“Why?” Killian moaned in protest.
“Because you’re drunk and I don’t take advantage of drunk women,” he answered.
She felt him take off her shoes, shirt, and pants. The drunken part of her brain was still feeling optimistic even after he covered her half-naked body with a blanket. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake.
“Ask me again when you haven’t had a drop to drink,” he whispered in her ear before dropping a kiss on her forehead.
Then he stepped away, shut the lights and left her unconscious form snoring lightly on the bed.
Chapter NINE
As a nurse, Killian needed to recognize symptoms before she could prescribe a simple aspirin. Doctors depended on them to know as much as they did.
Killian didn’t need a medical degree to know that she was having a major hangover. The pounding in her head grew stronger with each move she attempted that she could only lie back helplessly in bed. Her whole body hurt. Her throat felt like grainy sandpaper. She was so thirsty the thought of water was painful. She was dehydrated and she knew it. There was an ongoing debate inside her head whether it was preferable to die thirsty or die dizzy. Neither of the two was appealing.
This is the reason people don’t drink too much as they get older. They have learned the hard way, Killian thought.
The belated remorse didn’t make things any easier. She tried to remember anything from last night. Although alcohol held her brain hostage, she did remember fragments - she and Max drinking at the courtyard, the wine becoming more delicious the more she drank, Max carrying her to get to bed, her asking him if they were going to his bedroom because she often wondered how that would feel like…
“Oh, God!” Killian moaned in embarrassment.
If this physical torture was going to be her punishment, she would gladly take it because she knew she couldn’t live through the embarrassment of facing Max today. Then as if fate heard her, someone knocked and entered the room.
“Good morning!” Max greeted as he headed for the drawn curtains and threw them open.
The sudden burst of light almost blinded her she grabbed the duvet and covered her entire face and head. She pulled it away slowly as she opened one eye to see. He stood at the foot of the bed with a teasing expression on his face.
“I feel sick,” Killian moaned.
“A quick shower can cure that,” Max replied.
“No, I can’t get up.” She groaned loudly.
“Oh, yes you can,” he countered, “I’ll help you,” he added pulling the blanket away that covered her whole body.
Killian squealed as she tried to protect whatever was left of her modesty.
“I helped you get to bed last night. So, I’ve seen it all.” Max said matter-of-factly.
Killian knew he was determined to help her whether she accepted help or not. He pulled her to her feet. It didn’t matter to him that she only had her bra and panties on, or that her hair looked like some birds fought over the right to claim it as their nest. He placed an arm around her waist to keep her upright as her knees buckled beneath her. She could feel the strength of his arms around her waist and how warm she felt pressed against him.
She squirmed and tried to get away from him so he tucked her beneath his arm like a bag of groceries.
“Stop fidgeting,” he commanded as he kicked open the door leading to the bathroom.
Inside the shower stall, he hoisted her over the marble tub and positioned her beneath the shower head. Without any warning, he twisted the shower valve. Cold water came pouring out. Killian jumped backward squealing and cursing. The shock from the sudden cold removed some of the alcohol from her body.
He fiddled with the valves and Killian felt the cold water turned warm, then warmer. Just when she thought she couldn’t take the heat, he fiddled with the valves again turning the hot water cool and then cooler. The trick worked because after a few minutes of alternating hot and cold sprays, Killian felt more lucid as all traces of alcohol disappeared from her body.
“I think I can manage now,” she said meekly.
Max stepped back and away from her. Killian breathed, relieved that she was going to get some privacy. But instead of leaving, he lounged by the wall, crossed muscular arms on his chest and watched. His eyes had changed into a darker shade of golden, nostrils flared slightly, the smile on his face turned into a wayward leer.
Killian was confused. She didn’t want to undress fully while he stood there gawking. She stole a glance at him and saw the mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew she wanted him to leave as she showered, but he didn’t seem to want to.
Killian was torn. She wanted to demand that he leave the bathroom. But there was that mischievous voice in her head that egged her to go ahead and do her thing and to hell with him.
“Okay then, stay if you want to,” she muttered loud enough for him to hear. I’ll manage somehow, she added silently in her mind
He wasn’t going to stop her from getting a good shower.
She turned so that it was her whole back that faced him. Then she reached back and undid the straps of her bra. She tossed the small piece of clothing aside and reached for the bar of soap. She began to lather herself from the neck to her shoulder down to her belly, her thighs, and legs.
Her mind was in overdrive and her heart was pounding in her chest, but this time she was certain it wasn’t the alcohol. She could feel his eyes burning through her back.
Getting drunk with him last night felt like she crossed a line…but in a good way. Unless you were an alcoholic, you didn’t drink with someone whom you weren’t comfortable with. The instinct to protect oneself from danger was inherent in everyone. And she knew she got rip-roaring drunk if she were to judge by the pounding in her head this morning.
It was difficult to justify with words. It felt wrong to have him there watching her take a shower, and yet, it also felt right, like a prelude to something…erotic.
She summoned all the pluckiness in her being wondering where all this would lead. She acknowledged that this was partly her fault. But now it was too late to stop what she had started.
Still, with her back facing him, she hooked both sides of her panties with her thumbs and bent over, rolling it down her legs and off her feet. She swore she heard him gasp but was too scared and embarrassed to take a peek.
She finished her shower and knew she had to face him - literally face him, boobs and all. They both knew that. Bravado was what it took to get her this far, she knew bravado would bring her all the way home.
Killian turned towards him like it was the most natural thing in the world. She stepped out of the tub and saw that he held a bathrobe in his hands. He opened the robe and she slipped both hands into the armhole. He then reached behind her for the cord and tied it securely around her waist.
He grasped the cord tightly, pulled her close, and whispered, “The only thing stopping me from making love to you right here right now is that Mom is waiting for us at the breakfast table.”
He let go, turned and left her alone in the bathroom.
Killian was speechless. Then she broke into a huge grin. She blushed, feeling the heat suffuse her face and neck. Then she remembered. Julia was waiting. She scampered into the room, hoping her backpack was there somewhere. She saw it at the foot of her bed. Max must have brought it up when he came in.
Killian rummaged through her pack, knowing that she always had spare clothes. She did find a clean pair of ripped jeans and a white shirt. She whispered a prayer of thanks that there was also an extra pair of undies inside, but no bra.
She had no hairbrush so she hand-combed her hair as best as she could and searched for an extra hair tie. The unruly mass on her head didn’t make her very happy but there was nothing more she could do. It was embarrassing to make mother and son wait too long at the breakfast table.
“Good morning!” she greeted cheerily as she entered.
She spotted Rosa, the maid from last night, leading two you
nger maids in setting up breakfast.
Julia was seated sipping coffee. Max had his nose buried in a newspaper although Killian swore there was a hint of laughter in his eyes.
“Killian,” Julia greeted with a smile, “Max said you will be our house guest for the next couple of days.”
Killian nodded and replied, “If you’ll have me.”
“Are you kidding?” Julia retorted, “I am more than happy to have you.”“Mom is very excited to have someone around. She says I don’t stay home long enough to keep her company,” Max stated.
Julia wagged her finger at her son. It was plain to see they adored one another.
“Mom, maybe you’d like to come to the office with me and Killian and talk to the Board. They’re curious about the lease for the cottage that I approved.”
Killian was surprised. She didn’t realize the Board was a party to the decision because Miss Mary, the old secretary, did mention that the property was a private asset of the Saint family.
“Is there a problem?” Killian asked suddenly worried.
“I don’t see any,” Max reassured her, “although it would be good if you meet with them and explain what your plans are for the nursing home,” Max said.
“Okay,” Killian agreed.
“Mom, would you like to ride in the car with me?” Max asked. “I’ll be driving.”
Julia declined, saying his car was a deathtrap.
Killian went with Max to where the Jeep was parked in the driveway and sat in the front seat with him. She had never gone to work in the morning riding Max’s car. This was a first for them both. Reaching the hospital premises, Killian expected he would go directly to his allotted parking space. Instead, he drove all the way to the hospital entrance where the morning crowd milled before office hours began. Heads whipped in her direction as she stepped out from Max’s car, followed by audible gasps. But her thoughts were already in the meeting up ahead.
Killian pictured a casual meeting where she would answer their questions. She had no idea that meeting with the Board meant entering a conference room at the Medical Arts Building where all members were seated like an interrogation panel.
It dawned on Killian that her life as a nurse at the Maxwell Saint Sr. Memorial Hospital was controlled by these stern looking men through their memos and directives. She just regarded them as names whose signatures appeared in documents that were routed through the different hospital departments. It never occurred to her that someday she would be in the same room with all of them and narrating her plans about the cottage.
She firmly believed in her idea because it was rooted in a childhood dream. But to a bunch of guys involved in the complex business of saving lives, Killian had to do more than just say… “I fell in love with the cottage the moment I saw it and immediately knew this was the cottage in my dreams…”
She saw it in their eyes the moment the words were out of her mouth. They were not impressed. And Killian wasn’t ready to present the numbers either. When asked if she had calculated her Return on Investment, Killian admitted she didn’t.
“Profit was never really the main focus of my plans,” she confessed.
There was an awkward pause as the men looked at one another.
“How do you intend to pay the monthly lease if you have no idea about your returns?” One member asked.
Another added, “Have you thought where your clients would be coming from? I understand you work for us as a nurse at the hospital, Miss Church. That means you have access to patients under the hospital’s care. Do you plan to source your own clients from the hospital?”
Killian was aghast. She realized none of her strategies went that far. It was the worsening condition of Gilly Florence of Room 405 who happened to be a patient at the hospital that added a note of urgency to put up the nursing home. If she mentioned that to these men, it would sound incriminating and justify the suspicion she was going to use the hospital as the basis for attracting patients over to her own facility.
She didn’t know what else to say that would convince them that she only had the very best of intentions. It also dawned on her that because Max decided on giving her that lease, that would only give the impression that he was really not capable of making good decisions and reinforce the idea that he should be removed from his position as Chairman.
Killian looked at Max who was seated at the head of the table. Julia Saint was seated next to him. He looked back at her and gave her a reassuring wink. Then he stood and cleared his throat.
“I know all of you are questioning my decision to lease the cottage to Miss Church. All of us here are well aware there are only two people inside this room that has the authority to give that lease to whoever we please. That is me and my mother, Mrs. Julia Saint. Having said that, I respect the mandate that my dad gave to each and every one of you - to act as custodians of our assets. My mom and I are grateful for the concern that each of you has shown in memory of my father Maxwell Saint, Sr.”
Every one of the 9 members of the Board had their attention focused on Max. One could almost hear a pin drop as the Chairman spoke further.
“There is a reason why I decided to give Miss Church the lease and I believe each of you will approve once you hear why.” Max paused and allowed his words to sink in. “A long time ago a man had a dream. He fantasized of a place that could bring relief and comfort to people who were sick. He visualized a hospital that could bring comfort to others. He didn’t have very much money and all he could afford was a simple 10-bed hospital that could barely sustain itself. But he believed in his dream and was able to convince others to believe too. All of you, who believed in and with my dad, are in this room now. You all worked diligently to make the Maxwell Saint Sr. Memorial Hospital what it is today – a top-notch facility that is one of the best in the world.”
The men nodded their heads in agreement. Most of them were feeling sentimental too.
Max proceeded to speak. “I doubt that anyone here is averse to giving someone else the opportunity to start with a dream, the way my father dreamed, the way you all dreamed along with him.” There was an audible murmur of agreement. Max continued, “I vouch for the integrity of Miss Church. I believe she won’t use the hospital as a means to staff her own facility. I have taken the time to study her records here and they are outstanding. If we consider ourselves to be good hospital administrators, then it would make good business sense to strengthen the ties between our hospital and the nursing facility she dreams of putting up - because someone else will if we don’t.”
Max sat down. Julia addressed the men next and simply said, “I vouch for Miss Church as well.”
There was a palpable tension inside the room as the men looked at one another. Then the most senior in the group rose and spoke, “Congratulations, Miss Church. I wish you the best of luck.”
Then one by one the members of the board came forward and shook her hand. Killian wanted to sag in relief although she kept her face neutral. She knew there was nothing these people could do if Max and Julia Saint insisted on giving her the lease. But she was wary about adding to Max’s problems with the board.
She was also very aware that it was Max’s pitch that brought the old men over to her side. She was grateful mother and son were on her side. From the corner of her eye, she saw Julia approaching. Killian intended to kiss her on the cheek to show her gratitude and was instead engulfed in a hug.
“You won’t be getting any trouble from of these old farts,” she whispered laughingly in her ear. “I’ll be seeing some of my friends tonight. They want to take me clubbing. Don’t wait up for me,” Julia said before heading out.
Max stood by the door making small talks with the rest of the Board as each one headed outside. When the last one had gone, Killian approached him.
“Thank you for saying the things you did. I believe your words swayed those men to my side. I will always be grateful,” she gushed.
Max grinned mischievously and replied, “I think this d
eserves more than a thank you,” he teased.
Killian was taken by surprise and gasped as his eyes grazed over the features of her face. A cold ember somewhere inside her suddenly came to life. He pressed himself closer to her, and she found herself pressing closer to him. Her eyes traced the smooth lines of his jaw noting the way he clenched his chin as he tried to gain control of his emotions.
“What did you have in mind?” She asked.
“This,” Max replied as he lowered his lips just inches away from hers and let them hover. He shifted and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
His lips fastened down on hers in a kiss that took her breath away. She didn’t know how her arms ended on each side of his waist as she clung to him kissing him back with equal passion and heat.
When their lips finally parted, they stood together, eyes locked in yearning.
The Boss's Fiance Box Set Page 53
