Irresistible Boss Succumbing to Your Touch (Maria Anita) novel Chapter 3

Manuela’s POV

I yawned once again, sitting at my desk at work. I had not slept, and every part of my body was tired from the night's activities with my boyfriend.

"Oh my goodness, at this rate my brother is going to wear you out!" Lexie placed a coffee mug on my desk.

"That makeup can barely hide those dark circles, Little Key," Rick laughed.

I smiled at both of them, grabbed the coffee mug, leaned back in my chair, and took a sip.

"If every night is like this one, your brother can wear me out as much as he wants." I smiled at Lexie, who widened her eyes and broadened her smile.

"I think I'm going to move to your place, Rick." Lexie and Rick laughed at me.

"You're stealing my friend and now you're going to abandon me?" I pretended to be hurt, and they both laughed.

"Oh, Little Key, you have the detective to comfort you, while Lexie and I are alone in this world." Rick was teasing me.

"Only because you want to be, that's for sure. How was your night?" I asked.

"I slept like a baby! Something I haven't done since I moved into that noisy apartment. Seriously, I'm surprised none of the neighbors have complained yet." Lexie laughed.

At that moment, Alexander came out of the elevator looking stressed, running his hands through his hair anxiously.

"Ah, good thing you're all together." Alexander approached. "Patrick is taking a few days off, so I'm counting on you to make my life easier. I don't want to spend nights at the office instead of being with my family."

"Don't worry, Alexander, we'll have everything under control," Rick assured. "Lexie was a great hire, she's prepared and has amazing skills, we'll be fine. How long will Patrick be away?"

"One month!" Alexander made a face of displeasure. "It was sudden, but I simply couldn't tell him no."

"That's not a problem. Did he say what happened, if he needs anything?" I was always impressed by Rick; he was controlled, calm, and handled crises better than most people could.

"No, he didn't say anything, but I think he's dealing with the same problem you are, Ricardo." Alexander crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Rick.

"What do you mean?" Rick looked confused.

"Virginia resigned yesterday. Does that ring any bells?" Alexander said simply. Rick and I exchanged surprised looks. Alexander stared at Rick. "Are you going to tell us that you and Tess separated, or are we going to keep pretending we don't know anything?"

"No need to pretend." Rick sighed and faced Alexander. "Actually, she had asked for some time apart, and only less than a month ago asked for a divorce. I'm still processing what happened because even I don't know how things got to this point."

"Worse than I thought, then." Alexander kept his eyes on Rick. "Do you need vacation time? Or anything else?"

"No, I'm fine. I have two beautiful girls taking care of me." Rick joked, pointing to Lexie and me.

"Careful now, one's brother and the other's boyfriend is a big guy." Alexander joked, and Rick laughed. "Don't forget you have many friends. The girls will be upset about being left out. Let's all get together at my house on Sunday. Everyone, and that includes you, Lexie - Cat wants to meet you. Now, let's get back to work, and if you need anything, ask my wife for help." Alexander turned to go back to his office.

"Alexander?" Lexie called out.

"Patrick didn't remember me and..." Lexie seemed uncertain about what to say.

"He's traveling, he won't be at Sunday lunch, if that's what you wanted to know." Alexander gave a half-smirk and went to his office. Lexie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Julian, the guy's a cop, I'm not messing with him," one of his friends backed away.

"Don't be such a wimp, man! He can't handle all three of us." Julian tried to encourage his friend.

"Any problem here, detective?" A police officer from the patrol car near the building approached Flavian.

Ever since my mother showed up at the apartment, Flavian had assigned patrol cars to stay near my workplace, college, and our building. I thought it was unnecessary, but I was relieved.

"Yes, we have a problem," Flavian spoke very calmly as two more officers approached. "These three can't go near Manu or my sister. Take their pictures, share them with the group, and then escort these boys outside city limits. Make sure it's an enjoyable ride for them."

"Will do, detective. The boys will have fun, and we'll have even more," the officer laughed in a way that suggested the ride would only be fun for him.

They handcuffed my brother and his friends and put them in the patrol car. One of them took Julian's car keys, and they left. Flavian got in the car and looked at me very seriously.

"Why were you out here?" He asked, seeming nervous.

"I thought it would be fine to wait for you here for a moment," I answered quietly and jumped when he hit the steering wheel.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened if I hadn't arrived? Just thinking about that punk touching you again makes me want to kill him." Flavian gripped the steering wheel so hard I was afraid he might break it.

"I'm sorry..." I spoke even more quietly, and he leaned over toward me.

"Don't apologize, little one." He hugged me, pulling me close. "I know all this is difficult, but please be more careful. I'd die if anything happened to you."

"Nothing will happen to me, and I'll be more careful," I said, running my fingers through his short hair. It was a promise I made to him and myself - I would be more careful.