by Karen Deen
“You become a doctor.” I laugh. “It’s just we seem to be needed more frequently than a trip every week or so in a fucking private jet. Good for you, Mas. After your years of flying in the military, you deserve a cushy job.” He just nods and takes a drink. I know things still haunt him, but he assures us he has it under control.
We spend the next few hours playing pool and debating the problems of the world, how we know all the answers and can fix them if people would just listen to our wisdom. I drink more beers tonight than I have in a long time. It feels good to let go and just relax. No work to worry about, and it makes everything else seem less of a drama.
While the boys are finishing up a game of darts, I sit just letting my mind drift a little. Those eyes keep calling me. I just wish I could work out a way to find them. She may have left last week thinking she hates me because I made her feel that way. I knew she had the power to weaken me. Stupidly, I thought if I was a jerk, then even if she knew it was me then she wouldn’t want anything to do with me. It worked exactly to plan. But the moment she left, I regretted every word I said. I was such an idiot. It’s funny how six beers will let you admit how stupid you can be. Opportunity totally lost with her, because I’m too scared to feel anything.
We’re at the point it’s time to call it a night and get an Uber to get us all home, when Tate pipes up with his exciting news. He looks like the cat that ate the canary and that concerns me before he even opens his mouth.
“Hey, Gray, I forgot to tell you. I got the list of my next rotation of interns. Guess which sexy little doctor is going to be spending every day and night with me for six months.” The slap on my chest from him makes me shudder.
“Fuck no. Get her moved. You are not having Arabella working under you. I know what happens with your interns. Working under you, literally, they all seem to get extra-credit marks from the teacher. No fucking way. I’m talking to the boss tomorrow.” The beer has lost the warm glow I was feeling. That sober, clear head is back and there’s no way Tate is going anywhere near Bella.
“Calm down, Dad,” Lex says, putting his drunk arm around my shoulder. “She’ll learn a lot from Tate, you know he’s the best neurosurgeon we know.”
“He’s the only neurosurgeon you know, idiot,” I spit my words frustratingly at him.
Mason is the only sober one out of the four of us, due to being on call to fly his jet at any time.
“Gray, settle. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to touch her; she’s your sister and also like a little sister to him. You know he’ll look after her. She’s probably safer with him than that other guy he works with. His reputation is worse than Tate’s and that’s saying something.” My mind is scrambling to rationalize.
“Yeah, what he said. Bella is my little sister too, man. There is no way in the world we are letting Zoran near her. Trust me, bro, if they don’t suck his dick, they fail.” He is way drunker than I am. “Plus, she will kill you if you get involved, you know that. To be honest, I’m almost as scared of her as I am of Ally when she gets going. Just let her stand on her own. She’s a grown woman, who knows what she wants and where she’s heading.”
That’s what worries me. What if she doesn’t need me anymore?
Then I’m on my own.
Something I never really thought about.
Until now.
Chapter Eight
MATILDA
This week feels like it has been the longest one ever.
At least it wasn’t the disaster of last week, though. As much as I want to forget the events that happened, a certain doctor just won’t leave my mind. It always starts with thinking of the jerk he was the last time I saw him and ending with the stomach flutters remembering the man in the mask, the way he made me feel. Sleep is not happening like it should, and lord knows I need good sleep. I want to totally forget him; it just seems I’ll require different thoughts to replace Grayson in my head.
Marching into the office on Friday morning, I’m ready to put my plan into action. All is silent and the offices are empty. It’s not unusual. I tend to arrive early and get my head in the right mindset for the day. I need to work hard on that this morning and then start the day fresh. Today is going to be called ‘get rid of Grayson’ day. Let’s see how that all works out.
“Morning, sunshine,” Deven calls out as he comes swanning in the front door. I can smell him before I see him. Well, technically not him. The smell is wafting from something far better than Deven.
Coffee!
“I knew there was a reason I love you. You’re worth more money.”
He laughs passing mine to me. “Always happy to accept any pay raise you want to give. I’ll be your coffee bitch any day for more money. Who wouldn’t?”
I just roll my eyes at him. “You know you’re already paid way more than you deserve, just because it stops you from complaining. You do need to do some work to justify the money that just mysteriously lands in your bank account each week.” I lean against his desk as he’s unloading his man bag of all his electronic devices.
“Really, why? I like how it just arrives each week and then I can go spend it. Working is overrated. I know that’s like swearing to you, but it’s true. You should try it sometime. Oh, that’s right, you don’t have a life outside this office.” He smirks, standing far enough away so I can’t reach to slap him.
“My life is perfectly fine, thank you,” I snap back.
“So I hear. One-night stand with a hot doctor and you’re running the opposite direction. What is wrong with you, girlie? If I found a hottie who knew what do with his hands, I’d be tying him up, so he couldn’t run away. Just think of the possibilities. If you don’t want him then share with your pal.” He plonks down in his chair pretending he’s dreaming of my hot man.
“You’ve never even met him or know what he looks like. Plus, he’s not gay, that, I can assure you. He is more than happy playing with my team. He’s also a dickhead. Good looks don’t make the man.” My thoughts drift off to the night we were together and how gentle he was with me, a considerate lover. Yet nothing is perfect.
“I’m not after the gentleman, the day after the event. I’m just looking for the asshole, he sounds much hotter in my books.”
“Deven, seriously, you are such a man whore. One sniff and you’re out there chasing down the poor guy, gay or not.” I laugh as I pick my coffee up ready to head to my office.
“I’ve never met a man yet who can resist this charm and good looks.” He runs his hands up and down his torso. “Oh and of course my big …”
I hold my hand up to stop him before he even gets part of the word out. “Let’s go with personality, shall we?” By now both of us are laughing which is a good way to start the day and try to get rid of my thoughts.
Chatting together about the mundane things we have on the agenda for today, it’s the first Friday in a month we have no function booked in. After the week it’s been and my lack of sleep, having tonight off couldn’t come at a better time.
We can hear Fleur before she even gets through the front door of the office. I’m sure she thinks we know what she’s saying because her eyes hit mine as she opens the door like she’s expecting a response.
“Well, aren’t you excited?” She stands with her hand on her hip waiting for the answer.
“I probably will be once you tell me what the hell you were saying out there.” I stare at her to let her know I’m not joking.
“Seriously, so deaf!” I don’t even argue with her. “I had an email this morning. We have a meeting at two pm at the hospital to discuss our successful tender proposal. We did it!” Fleur screams at me as she reaches out and grabs me tightly. I barely have time to put my coffee down.
“Are you kidding me?” I quietly whisper. I feel like I’m in shock. Then it sinks in and the whisper is taken over by my much louder voice. “Are you freaking kidding me! Finally, we have landed a big fish. Fleur, we did it!” I can’t contain the excitement now.
We bo
th start jumping up and down, shouting over top of each other. Deven just keeps laughing at us acting like a couple of twelve-year-old girls who have just been given tickets to a Shawn Mendes concert.
“If only the stuffy high-society people on the hospital board could see you now, they might regret the decision.” Deven drips with sarcasm.
“Fuck off!” We both yell at him at the same time then break out into a giggle. We slowly calm down to take a few breaths.
We have worked so hard on this contract tender proposal. Hours and hours of reworking numbers and coming up with the right ideas for function proposals. It’s the next rung up the ladder for our business. This will mean expansion and running two arms of the business. One that will concentrate on the big functions for the hospital and the other to still run as we do now, on private functions. It will mean splitting the two of us at different times across the functions, but it will be worth it in the long run. In the initial phases, though, we will need to work hard and be hands-on as we are now. It also means no social life for the next twelve months while we get this off the ground.
“Right, now that you two have finished with the crazy, can we get sorted with time, place, and what’s needed for this meeting? You know, the actual important things that I’m sure were in that email. Or did you stop at the first line that said successful?” I look at Fleur and then we both turn to face Deven, knowing that what we are about to do is going to send him into a meltdown.
“Deven, you know those times when we say never pick on the bosses? Well, now is one of those times.” We both start giggling as we start messing up his desk. Tipping out the paperclips, pencils, knocking the Post-it notes on to the floor, running my fingerprints all over his computer screen. While Fleur finishes destroying his desk, I start drawing on his white board. He is squealing and carrying on behind me.
“Who’s the twelve-year-old now?” I say. “Your squeal is like a kid throwing a tantrum. Happy cleaning.” We both head to Fleur’s office laughing and leaving our assistant absolutely losing his shit about messing up his desk and touching his things.
He is one of those fastidious people who has everything in its place and knows if anything has been touched. We love to play games on him when he’s not in the office. We just move one thing on his desk and wait to see how long until he notices. It’s become our chocolate cookie betting pool. I’m really good at it, not that my thighs need the extra cookies. Plus, he is so crazy that it doesn’t take long for him to get it and yell at us for picking on him and being bullies. Yeah right! We are the two women who keep this guy employed while he is making sure his hair is perfect and that he has lunch organized for himself and us.
“I can’t believe we got this contract, Tilly.” Fleur looks up at me from the chair at her desk. “We need to get started on what we need to take to this meeting. Deven might think he has it all worked out, but I read every last word of that email in case I was misunderstanding it. We’re meeting the board at two pm, and then after the meeting, we spend time with Kitty Ellis who is in charge of all the function coordinating at the hospital.” We both just sit back and stare at each other while we’re taking it all in.
“You read out the list and I’ll take notes. No time to waste. Let’s get on this now.” I grab the tablet on her desk, and we get started.
Exiting the taxi, briefcases in hand, we both walk towards the front door of Mercy Hospital. I’m not one to get all sweaty, but with the nerves that are building, I can feel the beads of moisture running down my back. Thank goodness I have a dark navy dress on, so it shouldn’t be noticeable. My black pumps allow me to walk with confidence like I own the place, even though I’m dying on the inside. We take the elevator to the administration level with the boardroom.
There is something about a hospital that makes you feel strange. It’s the smell and overall vibe, I think. It can be a place of immense sadness or extreme happiness, and a whole lot in between. Several doctors and nurses walk past us as we stand in the waiting area for the chairman of the board of directors. I know they don’t meet every new contractor that is appointed at the hospital. I’m guessing we get the privilege because they want to make sure that they’re happy with who is running their many functions. I’m guessing each one of the board members has at least a part of the hospital that they’re attached to for different reasons.
“Ladies.” An elderly man comes towards us with his hand outstretched to greet us. “I’m Thomas Collum, the chairman of Mercy Hospital. Thank you for meeting with us today. Come on through and meet the board.” The butterflies I was feeling while waiting have just taken flight in my stomach, and I quietly take a big breath. I can see that Fleur is twitching slightly too. I don’t blame her. This is a big deal for both of us. We need to nail this meeting, and the pressure to get the first function perfect will be crazy.
After sitting with the board for an hour, I think we have been told in five different ways what is expected from us. How unhappy they were with the last event planners and what they did wrong. I have a feeling this is not going be an easy job until we get their trust. It won’t be a problem for us, but there will be lots of hard work involved.
“Thank you for your time, everyone. We look forward to working with you all,” Fleur says in her sweet professional voice. Not the one that was screaming in the highest pitch at the office earlier today, right in my ear.
“Thank you, ladies. Kitty will meet you outside in a moment and brief you on the next few functions.” Thomas opens the door for us and basically sends us on our way. I’m sure their time is valuable.
Once the door closes, we both look at each other and roll our eyes. There are some serious old farts in that boardroom. I’m not sure they’re ready to move with the ideas we will be bringing to the table. Oh well, at least we don’t have to get approval from them. I wonder what this Kitty will be like. She could make or break how successful this job is going to be.
“I think the average age in that room was eighty-five for the men and seventy-five for the women,” I whisper to Fleur as we stand waiting, trying not to look like idiots standing here doing nothing.
“Surely there has to be a mix of younger people that can take up some positions. All they’ll be judging about our functions are how good the cups of tea and supper are.” We both have a little giggle together. “Plus, they’ll all need to be lunch functions because they need to be in bed by seven pm.” We both try to keep our laughing to whisper level.
I can hear the fast clicking of heels approaching down the corridor. There is someone on a mission heading our way. Around the corner she appears. Tall and all legs. Hair pulled back into a tight bun. Black skirt, fitted and straight, showing her perfect figure. White blouse with a neckline that falls down to a perfect V between her breasts. This woman is model material. A perfect ten.
That red lipstick, stern lips, and the way she is looking at us tells me she is a powerful woman who won’t take any crap. I have no doubt this is Kitty Ellis, and this may not be as easy as we think.
“You must be the ladies from Fleurtilly, I’m the head of operations at Mercy Hospital, Kitty Ellis. Pleased to meet you.” Her hand extends to us, and I know before I even shake it that it will be like shaking the hand of a man. It will be firm and a power exchange. I admire women in roles that make the world stand up and take notice. Just in the first ten seconds, I can tell Kitty is one of these women.
“Hi, Kitty, I’m Fleur Florentine and this is Matilda Henderson. We’re pleased to meet you and excited to be working together.” My assumptions on the handshake were spot-on. “What did you have in mind this afternoon?” Fleur takes the lead on this meeting as she has done most of the liaising with the hospital tender as the contact person.
“We will head to one of the meeting rooms and look at the upcoming schedule and work out our plan of attack and how we will work collectively. I oversee all the operations in the hospital, but I don’t have time to be concerned with minor details,” she says as she starts to h
ead down the corridor, assuming we will just follow her. Fleur turns to me, rolling her eyes, as we both step off to follow her like little puppies. That’s what we need to do until we settle in, and then we will start to show we are professional businesswomen too, that don’t need to be treated like children. But to begin with, softly, softly, as they say.
Entering the room, there are already another woman and man both seated at the desk. Introduced as her PA and the head of the legal department who has all the contracts that are needed before we can continue any further. Included in these are privacy and non-disclosure agreements. Our tender contract runs for two years, which will give us enough time to wow the board and use the contract as leverage to land other large corporate tenders. Signing a contract with the hospital to be the exclusive event planner for all their charity and corporate events is huge. The main people who attend these events are businesspeople or the wealthy who are on boards for other charities. The new contacts will be endless.
“Now, we have several functions on the calendar over the next three months, so you will be thrown in the deep end, I’m sorry. With the last company leaving us rather unexpectedly, we are a little behind the eight ball. I hope you are as efficient as they tell me you are.” Kitty lays out a calendar on the table. My heart starts to do that anxious racing that I do on the day of a big event.
Holy shit! That calendar is crazy. What have we taken on?
I can see Fleur’s body language giving off the same vibes. Neither of us bats an eyelid at the super dominating Kitty. We can’t let her know that we’re crapping ourselves on the inside.
“We will have you organized in no time,” I say, dragging every bit of confidence I have out to make it sound convincing. The reality is we’re good at what we do and are both as determined as the other to nail this job.
“Absolutely. Let’s start with next week and work through the first month’s functions to get started, shall we.” Fleur opens up her laptop and starts tapping away at the calendar program we use while I pull up the form we use for the briefs on each function.