Drew’s leg bobbed nervously underneath the table as he waited for the man next to him to finish opining on the necessity of raising insurance premiums on a yearly basis so that people didn’t get too comfortable. Drew wished he could rip into this asshole. How had someone like this even made it to a public hospital’s board of directors?
A better question: How had he been roped into this conversation?
He’d tried to make a getaway the moment the meeting was over, but Dr. Coleman had pulled him into a discussion with two members of the board. He’d kept his eyes on London long enough to see her flip him her middle finger, and then she was gone.
Blindsiding her like this was a dick move. Even if he hadn’t meant to blindside her.
He should have told her that he would be working at County the moment she mentioned the hospital back at the reunion. He’d started to tell her later when they were in his hotel room, but he’d gotten distracted by the sight of her stripping out of that cherry-red jumpsuit.
It was no excuse. He’d had ample opportunity over these past couple of days to disclose that he was in charge of the company that would be conducting the audit. Would she have been pissed? Yes. Hell yes. But he should have been straight with her regardless of the potential backlash.
He needed to find her. He owed her an explanation.
Drew pushed his chair back from the table.
“I appreciate the introduction to Travis County Hospital, gentlemen, but I need to make sure the folks from my team are getting settled into their various spaces around the facility. We have another meeting scheduled tomorrow, at Dr. Coleman’s request. I will be able to fill you all in on everything you need to know then.”
Remembering tomorrow’s meeting reminded Drew that he needed to discuss time allocation with Dr. Coleman. The man had already scheduled three meetings for their first week. Drew planned to curb this practice pretty damn quick. His disdain for useless meetings was well-known throughout Trident and the Meacham Group, the hedge fund where he’d worked prior to starting this venture. If it couldn’t be handled via email, it could wait until the weekly office-wide meeting. The once weekly office-wide meeting.
Drew stopped at the hospital directory near the information desk, then boarded the elevator and rode it to the third floor. It let him off just outside the nurses’ station. He went to the desk only to find it empty.
“Can I help you?”
He turned to find a tall Black woman in blue hospital scrubs marching toward him. The scowl on her face declared that she was too busy to deal with anyone’s bullshit.
“Can I help you?” she repeated as she approached.
“Ah, yes, I’m looking for Dr. London Kelley,” Drew said.
“She’s with a patient.” The woman scrutinized the identification badge on his lapel.
Drew stuck his hand out to her. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Drew Sullivan with Trident Health Management Systems. We’re conducting an audit of the hospital.”
Her expression didn’t change. Nor did she accept his handshake.
Well, damn. He guessed word had already traveled around the hospital that he was in league with the enemy.
“I’ll handle this, Carmen.”
Drew twisted around at the sound of London’s voice. She marched with the same sense of purpose as the older nurse, but she somehow made it look sexy as hell. It should be a rule that no doctor should look so damn good wearing hospital scrubs.
Drew nodded at the nurse. “Thank you, Carmen.”
“That’s Nurse Francis,” the woman answered. She hitched her chin at London. “She’s the only one who gets to call me Carmen.”
“I see you’re making new friends,” London said. She grabbed him by the arm. “This way.”
Yeah, she was pissed.
Drew followed her down the opposite hallway. Once they reached the second-to-last door, London opened it and waited for him to enter the tiny room ahead of her. The moment she shut the door, she whaled on him.
“You are a lying son of a bitch, Drew Sullivan.”
“I know I should have told you.”
“You’re fucking right you should have told me,” she hissed.
Drew figured the only reason she wasn’t screaming at the top of her lungs was that she didn’t want her young patients hearing their doctor curse like a sailor.
“You knew damn well that you would be working in my hospital, and you said nothing!” She plunked her hands on her hips. “What did I tell you Saturday night before we slept together? That I wanted to hook up with someone I wouldn’t have to see every day. That was my only rule when it came to this random sex business. According to Dr. Coleman, I’m going to have to see your lying ass every day for the next month!”
Technically, he didn’t plan to be at the hospital every single day, but he was pretty sure that wouldn’t make a difference to her right now.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” London practically growled.
The door opened about six inches. “Umm…Dr. Kelley?”
“Yes, come in,” she repeated, this time in a calmer voice.
It opened all the way, and a baby-faced blonde wearing green scrubs and a white coat that was shorter than London’s stepped into the office. “Sorry to disturb you, Dr. Kelley, but Nurse Beverly in Obstetrics sent me. She wanted to know if you’ve had a chance to discuss the staffing issue with Dr. Waller?”
London threw her head back and sighed up at the ceiling. “I haven’t,” she admitted. “Tell her that I’ll talk to Waller before the end of the day. I promise.”
The other doctor smiled before turning and closing the door behind her.
“Well?” London asked once she and Drew were alone again.
He hooked his thumb toward the door. “You’re in pediatric surgery. Why are you handling an issue for Obstetrics instead of someone from that department?”
“Because their nurses don’t feel as comfortable with some of the residents and attendings as they do with me,” she said. “And we’re not talking about the nurses in Obstetrics right now. You were about to explain why I had to find out you were working at County this morning in front of half the hospital.”
“I have no excuse,” Drew said, lifting his hands in surrender. He hadn’t been straight with her this weekend, but he would do so now. His honesty would likely earn him a black eye, but that’s the price he would have to pay. “I should have told you about Trident’s new contract with County at the reunion. If not at the reunion, then definitely once we went up to my room. Or when you came back to my room to get your purse on Sunday.”
The anger that flashed across her face was so intense that, for a moment, Drew feared for his safety. But being a surgeon, she wouldn’t use her hands to hurt him. They were too precious to her profession. She was more likely to deliver a swift kick to his groin.
Lucky for him, London had more restraint than a lot of women he knew.
“You are such an asshole,” she said. “I knew better than to trust you.” She folded her arms across her chest and perched on the edge of the desk. “You know, I called this,” she continued. “I figured this was all some elaborate joke for you. A stupid game of one-upmanship so that you can have the upper hand.”
“Wait a minute. You think I slept with you as a joke? To try to get the better of you?”
“Don’t try to deny it.”
“You’re way off base here.” He shook his head. “You want to believe I’m an asshole for keeping you in the dark about my work at County? Go for it. That’s fair. But I would never sleep with you under false pretenses, or as part of some twisted game to gain a competitive edge against you. I’m not that much of an asshole.”
“So, why didn’t you say anything? We talked for hours Saturday night. I must have mentioned the hospital a dozen times. Not once did you think to say, ‘Oh, hey, guess what, London? I’ll be there on Monday.’”
He had no answer.
“I’m sorry,” Drew said, because he was sorry for not being totally honest with her. But he would never be sorry for Saturday night. Or Sunday afternoon.
“I messed up and I’m sorry,” he said again. She stared at him, her face impassive. “And, obviously, you’re not ready to accept my apology at the moment.”
“If ever,” she stated.
Drew tilted his head back and sighed. “Look, London, I know things may get a bit awkward now that we’ve seen each other naked, but we don’t have to make a big deal out of this. This weekend was something that happened. We both enjoyed it. Now we can move on.”
She pointed to her chest. “I decide what is or isn’t a big deal for me, okay? You don’t get to tell me how I should feel about any of this.” She looked him up and down. “And I didn’t enjoy it that much.”
“Bullshit,” Drew flung out before he could stop himself. He held up both hands. “Fine, you’re pissed. And with good reason. But I have marks on my shoulders from you biting the hell out of me when you came. You can lie to yourself if you want to, but I have no problem admitting that was some of the best sex I’ve ever had. And don’t think for a minute that I’ll believe it wasn’t the same for you.”
He propped his hands on his hips and stared at her, challenging her to deny his words. London’s chest rose and fell, her nostrils flaring with each breath she took.
“You arrogant bastard,” she ground out between clenched teeth. “I can’t believe I fucked you while sober.”
“Multiple times,” Drew shot back. If he was going to be on her shit list from now until eternity, there was no need for him to pull any punches.
But, dammit, that’s not what he wanted.
He wanted to go back to Sunday afternoon, when she lay in his bed basking in post-orgasmic bliss. If he’d told her about Trident’s contract with the hospital then, she would have been upset, but not this upset. Then again, this was London. She may have had this same reaction no matter when he’d told her.
It was irrelevant at this point. He was here to do a job, one that was crucial to this community. He wouldn’t allow London’s feelings to get in the way of completing the task at hand.
Drew approached every contract with the goal of performing beyond the client’s expectations, but when it came to this particular contract, he couldn’t help but feel more invested than usual. More than 70 percent of Travis County Hospital’s patients lived below the poverty line. He’d been in their shoes. Hell, it was only a few years ago that he’d stopped waking up in a cold sweat, fearing everything would come crashing down on him and he’d end up right back in their shoes.
It wasn’t hyperbole to assume that some of the people who walked through this hospital’s doors would die if County were no longer an option for them. It was his job to make sure it never came to that.
Which meant he and London would have to put their differences aside. She may not like it, but they were on the same team.
“I’ve apologized,” Drew said. “Whether you accept my apology is up to you, but I can’t let this, or you, disrupt my work.”
“I’m a disruption?” She barked out a harsh laugh. “This is my hospital. You’re the interloper here.”
“Dr. Coleman and the rest of the hospital’s administration don’t see me as an interloper. They brought me here. I suggest you get on board.”
For half a breath, Drew was certain she was going to deck him. Instead, she marched to the door. “Get out, Drew. If you see me in the hallway, pretend you don’t know me.”
Even though he knew she was probably the angriest she had ever been with him, her words still shocked and stung.
As he moved past her, he caught the subtle floral scent he’d consumed while skimming his lips along her neck, and behind her ear, and in the bend of her knee this weekend. A brutal pang of longing spasmed within his chest.
He stopped just after crossing the threshold and turned.
“For what it’s worth, I really am sorry I didn’t just tell you the truth from the very beginning, London.”
“It’s Dr. Kelley,” she said.
Then she shut the door in his face.