“No way,” she snarled. Both Nate and Doug turned to her, the latter seemingly surprised she was in the room.
“Excuse me?” Nate replied.
“I said, ‘no way’.” Val crossed her arms over her chest. “The statement is fine and I agree we need to do something as soon as possible. But a press conference? Do you really want to throw Doug to the wolves? Because that’s what’ll happen. He isn’t one of your media-groomed celebrities, but the press will never stand for seeing anybody but him on the podium.” She warmed to the subject further, even though alarm bells were also ringing in her head. “And since you want to stay out of the public eye, who’s going to stop the bleeding if he gets flustered or says something wrong? I suppose it’ll be up to me to clean up the mess.”
Doug was watching the two of them with fascination, and Val regretted having this argument in front of him. It certainly wasn’t making her look any more professional. Before either could say anything further, though, Doug cut in. “Craft the message for me and I’ll stick to it. I won’t take questions, just read the statement. Schedule the news conference.”
“Doug–”
“Schedule it. For now we’ll handle things Nate’s way. He specializes in this stuff. That’s why I brought him in.”
“Fine,” Val answered through clenched teeth. She rose and strode toward the door, knowing she shouldn’t be leaving in a huff like this, but not sure how much more she could take before she said something she’d regret. Unfortunately, Nate followed her.
“Do you want me to start writing Doug’s talking points while you call the media to set everything up? Someone has to book the space and such too.”
Without even slowing down, she said, “You tell me. You’re obviously in charge.”
Nate touched her shoulder. “Hold up, Val.” Val spun to face him. Tapping her foot, she waited with her arms crossed over her chest. Nate ran his hand through his hair and the movement was the first outward sign she’d seen that his supreme confidence might be a façade. “Look, I didn’t mean–”
“Like hell you didn’t! You made me look an idiot back there.”
“That wasn’t my intention, but your fragile ego is the least of my concerns.”
“Fragile ego? Whatever.” Damn him being right all the time. It’s infuriating. She began to walk again and Nate tagged along. When Val reached the elevator, she punched the button hard again, breaking another nail. “Dammit!” A jagged edge was left and she swore, shaking her hand. Before she could stop him he’d grabbed her hand and sucked the digit into his warm, wet mouth. Gasping, she stared at him. “W-what are you doing?”
Extracting her finger, he answered, “It looked like it hurt.”
“It did.” Glancing around, she whispered. “You can’t do stuff like that here.”
He grinned. “So I can do it somewhere else?”
“No! Ugh, you irritate the hell out of me.”
Reaching up, he tapped her neck. “That’s not what this little vein says.”
Batting his hand away, she spied the elevator doors opening and stepped through them. “That little vein also indicates anger.”
Stepping on after her, he held up his hands. “Truce?”
“Fine. Truce. Just don’t touch me again.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
They walked in silence back to the PR department and parted ways. When Val reached her office, she closed the door and then sank into her desk chair. Spinning it toward the window, she stared out into the bright sunshine. It was only nine a.m. and already she was developing a headache. This was not an auspicious start to the day.
*****
By the time the press conference finally wrapped up after four that afternoon, Val was ready to collapse. Her head was pounding and her feet throbbing. She made a note to keep more comfortable shoes in her office. The day had been one issue after the other and the whole thing amounted to one huge pain in the ass.
First, there’d been the flood of messages that had filled her voicemail box by the time she’d gotten back from the meeting with Doug. Thankfully that meant no one could leave messages directly on her phone, but it didn’t stop them from harassing the department’s secretary all day. Val would buy the woman flowers, at the very least, to make up for the dozens of messages the woman had patiently taken and then delivered to Val. There’d been so many, after she’d sent out the news release she’d had to find an intern to make the phone calls to follow up with the media outlets about the press conference since she was busy trying to coordinate with building security and the AV department to set up the presser.
Then, when she arrived at the auditorium where the press conference would be held, she was told the microphone attached to the podium wasn’t working. The AV tech was scrambling to replace it, as journalists and cameramen streamed into the area. She wasn’t even positive what Doug was going to say since he and Nate had still been working on his talking points when Val had to leave for the set-up. By the time Doug arrived, she only had time to glance over the notes to make sure there weren’t any train wrecks in the making before they had to begin. Apparently Doug had decided to take some questions in the time since she’d left, and strangling Nate with his own beautiful silk tie looked like an excellent option. Questions were when the problems started, which was why she’d been against the decision in the first place.
Doug read a statement and, as soon as he drew a breath at the end, the questions began. Did the hospital have any idea where the doctor had fled to? How did they plan to make sure this didn’t happen again? How would this incident affect their other research projects? It was enough to make even a seasoned PR person’s head spin, and Val pinched the bridge of her nose as the questions were shouted from all directions. Despite the hammering beat in her head, she forced herself to pay attention and keep a close watch on Doug to make sure he didn’t crack under the pressure. Finally, blissfully, she was able to step in and end the news conference without any major incidents.
Slogging her way back to her office, she went through her mental list of things she still had to do before leaving for the day and nearly turned around and bolted for the door. The only thing that kept her going was the idea of a good meal and relaxing conversation with Stacy later that evening. Val had called her right after the disastrous meeting that morning, knowing she would need to get away from everything to remain sane.
Nate pounced on her as soon as she opened the door to the department. “How’d it go? I watched on television with the rest of the department and it seemed to be okay.”
Val shrugged as she unlocked her office. “As well as can be expected, I guess, despite his decision to answer questions.” Nate’s gaze skittered away from hers. Yeah, that’s what I thought. You told him to do it. “They aren’t burning Doug in effigy or roaming the halls armed with pitchforks and spades.” She glanced up at him. “Yet.”
Nate laughed and Val’s entire body warmed. She immediately put some distance between them, plopping down into her desk chair. They spoke for a little while, and then Val shooed him out of her office so she could get some work done. When she arrived at the restaurant later that evening, Stacy rose from her place at the bar and gave her a big hug. “Oh, hon, you look like you’ve been run ragged.”
“Twelve-hour days will do that to a girl.”
They sat and Val ordered a glass of wine while they perused their menus. Once their meals had been ordered, Stacy sat back. “So tell me what made you send out the SOS today.”
“Not what. Who.”
“Uh-oh. What does that mean?”
“That guy I told you about?” Stacy nodded, and Val continued. “I got in this morning and the CEO, Doug, asked to see both of us. We went in there and Nate just took over! Again! I looked like a total idiot and he ended up looking like the savior.”
“I doubt it was as bad as you think it was.”
Val snorted. “Trust me, it was. And then he followed me after the meeting and when I broke my nail on
the elevator button, he sucked my finger into his mouth right there on the executive floor.” Stacy raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. “What?”
“Why do you let this guy get to you so badly?”
“He’s an arrogant ass!”
“Yes, you’ve mentioned that…”
Val stuck her tongue out at her friend. “Well, he is.”
“So you’ve said.”
“Are you just going to make fun of me all night? I could’ve stayed at work and let Nate do that.”
“All right, all right, calm down.” Stacy paused, cocked her head, and continued, “You deal with difficult people all the time. What makes him different?”
Val dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her temples, wondering if ibuprofen and wine were a bad combination. “I don’t know, really. Before he got here I felt competent, in charge, you know? I’ve been doing a lot of good things for the hospital, and then this happens and Doug runs to his old friend. I can’t help but think he feels I’m incompetent.”
“Maybe it just freaked him out and he didn’t know how to handle it.”
Val shrugged, conceding the point. “Maybe. He hasn’t been CEO long.”
“There you go. He’s just trying to save his ass.”
“And hanging me out to dry at the same time.”
“If you really think so, why don’t you talk to Doug about it? Or even Nate?”
Wrinkling her nose, Val answered, “I’d look weak. I’ll do the best I can. Other than that, screw ’em.”
“There’s the Val I know and love.” Stacy winked and Val laughed. Her friend paused for a moment and then said, “Honey, I’m gonna be straight with you about something. You haven’t dated much in the past couple of years, and when you did, you went for ‘safe’ guys. Not a one of them could I see you getting serious about.”
“So?” She knew she sounded defensive, but her hackles were up from everything that had happened already.
“So…maybe another reason Nate bugs you so much is because you finally feel like you might’ve met your match.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” One of Stacy’s eyebrows rose. “Just give him a chance. Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
“Doubtful.”
Their dinners arrived and they dug in. Val changed the topic and concentrated on listening to Stacy regale her with tales of her nieces and nephews, pushing the hospital and especially Nate to the back of her mind with ruthless single-mindedness.
Chapter Five
Wednesday morning dawned sunny and warm, and as Val drove into work she was amazed how harmless a day could look. She had no idea what to expect after yesterday’s press conference.
When she arrived, there was a message from Doug asking to see her and Nate. Hardly a shocker. She settled into the guest chair with her ever-present legal pad and waited for Doug to get off the phone. Nate sat next to her, and she could smell just a whiff of light cologne, the same one he’d been wearing when they’d gone out to dinner and he’d kissed her. She pressed her thighs together against the torrent of heat coursing through her. The cologne didn’t overpower his natural male scent, and she found herself leaning toward him to fill her nostrils with the musk.
This morning he was sporting a dark-purple shirt with the same color tie and black dress pants. She hadn’t eaten breakfast yet and he looked better than the chocolate croissant waiting back in her office. Val didn’t want to like him. He was screwing up her plans. But something about him drew her, and no matter how hard she wished for that something to go away it only got stronger.
Doug hung up and looked at them, anxiety and resignation showing in his gaze. His eyes were ringed by circles and the poor guy appeared to have aged ten years since Saturday. “We’ve got a final tally for how much Dr. Godlowski took, and it’s not pretty. Four point seven million dollars.”
Nate whistled and Val dropped her chin to her chest before taking a deep breath and lifting her head again. They’d known the amount would be high, but this was beyond even what she had conceived in her darkest moments. Would the hospital that was so much a part of her life even be able to survive something of this magnitude?
“Additionally, our legal department received word certain donors are threatening a class-action lawsuit against the hospital for gross negligence.” Val then looked up at the ceiling, willing a tornado to come along and sweep her away as Nate swore softly.
Knowing there was no natural disaster on the way, just one of a greedy, weak doctor’s making, she leveled her gaze at Doug. “What do you need us to do?”
“There’s more.”
“You’re kidding.”
Doug laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I wish I was. Last night before I left I spoke with NIH. They’re suspending awarding of grant dollars to us until their investigation is concluded. All grant dollars.”
Val groaned, her stomach churning, and even Nate shifted in his seat, shaking his head. She glanced over at him, thinking he was probably regretting agreeing to help out.
“All right. Well, there’s nothing we can do about the NIH investigation except try to keep it quiet and cooperate with them,” Val said. “And hope the other researchers don’t freak out too much. I’d be hard-pressed not to if I was them. But as far as the other stuff…”
Nate spoke up. “Confidence in the hospital is eroding, and fast. I’m guessing that not only are you going to experience a noticeable drop in donations, but also in patients.”
“Yes, I expect we will,” Doug answered.
“So you need to go even more on the offensive. I’d suggest buying time on the three or four major local networks and running an infomercial. You should also buy ad space in the local newspaper for the next several weeks and probably do some radio spots too. In them, have your other research efforts front and center to show that no matter what happens, their work is still progressing. You need to convince the average consumer that the hospital can be trusted. Find five or six promising studies and blast the results everywhere you can.”
“Those are all good ideas. Val?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any other ideas?”
Val briefly glared at Nate. “Get some patients to do video or audio testimonials. Put them up on the website and include them with the TV and radio ads. We need more than just the doctors and researchers—we have to show that regular people still think CCC is the best place for their cancer treatment, despite our recent difficulties.”
Doug nodded. “Great idea.”
Nate didn’t say a word and Val considered jamming the heel of her boot into the top of his foot, just to see him wince. The guy was almost unflappable. “Anyway, I’ll go back to my office and start getting the ad space purchased and the air time reserved. I’ll also get in touch with the AV staff to let them know we’re going to need their services. Nate, since you seem to be so good at it, can you begin crafting talking points for use in these?” She felt better being the one giving orders, rather than receiving them, and she even threw a smile Nate’s way—one with teeth. Two could play at this game. He raised an eyebrow.
“Of course. I’m at your disposal.”
Val barely contained a childish retort. “Doug, are we all set for now?”
“As much as we can be. Thanks for everything.”
“Not a problem. It is my job, after all.” That was an uncalled-for dig and she knew it, but couldn’t seem to stop the words. She rose and turned to Nate. “You coming?”
“I hope so.”
Val narrowed her eyes briefly, but Nate’s expression betrayed nothing. Deciding to ignore what she was sure was a deliberate double entendre, she strode to the door of the office and out into the hall. She and Nate didn’t talk on the walk back to the PR department, but she was intensely aware of him next to her—the heat radiating off his body, the way he kept stealing glances at her. When they reached her door, she unlocked it and went into her office. “Let me know if there’s anything you ne
ed.” She’d intended the remark to be an obvious brush-off, but Nate apparently wasn’t deterred. He walked in after her and shut her office door.
“So when are we going to talk about what happened?”
Val toggled her mouse to wake up her laptop, avoiding his gaze. “How about never?”
“How about right now?”
“Nate, we have work to do.”
“I know.”
“So why don’t you leave and let me do it?”
“Why won’t you give me the time of day? You responded to that kiss. You can’t fake a reaction like that.”
“Look, we’ve got a long day ahead of us. I don’t have time to massage your ego about why I’m not interested in you.”
“Not interested…” Nate murmured.
Turning away from him again, Val typed in her password. “Yes. Not interested.”
“I think you are.” He rose and rounded the corner of her desk before swiveling her toward him.
The look on his face made it clear he wasn’t going to allow her to keep denying the attraction. Maybe if she admitted to it he’d leave her alone. “Maybe I am, but this can’t happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re working together. And then you’re leaving.” And you make me feel different than any other man I’ve met.
“All the more reason to enjoy ourselves while we can.”
He knelt and his arms, thick with sinewy muscle, snaked around her waist, hauling her to him. She let out a little whimper she hardly recognized as coming from her, and her breathing became labored. Her body, seeming to recognize his even as her mind fought against the attraction, melded with his. As Nate’s mouth descended on hers, she tried to remember why this was a bad idea.
Her heart hammered in her chest, as his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth. She opened without thought and he gave a grunt of pure male satisfaction as his kiss possessed her. Nate rose, pulling her out of her chair at the same time, and lifted her into his erection, pushing one thick thigh between her legs as best as he could with her skirt in the way. When the hard length of him brushed against her, she moaned and heard an answering growl from him. He was so hot; scorching her from the inside out.
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