Business meetings with the boss had been so much easier before sheâd seen him naked.
Julie Carnes sat quietly at the conference table while Ben Carson, the regional vice president of Mercy Medical Center in Las Vegas, was wrapping up his remarks. Ben was hands-down the best-looking man sheâd ever seen, including Ryan Reynolds, the actor he resembled so much. Six feet two inches of handsome man with light brown hair and sincere, dark brown eyes. He was also smart and fair. There was no one working in this hospital who wouldnât go to hell and back if he asked, and she was no exception. Sheâd already been there because of him, in fact. He hadnât suggested she go to hell, exactly, but what heâd said after their relationship had gotten complicated was just as effective. They had been over before theyâd even really started.
âI want to thank all of you,â he said. âEveryone is doing more with less, and your hard work doesnât go unnoticed.â
He looked around the table at the men and women who managed and directed different departments in the hospital. Julie was in charge of the Intensive Care Unit, and her responsibilities included budget and staffing, as well as monitoring the quality and continuity of care for each patient. The job was demanding, but recently, having to be around Ben made it even harder. Every time she saw him, it reminded her of how stupid sheâd been to let him inâsheâd really cared for him and he hadnât cared for her, at least not enough to trust her.
Since he first started working at the hospital six months before, sheâd been instantly attracted to Ben. They talked after meetings, had spontaneous lunches in the cafeteria, joked and laughed together. She liked making him laugh, sensing he didnât do it easily. After so many months idling in that pattern, she thought he would never ask her out, but he finally did.
The perfect date was just dinnerânothing grander than a nice little Italian place in Henderson, not far from the hospital. They had both worn jeans, but his battered brown leather jacket made him look like a rugged, swashbuckling hero. He brought her a single white rose, her favorite flower. He opened the car door, the restaurant door, held her chair, made her feel special. It wasnât a put on, just naturalâa part of who he was.
On a first date she usually dreaded the awkward good-night kiss, the what-does-he-expect-now part. But it was different when Ben took her home that night.
âI had a great time,â he said.
âMe, too.â
His eyes held hers and her heart pounded like crazy when he cupped her cheek in his big palm, then leaned down to kiss her. Before that touch sheâd planned to follow the minimum three-dates-before-sex rule. But when his mouth met hersâsweet, soft and sexyâdesire that had simmered for six months exploded into a tide of passion that pulled her in and swept her away. It could have been seconds or hours that they stood there kissing. Sheâd never know.
Finally he came up for air and said, âI have to go before I canât leave at all.â
âThenâ¦donât go.â
âI want everything to be perfect. Itâs our first date.â
âDoesnât feel that way. Weâve known each other for six months, but it seems like forever.â
âJulie, I donât want to ruin the best thing to happen to me in a long time. Are you sure about this?â
âVery.â She was fully aware of what would happen if he came inside, and she wanted it more than her next breath.
When they made love, it was as if their bodies and souls had been together in another lifetime. He seemed to know just where to touch her, just how to hold her. He refused to spend the night because he didnât want the neighbors to talk. Not yet. But he promised to phone the next day.
But he didnât. And when he finally called, she wished he hadnât.
Now she wished that this meeting was over already. Suddenly, the words Mardi Gras ball penetrated the buzzing in her head. Itâd been a dream of hers to attend the exclusive fundraising event ever since she started at the hospital. The dresses, the shoes, the glamorous location⦠Not that sheâd get the chance this yearâonly bigwigs and rich benefactors got tickets.
But Ben must have been wrapping up, because everyone stood. That was her cue to slip out quietly. Being the last one in the room meant sheâd have to talk to Ben, something sheâd managed to avoid since heâd broken things off so abruptly. Always good to shoot for a perfect record.
She made it out the door and turned right, heading toward the hospital lobby and the elevators beyond it, but she heard footsteps behind her, quickly closing the distance.