Mine at Last

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  Chapter 10

  Thankfully the rest of Saturday and Sunday sped by quickly. Not surprisingly she thought about Dominik the whole time. He’d planted the “call me” idea in her head and naturally all she wanted to do all weekend long was call him. Fortunately, she resisted temptation. Of course, having the gift bag filled with adult sex toys from the sisters sitting on her dresser didn’t help her itchy mood.

  And the itch was getting stronger, and she knew Dominik was the cause and the cure. She wanted him. She’d wanted him for a long time.

  First thing Monday morning, Shauna headed to the hospital to start the E.R.’s review process. She was anxious and excited to see Dominik. She walked into the hospital and up to the main information desk. The older woman seated there looked up from her computer and smiled pleasantly. “Good morning, may I help you with something?”

  “Good morning,” Shauna said. “Yes, would you please tell Dr. Dominik Coles in the E.R. that Shauna Banks has arrived?”

  “Yes, of course. Is Dr. Coles expecting you?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  She nodded. “I’ll call his assistant, Nora Rembrandt, to take you back to his office.”

  “Thank you.”

  A few minutes later a stern middle-aged woman with a pinched face and half glasses hanging around her neck turned a corner and came walking down the hall. She looked around, then spotted Shauna standing near the desk. “Good morning, are you here for Dr. Coles?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “He’s in a meeting right now. He asked me to take you to the conference room and to make sure you had everything you needed. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have to get you started.”

  “Actually, I do need to know where to find Lost and Found. I believe I lost a flash drive in the E.R. the last time I was here. I was told by security that I could check this morning.”

  “Okay. I can check for you and see if a flash drive has been turned in.” She glanced at her watch. “The hospital services department is located near the cafeteria and opens in an hour.”

  “Thank you, I’d appreciate that.”

  “No problem. Please come with me. I’ll take you to the conference room.” They walked back down the same hall, then turned to a security door. She swiped her ID badge on the wall card reader and the doors opened instantly. They walked through and she led Shauna past the main E.R. area to a side corridor.

  It was still early and the hospital was quiet. The whitewashed walls, the polished linoleum floor and the bright lights were all standard hospital fare. Shauna followed Nora down the empty hall. Neither spoke. They passed several closed doors and offices, one with Dominik’s name on the door, and kept going. Farther down the hall, Nora stopped, unlocked and opened a door. “This is it,” she said, walking inside. Shauna followed.

  The room was a standard-size conference room with a long table surrounded by chairs taking up most of the space. The table was stacked with seven boxes and a number of loose files. Shauna walked over and placed her briefcase on a chair and continued to look around. There were no windows and the only other furniture was a side table with a bottle of water on top.

  “I wasn’t sure what you needed. I hope it’s okay. I got you a bottle of water,” Nora said.

  “Oh, yes, it’s fine. Perfect, thank you.”

  “Is there anything else you need?”

  Of course, Dominik’s name popped into her head. “No, I’m good, thank you.”

  “Okay, I’ll check Lost and Found for your flash drive as soon as the department opens. The bathrooms are down the hall. Here’s the key to the conference room door. Dr. Gilman would like the door kept locked when you’re not in here. With the files...”

  Shauna nodded. “Yes, of course, I understand.”

  “There’s a phone on the side. If you need anything else, just call the operator and ask for me.”

  “Thank you, Nora, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said, then walked over and opened one of the boxes on the table. She pulled out the top file and read the cover. She continued with the rest of the boxes—checking to see exactly what she had to work with. As promised, this was everything she needed. She sat down, opened her laptop and began working. Nora came back to the door an hour and a half later.

  “Ms. Banks, I just checked with Lost and Found. No flash drives have been dropped off in the last three weeks. If someone did pick it up, they didn’t turn it in, at least not yet. I’ll check again later on today.”

  Shauna nodded. “Okay. Thanks for checking.”

  “No problem.” She walked out and closed the door behind her.

  Hours later Shauna looked at her watch. It was much later than she thought, well past one o’clock. Just as she opened another file, there was a light knock on the closed door. “Come in,” she said.

  The door opened and Dominik looked in, smiling. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she said.

  “May I come in?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  He walked in carrying two bottles of water. “I would ask you how it’s going, but that might be against the rules.”

  “There are no rules.”

  “Interesting. That’s good to know. So, how’s it going?”

  “Fine, it’s going fine,” she said only half smiling. “There’s a lot of information to go through, but I have what I need.”

  “Good. I thought you could use a break and also I thought you might be thirsty,” he said, placing the bottles on the table in front of her.

  “Actually, I am thirsty. Thank you,” she said, having finished the other water bottle Nora left her. “That was kind of you.”

  “You say that like it’s a surprise.”

  She sighed and closed the file she’d been reading. “Not exactly a surprise, but let’s face it, you and I get along like oil and water. We’re not exactly pals.”

  “Sure we are. And after Saturday, I would have guessed we’re...”

  “Hold up. I need to stop you before this gets any more complicated than it already is. What happened last weekend was...”

  He smiled. “How are the sisters?” he interrupted.

  “They’re fine. Very brazen and very brash,” she said.

  “Yes, they are that,” he said, chuckling. “I like them.”

  “You’ll be happy to know they liked you, too.”

  “About their suggestion, you and I together. I was thinking...”

  “I hope you didn’t take them seriously.”

  “As a matter of fact, I did. I’ve been thinking about it,” he said, coming around to her side of the table.

  Me, too, nonstop, she answered mentally. “Oh,” she said, then swallowed hard.

  “Yes.” He smiled. Pearly-white teeth made her heart stammer. “I like the idea of you and me together.”

  Yes, I do, too. “I think we need to keep this professional.”

  “No, you don’t,” he said, moving closer to her.

  No, I don’t.

  “You’re just as curious as I am, aren’t you?”

  Yes! “What makes you think that?”

  He smiled. “Women don’t usually passionately kiss complete strangers they’re not attracted to. There’s obviously sexual chemistry between us. So, the question is what are we going to do about it?” He leaned back against the table’s edge looking down at her.

  Have wild, buck naked sex right here, right now. “Nothing. Ignore it. We’re two rational adults. We can do that.”

  His smile widened. “I have a better idea.” He leaned over and pulled her to her feet. His lips were just inches from hers. Her heart thundered. She wanted this and she knew he knew it. Her lips parted just enough. His lips touched hers gently, then again and again, each time holding on slightly longer and longer. Kiss after kiss they leaned in just enough for their mouths to meet. Then the intensity began and the passion increased.

  He leaned in, just barely brushing the tips of her nipples. She moaned, savoring the sweetness of his mouth.
A flood of desire swept through her body, burning her insides from top to bottom. He had lit her flame and her body was on fire. Her heart began to pound, meeting and matching the momentum of his. She was falling and losing control. She knew this wasn’t the place or the time for this. She slowly pulled away, easing back. They were both breathless and drunk with desire when the kiss ended.

  “Hmm, that was nice,” he muttered. “I think we should do that more often.”

  Yes, me, too. She looked into his dark, smoldering eyes. “I bet you do, but for the sake of our current working relationship, we should maybe not.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” he asked. She didn’t respond, but her answer was in her eyes. “I am attracted to you, Shauna, and you’re attracted to me. Let’s just take it from there.”

  Yes, absolutely. But she didn’t respond for a while. She closed her eyes and took a step back. “Dominik, I will concede I’m attracted to you. You already know that. But some attractions are impossible. This one is impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  He smiled. “Not an answer.”

  “Our positions here need to be considered. We can’t just jump into bed and then act like nothing happened between us. This will get emotional and complicated.”

  “What if this was...”

  “...just physical?” she asked.

  “Yes. No strings, commitments or expectations. No emotions.”

  She half smiled as she considered the idea of just once fulfilling her fantasy of being with Dominik. The idea was almost too tempting to resist. She bit at her lower lip, then shook her head. “Emotions always get involved.”

  “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, my sweet.” He was just about to say more when his cell phone beeped. “Excuse me.” He answered as Shauna stepped back and grabbed a bottle of water, opened it and took a long swig. She didn’t realize her mouth was bone-dry. “I have to get back to the E.R.,” he said. She nodded.

  “I look forward to finishing this conversation soon.” He walked out.

  Shauna released the breath she’d been holding. She took another long sip of water. There was no way she was going to finish that conversation with him. If she busied herself, there was no way she’d have time to talk. So, she threw herself into the job.

  For the next few hours she kept one eye on the door just in case Dominik came back. But he didn’t. Then she began to wonder what happened to him and if he’d changed his mind about everything. She found herself more disappointed than she expected to be. She spent the rest of the afternoon buried in her work. At three-thirty she decided to find a cafeteria and get something to eat. She locked the conference room and headed out, making sure to stay as far away from the E.R. as possible.

  Following the signs, she found her way to the cafeteria on the lower level. She passed the hospital services department on the way and decided to stop and ask about her flash drive. Just as Nora said earlier, it had not been found. She continued to the cafeteria. With lunch long over and dinner not yet started, the place was completely empty, except for a few cafeteria workers laughing and talking at a table in the corner. She grabbed a chicken-salad sandwich, chips and an iced tea, then headed back up to the conference room.

  She ate and worked, getting a lot more done than she expected. It wasn’t until her cell phone rang that she stopped for a minute. “Hi, Pearl. How are you?”

  “I’m doing well. How are you?”

  “Good. I started working on the hospital review today. As a matter of fact I’m here now.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “Pretty much as I anticipated,” she said.

  “I hope that’s a good thing.”

  “It is, for now at least. So, what are you up to this evening? Can I take you out to dinner tonight?”

  “Oh, I can’t. Actually, I’m headed out of town for a few days. A friend of mine just called. She isn’t doing well, so I’m gonna drive up and visit for a few days. That’s why I called. Would you do me a huge favor and stop by the house a couple times this week to make sure everything is okay?”

  “Of course. Sure, I’ll definitely stop by. Is there anything else you need or anything I can do?”

  “No, just stop by. Mind you, if you’d like to stay over, you’re perfectly welcome. Your old bedroom is still there.”

  “No, I’m fine at the hotel. I have everything already set up.”

  “Okay. I’ll leave a key in the usual spot and the alarm-system code is the same. I’ll be back in a few days.”

  “Okay. Have a safe trip and I hope your friend feels better soon.”

  “Thank you so much. I’ll see you at the end of the week.”

  “Pearl, one more thing. About Dominik and...”

  “Go for it. You’re both adults, single and God knows you’re seriously attracted to each other—believe me, the man is more than interested. He never took his eyes off you the other day. And I know you’ve had an itch for him for years. Need I say more? Enjoy.”

  “Thanks, Pearl.”

  “Anytime. All right, I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay. See ya,” Shauna said, then disconnected.

  She smiled slyly as she thought about the real possibility of being with Dominik. There was nothing holding her back. She looked at the time. It was already well after six. She decided to call it a day. She put the files away and grabbed a pad of questions for Dominik she’d been accumulating all day. She gathered her things, turned off the light and locked the door.

  She knocked on Dominik’s door and waited. He didn’t answer. She knocked again. There was still no answer.

  “He’s in the E.R. right now. There was a pretty bad accident with a few major incidents earlier. Did you need me to get him?”

  Shauna turned and saw a nurse walking down the hall toward her. “Oh, no, that’s okay. I’m sure he’s busy.”

  “Do you want to leave your name?”

  “That’s okay. I’ll catch up with him later.”

  “I’m Donna Pullman. I’m the chief nursing officer.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Shauna Banks.”

  “I heard you’re from the Cura Medical Group,” she added.

  Shauna had asked Dr. Gilman that her presence in the hospital be kept as quiet as possible. The last thing she needed was a hundred questions from concerned employees. But she knew word would get out. It always did. “Yes, I am.”

  “Is the buyout going through?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything one way or the other.”

  “I hope not. I like this hospital exactly like it is.”

  “Compared to other hospitals, it’s pretty outdated, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, but that’s part of its charm and character.”

  Shauna wanted to tell her that charm and character had nothing to do with medical care and service. At some point, everything needed to be updated. “I guess we’ll see. Have a good evening,” she said and then started down the hall to the exit.

  “I’ll tell Dr. Coles you were looking for him.”

  Shauna nodded. She’d rather she didn’t, but explaining that would be senseless. “Thank you.”

  Shauna followed the signs back to the E.R. exit. As she passed the waiting room, she glanced over and saw it practically full. She knew Dominik was busy. She continued to the door.

  “Hey, you’re leaving already?”

  She turned and saw Dominik walking up behind her. “Hi. Yeah, I’m leaving,” she said, waiting for him to catch up.

  “I was told you were looking for me.”

  “I stopped by your office. I had a few questions for you.”

  “Do you want to ask me now?”

  She glanced behind him briefly. “I can see you’re busy. They can wait.”

  “Actually, I’m taking a break right now. Come on back.”

  She nodded and followed him back to his office. He opened the door and she walked inside. As soon as he closed
the door, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They reveled in the embrace until the need for air parted them. He held her tight in his arms and she held on to him. After a while she leaned back and looked up into his eyes. “You look exhausted.”

  “It’s been a long day.”

  She nodded. “I heard there was a bad accident.”

  “Yeah, a three-car accident, one with six passengers inside,” he said. “The cleanup is pretty messy.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “So, you have questions for me,” he said. “Shoot.”

  She pulled her notepad from her briefcase and asked her questions. He answered, giving her as much information as possible. For the next twenty minutes he explained method and principles related to E.R. procedure. When they were done, she had a very good understanding of how the E.R. ran previously to his management and the mistakes made under Dr. Bowman’s tenure. “Okay, that’s it for now.”

  “Good. Now I have a question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Have you thought about our previous conversation?”

  “I have.”

  “And?”

  “And,” she said, then paused and shook her head, “I don’t know what to say. My job requires me to be extremely discreet.”

  “As does mine.”

  “Yes, of course. What I mean is that I don’t jump in and out of bed easily. And in most cases I don’t spend enough time in one location to form any romantic or sexual attachments, so this is very different for me.”

  He nodded. “I understand.”

  “Why me?” she asked curiously. “I have a feeling the women around here just about worship you. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard they actually adore you.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know about all that. But I do know that I like being with you, talking with you. You say oil and water—I say stimulating foreplay. And then there’s something in your eyes that takes my breath away.”