Chapter 1

By the time Drake arrived at the door to Sophia’s room, it was clear that something very wrong was occurring. But Drake didn’t really know what it was yet. He saw Scarlett holding Sophia’s hand, and Sophia was pale and moaning. Victoria was on her cell phone and talking to what Drake assumed was a 911 operator.

Although Scarlett had been the one who screamed for help, she was now totally in control of the situation. Her calm demeanor instantly calmed Drake down, but he could tell the situation was serious. Sophia’s face was pale, and she looked ghostly as she held onto her stomach and cried softly. It was obvious she was in horrible pain. Sophia didn’t seem to realize her room was filled with people and instead was latched onto Scarlett, holding her hand.

“What happened?” Drake said as he moved in closer to Sophia.

It was vividly clear she was not herself. She didn’t turn toward him, her eyes remained closed, and she held onto her stomach and moaned in pain, with Scarlett’s hand intertwined with hers. His hands reached out to her, but there wasn’t anything he could do.

“I think it’s her appendix. Victoria has the ambulance on the line. Can you go open the gate and make sure they get up here alright?” Scarlett said calmly and definitively.

“Yes.”

It was clear that Scarlett had taken charge of the situation. Whatever fear she had originally had when she found Sophia had died down, and her sense of control had taken over. Scarlett handed out tasks for everyone in the room as she tried to comfort Sophia while they waited for the ambulance.

Drake didn’t hesitate at all and quickly made his way out to the front gate and waited for the ambulance. It felt odd not to be in control. His whole life was about control, and at that moment, there was absolutely nothing he could do to control the pain that Sophia was feeling.

Even when Drake had made wild decisions to do things like Skydiving, he had still controlled where and when he would do it; he liked to remain in control in his life. But Scarlett was very in control in that situation, her calm voice and ability to give directions to everyone were impressive.

It didn’t take the ambulance long, and they were soon upstairs and loaded Sophia onto their gurney. She held on tightly to Scarlett’s hand, but as they came downstairs; Scarlett grabbed Drake’s hand and put it into Sophia’s. His eyes grew wide as he gazed at Scarlett.

Drake wasn’t prepared to be the calm one in this situation. He had never taken care of someone who was in so much pain and didn’t know what to do.

“Go with her, she’s scared,” Scarlett said softly.

Drake didn’t hesitate, but he certainly didn’t feel confident in his skills at comforting Sophia. If being with Sophia would make her feel better, then he wanted to be there with her, that was all he could think about. She was a vibrant and funny woman, and Drake hoped nothing bad was going to happen.

He truly had never seen someone in so much pain, though. The look on her face showed something that Drake had never seen a woman go through before. His heart ached for Sophia, and he held her hand to try and comfort her as much as he could.

Without a second thought, Drake stepped into the ambulance and continued to hold onto Sophia’s hand while they drove to the hospital. She continued to writhe around in pain, and the medic got an IV going and pushed some medication through it to make her more comfortable.

“I’m here Sophia. I’m here,” Drake said as he gently stroked her hair.

But Sophia seemed oblivious to the fact that anyone else was there with her at all. The pain was all encompassing, and she didn’t open her eyes to look at Drake. The drive to the hospital was one of the most uncomfortable few minutes of Drake’s life, which he felt bad about because obviously it was much worse for Sophia. Drake wasn’t used to being out of control. He wasn’t comfortable with providing emotional support for someone. Everything about those moments made him uncomfortable, but he knew he needed to be there for Sophia.

As they arrived at the hospital, Sophia was quickly whisked away and Drake was left standing in the waiting room. He looked around feeling lost as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do next. He wanted to stay with Sophia. Drake wanted to hold her hand and let her know that everything was going to be okay.

“Are you family?” a nurse came and finally asked him.

“No. I’m a friend.”

“Stay here,” she said, starting to turn away.

“She is staying at my house. I came with her in the ambulance. I think she would want me to be with her. Can I please go back there with her?”

“Wait here,” the unsympathetic woman said and then turned away.

His heart beat fast, and he could feel his breath as he sat down in one of the chairs and tried to comprehend what was happening. He didn’t know Sophia all that well, but he was worried about her, just like he would have been worried about any of the other women if they had been found in pain and looking so ill. She was such a vibrant, fun woman; it had been hard to see that personality gone from her as she held his hand in pain.

Then Drake realized Sophia’s family should be notified. He didn’t have any of that information and quickly dialed Samantha. Since Samantha had helped with every step of the process, she would have easy access to the girls’ files and could call Sophia’s family.

“I know Drake; I’m on my way to you,” Samantha said as she answered the phone on the first ring.

“You know?”

“Yes, Scarlett called me.”

“Scarlett has your number?”

“Yes. I’m almost there. I’ll talk to you in a minute.”

Samantha was true to her word, and she walked through the doors about a minute after they hung up the phone. Drake’s breath caught in his throat as he saw her come through the automated doors, and he watched as she looked around the room for him. She was stunningly beautiful on any day of the week, but Drake hadn’t really had the opportunity to see her much outside of the work clothes she was normally wearing. His heart literally skipped a beat, and he grabbed his chest unconsciously as he watched Samantha walk toward him.

The normally formal Samantha was dressed in workout shorts and a tank top with her hair pulled up into a ponytail. The sight of her looking so casual caught Drake completely off guard. Her face was flushed and her temples were peppered with small beads of sweat. It was obvious that she had left some sort of workout class to rush to the hospital.

It was entirely normal for Samantha to drop what she was doing to take care of business. But typically, she had the time to change into her professional clothing and do her hair and makeup, or she was taking care of things and Drake wasn’t around. But her business suit was like her work armor that she wore, and Drake had become accustomed to it.

“Where is she?” Samantha asked.

Drake was too caught up admiring her breasts, which were pressed tightly into a sports bra, and he didn’t answer her quickly. Samantha seemed annoyed and turned and went straight to the nurse’s counter. She didn’t have time for Drake’s games, and she wasn’t just going to stand there while he stared at her tits.

“In there,” Drake finally managed to say, but Samantha was already at the counter.

“I’m here to see Sophia Marker,” Samantha said to the nurse. “I have her insurance information, and we need to contact her parents with the details of what is happening.”

Drake just sat back down as he watched Samantha. They weren’t going to let her back there if she wasn’t family. He had already experienced that. She was going to have to wait in the waiting room with him.

“Are you family?” the nurse asked.

“Yes.”

The nurse quickly opened the side door and let Samantha into the back room. What was she doing? Samantha wasn’t family; she had clearly said they needed to call Sophia’s parents with the information. But perhaps the nurse needed to hear a lie to let someone back there. Drake wished he had thought to answer “yes” when the nursed asked him.

He sat quietly in the waiting area for what seemed like forever but was probably closer to thirty minutes. When Samantha came back out, she had a grim look on her face, and Drake instantly worried that something horrible had happened.

“What? What is it? Did she die?”

“No! She didn’t die. Her appendix burst, and she needs emergency surgery, though. Things should be alright, but she’ll need to remain in the hospital for the next week. They brought her back for the surgery just now.”

“God, that’s horrible. Did you get to talk to her?”

“No, doctors were caring for her, though. I talked with her mother who is on her way here now and should arrive by the time the surgery is over. Was she the one you were going to pick?”

The question caught Drake off guard, but he instantly answered, “No.”

It surprised Drake that he knew right away that Sophia wasn’t the one he was going to pick. She was a beautiful girl and certainly a lot of fun, but deep down Drake knew she wasn’t the right one for him. He hadn’t known that he knew it up until that moment, though. But he had much stronger feelings toward other women that were in the house.

“Do you know who you are going to pick?” Samantha questioned.

Again, Drake was caught off guard. But he genuinely didn’t know who he was going to pick. All the women were such great matches for him; it was going to be one of the most difficult decisions he ever made.

“No.”

They both smiled and sat together quietly as they waited for the surgeon to come out and talk to them. The feeling between the two of them seemed different, awkward even. Drake wasn’t exactly sure what had changed, but he felt energy with Samantha that was growing. It was becoming harder and harder to be around her and not think of her in inappropriate ways.

Samantha felt it too. As she sat next to Drake, she couldn’t help being impressed that he was there for Sophia and staying until her surgery was over. As much as Samantha wanted to hate the week Drake was having with his seven women, it seemed to have changed him. He was different, and she liked it.

“Who is your date with today?”

“Lauren, I think she wants to go surfing. How old is she, anyway?”

Samantha laughed. Lauren did seem really young, but she wasn’t any younger than the other random women Drake had been dating over the last few years. She had a good career going and the flexibility to travel with Drake. Samantha had really liked her during the initial interview, although she didn’t think Drake would pick her.

“She’s twenty-three and very nice. You’ll have fun.”

“I’m sure I will.”

Drake wanted to add more. He wanted to ask Samantha to go out on a date with him, but after being turned down so many times over the years they had known each other, Drake didn’t dare ask her again. That opportunity had passed them by, and Drake was going to abide by their agreement to keep things professional.

“Tomorrow is Scarlett. I like her a lot,” Samantha added.

“Yes, she’s an amazing woman. I bet you two will make great friends. She reminds me a lot of you.”

Samantha looked down at her breasts, which were looking very voluptuous in her sports top. They were clearly nothing near the size of Scarlett’s, though, and Samantha couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh, I do?” she teased Drake.

“No, not because of your tits. I’m not that much of a jerk. Although, your girls do look lovely. I think you and Scarlett are both very independent, smart women, who other women look up to.”

“Thank you,” Samantha said and decided not to respond to the comment about her breasts.

They both looked up when the automatic doors opened, and a frantic looking red-haired woman came running in. It was obvious she was Sophia’s mother. Even at her age, the woman was a strikingly identical looking beauty to her daughter.

“Mrs. Marker?” Samantha asked, approaching the woman.

“Yes.”

“Hi, I’m Samantha. I’m Sophia’s friend who called you. She’s in surgery right now. I’ll have the nurses fill you in.”

Samantha walked Sophia’s mother to the nursing station, and they talked quietly to one of the nurses for a moment. As the two women stood there, a man in surgical gear came out into the waiting room, saw Samantha and walked over to them.

Drake jumped up and joined the group so he could hear what was going on. He could feel his pulse increase as the worry over what the doctor was going to say sunk in. Sophia hadn’t looked well at all, and Drake said a quick, silent prayer that everything went well with the surgery.

“Mrs. Marker?” The surgeon asked and then continued, “Sophia did great in surgery. We were able to get everything cleaned out from her appendix rupture, and she is resting comfortably in recovery. We will need to keep an eye on her for a few days to watch for infections, but things went well.”

“Thank you so much! Can I see her now?” Sophia’s mother asked.

“Sure, come with me. She’s still sedated, but you can be there with her when she wakes up.”

The two of them went through the doors and Drake was again left standing in the waiting room.

“I really would like to see her. I feel so bad that this happened at my house.”

“Don’t feel bad. Appendix burst sometimes. It’s alright. You got her here fast, and that’s all that matters. She’s going to be just fine now,” Samantha said, gently touching Drake’s hand.

He felt the electricity between them in a way he couldn’t remember feeling before. There was emotion behind her touch, and he suddenly wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him. The urge filled his body, and he had to physically hold his own hand to prevent himself from letting it wrap around her.

“Actually, it was all Scarlett. She was calm and organized. She got the help that was needed for Sophia. She’s a rock star.”

“Well, I’m glad everything worked out. I’ll stick around here for a little bit and make sure everything is going well when she wakes up. I’ll let you know later. Why don’t you head home and go on your date for the day? I don’t want Lauren to feel like she got a raw deal with her time with you.”

“Yeah, I’ll head home,” Drake said, his eyes locking in on Samantha’s.

She felt it too. The power between them was growing, and it was getting increasingly difficult for Samantha to hide her growing feelings for Drake. He was bad news in the love department, and she knew it. Samantha had been avoiding Drake for years, and there was a very good reason for that. She loved her job. There wasn’t a way that she could see a relationship working out with Drake, so she needed to keep things professional, no matter what her personal feelings were.

“Have a great date today,” Samantha said as she withdrew her hand from Drake’s arm.

“Thanks,” he responded reluctantly, turning to leave the hospital.

It seemed odd to be leaving one girl while going home to go out with another one. It was even odder that the woman that was currently occupying his mind wasn’t Sophia or Lauren; it was Samantha. Drake laughed under his breath. Of course, he was the guy who could mess up even when he had seven women to choose from.

He needed to focus on the women he had available to him. Even though Sophia was ill, there were still six pretty astounding women that he was getting to know, and any one of them would make a great partner for him.