room after
Alessandro dropped her off and promised to pick her up around nine
the next morning, Tessa checked her cell phone. Its storage memory
neared its threshold due to messages left by Victor, her boss, at
ten minutes intervals. She decided against calling him, but then
did it anyway. Too late regretting she’d called.
    “ Kiddo, I wish I did. But
I’m not. I need you back in the office tomorrow.” Victor’s voice
sounded serious and Tessa doubted he played a prank only to annoy
her on her birthday.
    “ You do realize my vacation
just started two days ago, right? And I haven’t been on one—thanks
to you —in more
than three years!”
    “ Tessa, we’ve worked on
this project for too long to let it slip away. If the Council wants
to negotiate now, then we should jump at this opportunity. It’s now
or never.”
    “ You mean I worked on this project,
unless sitting at your desk and barking orders counts as
work.”
    “ Hey, don’t you get snappy
with me. On your way back to the office see if those Italians have
something for sassiness, pills or something. You need them more
than anybody I know!”
    “ Who said I’m coming
back?”
    Victor sighed so loud Tessa
thought her eardrum might explode. She heard him shuffling papers,
then grunting.
    “ Kiddo, please. You know
I’m not good with words…I beg you to come back. The company’s
future depends on you. I know, I know, I’ve promised to let you go
on vacation, but I just can’t do it without you being at the
negotiations table.” He sighed again, trying to catch his
breath.
    Tessa closed her eyes
envisioning her boss still at work so late at night, mugs of coffee
under every pile of papers and no connection to the outside
world.
    “ I can’t believe you are
doing this to me…” she made a last attempt to convince herself—or
him—this was not a good idea.
    “ Look, I’ll pay all your
expenses, I’ll pay for your ticket to change the date, and I swear
I’ll pay for another vacation—anywhere you want, just tell me and
I’ll cover everything.”
    “ Damn right, you’ll pay for
everything. This agreement better be waiting for me on my desk,
signed by you.” Tessa walked to her luggage and began shoving her
clothes back in.
    “ So you’re
coming?”
    “ Do I have another
choice?”
    “ Kiddo, that’s why I just
love you. I knew I could count on you. See you
tomorrow!”
    “ Yeah, see you tomorrow,”
Tessa said and hung up on her boss.
    So much for a vacation. So
much for spending time with her friends. So much for soaking lazily
in the sun for two weeks…so much for getting to know Alessandro.
Not that she should; after all, a relationship was excluded since
they lived in different countries. But still; it would’ve been nice
to be with him…maybe continue what they started on the
balcony—kissing and dancing…
    Stop dreaming, girl. Get
your head back to reality—there is no Alessandro or any other man
for you for that matter… She shrugged as
disappointment spread over her like a plague. She felt lonely and
on the verge of crying. Why did I call
Victor? Why can’t I enjoy a damn vacation without having to
work?
    She sighed as she closed
the zipper on her luggage. It didn’t take long for her to pack
since she hadn’t even been there long enough to completely un pack. She flipped her
laptop open and looked for possible flights back, found one at
nine-fifteen the next morning and booked her ticket. She