Chapter Four

Rafiah’s Pov

****

Mia walked in just as Raf was entered the conference room. He saw her, exchanging pleasantries at everyone but didn't look at his direction

He noticed the brown skirt she had on, it caught his attention, it fit her in a way that made it hard to look elsewhere, just how he liked it. Her hairstyle was a fringe look and he thought it suited her face well. But the glasses—those were new. His gaze lingered for only a second.

She shouldn’t matter, especially after what happened last night, when he didn’t have his full resolve, and yet…his jaw tightened. It all came clashing down, now he didn't know how to move past it.

Working as both a financial mogul and cartel boss, Raf was good at predictions and making financial decisions. But last night he miscalculated everything and his resolve had failed him, something he knew he couldn't undo.

****

The first time Raf had seen Mia was not at the office, not as Lucas sister. Before all that.

“Hey boss, the CEO of Mulles petroleum just called to remind you of his club opening today.”

“That’s today?”

“Yes boss.”

He checked the time, 5pm. “We leave by 11pm.”

“Sure thing boss.”

Later that day, Rafiah had two French models making out on his bed while he watched them from the couch. Nipples touching, as their bodies pressed together. They were both tangled together in his sheets, when the knock came.

“Who the fuck is that?” He yelled.

“Hey Boss it’s 11pm, should I pull the cars around?”

He was reluctant but Mulles was a long time friend and business partner and in his line of business, you have to keep your friends close.

“Pull the cars around he ordered.”

“Okay boss.”

“Get dressed, we’ll continue this after the club.” He ordered the girls.

The bass from the club was heavy. The limo stopped,and the security opened Rafs door. He got out with the two french girls whose sequin dresses were already glittering from just the lights outside. Cleavages hanging out with their perfectly sculpted body, too bright and very intentional.

There was a long line of people waiting to get into the club but the ropes lifted immediately Raf got to the entrance.

“Evening sir,” one bouncer had greeted.

Raf did not respond. He stepped in like he owned the place., with the girls and two of his men following behind him.

Flashes of light moving with rhythm everywhere, people leaning with their skin brushing against each other. Some were dancing on the dance floor, waiters slipping through with drinks and other illegal substances.

The air was thick, the smell of perfume and alcohol was suffocating.

“This way sir, your section is ready for you”. The manager who had walked over to Raf said.

Suddenly, a body collided into his. He felt a cold substance on his neck dripping to his shirt. A drunk girl spilled her drink all over him.

Omg, I’m so sorry i didnt see you there, i was just—looking for the bathroom.

One of Raf’s men quickly started drying his shirt off with a handkerchief, but Raf took it out of his hand and proceeded in drying himself.

“Hey drunk whore, watch it!” One of Raf’s french girls yelled. She pushed forward like she wanted to hit the drunk girl. But Raf pulled her back.

Shifting her gaze from Raf to the girl. “Did you just call me a whore?” She scoffed.

“I’m Glad I’m not the mistress of a man.” She snapped back and laughed.

Watching this scene Raf was stunned, she was beautiful, but the attitude caught him off guard.

The French girl was pissed and was about to pull the drunk girl back when Raf told her sternly to let it go.

But the drunk girl had already walked away, laughing, like none of them mattered.

That was the first time he saw her.

The manager apologised and led Raf to his section. The VVIP. It was on the top floor at the club, but he could see everything happening below. His gaze kept shifting back to the ground floor, not for long but just enough for him to notice this drunk girl having the best time of her life with a friend. Her best friend Onika.

The two girls kept chucking down shots after shots like it was lemonade.

Go invite them Raf had ordered one of his men. He watched as his man walked over to the two girls with a bottle of chardonnay. The girls had taken the wine but they turned down the invite to join him at his section.

“Yo Raf.. Rafiahhh, you came, I’m glad man, thank you for coming,” a familiar voice called out.

“Mulles, this place is fire, you really outdid yourself with this one.” Just this brief greeting between him and the owner of the club had made Raf forget about Mia and the encounter they had. When he looked over at where she was again, she wasn’t there anymore. She was either mixed in with the crowd or she had left the club, but he wasn’t sure. He didn't see her that night, and he never expected to see her again. But fate had other plans.

Then he met Lucas. As a man with a fluid sexual orientation he kept his options open when it came to his sexual needs, he had hooked up with Lucas a couple of times now.

They had met at an hotel bar,back in California, when Lucas had travelled for a company's retreat and Raf was there on a business trip. The vibe was good so when they came back to LA, they often hooked up.

Lucas had wanted something more but that wasn't Raf’s kind of thing. Lucas knew Raf was a businessman, he didn’t know the actual business and he never expected his sister to work for the company of the man he was hooking up with.

Not until Lucas came to the office to pick Mia up for lunch and ran into Raf there.

She was just a junior employee at the company when she started. Raf was stunned to see her walk towards Lucas after they bumped into each other at the office lobby.

“Hey Mia, guess who I ran into at your company… This is Raf the guy I told you I met in Cali”.

“What!!” Mia exclaimed, “This is my boss Lu.”

“Oh no you’re kidding! Your boss?”

“Hi Sir, my name is Mia.” She introduced herself. “I work at the marketing department. I started working here four months ago.”

Raf was never really involved in the employment aspect and didn’t know she existed at the company and certainly never expected she would be Lucas sister. Mia was shocked that the man her brother couldn’t stop talking about was actually her boss.

He hadn’t expected to see her again, but here she was, standing in front of him.

After that interaction at the bar he had remembered her more than he should have.

Mia was transferred to the administrative department soon after and that was one of the fastest promotions that an employee had gotten at the company and it raised speculation for a while towards her.

The rumors didn’t last long though, because nobody loved to spread gossip that involved the CEO. They avoided it and avoided him.

Rafiah's office was at the administrative section and he wanted this “being” that somehow stayed in his mind longer than she should have to be close. Close enough to observe.

However he knew one thing for sure after finding out she was Luca's sister, that he had to keep his distance from her even though she was relatively close now.

He kept himself from thinking about the possibility. From anything that could eventually turn inconvenient.

But after that night everything flipped for him. He tried to distract himself by working , taking calls, signing documents and having endless meetings, even staying for just half the day. But he replayed her voice again and again in his head. The encounter that had ensued the night before. Her presence lingered in his mind and this brought more irritation to him.