When she came back around, she found herself lying on the concrete while two men circled each other, each having a knife trained on the other. Getting her knees underneath herself, she crawled towards the building, pulling her purse and other items with her.
Looking up, she noted that she was only about eight feet from her room. If she could make it that far, maybe she could get inside and call the police before somebody was killed. As she began to move that direction, she held back a groan of pain and reached a hand up to wipe the liquid from her eyes, only to see her hand return covered in blood.
Closing her eyes briefly, she continued her crawl until she reached her room and managed to get the door open and fall inside. Crawling to the phone, she dialed 911, gave them the motel’s address and then collapsed against the side of the bed to wait. She kept her eyes closed, and willed the nausea away.
Several minutes later, she heard the welcome sound of police sirens and someone was knocking on her door. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling as a wave of dizziness assailed her, and opened the door to a uniformed police officer who took one look at her and radioed for an ambulance.
Brianna tried to tell the officer she didn’t need medical attention, but then the officer suggested she take a look in the mirror and Brianna had to fight back another wave of nausea. She had never been able to handle the sight of her own blood.
The ride to the hospital was uneventful and the emergency personnel had treated her with kindness and offered to call someone to be with her. Not having anyone, other than her mother who was unable to leave the nursing home, she didn’t miss the look of pity the nurse threw her way.
When the doctor came in, he pronounced that she had a slight concussion and would either need to spend the night in the hospital or call someone who could come collect her at the hospital and keep watch over her through the night.
Brianna already felt like crying, the pain in her head worse than anything she could remember, and promptly burst into tears. Trent would fire her for sure when she didn’t show up for work tomorrow. Her mother would get kicked out of the nursing home, and Brianna would be homeless when she couldn’t pay the rent on the crummy hotel room. She quickly swirled down into a full out panic mode as she tried to process all of the repercussions from tonight’s little excitement.
The attending physician watched her for a moment and then called a nurse to sit with her while he made some calls. She had given the paramedics her place of employment; maybe they could locate a family member to come be with her from her personnel records.
Chapter 9
Jason, the security officer on duty at Coldwell Enterprises, assured the doctor that he would have someone look at her personnel records and make the necessary calls. If there was a problem, they would call the hospital and advise them in the next fifteen minutes.
Jason called up to Trent’s office as he was the only one still in the building who had the necessary clearance to look into an employee’s personnel records.
Trent scowled as his phone rang. Looking at the time, he answered the phone, “Yes?”
“Mr. Coldwell, Jason down in the security office. Sir, I’m sorry to bother you but we just received a call from Denver General Hospital and they need the emergency contact information on one of our employees. Evidently the person is unable to provide them this information and is in the emergency room.”
Trent sat up and wondered what had happened, “Did they give you the employee’s name?”
“Yes Sir, it’s Brianna Daughtry.”
Trent nearly dropped the phone, “Thank you, Jason. I’ll take care of it. Denver General did you say?”
“Yes Sir. What should I tell the doctor at the hospital?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m headed that way right now.” Trent hung up the phone, grabbed his cell phone and called his driver as he headed for the elevator. He wasn’t sure what had happened to Brianna, but he would go see for himself. If she needed him to call someone else, then he would see it was taken care of.
*****
The nurse sitting with Brianna tried to calm her down, but her charge just kept crying, fragments of what was bothering her stumbling out between sobs. If the nurse was getting everything, the young woman was afraid of being fired, her mother was going to be put out of the nursing home, and on top of everything else, she was about to find herself homeless. She patted her shoulder and tried to get her to calm down but the young woman was overwhelmed and her emotions were out of her control.
When the doctor walked in some twenty minutes later with a gorgeous man in tow, the nurse was relieved that someone else was going to attempt to calm her down. She had almost cried herself out and had begun to drift to sleep when she heard the doctor return.
Opening her eyes, Brianna found it hard to concentrate on anything other than the pain in her head and the despair which was consuming her, but as she lifted her eyes, she saw Trent standing behind the doctor and immediately burst into tears again. He hadn’t even waited until Monday to fire her. He had come to the hospital to do it.
The doctor had filled Trent in and cautioned him that Brianna was overly upset and that patients suffering from a concussion could often have unnatural emotional responses to events happening around them. He had given Trent a prescription painkiller for the headache he was sure she was experiencing, but had declined providing a sedative. She needed to be calmed down, and awakened every hour or so throughout the night to make sure there was no additional injury.
Trent had signed the appropriate paperwork, taking full responsibility for her welfare and had advised the hospital to bill the charges to him. The paramedics who had transported Brianna to the hospital were still in the building and had provided him a brief overview of her accident and the resulting arrests associated with the night’s events.
Trent was furious that she had been in such a neighborhood, but then remembered that Janet had said she lived in Federal Heights. Did she live at the motel where she had been injured? She didn’t strike him as the type of girl who would meet a man in such a place?
Seeing her burst into tears at seeing him, he calmly excused the doctor and nurse and then approached the bed slowly. “Brianna, sugar, you need to calm down. You need to stop crying. I know your head hurts, and the doctor gave me some medicine for you to take, but I can’t give it to you until you stop crying. You’re making yourself sick.”
Brianna heard him and started to apologize, maybe if she could make him understand that she hadn’t meant to get hurt, maybe he wouldn’t fire her. “I’m…sor…sorry…please…don’t…fire..”
Trent heard her attempting to apologize to him and it sounded as if she thought he had arrived to fire her from her job. Clenching his teeth to stop from blasting her for thinking such ridiculous thoughts, he decided to take a different approach, “Brianna!” he stated in a no-nonsense voice full of command.
Brianna took a breath, and then responded to his command and took another shuttering breath, stopping her crying, even while tears continued to stream down her face.
“That’s better. Let’s get you dressed, okay?”
Brianna took another breath, and briefly thought that she should be upset that Trent was removing her hospital gown and pulling her shirt over her bandaged shoulder, but she just didn’t have the energy. Why was Trent at the hospital anyway?
Trent helped her put her arms in the sleeves of her button down shirt and then buttoned it up, telling himself that he shouldn’t be turned on by the sight of her pale pink bra and the hint of her nipples that just showed beneath its lace edge. She was injured, hurting, and he mentally gave his libido a lecture to calm down.
Helping her to stand, he kept one hand on her hip as he guided her feet into the waist of her khaki skirt, which thankfully was ripped along the side and would most likely need to be thrown away. Hallelujah, he wouldn’t have to look at that hideous thing hiding her from his view again.
After fastening the skirt at her waist, he leaned her against the e
xamination table while he bent down and slid her shoes on. She definitely needed some help in the wardrobe department. Maybe he could get Janet to give her some fashion advice? It couldn’t hurt.
“Come along, hold onto me so you don’t fall over. If you feel like passing out, tell me before you do it.”
Brianna heard the command in his voice and told herself she could do this. Trent would take her back to the motel and she’d get a good night’s sleep.
Trent stood her up and when she staggered he pulled her to him and wrapped her in his arms, letting her get her bearings for a minute. When she began to struggle, he released her, and led her out of the hospital and to the waiting car.
He gave his driver instructions to take them home, but when the car turned onto the interstate, heading away from Federal Heights, Brianna became very agitated and demanded that the car turn around and take her home. Trent attempted to explain that she was going to be his guest for the night, but at the horrified look on her face, he decided to humor her and gave her address to the driver.
He would see for himself where she was living and if it was not a safe environment, she was coming home with him, if he had to tie her down to get her there.
Chapter 10
As the car pulled into the parking lot of the shabbiest motel Trent had ever seen, he looked around and wondered how she had managed to survive in this environment this long without coming to injury.
His longtime driver got out first to ascertain that the area was safe, and then escorted Brianna and Trent to the room she indicated was hers. Trent used her key to open the door and ushered her inside, turning on the light and once again becoming furious that she had found herself living in such conditions. The place was squalid for lack of a better word. The 1950’s print bedspread was threadbare, the orange shag carpeting belonged in another era, and the lighting was minimal. The old-styled TV, complete with rabbit-ear antennae completed the picture.
Brianna made her way to the bed and sat down gingerly on the side. Trent looked around the room and located the source of her daily lunches, a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter still sitting in a grocery bag on the floor near the foot of the bed.
Walking towards what he assumed was the bathroom, he saw a small stack of boxes sitting in the corner, her meager wardrobe hanging on the rack and immediately made a decision. Brianna Daughtry was not spending one more minute in these surroundings.
Calling to his driver, he instructed the man to begin loading the boxes and her remaining possessions into the trunk of the car. Trent scooped the personal items he found in the bathroom into his arms and then dumped them inside the empty suitcase he found next to the boxes. Next, he scooped up her clothing and deposited it in the suitcase along with the contents of the dresser drawers.
Brianna watched Trent manhandle her stuff in a detached manner, the pain in her head making any thought of protesting mute.
Trent kept an eye on Brianna, expecting an explosion any minute, and growing more concerned when she just sat there watching him with a bemused expression upon her face. He needed to get her to bed, with or without him for now, but she needed rest and some pampering.
After assuring himself that all of her personal affects had been removed from the room, he instructed his driver to take care of checking her out of this establishment with the front office, and Trent picked Brianna up in his arms and carried her back to the car.
The drive to his home in Highlands Ranch would take close to forty-five minutes and he settled himself into the seat and then pulled Brianna over against him, pleased when she came willingly.
Trent lectured himself again as his body hardened with her nearness. She was injured and clearly not herself tonight. When she slowly relaxed against him, turning into his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist, it took every bit of control he possessed not to lean her back against the seat and explore the warm body snuggled up so nicely against him.
Trent had given Brianna two of the pain killers before leaving the hospital and as usually happened when she took anything stronger than a Tylenol, she was sleepy and her head was a little fuzzy. When Trent had urged her to lean against him, the feel of another human body against hers had felt so comforting she had immediately given in.
“Hey, no going to sleep now. At least, not until I get you home.”
Brianna mumbled something and Trent felt his pulse pick up at the feel of her lips moving against his chest. Tipping her head up so he could look into her face, he watched her eyes flutter open and slowly lowered his head to touch his lips to hers.
The first touch of his lips against hers had Brianna’s heart racing and she moaned and softened against him more.
Trent gently explored her lips with his own, taking little sips from her lips and coaxing her to let him in. As she eased her mouth open, Trent took advantage and surged in. His tongue taking long sweeps inside her mouth, urging her tongue to tangle with his own.
Brianna couldn’t ever remember being kissed like this. It was like he was making love to her mouth. She had only had two serious relationships in the past, and neither of them had been interested in kissing her like this. It was like being devoured and cherished all at the same time.
When Trent heard the little moan leave her throat, he pulled her tighter against himself and let his hand move up to tangle in the hair at the nape of her neck. Gathering the long strands together, he transferred them to one hand and let his other roam over her face and down the side of her neck. Tracing the vee of her shirt to where it was buttoned, he played with the button there, waiting for her to protest and tell him to stop.
Brianna closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of Trent’s hands on her. All week he had been touching her; a brush against her shoulder with his arm as he reached for something, leaning against her back while looking over her shoulder, his hand in the small of her back as he ushered her into the elevator. She hadn’t realized how much she had desired his hands on her. Now that they were, she didn’t want him to stop.
Trent told himself he needed to stop, but it felt so good to hold her in his arms, he just couldn’t do it. His fingers played with the button between her ample breasts, and he wished they were already home. Then his conscience reminded him that she was injured, wasn’t thinking clearly, and how in appropriate it would be for him to continue taking advantage of her in this condition.
Moving his hand back up to her neck, he slowly brought the kiss back so that it was a gentle taking and giving of kisses. Finally lifting his mouth from hers, he pushed her head back down against his chest and felt her settle against him with a long sigh.
The remainder of the drive was made in silence. Trent continued to run his hand through her hair, being careful to avoid the bandage on her temple.
Brianna closed her eyes and enjoyed being held and the sure knowledge that she was safe in this moment. How long had it been since she could say she felt safe at night? Five months? Six months? Whatever it was, she was going to live for this moment, who knew how long it would be before she felt this way again.
Chapter 11
Trent instructed his driver to unload Brianna’s belongings and stack them in the back hallway. She wouldn’t need anything tonight, and there’d be time enough to deal with them tomorrow.
After getting Brianna settled into bed, he made a few phone calls and arranged to have his second in command handle the negotiations scheduled for the morning. He then called Janet and let her know what had happened and told her that he and Brianna would be taking Monday off. Janet offered to come over and stay with Brianna, but Trent declined, encouraging her to enjoy the rest of the evening with her husband Shawn.
After ensuring that everything was in place for the negotiation to go smoothly, he climbed the stairs to check on Brianna. He had put her in his bed, telling himself that he would sleep in one of the guest rooms. But seeing her snuggled down in his bed had those thoughts quickly being put aside.
In deference to his houseguest, he donne
d a pair of pajama pants before climbing into the bed next to her. He turned the lights down, not wanting her to become fearful if she should wake up during the night and not remember where she was.
The doctor had instructed him to wake her up every hour. It was just after midnight and he set the alarm for 1 a.m., taking his job as her caretaker seriously.
*****
It felt like he had just closed his eyes when his alarm went off, reminding him to check on Brianna once again. He had followed the doctor’s instructions, waking her every hour, and this was the last of the recommended checks. He glanced at the clock and tried not to groan when he read 7 a.m.; it had been a very long night and he felt like he could sleep for hours.
Brianna had slept the sleep of one suffering from complete exhaustion, waking only to let him check her eyes, before falling right back to sleep.
Performing the last required check, Trent made sure the alarm was in the off position and settled down for some uninterrupted sleep.
*****
Brianna struggled to open her eyes, groaning as the light sent shards of glass ripping through her brain. Slowly turning her head away from the source of the light, she cracked her eyes open only to find herself face to face with her boss, Trent Coldwell.
He was propped upon an elbow, and shirtless. That fact registered, as did the muscles and broad shoulders. Brianna let her eyes open more fully and took in the whiskers, which darkened his normally clean-shaven jawline. His hair was tousled and his eyes were looking at her with a warmth she hadn’t seen previously on his face.
Trent watched Brianna slowly come awake and resisted the urge to brush her hair off her face. The edges of the bandage showed the evidence of a bruise which had formed around her cut. He watched her eyes widen as she recognized where she was and then saw the beginnings of desire ignite in her warm gaze as she looked at his bare chest and face.
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