by KC Michaels
There was a hint of something dark in his eyes and alluring promise in his voice. “I will be back Kate.” He made a four letter simple name like hers sound so bourgeois.
She was grateful when he finally let go of her hand. The feelings he stirred in her were more than she ever thought possible. When he walked away it was just in time, she needed to sit back down ASAP before she fell over. As soon he was out of sight she slid back into her chair and took a big gulp of her soda water; she had that cotton mouth again. She couldn’t understand how Jaxon had this strange power over her, or why her mind, body and soul reacted to him the way they did. He tapped into feelings that had never been reached before—ever. She could chalk up her morning reaction to him to being overtired and overworked, but this evening, she had no excuse whatsoever. There was just something about him that spoke to her on a different level, affecting her in a way that she never thought would ever be possible.
The tempo of the music changed and it brought her attention to the stage. She was barely able to focus on Jade who was being attended to by a man with long dark brown hair. She could tell, by the smile on her friend's face, that she was having fun. It also didn’t hurt the situation that Jade had consumed more alcohol that night than Kate had ever witness her drink before.
A few moments later the dancers made another switch, like it was an assembly line and a new—equally hot—guy was shaking his goodies for Jade. It was more comical than sexy. Jade popped her head around him and mouth the words “Thank You”. Kate smiled back at her mouthing “You're welcome”. Satisfied that Jade was enjoying herself, Kate decided now might be the best time to run to the bathroom.
As inconspicuously as she could, she scoured the area to see if she could spot Jaxon somewhere. She expected him to be at the bar, trying to reason with an unreasonable drunk lady, but he wasn't there. Eventually, she found him. He was standing against a wall with two young women who were literally salivating over him. Kate could feel her anger begin to emerge as one of the women stood up on her tip-toes to whisper something in his ear as he accommodated her smaller size by lowering his head to meet her reach. Another inch and his face would have been in her cleavage. Everything about the scene really bothered Kate. The woman was in her early-twenties, wearing a bustier and mini skirt that just barely covered her derrière.
Kate was pissed. She may have been inexperienced with relationships but she did know when a man was trying to show he was interested. Jaxon Remington had definitely come on to her earlier, but now it appeared he was getting cozy with someone else. This was a perfect example of why Kate didn’t date.
Grateful for the sudden dose of reality, Kate stormed off. To think she was actually attracted to the man, even though she knew absolutely nothing about him. The fact that he owned a strip club should have been her first clue. She had been right to fend off men. Jaxon Remington just re-confirmed it.
***
CHAPTER 3
Hoping to dispel both the hurt and the anger she was feeling, Kate sat on the closed toilet seat in the dinky bathroom stall—her knees almost touching the bathroom door because it was so cramped—taking long deep breaths and letting them out slowly. She tried to convince herself she didn't care. He was nothing to her, other than her patient and technically he was no longer that either. It wasn't like he was even her type—not that she had a type— but if she had, she was sure it wouldn't be someone like him; an over-confident flirt with likely more muscles than brains, who saw women as conquests. Once he had conquered her, he would move on the next pretty face without a second thought. Yeah okay, that wasn't completely fair. He was a business owner and, from the crowd outside, it was likely a successful one. Maybe he did have brains, but that didn’t change the fact that he was a player. So why in the hell was she so attracted to him? Kate was trying to make sense of her contradictory thoughts when a female voice caught her attention.
“Oh Rachel,” the female voice sighed. “I have to have him.”
“Who?” A second female voice asked.
“Jaxon, silly. I mean, I know you like him too and I hope this doesn't cause problems between us, but—”
“But what?” The one named Rachel asked, with an almost bitter tone.
“But I have to admit I find him pretty hot and I think I'm going to go for it. I think it's only fair.”
“Fair? What are you talking about?”
“Well, nothing seems to be happening between you two so I want a shot,” she retorted as if she had been rehearsing that for a while, just waiting for the perfect moment to finally say it.
“Jennifer, can I tell you a little secret?”
“A secret? Sure”
“Jaxon and I are seeing each other.”
“What?” The disappointment in Jennifer’s voice was obvious. “You and Jaxon? You never said anything!”
The news had definitely come as a surprise to both the young girl and to Kate. She knew exactly which Jaxon they were referring to.
“I know, I know I'm sorry,” Rachel said, feigning regret.
“But we're like best friends, Rach. I thought we told each other everything.”
Jennifer's tone was a mix of annoyance and hurt. Kate couldn’t blame her. She felt rather annoyed herself, but for different reasons.
“Normally I do tell you everything, but Jaxon wants it kept quiet for a while. So you can't mention anything to him about this.”
“No, of course not. You can trust me, but why the secrecy?”
“He's a private guy.”
Jennifer seemed satisfied with the very weak explanation. “God, Rachel, you are so lucky.”
“I know.” Rachel replied smugly.
Kate sat for another minute listening to Rachel ramble on about “Mr. Perfect”, Jaxon Remington. Private man, my ass!
Rachel must have been stupid to believe that. Couldn’t she see he just wanted her in the background so he was free to pursue other women right under her nose?
Kate decided that it was high time she put an end to the conversation. The days of Jaxon— the playboy—Remington getting away with his game, were over. At least with this girl. Kate couldn't help the girls of the past, or the ones of the future, but she could warn this one. Knowing first-hand the kind of effect he has on women, she could almost bet with confidence there was likely a roster of broken hearts that had his name all over it. In the name of all those who have suffered from—The Jaxon Effect—she decided to make her move.
As she suspected, the two young women who were standing in front of the mirror were the same girls she had spied cozying up to Jaxon a few minutes ago. They were likely the reason why he had left her so quickly; his employee was covering his back. Sad actually, when you have people on the lookout, making sure you don’t get caught being an ass.
The creaky sound of the stall door opening caused the girls to jump, surprised to find that they weren’t alone. Their conversation ceased as they made busy work fiddling with their hair and makeup. Kate sauntered over to the sink, smiling to herself.
“Excuse me. Do either of you ladies know where I may find a Mr. Jaxon Remington?”
The young lady—whom Kate had seen whispering in Jaxon's ear earlier—gave her the once over, sizing her up as if she was the enemy. That had to be Rachel.
“I don’t think he is here tonight.” Rachel replied, looking straight into Kate’s eyes as she lied through her teeth. “Isn’t that right Jennifer?”
At first Jennifer didn’t seem to be following Rachel's lead.
“I said isn’t that right Jennifer?” This time her voice was laced with annoyance.
“What? Oh yes Rachel, I don’t think he's here,” she finally replied with a nod.
Kate could tell Jennifer wasn't completely comfortable with the lie. Rachel on the other hand was cool as a cucumber.
“Come on Jennifer,” Rachel said as she grabbed her friend by the elbow. “We have to get back to our table.”
Rachel offered Kate an apologetic look. “Sorry we
couldn't help you ma'am.”
Kate had to hand it to Rachel because she almost appeared sincere—if it wasn't for the fact that she had called her “ma'am”. In Manhattan, when a barely-legal pristine princess called a woman “ma’am” it was the equivalent of saying, “F—You old lady!” Despite the girl’s behaviour, Kate decided not to take it too personal. Being with a man like Jaxon could cause any girl to enter desperation mode, trying to keep all potential rivals at bay. Kate had never done anything under- minded in her life, but there was something about letting Jaxon get away with his smooth talking games that turned young women into territorial liars that made her want to scream.
“If you see him will you tell him to call his doctor immediately?” The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to have second thoughts.
Jennifer whirled around. “His doctor?”
“Oh, I'm sorry. Didn’t I say that already?” Technically she wasn't lying—she was bending the truth—he had been her patient earlier that morning.
“I'm Dr. Sims,” Kate said as she dug her hospital badge out of her purse in an attempt to make her story seem more official. “It appears Mr. Remington was at the clinic today for problems with his…,” she paused for effect then whispered, “area below the belt. I have to find him and make sure he takes this medication right away.” Then she tapped her purse for good measure. “It's for infections,” she said with a twisted up facial expression that looked as though she had eaten some bad shellfish. Technically, he had shown up at the emergency room with a problem below the belt, and she could have easily prescribed antibiotics. Not completely a lie more of a stretching of the truth.
Both girls appeared dumbfounded and Jennifer gave Rachel a supportive rub on her back.
Kate decided she liked Jennifer. Okay maybe like was a strong word; but she disliked Jennifer far less than she disliked her friend Rachel. Oddly, Rachel didn't look nearly as concerned as Jennifer even though she was the one who was sleeping with him.
“Come to think of it, I spotted him earlier,” Jennifer confessed. “You can usually find him standing close to the stage.”
Clearly Jennifer understood the ramifications of what Kate was implying. Rachel on the other hand seemed unaffected. Again, cool as a cucumber.
“Thanks for the tip,” Kate added, trying really hard to keep a smile from crossing her lips.
The girls started to leave again, but Kate wasn't quite done—not yet. Rachel needed a clearer picture.
“From what I read in Mr. Remington's chart in regards to his, shall we say, extracurricular activities, he’s a pretty busy man. So it's really important he takes care of his little problem before half the ladies in the city are in need of antibiotics. I’d really appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. I'm sure he would be quite embarrassed if he knew you were privy to such delicate information.”
“Oh yes, of course. Our lips are sealed,” Jennifer said, pulling an imaginary zipper across her mouth. Kate had to refrain from rolling her eyes at Jennifer’s attempt at the visual dramatization. But Rachel still hadn’t shown signs of concern which was really disturbing to Kate. Surely the girl had some clue when it came to sexually transmitted diseases.
“Well, I better be going. I have to find Mr. Remington.” Kate kept her head down—stifling a chuckle at the horrified look on Jennifer's face—as she started for the exit.
“Looking for me?”
Kate jumped back in shock. Oh crap! She knew the voice immediately and she wanted to die because she was face to face with a very pissed off Jaxon Remington.
“Dr. Sims, long time no see.”
Kate didn't know what to say. The bathroom suddenly felt as though it were a thousand degrees.
“Um, exactly how much of that did you hear?” She shifted nervously looking down at her feet. Not only was Kate embarrassed that Jaxon had overheard her little stunt, but if he was angry enough, he could probably get her fired. Flashing her hospital badge probably hadn’t been the brightest idea she ever came up with.
“Well, I hear you have my medication. I must be worse off than I thought if you’re making a house call.”
Kate jerked her head up, confused by his response. Was he actually playing along? He should have been yelling at her, throwing her out of his club on her ass, definitely not playing along.
The two girls stood side by side, also looking very uncomfortable.
“Jennifer, I think we should probably give Mr. Remington and his doctor some privacy.”
“Actually,” Kate blurted out, “why don't you guys stay? I should leave." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jaxon stepped in front of her.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” he said, his voice low. He fixed her with a scowl that would make a baby cry.
“But shouldn’t you maybe talk to her, about...,” Jennifer whispered to Rachel. “You know?”
“Later,” Rachel replied, before pulling Jennifer out of the bathroom which left Kate to deal with Jaxon alone.
“So,” he said, his voice void of emotion. “Do you make a habit of spreading nasty rumours about people in their place of business?”
“No, of course not!” Kate said in her defence. “I know how this must look, but it was just a misunderstanding. If you could just move out of my way, I can go and find the girls and explain everything.”
Jaxon stepped closer to her. They were now standing toe to toe. “You call intentionally trying to damage my reputation a misunderstanding?” His voice was eerily calm.
“Look, I'm sorry. I will go find the girls and straighten this all out. I might have bent the truth a bit, but I can fix it.”
She tried to move away again, but he held her by her waist.
“I don’t think so.” His voice was thick and Kate could feel electricity oozing from his every pore, it was likely anger but it was mixed with something else, something really sexy.
“Oh,” she replied breathlessly because he pressed his hard body into hers. The electricity radiating off him was now like a beam of hot light, ploughing its way through every vein in her body, heating her blood to a boil. Gathering every ounce of strength she had, she made every effort to mask the effect he had on her.
“So you don’t want me to tell them I lied?” Her voice was small and barely audible.
“No,” his voice was deep and still and agonizingly sexy.
He baffled her. What was he up to? He wasn’t making any sense. “Ah, thank me?”
“Yes well, now that my little problem is out in the open, Rachel might stop telling everyone that she is sleeping with me.”
He waited for her response and seemed satisfied when he saw the light go on in her head.
“Don't look so surprised doctor. Rachel is a liar. Contrary to what you may think of me, I am not interested in every young girl in a short skirt that happens to look my way.”
He actually sounded genuine and, if she was reading him right, he had no designs on Rachel at all.
“Jaxon, I’m so sorry. What I did was out of line. I should have known that little tart was lying. She was far too calm, considering the awful things I implied.”
“Yes well, Rachel is a piece of work, I have to say. Although I was really pissed at you at first, I find it quite amusing to watch you squirm.”
“I guess I deserve that,” Kate said quietly, still feeling extremely embarrassed by her lack of decorum.
“So Kate how do you think I should handle you?”
“Handle me?” His choice of words were cause for concern.
“My apologies, I mean handle the situation,” he replied correcting himself although he knew it was not a Freudian slip.
“We could just brush this off as a misunderstanding?”
“No!!!” He was forceful.
“Right of course what did you have in mind?” She really hoped it didn’t involve him reporting her to the hospital. She had an exemplary record up until this point.
“Maybe something like this…” She had no warni
ng before Jaxon’s hands had cupped either side of her face. Initially, her gut reaction was to pull away. Likely anticipating she would do just that, Jaxon held onto her tight. The more she tried to pull away from him, the tighter he held her. Trying to fight him, but failing miserably, Kate finally gave up. She brought both hands to the back of his head and grabbed at his hair with both fists, and she kissed him with everything she had. She let years of loneliness and heartache break free in that kiss. She would have been happy to stay like that forever, kissing him, if he hadn’t pulled away first.
“Jesus, Kate!” he said, completely overwhelmed.
“I don’t know what came over me,” she was embarrassed. “I am usually not so…well I am usually just not…” She couldn’t think of the right word to say. Everything she came up with seemed wrong. “It's been a while. I might have gotten too carried away, I'm sorry. Can we just forget this ever happened?”
She chewed on her lower lip as she waited for his response, unable to make eye contact with him. If it were possible to die of embarrassment, she would have keeled over on the spot.
Jaxon tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. “Too carried away? Forget it ever happened? Are you crazy? You seared me with that kiss woman and I’ll carry it to my grave.”
Okay so she misunderstood his reaction and now she had no idea what to do or say in response. “I should get back to my table. Jade is probably looking for me.”
As she moved away, Jaxon pulled her a little closer to him again; close enough that she could feel the hard length of him through his suit.
“Not so fast. Come with me.”
It was more an order than a request. His voice was raw and gravelly.
“Where are we going?”