When Catherine awoke the next day, she was certain the last twenty-four hours had been a dream. There was no other explanation for the gorgeous beaches, elegant estate, unbelievably good-looking man, and the absolutely mind-blowing sex. She peeked through half-open eyes as the golden sunlight of dawn seeped through her large window. The sight of the waterfront with rolling waves and white sand, the scent of the ocean air that drifted through the open pane, reminded her it was all very real.
She sat up and stretched, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face. She stood up and looked out to the cerulean waters. This wasn’t the type of thing to happen in her life. Her life was sterile, full of hours operating, writing reports, working on case studies, or just hanging out with Rascal. Splendid properties, exotic beaches, and sexy billionaires didn’t fall into that reality—until now.
She took her time getting ready, enjoying the Jacuzzi and the warm water that soaked her skin and relieved her aching bones. She styled her hair, put on a fitted black skirt and button-down silky white top, and looked at her reflection as she applied bright red lipstick. The events from the night before had her feeling bold and ambitious.
She wanted to “wow!” Michael. Her body responded just at the thought of him, and she recalled how delicately he had pleased her, each movement intentional, given with such tenderness and care. She inhaled sharply. She had to get her mind back on track. But that might prove to be more difficult then she imagined with Mr. Francis hanging around.
Rascal watched as she did a final check in the mirror, his head tilted to one side as she looked over at him and gestured to her outfit.
“What do you think? Professional, yet sexy?”
Rascal let out a small, agreeable woof. She laughed and gave him a scratch behind the ear.
“Thanks, bud. You’re the best fashion advisor around.”
She heard her phone buzz from the bedside table. She picked it up and read the text from Michael.
Great time last night, hope it’s not the only one I get to spend with you. Today, we get down to business, as promised. I’m already at the warehouse, Alberto will take you to the medical center at 9. I’ll show you around and introduce you to Lucas. Looking forward to seeing you.
Reading his words, she felt her heartbeat quicken, her palms grow sweaty in anticipation, and a look of delight spread across her face. He genuinely seemed interested in her, and at this point, she had no idea what this was or how she felt, but damn. did she love the thought of it all.
With quick steps, she headed to the kitchen where breakfast for both her and Rascal were waiting. As she dug into her eggs and bacon, Alberto shuffled into the room and greeted her, then spoke affectionately to Rascal as he finished his food. The dog licked his chops as Alberto put the leash on him and strolled him back to the kennels.
By the time Alberto had returned, Catherine was finished, packed, and ready to go. She stepped out into the sunny morning and took a deep breath, excited to see what the day would bring. The two of them chatted casually as they made their way into the city, the greenery and trees giving way to concrete and stone.
They pulled up next to a large building that stood five stories high and encompassed a large portion of the street. It was flanked by a university and student apartments. The streets were bustling with traffic and people as she stepped out into the parking lot. Alberto gave her a wave and then drove off to run more errands.
She walked toward the sliding glass doors and glanced at her watch—right on time. When she looked back up, Michael had appeared in the lobby just inside. She walked in, beamed at him, and noticed a sparkle in his eyes as he looked back at her.
“Good morning,” he said smoothly.
“And good morning to you too, sir.” She waggled her brow at him playfully, and he returned the gesture with a small laugh.
“Shall I show you around the place?”
She waved. “After you.”
This tour went quicker than that of his house, since the building was smaller and much of it she wouldn’t have to worry about. He informed her that Cuba had one of the best healthcare systems in the developed world; anyone could receive treatment no matter what their income since it was a government program. With this, research was given a loser rein and allowed him and his team to work on new medical technology. If it were actual procedures, it would take more time to conduct. But since he was funding the technological side of things, he had been granted permission to operate the medical center under government oversight.
“I don’t do any of the cases, that’s all up to the staff here. I just supply the tools and funds,” he told her as they walked down the hall of the neurological wing.
She nodded in understanding and paused at the door they had come to. She looked through the small window and saw a man who resembled Michael sitting inside. His hair was thinner, but he had the same blue eyes. He looked pale and thin, and she felt her heart ache as the reality of the situation began to sink in. This had all been fun, exciting, and almost unreal. But now it was very real, now she had to speak with the patient she would be working on, and she felt her mind switch from pleasure to business.
“Lucas?” she asked, but already knew the answer.
Michael nodded. “Yeah, he just came in this morning for you to examine him. He’s been in and out of this place getting poked and prodded, but no one wants to touch his case.”
“When did they discover the tumor?”
He sighed and looked in the room with a grim face. “About three weeks ago, he started chemo shortly after. He was having constant headaches, then some memory recall issues… but when the speech problems started I knew something was wrong.”
Catherine reached up and placed a hand on him. He looked at her and gave a sad smile.
“He’s my partner in crime, we started this company together years ago. I was always the lead, but he’s my right-hand man. He’s my little brother, we’ve been getting into trouble together for the last thirty-some years.”
“Hey, let's just start by taking a look at the scans and then your new piece of equipment, we’ll go from there.” She gently squeezed his shoulder in a show of comfort.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. She followed close behind as his arms opened and he greeted his brother.
“Lucas, I’ve brought a beautiful doctor to take a look at that ugly head of yours.” Michael grabbed his brother in a bear hug and let his arm rest over his shoulders as he gestured toward Catherine.
She reached out her hand and Lucas, smiling back, grasped them with his thin, cold fingers.
“Nice to meet you Lucas, I’m Dr. Ruby.”
“Hey Dr. Ruby, thanks for coming all this way, I really appreciate it.” His voice was hoarse, and she could see the toll chemo was taking on him. His lean face was gaunt, and he had a sweater wrapped around him to ward off the cold of the air conditioner.
She took a moment to study his face. He had the same cheek bones as Michael and even the same shape of his face. He’d also once had the same thick black hair, but now the chemo had eaten away at it and left balding patches. Even his eyes were exactly the same as his brother's, a dark blue that seemed to swallow you whole in their shimmering pools.
“Your brother tells me you've been having quite the time here in Cuba? You’re a party man, aren’t you? All the hot babes?” she grinned, trying to make light of the situation.
Lucas let out a laugh. “Yeah, I'm a real party animal these days.” He held up his hand to show the IV that supplied him with vital fluids and also chained him to the hospital bed.
Catherine opened her bag and pulled out a thick manila envelope stacked with files. She pulled out a scan of Lucas' brain. It was dark grey and faded, and she needed to hold it up to the light to get a look at the black mass of a tumor that lurked in his skull. She walked over to the light table and hung up the scans that she had been given.
Lucas and Michael watched her as she studied them. She stood there for a few moments as her eyes slowly traced the curves and squiggles that made up his brain. No matter how long she had been in the field she was still absolutely fascinated with the human mind. It intrigued her that a single organ could be responsible for so much of a person's life, or in this case, threaten to end it.
She turned to Michael. “Can you tell me more about this new technology that your company is working on to assist in neurological operations?”
Michael nodded. “Of course, we’ve been using the latest innovative Nanotechnology to access parts of the body that surgeons couldn’t ever imagine working on before. We're talking a new level of small tools that you can control like you would with your hands in a regular surgery, only now they can perform these tasks on a much smaller scale.”
Catherine nodded and looked back to the scans. She knew exactly why no one wanted to touch this case. Lucas’ tumor was bedded deep within the layers of white matter inside his head, deeper than any other case she had seen. If she was going to tackle this, having Michael’s new piece of equipment could prove to be incredibly useful, but also risky. She needed to spend some time thinking about it all, let her mind mull over the work and figure out a strategy.
“Lucas, what have the other doctors told you about your case?”
He paused and looked at Michael then back at her. “Not much, just that it’s too deep to operate on and my best bet is…” his voice trailed off as he looked down and his breath hitched. “Just to, uh, enjoy my time here.”
She felt the hollow pit of pain in her chest at his words. She walked back over to him and placed her hand on Lucas’. Her warmth spread to his icy fingers, and he looked up at her with eyes that brimmed with tears.
“I want you to know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that you get to make it beyond thirty years. I’m not making any promises, but we’re in this together from here on out, got it?”
Lucas could only nod with a sad smile in return. Michael looked at her with intense eyes. He stood holding his breath at her words; in fact, the brothers seemed speechless at her absolute disregard for what others thought to be the reality. She didn't care—she was going to go for it and give him a chance despite all odds being against them.
“Do you gentlemen mind if I take some time to think over my strategy before we continue this conversation?” she looked to them as she grabbed the scans down from where they hung.
Michael shook his head as he walked toward her. “Not at all, we want you to think this over. We’re happy to hear that you’re at least willing to try.”
He rested a hand on her shoulder, and their eyes met. He had never felt such a powerful energy radiating from one woman. Her determination and ability to take charge rivaled his own, and he couldn’t help but admire her for putting her life on hold to come down and work on Lucas’ case.
“Alberto will be here in a bit to pick you up. Would you like to join me for dinner again tonight?” he asked curiously.
She bit her lip as she turned to face his smoldering gaze, “I think I would enjoy another phenomenal meal by Chef James. Thanks for the invite.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Perfect. Lucas,” he turned toward his brother, “care to join us?”
His younger brother gave a thumbs up. “I’m always game for food, man.”
“Excellent, we can all sit down and enjoy a nice meal before things get…” he gave a shrug of defeat, “interesting.”
“I will see you gentlemen tonight then.” She beamed as she stood in the doorway, then stepped out and headed down the hall.
Lucas turned to Michael, “Did you contact her just so I could go out with my last sight being a beautiful woman?”
His brother burst out laughing and gave him a playful push. “Yes, because that’s my first priority in a doctor.”
His little brother chuckled in reply, but then looked anxiously down at his hands. “Thanks, Michael. I really do appreciate you working so hard to find someone.”
His brother swallowed and gave a nod, then grabbed his shoulder tightly. “I know, man. You’d do the same for me.”
“Maybe.”
The two smiled at one another, then Michael pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed.
“Chemo in a few minutes?”
“Yep.”
“If you don’t feel well enough to join tonight…” he looked at his sibling with a sorrowful expression, “I mean, I just know it takes it out of you and usually leaves you feeling pretty horrible.”
“I’ll let you know, but I appreciate the invite. I’d love to talk to her more, she seems like an amazing woman.” Lucas waggled an eyebrow at him. “You already have your sights set on her, don’t you?”
His brother gave him a meaningful glance. “She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Oh, we’re even getting deep on this one!” Lucas exclaimed.
“I mean it, she’s just…” he paused as he tried to conjure the right words, “Different.”
“So elegant with words.”
A hand thudded across Lucas’ chest as his brother smacked him.
“I mean, she just gets it. Last night at dinner, I didn’t want to leave. It was like I couldn’t, she had me completely captivated.”
“I’m sure her sexiness had nothing to do with that.”
He paused and gave a faux frown. “I mean, it didn’t hurt.”
…
“Ella! He’s so good looking, I mean, beyond good looking!” Catherine swooned as she sat in a patio chair overlooking the pool, and beyond that, the beach.
“Catherine, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were being swept off your feet by a hot tech guy in the tropics! What the hell, woman?!” Her friend yelled at her in jest.
“I had no idea! I just thought it was an amazing opportunity to make way more money than I could ever imagine.”
“You still haven’t told me how much he’s giving you…” her friend trailed off as she waited for Catherine to reply.
“Lips sealed until I get the paycheck, lady. You’ll get a shopping spree, okay, trust me.”
Her friend laughed from the other side of the phone. “I better, especially for all the times I’ve taken care of Rascal for you. Is he having a good time in Havana, too?” her tone was sarcastic.
Catherine rolled her eyes. Her dog and best friend we’re constantly butting heads, but she had still always volunteered to watch him over the long shifts.
“He has a new friend, an older man who lost his dog last year. It’s nice to have someone doting over him while I’m busy.”
“Oh, I’m sure Rascal loves it. What about you, anyone to dote over that cute little ass of yours?”
Catherine chuckled nervously in reply, not answering her friend as she remembered Michael going down on her.
“Wait, are you for real?! You didn’t?!”
She giggled in response. “Oh, I did.”
The two laughed, and she put a hand over her mouth. “How could I resist that? I mean, there is something about the guy…”
“Oh, I’m sure there is.”
“I mean it!”
“Mhmmm,” Ella joked, and Catherine could almost she her rolling her big, dark brown eyes as she twirled her chocolate hair.
“Well, I do have to be getting back to work, but just wanted to let you know that so far Cuba is pretty fabulous, and I’d give it a ten out of ten. I’ll bring you here sometime soon, sweetie,”she joked with her friend.
Ella gave her a sarcastic response, “Oh, I’m sure you will. Take care lady, love ya.”
“Love you too.”
They hung up, and Catherine leaned back as she adjusted her sunglasses. Havana was turning out to be more than she could have ever imagined.