Suddenly, a male figure stopped in front of me and I froze. The man was in silhouette and I couldn’t see who it was. All of the self-defense classes that I had taken over the years rushed into my brain as I tightened my grip on my car keys. I could ram them into his jugular vein and it would be over in seconds, or shove the heel of my hand into his nose …
“Dr. Reynolds, it’s me, Lance Steel,” he said, almost reading my mind.
“Oh, you scared me …” I said, taking a deep breath.
“What are you doing out here alone?” he asked, suddenly angry. “Anything could happen to you …”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to walk past him. Actually, at this point I would rather take my chances with a complete stranger.
He grabbed my arm, not letting me pass. “I’m walking you to your car.” It wasn’t a question.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m not letting you walk out here alone,” he said, taking my elbow.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, struggling against his firm grip. “Let me go!”
Abruptly, he bent down and threw me over his shoulder.
“Let me go!” I yelled, beating on his rock hard back, but he was undeterred.
He stopped and set me down abruptly, almost causing me to lose my balance. “Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said as his breath came out in a rush, “but I’m not letting you walk in the dark alone.”
“Why do you care?” I was mad as hell, but secretly, I liked his Renaissance ways, despite my protests.
He stopped to look into my eyes. “Because gentlemen do not leave ladies vulnerable and unprotected.”
I laughed. “Why do you think I’m vulnerable, and who says that I’m unprotected? Security patrols here …”
“Could be easily dealt with,” he finished, then looked into my eyes again. “Look, you’re lucky it was me just now and not some thug … or worse.”
“What could be worse than a thug?”
He took a deep breath, exasperated. “Please, do me the honor of letting me escort you to your vehicle, Dr. Reynolds.”
“No.”
“Well, then, you asked for it.” In a final swoop that ended the conversation, he threw me over his shoulder again with ease and carried me around the building to the parking lot, despite my protests.
“Okay, okay, you win!” I finally said, giving up. “Now, put me down!”
He said nothing as he crossed the parking lot to my car and plopped me on my feet, causing me to lose my balance, but Lance grabbed my elbow to steady me. I looked over, amazed that I was standing beside my Mercedes.
“How did you know that this was my car? Have you been stalking me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said angrily. “Look around.” He made a broad gesture to the employee parking lot. “The only other car around is that beat up old pickup truck, and somehow, I don’t think a doctor would be driving it.”
I opened my mouth angrily, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when he cut me off.
“Good night, Leila. Go straight home,” he ordered, then added, “and lock your doors.”
I looked down, angrily fumbling with my car keys as I mumbled under my breath, but when I looked up, he was gone.
That man is so infuriating, I thought to myself as I slammed my car door closed and locked it. How dare he carry me across the parking lot like that! I shoved my keys into the ignition and sped off toward home.
When I got home to our two-story house, I was still mad, but had calmed down a bit. Lance had no right to treat me like that. I opened the garage door and Steven’s red Corvette was already gone. I was going to have to talk to him about our working opposite shifts. We hardly saw each other. It was as if we were roommates and not a married couple. And what was romance? No wonder I was fantasizing about some complete stranger! After tonight, I quickly vowed to myself that the fantasizing about Lance Steel was over.
I closed the garage door behind me, slammed the car door, and headed into the house. But later that night, thoughts of Lance and his chivalry invaded my mind until, finally, I drifted off to sleep.
***
The next morning, it almost felt as if I had a hangover, even though I hadn’t had anything to drink. It must have been the after effects of the adrenaline rush. Between the confrontation with Lance and him throwing me over his shoulder as if he were a caveman, I was spent.
I showered quickly and dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt, which would look professional under my lab coat. Then, I slid a pretty necklace around my neck that came to rest between my breasts. I hurried downstairs and made coffee, unsure why I was in such a rush to get to work.
I pulled into the parking lot as thoughts of Lance throwing me over his shoulder and taking me to my car filled my mind. I had been mad as hell, but now that I’d calmed down, I secretly liked his caveman, Renaissance approach to women. I took a deep breath as I got out of my car and headed into the hospital.
“Morning, Sherrie,” I said as I passed.
She nodded and instantly lowered her eyes.
“Kellen,” I said to him as I walked quickly past.
“Morning,” he returned with a sly smile, clearly amused.
Oh, shit. Something’s up, I thought to myself.
I headed to the locker room, deposited my purse into my locker, donned a lab coat, and my stethoscope, then headed onto the floor.
“What the hell happened last night?” Rosa asked, rushing to catch up to me with her short legs.
I didn’t slow down. “Why? What’s wrong?” I asked casually, reaching for the chart in her hand, but she stopped short and pulled it out of my reach.
“Dr. Reynolds, I want to see you in my office … now!” Drake Summerfield bellowed, steaming mad.
“Sir, the patients …” another nurse said, trying to tell him that he was being too loud.
“Don’t even go there,” he said, pointing a finger at her. She shrank away.
Oh, shit! Man, was he mad. “Drake, I have patients …” I said, undeterred as I took the chart from Rosa’s hand and headed toward the patient examining rooms.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Drake said, grabbing my arm.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” I yelled into his face, not caring whether or not he was my boss, as I pulled away.
“Leila, come with me!” Drake yelled, walking toward his office, expecting me to follow.
I took a deep breath and did as he asked. He wasn’t going to quit until I did. He held the door open for me then slammed it shut.
“What the hell was that last night, slapping Mr. Steel? Don’t you know that he’s an important benefactor?” Drake bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Stop yelling …”
“Stop yelling?” Drake bellowed, moving his suit to each side as he placed his hands on his hips. “You slap the shit out of one of my benefactors and you tell me to calm down?”
“He deserved it …”
“What did he do?”
“He touched me and I told him to keep his hands to himself. He said a smart remark, touched me inappropriately, and then I slapped him,” I said, taking a deep breath.
“He touched you inappropriately?”
“Yes, and then, he carried me to my car!”
“He what?”
“You heard me,” I said then lowered my voice. “After I slapped him, I left out the back of the hospital and had to walk around to my car …”
“Jesus, Leila …”
“He stopped me and threw me over his shoulder when I wouldn’t let him walk me to my car,” I finished. I didn’t like having to explain myself to him about this.
“Leila, if a gentleman wants to walk you to your car, then let him!” Drake bellowed. “Mr. Steel was just trying to keep you safe. I would have done the same thing.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t slapped you … not yet, at least.”
“Leila, don’t you dare play that shit with me!” Drake yelled, pointing a finger at me. “Be nice to him.”
“Go to hell!” I yelled, reaching for his office door, but he moved quicker than I would have thought possible and slammed it shut.
“Look, Leila, I’m not asking you to sleep with him,” he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “Just be nice to him. And don’t slap him.”
I took a step closer to Drake to look directly into his eyes until my nose was a breath away from his. “I’ll slap any man who deserves it.” Then I turned toward the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
He took a deep breath, still steaming as he stepped aside.
I walked past him with confidence down the hallway, then leaned against the wall to catch my breath when I was out of sight, wondering what I had just done and what I was going to do about Lance Steel.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until sundown. Rosa, Kellen, and I worked throughout the day, making a good team. Kellen was so young—probably fresh out of nursing school—that I was surprised he was as knowledgeable as he was about nursing. He performed as if he were a seasoned veteran—just as good as Rosa, and she had been a nurse for over twenty years. I pushed the thought aside, deciding to go home early, or on time, actually.“I don’t believe it. The sun is just setting and you’re going home,” Rosa teased with a twinkle in her eye. “The days of miracles aren’t over.”“Love you, too!” I said, knowing it would irritate her.“You know …”“I know, your boat don’t float that way,” I teased as a smile curled my lips. “But if you ever change your mind …”“I won’t let you know,” Rosa returned. She had
I stepped in line to buy my ticket inside the theater when I heard a voice that shouldn’t be so familiar. “Dr. Reynolds! What a surprise to see you here!”Oh, shit! Why did I have to run into Lance Steel? “Mr. Steel, what are you doing here?” I asked, donning my best poker face.“It’s nice to see you, too.” He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering over my light blue blouse and heels a bit too long. “You look nice today.”“Thanks.” I chose a movie and stepped up in line, trying to ignore him.“What movie are you seeing?” he asked, stepping up behind me.“Why? Are you going to the movies, too?” I asked, suddenly surprised. He was dressed in blue jeans with a sexy button down black shirt, open slightly at the neck and black leather boots. His usually coifed, sexy dark brown hair was falling lazily across his face, accentuating his bright green eyes.
Although it was a movie that I really wanted to see, I paid no attention to it. As the love story unfolded on the screen, I studied Lance more than the movie, taking note of his chiseled features, piercing green eyes, and testosterone overload. The electricity in the air was so thick between us that you could cut it with a knife. I took a deep breath, forcing my eyes back to the screen without really seeing what was happening, forgetting momentarily that I was married. Then, the lights came up, bringing us both back to reality.“Thank you,” I said as we walked out of the theater.“For what?” he asked, amused.“That was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.”“My pleasure,” he returned as we left the theater and walked into the darkness of the night, when he stopped abruptly. “Do you want to catch a bite to eat while we’re here? There’s a restaurant around the corner.”
“What did you tell him?” Lance asked, trying to calm down. He took a sip of his water, but made a face and set it back on the table. “After he told you to ‘play nice.’”“I told him that I would slap any man who deserves it, including him,” I replied, taking a sip of my water, as well.“Good girl,” he said as a smile spread across his face.I lifted an eyebrow, questioning.He shrugged. “I deserved it,” he replied, holding my hand a bit tighter, forcing me to look into his eyes. His hands were cold, but I pretended not to notice. “You should feel free to slap any man who deserves it … including me.”I smiled, suddenly feeling awkward when the waiter approached to take our order. “Good evening,” he said, and then proceeded to tell us the dinner specials and his recommendations.Lance nodded to me.“I’ll have the Shrimp Alfr
I drove home in the dark, trying to steady my heart. What am I doing? I wondered as I pointed my car toward home. I had so much on my mind that it practically drove itself home. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. What the hell am I doing? But there was something about Lance that I just couldn’t describe. Besides his incredible good looks, there was something else about him … I felt secure, treasured … like a princess around him. It was as if he had already placed me on a pedestal, treating me like royalty. I had never been treated like that before, and I knew that I could easily get used to it.When I got home, Steven was gone. Obviously, he had already left for work—if he even came home at all—even though it was Saturday. I should be off from work the next day, but I really had no desire to have a confrontation with Steven, even though I knew that we needed to talk soon.I took a deep breath to steady myself, pulled the car
“I’m taking a break,” I told Rosa after the family left.“Why don’t you go home?” Rosa asked, knowing how hard I had worked to try to save him and she had worked just as hard by my side. We made a good team.“No, not yet,” I said, dead on my feet. “I just need a break and maybe some coffee.”“And some food,” Rosa added, picking up a chart. “Eat something.”“Yes, Ma’am,” I teased, walking away as she scowled.I walked into the waiting room before walking to the cafeteria to see how many more patients that we had and my breath caught. Lance was sitting on a chair, casually reading a magazine. For a moment, I almost walked the other way, but something inside me pulled me to him. My heart beat erratically within my chest as I approached, noticing how handsome he was. The air of confidence about him almost reminded me of a medieval knight, but I quickly
When we were walking down the hallway and safely out of earshot, I said, “You were amazing. Did you see the way that she came alive when you spoke to her in her own language? I haven’t see her this excited since she came here.”Lance’s face fell and his expression suddenly turned serious. “How long has she been here?”“For two months now.” I looked down at the linoleum floor and sighed. “She’s no longer responding to treatment.”Lance nodded. “I didn’t think so,” he said, and then he turned his attention to the hallway ahead of us as his eyebrows pulled together. “How much time does she have?”I let out an exasperated breath. “I can’t be sure. That’s one thing that I don’t like about being a doctor. I wish I could save all of my patients, especially ones like her, young with her whole life ahead of her,” I said, as we walked toward
The next morning, I hurried downstairs, in a rush to get to work to see him, poured myself a cup of coffee, and darted out the door, headed toward work.I pulled into the parking lot as thoughts of Lance filled my mind, conflicted about what to do. There weren’t many men like him anymore with his chivalry and kindness. I loved watching him with Crissy last night and I was sure that he would make good on his promise to visit her again. I took a deep breath, pushed the images of Lance from my mind, and headed into the hospital.“Morning,” I said as I passed the receptionist.She nodded cheerfully, then turned her attention to a patient who was checking in, one I was sure I’d see later.After depositing my purse in my locker and donning a lab coat and my stethoscope, I headed out to the floor, but Drake called out to me when he saw me come in. “Dr. Reynolds, I’d like for you to follow me please.” He walked down a cor