Heart of Hope: Books 1-4

by Williams, Ajme

  “What?” I ran my fingers through his golden hair.

  “I like to watch you come. I like the way your face looks like you’re in ultimate bliss. I can only see it for a split second because the minute you come, your pussy makes my dick and my brain explode.”

  “Want to watch me now?” What had started as something that felt embarrassing, was now making me feel powerful.

  “Yes.” He lay back, resting his hands on my thighs.

  I rose up over him and lowered. Each time, I moved a little faster as nature took over.

  “I love the way you move, baby. So graceful. Your tits move with you. It’s so fucking beautiful.”

  Feeling his love and admiration, I closed my eyes and gave free rein to nature. I rocked and rose over him. My head dropped back as I focused on the rising tension in my belly.

  “That’s right, baby. Chase after it.”

  I was panting as I leaned forward and put my hands on his chest, needing the anchor as I pushed myself up and up. His dick was thick and hot. The friction was so intense I swore I could feel every ridge as he slid deep inside.

  “Nick … oh God, Nick …"

  “Make yourself come, Mia. Jesus, you’re so beautiful.”

  His fingers gripped my thighs as I teetered on the edge. His hips started to rise and fall in sync with me.

  “Baby, I’ve gotta come … Christ … fuck.” He let out a growl as he bucked up. Hot liquid splashed inside. The idea of his come, the essence of him, filling me was all it took, and my own release radiated like a supernova from my pussy to every cell in my body.

  “Yes, Nick … yes …"

  Together our bodies moved, at first like crazed beasts, but soon, the storm waned, until finally, I collapsed on him.

  He held me close, kissing my temple. “That was so beautiful, baby. So fucking beautiful.”

  I lay my head on his chest, savoring the sound of his heartbeat. This was what I wanted forever and ever. Somehow, some way, we had to make this work this time.

  37

  Nick

  I was in heaven. For the next twenty-four hours, I was with Mia. Alone. Just the two of us. Usually naked. Often our bodies joined in the ultimate act of love.

  The next day, we were hungry and had finished off the only food in Mia’s home; crackers and peanut butter. We dressed, packed a bag for Mia, and went to my place, where I had food, although mostly we spent another twenty-four hours totally immersed in each other.

  The following night, Jim insisted we visit him. I didn’t want to leave our bubble of perfection, and yet, I knew we needed to. I wasn’t thrilled about venturing out into town, but I knew Jim would be supportive of me, and I knew I owed him an apology.

  Mia and I were in the shower washing up after making love, and yet, once again, my dick was eager to be inside her.

  “It’s no wonder you had a reputation as a ladies’ man,” Mia said when I hooked her leg over my hip and readied to slide inside her. “Your urges are insatiable.”

  “It’s all you, baby. He can’t get enough.”

  Her smile was so lovely. I vowed then and there to find a way to see it every day for the rest of my life.

  “Just me though, right?”

  “Only you.” I pushed in, savoring the feel of her pussy giving way to me.

  She closed her eyes as if she was savoring the moment too.

  “Mia?”

  Her eyes fluttered open. “Hmm.”

  “Move in with me.”

  She stared at me for a moment, a sure sign that I took her off guard. I’d been wanting to ask her practically since I walked into her apartment two days earlier, but I worried it was too much too soon.

  “We’re both unemployed. We’ll save money if you give up your rental and move in here,” I argued.

  “So, this is just a financial decision?”

  I think she was kidding, but to be sure I clarified. “No. I love you, I want to go to bed and wake up with you. But on the off chance you need an additional reason, saving money is one.”

  She laughed. “Being with you is reason enough.”

  My heart jumped with hope in my chest. “Is that a yes?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  I kissed her, feeling such love and awe for her. There was no talking after that. Instead, I let my body show her how happy I was that she wanted to move in with me.

  Later, at Jim’s place, I was a bit on edge wondering how he and Eli, in particular, would take the news of our relationship.

  “It’s about damn time,” Jim said, shaking my hand. “When are the grandbabies coming?”

  “Dad!” Mia looked at me with horror in her eyes. I wanted to tell him that it wouldn’t be too long if I had my druthers, but one thing at a time.

  “First you and I need to take a trip to see the bongos,” I said, changing the subject.

  “I’d rather have a grandchild,” he said.

  “Stop talking about that.” Eli shook his head. “It makes me and Mia uncomfortable.”

  “You?” Jim asked.

  “Babies come from … well you know and I can’t think of Mia and Nick … like that …"

  “Please don’t,” Mia said. “That’s disturbing.”

  I wouldn’t say Eli and I were friends, but we were civil. Perhaps in time, we’d become friendly. He left early to have a drink with Dana Ramsey.

  “It’s about time,” I said when he left. “I think he’s loved her since we were in elementary school.”

  “You knew about that?” Mia asked as she set up the chess table.

  “Sure. He and I were friends back then.”

  Mia and I teamed up against Jim in chess, but he still won.

  The next morning, I was sitting on the deck with my coffee, when I got a call from Victoria.

  “Good news, Nick. The Masons are dropping you from their lawsuit. They have asked as a condition of it that you don’t go around saying the grandson dilly dallied and didn’t get Ms. Mason to the hospital in time.”

  Relief washed through me. I didn’t realize just how heavy the weight of the lawsuit was until it was removed. “I have no desire to add to their grief. What about the hospital?”

  “I don’t know what they’ll do. I did try to call the lawyer there, but they said she doesn’t work there anymore.”

  “No, she doesn’t.”

  “Does that mean she’s with you?”

  Mia came out on the deck with a cup of coffee.

  “Yes. She is.”

  “So, there is such a thing as fairy tales?”

  I smiled and reached over to take Mia’s hand. “Yes, there is.”

  After the call, I gave Mia the news and she celebrated by giving me a mind-blowing orgasm. As I recovered, she said, “At some point, we needed to think about jobs.”

  “Too bad we couldn’t get paid to have sex. We’re good at it.” I pulled her into my lap getting ready to repay her generosity by giving her an orgasm.

  “We could actually. I think it’s called porn.”

  I laughed. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

  As if the universe was listening in, Mia’s phone rang. She looked at it. “It’s the hospital.”

  “I guess your pleasure will have to wait.”

  “Let me see what they want.” She answered the phone. As she spoke, I kissed her neck, and slid my hand between her thighs. She wriggled, trying to get me to stop, which only made me hard. “I’ll need to think about it,” she said.

  I stopped my seduction, deciding to wait until she was done.

  She finally hung up, set her phone down, and wrapped her arm around me. “Now, where were you?”

  “What was that about?”

  “They want me to come back.” She took my hand and brought back to her pussy. Taking the cue, I fingered her, enjoying watching her as pleasure washed through her body. As she came down from her high, she rested her head on my shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to try porn?”

  I laughed. “I don�
��t think I could handle strange men watching you in the throes of passion, even if I was the one causing it.” I kissed her shoulder. “You don’t want to go back?”

  She sat up, turning to look at me. “Actually, I do. I liked my job. Not the lawsuit, but the other parts I enjoyed. I like the people I worked with except Dick, but he’s gone.”

  “What? When?”

  “They fired him. I think my resignation letter had something to do with it.”

  “What did you do?” I studied Mia, seeing a stronger, fiercer woman than I’d known.

  “I just gave my opinion that he didn’t support his staff, to the point that he’d sacrifice them and how he was ignoring important factors that could have contributed to Ms. Mason’s death that would lead to even more problems than the protesters if it came out.”

  “What was he ignoring.”

  She looked at me and I realized that she was trying to decide if legally she could tell me. I guess she decided she could or didn’t care. “The chest x-ray was sent to the wrong place.”

  My breath caught in my chest. “I know I—”

  She pressed her palms to my cheeks. “You did. It was an EMR glitch. New protocols were put in place to avoid that in the future.”

  The pressure in my chest released.

  “But it might not have mattered. Your lawyer might have told you that her expert pathologist indicated it might have been too late even if the tests were done right when she arrived.”

  I nodded. “Does that mean the family dropped the case against the hospital?”

  “Not so far, which is why they want me back. They did offer a raise too.”

  I grinned. “You can support me. I could be a kept man.”

  “I do want to keep you, Dr. Nick Foster. I like your bedside manner.”

  “Just my bedside?”

  “I like all sides. But,” she said, her smile dropping. “I have to go in today.”

  “Well, that’s a bummer, but you should go. I don’t want to get in the way of your work.”

  “You’re more important than my job.”

  “I know. But you like your job. You can have both, Mia, if you want. Me and the job.”

  She gave me that smile that made me feel like I was the greatest man in the world. “You and the job are my dream come true.”

  An hour later, she was dressed and heading out the door.

  “Have a good day at work honey. Do you want dinner on the table when you get home?” I asked trying to be the proverbial housewife.

  “I want you to greet me at the door with nothing on but an apron.”

  “I’ll add apron to my grocery list.” I kissed her, wondering if anyone was ever as happy as I was now.

  I putzed around my place, showered, and then decided to go see Jim. It was time for us to plan our trip to visit the bongos.

  I was in the car on my way to his house, when my cell phone rang.

  “Dr. Foster? This is Alice Wallace. I’m a member of the hospital board.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Wallace.” I knew her not just from the hospital board, but I’d gone to school with her son. “How can I help you?”

  “I was wondering if you could come by the hospital?”

  “What for?”

  “We’re meeting today and wanted to talk with you.”

  Just when I thought my legal issues were done. “If this is about the lawsuit, you’ll need to talk to my lawyer.”

  “No. It’s not the lawsuit. We’d like to talk to you in person, can you come by?”

  “When?”

  “Now would be good. Sometime today?”

  I pulled over as I tried to figure out how I felt about this call. Tension gathered in my shoulders at the idea of walking back into the hospital. But I remembered my new therapist saying I needed to get back on the horse. While I wasn’t going back to be a doctor, perhaps the first step was to walk into the place that still showed up in my nightmares.

  “I can be there in ten.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Foster.”

  I made a left-hand turn at the next corner to head back toward the hospital. I called Jim and told him about the delay.

  “Give ‘em hell, Nick,” he said. I hadn’t been out in town since returning home, so I didn’t know the sentiment about me, but I knew I had Mia and Jim, and even Eli to an extent. I could walk into a public place knowing at least the most important people in my life here were behind me.

  I parked in the guest lot, and walked in through a side entrance, not the ER. My heartbeat quickened, but I used a deep breath to help calm my nerves. I exited on the third floor, and considered stopping by Mia’s office first, but decided to get this meeting out of the way. I went straight to the conference room. Inside, Mrs. Wallace, four other board members, and three administrators, as well as Mia, were in the room.

  Mia looked up at me, but her expression was unreadable. I suppose she was just being professional, but since I didn’t work there, I didn’t see any reason not to acknowledge me. I could go over and kiss her, and the powers that be couldn’t touch her. She wouldn’t be breaking a rule.

  “Dr. Foster, thank you for coming on such short notice.”

  I nodded as I took the chair Mrs. Wallace indicated. I couldn’t help but feel like I was about to be interrogated. I look at Mia again for a clue, but she was looking down.

  “I suppose you’re wondering why you’re here.”

  “Yes.”

  “First, we’re glad to hear that the case against you for malpractice has been dropped,” Mrs. Wallace said taking a seat at the head of the long table.

  I looked at Mia again, wondering if she told them. “Thank you.”

  “We haven’t been so lucky, but now that we have Ms. Parker back with us, we’re hopeful to have a resolution soon.”

  I considered bringing up the EMR glitch but held my tongue. “I can’t really help you on that,” I said instead.

  “No, and that’s not why you’re here. We asked you here to offer you your job back.”

  I was shaking my head before she finished. As I did, I realized that Mia would have known about this request, but hadn’t told them about us. Why not? She was living with me now. I couldn’t take this job unless she planned to quit again. It didn’t make sense, and all the good feelings I was having about her and us went wonky.

  “I know you didn’t feel supported by Dick Waterson, but we’ve accepted his resignation, and you can feel confident that you have the board’s full support.”

  “Admin too,” Larry Skinner, who worked under Dick said.

  “I appreciate that, but I still can’t—”

  “What would it take?” Mrs. Wallace asked. “We’re prepared to make a statement to the public about your exemplary service and exoneration in Ms. Mason’s death.”

  “There can’t be any statement that suggests the Mason family was at fault,” I said. “I gave my word.”

  “Along with being a good doctor, you’re a decent person. I think if I was the victim of a mob, I wouldn’t be so kind,” she said.

  I shrugged.

  “The point is, we need you back in the ER. This town needs you.”

  “Like I said, I appreciate it, but I can’t to it.” Once again, I looked at Mia, wondering if I was being a fool giving up the job I’d always wanted for her.

  She bit her lower lip and her eyes were filled with emotion, but she still didn’t say anything.

  “Why not? Have you accepted a position somewhere else?”

  “I can’t because it will ruin my love life.”

  “What?” Mrs. Wallace asked.

  I didn’t know how Mia would react, but it would be out soon enough, so now was as good as time as any to let everyone know what was up.

  I stood. “I’m in love with Mia Parker, and the rules state that she can’t be with a hospital staff person. So, no.” I looked at her. “I choose her.”

  Her hand covered her mouth as if she was stifling a gasp. The room looked to her, but her gaze held to
mine.

  “Well, that’s a policy that we can change, isn’t it?” Larry said.

  “It’s there for a reason. The last lawyer was fired for breaking it,” another board member reminded the others.

  “What if he contracts with us. That’s how most hospitals do it anyway. We got the waiver to hire physicians because we’re rural, but we don’t have to do that way.”

  “I don’t belong to a medical group,” I said. “That’s how it’s normally done. The hospital would contract with a group.”

  “So be a group,” Larry said.

  “I’m one person.”

  “You could form your own medical corporation,” Mia said. “California law allows for one-person corporation.”

  I looked at her.

  “It’s not that hard. I’d help but … I’m sure Ms. Manning could.”

  “Then we contract with his corporation, right?” Larry asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Is this the answer?” I asked her. I’d already told everyone I was in love with her, it seemed like it would be okay to take this to a more personal level.

  “It is an answer. Unless you don’t want to do ER work or would rather do something else. What do you want to do?”

  Was that why she was unreadable before. Did she want me to make the decision based on my goals or desires? Up until this moment, I’d been sure of only one thing. I wanted Mia. Yes, I’d wanted my job back, but that had been because I’d felt shafted by Dick and my town. Now that I had the opportunity to take what I wanted, I needed to consider what that was.

  It only took a moment. Like Mia, the perfect life would be to have her and to help people. Even with the emotional toll, emergency medicine could take, I wanted to do it.

  “I want other doctors to have the opportunity to join my group and not be retaliated against by the hospital.” As one man, I’d have no leverage if the hospital was fucking with me again. As a group, we could negotiate better hours and pay. Maybe we could figure out a way to hire scribes to enter medical data into EMR for us, as some larger medical facilities had.

  “We’d need to discuss that further, but it is something we could consider,” Mrs. Wallace said.

  I stood. “Let me know.”