by Shayla Black
The older man swallowed. “She was coming home from the grocery store. When she unlocked her front door, two men jumped out from the bushes, then shoved her inside and tied her up. They demanded to know where she kept her cash and papers. They threatened to kill her if she didn’t hand them over.”
Son of a bitch. These fuckers had probably known who she was, what she did for a living. Were they disgruntled clients? Henchmen for some neighboring low-life pimp?
“I know Gloria too well. She didn’t give them shit.”
“She’s a stubborn broad,” Buddy confirmed. “But I don’t think they gave her a choice. They beat the crap out of her and knocked her out with the butt of a gun. When she came to, they were gone. At some point, they had ransacked the whole place and taken all the cash they could find.” He scratched his head. “But they left behind her electronics and jewelry.”
And since the woman adored both, that meant her attackers had walked away from a small fortune. Why?
“What did the police say?”
“They don’t have a clue. They’re calling it a robbery, but…”
Yeah, that didn’t make sense to Beck, either.
He paced. How much fucking longer before the surgeon was done so he could ask questions and see her? Fear sliced him deeper with each excruciating minute that ticked by.
“I should have been beside her instead of watching TV.” Buddy’s guilt-ridden tone broke the brittle silence. “I was tired and wanted to relax with a beer and…”
Beck scrubbed a hand over his face and dropped into the seat beside Gloria’s boyfriend. “It’s not your fault. Obviously the pricks who did this thought a woman carrying in groceries at dusk was an easy target.”
“They’d have thought differently if I’d been there with my Smith & Wesson.” Buddy gritted his teeth, looking all too ready to commit violence. “What’s taking so damn long, Ken?”
Had the surgeon found Gloria’s injuries more extensive than expected? It happened… But he kept that information to himself. Still, the longer she remained on the operating table, the harder it was to force down his panic. “Could be anything, man. Stay calm.”
Beck had no idea how to follow his own advice.
Excruciating minutes later, an older doctor wearing mint green scrubs and a shock of white hair entered the room. He and Buddy immediately launched to their feet.
“I’m Dr. Evans. Are you the Beckman family?”
“Yes,” the two men replied at once.
Beck extended his hand, anxious for a peer-to-peer conversation. “I’m Dr. Kenneth Beckman, RPVI.”
The surgeon’s expression lightened. “Vascular, huh?” At Beck’s nod, he continued on, “Ms. Beckman is your…?”
“Wife.”
The other doctor quickly banked his surprise—because of their age gap?—and took a seat. He and Buddy each claimed one as well.
“She was worked over pretty badly, but we’ve done our best to put her back together. I performed a splenectomy. I’m sure you know that she’ll need to schedule regular follow-ups with her primary doctor.” Beck nodded. “She sustained a broken ulna, so I called in our orthopedic surgeon. He did an open reduction internal fixation and inserted a couple of screws into the bone. The X-rays of her ankle didn’t show any fractures, but she’s got a sizable hematoma and will need to stay off it for a few weeks. Ribs eight, nine, and ten were fractured, but the pulmonologist assured me none perforated her lung. He stabilized her rib cage since he was there as well.”
The litany of Gloria’s injuries sucked the air out of the room. Rage roared through Beck’s system.
“She had a substantial laceration across her forehead—”
“Please tell me you brought in a plastic surgeon.” Because if Gloria woke up and discovered her face had been sewn up by someone without an ounce of finesse, Beck knew there’d be hell to pay.
“We did.” The doctor dropped his voice. “I know who your wife is.”
That gave Beck pause. “Client?”
“No, but…we have mutual friends.”
Thank god. “Anything else?”
“Edema of her numerous contusions, especially on her face. Several teeth were avulsed, but when the swelling goes down and her gums heal, a prosthodontist can fit her with a partial or full set of false teeth.”
“Jesus,” he breathed out.
The surgeon nodded grimly. “I suspect she’s concussed. When the anesthesia wears off, we’ll be keeping a close eye on her. They’re getting her set up in ICU now. I don’t foresee any complications, but we’ll keep her there for a few days before letting her go to the step-down unit. If all goes well, she’ll be home soon after that.”
After Beck thanked Evans, the surgeon left. He collapsed against the back of his chair, both seething and heartbroken.
“I don’t understand much of what that man said.” Buddy cut into his thoughts. “Will Gloria be okay?”
“She’ll be all right…eventually. But those bastards beat the fuck out of her.” Imagining her helpless while someone took delight in damn near killing her infuriated him.
As he and Buddy made their way to the ICU waiting room, Beck used layman’s terms to relay the extent and repairs of Gloria’s injuries. Buddy had already looked overwhelmed, but now he seemed in danger of crumbling.
“When was the last time you ate?”
“I don’t know.” Buddy shrugged. “I had a late lunch. Maybe two.”
Over fifteen hours ago? “The cafeteria opens for breakfast at six thirty. It will take you ten minutes to walk over there, so they’ll be open by then. Grab something to eat. We could be waiting awhile to see her.”
Buddy looked reluctant, but before Beck could give him the canned speech about eating to stay strong for her, the man nodded and left.
To his surprise, he received permission to see Gloria about twenty minutes later. Recovery must have gone well.
He dragged in a bracing breath, but nothing could have prepared him for the needles, tubes, and electrodes feeding air, fluids, and pain meds into her beaten and broken body. The bandages and mangled flesh of her face made her nearly unrecognizable. His gut twisted. His heart splintered. The strong, tenacious fighter who had saved his life and taught him love, fortitude, self-esteem, and a million other life lessons looked half-dead.
Beck buried his forehead into the corner of Gloria’s pillow, but he couldn’t seem to keep his shit together. Hot tears stung his eyes, falling into her starched linens. What the fuck was he going to do if she didn’t pull through?
No. Dr. Evans had her listed in stable condition. She was going to be fine. He had to believe that. Just like he had to pull himself together. If Buddy came back and saw him break down, the guy would freak out.
“I’ll make those gutless pricks suffer tenfold for what they did to you,” Beck vowed.
Gloria’s lashes fluttered. A low moan rose from her throat before she lifted her puffy, purple lids and peered at him. “Ken?”
Beck kissed her forehead. “Shh. It’s me, sweetheart. You’re safe now and you’re going to be fine. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“You already know you can’t protect every woman you care about,” she slurred from between split lips. “I’m alive. The bastards didn’t win.”
“They didn’t,” he assured as he watched her slide back into a drug-induced oblivion.
A few minutes later, Gloria woke again. “Christ, I hurt. Do I look as bad as I feel?”
“No,” he lied. “You look like a million.”
“Oh, god,” she groaned. “It must be worse than I thought if you’re feeding me that bullshit.”
“At least you still have your sense of humor.” Then he sobered. “When you feel up to it, the police will want to question you. Do you know who did this? Customers maybe?”
“No. I’ve never seen either of these guys.”
“How much do you remember?”
“Unfortunately, all of it—until they knock
ed me out. Whatever they wanted, they wanted it bad. And I don’t think it was cash. They seemed almost disappointed when I finally gave them the previous night’s take, which was fat. The tall, ugly asshole kept asking me for papers. When I told him I didn’t know what he meant and that I kept most everything important in a safety deposit box, he got pissed and slammed the butt of his gun to my head.”
Papers? Title to her car? Deed to her house? Beck had no idea what they meant. “Good god.”
“When I finally came to, my place was a wreck and the two clowns were gone. I managed to work my hands free, crawl to the phone, and call Buddy before I passed out again.”
If not disgruntled clients or competitors, who the hell would have done this to her? Who had an axe to grind? Beck had to find out if he intended to make them pay.
Days bled into one another before Gloria was finally released from the hospital. Once home, frustration and anger left her perpetually irritated. Beck couldn’t really blame her. Helpless wasn’t in her vocabulary, but she was trapped in her broken body. She even needed help to walk to the bathroom. Buddy hovered protectively. He meant well…but it didn’t improve Gloria’s mood.
The only thing that kept him sane was daily texts with Heavenly.
During Gloria’s second week of recovery, he sat in the living room while she napped, thanking god her disposition had finally taken a brighter turn. The chime he’d assigned on his cell phone to Heavenly pealed. Fuck, he missed the girl fiercely. He wouldn’t leave Gloria while she needed him, but he was counting the days until he could return to LA—and Heavenly.
Just wanted to say hi, her message read.
A goofy grin tugged one corner of his mouth as he tapped a reply. Hi back. How’s it going there?
The usual. Work, work, work.
“Not good, little girl.” He tsked as his fingers flew across the keys. You need to balance yourself with plenty of rest, too.
How is your friend doing today?
He noticed she didn’t acknowledge his command. A bit better.
Coming back soon?
She wanted him there. Because she missed him as much as he missed her? He hoped so because it would really suck if he were the only one mentally replaying each minute they’d spent together.
I’m hoping to be back in no more than a week. I still have another surprise for you.
What?
He’d love to text back dirty details of all the “fun” they could have if she were naked and splayed out on his bed. Instead, he told her, You’ll have to wait and see. It’s a date when I get back, right?
Absolutely. Oops. Gotta go. Incoming patients. Talk soon. She ended with a winking emoji.
Too bad there wasn’t an emoji for horny doctor giving his girl hours of pleasure. He’d send her that one. Since there wasn’t, he simply tucked his phone away, unable to wipe the grin off his face.
“How is Heavenly?” Gloria asked without even opening her eyes.
“Good.”
She smiled. “This is hardly the right time, but I’d love to meet her someday.”
Beck pulled at the back of his neck, trying not to grimace. “Someday, maybe. But, um…”
“You haven’t told her we’re married?”
The woman knew him too well. Guilt crawled up his spine.
“Of course you haven’t.” She gave an absent wave of her hand. “What was once so logical and simple is now so complicated.”
“Exactly. I don’t know where this thing with Heavenly is going but…”
Gloria grimaced as she struggled upright and patted the cushion beside her. She wanted to talk. More accurately, she had something to say and wanted him to listen. With a sigh, he crossed the room and eased down beside her.
She took his hand and threaded her fingers through his. “Ken, call your lawyer and have him draw up the papers. It’s time. Neither of us needs to hide behind the smokescreen anymore.”
Life was a series of changes. Beck knew that, just like he knew she was right. Besides, even when Gloria was no longer his wife, they’d stay close, talk often…be friends. “All right.”
“It makes sense. Our lives have been going in different directions for years. I have Buddy. And you have Heavenly.”
Not yet, but he hoped so soon. That meant he had to divorce Gloria. Having two wives was out of the question.
“I’ll call next week and tell him to give you half of my—”
“I don’t want your money,” she snapped. “I have more lucrative investments than I’ll ever need. All I want is for you to be happy. If Heavenly can help with that, then sweep that little virgin off her feet and march her down the aisle.”
The image of her walking toward him in a flowing white gown, a huge smile spreading across her face as her eyes misted with joy bombarded his brain. Lost in the visual, he progressed them, saw her beside him every morning, saw her belly round with his babies. He didn’t hate the idea. At all.
“We’ve only had two dates,” he pointed out.
“And you never called me back after either to give me the juicy details.”
“I’m glad we have such clear personal boundaries.” Beck chuckled.
“Fuck that. Tell me everything!”
“It’s a little weird talking to my wife about my feelings for another woman.”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “I talk to you about Buddy, so stop stalling. Where did you go on your first date?”
“Disneyland. She’d never been.”
“And she loved it?”
A fond smile curled Beck’s lips. “She really did.”
“And the second date?”
“I took her to an art gallery.”
“Oh, god,” Gloria groaned. “I did you a disservice. Since you were sixteen, you’ve had all the sex you could want and you never had to woo a woman to get it. You even took one of my girls to prom.”
He shrugged. “I got a date without any effort, and she was guaranteed to put out.”
“A mistake. Clearly, I forgot to teach you that women need to be charmed. If you want to keep one, the quality time you share out of bed is important, Ken. An art gallery? Really? Watching a round of golf would be more entertaining.”
“It was a BDSM exhibit.” He paused. “I had to know her reaction. I had to know if there was any chance…”
“Ah. And what did Heavenly think about kinky art?”
“Mixed bag, but mostly positive. She’s got a few surprisingly edgier fantasies buried deep down.” Those kept niggling at him.
“Don’t we all?” Gloria chuckled. “Be specific.”
“Either being helpless at the mercy of a Master or being forced into that position flips her switch. I need more information to know for sure.”
“Intriguing. So what’s next?”
“Well, the Disney date proved we have chemistry and made her more comfortable with me outside the hospital. The art exhibit told me exactly what she’d respond to sexually…and probably gave her more than an inkling about what I want from her.”
“Inkling?” Gloria snorted. “Unless she’s stupid, you beating her ass with a paddle that reads I’M A SADIST would have been more subtle.”
“Funny. Now I just have to know how much she trusts me, so I’ll know how far and how fast I can take her.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“Something unexpected,” he replied cryptically.
“Do I need to warn her?”
“Nope. It’ll be a surprise.”
“You’re being awfully cautious…and you’re overanalyzing the situation. Heavenly is the one. You know that, don’t you?”
“I want her to be.” He sighed and stared at the rug between his feet, gathering his thoughts. “I think she is…but I can’t say for sure yet. She’s got a lot of secrets. Then again, so do I. It’s too soon to spring everything on her. Hell, I still haven’t kissed her yet.”
Gloria’s mouth dropped open. “Even after two dates? Do we need to talk about the bir
ds and the bees, Ken?”
“Hey, I’m wading through uncharted territory here. Like you said, I’ve never had to romance a woman,” he grumbled. “My gut tells me if I screw up with Heavenly, I may not get a second chance. At least Seth is back in New York, and I have all the time in the world. Patience…not as much. But I’m digging deep. She’s worth it.”
She gave him a sleepy smile. “It’s good to see you finally in love.”
Beck opened his mouth to argue, but it was pointless. First, because Gloria had already dozed off again. Second, because she was probably right.
Fuck.
As the sun set, he was still mentally gnawing on the L word. Buddy staggered out of the bedroom and headed straight to the coffeepot.
“Morning.” Beck chuckled.
“I don’t know how Gloria keeps these vampire hours.” Buddy shook his head, obviously trying to clear it. “Maybe she should retire.”
“Good luck convincing her of that.”
“I think I know how.” He took a long sip of coffee and even longer to swallow it down. Finally, Buddy raised his head. “I’d like to marry your wife.”
“Well, she’ll need to be my ex-wife first, but…we’re going to work on that. Have you asked her yet?”
“No. I figured I should talk to you first since…”
“I’m technically her husband?” Beck couldn’t help but grin. “We sound fucked up.”
“Yeah.”
He clapped Buddy on the shoulder. “Go get her, man. But you better make her happy or I’ll have to hurt you.”
Gloria’s boyfriend laughed. “I got it. Thanks.”
Twenty minutes later, the groom-to-be helped Gloria into a kitchen chair. She thanked him with a smile and a kiss. Beck sat across from the lovebirds.
“Ken, I really appreciate you dropping everything to take care of me. But you’ve been here for two weeks, and I’m feeling much better.”
