CHAPTER FOUR

CARMINE

"HAVE you ever heard the saying, 'If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain?'" I ask Brissa as soon as she picks up the phone.

She seems to recognize my voice instantly, as she doesn't ask who it is, but just holds her breath for a moment. "How did you get my phone number?" she asks me, but she doesn't seem truly frightened, simply curious.

"There's a funny thing about being the owner of a hotel," I state loosely, and omitting some of the truth. "And that is that it is quite easy to get the information of any guest who catches my attention."

"Are you... you're the hotel owner?" says Brissa. She sounds impressed.

"I am," I admit without pride, amused by her tone.

"Shit," I hear her mumble in Spanish and I hold back a chuckle.

"Why did you leave the other night without saying a word?" I inquire, jumping to the topic that truly interests me.

For a moment Brissa says nothing, and at the same time, her silence speaks volumes.

Finally, after a pause I assume was used to choose her words carefully, she answers with a nervous voice. "The truth is, I hate goodbyes."

"Therefore, you left so you wouldn't have to say goodbye."

"I thought... It was my first time with this one-night stand thing," she confesses.

"I didn't think of you as a one-night stand," I admit, because it's true. And yes, while I may have thought only of taking her to bed when I first saw her, she has managed to completely captivate my attention.

"I'm not looking for a serious relationship," Brissa then admits, and I smile at her response.

"Good, because I'm not either."

"What do you want from me then?" she inquires, and she seems genuinely intrigued.

"To see you again," I respond.

Silence reigns for a moment on the other end of the line, and I watch the city in front of me, admiring its splendor from the heights. New York has the peculiarity of looking more beautiful the higher you are above it, a privilege that not everyone can afford. From the heights it seems that, for an instant, you can forget all the corruption, all the bullshit that sometimes reigns among its streets.

I currently admire it from my office at the top of an industrial emporium located on one of the busiest streets in Manhattan. My family owns the building, as well as The Grand Empress Hotel and many other skyscrapers that fill the city. I'm not rich, but I'm damned rich, and that allows me to know the city better than many might, with all the good and bad that that might represent.

But Brissa doesn't know that, nor does she need to. On the desk behind me is the young woman's open file, which John sent me shortly before dawn. He has not merely sent me her personal number, but has sent me a summary of her life, which is arranged on three pages typed front and back.

Thus, I know her to be of humble beginnings. Her mother, a Puerto Rican immigrant, married Brissa's father when she was very young, and he was a little older and lived in Chicago. They met on a summer vacation, fell in love, and stayed together for the rest of their lives, running a small Puerto Rican restaurant they started together.

Brissa is an only child. She was educated in good schools and always got the best grades in her class, but apparently, she was a loner. It doesn't surprise me. A girl as beautiful and intelligent as she is, intimidates anyone, male or female. No wonder she didn't have many friends.

"Brissa," I say after I feel that the silence has stretched for too long between us.

"I'm still here."

"Let me see you then." I run a hand over my chin.

After another moment's hesitation, finally the woman replies. "Where?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm just leaving a business meeting."

"You work for NexTech Digital, don't you?"

"Looks like someone did their homework well," she laughs in a delightful way.

"It seems I have to with a woman like you."

"Yes, I work for them." I hear the smile in her voice.

"I'll send my personal driver for you. I'll see you in an hour."

"But wait, where will we go?"

"It's a surprise. See you soon." I disconnect the call, not giving her a chance to decline my offer.

Turning around, I glance for just a moment at one of the photos John has attached to Brissa's file. It shows the twenty-seven-year-old with her parents, smiling in front of her family's restaurant. She is undoubtedly a copy of her mother, as they are identical in virtually every way, except that Brissa has lighter skin and her father's smile.

This woman, who seems so innocent, has managed to captivate me in a way that I fail to understand, and in fact, a part of me has come to fear it. I fear it because my personal life is too complicated to involve anyone new, but also because of the almost fifteen-year age gap that separates us. But the truth is, I have never been a man to be overcome by fears.

Grabbing my jacket, I leave the office behind and walk down to the private parking lot, where one of my sports cars is located. Climbing into it in a hurry, I drive, cruising through Manhattan toward Central Park and the famous Bow Bridge, where I've told my driver to drop Brissa off.

By the time I arrive, she's already there, staring blankly into the waters of the lake. Her dark hair is fluttering in the wind, and she is completely lost in thought.

Without saying anything, I approach her and lean on the railing right next to her. Brissa turns when she notices me. For a moment she looks nervous, and then simply surprised.

"Tell me why," she asks me with curiosity. "Why are you so interested in me?"

"Because I love mysteries," I answer, even though I feel that with every instant I spend at her side I know her a little more.

Undoubtedly, at least now when I look into her eyes, I not only see the sensual girl whose dark-eyed gaze captivated me the other night when we were alone in the bar, but I also see the woman, daughter of her parents and who pays their debts so that they can continue to maintain their life's dream of having that small and simple restaurant.

I didn't expect her to fascinate me so much, but she has. And with each new thing I discover about her, she enchants me more. "Do you want to take a walk with me in Central Park?"

Brissa nods and follows me as we descend from the bridge and begin to walk. Her silence, broken only by the rhythmic sound of her footsteps, and her gaze, so full of admiration. show how lost she is in the splendor of a summer day in the middle of the city.

"I'm sorry for having left the other night without saying a word," she finally breaks the silence.

"It is me who is sorry. I'm sorry I gave you the impression that I only wanted a one-night stand with you."

Brissa's lips give me a smile. "Well, that's okay. It's not like I find myself resenting you for it."

"But I do resent you," I state, and she looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I tell her jokingly, "You left before you had that hour with me."

"Mala mía," she answers me in Spanish, with a delicious smile drawn over her lips. "How can I make it up to you?"

Her teasing tone makes my cock hard. And without thinking, I respond with the first thing in my head. "Go on a date with me," I tell her.

Brissa doesn't answer at first and looks away, as if she's trying to hide the surprise that had taken over her features. After a few seconds, she finally turns to me. "Yes," she whispers and then looks away again, almost embarrassed.

I take her hand in mine and squeeze it gently while we continue walking through Central Park. Her skin is soft and warm against mine.

"You sure know a lot about me, but I hardly know anything about you. What brought you to own a hotel like The Grand Empress?"

"It's a long story, but let's just say my family has a long history in the hospitality business."

She spins around, walking backward in front of me. "Do you ever find it hard to keep up with the high expectations that come with your wealth and influence?"

I shrug. "At times it can be challenging, but it's also given me the opportunity to make meaningful connections."

We walk around the lake, talking about everything under the sun—our dreams, our aspirations, our fears—until we reach a small wooden bridge overlooking the lake. We sit down on a bench and watch the sunset as it slowly slips away behind the horizon, leaving a beautiful orange-pink glow in its wake.

"This park has always been a special place for me. It's where I can escape the chaos of the city and find peace."

"I can see why you love it here. It's beautiful."

We sit in silence for a few moments, the only sounds being the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. I take in her beauty, how the wind ruffles her hair and how her eyes seem to sparkle in this light.

"I have to admit, I'm a bit intimidated by you. Your wealth, power... It's a lot."

"But I'm not just my wealth and power, Brissa. I want you to get to know the real me, beyond all of that."

The silence between us is comfortable yet charged with anticipation. Anything can happen at this moment, but nothing does, and with each passing minute, I feel myself falling more in love with the girl sitting next to me, watching the same sky we both see before us.

Finally, Brissa turns to me and speaks up, breaking our silence. "You know... I really like you," she says, looking directly into my eyes.

"I really like you too," I answer without hesitation, firmly holding her gaze as if saying anything else would make it less true than what was actually happening between us right now.

This feels like magic. The kind that doesn't need words nor any explanation of its own existence.

The wind blows softly, caressing our faces, and just when I'm about to kiss her, Brissa stands up abruptly, making me jump back in surprise.

"It's getting late," she says, glancing at the clock on her phone before giving me one final glance full of warmth and emotion before leaving me alone on that bridge, admiring how fast time flew by while I was at her side.

Brissa is indeed a mystery. And I am like a cat, curious to discover all her secrets.

In the end, I shake my head and smile to myself, knowing that I might die because of my curiosity. But at least I will die knowing. At least I will discover her secrets along the way, although I hope she won't discover mine.