Fireworks of Love

by Jessica Gray

  “Hey, man! What’s up? I thought you were doing night shifts this week,” he called out to Nelson at the canteen during lunch time.

  “I am. Just came here to grab lunch and meet up with a journalist.”

  “Journalist?”

  “Haven’t I told you?” Nelson grinned from ear to ear. “The Cosmopolitan magazine called me. They’re doing a feature article about the most coveted bachelors in Beijing. And one of the chosen few is…” Nelson pointed to himself. “…yours truly.”

  Rowan groaned and then shook his head. “What about your ‘I’m married’- story? I can already picture an angry mob of women you’ve pumped and dumped chasing after you with their issues high in the air. They might not be able to do serious damage with magazines, but I bet it would sting a little.”

  “Pah, that…” Nelson made a dismissive gesture. “Collateral damage. But just think about all the new women who will be fawning over themselves when the article comes out? I’m thinking of getting a cell phone just for that purpose. By the way, you want to tag along? You could get your name and picture in the article, too? Are you game?”

  “No thanks. I think I’m better off without an ‘I’m-here-to-fuck’ ad in the Cosmopolitan. Don’t you get tired of all the girls who’d do anything just to get to your wallet?”

  “Nope and I don’t plan to, ever. What would life be without variety? As long as they abide by my rules I’m theirs to play with.” Nelson cast him a dirty grin. “What about you? Any luck in the TCM department? By now you must have gotten a survey of the merchandise.”

  “You’re disgusting. I’m here for the medicine, not for the girls,” Rowan said and made to turn around.

  “Come on. Even for a recluse like you, there’s a woman in this country. Half a billion, remember? And eager to please a foreign bachelor.”

  Anger rose in Rowan and he felt the vein in his temple pulsating. “Not all of them are scheming, grasping gold diggers! If you’d stop screwing around for one second, you’d see that your shitty stereotypes don’t apply to real life! Male chauvinist!”

  Nelson broke out in laughter at Rowan’s outburst. “Come on. Since when are you holier than thou?” He took a step towards Rowan and stared into his eyes. Rowan didn’t flinch. “Oh. Wait. You’re in love.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Who is it? Don’t tell me it’s Mei’s prudish friend?” Nelson sagged. “Sure. It’s her. And by the look on your face, you haven’t gotten into her panties yet. Want some sage advice from a friend?”

  “No.”

  “Forget her. She’s a tease. The kind who makes you hot and bothered and then leaves you high and dry demanding you marry her before spreading her legs. The only things you’ll get from her is a serious case of blue balls, along with a big, throbbing headache.”

  “Joanna is not like that,” Rowan said, fuming.

  “So it is her. Sorry for you. If you need a woman to take the steam off, let me know. I’m sure the Cosmopolitan article will bring in more prospects than I can handle.”

  Thankfully, one of their ER colleagues approached Nelson and Rowan took the opportunity to slip away. In the beginning, he’d liked Nelson because he was funny, knew everyone on campus and he’d shown him the ropes in the clinic. He was a good doctor and colleague, but for a while – truth told, since Rowan had met Joanna – his womanizer ways grated on Rowan’s nerves.

  Chapter 17

  Joanna had barely been able to focus on her studying, glancing at her watch every other minute. She changed clothes at least a dozen times. She put on lipstick and swiped it away equally as many times, until she finally settled for lip gloss in nude color, combined only with black mascara and black eyeliner. She had forgone any other makeup since she didn’t want to appear eager.

  He shouldn’t get the impression that she was the least bit interested in him. To emphasize that unspoken edict she finally decided on a pair of simple blue jeans, black moon boots and a purple tunic with golden braids on the sleeves. On top of that, she wore her long down coat, a purple bonnet and woolen gloves in the same color. As far as she was concerned she had the sex appeal and the figure of the Michelin man. Perfect.

  When Rowan arrived at five sharp at her dormitory to pick her up, it took only one glance into his bright eyes and all her hard-fought resolve swam away. She barely resisted launching herself into his arms, but she couldn’t stop a broad smile from spreading across her face.

  “Ready?” he asked and looked at her as if he thought the Michelin man was the sexiest person alive. “You look gorgeous.”

  Her pulse rate kicked up and her palms broke out in sweat. Why did he have to say that? And why did he have to look so damn yummy? Rowan had changed his scrubs for a pair of black jeans with sturdy winter boots, and a brown down jacket that matched the color of his hair.

  “Thanks. Let’s go.” She pressed out the words through her dried up mouth, just to have it water when he offered her his arm. She couldn’t well refuse the offer. But being so near to him sent confusing sensations throughout her body making her hot all over and yearning for his touch.

  The taxi ride was pure torture. She stared at his thigh, mere inches beside her and her hands itched to caress it. These roiling emotions and sensations were so unlike her, and she had no idea what exactly was going on. Next thing she’d probably throw off her clothes and ask him to devour her.

  “God, no!” She clasped a hand over her mouth in shock at her inappropriate thoughts.

  “What’s wrong?” His voice carried genuine concern.

  “Nothing.” Everything. “I’m just…” I want you to ravage me. I want you to rip off my clothes and cool my overheated body. “I forgot something.”

  “Should we return?”

  “No…no. It’ll be fine.” As soon as I get a few yards of distance between us. Focusing on the task at hand would be her only salvation. She could not give in to her attraction to him. First she had to finish her studies before she would even think about a man.

  Joanna gave a deep sigh and jumped out of the taxi without giving Rowan a chance to round it and open the door for her as soon as the taxi had reached its destination in front of the apartment building called Hai Run. It was one of the modern buildings almost entirely occupied by foreigners and other rich people.

  The complex consisted of four buildings and a courtyard that boasted a variety of amenities, including a gym, a swimming pool under a glass roof, several restaurants, a laundry and a small shop. Almost like a tiny village in itself. The apartment buildings had twenty-eight stories and featured apartments ranging in size from one bedroom up to four bedrooms, all of them fully furnished.

  They entered the administration office and Joanna was happy to concentrate on talking to the building manager, filling in paperwork and translating a bunch of information for Rowan. Finally the manager handed them the keys to Rowan’s furnished apartment.

  “Thirteen-six. That means floor thirteen, room six,” the manager explained in broken English.

  On the way to the elevator, Joanna did her best to not think about the kiss in the last elevator they’d been in together. But not thinking worked so well, her lips started tingling and her body heat ratcheted up in spite of the winter temperatures.

  “Thirteen-six is a good number,” she said to keep her thoughts away from capturing his adorable lips.

  “How’s that?” Rowan asked with an amused smile.

  “Thirteen is a lucky number and six—” she did a quick calculation of his name pronounced the Chinese way Ruo Jian, “is your personality type number.”

  Rowan pursed his lips. “I don’t believe in that superstition, because if I did, I’d never live on a thirteenth floor. It’s considered an unlucky number where I come from.”

  “That is strange,” Joanna observed, cocking her head. “The number thirteen is a combination of one and three, which is pronounced Shisan and can have the meaning definitely vibrant. There’s nothing unlucky about that…”


  Rowan put a hand on the small of her back and her train of thought completely derailed, even before she entered the lift cabin with him. His overwhelming presence crowded out every rational thought and her eyes hung to his full lips, her body begging he’d kiss her again, but her mind praying he wouldn’t.

  Scared as hell by her intense feelings for him, she blinked to break the spell. Rowan might not want to hear it, but he was the prototype of a personality type number six. She’d witnessed it during the past days at the clinic. He worked well with others, loved discussions, and exuded confidence. Type six persons made good healers, and while he had voiced more than once that he believed TCM to be a bunch of myths and legends, he had the true compassion and intuition every doctor needed, even those in ER.

  “Here it is,” she announced, pointing out the Chinese characters that designated the number of the apartment. Even in an apartment complex geared towards expats, they hadn’t thought of putting Arabic numbers on the doors. “You’ll have to memorize the characters.”

  “Or count my steps from the lift to the door.” Rowan grinned and unlocked the door. Pushing it open, he waited for her to step through before he followed.

  Joanna suppressed a gasp of admiration. This was miles away from her sparsely furnished dormitory room with bunk beds that she shared with five other girls. Or the tiny and modest stone house her parents owned.

  The hallway opened into the dining and living area with light brown synthetic wood material for flooring. A couch, coffee table, side table and artistic cabinet in cream colors together with an immense flat screen formed the entertainment center, occupying the area in front of the large windows.

  A small dining room table with four chairs, everything in the same cream color, sat at the other end of the room, with a small door to the kitchen just beyond.

  Cream cabinetry, cream countertops, and a full complement of appliances filled the small room. Joanna opened the faucets to see if they worked, opened and closed windows, and turned on the heating.

  “We can get you another apartment or have the handyman come over if something doesn’t work,” she explained at Rowan’s puzzled look. “Don’t you do that in the States?”

  “Not really. I’ve never thought of testing a faucet when renting a room. I guess I just assume everything will work.”

  “Well, here you shouldn’t assume,” she answered with a smile and caught herself licking her lip. She abruptly turned around and busied herself turning on and off the washer and dryer stacked atop one another in the small laundry area. “But you can use the laundry downstairs if you prefer. I can arrange for them to pick up your laundry every week and return it ironed and folded the next day.”

  “That would be great.” Rowan grinned. “It’s a luxury I haven’t had since I moved out at home.”

  “Your mother did the washing for you, really?” Joanna asked with wide eyes. “Here usually the girls have to do it, while their mothers are at work. It was my task since I was six, and we didn’t have a washing machine at home.”

  “Wow.” Rowan glanced at her small hands and no doubt he was wondering how she’d managed to juggle her tasks while still going to school. And it had been taxing to say the least. Most days she’d woken at four a.m. and finished her studies around ten p.m. by the light of a flickering candle. Thinking back, her life now in the shared dormitory room seemed like a dream.

  On the opposite side of the kitchen were two more doors. One to the bathroom, which boasted a glass enclosed shower – she opened and closed the sliding door to make sure it worked – a fake marble topped vanity, toilet, and a ventilation system that roared louder than a jumbo jet.

  “I’ll tell the administration to have a look at that,” Joanna commented as she jotted down a note on one of the papers the manager had given her.

  The other door lead to a well-appointed bedroom. Joanna flushed as she entered this private room. A queen-sized bed occupied the center, looking out over the city spread beneath them. At the wall, two three-drawer side tables with lamps sat on either side, and opposite the bed was a six-drawer dresser with a mirror atop it. A doorway to the right led to a tiny walk-in closet with hangers for suits and coats.

  “This place is nice,” Rowan said as he flopped onto the bed and Joanna’s heart stopped beating for a few seconds. “Definitely an upgrade to the student housing where I’ve been living so far.”

  “They put you in student housing?” Joanna raised her brows. That was more than a bit unusual. Doctors, and resident doctors, didn’t have to share dormitories.

  “Yes, because something got mixed up and my apartment wasn’t ready. They kicked out three of the students to hand over their dormitory to me.” He gave an apologetic look. “I felt sorry for them, but to tell the truth, I would have hated to share that tiny space with three other men.”

  “You will enjoy being here,” Joanna said, her inappropriate fantasizing about climbing on top of him striking her dumb. She intently studied the city to their feet just to look away from his big and strong body sprawled out like a male buffet. And his devastatingly gorgeous smile. The way he looked at her with hunger in his eyes, as if she were his next meal. “There’s a swimming pool and a gym on the premises. Would you like to go see it?”

  Rowan nodded and got up from the bed, which was good, but then he approached her, put a hand on her arm and locked eyes with her, which was bad. Very bad.

  “Thanks for your help,” he said and she felt her legs giving in. Her stupid body sank against his and her face rose upwards, awaiting another delicious kiss on her lips.

  But the kiss never came! Blood shot to her cheeks. She’d completely and totally misread his signals. Maybe Mei was right and Joanna simply had no idea how men thought and what they wanted. Joanna pushed back from Rowan and led the way downstairs.

  It was probably for the best. Since her goal was to finish at the top of her class, she needed to study more than anyone else, which didn’t leave much time for a man in her life. Being with Rowan would only be a distraction, taking time away from her studies. And for what? Despite the exhilarating feelings pooling in her stomach whenever Rowan so much as smiled at her, she still wasn’t convinced that sex could be pleasurable for a woman. It was something men enjoyed, and women endured.

  No. All of her classmates could go after Rowan in their quest to catch a weiguoren, a foreigner, for a husband. Not her. She didn’t need someone to take care of her. She hadn’t fought so hard to leave her rural town and come to Beijing to just become a housewife in a different place or in a different social class. She wanted to make something of herself and finishing her studies was the first step to reaching her goals.

  As they reached the entrance to the swimming pool and gym area, the girl at the reception cast a single appreciative look at Rowan and then went out of her way to please him. Joanna’s offer to help Rowan fill out the paperwork for the gym and pool membership was politely denied by the girl who introduced herself as Nelly. Joanna sent Nelly a dark stare, as she fawned over Rowan, missing no opportunity to touch him or offer him her assistance.

  With the paperwork completed, Nelly got out from behind her desk and smiled at Rowan. “Would you like me to show you the facilities?”

  Rowan nodded and she waved him forward. Joanna automatically followed.

  “I’m sorry, but non-members are not allowed inside the facilities. You’ll have to wait here,” Nelly said with a fake smile and took off with Rowan in tow.

  Harping vulture. All she wants is to be undisturbed to flirt with him. The scene left a sour taste in Joanna’s mouth as well as a stinging sensation running through her veins. She stared after them and narrowed her eyes to observe them through the glass walls.

  While Rowan checked out the free weights and the other training equipment provided, Nelly wasted no time in offering herself up like a simpering strumpet. Joanna wanted to spit on the floor, but unfortunately this practice had been banned in Beijing a few years earlier and caused the perpetrator hu
ge fines if caught.

  Instead, she sent a dark stare through the glass walls, followed by a mumbled curse. Nelly though, didn’t even notice her and went into full-attack mode. Her hands traveled all over Rowan, guiding him on the proper use of the training equipment. When he sat down on the rowing machine, she bent down to strap his feet in place, waving her ass at him, before she turned around and all but shoved her boobs into his face.

  Grrrr! Keep off! He’s mine! Fire rose in Joanna’s eyes and a surprising need to destroy the other woman burnt in her gut. After trying to persuade herself that she wasn’t interested in him for so long, that outburst came most unexpectedly.

  Chapter 18

  Rowan tried to glance at Joanna through the glass wall, but Nelly blocked his view. This woman had made it her mission to show him the facilities with full physical play.

  Nelson would be delighted to take her up on the offer to continue the training elsewhere after her shift, but Rowan longed to get back to Joanna. She’d looked so miserable when Nelly had led him away. So she is interested in me. His heart jubilated and a big smile broke out on his face.

  A mistake as it turned out, because Nelly took his smile as encouragement to intensify her blatant flirting. He’d have to reach into Nelson’s bag of tricks to escape Nelly’s claws unscathed.

  “Thank you so much, miss, but I should go now, my fiancé is waiting for me.”

  The shock in Nelly’s eyes was worth a million dollars. She stopped waving her boobs in his face and became all professional. When they reached the reception, Joanna had left. His heart sank. No. No. No.

  He strolled into the courtyard and a rock fell from his shoulder when he spotted Joanna sitting on one of the benches nearby the playground. She’d wrapped her arms around her shoulders, obviously freezing in the gusty wind.