by R. Lorelei
“Is that so?” Chase raised his eyebrows and studied Nick’s expression. “I wish you well.”
“Thanks.” Nick returned Chase’s smile and they shook hands. Cosmo and beer apparently go well together.
The next morning, I allotted myself an hour to get ready, excluding travel time. I took an extra-long shower and opted for my tight black pants with two inch heels. I chose a light blue blouse and placed the white coat I worked so hard to achieve over it. I looked at myself proudly in the mirror and pulled my hair up into a high ponytail.
I had this smile on my face that wouldn't go away. I applied light makeup on my pale white complexion and accentuated my lips with this gorgeous rose color I recently bought from Sephora. With a final once over, I headed out to Snowball.
The morning was bitterly cold. My cell phone reading said minus fifteen degrees. The 680 News channel said with the wind chill, it felt like negative thirty. I reached the hospital at 8:00 a.m. for 8:30.
The underground parking lot was huge and I must have circled it five times looking for a spot where Snowball would be safe. I liked to leave her next to a wall so there was fifty percent less chance of door dings, but when I couldn’t find the optimal space, I settled on parking her in between some of her own kind. I sandwiched her in between a Mercedes and a BMW, convincing myself that it was the largest spot. I was hoping their owners were as conscientious as I was, and I wouldn’t come back to scratches or dents.
I got out of Snowball and hit her key fob to lock her doors. The underground wasn’t heated, and my winter jacket was no match for the bone chilling cold I was experiencing. I chose the stairs over the elevator and could smell the strong stench of urine as I ascended to the main floor. Immediately I started second guessing my choices of Residentship at this hospital over the dismal underground parking conditions.
My first stop was the hospital coffee shop before going on to Personnel. I spotted a Tim Horton’s. Just the aroma of the coffee alone began settling my early morning nerves.
Ainsley, the HR girl, had planned my entire day for me. Mundane couldn’t begin to describe my first day of orientation. She told me it would begin with introductions to staff I would be working with closely, and then computer training followed up by a formal introduction to the hospital CEO.
I met streams of people, all of whose names escaped me, and I learned a computer system with which I was already familiar, but it irked me that the doctor who was going to be training me couldn’t spare ten minutes of his valuable time to be introduced to me.
When it came time to meet up with the CEO of the hospital, I asked to use the bathroom so I could freshen up for my final meeting of the day. The General had a great reputation, and as a student, I knew I wanted to end up working there after I completed my residentship. I never met a CEO before and it was a bit intimidating. What if he or she asked me a really hard question that I couldn't answer? I ran a comb through my long, brown hair and reapplied fresh lipstick and a spritz of perfume before returning to Ainsley.
Ainsley had spent the entire day with me, so I was beginning to feel comfortable with her. She was five-two if she was lucky, with a bob haircut and big, brown eyes hidden behind her black-rimmed glasses. She kept cracking jokes that were totally not funny and then she would stop and wait for a reaction. She had a look of expectation in her eyes that made you want to laugh just to appease her.
Ainsley pulled out her phone from her pocket and glanced at the time. “Ready?”
Exaggerating, I took a deep breath, shook my shoulders, rolled my head, and wiggled my fingers, and then cracked my knuckles all in imitation of an athlete immediately before competition. “Ready!” By now, I knew I could joke with Ainsley but deep down in the pit of my stomach, I could feel that uncomfortable nervous sensation of butterflies.
She led me through a dimly lit indoor tunnel to a flashy administrative building immediately next to the hospital. I was in uncharted territory, the shark tank, if you will. A grandiose, well-designed building so completely separate from the hospital, you immediately felt dissociated once you walked inside.
The building was decorated elegantly for the EXECUTIVES, people with big titles, making big decisions affecting thousands of lives, while they earned obscene amounts of money. What it always came down to for them, what they based all their decisions on, was always how it would affect their budget. It was never about the doctors, nurses, or staff, and most importantly, never about the patient, although the big shots would have you believe otherwise. I hated them.
We reached the CEO's secretary who recognized Ainsley immediately. “He’s expecting you. You may go in.”
Ainsley opened the door and stepped aside. I entered first. For a fraction of a second I noticed the beautifully furnished office just before my gaze slammed into Chase. I gasped.
~5~
The damage was done. I could only control what happened next.
Ainsley snapped her head in my direction at the sound of the gasp. She was able to contain her composure after my knee-jerk reaction at the sight of HIM. She eyed me with curiosity but refrained from asking.
In her most professional demeanor, she introduced me formally to Chase and excused herself from the office after thanking me for the day we had together and wishing me luck in my new role.
More than a little freaked that she was leaving me alone with him, I grew angry with the realization that he never bothered informing us of his position at the hospital last night. I flashed back to Nick saying he was vying for the CEO position. Nick could really stick his foot in it.
Frozen to my spot, I waited for him to say something. He bowed his head and pointed towards the vacant black leather chair placed in front of his desk and curtly said, “Please.”
I took the seat offered and crossed my arms and legs, remaining silent. He sat opposite me, elbows planted on his desk, fingers steepled. He was thinking, I could tell.
Chase had the biggest title, the biggest effect on those around him, made the most money of anyone who worked here. His dark, brooding eyes peered into mine. The atmosphere was quiet and calm as if we were suspended underwater. I looked directly into the most deadly eyes of the Great White himself.
Ready for this challenge I stated, “You should have said what you do for a living.”
“You never asked.” Chase's tone was low and challenging.
“You didn’t think it was important to mention, after you knew I accepted a residency position here?” I glared at him.
“It was hardly a wise move. You never would have rented from me if you knew.” His eyes never leaving mine.
“No, I wouldn’t have. You should have found someone else,” I scolded.
“I wanted you,” he fired back at me. This sent chills up my spine. I was stunned with suspicion that he might like me.
Our conversation hit a pause. I chose not to ask him why he wanted me as a tenant; I feared my suspicion would be confirmed. He rose and started pacing. My intimidation increased.
I glanced down at his shoes. He was wearing a different pair of gold. He had more than one pair. I got mad at my loss in concentration. I stopped looking at him and readjusted my sitting position and waited for him to say more. He continued. “What I do during the day has nothing to do with you renting my loft.”
“Bullshit,” I spat. “It’s a conflict of interest, bordering on manipulation.”
“You’re overreacting, save it for your work.”
What a condescending prick! How dare he accuse me of overreacting. He knew what buttons to push to make me angry.
I went straight for the door and snarled,“Hardly. Good day, Chase!” I was angry at myself, because I let him know he got to me.
“You too, Chanel.” His voice remained calm, unaffected. He followed me. I didn’t see him do this, but I felt him close behind. His spicy cologne was distracting. I swooned for a fraction of a second, as though caught in an imaginary wave. I fought the sexual attraction I was feeling and left his offi
ce closing the door behind me. Enigmatic and powerful, he was never to be underestimated.
~6~
When Snowball and I got home I texted Nick:
Chanel: Code grey!
I knew when he got this message he would come right over, so I jumped in the shower to rid myself of all the hospital microorganisms that somehow manages to find their way on my body while I’m there. I bought a new shower head which made the water hit all my tense muscles in just the right spots. I could have stayed in their for ages, but I knew if I didn’t get ready soon, Nick would try joining me in the shower declaring a code purple from sex deprivation, he always claimed sperm build up turned his balls purple.
Our friendship had great benefits, on so many occasions. After sex, we always swore we would never do it again. When either one of us went on extended bouts of what we diagnosed as ‘Anorsexia’ our definition: undernourishment of sexual needs. Having sex with Nick was a great way to release pent up sexual energy before getting sexually frustrated. We were doing each other a favour.
Dressed in my worn, flannel, pyjama’s, I found Nick already waiting for me on my sofa. He was dressed for comfort in a black Nike track outfit and socks. He had used his own key to get into my apartment, which I always encouraged.
He had two Vodka coolers poured and two veal sandwiches topped with a spicy tomato sauce waiting for me. He appeared to be listening to an old episode of Friends and doing something on his phone when I walked in. He looked up at me and immediately turned off the television so I could have his undivided attention.
I sat next to him and started divulging immediately, “Did you know who we met last night at the Paddock?”
Nick half smiled, half snickered, “Yes... I was there, remember.”
“You can cork the sarcasm, save it for a boyfriend,” I said sarcastically. I shook my head mildly irritated with him, “No, seriously. Did you know who Chase is?” Haven’t you ever seen him before?”
“Well,” he paused. “I guess he looked a little familiar. Who is he?” Nick took a bite of his sandwich.
“He’s ‘just’ the CEO of the General.”
Nick looked at me a little awestruck, “Why didn’t he mention it to us when we told him where we were going to work?”
“Exactly! Why didn’t he? When I found out, the first thing I thought was you told him you wanted to be CEO! If I wasn’t so freaked out I probably would have laughed. Count on you to stick your foot in it.”
“How did you find out? What happened?”
Now I knew I really had his attention, “I was orienting with Ainsley today from HR and at the end of the day she said she was going to take me to the CEO. When she introduced us, she left me alone with him. Oh my God, I was standing like an idiot in his office in complete shock. I asked him why he didn’t disclose his position at the hospital when we met at the bar, and he said it was because he wanted me to sign the lease. I told him, he can’t be my landlord and my boss. It’s just, it’s just wrong, I stammered. I left his office in a huff.”
“So what are you going to do?”
I rolled my eyes and took a huge sip of my cooler, “If I knew what I was going to do I wouldn’t have called a code! What should I do?”
Just then, the buzzer to my door went off. Nick looked at me, “Are you expecting someone?”
“No.” I glanced down at what I was wearing and then back up to him, “I can’t answer the door, not looking like this. You, answer!” I ordered.
Nick greeted the caller and then listened to the other end. His eyes grew large as he looked at me, “Come on up.”
He hung up the phone, “You’ll never guess who.”
“Who, Who?” My voice was ingrained with impatience.
“Chase is here.”
“No way!” I got up from the couch and started running quietly to my room. Nick had to be kidding but if he wasn’t, I wasn’t going to take my chances.
Nick stood from the couch, “What are you doing?”
“Hiding; he can’t see me looking like this. I don’t even know what I would say to him!”
I found a comfortable hiding spot when I heard the knock.
Nick opened the door and greeted Chase, “Good to see you again, and to what do I owe the honor? Please, come in.”
“Thanks, I was hoping I could have a minute with Chanel? She does live here, doesn’t she?”
“She does,” he confirmed. “Coco is a little indisposed right now.” He used my damned nickname.
Then Chase obviously catching on to the term of endearment had to pry, “I’m sorry, did I catch both of you at a bad time?” The insinuation was evident, and Nick of course confirmed it, “You did, but that’s okay, I can have her call you in the morning if you’d like?” What kind of game was Nick playing at?
“That would be fine. I’m sorry to disturb you, I’ll see myself out.” The door opened and Chase left.
I waited for a minute before I came out, “What was that?”
Nick rolled his eyes, “What was what?”
I mimicked Nick perfectly, “Coco is a little indisposed right now.”
“I don’t like the way he just showed up, I wanted to give him something to chew on.” Nick took another bite of his sandwich. I suddenly lost my appetite. “Whatever he had to say to you could have waited until he saw you at work.”
“You shouldn’t have done that Nick.”
“Sorry, he just pissed me off.”
“So what do I do?”
“Ask Aria if you can get out of your lease, it’s easier than finding a new job.”
“What if I can’t?”
“Then you’ll have to learn to live with this new situation, at home and at work.”
~7~
I joined Nick on the couch when the coast was clear but I was still pissed at the way he handled Chase.
In Nick’s eyes, my code grey had been temporarily averted and now it was time to take care of his Code Purple. His code purples were increasing exponentially. He placed his arm around me on the sofa and he had this enamored look in his eyes he swore no girl could resist. I told him, I wasn’t one of them but he refused to believe me.
He started moving my hair over to one side as he began to kiss my neck. I tilted my head increasing his access, while I picked his phone up and started dialling Aria’s number. She answered on the second ring, “Hello?”
“Aria? It’s Chanel. I just ran into a problem and was wondering if I could run a question by you.”
“Sure Chanel, what is it?”
“Any possibility of backing out of the lease and finding a new place”
“Sorry Chanel, you already signed. Is there a problem?”
I didn’t want her to start asking questions while Nick was getting ‘heated’ so I just cut it short, “It’s nothing, I’ll tell you the next time I see you.”
We hung up with each other and I turned my attention back to Nick, “I’m shit out of luck,” Nick. His soft lips covered mine and his warm tongue found its way into my mouth. I submitted to his skilled advances and kissed him back.
He eagerly removed my pyjama top lifting it over my head and then he took my breast into his mouth and began sucking it savagely. His licking mimicked an animal’s victory kill, lapping up its prey, “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said in a breathy tone as he took the other breast into his mouth. If he didn’t have my attention before, he sure as hell had it now.
“Do you want me to blow you tonight?” I asked, figuring out his pleasure.
“No,” he said huskily. “I just want to take you raw. I’m going to make that pussy of yours bleed.” He ripped my underwear off and without another second to spare he penetrated me forcefully, fucking me selfishly. Only his pleasure mattered right now. Sex on demand was sweet, with Nick.
His punishing thrusts lasted until I could barely take more and then he ordered me to, “Come.”
I came around him and then he pulled out marking me like an animal spraying his territory, coming al
l over my abdomen.
“You can’t fuck a girlfriend like that!” Nick said appreciatively as he kissed me one more time before I headed back to my shower.
“Next time use a condom, Dickwad” I ordered from the bathroom.
~8~
Aria
Chanel called this morning sounding desperate about wanting to meet up with me at a coffee shop near her old apartment. Human curiosity got the better of me and I raced over to meet her.
The morning wasn’t as cold as it had been in the previous days. The snow was beginning to get slushy and the clouds were more grey than white. When I got to the coffee shop, Chanel was already there. It was a cozy coffee shop with dim lighting and puffy leather seats. There were computers you could rent to surf the web, it was more like an internet cafe. I was dressed to the nines as I always did for work and Chanel was dressed as though she had just rolled out of bed wearing a man’s black tracksuit. She obviously took little pride in her appearance when she wasn’t on duty at the hospital. I’m sure she was a hard worker and she probably felt that it didn’t matter what she wore in her off time. Who was I to judge anyway?
Chanel stood from her chair and gave me a big hug. If my sniffer was working correctly, she smelt like Old Spice Deodorant for Men. It was sort of hard to tell because what I was wearing overpowered what she was wearing. I offered to buy her a coffee but she politely refused, so I excused myself to order a coffee before sitting down with her.
I was placing my coffee on the cute little walnut colored veneer table, when she immediately asked about the lease. “Aria, there is definitely no way of getting out of the lease?”
Chanel took a sip of her coffee and pulled her chair in closer to the table. Her tone of voice dropped as she tried to explain, “I just found out that he is the CEO of the hospital. It’s hardly appropriate for him to be my landlord too.”
“I reviewed the lease last night, and your only chance is if you find a new tenant. Chanel’s eyes went dark with frustration.
