Surrender My Love

by Lisa Eugene

  “Is—is Brad—Dr. Markson here? I need to speak with him.”

  The secretary softened her gaze and smiled kindly.

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  Chloe shook her head, tucked her dark curtain of hair behind her ears, and braced her trembling hands at her back. She could tell the secretary already knew the answer to the question she’d posed.

  “I need to speak with him. It—it’s urgent.”

  The woman stood and her smile widened. She offered a hand and Chloe shook it, hating that her palms were ice cold. Brad’s secretary was beautiful, with large, chocolate colored eyes set in a flawless brown face. Her cheekbones were angled high with a jaw that arrowed down to full, voluptuous lips.

  “I’m Beatrice. But everyone calls me Bea.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Chloe’s lips pulled in a slight smile. It was kind of her to try to make her feel more relaxed and comfortable.

  “Have a seat. I’ll check and see if he has a minute. He’s in the middle of seeing patients.”

  Chloe nodded and took a chair in the reception area. A few minutes later Bea returned, and Chloe couldn’t help but notice that her face seemed tense. Chloe followed behind, stopping when Bea paused before pushing open, Brad’s door. The secretary turned and gave her a long thoughtful stare then offered a relaxed smile.

  “His bark is worse than his bite, just don’t put up with his crap. He may come across gruff, but he’s really a super nice guy.” Bea smirked. “Don’t tell him I said that. It would ruin our relationship.”

  Chloe smiled fully, thinking she really liked Brad’s secretary. “I won’t.”

  “Oh, and if he starts to piss you off, just picture him in a clown suit. You know, bozo hair, red nose, lips outlined out to here. That’s what I do.” She winked.

  The thought caused a giggle to escape. Chloe was about to responded when the door opened and Brad stood staring, a frown sculpting his face.

  “What the hell is taking so damn long?”

  The two women sobered suddenly, and Chloe could see that Bea was struggling to hold in her laugh.

  “Good luck with that one,” she said to Chloe, before turning and walking away.

  Chloe watched Brad’s brows arch suspiciously. Setting his jaw, he ushered her into the office and closed the door. He leaned his tall frame casually against it and folded his arms across his broad chest. He looked amazing in a tailored designer dark blue suit that glorified his eyes. His square jaw and the sharp lines of his face could have been sketched by an artist, a perfectionist with a love for the human form. Chloe was sure, though, that the artist would never have drawn those exquisite lips thin with anger.

  “Hi, Chloe.” His snide voice cut through her thoughts. “What brings you to my office? Same reason as the last time?”

  The insinuation unleashed a flood of memories and emotions, forcing her to instantly relive the night at the club. Loud throbbing music, colorful lights, his hands eager on her body, the taste of his tongue, the crush of her cheek against a cold wall, the exquisite stretching as he filled her, the explosive passion that followed…

  Chloe knew her cheeks were flaming and she cursed her pale tell-tale skin.

  Clown suit…bozo hair…red nose… Clown suit…bozo hair…red nose…

  The chant almost worked until he pushed away from the door and in two swift strides stood directly in front of her. He was close enough that she could smell his spicy fresh scent and feel the aura of his anger mushroom around her.

  “Well?” he grated roughly, and she instinctively took a step back. “You need a quick fuck, Chloe? ‘Cause I’d be happy to oblige.” He made a show of looking at his watch. “I have a few minutes before my next patient.”

  Asshole!

  Chloe fisted her hands at her sides, anger pushing away her jitters. He was being deliberately obnoxious, and she was determined not to let him tunnel under her skin.

  Clown suit…bozo hair…red nose…

  Focusing on the reason she’d come, she tilted her chin and looked directly into the steely blue of his eyes.

  “I—I have some concerns about Dr. Gross’s lecture from the conference today,” she said, and watched his eyes narrow curiously. “Did you find it strange—the side effects he described?”

  Chloe watched him drag his long fingers through his hair. The waves seemed thick and coarse and her fingers tingled. He studied her. “That’s why you’re here? You have questions about the lecture?”

  He circled his desk and sat back in his chair.

  “Yes,” she stated firmly. “The symptoms he described from the new drug, Memoram, are exactly the same symptoms that Mr. Barkley had before he died. And as a matter of fact, the same that Mr. Prescott had.”

  It seemed the mention of the two patients sharpened his focus and he frowned. “I left in the middle of Dr. Gross’s lecture. I didn’t hear the whole thing,” he explained. Leaning forward on his elbows, he narrowed his eyes. “What exactly are you saying, Chloe?”

  She bit her bottom lip, suddenly timorous and feeling ridiculous. Omega Pharmaceuticals was a large company with an excellent reputation. Brad would think she was crazy, that she’d really come for the reason he’d suggested. She blew out a long breath. The man in the audience who’d asked the questions hadn’t seemed too enamored with the company, and in light of what she’d experienced firsthand, she couldn’t easily dismiss her concerns—ridiculous or not! She took a seat across from him and relayed the portion of the lecture that he’d missed. She watched as his dark brows rose high into this forehead, and his face shadowed with doubt.

  “Chloe, I can understand your concern, but I think your imagination may be getting the better of you. Omega Pharmaceuticals is a reputable company. Memoram has not yet met FDA approval for testing on human subjects.”

  She leaned forward, an unexplained certainty nagging at her. “I know, Brad, but I just have this feeling that there is more to those deaths. You think so too!”

  “Yes, I do think so,” he confessed. “But nothing like what you’re proposing. I worry that there may be a nosocomial infection that was missed, or perhaps an inadvertent ingestion of a toxin, maybe a food contaminant! What you’re saying is outrageous!”

  Chloe gave an impatient huff and jutted her chin. “The man in the audience said there were deaths in the study.”

  “That man who had asked the question is Dr. Shaw. He is a well-known animal rights activist and is staunchly against the use of animals in research. He’s not a fan of the pharmaceutical industry and takes every opportunity to attack it.”

  “He said they’d turned the animals into red-eyed devils.”Brad smirked. “He’s a bit of an eccentric.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek, her mind recounting what she’d heard, the words resonating truth. She gave him a fixed stare.

  “There’s something else.”

  “What?” he asked cautiously.

  “There was another code. A few nights ago. The patient didn’t make it. He exhibited the same symptoms as the others. And, there’d been someone in his room.”

  Chloe saw tension bunch his wide shoulders. “What do you mean?”

  “I was checking on Mr. Kaplan, the patient who died, and someone rushed out of his room. I think he may have had something to do with Mr. Kaplan’s death.”

  “Were you hurt?” His face creased with concern and Chloe couldn’t help the tingling warmth that spread though her limbs.

  She shook her head. “No, just scared. I didn’t see who it was. Nigel, one of the phlebotomists, went to investigate. The hospital has increased security on the ward.”

  Brad cocked his head to one side and drummed his fingers on his desk. “That is concerning, but still doesn’t implicate Omega Pharmaceuticals.”

  “Did you find anything in the charts?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “But frankly, I’ve been too busy to do an in-depth study of the rest of the information. There’s still a lot to go through.”
<
br />   “Can I help you?”

  Brad tilted his head back against his seat and regarded her through heavily lidded eyes. Several moments passed and Chloe held her breath, feeling his gaze scrutinize her face.

  “Are you sure you want to do that, Chloe?” His deep whisper caressed her skin.

  Yes…no…yes…no…

  “Yes.” Her voice was firm, but her gaze skidded away from his and landed on the vibrant painting across the room. The blues and reds and gold seeped into her conscience and her body heated.

  Their tandem breathing marked the silence, measuring its expanding weight.

  “I would like to go through them.” She cleared her throat and her head. She was now extremely curious about the patients’ symptoms.

  “What exactly are you looking for?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure.” She watched him purse his lips and knew that he was more concerned than he was letting on.

  “I’m seeing patients now. Can you come back later this evening? We’ll discuss this some more.”

  She shook her head. “No. I have to be with my—I have plans.”

  He nodded, but she saw a tiny wrinkle pleat his forehead.

  “I can come in the morning for about two hours.”

  “It would have to be before office hours. Eight, then.”

  Chloe nodded and stood, feeling a confusing barrage of emotions. He stood also and they both just stared, frozen, another moment saturated with unspoken words and eloquent gazes. They’d gotten through an entire conversation without mentioning the elephant that had been sitting on the desk between them, an elephant that had all but done a jig to garner attention.

  “I’ll walk you out,” he said suddenly, and Chloe saw the elephant sigh and curl up on the desk.

  He was better off asleep.

  There was a doctor in a lab coat standing at Bea’s desk as they approached and Chloe recognized him as Dr. Wasko. Brad introduced her and smiling broadly, he shook her hand.

  “You look familiar. You work on Four West?”

  Chloe nodded and returned his smile. Dr. Wasko was almost as tall as Brad, but not as broad, with sandy blonde hair and bright, friendly green eyes. Chloe noticed that he looked a little flushed and even though he spoke directly to her, his gaze kept sliding back to Bea.

  “So…what brings you by, Larry?” Brad asked pointedly, and Chloe couldn’t help but feel there was an innuendo in his question.

  Larry shifted his weight and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “Ahh…I needed to see you about something.”

  “Seems you need to see me a lot lately.”

  An awkward moment passed while she and Bea swung their heads from one man to the next. Larry’s face grew pinker by the minute.

  “Um, so, Bea…Brad was saying the other day how you two don’t talk enough…” Larry said casually.

  Chloe heard Brad inhale a tight breath and her gaze traveled to his face. His expressive eyes were wide as he glared at his friend.

  “Yeah…he, ah…well…he was wondering a few things.”

  Larry continued and she had to bite her lip from laughing as Brad started shaking his head and motioning wildly to Larry behind Bea’s back. She couldn’t imagine what the two men were up to.

  It seemed that Larry was determined to ignore him as he started explaining how important it is that a boss knows his employees. She couldn’t see Bea’s face, but could tell by the hand she’d placed on her hip and her jaunty stance that she was having trouble with what he was telling her.

  “Yeah…he’d like to get to know you a little better,” Larry said with a definitive nod.

  “What? Why now? I’ve been here three years!”

  Bea swung her head around to Brad, and Chloe almost erupted with laughter when he suddenly stopped his wild gesticulating and stood like a stone statue, his face a portrait of innocence.

  “What the hell is he talking about?” Bea asked Brad. Her eyes were bright with confusion. Brad shrugged, his face passively blank.

  Larry continued talking and Bea turned back to him. Brad was obviously at a loss for words.

  “Yeah, you know. Questions that bring people closer together, like, do you like brown rice, or white rice? Or white bread or wholewheat? Or do you prefer your coffee light or black?”

  Chloe noted now that Larry was an alarming shade of red while Brad just stood, shaking his head slowly with his eyes squeezed shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was suffering tremendous pain.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Bea asked Dr. Wasko.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he rubbed his palms down the sides of his lab coat.

  “Nope…Brad’s just wondering…no biggie.”

  Chloe couldn’t help feeling sorry for Dr. Wasko. It was obvious this conversation was shattering into bits of incredulous nonsense. He was shifting his weight awkwardly, and Chloe could see beads of sweat budding at his temples. His affection for Bea was patently obvious.

  Next to her, Brad exhaled a groan that sounded very much like an animal dying.

  Bea ping-ponged her gaze between the two men. Her beautiful, dark face scrunched with befuddlement. She looked as if she was trying to figure out a puzzling car wreck. Chloe bit her lip and studied her shoes.

  “Are you two out of your damn minds? I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m not answering any of these ridiculous questions! I don’t have time for this nonsense. Doesn’t anybody work around here?” She huffed and sat back at her desk, effectively dismissing them as she started doing paperwork. “I’ve got to find me a job where people actually work and mind their own damn business!” she mumbled under her breath.

  Chloe saw Brad glower at his friend then jerk his head towards his office. He turned to her.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She was happy he’d found a smile for her despite the fact that he looked like he was about to punch Dr. Wasko again. She nodded, thinking how much the act highlighted his handsome face, deepening the creased dimples in his cheeks. He pivoted and followed Larry into his office.

  When the two men were gone, Bea looked up from her paperwork and let out a sigh.

  “I swear the two of them are like mischievous little boys sometimes!” Bea said to Chloe, giving her a toothy grin.

  Chloe laughed, glad to finally release it. She swung her head towards Brad’s office and smiled at Bea. “I think Dr. Wasko has a crush on you.”

  Bea’s arched a delicate brow. “Crush? The man’s slap-shit-stupid in love with me!”

  Chloe gasped, then grinned. “You know?”

  Bea sighed. “Lord…I think everybody knows! He damn near killed me last Valentine’s Day. I can’t imagine what he’s up to now.”

  “And you?” Chloe knew it was none of her business but couldn’t help but ask.

  Bea shrugged and her head turned towards Brad’s door. “It’s complicated.”

  She nodded, curious but understanding it wasn’t her place to pry.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

  “You too.” Bea smiled, then rolled her eyes. “Men! All clowns!”

  Chloe nodded agreement, returning the smile before she left.

  The following morning, Brad pulled open the door to his medical suite and ushered Chloe in. It was exactly eight a.m. and he wondered if she’d waited outside the door until the exact hour. She walked ahead of him towards his office, wading through a sea of morning sunlight that poured in from the large windows. He purposefully loitered behind her, watching the bright glow engulf her body. She was wearing worn jeans that were loose, but fit her curvy feminine hips and well-rounded butt. He recalled those hips filling his hands and unconsciously flexed his fingers. A plain white tee hugged her slender waist and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that hung like a lustrous cascade of black fluid to her back.

  He couldn’t help thinking that she looked young and wholesome, and a pang of guilt hollowed his gut as he remembered how roughly he’d handled her. Although s
he’d been a little clumsy, she had a latent wild side that roused his darkest desires. He’d love to experience her fully, without inhibitions, and then coerce her passion to his will. Just the thought had him instantly and painfully hard. He cursed beneath his breath and secured the button of his lab coat.

  The sunlight in his personal office was not as bright and her skin seemed radiant in the soft light. She stopped in front of his desk, and he saw her take a deep breath before she deposited her purse in a chair. She reminded him of a solider readying for battle. God! Was he that intimidating?

  “Don’t worry, Chloe. I won’t bite.” He smiled as he approached her, then passed her the paper bag on his desk. “Unless you want me to.”

  He winced when she almost dropped the cup of coffee she’d pulled out. He’d meant it as a joke. “There’s milk and sugar in the bag.” He’d picked up coffee from the cafeteria after his morning rounds.

  “Thanks.” She kept her hazel eyes shuttered, her gaze focused on her task.

  He watched her prepare the coffee, adding several packets of sugar. Somehow he knew she’d like it sweet. He studied her face. There’d been something on his mind since seeing her yesterday.

  “Chloe, about the other night…”

  Her hands stilled in the midst of adding milk. She squeezed her eyes closed and he watched her chest rise and fall unsteadily.

  “Brad…please. I’d rather not…” She trailed off, shaking her head.

  He was surprised by his sudden anger. She didn’t want to talk about it, apparently wanted to forget it ever happened. He clenched his jaw so tight he could feel the stretch of his muscles. He should be happy. He was used to the tedious reliving of his sexual exploits by the women he usually bedded. They would drone on and on about his prowess and cling to the memory like the sex had been a religious event. If Chloe didn’t want to talk about it, then fine.