by Marie Jem
My mother had helped me through thick and thin in my life, so I knew her advice was best. “Your father seemed to like him too, but he’s not one hundred percent. You know how he is, overprotective of his little girl,” she reminded.
I told my mother that Alex had invited me over to dinner Friday night and would be cooking for me. She was ecstatic. She said a man would not cook for a woman he wasn’t crazy about. I hoped she was right about that.
“Where does Alex live, honey?” my mother asked.
“Malibu,” I answered.
My mother was silent for a few seconds, then she said, “Oh that’s nice, he’s Malibu Ken and you’re Encino Barbie,” we both laughed at her remark.
“I’m not even close to Barbie, mom,” I replied.
“Oh, please Claire. You’re more beautiful than Barbie. She might learn a few things from you,” she said.
“Mom, you’re just saying that because I’m your daughter, but thank you. It’s good to hear from time to time,” I said.
I climbed into bed a little early that night, since I would be starting my day earlier than usual, since Walter had planned the big meeting with the surgical team. I was very happy that night. It had turned out to be a great day and I would see Alex early the next morning in the meeting.
<><><>
I woke up an hour earlier than usual on Wednesday morning to assure the breakfast arrived to the conference room on time before the meeting started. I set up everything for the meeting and grabbed my recording device and laptop so that I would take notes. Laura helped me set up and gave me a few pointers to make things easier for me. The surgeons began to arrive, one by one. Only nine were able to attend that meeting.
Alex made his way into the conference room and smiled as he looked at me and winked. “Good morning all.”
The last person who walked in was a very attractive blond woman. I wondered if she was one of the surgeons as well.
“Good morning, Taryn,” Walter greeted her.
She was very beautiful with very long blond hair and blue eyes. I wondered if Alex found her attractive. I kept my eyes on him to see if I could read his thoughts after she walked in and took a seat right next to him as if there were no other seats left in the conference room. “Good morning, Dr. Blake. How good to see you. Did you trim your hair?” She asked, sitting dangerously close to him.
Walter began the meeting without wasting anymore time. Everyone had self served themselves breakfast, poured themselves a cup of coffee and taken their seat. I began to type away, making sure I noted everything that was discussed. The surgeons wanted more operating room time, their own personal surgical instruments, and upgraded equipment. When I looked up, I noticed Alex had glued his eyes on me. He smiled when my eyes met his.
There was something about this Taryn Simmonds that I did not like. She dressed a little provocatively than she should in her position. She revealed way too much cleavage in her low cut black lace top. I continued to type, trying not to leave any important topic out. Just then, my phone beeped, notifying me of a new text message. It was from Alex.
You look very hot when you are concentrating. Please put your phone on silent.
I immediately turned my sound off on my phone, looking at him with my eyes wide, my looks telling him to stop texting me and that I couldn’t believe he just did that.
Dr. Blake, please put your phone away and pay attention in class. You are disturbing me and I cannot do my job properly with such interruptions.
Aren’t you recording all of this on your handy dandy recorder you have on the conference table? You can always listen to it later and take your notes then.
Ugh! Alex, you are so difficult. Put your phone away, so the blond sexy woman next to you does not read our messages. She’s sitting so close that she might be reading this word for word.
Are you a little jealous of the blond woman? Don’t be. She is too blond and her tan is a bit too orange for my liking. Plus, her eyes are blue. I like green eyes, just like yours.
I put my phone aside, so he would see I wasn’t going to play on my cell phone while in a meeting with my boss sitting across the table from me. The meeting was over in less than two hours. Everyone had been fed and Walter promised more operating room time for the surgeons, so they do not leave and perform their surgeries in other hospitals, which may offer more. Before everyone got up to leave, Alex asked Walter, “Is this your new Administrative Assistant, Walter?” Why did he have to embarrass me like that?
“Yes, this is Claire, everyone. Claire Morgan is my new Administrative Assistant. You will be receiving many emails from her on my behalf,” Walter clarified.
“Hello there, Claire, I’m Taryn. Taryn Simmonds. I am the Director of the Recovery Unit. I work closely with the surgeons.” She extended her hand and we shook hands. She was being so nice, but there was something about her that I could not put my finger on that I did not like. Her personality seemed a bit artificial.
“Hi Taryn, nice to meet you,” I said as nicely as I could without revealing my dislike.
Alex made his way over to me, “Miss Morgan, how nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Alex Blake. Hope to see more of you soon,” he said as he shook my hand.
I just grinned at him and said, “Hello Dr. Blake. It’s very nice to meet you,” I replied.
“I guess I will see you around,” he said through a sexy smile as he turned around and left the conference room. I tried to read Taryn’s face. She did not look happy at all with what had just occurred. I wondered if she had a crush on Alex. Well, who wouldn’t? He was so handsome that she would have to be visually impaired not to see it.
I cleaned up the conference room with Laura’s help, put the leftover food in the kitchen for everyone to eat, and finally made it to my desk, so I could start documenting the notes I took from the meeting. I was interrupted by another text from Alex.
I will be in the OR the rest of the day. Just wanted to say you looked amazingly hot in that meeting.
Thank you, Alex. You looked hot yourself. I’m sure Taryn Simmonds thought so as well. Good luck in the OR.
I already told you, she’s too blond, too orange, and too blue for me. Got it? Good. Miss you already. I will call you tonight.
I laughed to myself. I really loved the way Alex described Taryn. It made me feel more secure and I was able to continue my work without my mind on her. A few hours later, Laura asked if I was craving falafel. I was starving, so I took her offer and we went to lunch together. I wanted to bring up Taryn Simmonds just to see what Laura had to say about her.
“Oh, God, Taryn Simmonds,” Laura began, “I knew you would find her a bit slutty. She’s all over the surgeons. Was she sitting totally close to anyone in today’s meeting?” she asked.
“Yes!” I answered, “She was sitting almost glued to Dr. Blake as if she wanted to undress him, or wanted him to undress her.”
“That’s Taryn, all right. Watch out for her, Claire. She has evil tendencies. I’m only sharing this with you because I really like you and I think you’re a bit naïve. Taryn Simmonds is a dirty player and she always gets what she wants, even if she has to sleep her way there,” Laura advised.
I was shocked. Would she try to sleep with Alex if she needed something from him? I suddenly lost my appetite and pretended to enjoy the remainder of my lunch. I had nothing to fear because Alex had made it very clear to me that he did not find women like her attractive. Lunch was soon over and we had to head back. The rest of the day was a breeze and I thanked God when five o’clock came around.
<><><>
That night, I soaked in a hot bath with scented candles lit all around me. I was mentally drained from the day and very glad it was over. Alex called while I was in the tub, “Hey gorgeous, I’m just leaving work now. What a day it was in the OR. I’m really exhausted. What are you up to?” he asked.
“I’m just taking a bubble bath because I’m completely exhausted as well,” I replied. He was silent for a moment.
; “You mean you’re in the bathtub, naked, and covered in bubbles? Claire, don’t tease me, please. I’m just not that strong,” he said.
“Did I leave out the candles I’m surrounded by?” I asked.
“Okay, that’s it. I’m driving straight to your place,” he replied.
“No, Alex, don’t get excited. Maybe if you continue your good behavior, I may extend an invitation to join me in a bath one day, from start to finish,” I said.
He sighed, “Best behavior, I promise. I do miss you. I can’t wait until Friday, Claire. I’m counting the seconds,” he confessed.
The bath was so relaxing that I couldn’t stay awake another minute. I slipped into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I was asleep before I knew it.
Thursday was another busy day. Walter had asked me to book even more meetings, but this time in the afternoon, so I had more time to play. Alex wanted to meet for lunch, since he only had one minor surgery to perform at the clinic across the street the remainder of the day. I had to decline, since I was so busy with Walter’s meetings.
On the way home that evening, I decided to stop by at the mall to see if I could find a new outfit to wear the following night to Alex’s place. I found just the perfect maxi dress. It was an all black halter top with very mild ruffles on the top half. It had such a classy look, yet casual. It was not too much and not too little.
I took the dress home, tried it on again and ironed it so that I could just rush home on Friday, slip into it and rush to his house. I called Katherine to tell her about my new outfit and how excited I was.
She sounded more excited than I, as usual. “I can’t wait to talk about it on Saturday. I want to know what he cooks, what you drink, what you have for dessert,” Katherine went on and on about the endless details she must hear about.
“Okay, okay, Kathy, I get it. I promise I won’t leave anything out. Maybe we will meet up on Saturday or Sunday for some girl talk at brunch,” that sounded wonderful to me.
“I can’t wait. Call me,” she replied before we hung up.
<><><>
Friday morning, the texts started from Alex about how he couldn’t wait for that evening’s special dinner date. I was starting to get anxious about his intentions. Did he want more? Was he planning a romantic and intimate evening? I even wondered if I should cancel or make an excuse that I couldn’t make it, but I really wanted to see him and there was no way I was going to cancel.
Laura wanted to go out for lunch with me, so I agreed, but decided I wanted to eat very light, since I might have a heavy dinner that evening. I didn’t want to look like an inflated balloon in my new dress. Walter was out of the office at an offsite meeting that day, so the workload was very light and there were no meetings to set up or take minutes in.
I left work thirty minutes early just to get a head start, so I wouldn’t get stuck in horrible traffic. I wanted to make a stop at the beverage store for a bottle of wine to take with me. I chose a 2010 Merlot the salesman advised would be good for this evening. I couldn’t wait to get home and take a very quick shower and curl my hair. I didn’t want to look like I did every single day. After I wore the dress with my hair curled and fresh makeup on, I was very pleased with what I saw in the mirror. I slipped on my shoes and accessories and was headed to Malibu.
Chapter 4
I drove on Pacific Coast Highway, as Alex had instructed until I reached the private gate that led to his house. I pressed the intercom button and Alex notified me that the gate would start to open within a few seconds. A private flagstone road led up to a beautiful, extremely modern house at the top of a hill. What a beautiful hillside on one side of the house and a view of the ocean on the other side. The house was mostly windows and glass. Alex was waiting in the driveway of his house as I pulled up and parked outside one of many garages. He looked amazing in his dark blue loose fit designer jeans and a tight, short sleeve grey t-shirt and flip flops on his feet.
He opened my car door and helped me out. “Wow, you look stunning,” he said as he walked me to the front door, stopping to kiss me before he led me into his home. “Welcome to my home,” he said as he took my hand and walked me inside.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, doc,” I replied. “Oh, this is for you,” I added as I handed him the wine bag. “I don’t know how good or bad it is, since I’m not a big wine drinker, but I hope you will like it,” I said.
“I like anything from you, Claire,” he said with a smile.
As Alex walked me inside his house, I noticed that most of the walls looking out of the house were glass, magnifying the view of the ocean. The foyer led to a very modern formal living room with ceilings as high as twenty feet if not higher. The house wasn’t too cluttered with furniture, which made it seem even bigger than it was. The floors were dark espresso wood and some kind of modern stone. We made our way into the kitchen area, a chef’s kitchen, as I like to call it. In the middle of the kitchen, was a very large island and the appliances were top of the line.
“It smells so good in here, Alex. What do you have cooking?” I asked.
“This evening, mademoiselle, I will be serving filet mignon, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed asparagus, and cheese stuffed mushrooms. Oh, and a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette,” he recited.
“I feel like I’m in a five star restaurant, Alex. By the way, you have a beautiful home. Did you buy the home like this or did you have it remodeled?” I asked.
“Thank you, Claire. I actually had a famous international architect design it for me. I wanted it as modern as could be. I will give you a tour before sunset, so you can see the beauty of the ocean view,” he answered.
I was so excited about the tour. The master bedroom had walls of glass as well, which overlooked the ocean. The restrooms were very modern with a lot of glass tile work and unique fixtures. The other side of the house overlooked a beautiful hillside, where I noticed a few fruit trees. The outside included an infinity pool and the best part of the house was that on top of one of the garages was a large rooftop sitting area that overlooked the ocean and even included an elevator. It was the perfect home for entertainment.
“Alex, it’s absolutely breathtaking up here. I can only imagine the parties you have here.” I said.
“Actually, it’s been so long since I’ve entertained here that I can’t even recall the last time,” he replied, gazing towards the ocean. “Let’s go back to the dining room, so I can feed you. I know you must be hungry.” He took my hand and led me back inside where I noticed music coming from the speakers. It sounded like Coldplay. I was relieved to discover that Alex and I had the same taste in music. He led me to the outside dining area where he had set a table overlooking the ocean.
“I thought we would dine out here, so we could enjoy the sunset together, Claire,” he said.
“I couldn’t have thought of a better location.” I replied.
I noticed the music also played from the outside speakers. Alex sat me down and started bringing out the food, starting with the appetizer, which was salad.
“This is really delicious, Alex. I’m confident all your cooking will be delicious this evening,” I smiled.
The filet mignon was mouthwatering and so were the mashed potatoes and side dishes. I was very pleased with the food Alex cooked for me that evening. He opened the bottle of wine I had brought and we sipped it slowly. “So, did I please you with my cooking or do you feel sick from it?” he laughed.
“I have to be honest, Alex, I really didn’t think it was going to be restaurant quality food. I must say that I’m very impressed.”
“Thank you, beautiful,” he replied. Alex had a sad look on his face all of a sudden. I was usually very good at reading people. He didn’t seem to be his usual self.
“Is everything okay, Alex? You don’t seem like yourself today. If you’re tired, we can call it a night, I will understand.” I offered.
“No, no, Claire, it’s nothing. I’m good. I apologize if I’m acting
a certain way or sending wrong vibes, but I’m fine. I just have some things on my mind, you know, work stuff,” he clarified. I didn’t really buy that, but I wasn’t going to annoy him with my assumptions.
“It’s dessert time,” he said, eager to change the subject. “Tonight we will be serving fresh berries over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream,” Alex said as he headed inside to bring out the dessert. After dessert, I helped Alex put the leftovers away and load the dishwasher. As I was rinsing the soiled dishes, I felt Alex put his arms around my waist from behind me and start kissing my neck. Oh no, I thought. I hope this doesn’t lead to what happened that past weekend. Alex noticed that I had become a little uncomfortable and whispered into my ear, “I’m not going to do anything you don’t want to do. I just want to kiss you,” he confessed. I turned around, put my arms around his neck and started to kiss him back. He stopped as he had promised when he noticed I started to feel uneasy.
“Let’s go relax on the roof, it’s nice up there.” He took my hand and led me into the elevator. I really liked this huge space filled with modern furniture and a bar area. There was also a fire pit in the center. It was dimly lit, which filled the atmosphere with a relaxed feeling. Alex brought more wine and a blanket for me, since it was getting a little chilly up there. He sat next to me on the cozy sofa and covered the blanket over me.
“I can do this every day with you, Claire. I feel so relaxed after such a difficult week at work,” he said.
“Difficult to say the least. This week almost killed me. I’m so glad it’s Friday night and what a perfect way to start the weekend with a gorgeous man cooking a gourmet dinner for me. Thank you, Alex,” I said as I raised my glass to his.
