“Yes, you are. Do you want to take your clothes off?”
“Um...”
“I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
“That’s no fun,” she said.
He chuckled. “Can I get you something to drink?” he offered.
“Water,” she said.
He got up and came back with two bottles of water. He untwisted the caps on both and handed her one. She took a few sips. “Better?” he asked. She nodded. “Panic attack,” he said.
She nodded. “Yes, I have them once in a while, but not for a long time. Thunder and lightning storms are my trigger. A doctor suggested I take anxiety medication, but I’m not a big fan of taking pills. Therapy is just talk, and it’s not like I can’t avoid them. I usually lie down, put on earphones and listen to music. It passes. But getting caught like tonight...”
“No earphones.”
She nodded and leaned away from him. “Exactly. Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
She turned to him. “For being here for me.”
“My pleasure,” he said, smiling.
A moment of silence passed between them. “It sounds like the storm’s passed. I’d better go.”
“Actually, as a medical professional, specifically as a doctor, I can’t advise you leave right now.”
“I’m fine. I promise.”
“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head, “I took the Hippocratic oath and that trumps your ‘I’m fine’ promise. Besides, I could use a little snack. How about you?” Just as he said it, there was another rumble of thunder.
“Sure, but I have to confess, I can’t help you much. I’m not the greatest cook in the world,” Shauna admitted.
“That’s okay. My sister is. We hung out last weekend and she sent me home with a couple plates of food.” He stood up and reached his hand down to her. She grasped it and stood. They both instantly remembered the last time he’d done this. He smiled. She smiled. “This way.”
He led her from the office to the kitchen. The lights were already on and a wonderful aroma wafted from the oven. “I had just put a couple of plates in when you rang the doorbell.”
“Knowing that I’d stay, of course,” she said.
“Let’s just say I hoped you might.” He walked over to the oven, grabbed two mitts and opened the door. Shauna followed, watching him.
“You actually look like you know what you’re doing.”
“I’m not too bad in the kitchen, but my sister is the professional in the family. She’s an incredible chef. She owns a café in town.”
“Which sister?” she asked.
“Nikita. The café is called Nikita’s Café.”
Shauna smiled. “Really? I was just there Friday. A friend wanted me to pick up dessert for our dinner.”
“A friend,” he repeated, looking alarmed.
She nodded. “Yes, a friend of my mother’s, now my friend.”
He pulled two plates from the oven and placed them on the counter. His smiled broadened. “Which sister?” he repeated. She nodded. “That statement would imply that you know my family or at the very least that I have more than one sister.”
She smiled, realizing she’d slipped again. “Okay, you got me.”
“We do know each other, don’t we?”
“No, we’ve never actually met, and before you ask, I don’t know your sisters, your older brother or anyone else in your family. We did, however, go to the same high school a million years ago.”
He nodded. “I see.”
“It was a long time ago, but I remember you very well.”
“Do you?” he said. She nodded. He placed a knife, fork and napkin next to the plate of food. “What year did you graduate?”
She looked down at the plate in front of her. “Wow, this looks incredible and it smells wonderful.”
“Good,” he said, placing another bottle of water in front of her. “Let’s eat.”
They ate and talked about their travels and being single. They found they had a lot more in common than they thought. Afterward he cleaned up while she helped. “You know, you’re gonna make some woman a wonderful housewife someday.”
He chuckled. “You think so?”
“Oh, definitely. You cook. You clean. Who could ask for anything more?” she said as she stood up and walked to the kitchen window. She looked out into the backyard. It was dark and impossible to tell if it was still raining or not.
“This way,” Dominik said. He opened the back door for her. They stepped out onto the veranda. The storm had cooled the air and there was a nice breeze. He toggled a light switch and instantly the yard was softly illuminated. A fine mist wafted from the heated pool and the surrounding grounds.
“Wow, this is really nice,” she said, looking around. There was a large pool and sauna with a waterfall. Directly across were a fountain and a beautiful flower-and-shrub garden inlay with various-size rocks and small boulders. Then there was subdued lighting hidden in the trees and shrubs, giving the whole area a soft, dreamlike glow. Everything about it looked calm and relaxing. “I bet the view is beautiful at sunset.”
“It’s phenomenal. You should come back and see it. But the view from upstairs is without a doubt the most spectacular sight in the Keys,” he said, standing right behind her. “Dawn is pretty nice, too.”
“It stopped raining,” she said. “I guess I’d better get back to the hotel. Thank you for my flash drive and everything.” She turned and walked past him.
“Wait,” he said, then paused. He took her hand and held it. She stopped. “What are we doing here?”
She knew what he meant, but she didn’t know how to answer him. She lowered her head. “We’re avoiding the obvious.”
He nodded. “Yes, we are. I’ll yield—I want you.”
“I want you, too, but that doesn’t mean we should... When I kissed you, I started something that never should have happened. And now I think we need to...”
“No,” he said firmly, “this was before we kissed in the office. When I first saw you early Friday morning and then again later in the E.R., there was something. I felt it as soon as I saw you and so did you.”
Shauna’s heart jumped and her stomach tumbled. “Dominik.”
“We’re both single, consenting adults. Other than that I don’t care about the dynamics of whether this is right or wrong.”
“And what about our jobs?” she asked.
“You do your job and I’ll do mine. We can take the emotion out and enjoy this for what it is—a physical attraction. Can you do that?”
“Dominik, I...”
The kiss came in an instant and the blinding heat from it swept her off her feet. It was quick and it was fierce. Pent-up desire had been released. Their mouths connected and sealed. His tongue delved deep into her and she met his passion with equal fervor. The scant space between their bodies vanished. He stepped forward, pressing her back against the arbor’s wooden brace. She felt the hardness of his penis grind against her and her insides gelled. A low, primal groan rumbled from his throat as his hand reached between them and unbuttoned her shirt. The last two buttons were impatiently ripped off.
His nimble fingers flicked the front-snap bra and it gave way immediately. Her breasts, unrestricted, bounced free. His large, strong hands grabbed each and his thumbs toyed with her nipples. A second later he tore his mouth from her swollen lips and eased down her neck to her breasts. She gasped, feeling the air around her quickly evaporate. Her body jerked and trembled as she anticipated his next move.
His hot mouth enveloped her breast, one and then the other. His torturous tongue flicked and licked her hardened nipples. Quivers and shivers surged through her body as wave after wave of rapture overtook her. Her legs weakened. There was no way she could focus on anything except what Dominik was doing to her body right now.
His hand slid down to her stomach and then between her legs. She gasped. Her jeans were wet. He stroked her gently. Her head rolled back. She looke
d up at the trellis of scented flowers above. He kissed her neck and earlobe with loving madness as he unsnapped her jeans and tore down the zipper. Her jeans eased down her legs. Her mouth went dry as she began to pant.
She closed her eyes, feeling his hand on her skin pulling at her elastic waistband. Her body trembled, arching as she thrusted her gyrating hips back and forth, wanting more. He gave her exactly what she needed. With one finger stroking the nub of her pleasure outside and two teasing her G-spot inside, she felt as if her body was being torn apart from the inside out. It was sweet, tormented rapture. She wiggled and squirmed against his masterful play and loved every minute of it.
Then she felt the surge of pleasure coming on her. “Dominik,” she muttered. He flicked both swollen nubs at the same time and like a switch being turned on, her body ignited. She screamed. He did it again and again. She screamed each time louder and longer. Then the last time she gasped and held her breath.
“Breathe,” he whispered.
“Can’t. I can’t,” she stammered.
He stopped and gripped her in his arms tightly. She took a fast breath and exhaled slowly. The next breath came easier. She slumped against him. Her body was spent. She’d never experienced anything like that before.
Dominik leaned his head down and kissed her neck tenderly. His hot breath scorched her skin. “Shauna, look at me,” he said as he leaned back and tipped her chin upward. She looked up into his eyes. His pupils were dark and dilated. “You know where this is going,” he whispered.
She nodded her head. “I know,” she said, swallowing hard but not moving an inch. Common sense begged her to withdraw, to leave, but want and need cemented her in place. It seemed the more she knew this was forbidden, the more she wanted it. Yes, they kissed, touched and only heaven knew what he just did to her because her body was still tingling, but crossing that final line meant no turning back. She was playing with fire.
“When you’re ready, I’ll be here. Go,” he whispered, then stepped back and released her. She nodded and walked away, leaving him standing alone.
Chapter 12
For the next four days both Shauna and Dominik, through an unspoken accordance, put what had happened between them and their personal feelings on hold. They stayed focused on doing their respective jobs. Neither spoke about the night they were together. Shauna buried herself in her work. The review was going well and in a couple of weeks all this would be behind her. She’d made a good start separating the job into several components to present as a whole later on.
It was mostly reviewing, reading and auditing records and accounts to justify actions and procedures taken. She needed to diagram them out in financial records and balance sheets to verify the noted financial statements. It was all very technical and analytical, but the end question was simple: Did the hospital’s E.R. department meet its financial responsibility and would it exceed it in the future?
Hospitals seldom made exorbitant amounts of money for their investors; it wasn’t their purpose. However, they could be financially viable if prudent while taking aggressive steps and were encouraged to keep waste and mishandling to a minimum and of course maintain high production value. It was a delicate line and she’d always found the hospitals that could traverse that line.
Experience and knowledge had taught her everything she needed to know. She was good, and when facilities listened to her, they showed a very marked improvement. They could take note of her ideas, but implementation based on her fact-finding was their responsibility.
She closed another file and added it to the top of the stack. She put the lid on the box and nodded. The first two boxes were done. She took a deep breath and looked at the remaining four boxes. “Four more,” she muttered to herself.
She decided to take a break and go to the cafeteria to get something to drink. She went downstairs, grabbed an iced tea and a bag of potato chips. She sat down in the empty cafeteria facing the window and watched the skyline.
She thought about Dominik’s view and wondered what it looked like from his bedroom. Thinking about Dominik was a moment of weakness and she enjoyed every second of it. She’d seen him since the rainy night, of course, but he hadn’t mentioned what happened and neither had she. It was as if it never even happened. She almost thought she dreamed it.
He’d understood her fears and he’d held her. No one had ever done that before. She never let anyone get that close. She closed her eyes and instantly felt the shadow of his body pressed behind her and his arms holding her tight. No man had ever touched her like that and no man had ever given her the power. But he was right, she wasn’t ready for him.
He could show her a whole new world and she needed his tutelage. She may not be ready, but she was definitely willing. “Tonight,” she whispered as she nodded her head and smiled. “Tonight.”
“Ms. Banks?”
Shauna turned around and looked up to where Dr. Gilman was standing behind her, smiling. “Dr. Gilman, hi, good evening.”
“Well, hello, I thought that was you. How are you today?”
“I’m doing well, thank you.”
“I was just about to head back upstairs when I saw you sitting down here all alone. Taking a much-needed break?” she asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“I’ve been meaning to stop down to see if you need anything.”
“Actually, I have everything I need. It’s going quicker than I expected.”
“Good, good. So, Ms. Banks...” Margaret began.
“Please, Doctor, call me Shauna.”
“I will, and please call me Margaret.” Shauna nodded. “So,” Margaret continued, “Shauna, how’s everything going?”
“So far so good. I just finished reviewing the first two boxes of files. I’d say I’ll be out of your hair in another two weeks or even sooner.”
“Having you around is an absolute pleasure. I hate to say this, but the last two teams from Cura spent most of their time flirting with the doctors and nurses and trying to get free medical advice.”
“Really?” Shauna said.
“Sadly, yes. Oh, they did the review, but it took months. That’s why everything is so rush, rush now. And even then, they couldn’t give us any indication of how the review was going.”
“It’s hard to give any definitive answers when there’s still so much of the process left to do.”
“Can you tell me something?” Margaret began as she took a seat beside Shauna.
“If I can, sure,” Shauna said.
“The last two teams wrote up their reviews. Who got copies?”
“Copies went to the Cura Medical Group board of directors, the CEO, CFO, COO and to me.”
“And who writes the final report?”
“I do.”
“And you’re their consultant.”
“I’m an independent consultant. Cura is my biggest client. I have others.”
“I see. So, tell me, how are you finding our little medical center?”
“The people here are very kind and generous.”
“And Dr. Coles?” she asked.
Shauna looked at Margaret. Her eyes widened. The question was totally out of the blue. “What about him?”
“I just want to make sure the two of you are getting along.”
“Yes, we are. We’re fine.”
“Because I can have someone else be your main contact.”
“No, Dr. Coles is fine,” she said too quickly.
“Oh, good, good. I’m pleased to hear it. So, is this your first time in Key West?”
“No, I spent a few years here years ago. As a matter of fact, I graduated from Key West High School.”
Margaret’s eyes instantly lit up. “Really? What a coincidence. Quite a few members of our staff also graduated from Key West High. As a matter of fact, Dr. Coles graduated from Key West.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. Actually, I’m surprised you don’t know him or his family. He has three sisters and a brother. They all
have Russian names. Let’s see, there’s Dominik, Mikhail, Natalia, Nikita and Tatiana. You don’t know them?” she asked.
“I was only at the school for a couple of years. I didn’t know a lot of the students there.”
“Oh, that explains it.”
“Well, Margaret,” Shauna said, gathering her things, “I guess I’d better get back to work now and let you get back, as well. I know running a medical center is a thankless and nearly impossible job.”
“Yes, it is that,” Margaret said, standing to leave. “It was good talking to you, Shauna. I’m sure we’ll chat again soon. Oh, one more thing. I’ll be out of the office at a conference most of next week. If you need anything, I’m sure Dr. Coles will be happy to assist you.”
“I’m sure he will. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” Margaret said. She started to walk away, but then turned back around. “Shauna, please, I need you to be honest with me. You’ve seen the two reports and are looking through them and
double-checking some of the findings. Please, tell me, will the buyout happen?”
“Margaret, I can’t tell you that. I honestly don’t know. I don’t make the final decision.”
“You made decisions for Cura Medical in the past. Did they listen to you ultimately?”
Shauna weighed whether telling Margaret the truth would jeopardize anything. “Ultimately, yes, they did listen to me.”
Margaret frowned and then nodded. “Thank you. That was very helpful. I appreciate your candor. You have a good evening. Carry on.”
As soon as Margaret left, Shauna got up and headed back to the conference room. She went through and sorted the next box of files in preparation for the coming week. Just as she finished, she received a text message from Pearl.
Pearl: All is well here. Everything okay with you?
Shauna: Yes, just fine. How’s your friend?
Pearl: Doing a little better, still ill. I’ve decided to stay a few more days.
Shauna: Sounds good. I’ve checked the house—no problems.
Pearl: Good. I’ll text you later. Have a great weekend. Get out of that stuffy hotel and have some fun. That’s an order.
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