Chapter 4

The alarm rang all too soon the next morning, jolting me awake. Slowly, I opened one eye and hit the snooze. It was five o’clock in the morning. Ugh, I groaned as I turned over and shoved a pillow over my face. I was almost asleep when the alarm blared loudly again, causing my body to jerk. I closed my eyes, but all I could think about was Lance. I sat up on the edge of the bed and shook my head, then shut the alarm off and got up to take a shower.

A few minutes later, the heat from the water blast rushed over my body, waking me up. I squirted body wash into my hand and rubbed it slowly over my body, closing my eyes, imagining that my hands were Lance’s. I rubbed across my breasts and over my nipples as images of Lance danced through my mind. Slowly, I ran my hand between my thighs to my heat. The water rushed over my body and my breaths quickened as I imagined that I was with Lance under a waterfall on a tropical island. My clit swelled at the thought and I let my thumb graze over it, moving back and forth, as I slid two fingers inside. I turned toward the water and rubbed my beaded nipples as I moved my fingers in and out, imagining that Lance was fucking me. My mouth opened as water rushed in and I spit it out as I thrust my head back, moving my fingers in and out of my vagina faster and harder, imagining Lance’s lips crushing down onto mine and riding his dick. Finally, my body shuttered in one hell of a climax just thinking about him. When my body stopped jerking and shaking, I finished my shower and turned the water off, feeling refreshed in more ways than one. Maybe now I could concentrate on my work instead of fantasizing about a man that I’d just met.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself, hitching it between my breasts, then walked into the bedroom and looked in my closet. I eyed a blue dress hanging on the right that came just to my calves. The dress was professional, but womanly at the same time, hugging my curves in all the right places. I glanced over at my scrubs and smiled, then opted for the dress, knowing that I could slip a lab coat over it when I got to work. I slipped into a pair of black pumps and quickly dried my long blonde hair, then pulled it up on the sides, letting the back cascade halfway down my back in loose waves. It was professional, but made me feel like a woman, too.

Downstairs, I poured a cup of my coffee and looked at the clock. It was just six thirty in the morning. Steven got off work at seven o’clock, but often worked over. I sighed as I took another sip of my coffee. We missed each other frequently, since we worked separate shifts. Steven didn’t seem to mind. The money was good, but money wasn’t everything.

***

Shoots of pink, orange, and red spread across the sky in a lovely sunrise, creating a breathtaking backdrop against the desert as I headed to work. Soon, the desert yielded to casinos and high rises, all with unique structures, from the castle façade of the Excalibur and shimmering glass and polished steel of other buildings, and then the tall, wide expanse of the hospital.

I pulled into the hospital parking lot, smoothed my blue dress, and headed inside. “Good morning, Dr. Reynolds,” the young receptionist behind the counter greeted me as I walked inside.

“Morning, Sherrie,” I said, nodding in her direction.

Rosa lifted her eyes from the clipboard that she was perusing and smiled. “Well, it’s about time you got here! We have patients waiting.”

Seeing her at this hour of the morning was like déjà vu. “Did you even go home last night? What happened? Did Henry kick you out and you spent the night here?” I teased, heading toward the locker room.

“You wish!” Rosa said, smiling. “I know you’ve always had a thing for him.” Henry, her husband, was a bald, middle-aged husky man—nice as hell, but definitely not my type.

“Honey, I’m sure he’s too much man for me,” I replied as Rosa followed.

She laughed. “Now, that’s a good one!”

I laughed, shaking my head as I slid my purse into my locker, pulled a white lab coat from the closet, and pulled it on. “Let’s get to work.”

“If we must,” she said, taking an exaggerated breath.

I laughed. Rosa was one of the reasons why I loved coming to work. Well, that and helping people, of course, but seeing Rosa every day was definitely a plus.

We began our day seeing patients, one after the other. We make a good team, she and I. Rosa was always great in a crisis and it was as if she could read my mind most of the time, anticipating what I was going to ask or need for a patient.

We worked through lunch, and by the afternoon, we had seen a boy with a high fever, set two broken arms, a broken leg, a sprained wrist, and then assisted with a woman in premature labor until her gynecologist arrived and took over, and an elderly woman with chest pains. Over all, it was a busy day. But, then again, it usually was.

The day flew by quickly and soon it was nightfall. I yawned when I turned to face Rosa. “It’s getting late and you haven’t eaten anything …”

“Neither have you,” she countered quickly.

“Why don’t you take a break and I’ll hold down the fort?” I asked, ignoring her comment.

“Nah. Tonight’s our anniversary and Henry’s taking me dancing,” Rosa said with a gleam in her eye.

“Good for you,” I replied, patting her shoulder. “Happy anniversary! Well, in that case, get out of here. I can manage.” I reached for the clipboard, but she quickly pulled it away.

“That won’t be necessary,” she said when Kellen walked up silently behind her without her noticing. “Kellen’s taking over for me.” Rosa leaned in close for effect and whispered seductively, “Don’t worry. He’ll take good care of you.”

“Get out of here!” I said, laughing as I took the clipboard from her. I looked over and Kellen was suppressing a smile. I smiled, remembering his visit with Christina.

“Nice to see you again, Dr. Reynolds, Rosa,” he said, suppressing a smile.

Rosa startled then gave him a playful push on the arm. “Man! You just scared me to death!” Rosa said as her face flushed, then added, “I didn’t know you were there!” Obviously. “Give me some warning next time instead of sneaking up on an old woman like that.” She was just in her early forties and I laughed at the reference to her age.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Kellen said, but the dimple on his cheek was still evident. Eyeing Rosa’s reaction, he suppressed a smile as he ran a hand through his dark blonde wavy hair, then crossed his arms over his muscled chest around the clipboard that he was carrying.

“And stop calling me ma’am!” Rosa retorted.

Kellen quickly turned his attention to the patient chart in his hand. “Yes, ma’am … er … Nurse Rosa.”

Rosa glared at him as he suppressed a grin.

I laughed then pulled her in for a hug. “Have fun tonight,” I said, then leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Well, that leaves me wide open,” she said, giving me a wink, and Kellen laughed.

“Hey. You’d better go before Henry sends the police to drag you out of here,” I said, pushing her gently toward the door as Kellen pretended to peruse the patient chart.

“You joke about it, but he just might,” Rosa teased then added, “Don’t stay too late tonight, girlie! See you tomorrow.”

I nodded, laughing as I watched her walk away, and then looked down at the chart in my hands.