Wanted: Wife for Hire (The Diamond Club Book 8)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Doctor Abe McCullough, sexy man-extraordinaire and the heartthrob of every female within a fifty mile radius of their fair city…had tattoos! Not just one, either. Nope. First of all, instead of the ironed and starched dress shirts he normally wore, today he had on a soft faded blue tee shirt that was tight around his arms and chest. Loose around his waist but…dear heaven! Where had he been hiding all of those muscles?! The man was ripped! Holy cow!

  Her eyes moved over his broad shoulders, down over bulging biceps and lower, noticing the taut muscles barely hidden by the soft cotton. When her gaze moved back up, they took in the dark swirls and lines along one arm. She wasn’t sure what the design represented and she didn’t care! Muscles and tattoos and…oh my!

  Holy cow!

  She’d already said that, Roxanne thought. Maybe several times. But the muscles rippling along his arms and shoulders and…good grief, everywhere…deserved a few more “Holy Cows!” He was quite literally buff, ripped…whatever was the current vernacular for a man with that many muscles.

  “You’re ogling,” he commented archly.

  Yeah, but…holy cow!

  “Do you bench press a bus every morning?” she exclaimed, her eyes once again moving to his arm. Just one arm. One large tattoo that darkened the tanned skin on his shoulder, bicep, and forearm. There was a bit of red mixed in with a few lines and she wasn’t aware of her tongue darting out to wet her lips. Because…good grief! The supremely confident Doctor Abe was hotter than she’d expected!

  Okay, so if she hadn’t been avoiding him for the past month since he’d come on board, she’d probably have seen him in his scrubs and seen that long, sexy tattoo and all those amazing, shocking muscles. But since she scheduled the surgical rooms, she knew when he would be around. Roxanne made sure that she was in her office or, even better, out of the office, when he was scheduled for surgery.

  “Do I get to return the ogling?” he asked, leaning forward as if they were sharing a joke.

  Roxanne jerked backwards, unware of her mouth hanging open as she gazed into those fascinating eyes of his. How had she missed those gold flecks? “Seriously, I know how many hours you work,” she snapped. “When do you find the time to work out?”

  He shrugged and her eyes were pulled back down to that tattoo covered arm. Yum! Roxanne had never thought to be attracted to a man with a tattoo. But then, she’d never seen Doctor Abe like this before! He was hotness on a whole new level!

  Doctor Abe simply shrugged. “Some doctors drink after a difficult surgery. Others have sex.” He grinned and her attention was pulled to his lips. “I train.”

  Despite her vow to be distant, she couldn’t hide her curiosity. “Train? How?”

  “Martial arts. Boxing. Karate. Krav Maga. Anything that focuses my mind on something other than the surgery I just left behind.”

  “Ah,” she replied, impressed and…amazed. “And are you good?”

  His smile widened. “Yes. I’m very good.”

  Were they still talking about the training? Somehow, she didn’t think so.

  Turning away, Roxanne snorted quietly and picked up her beer. The papers beside her elbow reminded her of her morning and she sighed. “Go away. I’m getting drunk.”

  He lifted a hand and the bartender brought him a Corona in the bottle. “I didn’t think you were the type to drink.”

  She took a long sip of the beer, smothering her cringe of revulsion as she carefully set the mug back onto the polished bar. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because you’re too uptight,” he took a long swallow of his beer.

  “I am not uptight!” she snapped.

  “Sure you are,” he teased. “You run our surgical unit as if you were invading a foreign country.” He winked at her. “Fortunately, you’re good, so most of us don’t mind.”

  Roxanne took another sip of her beer, debating if she should focus on the “invasion” aspect of his comment, or the fact that he’d complimented her. Since she wasn’t used to compliments, she focused on the negative. “I just want things to run smoothly. The surgical teams need everything to be just right.”

  “I’m not criticizing, Roxy,” he argued, waving to the bartender to bring him another beer. “In fact, it’s one of the best surgical units I’ve ever worked in.”

  Roxanne heard his words, but it took several moments to absorb and understand what he’d just said. When she grasped the meaning of his words, Roxanne’s head lifted slowly and she stared at him, stunned. She realized that her mouth was hanging open when he put a finger under her chin and closed her mouth.

  Jerking back because her chin felt as if it were on fire, she kept her gaze on her beer, toying with the glass. The stupid legal documents rustled when she bumped them and she did a mental shake, lifted her beer and downed the rest of it. When she set the glass down, she cringed again at the horrible taste, closed her eyes, and tried to relax.

  “How about a glass of wine instead of another beer?”

  Roxanne’s eyes narrowed at the amusement she perceived in his voice. “Are you laughing at me?” she demanded.

  He lifted his hands into the air, palms out. “I would never laugh at you, Roxy!”

  She glared at him, but with his hands lifted like that, his tattoo distracted her. “You’re a doctor. Why do you have a tattoo?”

  He laughed softly, and sipped his beer. Roxy couldn’t stop admiring his muscles. Huge muscles!

  “Is there a rule against doctors having tattoos?”

  Rules! Her lips pressed together at the word. “I’m sick of rules,” she muttered furiously.

  “Ah! Now we’re getting to the crux of the issue.”

  She huffed a bit, shifting on the wooden stool. “I don’t have any issues.”

  “Sure you do,” he laughed. “Lots of issues. We all do.”

  “I don’t!” But she did! Including cat issues. Mother issues. Abandonment issues since her father had walked out of her life before she’d learned to crawl. Her mother claimed that he hadn’t wanted the trouble a baby would bring.

  “What’s really wrong?” he probed.

  Roxanne turned, surprised by the gentle, compassionate tone. Usually, he seemed to thrive on pushing her buttons. He flirted, he teased, he asked to change the surgical schedule, and he asked for specific nurses…okay, that was fine, because the surgical staff loved working with him. He was a genius in surgery and everyone wanted to learn from him.

  “You always wear a long shirt under your scrubs,” she blurted, glancing meaningfully at the tattoo running from his shoulder to his forearm. “Is that because you’re trying to hide that?”

  His eyes narrowed for a split second, then he seemed to relax once more. “Maybe a bit. But it’s more because we have to keep the room cold. I get hot at times, but normally, it’s a chilly room and I don’t like being cold.”

  Roxanne made a noncommittal noise and turned away, not wanting to think about him being hot. He was. But she didn’t need to think about it. Bad idea, thinking about him being hot. Or heated. Or…whatever!

  Bad!

  “Joe, can you get the lady a glass of wine?” Abe called.

  The bartender nodded once and started to reach for something, but Roxanne wasn’t regressing. “I don’t want wine,” she decided. “How about a whiskey?”

  The bartender hesitated, then glanced at Abe.

  Roxanne gasped, horrified. “Seriously? You’re looking to him for permission to pour me a whiskey?”

  Roxanne stood up, prepared to leave and get drunk somewhere else! “Fine!”

  Abe laughed and grabbed her arm, pulling her back into her seat. “Slow down, Roxy. He wasn’t asking permission to pour you a drink, honey. He was looking to me to see if I was going to give you a ride home. Joe doesn’t allow anyone to drink and drive.”

  “Oh,” she replied, her anger deflating as fast as it had exploded. “Well….that’s good then. I mean…,” she sighed, rubbing her forehead as she looked at Joe. “Please, could I ha
ve a whiskey? I will call a cab tonight. I just…” she glanced down at the papers, then away again.

  “What’s in the papers that’s so upsetting?” he asked gently.

  Roxanne eyed the papers as if they were a snake. “Nothing important.” There was silence for a moment. “Do you like cats?” she asked.

  Abe eyed the woman that had fascinated him since he’d hired on with the hospital a month ago. The strawberry blond hair and golden eyes, pale, almost white, skin plus that wide, sexy mouth were a combination that was enough to light any man’s imagination. Add in her saucy comebacks, her take-no-prisoners way of getting things done, and her long, long legs…he’d been a goner since the first time she’d turned her back on him.

  Ironic that the other female staff in the hospital were annoying in their attempts to ask him out and yet, the one person he would actually consider violating his rule about dating in the workplace for rejected even his friendship overtures.

  “Cats?”

  She smiled as Joe put the small glass of whiskey in front of her. “Yes. Cats. Do you like them?”

  Actually, he was more of a dog person. “Since I’m at the hospital about eighty hours a week, sometimes in surgery for twenty-four hours straight, I don’t think it would be fair to own any pets.”

  She sighed, nodding her head. “Understandable.” Then she glanced at the documents again.

  “Why? Do you have a cat?” he asked, prompting her for information.

  She cringed. “No way! No pets here!”

  He laughed. “Not an animal person?”

  Roxy took a brave sip of her whiskey, cringed slightly, then shook her head. “I love animals. And I love cats and dogs equally. I’d love to have a whole bunch of pets and kids and…” she looked at him self-consciously, then at his tattoo again and clammed up, turning back to the bar. “Well, I don’t have any.”

  “But you want a cat?”

  Roxy laughed and Abe’s stomach tightened with the sound. Her laugh was deep and rich, filled with humor! Damn, she should laugh more often. Roxy was always so serious at work. Although he understood. She had a great deal of responsibility at her job and any mistake would cause the surgeons and nurses to rant furiously at her. But still…that laugh was practically lethal!

  “Actually, I just inherited a cat.” She tilted her head slightly and Abe looked at her neck. He wondered what would happen if he kissed her neck. That skin was so pale, so delicate, he’d bet that it was extremely sensitive. Again, his body tightened at his wayward thoughts.

  “How did you inherit a cat?”

  She sighed, looking up at the ceiling as she blinked rapidly. His gut tightened when he realized that she was trying to keep herself from tearing up. “My mother died recently.”

  That piece of information startled him and he eyed her thoughtfully, thinking back through the last few days. She’d never missed a day of work, and yet, her mother had just passed away? What the hell?!

  “Roxy?” he prompted.

  She laughed, a stilted sound that was more of a hiccup and his heart lurched. She picked up the napkin and angrily wiped away an errant tear. “My mother’s will,” she explained, tapping the papers on the bar. “She left her house and all of her money to her cat. I got her collection of glass figurines with the stipulation that I have to dust them every week.”

  There was a long silence as Abe absorbed that information. Her mother had died and left…glass ornaments to her daughter and everything else to…a cat?!

  That was ludicrous! “You’re kidding, right?”

  “It’s pathetic, isn’t it?” She sighed and took another sip of her whiskey. “My mother never approved of anything I did, so it shouldn’t be a shock that she didn’t leave anything to me. But,” she sniffed, “well, it would be one thing if she hadn’t had anything to give away. But she had a bloody fortune! Over half a million dollars, plus a house that was fully paid off…everything, all of her money as well as the proceeds from the sale of her house, is going to the cat.” That’s when Roxy turned to look at him, obviously forgetting that she hated Abe. “That cat is horrible! I mean, he’s vicious, evil, and aggressive at every opportunity! He hates everyone but my mother.”

  Abe chuckled. “That bad, huh?”

  Roxy took another sip of her whiskey, only wrinkling her nose a little this time. The flavor was beginning to grow on her. “Worse. He’s evil.” She rubbed her forehead. “And now, I’ve inherited a very wealthy cat.” She took another sip. “And a bunch of cheap, tacky glass figurines.” She turned to face him and Abe had to concentrate when her knees brushed against his inner thigh. He knew that he was man-spreading, but it was just easier to watch her in profile this way. Well, easier until she turned to face him. Now her legs were between his and…damn, she looked hot!

  “Every week in high school, my mother ordered me to dust all of those damn bits of glass. It took hours! I had to lift every one of them up, dust it with a feather duster, then wipe off the shelf underneath. One at a time. She didn’t trust me to take all of them off, dust the stupid shelf, then put the stuff back on it. Nope! One at a time!”

  “Sounds tedious.” She was on a roll now and it was interesting to watch her let loose. Roxy was always serious, always in control at the hospital. She was alert and aware of everything, more than ready to take on whatever challenge came her way. Obviously, the whiskey and the beer were helping her ease up.

  “And another thing!” she snapped, holding the glass and pointing at him with the same hand. “She has money! A lot of it! Why couldn’t she have helped me get through college? Not that anyone is entitled to a college degree. I understand that. But a few bucks for books or something when she was sitting on all of that money would have been greatly appreciated!” She took another sip and Abe debated cutting her off versus letting her vent.

  “Of course, it’s her money and she should do what she wants with it. But how about a vacation? She didn’t take vacations because only hussies take vacations! Or lazy people who have no self-discipline,” she said, obviously mimicking her mother’s voice. “And college? She taunted me with college all through high school, telling me I was too stupid to get in. Then she ridiculed me for getting into college with a full scholarship! She said I didn’t deserve it and that I was going to fail out in the first semester. When I got straight As that semester, she sniffed and surmised that I probably cheated!”

  The woman sounded like a first class bitch, Abe thought, but kept his mouth shut. He understood that Roxy had been holding back on this for a while.

  “I dress like a prude, you know!” she told him, leaning forward as if telling him a secret.

  He was fully aware of her prim outfits. They were part of her allure, in his mind. She might dress like a librarian, but with her round hips and full breasts, there was no way she could hide behind the stiff fabrics. Roxy was hot! Not skinny or fat, just rounded and soft in all the right places. His hands ached to touch her, to feel what was hidden underneath those horrible outfits. He took another slug of his beer, but shook his head when the bartender silently asked if he wanted another. A moment later, ice water appeared at his elbow.

  “Why did she make you dress like this?” he asked, referring to the ugly, wool dress. Why the hell was she wearing black wool in August anyway?

  “She said that only insecure hussies wear revealing clothes. ‘Hussy’ was her favorite term.” She sighed. “Once I came downstairs in a short sleeved shirt with long pants for a school picnic in July. She ordered me right back upstairs to change, then she took the shirt and shredded it.” She smiled slightly, but Abe suspected that what was to come next wouldn’t be very funny. “She even poured lighter fluid onto the shirt and lit it on fire, telling me that I was going to burn in hell if I exposed skin like that.”

  She sounded like a lunatic! “So, now that she’s gone, are you going to continue to follow her guidance?” He thought about Roxy in clothes that fit her, something that might flatter her soft, sexy figure and his mi
nd blanked for several moments. She was beautiful and…damn if she wore nicer clothes, he might just lose his mind.

  Roxanne considered his question for a moment. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I’d really love to go out and get a new wardrobe, things that she’d hate. Unfortunately,” she sighed, her shoulders slumping even more, “it’s difficult to get her voice out of my head.”

  Abe knew that she’d had enough to drink. “Why don’t we go play some pool and you can tell me more about this cat that has inherited so much money?”

  Roxy glanced at the pool tables, then at her drink. “I need to pay for my drinks,” she muttered, pulling back on his grip as she reached for her wallet.

  “Don’t worry about it. The bartender put your drinks on my tab. I’ve got it covered.”

  “I can’t let you pay for me, Doctor McCullough!” she asserted with stiff dignity that was a bit lost since she was digging into her ugly purse.

  “Sure you can. Just think of it as your first defiance against your mother’s…” He almost said “abuse” but pulled back at the last second, “…strict rules. I think it’s time that you broke every one of her rules and got your life back.”

  She stumbled a bit when she slid off of the bar stool, but Abe didn’t mind at all. It gave him the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist, holding her against him. As he led her to the pool tables, he was amazed at how good she actually felt. But he kept his hand on her waist, refusing to violate her trust. She didn’t need a guy to cop a cheap feel tonight. Roxy needed someone to help her get through the next twenty-four hours and maybe a shoulder to cry on.

  Abe thought that he was just the man for the job!

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