Sexy in the City

by Alexia Adams, Galen Rose, Samantha Anne, Carolann Camillo, Nicole Flockton, Iris Leach, Olivia Logan, Nancy Loyan, Stephanie Cage (epub)

  “It’s nothing, Alex, just old history. Something you don’t need to know about.” She started to walk back toward her apartment, willing and hoping that Alex would believe her and let it go. That he wouldn’t want to delve into her deep, dark secret.

  An arm on her shoulder stopped her retreat.

  “You’re running away again, Sophie.” He swiveled her around so she faced him. She almost lost her footing in the fine sand and had to grip his forearms. His skin was warm under her touch.

  How she wished she could lean her head onto his hard, muscular chest and let him enfold her. Let him take away all her doubts and insecurities. Let him make her feel whole again.

  “No.” This time the word was wrenched from her. “No, Alex, I’m not running away. I just don’t have to tell you everything about me. Can you please just say what you have to say? I’m starting to think there is nothing to tell and it’s all a ruse.”

  Alex’s eyes darkened against her accusation. It was clear he didn’t like his character being questioned. “I do not lie, Sophie. I thought you knew that about me.”

  This time it was Alex who started walking away. But he grabbed her hand as he went past her. She tripped slightly but managed to keep her balance as she followed him.

  He started talking as briskly as he was walking. “We have been invited to attend the formal welcome dinner of the new CEO tomorrow night.”

  They had reached the steps that led from the river foreshore to the roadway to her building. She hopped from one foot to the other as she slipped on her flip flops.

  “And the reason you couldn’t tell me this over the phone is?”

  It was a simple request from administration, but the way he had said it earlier made it sound like something sinister was about to happen.

  “I wanted it to come from me so you would know that it wasn’t some sort of elaborate plan to get you alone again.”

  It was Sophie’s turn to be confused. “Alex, I wouldn’t think that at all. Not after this week.”

  “What do you mean not after this week?”

  They were getting into uncharted territory again. The area they’d managed to dance around when they saw each other at the hospital.

  “Well, you’ve been entirely professional with me since our discussion after our failed dinner outing. I’ve appreciated your effort, Alex.”

  “Are you trying to sound condescending, Sophie? Because you’re doing a good job of it.”

  They were getting nowhere. Words were being twisted, misinterpreted, and said in entirely the wrong manner.

  How had the conversation gotten so drawn out and so far off track? All Alex needed to say was they had to attend a dinner. But somehow they’d discussed her insecurities and other things that hadn’t needed to be said.

  “Come on,” she said with a groan of frustration and grabbed Alex’s hand, all but dragging him the rest of the way down to her building. As they entered the foyer, Cliff gave them a friendly smile.

  “I see you found her, Dr. Scavoni.”

  “Yes, Cliff, your directions were exact.”

  “Glad I could help, sir. Everything all right, Miss Franklyn?”

  “Yes, thanks Cliff,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Sophie had always been safety conscious and made sure she told Cliff where she was heading and approximate time of return. Until this moment, she’d been pleased with the arrangement — now she wasn’t so sure.

  She pressed the call button for the elevator with more force than was really necessary.

  “It’s usually polite to ask someone if they’d like to go somewhere with you?”

  Alex’s words were softly spoken, with a hint of a challenge in his tone.

  “We can talk here if you like?” she countered.

  The lift came and Alex answered her question by walking in and pressing the number for her floor.

  “Your place will be fine,” he said, holding the doors open.

  She stepped in and strode to the back of the compartment. The journey to her floor was short.

  As she made her way to the apartment, she took a few calming breaths, determined to get the conversation on track and find out the pertinent details. Then show Alex the door. She didn’t plan on spending a lot of time with him.

  She held the door open, letting Alex precede her into her home. The room was dark, as she’d closed the blinds against the sun. She pressed a button and the soft whirr of the automatic blinds filled the room, breaking the silence that had surrounded them for the last few minutes.

  “How did things get so out of hand?” Alex mused. “I was just going to come and tell you about the dinner. The time and location of where it was being held, and then be on my way.”

  His words were the same ones she’d voiced in her mind.

  “I don’t know, Alex, but you seemed to prevaricate around the issue from the moment you arrived.” She walked over to the hall table, opened the drawer, and extracted a notebook and pen. “So why don’t you just give me the details and then you can leave.”

  She flipped the pad open and looked at him in expectation.

  He almost looked like he was going to argue with her again but stopped.

  “Okay, you’re right. Perhaps I should’ve just phoned you with the details.”

  “Hmm, might’ve been a good idea,” she murmured with a smile.

  She was rewarded with a chuckle from him and the sound reverberated down her spine. It had been so hard to push her feelings aside but she’d managed. She’d survived the week and she could survive a dinner surrounded by work colleagues with him.

  She looked up to see him looking intently at her. His expression was unreadable and if she were honest with herself, she didn’t want to know what he was thinking.

  “The details, Alex?”

  She watched as he gave his head a small shake. “Details? Oh right, the details. Dinner is at seven, formal attire, and it’s going to be held at the Quintent Restaurant at the Phoenix Casino Complex.”

  As she wrote the details down, her pen stumbled over the Casino Complex. They were going back to the scene of their first encounter. She’d vowed to herself it would be a long, long, long time before she entered that complex again, if ever.

  “Sophie, are you okay with that?”

  It was like Alex knew exactly what was going on in her mind and perhaps he did. Perhaps he’d already dealt with the shock of having to go back to where they first met. Perhaps that was why he decided to tell her in person, to let her know he was fine with the location and didn’t have a problem with it.

  “Sure, Alex, why wouldn’t I be? The restaurant serves fabulous food and the atmosphere is exactly what the hospital would want to portray to the new CEO.” She placed the pad and pen down with deliberate movements, trying to come up with a reason for her quiet moment. “I was just thinking how to get there? Whether to drive myself or make use of my father’s driver. Although arriving in a chauffeur-driven limousine to a dinner might not go down well. It could seem a little pretentious.”

  “Sophie,” Alex spoke, interrupting her continuous flow of words. “Is that a roundabout way of asking me to drive you?”

  The words that had flowed freely from her mouth just seconds ago dried up with his offer. Was that what she’d been doing, angling for him to offer to drive? Did she really want him to drive her? Did she want to spend time traveling in the close confines of a car with him? Did she have the power not to succumb to his masculinity and the attraction that was never far from the surface?

  If she wanted to keep her sanity, her head was telling her it would be safer for her to travel alone. But her heart was saying, Go with Alex, go with Alex.

  “What would everyone say if we turned up together?” she asked. The last thing she needed was more gossip about her.
>
  “Why would it matter if we turned up together? We tell them we live close by and thought it more beneficial to drive in together.”

  “But that’s not true, we don’t live close by.”

  “How do you know that, Sophie? You don’t know where I live.”

  That was true, she had no idea where he lived but he knew where she did.

  “In fact,” he continued conversationally, “we live very close by.”

  A nasty suspicion was starting to form in her mind. She’d seen the moving truck outside her apartment block when she’d arrived home on Wednesday night. Alex wasn’t at work on Wednesday because he was moving into his new place. It didn’t connect until that moment.

  “Please don’t tell me that you’ve moved in here?” She silently begged him to say no. No, he hadn’t moved in at all. But all she had to do was look into his face to see the truth.

  “We’re almost neighbors now, Sophie. We could even car pool if we like.”

  What had she done to deserve this? Was it because, for once in her life, she’d stepped out of her comfort zone and slept with a stranger?

  It felt like someone or something was messing with her life. First Alex turns up at the hospital as the new director and now he turns up at her safe haven — her home.

  All her original questions from their first meeting at the hospital came rushing back.

  Had he known exactly who she was when he sat next to her that night?

  “I know what you’re thinking, Sophie, but it’s not true. I had no idea you lived here when I bought the apartment. It’s just a fluke that we find ourselves in this situation.”

  “You know what I think?” Sophie countered. “I think fate is playing a cruel trick on us. Throwing us together like this all the time. And I for one don’t like it.”

  She held up her hand as he started to speak. “With regards to tomorrow night — I’ll make my own way. But thank you for the offer.”

  With a sense of déjà vu, she walked toward the door and held it open for him. “Goodbye, Alex.”

  She thought for a moment that he was going to say more, but relief flooded her like a sudden downpour floods a drain when he started toward the door.

  “Not goodbye, Sophie, just good night.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you around.”

  She closed the door on his retreating back. If only it was that easy to close him out of her life permanently.

  No, that wasn’t true. She would love to have Alex in her life — she just couldn’t do it. Not yet, anyway.

  • • •

  Sophie stood and surveyed the contents of her wardrobe. What exactly did they mean by formal? Formal as in the type of dress she wore to the New Year’s Eve ball or formal as in a little black dress would suffice? She wished she’d taken the time to ask Alex last night. She supposed she could always go and ring someone in administration and see if they knew about the dinner. Or …

  The phone ringing jarred her from her dress dilemma. She was glad for the distraction.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Soph, are you up for a bit of retail therapy?” She released the breath she was holding. It was Phoebe. How glad she was to hear her friend’s voice and not Alex’s. Whenever she thought about Alex, he seemed to turn up on her doorstep. Shopping was just what she needed to get herself out of the funk she was in.

  “Absolutely, where do you want to meet?”

  “I knew you’d be up for it, especially seeing as you’ve got that swish dinner to go to tonight.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  Phoebe laughed down the phone. “Oh honey, you know I always know everything that’s going on.”

  Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. Had Phoebe somehow found out about the night she and Alex had spent together? She’d thought she’d put Phoebe off the scent after the first day Alex turned up in the emergency ward.

  Sophie’s mind drifted back to when she and Phoebe had taken their trip away at the beginning of the year. Phoebe had questioned her about New Year’s Eve but she’d managed to change the subject without too much effort. It was fortunate all Phoebe wanted to talk about was what had happened to her, and Sophie was glad to let her ramble on. Even now, all Phoebe talked about was the fun she was having with John. Hopefully all Phoebe’s comment meant was just to tease her.

  “So then you can tell me just how formal I need to be. Al — umm Dr. Scavoni told me the dress was formal but that was it. You know what guys are like. They never take in all the pertinent details.”

  “Your wish is my command. I’ll help you find the perfect outfit. We’ll meet outside House of Heather at eleven. Ciao, bella.”

  She laughed as she hung up the phone. Sometimes it was impossible to get a word in edgeways with her best friend. It was one of the reasons she loved her dearly.

  She glanced at her bedside clock and gave a little yelp when she saw the time. Trust Phoebe to call her at the last minute. Scheduling her time wasn’t Phoebe’s strongest point.

  She rushed through a shower and dressed in double quick time. Scooping an apple from her fruit bowl, she raced out the door and called for the elevator. Luck was on her side and it opened straightaway. She hit the button for the parking garage and willed for an express trip down. She groaned silently when she’d only traveled two floors down and the lift stopped. She moved to the back to let the new occupant enter. She choked on her apple when she saw who it was.

  Alex.

  Luck was being cruel to her again.

  “Morning,” she mumbled to him as she swallowed her mouthful.

  “Morning, Sophia, did you sleep well?” he asked as the lift doors swished shut.

  Her mind whirled at what he’d called her. Alex hadn’t called her Sophia since their night together. He certainly hadn’t used it at work.

  She almost brought the apple to her mouth to avoid having to speak to him, but she thought that too petty.

  “Yes, I did. Thanks.” She let her eyes rove over him. He was outfitted in jogging clothes and her mouth went dry as she looked at his strong, muscular legs and arms, indicating he worked out on a regular basis. She was surprised she hadn’t noticed it before. But then again, they hadn’t bothered too much with lighting their one night together.

  “Should be a nice morning for a run,” she said to break the silence that had stretched between them.

  The lift doors opened again and another resident entered giving her a reprieve from having to make small talk with Alex.

  They reached the ground floor and as the doors opened, Alex bent forward and once again placed a kiss on her cheek. It was becoming a habit she found she could get used to.

  “See you tonight. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.” He walked out of the lift leaving her spellbound and with no chance to rebuke his claim they were going to travel to the dinner together.

  The doors closed and her last glimpse of Alex was of his taut backside in jogging shorts, an image that was indelibly etched in her mind as she drove into the city to meet Phoebe.

  “About time you showed up,” her friend said when Sophie met her at the clothes store.

  Sophie glanced at her watch. It was a minute past eleven. She rolled her eyes. “You’re a real comedian, Phoebs. Your talents are wasted at the hospital.”

  “No, my talents are well used at the hospital and you know it.” Phoebe linked her arm through Sophie’s.

  It was true. Phoebe’s comedic tone often helped the patients take their minds off their injuries. It didn’t always work, but when it did, it made the patients easier to deal with.

  “Yes, Phoebe, you’re very talented. Now let’s go shopping.”

  Four hours later Sophie sank gratefully into the chair of the outdoor café. She placed her myriad packages on the spar
e seat.

  “I can’t believe you made me spend that much money,” Sophie groaned.

  “It’s worth it, Soph, you’ll look gorgeous tonight. You’ll knock everyone off their feet.”

  Doubts seeped into her body. The dress they’d chosen was nothing to look at on the hanger but when it was on her body, it revealed her curves and hinted at her cleavage.

  “I’m not sure that’s really the impression I should give. I mean, it’s a dinner to welcome the new CEO, not one of my father’s endless charity balls he expects me to attend.”

  “Bah,” Phoebe snorted. “I’m guessing everyone will want to impress him. The head of surgery’s wife is bound to be wearing something cut down to her navel and split up to where it’s almost obscene.”

  Sophie had to admit she had a point. There were always bets being laid to see what Viola would wear. She’d no doubt flirt outrageously with the new CEO and Alex. It was standard form for her. But then again, with a husband like Jerome it was no doubt she tried to look for attention elsewhere. Jerome’s mind was always on the surgical department.

  “You have a point. I should stop worrying, but I just can’t help it.”

  She sat back to let the waiter deliver the drinks they’d ordered. She took a sip of the cool liquid, enjoying the feel of it as it moistened her parched throat.

  “So I wonder who Dr.-eyes-to-die-for-Scavoni will be bringing tonight.”

  Sophie was grateful she had swallowed her drink before Phoebe spoke. “Dr. who?” she spluttered out.

  “Oh please, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed his eyes. Every nurse in the entire department has been drooling all week, wondering how they can make those dark, chocolate eyes melt just for them. But alas,” Phoebe dramatically threw her forearm over her eyes. “He only has eyes for work and no one else.”

  If only Phoebe knew that Sophie knew exactly how to make his eyes melt. And that she’d done it on quite a few occasions.

  “I’m sure he’d be really happy to hear that. I’d much rather a dedicated director of emergency than a flirtatious one. It makes my job easier and I don’t have to mend any broken hearts in my nursing staff.” She glanced down at her watch. “Whoa, is that the time? I need to get home and hang this dress so the creases fall out. Not to mention do something with my hair.”