It's Elizabeth Jane's first day on the job, and I can tell that my business partners aren't too happy that I hired her without talking to them first. Or perhaps they're not too happy that I hired her at all.
"Don't tell me this is going to be a repeat of the Maria situation," Niles snaps at me, hissing under his breath.
"It's not," I tell him. "It's completely different."
"Get in here for the meeting," Niles says. "This is exactly the sort of thing we need to talk to you about."
"That's good," I tell him, smiling. "Because it's probably along the same line as what I want to talk to you guys about."
His face goes pale.
"What you have to talk to us about?" he repeats. "No, you don't get to tell us anything. We get to tell you what you need to do if there's any hope for this deal to go through."
I shrug and say, "Let's head into this meeting then."
I know that Niles is upset with me, but he shouldn't be making threats he can't carry out. I'm the brains behind this operation, and I own the lion's share of our business capital, so none of them can do much without me.
On our way to the conference room, we pass Elizabeth Jane. She's receiving instructions on how to answer the phone, and she smiles at me.
I look at her amazing ass and wink at her. I can't wait until I get to put my hands all over her later.
As soon as Niles and I walk into the room, the other partners glare at me. No one looks very happy to be having to have this discussion.
"Derek, we need to talk," Mark Roberts says, before I can even take a seat. I do anyway though.
"We don't know what you're thinking, getting really close and comfy with this young patient of yours and then bringing her on to work here, after what just happened with Maria," he continues. "But we can't tolerate it. You need to stop seeing her. In fact, it may be best if you take a leave of absence between now and when the merger goes through, just so that you don't do anything stupid and mess up the entire deal."
"I can't stop seeing her," I tell him. "It's impossible."
They blink at me, looking as confused and upset as they would if I had just told them we're not having a Christmas party this year.
"What do you mean, it's impossible to stop seeing her?" Jeff Richards asks.
"We're engaged," I tell them.
Now they look like they want to laugh their heads off at me.
"Engaged?" Jeff asked, incredulous.
"Yes, engaged."
They all look at Niles, usually my closest ally among the group, as if for confirmation. He throws his hands up in the air, as if signaling to them that he's as surprised as they are about this news.
"You don't get engaged," Niles says. "You're the ultimate player."
"Well, that's changed," I tell him. "That hot little number out there in the receptionist area is my fiancée."
"No," Jeff says. "Nope, nope, nope, I don't buy it."
"I don't either," Mark chimes in. "Just a few weeks ago, you were banging Maria and then begging us to help you figure out how to cut ties with her without bringing our whole company down. Suddenly you're a reformed man, engaged to a teenager you've known since she was in diapers?"
"She's nineteen," I say defensively. "And not since she was in diapers."
"I call bullshit," Mia Malone, one of the few female partners, says. "And I'd bet this Elizabeth Jane Suttell— isn't that her name? — would say differently."
Well then, I'm glad I clued her in on my little scheme, I think.
"Yeah, doesn't she have that super strict, religious mother?" Niles asks. "Shirley. She'd never go for that."
"Let's bring in this new employee and supposedly new fiancée," Jeff proposes. "And ask her ourselves."
Perfect.
They're falling into the trap I'd set just as I'd planned, and even deeper than I’d imagined. I didn't know they'd ask her right here and now, but that’s fine with me because it'll be even more convincing that way.
Mia goes to get her and says, "I'll go ask her and try to handle the situation delicately, woman to woman."
"I want to hear what she has to say," Jeff protests. "If this girl cries sexual harassment, we're going to have another potential lawsuit on our hands. I demand the right to question her too."
"Fine," Mia says, rolling her eyes. "At least let me go break the news that we have some questions to ask her in a manner that seems like a little less of a witch hunt, alright? I'll bring her back here to the conference room so that everyone can hear what she has to say."
"All right," Jeff grumbles. "That'll suffice."
"You sweating yet?" Mark asks me, as if they have me right where they want me, instead of the other way around.
"Nope," I tell him. "I'm too busy imagining my wedding night with someone so hot she'd never look at you guys twice."
I nod at all the other male doctors in the room, to make sure to include each of them. Some of them actually chuckle, and Jim Morestone says, "You're something else, Derek."
"At least I'm never boring," I agree.
Everyone looks like they can’t wait to hear what Elizabeth Jane has to say. And I can’t wait to see how the looks on their faces are going to change once she fills them in. I’m beginning to wish the conference room was equipped with a popcorn machine, because I know this going to be entertaining.