I approached the front desk of the office where Gloria was once again keeping guard. This time I was prepared to do battle.

“Hello, Gloria. How are you this afternoon?” I sweetly asked, holding up a jumbo bag of assorted Lindor Truffles.

Gloria’s eyes went beady behind the frames of her reading glasses. “Oh, Ms. Thompson, Dr. Bennett doesn’t ever want to see you in here again. He made his point very clear the last time.”

“I know and I feel terrible about that entire misunderstanding. Do you think it’s possible for me to speak with Dr. Bennett so I can apologize?” Holding my bribe towards her, I shook the bag a little.

“I don’t think so. He has been in the worst of moods and is getting ready to leave for a meeting. Besides, he despises reporters.”

I took a quick glance behind Gloria’s desk chair and noticed a couple of women in dark blue scrubs whispering to each other as they listened in on our conversation. They had probably heard Kean yelling at me the last time I was here and knew who I was.

Ignoring them, I held the bag out towards Gloria and shook it again. “It’s a good thing I’m not a reporter. I’m a journalist. We are much nicer.”

With her eyes fixed on the candy, she snatched the bag from my hand. “Well, they don’t seem so nice to me. They always give Dr. Bennett a bad rap when he really is a sweetheart.”

I had to trample the impulse to tell her that “sweetheart” of a boss gutted me after he brought me over the edge with his mouth in a crowded restaurant. I was sure it would change her view of that so-called sweetheart in a heartbeat.

“Well, I believe in only reporting the truth. My piece will be different. I’m only interested in making him sound like the hero I know he is,” I lied.

The tips of my ears heated and I knew they had gone red. That man was no hero. His tongue perhaps, but not the man.

Gloria looked thoughtful for a minute before throwing a look over her shoulder at the small huddle of nurses, which sent them scattering in different directions.

After the last one disappeared, she leaned close to me and whispered, “But he is a hero. He helps the less fortunate all the time.”

Skepticism spilled onto my features. “Really? Can you elaborate?”

Gloria paused, twisted her lips and then continued. “There are juvenile burn victims who need reconstructive surgery but can’t afford it because they do not have insurance. Dr. Bennett works closely with the children’s burn unit at Williams Hospital and does their reconstructive surgeries for free.”

I was struck speechless while something fluttered in my mid-region. That royal ass of a man who used my body against me helped the less fortunate? I honestly didn’t see that coming at all.

“Ms. Thompson, please, please don’t mention I told you. No one knows but me and that’s only because I have known him practically forever. He would hate that I told someone else, much less a reporter.”

“A journalist,” I corrected. “Gloria, why are you telling me this?”

“Because, Ms. Thompson, I don’t want you thinking poorly of him. I know he doesn’t always come across as the nicest person, but he is truly a wonderful man. Just a bit misunderstood at times.”

Misunderstood. Yup. The man was a real puzzle.

“Gloria, you can call me Ciaran. You have my word I will not share this information; however, it is important I speak to him as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry, Ciaran, but you can’t. He specifically said he doesn’t want to see you.”

I pretended I wasn’t impacted by her words and bit down on my rolled in lips. It didn’t appear Gloria was going to budge. I had to try something different if I wanted those answers.

“It’s okay, I understand. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just catch my breath in the waiting room before I leave. It’s already been quite a long day.”

With a shrug of her shoulders she ripped open the candy bag and handed me a perfectly wrapped piece. “I think you may be playing with fire, but it’s your life. Just don’t forget you can’t tell him I told you anything.”

Walking towards a row of chairs, I unwrapped the candy and popped it into my mouth as I sat. I was definitely dealing with fire, but it was too late to stop now. And the gem of information she just volunteered added to my confusion and plucked at my curiosity. It made me ambivalent about the man.

The door leading to the exam rooms opened and Kean stepped out. He was dressed in burgundy scrubs with a laptop bag hanging from his shoulder.

“Thanks Gloria, I’ll see you later,” he called, as he walked past where I was sitting without so much as a glance in my direction.

“Have a good day, Dr. Bennett,” Gloria responded shrugging her shoulders at me.

Rising out of the chair, I rushed after Kean. His giant strides made it a challenge, but I caught up as soon as his feet hit the asphalt of the parking lot.

“Um, excuse me, Kean?” I was immediately saddened by how pathetically soft my voice sounded, as if I were some pitiful female worried about being rejected by a man.

Clearing my throat, I padded my voice with some power. “Excuse me, Kean. I have a couple of questions.”

He ignored me and kept marching towards a gunmetal gray Mercedes. Keeping his head level, he pulled his key fob out of his pant pocket.

Shit. He wasn’t going to stop or acknowledge me.

“Kean!” I desperately yelled.

“Can’t. Busy. Not interested. Take your pick, Ms. Thompson.”

“Please, wait just a second. I promise I’ll keep it short and to the point.”

“It’s Dr. Bennett. And I thought I told you to stay out of my office or I would forcefully remove you.” He had seen me. He just chose to ignore me.

“Dr. Bennett, please. My job is on the line.”

“I don’t care what’s on the line, Ms. Thompson. I don’t do interviews. Never have, never will.”

“But all I need is five minutes of your time.”

“Answer is still no.”

He reached the Mercedes and hit a button on his keychain, disarming the alarm and unlocking the car at the same time. Opening the driver side door, he tossed his laptop case across the console and onto the passenger seat. When he straightened his tall frame to get ready to slide in, I swiftly wedged between his body and the open door, blocking his entry way.

He finally made eye contact with me. “What the hell are you doing, Ms. Thompson? Didn’t your mother ever teach you any manners? No means fucking no. Now get out of my way; I’m late for a meeting.”

“I’m not moving. I need to talk to you,” I insisted.

“Are you so desperate for attention that you had to seek me out? I’m surprised. I would have thought the other night was enough for you but maybe that stick isn’t wedged as far up your ass as I thought.” His harsh words punched low and a tidal wave of hurt surfaced at the hatefulness in his voice. Forgetting my back was against the open door, I angled myself to put more space between us and lost my balance. I fell straight back into the driver’s seat.

Kean leaned over, grasped my arms and easily pulled me out. “I really do not have time for your shit today.”

“Why does Stuart think you’re dangerous?”

“Maybe because I eat silly little females like you for lunch,” he retorted, setting off an explosion of internal flutters. I swear to God, my head couldn’t keep up with my body.

“How do you two know each other?”

“Ms. Thompson, if these are your interview questions, I am concerned about your future as a writer.”

Because he wasn’t taking me seriously I cut right to the point. “Tell me about Dr. Sean Duarte.”

If the forbidding darkness bleeding into Kean’s eyes didn’t announce I’d hit a major artery, his hand shooting out in front of him and wrapping lightly around my neck certainly did.

Natural instinct kicked in and my hands followed his, grasping at his large wrist. He wasn’t hurting me, nor was he cutting off my air supply, but his reaction to my request still scared the crap out of me.

“And here I thought you might actually be different from all the other women I know but you’re just as manipulative, aren’t you?” he growled. “Now listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once. My personal life is off limits. Whatever thoughts you have in that pretty head of yours about including it in your sad little magazine need to stop. If you write one word even hinting to it, I will not only sue you and your magazine, but also make your future a living hell. Now stay the fuck out of my life.”

Releasing my throat, he pushed me aside and climbed behind the wheel before slamming the car door shut.

Taking several steps back, my hand grazed along my collarbone as I watched him gun the engine and speed out of the parking lot.

I wasn’t hurt.

At least not physically.

The emptiness deep inside my chest was worse than any bodily pain he could have caused.

I turned in the direction of my parked car and slowly walked towards it.

One thing was for certain. Dr. Kean Bennett could threaten all he wanted, but the information about Dr. Duarte was public record. And I could use it as I saw fit.