Billion Dollar Man

by Ali Parker

  “Aww, poor Ben. Buried in money and women and you want someone to talk to.”

  “You’re a real dick, you know that?” I said.

  Jerrod pulled up his shoulders. “Come on, you know I’m right. This is bullshit. What about Rachel? She’s still hung up on you.”

  I snorted. “I know you’re just fucking with me. She’s hung up on my money. That’s what it is.”

  “I was going to say she has good taste, but I think you’re right,” Jerrod said. “She doesn’t have much going for her. No man wants to be with a bitch, no matter how good in bed she is.”

  “She wasn’t even good in bed,” I said, and we laughed. Jerrod clapped me on the back.

  “No love lost there.”

  When our beers were finished, we ordered a round of tequila shots and more beer. When the shots arrived, we tossed the lemons to the side and drank down the bitter liquid without running through the salt routine. Real men didn’t do salt and lemon with their tequila. No matter how shitty it tasted.

  “I don’t know why we always do this,” I said when I double-tapped the shot glass on the bar.

  “Because it tastes like shit, but it makes you feel so good,” Jerrod said.

  “Only for a night.”

  “It sounds like most women.”

  I shook my head, laughing. I had forgotten what a laugh it was to spend time with Jerrod.

  “You know, I’m glad you’re back, man. It was so shitty drinking without you. I couldn’t tell you about all the dames I wined and dined, either.”

  “I’m glad to be back,” I said. “So you can tell me about all these ‘dames’ you’re tagging along. Although I haven’t seen any of them.”

  “I’m keeping them away for now so you don’t get jealous,” Jerrod said.

  “Right.” I laughed. “How kind of you.”

  Jerrod chuckled. “It’s bullshit. A city this big and you would think I would have found someone by now. I guess you and I are the same.”

  “Nothing wrong with being single. We’re working on our careers.”

  “Yeah, chicks dig that. A man with a career is three times hotter than any other man.”

  “Exactly,” I said, and we laughed again.

  “Speaking of business, my parents are signing the restaurant over to me in a few years.”

  “Really? When?”

  “When I’ve done all the training and shit my dad wants me to know. He said about six years, but I want to prove myself earlier than that.”

  “That’s great, man. You’ll pull it off. Do you like working at the restaurant? You weren’t too keen when I left.”

  Jerrod thought about it for a second. “I’m happy, yeah. I like what I’m doing. When you left, I was still young and stupid. I didn’t understand what it meant to pass on a family legacy. When Mila said she wanted out, my parents were pissed, and I thought it would put more pressure on me to take over the restaurant. By the time that happened, I already knew it was what I wanted.”

  “Look at us, all grown up and each of us doing something we love. That’s rare, man.”

  “Yeah, who would have thought we would ever grow up?” Jerrod joked.

  We drank our beers in silence. I was starting to feel the alcohol. Because I was so fit and I hadn’t had a habit of drinking when I was in New York, it took a lot less to get me drunk than it used to. When I looked at Jerrod, I could see the alcohol wasn’t even close to touching him yet. In fact, he looked tired.

  “Have you worked hard this week?” I asked.

  Jerrod nodded. “But I’m still going strong. We’re not going to bed early tonight.”

  I laughed. “No shame in that.”

  Jerrod glanced sideways at me. “We’ll see how it goes,” he said.

  We talked for a while longer when Jerrod looked toward the door and grinned. He waved, and when I looked to see who he was waving at, Mila and Skylar made their way through the crowd.

  “Is Portland not big enough for the four of us?” Jerrod asked. “Fancy meeting the two of you in the same bar when all we were trying to do was get away.”

  “Shut up,” Mila said, hugging Jerrod. “It’s not like your room is next to mine anymore. You know you miss me.”

  Jerrod pulled up one shoulder in defeat and put his arm around Skylar as well.

  “There’s my girl,” he said.

  “I’m not your girl,” Skylar said, pulling a face, and I laughed. Skylar obviously hated it when Jerrod hit on her, and for exactly that reason, he would keep doing it.

  Mila turned to me, and her smile softened. She looked beautiful, as always. Her hair was down around her face, the tips brushing her shoulders, and she wore a smoky type of eyeshadow that was so popular these days, and it made her look sexy and smoldering. She wore a little black dress that showed off her long legs and heels. I hadn’t seen her from behind, but I was sure it made her ass look great.

  Despite how hot she looked, there was something about her that was sad. She wasn’t moping, per se, but there was something about her that seemed a little defeated. I had the feeling it had something to do with work. If she wanted to talk about it, I would listen. If she wanted to forget, I would help. I wanted to be there for her. The feeling was so sudden, it caught me off guard. I hadn’t ever wanted to be there for someone the way I wanted to be there for her.

  I didn’t have time to analyze it before Jerrod overpowered the conversation and suggested we all drink tequila. He ordered four shots, and we took it together.

  The conversation was loud, and Jerrod openly flirted with Skylar, pissing her off and entertaining Mila and me.

  It was just before midnight when Jerrod sighed with exaggeration.

  “I think I’m getting old. I’m going to head home.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “So much for going big, huh?”

  “Shut up,” Jerrod said, clapping his hand in mine. “Take care of Mila.”

  “Of course,” I said.

  After Jerrod left, Skylar announced she was going too. Mila argued with her a little in hushed tones, and I couldn’t figure out what her issue was, but Skylar won the argument and left after bidding us a good night.

  “What was that about?” I asked. I didn’t want Mila to feel like she was stuck with me if it wasn’t what she wanted.

  “It was nothing. Skylar was being silly.” She smiled at me.

  “Do you want to go too? I won’t be offended.”

  “Not at all,” Mila said sincerely. I believed her. “I like spending time with you.”

  I grinned. “In that case, let me buy you a drink.”

  I bought us each a drink, and we sat at the side of the bar so we were away from the pushy crowd.

  “Are you okay?” I asked. “You seem a little down.”

  “I’ve had a rough week at work,” she said. “One of my patients, an elderly lady, died of pneumonia. We couldn’t save her. It gets me down when we lose someone.”

  I nodded. “I understand. It’s not an easy job.”

  “Tell me about your week,” she said. “Was it better than mine?”

  “Yeah, it was a good week for me,” I said. “We had an apartment building on fire. It wasn’t too serious, but it was bad enough that some of the residents couldn’t get out themselves, and they sent us in. We got them all out, but there’s more damage to the building than what can be fixed just like that. But that’s not our problem.”

  “It’s gotta feel good to get them all out,” Mila said.

  I nodded. “It’s great. Now that we’ve told each other about our jobs, I think we should leave work behind.”

  Mila nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”

  We started talking about other things. Mila told me about things she’d been through when I’d been in New York. She asked me about life in the big city and how it compared to living here, and we bought shots and drank together until neither of us knew if we could walk once we climbed off our barstools.

  It was amazing just to let
go for a change. When I was in New York, I had been so uptight and careful all the time, ensuring I upheld my dad’s company image as he would have wanted. It was great to be able to let loose.

  I had to admit Mila brought out a very relaxed version of me. She brought out the best in me, and when I was with her, I could completely be myself.

  The more I drank, the more I struggled to contain my attraction to her. Mila was amazing in every way, and now that my inhibitions were lowered, I wanted her. The only reason why I didn’t act on it the moment I started feeling it was because Jerrod had asked me to look after Mila. I was pretty damn sure he wouldn’t have “making out” on the list of ways to look after her.

  It was close to dawn by the time Mila and I finally stumbled out of the bar and into a cab.

  “I’m going to regret drinking so much in the morning,” Mila said once we were in the cab, putting her hand against the door to stay upright around the turns. It failed, and she tumbled against me.

  “Maybe,” I said. “But I’m not going to regret tonight.” I put my arm around her shoulders because I couldn’t help myself. It felt so good having her body pressed against mine.

  “No, never.”

  Mila turned her face to mine to look at me, and even in my drunken state, I knew her lips were only inches away from mine. I fought with myself. I couldn’t kiss her.

  When she slid her eyes to my lips, I lost the fight. Her eyes were so beautiful, filled with want. That want echoed through my own body.

  The next turn pushed us closer together, and I didn’t so much lean in as fell into the kiss. My lips pressed against Mila’s, and she made a small sound at the back of her throat, her arms curling around my neck to hold onto me. Her lips parted, and I slid my tongue into her mouth. She met my tongue with hers, and the kiss was like magic. I knew it was the alcohol talking, but it felt like a thousand nerve endings fired at the same time, making me dizzy.

  The sexual desire was so thick in the cab, I wanted more. A lot more. I wanted to slide my hand up her leg and under the skirt of her dress. I wanted to feel her smooth skin and see where it would take me when I kept going.

  The cab stopped, and it took me a moment to realize we were at Mila’s apartment building. We broke the kiss, and she lifted her fingers to her lips as if she was surprised about what she’d done.

  “Thank you for tonight,” Mila said in a husky voice. I wanted to wake up to that voice. “Good night. Or should I say, good morning.”

  She smiled at me and opened the door before I could answer. When the door closed, she was gone, and I was left in the cab along with the driver and a raging erection in my pants.

  Chapter 8

  Mila

  When I woke up later on Sunday, the sun was already high in the sky, and it fell right on my face through the curtains I had forgotten to close. I turned around and groaned. My head pounded something fierce, and I felt sick to my stomach.

  It was all the alcohol I had consumed with Ben. It was easy to keep drinking, especially if the company was good. The music played all night long, and the more I drank, the better I felt. Now that it was in the light of a new day—or later the same day—I regretted it all. Why did I drink? It made me feel like shit for a lot longer than it had made me feel good, and it was expensive. Although, the latter didn’t count this time because Ben had paid for my drinks.

  Which had been very sweet of him. I wondered if he suffered as much as I did today. He’d told me he had to be in great physical condition to be a firefighter and he’d trained for years to keep up his fitness. I had to admit, it made him look fantastic too. Muscular and delicious. But fitness meant alcohol took its toll, so I was sure he felt as rotten as I did, if not more.

  I thought about the cab ride home and the kiss we had shared.

  Oh my god. Ben Atwood had kissed me. It hadn’t just been a quick peck, either. It had been a sloppy, tongue-in-my-mouth, toe-curling kiss that gave me goose bumps when I just thought about it. A lot about the end of the night was blurry, but the memory of his lips on mine, his arms around me, and the sexual desire that had accompanied that kiss were crystal clear.

  And so was the doubt that had crept in afterward.

  Every time I had been with Ben, it had been amazing. He was such a nice guy, even nicer than before he had left. I’d had a crush on him for years, but this was something else. I wasn’t crushing on him anymore. A crush was when a girl was in love with a boy she would never have, more like a fantasy.

  This wasn’t a crush. It was more like infatuation. Which was a bad idea. With Jerrod around, we shouldn’t act on it. We shouldn’t have kissed.

  I touched my fingers to my lips. I didn’t regret the kiss at all. I had wanted it so badly the whole night. Hell, I had dreamed of it since I was fifteen, but I hadn’t ever thought it would be that amazing.

  What was I supposed to do about it now that it had happened? What did Ben think of it, and what did he want to do? Ignore it? I hoped not. But what else could we do? It couldn’t become more between us. There was no way.

  I searched for my phone and finally found it half under the bed. The battery was dead. Drunk Mila was so irresponsible. I put the phone on charge and switched it on.

  The moment I had a signal, I received a message. It was from Ben.

  I hope your head isn’t pounding too much. Kisses in cabs after midnight seem magical, but we should talk.

  What did that mean? My stomach tightened a little. What if he wanted to tell me it was horrible, that it should never happen again? He would be right about the latter. It shouldn’t happen again, but I didn’t want him to hate that it had happened at all. I was about to respond when my phone rang. It was the Matron at the hospital.

  “Hello?”

  “We need you to cover for two nurses who were called out. Can you come in?”

  My head was killing me, but I would be there for the hospital no matter what.

  “I’ll be there in an hour,” I said and ended the call.

  I had to get myself back on track. I climbed into the shower and washed my hair this time. I drank a glass of tomato juice and took Vitamin B12, hoping it would do the trick and knowing it probably wouldn’t. When I arrived at the hospital, there was chaos.

  Two patients had been rolled into the Emergency Room. They had been in a car that had rolled. Something had gone wrong with the airbags, and they hadn’t deployed. What I saw when they were brought through to the ICU, patched as much as the trauma nurses could handle, made me realize how important airbags were. One patient had a nose that had shattered against the steering wheel. Both eyes had swelled shut, and he would need serious reconstructive surgery once we had him stable enough. The other patient's hands were cut up all the way to her upper arms where the glass must have cut her as they’d rolled. Thank God both of them had worn seatbelts or they wouldn’t have made it to my ICU ward.

  We were all on high alert. The woman’s heart stopped twice. We managed to bring her back with a crash cart, but I was terrified she wouldn’t make it through the night. The driver was losing blood so fast, it didn’t have a chance to clot. We had to give him extra blood, and thankfully, he had a common blood type and we had more than enough in the blood bank. When they needed something like O-negative, it got harder.

  By the time I could tear away for something as simple as a bathroom break, I had been running around for four hours, and there was still no sign of slowing down. I hadn’t paid attention to my hangover. There hadn’t been time. Now that I stopped to take a breath, my head thudded dully and I felt nauseous. I hadn’t had a chance to eat anything. The only thing I’d had all day was the tomato juice.

  After I finished in the bathroom, I bought a bottle of water and a cereal bar from a vending machine and forced it down even though I didn’t feel like eating.

  And it helped.

  Ben popped into my mind. My stomach erupted in butterflies and twisted in dread a moment later. I had no idea what was going on between us now. We’d h
ad such a good night together. I had been able to forget about the difficulties of the past week, had so much fun, and Ben really was an amazing guy. But that kiss in the cab might have ruined everything. Even though it had been exactly what I’d wanted.

  He wanted to talk. The way he’d said it had made it sound like a bad thing, and I dreaded the talk if it meant he was going to tell me off. I didn’t want him to. I would rather pretend it didn’t happen or go back in time and stop it from happening at all if he was going to tell me off about it.

  But there was nothing I could do. I had to wait it out and hope for the best.

  When I was done with my quick meal, I headed back to the ICU. The woman had crashed another time while I had been gone, but they had brought her back. She was holding on like no one I had ever seen.

  “Do we know anything about them yet?” I asked Claire, who had been called in too.

  “Yeah, the EMTs found a wallet in the wreck. The man is Micah Edge. We know nothing about the woman, but we assume they’re together or related or something. Right now, I just want her to get out of the danger zone.”

  I nodded. I was hoping for the same.

  The rest of the day wasn’t as disastrous as the first half had been, but there hadn’t been much time to take a break. I ran around and ignored my hangover, and somewhere between running from one patient to the next, it started to fade. I didn’t feel amazing by the time my shift finally ended, but I didn’t feel like death-warmed-over anymore.

  “I’m off,” I said to Claire in the locker room. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “For sure. Pray those two make it through the night.”

  I nodded. It was still touch-and-go with them, but after the third time, Jane Doe had stopped trying to check out of life early and she had become more stable. I hoped they would still be around tomorrow morning when I came in for my shift.

  When I sat in my car, I took out my phone and dialed Ben’s number. I should have contacted him this morning when I had read his message, but it had been so crazy, I had barely had time to think straight.