Her Consultant Boss

by Joanna Neil

  ‘The nurse said I could come and see you,’ Mrs Hadleigh explained to Sam. ‘She fitted me in between appointments.’ She smiled. ‘I wanted to let you know that Matthew is getting on so much better now, and to thank you for picking up on what was wrong with him.’

  Matthew, who had been waiting impatiently by his mother’s side, pulled something from behind his back and thrust it towards Megan. He said, ‘I made this for you.’ He pushed a large white envelope into Megan’s hands. ‘It’s a card. I made it myself to say thank you.’

  ‘For me?’ Megan’s eyes widened as she opened the envelope and took out the folded piece of paper. She smiled in delight at the crookedly glued paper flowers that jumped out from the card in a blaze of colour. ‘Oh, Matthew, sweetheart, that’s lovely. Thank you so much.’ She hugged him and his little face lit up.

  ‘I cut the flowers out myself, and I did the writing.’

  ‘It’s wonderful.’

  Sam was grinning, and watched as she put an arm around the little boy and showed him where she was going to stand the card on the window-sill in pride of place.

  ‘He’s getting on so much better at school,’ his mother told Sam. ‘The neurologist put him on a low dose of tablets, as you said he might, and it seems to be working really well. He’s paying attention to his teachers and he’s learning such a lot.’

  ‘That’s good news,’ Sam agreed. ‘I’m really pleased that things are working out for you both. I expect Matthew is having regular follow-up appointments?’

  ‘Yes, he is. We’ve been to see the doctor this morning, and he’s pleased with the way he’s going on. We’ll see him again in three months’ time.’

  Megan saw them out a minute or so later, and she and Sam carried on with surgery as usual.

  When they had seen the last of their patients for the morning, Megan asked, ‘Shall we have lunch together today? I want to hear about your plans for the new unit.’

  ‘I can’t, I’m sorry.’ He made a face as he tidied up the surface of his desk. ‘I’m seeing Julie this lunchtime so that we can go through a list of equipment that we’ve ordered for the unit and decide on some of the arrangements that need to be finalised.’

  Megan tried to hide her disappointment. Perhaps she had been unwise to expect anything more.

  ‘I have to get things moving fairly quickly now that I’ve got the go-ahead,’ he said, glancing at her. ‘We’ll talk back at the house this evening.’

  He was being perfectly open with her about what was happening, and it shouldn’t have mattered how he was spending his lunch-break. Even so, she wasn’t sure how she felt an hour or so later when he was still closeted in his office with Julie.

  When the two of them finally emerged from his room they were smiling, and he had his arm around Julie’s shoulders.

  Megan saw them and felt as though she had been struck down by some dreadful illness. Was she jealous of Julie being with Sam? It was an unfamiliar feeling, and she didn’t know how to cope with it.

  Julie was beautiful and clever, and her life was uncomplicated, from what Megan had heard. She didn’t have family problems to intrude on her relationships or worries that kept her awake at night, and Megan could understand it if Sam felt drawn to her.

  Megan’s own life was intrinsically bound up with that of her family. She wouldn’t have it any other way, but she was beginning to realise that Sam was also a vital part of her life. Being attracted to him was not a good idea. Relationships, even the best ones, could founder, and she could be badly hurt.

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE new unit opened just two weeks later.

  ‘I already had an idea of where the unit would be housed,’ Sam said, when he and Megan were having dinner one evening, ‘and I was able to hurry things along. I managed to get sponsors to help initially with the extra funding that would be needed, and I knew that I had the staff to man it. Once they saw that I had everything in place, the hospital management agreed to give it a try.’

  His grey eyes glimmered with enthusiasm. ‘We’re going to throw a party to celebrate the opening, and I want you to be there.’ He shot her a quick glance. ‘You will come, won’t you?’

  ‘When is it?’

  ‘I’m planning it for Friday evening. That way no one has to get up too early next morning. James and David are going to be there, as well as management. I’m planning on having quite a crowd.’

  ‘Of course I’ll come.’ She smiled at him and reached for his hand across the table. He twined his strong fingers in hers in a warm clasp. ‘I’m really happy for you that everything’s going so well,’ she murmured. ‘You’ve worked hard for this, and you deserve to have it be successful.’

  * * *

  On the night of the party, it took Megan quite some time to decide what to wear. This was a very special occasion, and she wanted to look her best.

  In the end, she chose a softly shimmering evening dress, which left her shoulders bare and faithfully followed the line of her curves, draping over her hips to fall in floaty layers. She left her hair down so that her soft auburn curls lightly touched her shoulders and glimmered under the overhead lights.

  ‘Are you ready yet?’ Sam called up the stairs. ‘We ought to be going soon. I need to be there before the guests arrive.’

  ‘I’m ready,’ she said. ‘Just give me a minute to fix my earrings in place.’ She had chosen little diamanté droplets to go with her delicate filigree silver necklace, and she hoped that they added the right finishing touch.

  He was waiting for her as she came down the stairs, and as he saw her his eyes widened. ‘Megan…’ he said, his breath catching. ‘You look beautiful, you’re stunning.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She sent him a quick smile. ‘You look good yourself.’ He always looked good to her, whether he was dressed in smart suits for work or casually dressed for the beach. Tonight he looked incredibly male in a dark suit, and his eyes were shining with a purposeful energy. This was his night, something he had worked for, and he deserved his success.

  ‘Shall we go?’ he murmured, not taking his eyes off her. ‘Much as I’d love to stay and simply stare at you, I’m supposed to be there from the outset to greet the guests, and I would hate to keep people waiting.’

  He drove them across town to the exclusive hotel where the party was being held, and Megan was quiet on the journey, wrapped up in her own thoughts. She was apprehensive about this evening. Julie would be there, looking as beautiful and serene as ever, knowing that she had helped to make it all happen. Somehow Megan could not reconcile herself to seeing Sam and Julie together.

  They reached the hotel a few minutes later, and found the place buzzing with activity. Waiters were moving about, setting up the buffet on long, damask-covered tables, which were set up along one wall. The bar staff were polishing glasses, and over in the corner of the room a band was getting ready to provide the evening’s entertainment.

  Megan looked around, taking it all in. ‘This place is wonderful. It’s so luxurious.’ Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and were dazzling, their golden light reflected in mirrors around the walls. At the far end of the room on a raised dais, a band was playing.

  Guests began to arrive, and Sam greeted friends and chatted with them, answering questions about the new unit. Megan stayed with him for a while, until James and David drew her aside.

  ‘Come and sample the buffet,’ David said. ‘I’m starving. I was working late and I didn’t have time to get anything to eat.’

  She glanced at Sam. ‘Go and enjoy yourself,’ he agreed. ‘I must find Julie and circulate.’

  Megan watched him go with mixed feelings. She hadn’t really expected anything different. He hadn’t brought her here on a date after all.

  Even so, she felt a twinge of an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of her stomach as she saw him approach Julie a moment later. She couldn’t help thinking what an ideal couple they made, Sam in his immaculate dark suit, looking tall and broad-shouldered and powerfully m
ale, while Julie was perfection itself, her smile lighting up her face, her blonde hair gleaming and her curvaceous figure outlined faithfully by a striking crimson designer dress.

  ‘This was some coup they both pulled off,’ James said in an admiring tone. ‘I knew she was well in with him from the first, but I didn’t imagine for a minute that they were cooking up this plan. Julie is doing well for herself—she’s going to be one of the prime staff members in the new unit.’

  ‘She has the qualifications to go along with it,’ David said, picking up a plate and helping himself to a selection of triangular-shaped sandwiches, along with creamy hors-d’oeuvres. ‘She specialised in psychiatry, and this is one of her pet projects.’

  ‘And to think we all thought it was you and he who had something going,’ James put in, glancing at Megan as he piled his plate with savoury rice and canapés. ‘We had that one wrong, didn’t we?’

  Megan made a wry face. ‘I did tell you that he was just giving me somewhere to live while the flat was being fixed. He’s my landlord, and he felt he had to do something. I lost most of my belongings in the fire, and I suppose he felt guilty about that, although none of it was his fault.’

  ‘How are the repairs coming along?’ David asked. ‘Are you going to be able to move back in there soon?’

  ‘I think it will be another couple of weeks before I can do that. When I last enquired, there was a delay in getting the new furniture delivered. Everything else has been put right, though, and I think Sam is relieved about that. It was his grandmother’s home, and I think he was sad to see it damaged.’

  They talked for a while as they ate, and more friends and colleagues joined them. Megan tried not to look to see where Sam was. She was sure he would still be with Julie.

  It was almost an hour gone before he returned. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he offered. ‘You don’t have a glass in your hand and you look as though you’re the only one here who is teetotal. You’re not, are you?’

  Megan shook her head. ‘No, I just tend not to drink very much because it goes to my head.’

  He smiled at that. ‘It won’t matter if it does, will it? You’re not driving, and this is a special occasion. I want you to relax and have a good time.’

  He fetched a glass of wine for her and she sipped it slowly while they talked about his sponsors and how the unit would be monitored over the next few months.

  ‘Do you think there’ll be any problems keeping it going?’ she asked.

  ‘No, I’m not worried about that. Once management see how we can provide a good service to patients and prevent long-term problems for them, I think they’ll be quite happy to see it go on. I have enough sponsors to keep things running, anyway. Julie comes from a well-connected family, and so does Will, and between us we found all the support we needed.’

  The band struck up a vibrant, lively tune, and he said, ‘Would you like to dance?’

  It sounded like good idea. She put down her glass and let him lead her onto the dance floor and swing her around in time to the music. It was a heavenly sensation, being in his strong arms, being close to him, feeling the warmth of his body permeate her own. When the music changed a few minutes later to a dreamy, slow tempo, he drew her nearer, folding her into his embrace as they drifted gently to the haunting melody.

  It ended all too soon. The music came to a stop, and one of the management team walked onto the dais to propose a toast to the new venture. Sam and Megan walked back to the side of the room and Sam filled her glass once more. They drank the toast, and he said quietly, ‘I think I’m expected to say a few words soon. I’ll try to make it quick. The last thing people want to do is to listen to a load of speeches.’

  He left her a few minutes later, and went to say his piece. He made it light and humorous, thanking everyone who had made it possible and saying how pleased he was that so many people had managed to attend the event.

  After that, Julie claimed him once more and introduced him to more people, so that once again he was soon swallowed up in the crowd. Megan went to join friends from the hospital, and sipped another glass of wine. It was a sparkling wine and the bubbles tickled her nose, and she realised that she was beginning to feel light-headed. Perhaps she ought to have eaten more.

  David asked her to dance and she whirled around the dance floor with him, losing herself in the throb of the music and the flickering beams of golden light from the chandeliers.

  She lost count of the number of dances she had, and the number of partners, and it was only when Sam came to say, ‘I hope you’ve saved this one for me,’ that she realised the party was coming to an end. It would soon be time to go home and she felt as though she had hardly seen anything of him this evening.

  Somehow, it didn’t matter any more. She was floating on a bed of clouds and as long as he was there to swirl with her around the glittering room everything would be just fine.

  When they went out to his car a little later on, the cold night air hit her and brought her to her senses for a while. He had spent most of his time with Julie and with management, and that was all right—that was what she had expected him to do, wasn’t it?

  He drove them home and she looked out of the car window at the star-filled night sky and thought how magical it looked. She could do with a little magic in her life. Would it make him want her as she wanted him?

  Sam helped her out of the car and into the house, and she murmured dreamily, ‘Isn’t it a beautiful night?’ Her tongue seemed to be having trouble getting around the words, but she persevered. ‘It went well for you, didn’t it? Everyone had a good time.’

  ‘I think they did,’ he said, taking her through to the living room and switching on the lamps, ‘though some people are going to have almighty hangovers in the morning.’

  She nodded, and then put her hands to her head to stop the dizzy feeling. ‘It’s the bubbles that do it, you know. They fizz about in your head and then go pop.’

  ‘Do they?’ His mouth had curved into a lopsided grin, and she couldn’t help thinking how phenomenally attractive he was. She loved the way his jaw was angled… It was a firm, strong jaw, and the faint crease that worked its way along his cheek when he smiled was irresistible.

  She laughed softly, and swayed towards him, stumbling a little. ‘They do,’ she mumbled as he caught her and helped her to straighten up. She looked up into his grey eyes and felt the heat of his steady, intense gaze warm her through and through. More than anything, she wanted to touch him, to run her fingers along that little crease, and immediately on the trail of that thought she lifted her fingers and put the thought into action.

  When she tremulously explored the planes and angles of his face it was exactly as she had imagined it would be. His skin had the slightly roughened edge of after-eight shadow that suggested he might need to shave again soon. She loved the feel of it, the faint masculine rasp against her cheek, and the merest hint of musk that drifted on the air.

  ‘Will you hold me, Sam?’ she breathed raggedly. ‘I really would like you to hold me.’

  Like a desert flower thirsting for rain, she wanted to feel his wonderful mouth on hers, experience that same exhilarating flood of sensation that had raced through her body once before when she had been in his arms. She leaned into him, felt her breasts soften against his chest and curved her fingers into the hard muscles of his shoulders.

  ‘Megan,’ he murmured against her cheek, ‘I’m not sure about this. I’m not at all sure that you really know what you want.’

  ‘Oh, but I do,’ she said hazily, trying to reach him through the mist that clouded her brain. ‘I want you… Don’t you want me?’

  ‘Sweetheart, that isn’t a fair question. I think you might have had just a little more of the wine than you meant to. I don’t think you know what you’re saying.’

  His hands slid down over her, his palms smoothing along the small of her back and coming to rest on the curve of her hips. The sensation was tantalising, stirring her blood to fever heat,
but then he gently pushed her way. He was still holding onto her, but there was space between them where she wanted there to be none at all.

  ‘Are you turning me down?’ She felt bereft, isolated, and she had no idea what to do about it.

  ‘I wouldn’t put it quite like that. I’m just going to put you to bed so that you can sleep it off. You’ll probably thank me for that in the morning.’

  ‘Will I?’

  ‘I think so.’ He drew her close and she laid her cheek against the solid comfort of his chest, and after that everything dissolved into a fog of nothingness.

  * * *

  When Megan woke up, much later, she was lying in bed wrapped up in a duvet, and the sun was streaming in through the window. She blinked and rubbed her eyes and wondered why there was a sledgehammer beating at the back of them. She groaned and closed them again, but she still felt the warmth of the sun heating her face. After a while it dawned on her that if the sun was shining it must be morning, and perhaps she had to get up to go to work.

  She pushed back the duvet and attempted to sit up. It was a mistake because the action made the drums in her head throb even more heavily. Bleary-eyed, she looked around and saw that her lovely evening dress was draped neatly over a chair and her shoes were on the floor next to it.

  Swinging her bare legs down to the carpet, it occurred to her that she wasn’t wearing her usual cotton shift. Frowning, she slanted a glance over her midriff and realised with a faint sense of shock that she was dressed only in her underwear, a skimpy silk chemise and briefs.

  Memories of the previous night came flooding back and she groaned once again. Oh, no…what had she done? How could she have behaved in such a way?

  Following that came an even more worrying thought. How on earth was she going to face Sam?

  A little while later, when she had showered and dressed in jeans and a cotton top, she ventured downstairs.

  Sam was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and waiting for toast to brown. She hardly dared look at him, but crept into the room and hunted around for a coffee-mug.