“Boatload?” he asks as he seems to be contemplating my offer. “How many figures are we talking?”
“Six or seven, at least. Bonuses when sales increase, the normal things consultants get in the retail business. So, you kind of sound like you’ll consider it,” I say as we turn the corner to walk down another hallway.
“If you really mean it about making changes then yes. I will consider it. It’s time you made some changes, Blaine. You’ve been going down a bad path for too long now. Many people have been hurt. It’s time to fix things. That’s what Pops always wanted. He wanted you to do things the right way.”
“I know. When I would stick around long enough to let him give me an earful, he’d get on the bandwagon every damn time. It annoyed me, to be honest. But what I wouldn’t give to have that man back and listen to him even one more time.”
As we turn to go into Sammy’s room, I notice Delaney’s head turn our way then snap back to look at her patient. “Visiting hours are over,” she snaps.
Kate hurries across the room to us. “Time to go.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” I tell Danny then walk over and put a hundred-dollar bill into his hand. “Take care of them, son. Your little brother needs you right now.” I look at his father and nod. “And so do your parents. I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope to meet your mother. I’ll bring her some flowers.”
“Thanks, Mr. Vanderbilt,” he says as he beams a happy smile. “I sure will do my best. And there better not be anyone who ever says a bad thing about you when I’m around or I’ll give them what for!”
Delaney makes a huffing sound and I laugh as I run my hand over Danny’s head, messing up his blonde shaggy hair. “Thanks, buddy. You’re the best.” Turning around, I find the lovely nurse has turned to and we’re facing each other, quite by accident. “And it was lovely meeting you, Nurse Richards. I’ll be seeing you around. I plan on helping this family out a lot.”
Sarcasm is dripping off every single word as she says, “Isn’t that just the nicest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Her gaze is a little on the sinister side. And they call me evil!
Stepping around her, I follow my brother and sister out of the room and hear the soft sounds of her feet behind me. A hand on my arm stops me and I turn back to look at her with a smile. “Yes, Nurse Richards?”
She makes sure to close the door behind her then her finger starts shaking in my face. “You listen to me, Blaine Vanderbilt. If you think coming to see this kid will get you a date with me, you had better think again. I will not be swayed by your act of kindness. I know all too well who and what you really are. Coming here and plying this family with gifts will not get you what you want.”
My sister and brother look on with surprised faces as she reads me her riot act. I take her wagging finger and hold it. “I’m not doing this to impress you, Delaney. But how cute that you think I would spend my precious time doing that just to get to you. It makes me think you might have a little internal battle with what you want to do. Perhaps my being around so much might have you seeing the real man I am becoming and that might just scare you a little.”
“The only that that scares me is the fact that you would stoop to making people think you care about them to get a piece of ass!” she snaps.
“Oh, baby, I’m not after a piece of ass. If I was, I wouldn’t even bother talking to you. You’d be in one of these empty hospital rooms in the bed with your feet over your head, screaming my name, if that’s what I wanted. Believe me, I know.” I let her finger go and she lets it fall to her side as she stares at me. “Now, I will see you tomorrow. I hope you come to work with a better attitude. I overheard some of your co-workers saying you had to work a double shift and you’ve been up all night and won’t get to sleep for another three hours, so I’m cutting you some slack. Now, if you’ll tell me your address, I’ll have your dinner delivered to you so you don’t have to worry about that either.”
“I don’t want a thing from you, Vanderbilt,” she says but her words have lost their hard edge.
“Suit yourself. I’ll bring you something for breakfast in the morning then,” I say then turn to leave.
“Don’t bother,” she calls out after me.
“It’s not a bother at all, Nurse Richards. Not one bit.”
I like her spunk. I think it might be just what I need in my life!
Chapter 8
DELANEY
The egotistical maniac is walking away from me with his broad shoulders swinging casually as he goes. For some reason, my eyes won’t stop looking at him as he walks away. His blue jeans fit him way too good and show off his muscle bound legs that are thick as tree trunks.
When he told me if he wanted a piece of ass he would’ve had it, I kind of believed him. A glimmer went through his light brown eyes that told me as much. His body hardened just slightly and I could almost smell the testosterone coming off him in waves of undulating pulses that I’m sure have drowned many a woman.
And what about him and women?
He’s never had a serious girlfriend from anything I’ve ever seen in the media. I’ve seen him in pictures when he was dressed to the hilt, looking nothing like he did today, at a few events with gorgeous creatures on his arm. Bever was one mentioned as anything except his escort for the evening.
I must admit he is something to look at. I find myself straining to catch the last glimpse of him before he turns the corner. Then he’s looking at me and I hurry to look away. Shit!
“See you tomorrow,” I hear him call out then when I look up, he’s gone.
“Thank God! Now to go find someone to take my shift tomorrow. It’ll mean I’ll have to work double the next day but I’ll get switched to another department and not have to meet up with him anymore.” I walk over to the nurses’ station and check the schedule.
Beth comes up behind me and asks, “What do you need, Delaney?”
“I need to be the hell out of this wing for the next week. What can you do to help me?” I ask the nurse who makes our schedules.
“Out of this wing? Why?” she asks as she looks over the schedule.
“A man has a hard dick for me. He’s going to be here most likely every day to see a patient in this wing. I know it’s just to get to me, so I want away from here.” I look over her shoulder and see that Rhonda is working the cancer ward. “See if she’ll switch with me, please. I have to get away from the man.”
“You sound worried,” she says as she looks at me with concern. “Is he a threat?”
“Not in the way that’s illegal, no.” I look away and wonder what my problem really is and find the words coming out of my mouth, “He’s sexy as hell, the most handsome man I’ve ever met, and he’s rich. I’m afraid my good sense will go out the window if I’m around him too much. When you throw in the fact he’s been pretty damn nice to me, it’s apparent I can’t trust myself.”
“That sounds amazing,” she says as she looks at me like I’m insane. “That does not sound like a man you should be hiding from in this vast hospital.”
“He’s the owner of Bargain Bin, the chain that ruined my family’s business. He’s the enemy. Get it now?” I ask as I tap the computer screen to show her Rhonda is on call and in the sleeping quarters. “I’ll go see her, to ask her in person if you’re cool with the change.”
“Your enemy, huh? Not a lot of people have enemies, Delaney.”
“So is that a yes?” I ask as I walk away from her.
“I guess so. But you should really reconsider this and get to know the rich handsome man, even if he is your family’s enemy,” she calls out after me.
I shake my head and wag my finger behind me as I head out to find Rhonda and divert myself from this path Blaine Vanderbilt is right in the damn middle of.
The break room is full as I turn to go inside to get to the sleeping quarters that are behind it. There’s food set out on the long side table we use when it’s someone’s birthday or some other special occasion when w
e all bring in food for a celebration.
“Wow, who’s birthday?” I ask. “And where’s the cake?”
“Look, Delaney, lobster bisque,” the janitor, Billy, shows me as he pulls up a spoonful of thick creamy goodness. There’s a large chunk of lobster right in the middle of it. “And you are the reason for this feast.”
An intern comes up to me with a card. When I open it I see the food is a gift from Blaine Vanderbilt for all of our hard work here at the hospital. My name is the only one on the card as he wrote that I was a special nurse who was aiding his friend’s family in their terrible time of need.
“What a crock of shit!” I say, making everyone look at me with slack jaws.
Paul comes up behind me and looks at the card over my shoulder. “Uh, oh. Seems someone is smitten with you, Delaney. Now how did that happen so fast?” I turn to find his hands on his hips as his eyes dance.
“I’m not sure. I suppose it’s because I hate the man. You all enjoy. I won’t take a bite of the food the evil man who owns Bargain Bin sent. But if you guys want to eat the food from the devil, go right ahead. Much like Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden, it became her downfall.”
“Halloween was last month, Delaney,” another one of the nurses I work with calls out to me then shows me a pretty delicious looking tiny cake. “Evil, devil, and words like that have no place in November. It’s a time for thanks giving. Come on, try some of the food, it’s all fantastic.”
I make my way through the people and find the woman I’m looking for at the back of the room eating a large plate of food. “Hey, Rhonda, I’d like to talk to you about switching schedules for the next few days or so.”
“And why is that?” she asks then places a huge bite of some type of sandwich, that has what looks like roast beef in it, into her mouth.
“I need out of this wing until the Peterson kid is released. So can you help me out?” I ask as I watch her eat.
She nods then swallows before she says, “Just one thing, though. I want out of that ward until after the first of January. I hate all the hoops we have to jump through when the hospital lets people come up to visit the cancer patients during the holidays. It just poops me out and the charge nurse over there can randomly stick you as the aid to anyone of the crazy celebrities that come in to visit the kids. I hate it.”
“Deal,” I say without hesitation. “I’ll take that, over trying to fend Vanderbilt off any day.”
“I have to tell you that you are a crazy woman, Delaney. If that hot piece of man-meat was after me, I’d roll over quick and in a hurry for him.”
The smell of roasted chicken wafts past my nose as Paul comes up beside me, a chicken leg roasted to perfection waves in the air, as he says, “Unless a man is willing to drop down on one knee and pledge his undying and committed to love to Delaney Richards, he doesn’t stand a chance. Vanderbilt went wrong when he simply asked her out on a date. Yes, Delaney, I heard about that.”
Fantastic, I’ll be the laughing stock of the entire hospital now!
To be continued…
The Billionaire’s Gift
Series
A Holiday Romance
Book 2
A Chilly Fall
By Michelle Love
Description
Intrigue. Lust. Passion.
All of the charm in the world doesn’t seem to be helping Blaine win the good favor of the feisty red-head, Delany Richards, who he finds so intriguing she’s consuming his thoughts.
Delaney is fighting an attraction to the gorgeous man but her family’s loss overpowers her desire for the man who ruined the family’s small tire shop in her hometown.
When Delaney’s boss lets her know she is the one who will be at Blaine’s side as he makes visits to the children in the hospital, she’s forced to hang out with the man all day as he visits the sick children.
Their mutual attraction is hard to deny but her will is strong. Can Blaine prove he’s a changed man and win her over?
Chapter 1
BLAINE
November 15th:
“The background check has cleared, Blaine, you can start your charity work at The Children’s Hospital today,” my secretary, Blanch lets me know.
“Great,” I answer her over the intercom in my office. “Can you call Kate and Kent in their offices and send them in here, please?”
“Will do, Mr. Vanderbilt. And would you like me to bring in the coffee service for your meeting with them?”
“That would be very nice of you, please do that.”
I’ve been practicing my please and thank you’s as often as I can. Turning over a new leaf means changing the usual way I talk to people too. I used to think there was no reason to use gratuitous remarks when you are dealing with people in business.
Kate is the one who is in charge of helping me with my hard edges. Kent is in charge of helping me figure out what I can do to make my business more fair to the local economies. So far we’ve yet to come up with much.
The door to my office opens up and my brother and sister come inside, followed by the coffee cart, complete with pastries for our morning meeting. “Good morning,” I say as I sit at my desk.
“It’s nice if you get up and greet the people who come into your office, Blaine,” Kate tells me.
I nod. “I’ll try to remember that.”
She shakes her head and grabs Kent by the arm before he can make himself a cup of coffee. “Wait! Blaine, you need to practice doing that. Then it will become a habit and you’ll do it automatically. Get up and come shake our hands and greet us with a smile and some nice words.”
With a sigh, I get up and go with my hand extended to do her little exercise. I take her hand first. “Good morning. My, don’t you look pretty today. Tell me, how did you sleep last night?”
I earn another shake of her head, sending her blonde curls bobbing away. “Blaine, that’s too personal. And the pretty remark might be considered flirty of sexist. Stick with the normal, good morning, lovely to see you thing. Okay. Now try to do better with Kent.”
I turn to find Kent waiting with a tight-lipped expression. “How do you do, sir?” I ask as I shake his hand.
“Not very good, Mr. Vanderbilt,” he says as Kate and I both look at him with confused expressions. “I’m trying to give you the chance to interact with someone who’s not having a great day, Blaine.”
“Oh, I see now. Okay,” I say then take a step back. “What seems to be the trouble, old man?”
“Not, old man,” Kate corrects me.
“Fine. What seems to be your malfunction, jackass?” I laugh but it’s only me who’s laughing.
“Come on,” Kate whines. “Be serious. Watch me.” She reaches out to shake Kent’s hand. “Good morning, Mr. Vanderbilt. How is your day going?”
“Terrible,” he says with a fake frown. “I bought a bag of tools at your store today and when I opened it, I found it was missing three of the tools the label said it had in it. When I went to the customer service counter to return it and get a refund, I was told they don’t issue refunds on electronics. I told them they were tools, not electronics. The lady pointed to the one electric thing in the picture of the tools inside of the bag, an electric screwdriver and gave me a smile.”
I start laughing and then Kent really frowns at me. “That’s crazy,” I say as I pour myself some coffee.
“And that really happened to me yesterday, Blaine. At the store right here in town, that happened to me. We have real trouble here,” he says then makes himself a coffee.
“You should leave the cart, Blanch,” I tell her. “It looks like this is going to a lengthy meeting.”
With a nod, she leaves us, closing the door behind her. Kate picks up a cinnamon roll and an apple juice then takes a seat. “My advice is to make up a new refund policy comparable to any of the other large chain stores. After we get that done, then I will implement a training program for the customer service employees.”
“That soun
ds like progress,” I agree as I take my seat again. “And I’ve been cleared by the hospital to do some charity work there for the holidays. Today I will begin. So can I count on you two to work on the refund policy?”
Kent leans forward and says, “I think we need to stop buying everything so damn cheap, Blaine.”
“Whoa, that’s my main thing. I buy things cheap so I can sell them cheaper than anyone else does.” I shake my head as I lean back in my chair.
“Well, the cheap crap shows up in the stores either broken, nearly broken, or missing parts. I know you’re making it all work and the customers keep coming back but it’s not fair to keep taking people’s hard earned money for the same crap over and over again,” he says and gives me a little smile at the end. “What if that was you?”
“Me?” I ask then lace my fingers behind my head and lay my head on them as I look up. Pop’s invasion into my dreams hasn’t slowed down one bit. His words are getting easier to recall when I wake up. Some of them are making an appearance in my memory with Kent’s suggestion. What if that was you?
“You don’t even use the things you place on your stores' shelves, Blaine,” Kate tells me then takes a bite.
“I can afford better,” I say as I look at her. “I work hard to get what I have.”
“So does everyone else, Blaine,” Kent says and his words hit home.
“You know, I need to say something to you both, I don’t think I’ve ever told you before. I am proud of you two. I know you both work really hard. Maybe even harder now that you’ve taken consultant positions with my company. I just wanted you to know that.”
The looks they give me makes my heart pump a little faster. This being nice thing really is great!
Shattered: A Billionaire Romance Series (Contemporary Romance Novels) Page 124
