Second Chance with the Playboy

by Charlotte McFall

  Goose bumps had broken out on her arms when she’d thought of him, and they showed no signs of going away. Annabel sighed; she had had enough of work for the day. The staff knew where to find her. Perhaps a shower and a change of clothes would make her feel better. Then she’d come back, see how Marcus was getting on, and make sure he ate his dinner. She laughed to herself—it was hard to stop playing doctor even when she was off duty.

  Gathering her coat from the back of the door, she turned off the lights and headed out the door, still thinking about the day. Annabel had more questions in her mind than answers.

  What was Marcus hiding? Where was the money for the children’s ward? How much did Margaret know? And could she trust Marcus enough to tell him her suspicions? What with all the hassle she was having with Mr. Wild and Marcus in hospital, Annabel was finding it hard to know which way to turn.

  Rachel was doing lates tonight, so there was no way she could talk to her about anything. Marcus had been on her mind ever since she had left him. He was a playboy and a very sexy one at that, but just how far could she trust him? Sometimes, when you see and hear bad things all the time, you start to believe it.

  She had never thought that he would notice her that summer. Her friend’s brother used to hang around with Marcus’s gang, and they tagged along. She had been accepted readily into the group, but as soon as she saw those eyes, that crooked I’m-ready-to-be-bad smile, the I’m-going-to-take-you-to-bed smile, Annabel had fallen head over heels in love with him.

  Marcus never encouraged her. She wasn’t sure if she had made her feelings obvious to him. Annabel shook her head. “He would have been a fool not to have seen it,” she said to herself. Instead, Marcus had a stream of girls after him, and he was always happy to take them into his bed but never her. She had to stand by and watch his revolving door of girls that poured in and out of his life. She had lost count of the number he had slept with. Marcus would always say, “If it’s being offered, I’m going to take it.”

  Did he know how much hurt he caused her, how many nights she had spent crying over him? As the summer drew to a close, Marcus started paying her attention, but not until the night before she left to complete her final year at university did she spend one blissful night with him.

  When she had woken up the next morning, Marcus had gone after getting what he wanted, and she had given it to him on a silver platter. Annabel hadn’t bothered getting in touch with him—not that she knew how even if she’d wanted to. Making a clean break had hurt.

  Now here she was, all these years later, falling for him all over again, but this time he would never know. She would play him at his own game. A fling, that’s what they could have. A no-strings-attached fling. A no-one-would-get-hurt, no-one-would-fall-in-love fling.

  Annabel decided not to go home right away but to go see Marcus. Would he be angry with her for kissing him? She needed to see him, just to see. If he told her he never wanted to see her again, then she would have to leave it at that. Perhaps it would be the best thing. Annabel wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what he held so close to his chest. Could it be so bad that it would hurt her more?

  She knocked lightly on his door before walking in. The nurses had sat him up and positioned his tea tray in front of him. The smell of food was turning her stomach, and it didn’t look that appetizing. “I see you’ve got your tea.”

  Marcus pulled his face at her. “Is that what you call it?”

  Annabel snickered. “In a fashion.”

  “I tell you what, you eat it then,” Marcus replied.

  He wasn’t too impressed that she had made fun of him. “Look, Marcus, you need to eat some. If you don’t, they won’t let you out tomorrow or the day after.”

  “Humph.” He stabbed at the food with his fork. “I bet you say that to everyone.”

  “No, it’s true. A mean hospital rule, and as you’re a patient…” Annabel walked toward the bed and sat down. “…that applies to you as well.”

  “I know, you try some, then I will have some.” Marcus was frowning.

  “Okay, give me the fork.”

  She took it but only put a small bit of food on it. Annabel regretted it almost immediately. It tasted horrible. Who could eat such rubbish? She wanted to kiss him again but shied away as he hadn’t made any effort to kiss her again.

  “I don’t see why I should speak to you anyway,” Marcus said suddenly.

  “Why?” Annabel didn’t know what she had done. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps coming back wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  “Well, before you left, you gave me a kiss. This time you’ve walked into my room, tasted my food, and not paid me for it.”

  Annabel smiled. “And what sort of payment does sir require?”

  “A kiss should cover it.” He smiled back at her. “For now, at least.”

  Annabel’s stomach flipped over. She hesitated for a second. Why would he want to? At least he didn’t hate her after all. “I thought—”

  “Just shut up and come here,” Marcus growled.

  Leaning over, she kissed him gently, but what she really wanted was to lie in his arms. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. She had no idea how one small kiss could stoke the flames of passion.

  Marcus pulled away. “Push that stupid thing out of the way, and lie next to me.”

  “It’s not allowed. I can’t—I mean…”

  “Just do it. I want you next to me. The pain can go hang. You’re the best cure for me.”

  “I…I…” Annabel stuttered.

  “You still owe me from my meal.” Marcus’s eyes sparkled with mirth.

  Unsure, Annabel pushed the table away. He wouldn’t be able to solve this particular problem for her. Anna was scared he was moving too fast for her. The Marcus of old didn’t know what taking things slow meant. He could not be interested in someone like her.

  “My Anna,” he groaned as he attempted to turn on his side.

  “Wait, I will help.” Annabel rushed to his bed and helped turn him over. He still looked extremely uncomfortable.

  “Lie next to me,” he suggested seductively.

  Annabel lay next to him, putting her arm over Marcus as carefully as she could.

  “You know this is against policy,” she murmured.

  “If you can’t break the rules once in a while…”

  Annabel hated to admit that he was right. “I guess I have conformed to whatever rule had been laid down, done whatever was expected of me.”

  “See, there you go. You used to have fun. What’s made you so serious?”

  Annabel thought for a moment. “I guess that summer with us and the way it turned out. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have dated since but decided that men were a waste of time.”

  “That’s nice.” He seemed even unhappier. Annabel couldn’t remember turning into the person she was now. It was a rude awakening and one that she didn’t want to admit.

  “Being in charge of the ward means I have a lot of responsibilities as well as paperwork. It doesn’t leave much time for fun or friends.”

  Had Marcus detected the hint of sadness in her voice? He was nice to talk to and beautiful. Marcus closed his eyes with a smile plastered on his face.

  It wasn’t long before Annabel heard his gentle snoring as he slept. She was as exhausted as he was. It hadn’t been very comfortable sleeping in the chair. Annabel let her eyes flutter shut. It was the last thing she remembered until someone shouted at her.

  “Excuse me, what on earth are you doing on the patient’s bed?” the nurse who had just walked in the room demanded.

  Annabel woke with a start. “I’m sorry, I know.” She untangled herself from Marcus’s grip as he continued to sleep through the disturbance. Scrambling off the bed, Annabel thought it was better she went home and had a shower. She would sleep in her own bed and come back tomorrow.

  “Look, can you just tell him I will be back tomorrow.”

  The nurse just no
dded, giving Annabel a stern look. “You should know better, Doctor.”

  With that last dig, Annabel was left alone. It was all very much like a dream. Marcus had playfully told her to kiss him as payment for food. Annabel hadn’t known what reception she would get from him. She had expected him to regret they had kissed. Her heartbeat was still erratic as she looked at his sleeping form. Maybe they did have a chance, but one thing was certain, she wouldn’t tell him how she was feeling. Kissing Marcus on his temple, she left as quietly as possible. She didn’t like the thought of him waking up without her there.

  Just as Annabel was walking into the hospital car park, her phone rang.

  “Hello?” she answered.

  A low voice spoke on the other end. “Check your emails.”

  Annabel heard a click as the line went dead. She turned quickly to look behind her, and then knelt down to look underneath the cars to see if someone hid away. Was this someone’s idea of a joke? She couldn’t see anybody nor hear anyone. “Well done, Rach. You had me going for a second,” Annabel said to herself.

  She was curious and would make a point of checking emails when she got home, and the sooner she was out of the car park, the better she would feel. It was as if someone was watching her. Was she in trouble or was there more to this? Things were getting stranger by the minute, and her trust in people was diminishing rapidly.

  Marcus was asleep and that was a good thing; perhaps she could take a few more days off and look after him at his hotel. Annabel made a mental note to ask him when she went to see him tomorrow.

  It was late by the time she arrived home. Every traffic light she came to seemed to be on red, hindering her progress. She was tired and felt grubby after the past few days. A soak in a nice hot bubble bath would be just the thing to ease her shattered nerves.

  Annabel went straight upstairs, knocking a book flying. She had left it on the top step for whatever reason. Oh well, I will go rescue it later. She thought back to her flat. Marcus had been right. It had been a mess, or organized chaos as she liked to call it. How would he have found anything in there if he hadn’t lived there? It was a hard realization to come to that she had, in fact, been to blame for her own heartbreak.

  Heading to her room, she went in and turned on the laptop. She wanted to know if what the man on the phone had said was right. Check your emails. It will tell you everything. Her screen flickered to life, a little box at the bottom alerting her to the fact she had mail. Annabel hesitated. Did she really want to open it? The mouse hovered above it for several seconds.

  Taking the plunge, she opened the email and was horrified to find a strange message and even stranger log in details.

  Dr. Simpson,

  The following codes will give you access to all hospital accounts. It would be best to make copies.

  A friend

  Chapter Seven

  The email address didn’t look real, as though someone had made a name up just so they could send her this information. How would anyone get my email? Then Annabel remembered she had given it to the radio, and it had been read out to a few thousand people live on air.

  Loading the printer with paper, she printed the email and then found the hospital site. Following directions, she gained access to all the hospital accounts for the past couple of years. Who the hell sent me these? Hitting print, she hoped that whatever was on them would make sense to someone. Marcus hopefully. Maybe a meal would be payment enough. Would he be able to find anything wrong?

  It was no use her thinking about things like this. She had to relax and take time to recoup.

  ****

  Marcus woke a few hours later. The lights in the corridor streamed under the gap in his door, and Annabel was gone. He wanted to phone her see if she was okay but didn’t want to push too hard too soon. Annabel would belong to him soon enough. He had no intention of letting her go this time.

  There was quite a lot of noise in the corridor, and Marcus assumed that it was nighttime visiting hours. No one else would come to see him, so maybe he should try and get some more sleep.

  “Marcus, can I come in?” A middle-aged lady peeped her head around the door.

  “Mrs. Windbourne, what a pleasant surprise.” Marcus was genuinely pleased to have a visitor.

  “We’re not at work now, you know. That nice young doctor who went on that bike ride called me and told me you were here.” She shut the door behind her. “What on earth have you been doing this time?”

  “Not much, just involved in a big accident,” he replied lightheartedly. “Going to rescue a coat. Getting smashed by falling concrete. You know, all the run-of-the-mill things.” He tried to laugh but instead winced.

  “Tut tut, young man. You should be taking better care of yourself. Whatever will I tell your mother?” Mrs. Windbourne shook her head in mock disgust.

  “You can’t tell her anything, and besides, she’s living in Spain.” That was one thing he was grateful for. “By the time she gets a flight, I will be at home and on the mend.”

  “All right, I won’t say anything. Now tell me all about this young woman of yours.”

  “Annabel is thirty, head of the children’s ward, and a really nice down-to-earth person.” Marcus believed everything he had just said. She was special; there weren’t many Annabels around who would do anything for others, including putting her own life at risk by coming for him.

  “Are you going to see her again?”

  “Playing Mum?” Marcus had to smile. It was nice his parents’ old neighbor cared enough about him.

  “No, I just know what a kind-hearted boy you are.”

  “Mary, you will make me blush.”

  “Well, if I can’t embarrass you, who can?” Mary got up to leave. “You get some rest, and I will see you in the office in a few days and not before.” Taking a card out of her pocket, she gave it to him.

  “Thank you.” Marcus smiled. His wonderful secretary and neighbor had just given him Annabel’s phone number. “Cancel everything for the next week and take some time off yourself. You deserve it for putting up with me.” Marcus would have hugged her if she hadn’t been too far away.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, my boy.”

  Mary wandered out of the room, and Marcus was left alone to reflect on how a simple ride had turned into a nightmare. His prized bike was who knows where, and in what condition, he had no idea. Okay, so it had been stuck in a garage for a year gathering dust, but now that it was out, he wasn’t going to stop riding it. The one thing that bothered him was Annabel; he didn’t deserve to be happy. He should have noticed the rash on Emily sooner. Perhaps then she might still be alive.

  Marcus pulled the cord. “I need a phone, please.”

  “I will bring you one.”

  Marcus sat back and waited. He would give Annabel a ring, just to see if she was okay. She had seemed really distracted when she had left him.

  The nurse came back a few minutes later bringing with her a cordless phone. Marcus dialed her number and waited, it rang several times before Annabel answered it.

  “Annabel, I just wanted to know if…if you were okay.” He picked at the sheet covering him. “You just seem worried earlier.”

  “It’s nothing, Marcus, honest.”

  “What do you mean a strange phone call?” Marcus paused. “Can you get me out of here tomorrow?”

  “No, I’m fine. It’s nothing that I can’t live with.”

  “You don’t sound fine. Talk to me, tell me what is wrong.”

  “I don’t think over the phone is the best place to.”

  “Well, get me out of here.”

  “Yes, yes, okay, bye.”

  When Marcus put the phone down, he was even more worried. What had Anna gotten herself into? By the time he fell asleep, it was almost dawn. The birds twittered away, and movement in the corridor had increased.

  ****

  Annabel had spent most of the night going over the accounts, but she couldn’t see what was wrong. All
the money seemed to be accounted for, though looking after money had never been her forte. She barely had enough to pay the bills. Even being in charge of a ward, she was still on a low pay grade when she should have been on a higher one. Mr. Wild had always said they couldn’t afford more. Looking at how much the hospital actually had, Annabel knew he had lied, but why? And the question remained, where was the money?

  Annabel slung a pair of jeans and a black jumper on and headed straight to the hospital. Marcus had seemed concerned about her, and she would break him out of the hospital. No one would go against a doctor. There was nothing they could do now. His body would have to heal itself, and strong painkillers would help with his pain. Maybe whilst she was at it, she would take a few days off. It may do her some good. All she had done over the past few weeks was rush around. Annabel had no idea who had sent the email. Were they a friend or someone luring her into a trap? The ride was going on until Monday, so she could always stay off till Wednesday. Only if they could cope without her. Annabel didn’t want to leave the staff shorthanded.

  Annabel arrived at Marcus’s room just as the doctor was leaving. “Doctor Kerry, is the patient safe to leave hospital?”

  “Yes, I have advised him that another few days in hospital would be better.” The doctor looked at his watch. “But you can’t tell some people; anyway, I need to get on with the rest of my rounds.”

  After knocking quietly on the door, she waited until Marcus told her to come in. It was her right to walk in, but something stopped her. It seemed wrong somehow. Her lips still tingled from the kisses they had shared. Annabel was surprised that her body was so responsive to his. She hadn’t wanted to leave him yesterday. Damn doctors and their bloody rules. Annabel giggled. You are one of those doctors with daft rules.

  Annabel opened the door. “Let’s get you out of here,” she said, looking over her shoulder one last time before she closed the door.

  “What’s wrong, Anna?”

  Annabel froze for a moment. “We will talk in the car; it’s not safe here.”

  “You’re scaring me,” Marcus replied.