Save Me: A Singular Obsession Novella
Page 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Take Me
A Singular Obsession Novella
Lucy Leroux
Save Me © 2016 Lucy Leroux
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All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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Contents
Titles by Lucy Leroux
Disclaimer
Credits
Save Me
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Books by Lucy Leroux
Making Her His
Confiscating Charlie
Calen’s Captive
Stolen Angel
The Roman’s Woman
Save Me
Take Me
Trick’s Trap
Cursed
Black Widow
Writing as L.B. Gilbert
Fire
Air
Kin Selection
Titles by Lucy Leroux
Making Her His, A Singular Obsession, Book One
Available Now
Confiscating Charlie, A Singular Obsession Novelette
Book 1.5
Available Now
Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession, Book Two
Available Now
Stolen Angel, A Singular Obsession, Book Three
Available Now
The Roman’s Woman, A Singular Obsession,
Book Four
Available Now
Save Me, A Singular Obsession Novella, Book 4.5
Coming Soon
Take Me, A Singular Obsession Prequel Novella
Available Now
* * *
Cursed, A Spellbound Regency Novel
Available Now
Black Widow, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Two
Coming Soon
* * *
Writing As L.B. Gilbert
Fire: The Elementals Book One
Available Now
Air: The Elementals Book Two
Available Now
Water: The Elementals Book Three
Coming Soon
Kin Selection
Available as part of the Myths and Magic Box Set
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please send them to the author’s website, where they can find out where to purchase a copy for themselves. Free content can be downloaded at the author’s free reads page.
Thank you for respecting the author's work. Enjoy!
Credits
Cover Design:
Robin Harper
http://www.wickedbydesigncovers.com
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Editor:
Deidra Krieger
www.kriegerediting.com
Cynthia Shepp
http://www.cynthiashepp.com/
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Thank you to all of my readers especially to Jennifer Bergans for her editorial comments. And thanks to my husband for all of his support even though he won’t read my sex scenes!
Save Me
A Singular Obsession Novella
He left to save himself, but ended up losing her…
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Two years ago, Eric Tam left Las Vegas with his career in shambles. Now he’s rebuilt his life, but it’s conditional on one thing—he can’t go back. Until he gets the one phone call that changes everything. His former lover, the one he still dreams about, is in trouble with their mutual boss.
It’s been years since Andie saw her first love, Eric. And she definitely doesn’t want to see him now, not when her life is a complete mess. But unlike Eric once did, her problems aren’t going away. She’s trusted the wrong people. Soon it becomes clear it’s not just her job on the line. It’s her life…
Chapter 1
“This wound is healing nicely,” Dr. Eric Tam said, squinting at the mostly-closed hole in the billionaire’s arm. He kneeled down on a Persian carpet that probably cost more than he made in a year.
Eric was in Oxford, England. He had been sent by his employer, Calen McLachlan, to check on his friend Gio Morgese after the man was hurt saving his fiancée, Sophia.
Though he was from Rome, Gio was currently living in England to be close to her. Their home was a luxury penthouse in the center of the city.
He’d met quite a few of his boss’ friends but not the Italian banker he’d gone to school with. So far the man was as kind as his reputation. He was certainly being very patient considering this checkup was largely unnecessary. The banker had an entire team of medical staff at his disposal.
“That’s what my doctor said,” Gio replied, with a faint smile on his face, but he wasn’t looking at him. His attention on his fiancée, who moved around in the kitchen behind Eric’s back. “Calen didn’t have to send you all the way out here,” he added, watching Sophia with a slightly dazed expression.
“It’s not a problem,” Eric assured him. “He just wanted to make sure you were okay since he couldn’t fly out to visit himself.”
He was about to explain what was keeping Calen in Boston, but decided not to bother. Gio wasn’t listening to him. Eric didn’t blame the man for his distraction. Sophia, a curvaceous Hispanic woman, was the definition of a Latin bombshell.
He turned his head briefly to find the woman in question had also stopped what she was doing when she sensed Gio’s gaze on her. The two shared a private glance filled with a heat so intense, Eric was surprised his hair wasn’t singed in the crossfire.
Across the room, Sophia blushed and put her head down. Feeling warm himself, he turned back to G
io, focusing on putting a clean bandage on his arm…but a heavy weight started to collect in his chest. It grew until it was too difficult to ignore.
Andie.
He hadn’t thought about her in months—had forced himself not to. Seeing Gio and Sophia share a private moment brought it all back. Overwhelmed by a wave of pain and regret, he tightened the fastening on the bandage too much. Hurrying to fix his mistake, he readjusted it until it was perfect.
“Are we done here?” Gio asked softly.
He glanced up to see his patient’s golden-brown eyes were on him now. Though Gio was still being polite, he could feel the man’s frustration to be alone with his smoking hot fiancée.
Eric coughed. “Of course,” he said, trying to think of something else to add. When he couldn’t, he focused on gathering his gear.
Since his physician’s assistant had taken a job that required less travel, he had to pack up his equipment on his own. It wasn’t a problem this time. His medical bag wasn’t big. Working solo was only an issue when he needed to have special equipment shipped out, like a sonogram or portable x-ray machine.
Gio stood to walk him to the door. “Thank you again for coming all this way. I told Calen it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted.”
“It was no problem,” he repeated. “I was just across the pond in France doing health insurance exams for Calen’s new restaurant employees in Paris.”
“Are you exclusive with McLachlan Inc. now?” Gio asked as they crossed the expansive foyer.
Warming to the subject, he nodded. “I am. I left the concierge service I was with when he threw his support behind me to start my own. I’m supervising a few other docs. We tag team to cover all of Calen’s clubs and restaurants. He prefers to handle his staff’s healthcare needs personally, rather than having them solely depend on local resources. Calen is our only commercial contract, but we keep busy with a lot of volunteer efforts as well and will be expanding to the Caislean group next year. I spend a lot of time on the road these days.”
Going everywhere except Vegas.
“Well, I think that’s great. And I’m glad you’re in a good place now.”
Tensing, Eric whipped his head back to Gio. “Oh…thank you.”
Where had that come from? He stared at the other man, who appeared to be biting his tongue.
Oh, no. The Italian knew about his past. Had Calen told him?
Gio reddened and put his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry. I thought you recognized me. I was with Calen when he met you. Don’t you remember?”
He didn’t, not at all. Of course, he had been blackout drunk at the time. Eric shifted uncomfortably and two of them stared at each other. Half-expecting a recriminating lecture, he exhaled when Gio watched him with nothing but awkward discomfort.
“It was impressive how you saved that young man, considering the circumstances.”
Wishing he could sink through the floor, Eric smiled till it hurt. “Oh, sorry. Crazy night. I don’t remember all the details anymore.”
Admitting that was the most difficult thing he’d done in a long while. Gio was polite enough not to dwell on his discomfort. “I’d never seen an emergency tracheotomy before. I thought there would be more blood…”
“There was some.” A small amount had been on his clothes the next day.
After another long pause, Gio coughed. “Well, I’ve kept you long enough. Don’t you have a plane to catch?”
“I do!” he said gratefully.
“Where are you heading to next?”
“Back to Boston,” he said, checking the impulse to thank Gio for his time. It hadn’t been a job interview.
Gio nodded at him. “Buon viaggio.”
“Thank you,” he said, escaping gratefully. He was down the hall before his heart slowed.
He hadn’t had to confront his past in some time. Down in the lobby, he asked the doorman to flag down a taxi for him. He staggered into it, throwing his bag on the seat next to him. After giving the driver directions to the airport, he slumped back in the seat, watching the city slip by.
More than two years had passed since the night Gio had referenced. After making a splash in his surgical residency, Eric had moved home to Vegas to care for his ailing mother. After she had passed, he’d stayed on because he liked the hospital he was working at. It had been a huge mistake.
His problem wasn’t alcohol. It was the poker tables.
After the grinding shifts at the hospital, he started joining coworkers at the casinos to unwind. And then he started going by himself. When he had a good night he’d go to a club to celebrate. That was where he’d met Andie.
She was working at Calen McLachlan’s club Lynx as a waitress to put herself through school. A light flirtation had turned into a blistering affair. They saw each other for months, whenever he could pull himself away from the poker tables.
The gambling had consumed him. His work had suffered, mainly because he started missing shifts. In the end, that had been a blessing. Trying to perform surgery after staying up all night would have been a disaster, so he didn’t do it. He’d been careful to get someone to fill in at first, but his good manners and conscientiousness eroded as his addiction tightened its grip.
The hospital had no choice. When they’d finally fired him he’d gone to Lynx to drown his sorrows. The next thing he knew he was waking up with a splitting headache in the manager’s office. The head of security, a huge burly guy Andie had pointed out to him, had been staring down at him with his arms crossed.
“Am I in trouble?” Eric asked.
“Not exactly.” Mike Ward had laughed after introducing himself.
“Why is there blood on my shirt?”
“Because you cut a man’s neck open last night.”
“What?”
Mike uncrossed his arms. “Some stupid frat kids were daring each other to see who could swallow the most ice cubes whole. One of them started choking. Our on-call doctor tried to trach him, but he was shaking like a leaf. He was botching the thing when you pushed him out of the way. I was going to stop you, cause you were obviously piss drunk, but once you got the knife in your hand the damnedest thing happened. It was like you were instantly sober. The boss said it must have been muscle memory.”
“I have done it a few times before in the ER,” he admitted.
“Good thing, because you did it too fast for us to stop you.” Mike said, handing him a can of soda. “Sorry, the coffee machine is in the boss’ office. It’s upstairs if you want some.”
It was the offer of coffee that made him relax. They weren’t going to sue him for practicing drunk. He could lose his medical license—and he would deserve it. He had no business treating anyone in that condition.
His relief was short-lived. “The boss wants a face to face,” Mike informed him. “He’ll see you here this evening, Dr. Tam.”
Eric froze. The mobster knew his name. “Calen McLachlan wants to meet me?”
Andie had told him all about the man who owned the club. He’d thought it was amusing that her boss was the son of a notorious gangster. Well, it wasn’t funny anymore.
Mike had given him a small amused smile. “At nine tonight. Don’t be late.”
“I might have to work tonight.”
“No you don’t.”
“Um…”
“We know you were just fired from the hospital. And about your gambling problem. We did our homework after you passed out.”
“Oh,” he said, feeling sick.
Mike grinned at him. “The way I see it, you don’t have many options right now. So don’t be late.”
And he wasn’t.
The last thing he’d expected that night was a job offer, but that’s what he got—after a non-negotiable stint in rehab. He’d done the latter without complaint. Getting fired was his rock bottom, but thanks to Calen he bounced back faster than he would have on his own. And he learned his lesson about judging people based on rumors.
Calen wasn’t danger
ous. In fact, he was the most conscientious and ethical employer he’d ever had. Eric wouldn’t go out on a limb and say they were friends, but he liked and respected the man. And now, years later, he could safely assume his boss respected him. Calen wouldn’t have backed his bid to open his own business if he didn’t.
The one thing he did ask of him was that Eric let one of the other doctors handle his Las Vegas properties. It had been the right move. He hadn’t wanted to test his sobriety or his resolve not to gamble. Years had gone by, and he hadn’t returned. Calen said it was better not to tempt fate and Eric hadn’t wanted to jeopardize his recovery.
By the time he got to the airport, Eric had a handle on his emotions. He tried not to dwell on the past. He reminded himself that he had done what was necessary to salvage his career and possibly his life. But it had come at a cost…and her name was Andie.
Chapter 2
“Did you come here tonight to see me?” Andie asked.
Eric forgot she couldn’t see his nod in the darkness of the storage room.
“Yes,” he groaned, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to her neck.
There had been plenty of time to stop at the club tonight since he hadn’t bothered to go to the hospital for his shift.