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“Good morning,” I mutter sleepily.
I head toward the kitchen, ready to give Curro his medicine, when I see all his things gathered on the counter. I come to a dead stop and feel Eric behind me. But he doesn’t let me think. He grabs me by the waist and spins me around.
“To the shower!” he commands.
When I finish and come into the bedroom to get dressed, Eric is gone. I hurry to pull a bra and underwear from my drawer and put them on. As soon as I’m presentable, I go out to the living room and find him reading a newspaper.
“I just made some coffee,” he says, looking up at me. I watch him fold the newspaper and get up; then he kisses me on the head.
“Today you’ll go with me to Guadalajara. I have to visit the branch there. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve already told the office.”
I nod, not wanting to talk or protest. I drink my coffee, and when I go to put the cup in the sink, I feel Eric behind me, although this time, he doesn’t touch me.
“Do you feel better?” he asks.
I want to cry again, but I take a breath and manage to avoid more tears. Wearing the best of my smiles, I turn around and move the hair from my eyes.
“We can leave whenever you want.”
We go down, and Tomás is waiting for us with the car. During the hour it takes to get there, Eric and I go over various documents. I’m in charge of keeping the Müller Company’s branch offices up to date, which means I know almost all the supervisors. Eric tells me he wants to learn absolutely everything about each branch office: productivity, how many people work in each factory, and their efficiency. This makes me worry he’s going to start firing people left and right. But he lets me know that’s not his intention. To the contrary, he wants to try to make his products more competitive and to open up the market.
We arrive in Guadalajara at ten thirty. I’m not surprised when I realize Enrique Matias doesn’t find my presence out of place. He greets us affably, and together we go to his office. For three hours, he and Eric talk about productivity, the needs of the business, and a million other things. Sitting discreetly in the background, I take notes on everything. At one thirty, when we leave, I’m glad to see they’ve come to an understanding.
I get a text message from Fernando, and I curse to myself. To get his messages while I’m with Eric makes me feel bad. But why? I’m not serious about either of them.
Heading back to Madrid, Eric suggests we stop and eat at a town along the way. Tomás stops at Azuqueca de Henares, and we dine on a delicious lamb dish. As we eat, Eric receives various messages. He reads them with a furrowed brow but does not answer them. At four, we get back on the road. When we arrive at the Hotel Villa Magna, I get tense. Eric notices and takes my hand.
“Relax. I just want to change so I can spend the evening with you. Do you have any plans?”
“I have something at six thirty,” I tell him. “If you don’t have anything better to do, maybe you’d like to go with me. That way, I can show you my second job.”
That surprises him.
“You have a second job?”
“Yes, you could call it that, although this is my last year. But I don’t plan on telling you any more about it unless you come with me.”
I notice his smile as he gets out of the car. I follow him.
When we get into the elevator at the Hotel Villa Magna, the operator greets us and takes us directly to the top. Eric drops his briefcase and cell on the table as soon as we enter his spacious suite. He goes into the room we didn’t use that day I came to play. His cell buzzes. I can’t help looking at the screen and read the nameBetta. Who could that be? Two seconds later it buzzes again, and the screen readsMarta. Well, he is very sought after.
I’m restless. I touch the beautiful coffee-colored couch and look out at the Japanese garden as I try to keep my breathing in check. If Eric should pop out of that room naked and invite me to play with him, I’m not sure I could say no.
“We can go whenever you’d like,” a voice behind me says.
I turn around and see he has put on a pair of jeans and a maroon T-shirt. He’s incredibly handsome. Elegant, like always. The best part is that he’s keeping his promise, to the letter, not to touch me. Curiously, I’m feeling a bit disappointed that he hasn’t swept me away on a sea of lust, as he usually does.
Ten minutes later, we’re back in the car with Tomás, heading to my apartment.
When we walk in, I immediately feel Curro’s absence. Eric notices and kisses me on the head.
“C’mon, it’s almost six. Hurry or you’ll be late.”
That reanimates me.
I go to my room and change into a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a blue T-shirt. I put my hair up in a high ponytail. I don’t need to look at him to know he’s observing everything I do. My skin gets warm whenever I’m around him. I grab my camera and a small backpack.
“Let’s go,” I say.