CHAPTER 1

 

 

Dr. Katherine Sims pulled at her duffel bag—which was firmly wedged inside her locker—until it finally came free. Coming off a thirty six hour shift at William Henry Hospital, she was exhausted and looking forward to a hot shower, before heading home for some much needed sleep.

“Excuse me Doctor, I know your shift is almost over but I was hoping you would see one more patient before you leave.”

Kate—which she preferred over Katherine—turned to see Jenny Berg standing in the doorway; a pretty middle aged nurse who looked more like thirty than her actual age, forty-five—even in those standard issue hospital greens she was a bombshell.

Kate cleared her patient board five minutes earlier; technically she still had another fifteen minutes left on the clock. So close.

She tipped her head forward to give the back of her neck a well-deserved massage. She wanted to say no; boy did she want to, in the worst way. She wouldn’t though. Kate never refused one extra hour—one last patient.

“Sure Jenny, give me a quick minute to freshen up and I'll be right out.”

Jenny flashed Kate a broad smile that could have easily been construed as mischievous—as much as appreciative. “Great thanks Kate, I would never have asked but I think this particular patient might do better with a woman’s touch. I left the chart in bay three.”

 

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Kate to be asked to take care of the more delicate situations which could be anything from a rape victim to a sick child afraid to let the more intimidating male doctors treat them. Although she wasn’t a hard-core, card carrying feminist she did believe some days it was easier being a man, especially in her profession. She grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. It was nine hours since she last checked her appearance. She was not surprised to see her usual pale skin was pasty and her large green eyes, currently surrounded by dark circles were swollen which gave the appearance they were sunk deep into her face. I was evidence the last thirty-six hours had taken its toll on her, not that she needed confirmation—the feeling she’d been hit by a Mack truck was evidence enough.

 

The hospital was located in the heart of Manhattan and they received more than their fair share of emergencies—day or night. Although Kate was only twenty-nine years old, today she looked and felt twice that age. To make matters worse, her haggard appearance reminded her of Medusa. Like unruly snakes, the stray pieces of her blonde curly hair hissed in protest as she tried in vain to control them. She pulled her hair out of the thick band and attempted to finger comb it into submission. She gave up, tying the mass into a haphazard bun on the top of her head. It would have to do. Kate dug into her cosmetic bag for her mouthwash and lip gloss. Her mouth was stale and her lips were dry. A little mint always gave her just enough zip to get through the last few minutes of a long shift. Feeling marginally better she scooped up her toiletries and put them back into her bag. She returned it to her locker and left to find her patient.

 

 

Jaxon Remington sat on a narrow hospital bed that was far too small for his imposing size—impatiently waiting for a doctor. The bed was large enough for the average person. Jaxon was far from average. His frame was broad and muscular and he stood over six feet tall. He was jogging in the park that morning when a random dog flew out of nowhere and bit his ankle. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch and the gash he sustained as a result was deep.

Jaxon often ran the equivalent of a small marathon. Sometimes it was how he liked to begin his day and, other times it was how he ended it. He checked his watch; it was seven thirty am. Making the best of a bad situation, he took out his cell phone to check his emails. It would take a lot more than a dog bite to keep him from working. He did business all around the world and was used to working at all hours of the day and night—due to the differences in time zones. He checked an email that was flagged for importance. It was from Juan. Jaxon hired the guy to run his factory in Madrid. Unfortunately, the email informed him there was a fire at the factory. He did the math in his head; it was around one thirty in the afternoon— Madrid time—he was pretty confident he would reach Juan before the guy left for the day, and hopefully find out the extent of the damage. He dialled the numbers on the keypad of his cell and waited. It took three rings before Juan answered with his usual thick Spanish accent.

“Juan, it's Jaxon. Tell me what happened.”

 

 

There was nothing that crawled under Kate’s skin more than walking into a room to find her patient engaged in a phone call. She stood directly in front of him, pointlessly offering a disapproving look as she retrieved his chart from a holder above the bed. He appeared to be in a deep conversation so he didn’t even acknowledge her. She was beginning to think he hadn’t even realized she was in the room until he held up a hand to wave her off. As if that was going to happen. There was no way she was going to wait for him to finish his phone conversation before she began the process of treating him. Didn’t he see the sign clearly stating no cell phone use permitted? She tapped her pen on the clip board loudly as she read the chart hoping he would get the hint and end his call.

Patient: Jaxon Remington. Injury: Dog bite–Right ankle.

Not willing to waste any more time waiting for Mr. Remington to be courteous enough to hang up the phone, Kate began removing the bandage that someone already wrapped around his ankle. The job was well done even by her standards. She assumed it had been bandaged by a professional—likely the triage nurse. Startled by Kate’s unexpected touch, her patient lost focus on his conversation.

“Juan, I'll call you later.”

Kate’s head remained down as she carefully removed the bandage. She was still put off by the fact he flashed her a stop sign hand signal in favor of his phone call. She wasn’t one for confrontation so she figured it was best to not look at him because she might be tempted to give him a piece of her mind.

Ouch! The gash was deep—painful. She gently pressed her fingers to the outer edge of the wound to check for soft tissue damage. His breath hitched, the big baby, she hadn’t even pressed hard. Normally if a patient winced she would apologize explaining the necessity of the examination, in this particular case she remained silent because part of her thought it was karma biting him in the ass for being rude earlier. Surprised by her own lack of sympathy, she wondered if she was suffering from PMS because she wasn’t usually this irritable or bitchy. She was usually more sympathetic. It seemed ever since she started taking birth control pills to control the cramping she experienced during her cycle, she tended to become less tolerant during that time of month. The bad moods were still a better alternative than the cramps so she continued to take the pills— but it wasn’t fair the patient suffer the brunt of her mood swings.

Her intention was to give him a peace offering—a dose of some good drugs that would take away his pain. When she forced her head up and was met with the most brilliant blue eyes she ever saw she was awestruck and forgot all about her initial intentions. His large almond shaped eyes were as blue as the ocean, brilliant blue surrounding irises that were so dark; under the reflection of the hospital lighting they appeared violet. His lashes were long and thick. Lashes Max Factor’s most rich and luxurious mascara could never recreate. Those eyes dazzled next to his perfect bronzed skin and packed a major punch against his thick black wavy hair. Her words momentarily failed her as she realized this was the most beautiful human being she ever laid eyes on in her entire life. Normally Kate was immune to pretty boys, this rugged beauty—too sexy for words—sitting on the narrow hospital bed in front of her was something else entirely. The incident with the cell phone was long forgotten. She forgot everything including the reason he was there. He is a patient and I am a doctor. Right—I need to focus.

 

He cleared his throat, pulling her out of her momentary brain freeze. “Sorry doc, I was speaking to one of my employees in Madrid. There was a fire in one of our factories and I was getting an update.”

Even the sound of his voice was sexy, Kate thought. Deep and raspy as if he’d just rolled out of bed. No! She had to stay professional and to make matters worse she felt like she had cotton-mouth. There was something about the way he was looking at her, something about those eyes that made her feel vulnerable. Even if she was naked she couldn't have felt more exposed. She had to look away; regain her focus. The fact he hung up the phone didn't help matters; in truth, she wished he was still occupied by his phone call. At least it would have masked the sound of the slow, deep breaths she was taking in order to calm her libido.

“Sorry about the phone call,” he repeated glancing up at the sign she forgot about herself, which read the use of cell phones was strictly prohibited.

“Sure, don’t worry about it.” The cell phone was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. She straightened up from her crouching position and was finally able to think clearly enough so she could ask a question.

“Mr. Remington please tell me what happened.”

“We aren't sure yet. They think the fire started in the electrical room until we get the final report from the inspector we won’t know for sure.”

She cocked a perfectly arched eyebrow at him. “Well I hope you get your answers, I was actually referring to your ankle.”

“Right—my ankle.” He tilted his head up to the ceiling and blew out a long breath as if frustrated with himself.

“I was running in the park this morning when a dog decided my ankle looked like breakfast. He got a pretty good piece of me too, before his owner caught up to him.”

“Did you get the dog owner's information so you could report the incident?”

“No, I was a bit preoccupied.”

“Of course, do you know the type of dog breed?”

“Does it matter?” She could tell he didn’t appreciate her questions.

“Not to me it doesn't Mr. Remington but as far as the law goes some breeds are not supposed to be in public unless they are muzzled. It’s always good to report these situations to the authorities.” He rolled his eyes in response. She realized she was being difficult.

“I'm sorry Mr. Remington, of course your main priority was your ankle. Your laceration is pretty deep. I'll give you something to numb the pain, and you’ll need stitches.”

“I’m going to clean the wound with and an antiseptic and it might burn for a few seconds, the feeling won't last long. It should keep any infection out,” Kate advised as she poured a small amount directly over the wound. Jaxon didn't flinch.

“You have a high tolerance for pain, Mr. Remington.”

“You have no idea, Doc.”

His reply struck her as odd but she let it go.

“I’m going to give you a topical anesthetic to numb the area before I give you the stitches. You will also require a tetanus shot as a precaution since we don’t know for sure if the dog has had his shots. I ‘ll be back in a few minutes.”

 

 

Jaxon didn’t have the chance to reply before she walked away. He couldn’t help but watch her. The movement of her rounded behind actually caused a tightening in his groin. This wasn't good. He was wearing cotton running shorts. The last thing he wanted was his already formed semi to stand at full attention. He wasn't surprised to hear he needed stitches; he’d been expecting it. As far as the pain medication went he didn’t need it and he would have told her as much if he hadn’t been distracted by the perfect curve of her hips through her scrubs. Normally he thought scrubs were as attractive on a person as a potato sack on this woman they were damn sexy. He found himself wondering what she would look like out of them. He frowned. Where did that thought come from? He wasn’t used to his mind wandering places it had no business going, he usually had exceptional mind control. He fell back onto the bed and covered his face with his arm. This was turning out to be a fucked up day.

 

 

Kate was completely distracted—picking out the supplies she needed from the emergency room’s main storage area—she hadn’t realized she wasn't alone.

 “How's your patient?"

She glanced up and was met with another big mischievous grin from Jenny.

“I didn't know anyone else was in here.” She noticed Jenny was smiling in an odd kind of way, the same look she had earlier in the locker room. “Okay, let’s have it.”

“What are you talking about?” Jenny asked, innocently.

“That smile of yours. What are you up to? You look like the cat who swallowed the canary.”

Jenny pressed her lips together. “I was wondering about your patient, that’s all.”

Kate didn’t buy the innocent act, for a minute. “Uh huh?”

Something was up with Jenny, she wasn’t going to waste time trying to figure it out. She no longer felt as tired as she did earlier; a new rush of adrenalin was running through her body. She would have called it a second wind but that had come and gone around three am. This was something different.

Trying to convince herself—the man waiting for her behind curtain three—had nothing to do with it, she picked up some gauze and added it to the pile of supplies. No, he couldn't be the reason. It had to be something else making her feel the way she did.

Thinking back to the awkward conversation, Kate knew she sounded condescending, it hadn’t been her intention. She’d only been trying to keep the conversation going so she wouldn't feel awkward. Her behaviour was not going to score her big points in the bedside manner category on “ratemyphysician.com”, that was far better than the alternative—a lust crazed, libido fuelled idiot. Maybe all those years of celibacy finally took a toll on her and it was time to re-think the whole idea of preserving her virtue. Who was she kidding? Celibacy wasn’t something she decided to achieve. It was actually the result of a non-existent love life. She’d been out on a few coffee dates; most of the men had been drop dead gorgeous—by any woman's standards—she never felt an attraction strong enough to actually want to have sex with any of them, or even a second date for that matter. Surely her stagnant, almost non-existent libido’s unwillingness to react to gorgeous men, was not going to choose today to make a statement. She knew the guy for all of five minutes. It's not like she never treated other good-looking men, she often treated athletic type men with lean muscles and movie-star looks. There have been countless times she treated upper and lower body injuries which required men to practically strip down to the buff while she felt around freely—professionally, for torn muscles, and other more serious injuries. Mr. Remington hadn't even removed his shirt. The only thing he did remove was his socks and shoes, if she was being honest, she did find his feet sexy.

She let out a scowl. This was so stupid it bordered on lunacy; they were just feet!

“I thought you might have appreciated this one,” Jenny said with that mischievous look still on her face.

“Appreciate what?” Kate asked as she casually added another item to her growing pile of supplies even though she knew exactly what Jenny was getting at.

Jenny rolled her eyes. “The dreamboat behind curtain three. Don't even try to deny it, Kate.”

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

“Oh no?” she accused putting her hands on her hips. “Tell me why you added an enema to your pile here?”

Kate's eyes widened as she stared at her growing pile of—mostly irrelevant—supplies. There were all kinds of things she didn't need. She picked up an IV bag of infant Pedialyte from the pile and dropped it again. She couldn't even think straight.

“I must admit I was getting worried about you. I’m happy to see someone has finally gotten a rise out of you.”

“Come again?”

“I hope I'm not out of line. I’ve watched some of the most eligible bachelors in this hospital do everything short of back flips to get your attention. Either you are playing hard to get or you haven’t noticed. Either way I am thrilled you’ve finally noticed someone. There is hope for you yet.”

Kate’s jaw dropped as she gaped at Jenny. She didn’t realize her personal life was such a well thought of topic with the people she worked with. Her mother had an opinion, okay that was understandable. Her best friend Jade, she could see that too, but the staff at the hospital? True there were many men who tried to get her attention. Kate noticed. She wasn't playing hard to get, she wasn’t interested. It was just easier to pretend not to notice. The fact Jenny picked up on that was disconcerting.

“My life is fine how it is. I’m not willing to complicate it with a relationship.”

“Your life is fine? There are a lot of “F” words you should be using to describe your life ‘Fine’ isn’t one of them. How about Fantastic or Fabulous? That’s the kind of life you should be living. Fine is well—forgive me for saying this—sad.”

Kate was blindsided by the comment. She had no idea others considered her life as sad.

“Uh maybe I shouldn't have said that,” Jenny said regrettably. “You are a beautiful young intelligent doctor and you need to start living your life before it passes you by. If you ask me I think you're afraid. Something is holding you back and whatever it is, you need to let it go.”

Kate was astonished by the sincerity and honesty, and above all else, the truth in Jenny's words. The words cut deep because she knew Jenny was right. Her life was sad and something was holding her back. She was scared to ever go down that relationship road again; been there—done that, and she carried all of the emotional scars to prove it. The scars she always thought she kept hidden, until today.

“You're a good person, Jenny,” she said pressing a light friendly squeeze to Jenny’s arm. “I think you watch a bit too much Dr. Phil and I have to go take care of my patient now.”

 

With the proper supplies now gathered in her arms, Kate went back to curtain three. Before she entered the room again she was determined to put her defensive walls back up. It was because she was tired and caught off guard that she allowed this man’s charming sex appeal to penetrate through those walls earlier. As far as what Jenny said to her, she could re-evaluate her sad life later. Right now, she needed to put it all out of her mind. If she focused on his ankle rather than every other part of him she could finish treating Mr. Remington without any further indecent thoughts regarding his incredibly sexy body. She might have been able to believe it was a possibility if she wasn’t still carrying a nervous feeling in her stomach, which grew in intensity the closer she got to the room. No, I can do this.

 

 

It seemed like forever since Dr. Sims left. The anticipation he was experiencing, as he waited for her to return, was something foreign to him. With deliciously rugged bad boy looks by day and well put together charming GQ looks by night; a body that belonged on the cover of maxim, and a bank account men would kill for, Jaxon always had ladies by the dozen fighting for his attention. He appreciated an attractive woman as much as the next guy but his focus has always been his business—from the first business he opened several years ago to the multimillion dollar empire he owned today. Work is his priority, with one exception; his twelve year old son, Grayson.

Jaxon met Grayson's mother Elise, a couple years before he started his empire. They were never a couple, or in love. It was a complicated story most people wouldn’t understand. It was all a part of his screwed up past. Even though his thoughts took a serious turn he couldn’t help but smile when Dr. Sims walked back into the room. He wondered what her relationship status was. There weren't any rings on her fingers. Maybe doctors weren’t supposed to wear jewelry at work. He wasn't sure but he wanted to know. The fact he wanted to know anything about her confused the hell out of him. He didn’t have many personal relationships outside of business. He had his brother, Jason— who was also his live in personal assistant—he couldn’t think of any relationship he had with anyone who wasn't on his payroll. Technically Elise wasn’t one of his employees but he did pay her a hefty sum of money each and every month. Their relationship was far from optimal. Even though they had Grayson in common they barely spoke to one another. He didn’t begrudge her for it—it was the way things were between them.

 

 

Doctor Sims didn’t seem in the mood for questions or idle chatter since she came back carrying an armload of supplies. She remained tight lipped as she pulled a stool over from across the room and sat directly in front of him. Normally it was exactly how he liked things—conversation to a minimum.

“This might hurt a bit,” she finally spoke very matter of fact, as she held up a sterile package containing a needle. “I’m going to inject this directly into your wound to make sure the entire area is frozen before I begin to stitch you up. You might want to brace yourself.”

Jaxon braced himself on the bed to satisfy her request, although he wasn't nervous at all. He could ignore the pain if he kept his mind focused. He wouldn’t even flinch when she poked him with the needle, he welcomed it. Beautiful women inflicting him with pain happened to be his thing. The problem was her hands were shaking.

“Hey, are you okay doctor?”

 

 

Kate prepared to stick him with the needle containing anesthetic. Her hand started to shake—not a lot but enough to take her by surprise. She was normally rock steady. Today she felt like a fish out of water. This man was causing her to lose it and of course he had to notice.

“Yes of course I am,” she reassured him, wiping her brow on her forearm. She was even breaking out into a sweat. This was a nightmare and she was going to wake up soon. She lied to him. She wasn't okay and likely he knew it.

“You look a little shaky. Is something wrong Doctor?” Damn! She probably also looked like an incompetent female to him right now; all because her libido was in overdrive. If she was being truthful with herself, she was incompetent at the moment. Get a grip, Kate!

“Do needles make you nervous, Mr. Remington?”

She felt bad putting her unexplainable reactions back on him, she couldn't think of anything else to say plus the moment gave her a chance to get herself under control.

“No, but you seem on edge which does make me nervous.”

A moment was all she needed to calm herself enough to stop the shaking. She pierced his flesh with the needle and squeezed in the liquid.

“See, nothing to worry abo—she was confounded when a smile crossed his lips while she was still sticking him with the needle; it was an unusual reaction from someone who was given a needle directly into a gaping wound. For some reason his comment about pain tolerance came back to her mind and she was beginning to think there was more to that answer than she originally thought. There was something dark about him and for some reason it drew her in even more.

“Okay well it’ll be a few minutes before the freezing takes effect.”

She remained seated in front of him checking her watch regularly, willing the universe to speed up time so she could begin stitching him. She looked down at the floor and up at the ceiling, her eyes were everywhere but on him.

“Doctor, I had a chest cold recently. Since we are waiting anyway would you mind checking it out for me?”

“Take off your shirt.”

As the words came out of her mouth she wanted to step on her own foot, she sounded like a predator waiting to pounce. If she didn't get a hold of herself, he might want to sue the hospital for sexual harassment. God, she was an idiot! She was pretty sure he was used to this type of reaction from lots of women. Women with bodies built for sin; experienced women who resembled supermodels, nothing like her—a plain Jane with crazy hair and a small chest.

In one swift movement, Jaxon removed his shirt. It was almost as though he practiced that very motion many times before, he did it so skillfully he made it look like art.

She was losing it. She never admired a man for how he removed his shirt before. Although she never treated someone like Jaxon Remington before either.

Trying to pretend she wasn’t looking at him like he was dessert, Kate held the end of her stethoscope between her fingers. Moving carefully—as if touching him was dangerous—she placed it on his chest, barely letting her finger tips touch his skin. His skin was soft and smooth, and his muscles were toned. She did want to touch more of him, under the circumstances, it was not such a good idea.

“Take a deep breath,” she told him, thinking she should follow the order herself. She was becoming short of breath and was pretty sure her voice might have cracked a bit. Shit!

 

 

As soon as Jaxon heard the crack in her now deeper voice, he smiled. There was an undeniable chemistry between them and he knew she felt it too. She moved the stethoscope to a few more areas, asking him to breathe for her each time. He wanted to feel her hands on him but he noticed there was very little skin to skin contact. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose. She moved to his back and repeated the process. Again she avoided any skin to skin contact, he could feel her hot breath on the back of his neck and his groin hardened again in return. This was not good. In his loose shorts there was no way he could hide that from her. His plan was back firing. Instead of him affecting her, she was affecting him.

“You sound clear as a bell. How long ago was this chest cold?”

“Actually, come to think of it—never mind. I think it’s gone anyway.” He needed her to back away from him quick.

“You can put your shirt back on,” she said rather abruptly.

He frowned at her curt reply even though he knew he had no business having inappropriate thoughts about Dr. Sims. He was sure she was far too good for someone like him. He would be better off if he kept that fact in the forefront of his brain. Too bad his other head hadn’t gotten the memo.

The doctor moved around to the other side of the narrow bed to stand in front of him—she stopped. She appeared to be frozen in place like a statue. It took a minute for Jaxon to register what was wrong. Fuck! His manhood was waving hello to her and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. He wasn't embarrassed as much as he was pissed. At first glance the doctor appeared horrified soon after he noticed she was blushing.

“Sorry Doc. He has a mind of his own." His usually cocky, confident self was finally making a reappearance.

“It happens all the time.” She shrugged it off as if it was nothing special. Her rosy cheeks and lingering eyes told him a different story.

Jaxon could have a gaggle of beautiful women every night of the week if he wanted. What was it about her that felt different? She put him off his game when he was usually in control. It was probably a good thing they part ways in a few minutes. The last thing he needed in his life was a woman especially one who had a power over him he didn't understand.

 

 

Kate was reeling and she wanted to crawl into herself and disappear if it were possible. Her eyes lingered on it a little too long for her to pretend she didn’t notice. She hadn’t lied, sometimes it did happen. It never caused her to blush or make her secretly pleased she had that sort of effect on a patient before.

He finally put his shirt back on, which was a good thing because she would never be able to concentrate on his stitches if he hadn’t.

“I think it's been long enough. You should be frozen by now. I’m going to stitch you up so you can go home.”

She was beginning to feel desperate to get away from this man before she did something she would regret—like kiss him. She somehow knew kissing him would be earth shattering. She shook her head, as if to clear her mind, picked up the needle and thread and began the process.

 

Kate slowly and carefully completed the final stitch without any major hiccups. Thank God! It was finally over. Tossing all of the used tools in a tray for the porter to pick up later, she spared him one last look. “Take it easy on the ankle, Mr. Remington. I suggest no jogging for a while.”

“So that's it?” he asked. “I’m done?”

“You are free to go,” she said trying to remain as expressionless as possible.

“Great,” he said. “Thanks doc."

He held out his hand for a handshake. It wasn’t an abnormal gesture so she didn’t think twice about it. She put her hand in his and her world tilted on its axis. The powerful masculine feel of his rough palms on her skin ignited something inside her. Maybe he felt it too because his eyes became dark and he smiled at her. It wasn’t the sweet smile of gratitude most patients offered. It was sexy and seductive smile that rocked her to the core. She dropped his hand as if it was a hot flame.

“I have to go. I have other patients.”

 

 

 

Jaxon climbed off the bed slowly. He wasn’t sure what happened between them. He knew he didn’t imagine it because whatever it was, it was enough to send Dr. Sims flying out the door. There was definitely something about the lovely doctor he would not forget for a long time to come. It was best for both of them she ran out when she did. He was seconds away from doing something stupid like kiss the daylights out of her. Someone like her would have no business getting tangled up with him. The thought of never seeing her again sat heavy in the pit of his stomach but he knew it was better that way.

 

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

 

Kate opened her eyes, feeling like she hadn't slept at all. After falling into bed that morning she tossed and turned all day thanks to the visions of Jaxon Remington that invaded her mind while she slept. She could have used a few more hours of sleep. It wasn't going to happen, because Kate had somewhere she had to be. She forced herself out of bed and into the shower. The hot spray was welcoming against her tired and tense muscles.

In keeping with the traditional duties bestowed upon a maid-of-honour, Kate was taking her best friend Jade, out on the town for some girls only fun. Although Kate wasn't completely sold on the idea, she decided to take Jade to a male strip club. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d been to a club herself, and none of them were of the stripper variety. She was apprehensive about the idea but the females at the hospital—whom she sought advice from—unanimously said Jade would love it. With no other great ideas of her own Kate booked them a reservation. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember the name of the place, but she knew exactly where it was located. She knew because it was directly across the street from a hospital where she did some training during her last year of med-school.

Most of Kate's wardrobe consisted of scrubs and yoga pants. Since her options were fairly limited, choosing her evening's attire was a quick process. She pulled out a fitted black dress, nude stockings, black pumps, and a thick red belt she thought could add a splash of colour. She checked her ensemble in the mirror. It was sophisticated and chic, with a side of sexy. She loved that black dress. It was the one item of clothing she owned that made her feel like a woman.

Kate dusted her face with a loose powder that gave her a hint of bronzed shimmer. Since she was blessed with the same clear complexion as her mother so she didn’t require much help. Deciding any more bronzer would make her look like she’d spent one too many sessions in a tanning booth, she picked up her barely used pallet of blush. She chose a dusty rose and applied it in a circular motion to the apples of her cheeks. She lined the edge of her eyelids with a liquid pencil and swiped some loose grey powder over the remainder of both eyes. She finished the look off with midnight black mascara and a clear lip gloss. Satisfied with the results, she dumped the contents of her everyday purse onto her bed and transferred a few items into a red beaded evening clutch; her driver's licence, a pack of gum, her lip gloss, some cash, and her cell phone.

 

 

“I can't believe I let you talk me into this!” Jade exclaimed, looking around the room with wild appreciation.

“Ah Jade,” Kate playfully noted, “I think maybe you should close your mouth before you trip on it, or worse, before I trip on it.”

Both ladies giggled and Jade covered her face with her hands as though she was embarrassed—they both knew she wasn't.

“You love it, admit it!” Kate said as she squeezed a lemon wedge into her soda water.

“Okay I do, are you happy?”

“Extremely.” Kate answered. Jade smiled before taking another long sip of her second martini.

Kate reserved them a table near the back of the room. The room was dimly lit and Kate actually felt more like she was in a beautiful old theatre than a strip club. Large plush black-velvet wing chairs, edged with red piping, were placed around each table. Soaking in her surroundings, Kate glanced upward to see a stunning display of crystal chandeliers that glinted from the reflection of the light. A massive replica of the famous Vitruvian Man by Leonardo di Vinci was hand-painted on the dome shaped cathedral ceiling above the chandeliers. It was romantic and it was sophisticated—nothing like what she expected. She pictured something stark and cold maybe even outdated. This club was sleek and modern yet warm and inviting. She felt so comfortable she almost forgot where she was. Until she noticed the large stage at the front of the room.

A set of thick red velvet curtains hung as a back drop, and a large silver ‘R’ was centred on the stage floor. The stage itself was a ‘T’ shape—like a model catwalk—with a glossy black surface. Several ladies took up residence for the evening on low silver stools placed around the perimeter where there was a small overhang deep enough to place a drink. Kate couldn’t help notice the contrast between the hard and soft, masculine and feminine, contemporary and vintage used in the decor. Whoever designed this place knew exactly what they were doing—contradictions at their finest.

More than a dozen scantily clad drop-dead gorgeous men were wandering around, chatting it up with the female patrons. From what she could gather, they were the entertainment. As much as she appreciated their near perfect muscular bodies and extreme good looks, Kate thought about her last patient of the morning. The one she dreamed of most of the day… Jaxon Remington. She thought about him sitting on the small hospital bed with his grey running shorts and his bare chest. Now he was a man who oozed sex appeal. Sure the men currently lingering around the room were sexy, Jaxon Remington was in a class of his own. If his current occupation didn’t work out, whatever it was exactly she wasn’t sure, he could definitely consider dancing as a backup plan. Even if he couldn’t dance, his sinful body and over-the-top sex appeal could more than make up for two left feet.

The Emcee for the evening, a dancer who called himself Playboy began to call out individual female names from a list inviting them to the stage for a special treat. Kate watched the reactions of the successful ladies, as they heard their names being called. Sometimes they were shocked and had to be coaxed to get on stage and other times they ran up without so much as a nod from their friends.

Kate’s eyes slowly wandered away from Playboy and became fixed on a different man. She had to be imagining things. He was standing against a door beside the stage. He looked familiar. He was watching the crowd, and by the look on his face, he was agitated about something.

“Oh my God! He's here!”

“Who?” Jade asked.

“Nobody,” Kate said hurriedly, regretting her sudden outburst. She wanted to keep her incident with this man to herself. Tonight was about Jade.

“Don’t tell me, nobody Kate. Who are you talking about?”

Jade caught sight of the man who Kate’s eyes were fixed upon. “Mama Mia Kate, how do you know that guy? He is…gorgeous!”

“His name is Jaxon,” Kate answered, resigning to the fact her best friend, who was also an astute reporter, would find out one way or another. If Jade wanted information she could be relentless. “He was in the hospital this morning with a dog bite.”

“He was your patient?”

“Yes, this morning.” Kate was trying to act indifferent regarding the whole thing, she wasn’t doing very well.

“You actually get patients who look like that? Kate, you my friend have been holding out on me.”

Kate smiled at Jade; she hoped her very perceptive best friend wouldn’t notice his effect on her.

 “Did you actually get to see him with his shirt off? Better still did you touch him? If I was his doctor I would..." Jade picked up on the nervous yet dreamy look on Kate’s face.

“Oh my God Kate, you like him don’t you?”

“What? No, don’t be absurd.”

“Kate, you‘re blushing and I have never seen you blush.” Jade rose from her chair and Kate pulled on her arm.

“Where are you going?”

“To go talk to him,” her friend teased. “Let him know his doctor is in the house.”

“No!” Kate responded, forcefully. “Jade, sit down!”

“No way, Kate. I have never seen you look at a man that way. I can’t let this opportunity pass you by."

“JADE STYLES!”

Before Jade had the chance to make Kate's presence known—to the man Kate now knew for certain was Jaxon—she heard her name over the speakers and stopped in her tracks, whirling around to face Kate. “Did they just…?”

Stopping mid-sentence as she heard her name called for the second time; Jade slid back into her chair, forgetting she was on a mission.

The timing couldn’t have been any better. “That means you, sweetie,” Kate teasingly reminded her, never as grateful for an interruption as she was in that moment.

Forgetting all about Jaxon, Jade glared at Kate—half angry, half amused. “You didn't?!”

“I did,” Kate admitted. “Consider it an early wedding present, one we won't tell Kenny about.”

“No. I can't go up there, Kate,” Jade insisted. “Kenny wouldn’t like it. I think you should go, pretend you’re me.”

“Kenny isn't here. He'll never know. Besides I'm not the one getting married in two weeks, you are. Now go!” Kate pointed to the only open seat still left on the stage. “Go on, you'll have fun,” she urged playfully. “When I get married you can do the same for me.”

“You actually have to go on a date for that to ever happen, Kate,” Jade said in a mocking tone.

“True, but this isn't about me. It's about you and I say go for it!”

A waiter approached the table wearing nothing but bootie shorts and a bow tie, he was carrying a tray of drinks, “Ladies can I offer you some poison this evening?”

His gold spandex shorts fit like a glove, accentuating his assets. While Jade became distracted by his uniform, Kate used the opportunity to buy her a drink.

“We'll have a couple of these.” Kate pointed to two bright yellow test tubes filled with some kind of alcohol concoction. She fished a couple of bills out of her purse and handed them to him. She plucked two tubes from his tray and handed one to Jade.

“Here, take some liquid courage. You can thank me later.”

Jade accepted the bright yellow tube Kate offered and eyed it skeptically. “What the heck.”

She drank it down in one go—keeping her eyes on the assets of the waiter as he moved on to the next table. She could hear her name being called a third time, she ignored it.

“Shit! That’s good stuff!”

Very pleased, Kate passed her the second tube. Jade didn’t waste any time drinking that one too.

“Okay,” Jade finally agreed, with a girlish laugh. “Why not?”

She wiped her forearm across her mouth. “Wish me luck,” she squealed, as she headed for the stage. If Kate wasn't mistaken, she thought she could actually see Jade skipping. She laughed at the sight feeling satisfied with her friend’s level of happiness so far this evening. Even more so, she was satisfied Jade forgot about her quest to go talk to Jaxon.

Kate glanced back over to where she saw Jaxon standing earlier. He oozed of power and he was definitely as beautiful as she remembered. She wondered what he was even doing there. He wasn’t a dancer or at least she didn’t think he was. He was dressed in a dark suit and he appeared to be watching over things as though he was security or something of that nature.

Remembering Jade was in pursuit of the stage, Kate took her eyes off Jaxon to catch a man who had the name Loverboy tattooed across his muscled back, escort her to the empty seat. Jade was smiling and her amusement was clearly evident as she wiggled her bottom into the chair. She locked eyes with Kate and waved at her from the distance. Kate smiled back at her, giving her two thumbs up. She was trying to appear natural as though Jaxon Remington’s presence hadn’t affected her in the least. Jade didn’t need any reminders regarding her earlier intent on playing matchmaker.

 

 

Jaxon was standing in his usual spot—to the right of the stage. The last chair was finally claimed by an attractive brunette. As she sat down, the woman waved to someone in the crowd. Jaxon followed her gaze and his eyes locked on a beautiful blonde who was giving her two thumbs up. It took him a minute to register who she was. She looked different from the last time he saw her but he knew it was her. He would recognize those beautiful large green eyes and full pouty lips anywhere; they were committed to memory. Her hair was down this time and he liked it. He liked it very much. Her golden locks cascaded over her shoulders, framing her perfectly rounded face. The air around him began to feel thick as he breathed it in. It became as though no one else was in the room because she had his undivided attention.

When he arrived at the club earlier he wasn’t sure how late he’d stick around. His ankle was throbbing but that wasn’t his biggest problem. He was obsessing over a certain female doctor and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake her from his mind. The intrusive thoughts were making it extremely difficult to concentrate on his work. He planned to leave right before the “Celebration” stage show began. He had an itch he needed to scratch—compliments of Dr. Sims—and until he was able to find relief he would remain on edge and irritable as hell. Now that she was there, things only got worse for him in that respect. He’d be damned if he left now.

The “Celebration Package” was offered for a fee to any female who wanted to purchase one. Normally ladies didn't purchase it for themselves but for someone else. It was a chance to get up on stage and get a little sample of several of the dancers at once. It was named the “Celebration Package” because it was usually purchased for those celebrating upcoming marriages, birthdays and—Jaxon's own personal favourite—divorces. Sometimes the divorcees could be even more entertaining than his dancers. They often had fewer inhibitions. They were rarely shy and they didn’t pretend not to love the attention the men showered them with.

 

 

While waiting for the show to start, Kate could sense someone was standing exceptionally close to the back of her chair. She automatically found herself checking to see if Jaxon was still standing at the door and it unnerved her that he wasn't. Her heart skipped a beat. She craned her neck around to see if it was him. Even though he flustered her the last time she saw him she still hoped it was.

Holy mother of— A muscled Amazon, who was wearing a barely there peach coloured thong, had his junk pressed up against a lady wearing a wedding veil. Since he was facing the lady with his front, his perfectly round tight ass was so close to Kate she could reach out and touch it. Her immediate reaction was to try to move as far away from him as possible, pulling her chair in so close to the edge of the table she was certain she would have a bruise tomorrow.

“ARE YOU LADIES R-E-A-D-Y?"

The crowd cheered loudly. They were more than ready

The lights unexpectedly went off, leaving the room in almost complete darkness. The only light came from the exit sign above the door in the far right corner. Kate could barely see, she noticed a number of silhouettes moving onto the stage. It was actually kind of exciting despite the fact it was hard for her to concentrate knowing Jaxon was in the room—somewhere—and she didn’t know where.

Moments later the lights came back on and the music started to play. The country beat sounded familiar. She chuckled to herself as she realized it was “Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy.”

Now that the lights were on, she could see a dozen very sexy jean-clad shirtless males in cowboy boots and matching white Stetsons on the stage. Each man positioned himself in front of a lady, facing the crowd with their backs to the ladies in chairs. On cue, they all bent over and ripped the denim clear off their bodies with flair and sharp synchronization.

Kate might have actually enjoyed the show more if it wasn’t for the fact he was there, somewhere.

She felt the air around her change. Jaxon was close she could feel it. She kept her eyes on the stage, afraid to look anywhere else.

“Hello Doctor,” a deep familiar voice crooned. She knew it was him.

Kate slowly peered across the table to find Jaxon sitting in Jade’s chair.

“Mr. Remington, what a surprise! How's the ankle?” Kate tried to play it cool.

“My ankle is good, thanks to you. What brings you to a place like this? I’ve never noticed you here before.”

Never noticed me here before… So he was here regularly?

“I might ask you the same thing, Mr. Remington. I mean, you don’t seem to be the type to be into men and you certainly aren’t dressed like a dancer.”

“No, that’s right. I'm neither of those. I actually own this place.”

He owned the place? Did she hear him right? She’d never expected that.

“I thought you said something about owning a factory in Madrid.”

“I do have a factory in Madrid. I also own this club.”

“Oh,” she said, not sure what else to say. He was looking at her, with his deep blue eyes, so intensely she wanted to look away.

“You still haven’t told me why you're here, Doctor.”

Kate directed his attention to the stage. “The girl on the end is my friend Jade. She's getting married next week.”

“What about you? Do you have a husband or a boyfriend?”

“No I—am sad and lonely—No I don’t.”

“I am very surprised. A highly intelligent, beautiful woman like you, I guess you’re still waiting for Mr. Right.”

He said she was beautiful. That did all kinds of strange things to her insides. She prayed he didn’t notice, as far as the Mr. Right comment went, there would never be a Mr. Right, not for her.

“Are you blushing doctor? Because I have to say I find it very…sexy.”

His voice was seductive and he drew out that last word slowly causing Kate to feel her internal temperature rise. This man knew how to push all the right buttons, sending her body into a lustful frenzied state of confusion. She began wondering what it would be like to be kissed by him—one kiss. That's all she wanted from him.

 

 

Jaxon was pleased to see he had the same effect on her as she had on him. Not only was she blushing, she was heating up before his eyes as he observed tiny droplets of sweat begin to form above her upper lip. She was staring at him as if he was dessert and he wanted to know what she was thinking. He hoped she was thinking about the possibilities they had between them. He wanted to lick the salty droplets of sweat from her face; he wanted to taste her lips. He knew they would be divine. Sweet Dr. Sims, he really wanted to kiss her.

He stopped himself before the fantasies went any further. He had no idea what was going on. He didn’t do things like this; he didn’t fantasize. Life was too real, too serious, for fantasy. When it came to sexual tension, he rarely felt it unless he was in a very specific setting— sitting at a table in his club with a woman he barely knew was definitely not one of those settings. His sexual encounters served a very specific purpose to him and everything was very controlled and always planned. Spontaneous hook-ups were not ever on the menu. Still, the attraction was there, exploding between them like a powder keg. It was something he couldn’t ignore.

He was trying to decide what he was going to do about this woman, when one of his men—Six Pack—showed up at the table. He observed her closely as her eyes shifted to their new visitor. He was curious to see if she would look at Six Pack in the same way she looked at him, she didn’t. She made very quick eye contact with him, smiled and looked away again. It surprised him to see she showed no interest in Six Pack. All the ladies loved Six Pack. He was the most popular dancer on his payroll.

His relationship with his employees was complicated. Most of them were with him since day one and many of them owed him for being able to get their lives on track. He saved many of them from self-destruction and he often got the feeling they felt indebted to him, even though it wasn't what he was after. They respected him for the most part and they respected the rules—with Jaxon there were always rules.

“What is it?” he grunted at Six Pack.

“Sorry boss I hate to interrupt.” Six Pack glanced over at Kate. “Actually never mind boss. It's nothing.”

“You’ve already interrupted us, so now you are going to tell me what’s going on and I will decide if it’s nothing,” Jaxon said with complete command.

“Trent is trying to cut off a customer who’s had too much to drink. She's starting to get out of hand. We’ve caught her disrupting other customers a few times by trying to convince them to order her drinks.”

Jaxon pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He turned to her, a look of regret on his face. “I have to go deal with a problem. It was nice seeing you again.”

He held out his hand to her and she eyed it nervously as she remembered what happened the last time she attempted to shake his hand.

“Yes, you too,” she replied, wishing he didn’t have to leave so soon. As uncomfortable as she was, with the feelings he stirred in her, she still wanted more time with him. “Please call me, Kate.”

His hand still stretched out to her gave her no choice. She was going to have to touch him. This is crazy it’s just a handshake; don’t be a chicken shit Kate. As if on a slow motion movie screen, his large powerful hand took hers—completely covered it. There it was. The intense electric feeling she experienced earlier that day at the hospital and like the last time they shook hands her automatic response was to pull away. He anticipated her reaction and squeezed a little tighter. All she could do now was hope to God her wobbly knees didn’t give out.

There was a hint of something dark in his eyes and alluring promise in his voice. “I will be back Kate.” He made a four letter simple name like hers sound bourgeois.

She was grateful when he finally let go of her hand. The feelings he stirred in her were more than she ever thought possible. When he walked away it was just in time, she needed to sit back down before she fell over. As soon he was out of sight she slid back into her chair and took a big gulp of her soda water; she had cotton mouth again. She couldn’t understand how Jaxon had this strange power over her, or why her mind, body, and soul reacted to him the way they did. He tapped into feelings that never been reached before—ever. She could chalk up her morning reaction to him to being overtired and overworked, this evening, she had no excuse whatsoever. There was something about him that spoke to her on a different level, affecting her in a way she never thought would ever be possible.

The tempo of the music changed and it brought her attention to the stage. She was barely able to focus on Jade who was being attended to by a man with long dark brown hair. She could tell, by the smile on her friend's face, she was having fun. It also didn’t hurt the situation Jade consumed more alcohol that night than Kate ever witnessed her drink before.

A few moments later the dancers made another switch, like it was an assembly line and a new—equally hot—guy was shaking his goodies for Jade. It was more comical than sexy. Jade popped her head around him and mouth the words “Thank you”. Kate smiled back at her mouthing “You're welcome”. Satisfied Jade was enjoying herself, Kate decided now might be the best time to run to the bathroom.

As inconspicuously as she could, she scoured the area to see if she could spot Jaxon somewhere. She expected him to be at the bar, trying to reason with an unreasonable drunk. He wasn't there. Eventually, she found him. He was standing against a wall with two young women who were literally salivating over him. Kate could feel her anger begin to emerge as one of the women stood up on her tip-toes to whisper something in his ear as he accommodated her smaller size by lowering his head to meet her reach. Another inch and his face would have been in her cleavage. Everything about the scene bothered Kate. The woman was in her early-twenties, wearing a bustier and mini skirt that barely covered her derrière.

Kate was pissed. She may have been inexperienced with relationships but she did know when a man was trying to show he was interested. Jaxon Remington was definitely coming on to her earlier, now it appeared he was getting cozy with someone else. This was a perfect example of why Kate didn’t date.

 

Grateful for the sudden dose of reality, Kate stormed off. To think she was actually attracted to the man, even though she knew absolutely nothing about him. The fact he owned a strip club should have been her first clue. She was right to fend off men. Jaxon Remington re-confirmed it.

 

 

 

CHAPTER 3

 

 

Kate hoped to dispel both the hurt and the anger she was feeling, as she sat on the closed toilet seat in the dinky bathroom stall—her knees almost touching the bathroom door because it was a cramped space—taking long deep breaths and letting them out slowly. She tried to convince herself she didn't care. He was nothing to her, other than her patient and technically he was no longer that either. It wasn't like he was even her type—not that she had a type—if she did, she was sure it wouldn't be someone like him; an over-confident flirt with likely more muscles than brains, who saw women as conquests. Once he conquered her, he would move on the next pretty face without a second thought. Yeah okay, that wasn't completely fair. He was a business owner and, from the crowd outside, it was likely a successful one. Maybe he did have brains, but that didn’t change the fact he was a player. Why was she so attracted to him? Kate was trying to make sense of her contradictory thoughts when a female voice caught her attention.

“Oh Rachel,” the female voice sighed. “I have to have him.”

“Who?” A second female voice asked.

“Jaxon, silly. I mean, I know you like him too and I hope this doesn't cause problems between us, but—”

“But what?” The one named Rachel asked, with an almost bitter tone.

“I have to admit I find him pretty hot and I think I'm going to go for it. I think it's only fair.”

“Fair? What are you talking about?”

“Well, nothing seems to be happening between you two. I want a shot,” she retorted as if she’d been rehearsing for a while, waiting for the perfect moment to finally say it.

“Jennifer, can I tell you a secret?”

“A secret? Sure.”

“Jaxon and I are seeing each other.”

“What?” The disappointment in Jennifer’s voice was obvious. “You and Jaxon? You never said anything!”

The news definitely came as a surprise to both the young girl and to Kate. She knew exactly which Jaxon they were referring to.

“I know, I know I'm sorry,” Rachel said, feigning regret.

“We’re best friends Rach. I thought we told each other everything.”

Jennifer's tone was a mix of annoyance and hurt. Kate couldn’t blame her. She was annoyed too but for different reasons. At least that what she convinced herself.

“Normally I do tell you everything, Jaxon wants it kept quiet for a while. You can't mention anything to him about this.”

“No, of course not. You can trust me. Why the secrecy?”

“He's a private guy.”

Jennifer seemed satisfied with the very weak explanation. “God, Rachel, you are so lucky.”

“I know.” Rachel replied smugly.

Kate sat for another minute listening to Rachel ramble on about “Mr. Perfect”, Jaxon Remington. Private man, my ass!

Rachel must have been stupid to believe that. Couldn’t she see he wanted her in the background so he was free to pursue other women right under her nose?

Kate decided it was high time she put an end to the conversation. The days of Jaxon— the playboy—Remington getting away with his game, were over. At least with this girl. Kate couldn't help the girls of the past, or the ones of the future, but she could warn this one. Knowing first-hand the kind of effect he has on women, she could almost bet with confidence there was likely a roster of broken hearts with his name all over it. In the name of all those who have suffered from—The Jaxon Effect—she decided to make her move.

 

 

As she suspected, the two young women who were standing in front of the mirror were the same girls she spied cozying up to Jaxon a few minutes ago. They were likely the reason why he had left her so quickly; his employee was covering his back. Sad actually, when you have people on the lookout, making sure you don’t get caught being an ass.

The creaky sound of the stall door opening caused the girls to jump, surprised to find they weren’t alone. Their conversation ceased as they made busy work fiddling with their hair and makeup. Kate sauntered over to the sink, smiling to herself.

“Excuse me. Do either of you ladies know where I may find a Mr. Jaxon Remington?”

The young lady—whom Kate saw whisper in Jaxon's ear earlier—gave her the once over, sizing her up as if she was the enemy. That had to be Rachel.

“I don’t think he is here tonight.” Rachel replied, looking straight into Kate’s eyes as she lied through her teeth. “Isn’t that right Jennifer?”

At first Jennifer didn’t seem to be following Rachel's lead.

“I said isn’t that right Jennifer?” This time her voice was laced with annoyance.

“What? Oh yes Rachel, I don’t think he's here,” she finally replied with a nod.

Kate could tell Jennifer wasn't completely comfortable with the lie. Rachel on the other hand was cool as a cucumber.

“Come on Jennifer,” Rachel said as she grabbed her friend by the elbow. “We have to get back to our table.”

Rachel offered Kate an apologetic look. “Sorry we couldn't help you ma'am.”

Kate had to hand it to Rachel because she almost appeared sincere—if it wasn't for the fact she called her “ma'am”. In Manhattan, when a barely-legal pristine princess called a woman “ma’am” it was the equivalent of saying, “F—You old lady!” Despite the girl’s behaviour, Kate decided not to take it too personal. Being with a man like Jaxon could cause any girl to enter desperation mode, trying to keep all potential rivals at bay. Kate never did anything under- minded in her life, there was something about letting Jaxon get away with his smooth talking games that turned young women into territorial liars that made her want to scream.

“If you see him will you tell him to call his doctor?” The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to have second thoughts.

Jennifer whirled around. “His doctor?”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Didn’t I say that already?” Technically she wasn't lying—she was bending the truth—he was her patient earlier that morning.

“I'm Dr. Sims,” Kate said as she dug her hospital badge out of her purse in an attempt to make her story seem more official. “It appears Mr. Remington was at the clinic today for problems with his…,” she paused for a whispered dramatic effect, “area below the belt.” Both girls’ eyes widened with surprise. “I have to find him and make sure he takes this medication right away.” She tapped her purse for good measure. “It's for infections,” she said with a twisted up facial expression that appeared as though she had eaten some bad shellfish. Technically, he showed up at the emergency room with a problem below the belt, and she could have easily prescribed antibiotics. Not completely a lie more of a stretching of the truth.

 

 

Both girls appeared dumbfounded and Jennifer gave Rachel a supportive rub on her back.

Kate decided she liked Jennifer. Okay maybe like was a strong word; she disliked Jennifer far less than she disliked her friend Rachel. Oddly, Rachel didn't look nearly as concerned as Jennifer even though she was the one who was sleeping with him.

“Come to think of it, I spotted him earlier,” Jennifer confessed. “You can usually find him standing close to the stage.”

Clearly Jennifer understood the ramifications of what Kate was implying. Rachel on the other hand seemed unaffected. Again, cool as a cucumber.

“Thanks for the tip,” Kate added, trying hard to keep a smile from crossing her lips.

The girls started to leave again, Kate wasn't quite done—not yet. Rachel needed a clearer picture.

“From what I read in Mr. Remington's chart in regards to his, shall we say, extracurricular activities, he’s a pretty busy man. It's important he takes care of his problem before half the ladies in the city are in need of antibiotics. I’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. I'm sure he would be quite embarrassed if he knew you were privy to such delicate information.”

“Oh yes, of course. Our lips are sealed,” Jennifer said, pulling an imaginary zipper across her mouth. Kate refrained from rolling her eyes at Jennifer’s attempt at the visual dramatization. Rachel still didn’t shown signs of concern which was kind of disturbing to Kate. Surely the girl had some clue when it came to sexually transmitted diseases.

“Well, I better be going. I have to find Mr. Remington.” Kate kept her head down—stifling a chuckle at the horrified look on Jennifer's face—as she started for the exit.

“Looking for me?”

Kate jumped back in shock. Oh crap! She knew the voice and she wanted to die because she was face to face with a very pissed off Jaxon Remington.

“Dr. Sims, long time no see.”

Kate didn't know what to say. She now felt as though it were a thousand degrees in there.

“Um, exactly how much of that did you hear?” She shifted nervously looking down at her feet. Not only was Kate embarrassed Jaxon overheard her stunt, if he was angry enough, he could probably get her fired. Flashing her hospital badge probably wasn’t the brightest idea she ever came up with.

“Well, I hear you have my medication. I must be worse off than I thought if you’re making a house call.”

Kate jerked her head up, confused by his response. Was he actually playing along? He should have been yelling at her, throwing her out of his club on her ass, definitely not playing along.

The two girls stood side by side, also looking very uncomfortable.

“Jennifer, I think we should probably give Mr. Remington and his doctor some privacy.”

“Actually,” Kate blurted out, “why don't you guys stay? I should leave." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jaxon stepped in front of her.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” he said, his voice low. He fixed her with a scowl that would make a baby cry.

“Shouldn’t you maybe talk to her, about...,” Jennifer whispered to Rachel. “You know?”

“Later,” Rachel replied, before pulling Jennifer out of the bathroom which left Kate to deal with Jaxon alone.

“Do you make a habit of spreading nasty rumours about people in their place of business?” His voice was void of emotion.

“No, of course not!” Kate said in her defence. “I know how this must look. it was a misunderstanding. If you could move out of my way, I can go and find the girls and explain everything.”

Jaxon stepped closer to her. They were now standing toe to toe. “You call intentionally trying to damage my reputation a misunderstanding?” His voice was eerily calm.

“Look, I'm sorry. I will go find the girls and straighten this all out. I might have bent the truth a bit, I can fix it.”

She tried to move away again, he held her by her waist.

“I don’t think so.” His voice was thick and Kate could feel electricity oozing from his every pore, it was likely anger but it was mixed with something else, something sexy.

“Oh,” she replied breathlessly because he pressed his hard body into hers. The electricity radiating off him was now like a beam of hot light, ploughing its way through every vein in her body, heating her blood to a boil. Gathering every ounce of strength she had, she made every effort to mask the effect he had on her.

“You don’t want me to tell them I lied?” Her voice was small and barely audible.

“No,” his voice was deep and still and agonizingly sexy.

He baffled her. What was he up to? He wasn’t making any sense. “Ah, thank me?”

“Yes well, now my little problem is out in the open, Rachel might stop telling everyone she is sleeping with me.”

He waited for her response and seemed satisfied when he saw the light go on in her head.

 “Don't look surprised doctor. Rachel is a liar. Contrary to what you may think of me, I am not interested in every young girl in a short skirt who happens to look my way.”

He actually sounded genuine and, if she was reading him right, he had no designs on Rachel at all.

“Jaxon, I’m sorry. What I did was out of line. I should have known the tart was lying. She was far too calm, considering the awful things I implied.”

“Yes well, Rachel is a piece of work, I have to say. Although I was pissed at you at first, I find it quite amusing to watch you squirm.”

“I guess I deserve that,” Kate said quietly, still feeling extremely embarrassed by her lack of decorum.

“So Kate how do you think I should handle you?”

“Handle me?” His choice of words were cause for concern.

“My apologies, I mean handle the situation,” he replied correcting himself although she knew it was not a Freudian slip.

“We could brush this off as a misunderstanding?”

“No!!!” He was forceful.

“Right of course what did you have in mind?” She hoped it didn’t involve him reporting her to the hospital. She had an exemplary record up until this point.

“Maybe something like this…” There was no warning before Jaxon’s hands cupped either side of her face. Initially, her gut reaction was to pull away. Likely anticipating she would do that, Jaxon held onto her tight. The more she tried to pull away from him, the tighter he held her. Trying to fight him, but failing miserably, Kate finally gave up. She brought both hands to the back of his head and grabbed at his hair with both fists, and she kissed him with everything she had. She let years of loneliness and heartache break free in that kiss. She would have been happy to stay like that forever, kissing him. He pulled away first.

“Jesus, Kate!” he said.

“I don’t know what came over me,” she was embarrassed. “I am usually not…well I am usually not…” She couldn’t think of the right word to say. Everything she came up with seemed wrong. “It's been a while. I might have gotten too carried away, I'm sorry. Can we forget this ever happened?”

She chewed on her lower lip as she waited for his response, unable to make eye contact with him. If it were possible to die of embarrassment, she would have keeled over on the spot.

Jaxon tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. “Too carried away? Forget it ever happened? Are you crazy? You seared me with that kiss woman and I’ll carry it to my grave.”

Okay she misunderstood his reaction and now she had no idea what to do or say in response. “I should get back to my table. Jade is probably looking for me.”

As she moved away, Jaxon pulled her closer to him again; close enough she could feel the hard length of him through his suit.

“Not so fast. Come with me.”

It was more an order than a request. His voice was raw and gravelly.

“Where are we going?”

“We need more privacy. A place we won’t be interrupted.”

The desire in his voice and the promise of things to come left her both excited and confused. This was not like her, but in that moment she didn't think she ever wanted anything more. It was a fantasy she never dared to dream about. A hot blooded man, oozing sex appeal, was going to give her what she denied herself for way to long and she wanted it bad.

She would have agreed had the intrusion from a group of ladies, coming into the bathroom, not given her a sobering reality check.

“I'm sorry, Jaxon. I can't. I have to find Jade.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment. “It pains me to say this. I understand.”

He leaned in and gave her one hard, quick kiss.

Someone gasped and Kate realized the group of women were watching them, or at least watching him. She was not used to being intimate in private, let alone in public. Jaxon didn’t appear bothered by the audience at all. She wondered if he even noticed they were there.

Kate cleared her throat and cocked her head toward the ladies. Jaxon finally acknowledged their presence but kept his eyes on Kate.

“Good evening ladies, I hope you are having a good time this evening.”

The ladies smiled at him wordlessly, as if they were star struck because the Jaxon Remington gave them a moment of his time.

Jaxon pulled Kate to the exit and stopped short at the door. She wasn’t expecting the abrupt halt and she banged into him. It was like hitting a brick wall, his body was rock hard. He smiled devilishly as he leaned into her ear and whispered, “I want a rain check.”

Kate felt an instant flash of heat go straight to her core, causing her breath to hitch. She had no idea what she was doing. She was inexperienced when it came to intimacy, it was completely out of her element, yet at the moment she would follow him anywhere, give him anything he wanted. She was screwed.