Case of Desire

by Jacquelin Thomas

  “No… Actually, yes,” Maxwell replied. “I wanted to let you know that I have a meeting with Dudley in about an hour.”

  She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “About what happened at the reception?”

  “That and some other things,” he admitted. “The hospital’s reputation is at stake and I’m not going to let him make matters worse.”

  “If you’re doing this just for me, then you don’t have to,” she told him. “He’s already apologized to me. He says that it won’t happen again.”

  “That’s good that he apologized for his bad behavior. You’re a big part of why I’m talking to him, but you’re not the only reason,” he said cryptically.

  Camille frowned. She didn’t quite understand what Maxwell was saying. The thought occurred to her then that maybe someone had gone to him with a complaint against Dudley. “I’m not the only one he’s…” Her voice died.

  “Harassed,” he finished for her. “Unfortunately no, but as I said, I’m going to put an end to it once and for all.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  His smile sent a flash of heat that radiated throughout her body.

  Camille flushed hotly at the thoughts racing around her head. It had been a while since she’d felt such emotions, but she’d never felt them as intensely as when Maxwell was around.

  What am I doing? What do I have to offer a man like Maxwell Wade?

  One of the qualities that attracted Maxwell to Camille was her genuine smile, which seemed prominently on display at all times. She was nothing like the women he usually dated. She wore her hair short and natural, which suited her to perfection. She didn’t wear makeup and was more conservative in the way she dressed. Still, he found her incredibly sexy.

  Maxwell knew that there was more to Camille and his curiosity was aroused. He wanted to know everything about her. He had to remind himself that he was only in Alexandria for a short time. It would be unwise for him to get involved with anyone.

  It wasn’t always easy to avoid distractions. Maxwell constantly had to deal with overly aggressive women who practically threw themselves at him. His mind traveled back to Camille.

  She was nothing like that. A woman like Camille would be looking to settle down and raise a family—something he wasn’t sure he was ready for.

  A tremor of disappointment slid down his spine.

  Dr. Dudley strode into Maxwell’s office with purpose, interrupting his errant thoughts. “So what’s this meeting about?” he asked.

  He waited until the chief of staff took a seat before saying, “This is about you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “As you are aware, the hospital is in jeopardy of losing more funding and gaining more lawsuits.”

  Dudley’s eyes shifted away from Maxwell. “What does this have to do with me?”

  “Do you remember what happened at the reception?” Maxwell questioned.

  “I had quite a bit to drink,” Dudley responded. “I don’t usually get so out of sorts, but—”

  “I’m talking about Camille Hunter and how you practically attacked her.”

  Dudley paled. “I’ve apologized to her for my behavior.”

  Maxwell couldn’t help but wonder if Dudley thought that was all he had to do to make things right. It would take more than an apology to make Camille feel comfortable in her work environment again.

  “It has come to my attention that you may have a problem keeping your hands to yourself,” Maxwell stated. “Don’t you think it’s hypocritical of you since you are the one who actually put the non-fraternization policy in place?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Not only are you harassing some of the women on your staff, but you are also having an affair with one of your nurses.”

  Dudley’s eyes grew wide as saucers and his mouth dropped open in shock. “I…I don’t know what you’ve been told, but it’s all lies.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” Maxwell warned. “I can’t help you if you are not going to face up to the truth.”

  “What are you saying to me?” Dudley asked.

  “Stop harassing your employees. If you don’t, the hospital will be dealing with several sexual harassment lawsuits. As for your affair with Nurse Tsang, you have your conscience to deal with. However, if you refuse to stop harassing the female staff, then you may have your wife to deal with as well.”

  Dudley glared at him. “Are you threatening me?”

  “It’s not a threat,” Maxwell said smoothly. “I’m simply stating a fact. The last thing you want is the board to get wind of what’s been going on in the hospital. Rumors have a way of getting around.”

  “I brought you in to help us with the Matthews case.”

  “You brought me in to help keep the hospital from losing everything,” Maxwell countered. “I’m doing what you hired me to do—protect the hospital.”

  Dudley sighed in resignation. “You’ve had your say, Maxwell. I will take everything you’ve said under advisement.”

  “See that you do,” Maxwell stated.

  He wasn’t fazed by the angry glare Dudley bestowed on him before storming out of his office. Maxwell meant what he’d said. He was going to protect Hopewell General and its employees, even if it meant blowing the whistle on the chief of staff.

  “We need to go over the silent auction items,” Camille told her assistant as she opened her planner. “We have dinners, an overnight at a bed-and-breakfast for two, a private meal provided by a four-star chef, a week in a cottage in France, and—”

  “Who donated that?” Lori asked.

  “An anonymous donor,” Camille answered. She still couldn’t get over Maxwell’s generosity. He had further surprised her when he had Ray drop off a check to her, adding to the extravagant donation.

  “Wow. That should really bring in some nice money. We’ve got some really nice stuff for this year’s auction.”

  Camille agreed. “This is just the initial response. I still have a few more donors we are waiting to hear from, but I believe that what we have here will be our big-ticket items.”

  After she went over some other details of the auction with Lori, her assistant went back to her desk. As Lori left, Jerome stopped by her office.

  “Have you finished your Christmas shopping?” he wanted to know.

  Camille shook her head. “I’ve been so busy working on this charity ball that I haven’t really thought much about anything else. Christmas isn’t that far off, though, so I need to get started.” She made a few notes before adding, “But my list isn’t that long, so I should be able to get it all done in one swoop.”

  Jerome’s pager went off. “I’m needed by Miss Thang, so I’d better get down to the O.R.”

  “I’ll call you later.”

  He nodded and rushed out of her office.

  Camille checked her watch. It was already past seven. Her workday ended at five, but she was in no rush to go home. She decided to continue working on her plans for the fundraiser.

  Isabelle stuck her head inside the office and said, “I didn’t know you were still here.”

  “I decided to stay late to log in the donations for the silent auction,” Camille explained. “I’m surprised you’re still hanging around the hospital. Didn’t your shift end at seven?”

  “I was hoping to run into Maxwell,” Isabelle confessed. “I thought we could have dinner together, but he’s in the conference room with Ray. They have been in there for almost three hours now. Ray’s assistant just delivered some food to them, so I guess they plan on working really late.”

  “So are you and Maxwell seeing each other?” Camille couldn’t resist asking.

  “No,” Isabelle responded. “But I’m working on it.”

  “I’m sure you are,” Camille muttered.

  “He’s single and I’m single. Why shouldn’t I?”

  Camille met her gaze. “No reason, Isabelle.”

  Isabelle sat down beside her on the sofa. �
�Hey, are you interested in Maxwell?”

  “Why would you ask me something like that?”

  “You’ve been acting weird around me since you saw us in his office.” Isabelle tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t know, but I get the feeling that seeing Maxwell with me bothered you.”

  “Isabelle, you’re mistaken,” Camille responded quickly.

  “I’m relieved to hear that.”

  Camille wanted to ask Isabelle why, but she remained quiet. She knew her friend well enough to know that she was on a fact-finding mission. She had come to see if Camille was interested in Maxwell.

  “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted,” Isabelle stated. “I’m going home. I’ll have to ask Maxwell out another night.”

  “Have you considered letting him ask you out?” Camille inquired. “He may be old-fashioned when it comes to stuff like this.”

  “Or he might be flattered that I’m making the first move,” Isabelle countered.

  “Well, it’s really up to you,” Camille told her. “Have a good evening and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “How much longer do you plan on staying?” Isabelle asked, pausing in the doorway.

  “Just long enough to finish this log.”

  “Need any help?” Isabelle offered.

  Camille shook her head. “Thanks, but I have everything under control.”

  If only that were really true, she thought silently. She knew that Isabelle wasn’t really interested in helping her. She was simply trying to find a reason to stay at the hospital in the hopes of seeing Maxwell.

  Isabelle gave up and decided to leave.

  An hour had passed when Camille was startled at the unexpected knock on her open door.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Maxwell told her. “I saw that you were still here so I wanted to give you an update on my meeting with Dr. Dudley.”

  “How did it go?”

  He leaned against the door. “Okay, I think. You shouldn’t have any more problems with him.”

  She sighed in relief. “That’s great news. He did apologize to me and I believe he was sincere, but…I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable around him.”

  “It may take some time, but just make sure he doesn’t cross any professional boundaries with you,” Maxwell advised.

  Camille nodded in understanding. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

  She stood. “It’s late so I should get going. I have to be here early tomorrow morning.”

  Deep down she really didn’t want to leave because enjoyed herself whenever Maxwell was around. He had a special way of making her feel safe.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  Camille gave him a smile. “Yes, you will.”

  “I was on my way out, so I’ll walk you to your car.”

  She was secretly thrilled.

  Chapter 6

  The next day, Maxwell leaned back in the leather desk chair. He couldn’t stop thinking about Camille. She had dominated his thoughts most of last night and again this morning.

  He had just accepted the email meeting invitation she’d sent him for the following day, but he didn’t want to wait that long to see her again.

  He pushed away from the desk and rose to his full height.

  Maxwell left his office and walked around the corner to where Camille’s office was located. She was on the telephone when he arrived.

  He stood in the doorway until she gestured for him to come inside and sit down.

  “I’ll give you a call later this afternoon,” she told the person on the other end of the line. “Great. That’s what I want to hear.”

  Camille gave him an apologetic smile, and then said, “I’ll call you about one-thirty. We can finish up then. Goodbye.”

  She hung up the phone. “Sorry about that.”

  “No need to apologize,” Maxwell told her. “I’m the one interrupting. I know we’re scheduled for a meeting tomorrow, but I’d like to take you to lunch today.”

  Camille smiled at him. “I was about to have lunch, so sure. I’d love to take you up on your invitation. If you want, we can cancel the meeting for tomorrow and just do it while we’re eating.”

  Maxwell shook his head. “No, this is just lunch. No discussion of business.”

  “Oh, okay.” She stood up, reached for her purse and grabbed her coat.

  He knew that he could have asked any of the single women working in the hospital to have lunch with him, but it was Camille’s company that he desired. Maxwell wasn’t sure why he felt so drawn to her.

  “Where are we going?” Camille inquired.

  He smiled at her and said, “I’m open to suggestions.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  Maxwell nodded. “I do.”

  “I know just the place,” she told him. “It’s about three blocks from here.”

  “I’ll drive.”

  Camille was aware of everyone staring as they made their way to the hospital exit. The rumor mill was going to busy this afternoon for sure.

  Maxwell opened the passenger door for Camille before he got in.

  He had never been to the restaurant she picked, but was looking forward to enjoying a nice lunch with a beautiful woman.

  A few minutes later, Maxwell escorted her into the restaurant where the delicious scent of freshly sautéed garlic and herbs tantalized their senses.

  A smiling hostess greeted them warmly.

  They were quickly seated at an intimate corner table in the main dining room. The mustard-gold walls and deep-emerald-colored drapes provided a richly colored backdrop while soft music floated throughout the restaurant.

  “Do you come here often?” Maxwell asked her.

  Camille shook her head. “Not as much as I’d like. I don’t really enjoy eating alone.”

  He wanted to ask if she was seeing someone, but Maxwell decided that it was much too soon for such personal questions.

  He perused the menu while they waited for a member of the waitstaff to arrive. “Everything on here sounds delicious.”

  “I’ve tried almost every entrée,” Camille stated. “All of them have been delicious. I don’t think you can go wrong with whatever you choose.” She was extremely conscious of his virile appeal.

  The waitress arrived to take their drink order. They gave her their lunch selections as well.

  Camille met Maxwell’s gaze with a smile. “Thanks for lunch.”

  He chuckled. “We haven’t eaten yet.”

  “I know, but it’s never too soon to say thank you. This is so much nicer than having an egg salad sandwich in my office.”

  “You don’t go out for lunch?”

  “Only if I’m having lunch with someone,” she responded.

  The waitress returned with their drinks.

  Maxwell took a long sip of his iced tea. “Camille, I want you to know that what you saw between me and Isabelle was not what you thought.”

  “So you’re saying that I didn’t really see her in your arms,” she replied. “And I didn’t see you were holding her very closely. That’s what you’re trying to tell me, right?”

  Maxwell shook his head. “It was nothing like that at all. She tripped over something and I grabbed her to keep her from falling. It was completely innocent.”

  Camille couldn’t help but wonder if Isabelle had staged her fall purposely to end up in Maxwell’s arms. She kept her suspicions to herself.

  “The hospital has its share of scandals,” she began. “Something like that would’ve kept the staff talking for days.”

  “Are you worried that I’ll be compromised?” Maxwell interjected. “I’m touched that you care.”

  Heat rushed to Camille’s face. “I just think that you should be careful. That’s all.”

  The waitress arrived with their orders and Maxwell blessed the food before they dived in to sample their meals.

  “So what do you think?” Camille asked after Maxwell tried his chicken.

&n
bsp; He wiped his mouth on his napkin. “It’s great.”

  She took a sip of her lemonade. “I told you that it was delicious.”

  “Tell me something, Camille. What do you do when you’re not the PR whiz at Hopewell General?”

  “I play basketball,” she responded. “During the summer, I teach water aerobics.”

  “I’m impressed,” Maxwell said. “I had a feeling that there was a lot more to you than meets the eye.”

  “I’m sure I could say the same about you.” Camille inclined her head and said, “Tell me something that most people wouldn’t know about you.”

  He thought for a moment, and then replied, “I love to cook. Most people wouldn’t know that about me.”

  She broke into a grin. “Wow, I would have never thought that about you. What a nice surprise.”

  “It’s your turn,” Maxwell stated. “Tell me something about yourself that most people don’t know.”

  “Most people don’t know that I love motorcycles. Sometimes I ride during the summer.”

  He couldn’t hide his shock. “Really? You actually ride a motorcycle?”

  Camille nodded. “With Jerome—he’s my best friend. We both own bikes and we ride together some time.”

  Maxwell was speechless. “I… Wow…that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Ride a motorcycle.”

  “You should,” Camille encouraged. “It’s a lot of fun.”

  Maxwell enjoyed this peek into the adventurous side of Camille.

  Their gaze met and held, making Camille nervous. She thought she detected a flicker in his intense eyes, causing her pulse to skitter alarmingly.

  Maxwell pointed toward her plate. “You’re not eating.”

  She grinned. “I’m not as hungry as I thought. I’m going to take it back with me. I’ll eat it later.” Camille never tired of looking at him.

  Maxwell took another bite of his chicken. “This is really delicious. I’m glad you chose this place. Now that I know about it—I’ll come back here often.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” Camille finished off her glass of lemonade. “What do you like to do when you’re not working, Maxwell?”