CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Saturday was spent covering the ER. Michael and I sat in the staff room talking about our cases and plans for the hospital’s neurosurgery program while we waited for trauma cases that might need our expertise.
Since it was Saturday, Sam was supposed to be off but she was hanging around, scrubbing in on Michael’s cases so she could get extra credit for different procedures. It irritated me that she was hanging out, apparently more interested in Michael than me, but I suspected the opposite was true.
Despite her feigned disinterest in me, she kept asking me about Kate and what she was doing.
“She’s on safari with Claire,” I said. “It’s an art safari. Kate is a painter.”
“That’s right,” Sam said. “Michael mentioned something about it yesterday. Claire’s a photographer. She’s there with some art class Kate is taking? I guess she has to keep busy since you work so much and you two barely see each other. It must be hard on a relationship.”
“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Not in my experience,” Sam replied. “In my experience, absence makes people’s eyes wander.”
I didn’t say anything. What could I say? It was true that when couples became distant that infidelity was more likely. That was my concern with being away so much from Kate but I certainly wasn’t going to voice any concerns about Kate’s fidelity. Of course, Sam’s questions and comment brought me right back to the whole issue and I grew morose over the separation from Kate once more.
I returned to my office and found my cell, thinking of her with a touch of sadness, when I saw that she had sent me a text. It indicated she was really having a great time.
I miss you. I drew giraffes this morning, and now we're looking at wildebeests at a watering hole. We ate our lunch at a folding table on the savannah with white tablecloth and china. I feel a bit like a member of the British Raj in Colonial Kenya. I wish so much you were here with me…
I responded immediately, noting that she had texted me hours earlier.
Sorry I didn’t respond to your text but I was in a long very complicated surgery and then had to scrub in on another right away due to an industrial accident after a crane collapsed at a construction site. Several serious injuries. I'm exhausted and am crashing at the hospital. Hope you're enjoying yourself. I miss you.
Her response came right away so she must have had the phone close beside her.
I miss you so much. Sefton has been an asshole again. I wish you were here…
I texted right back.
I wish I was there to defend your honor, Ms. Bennet. I'd like to punch him in the face. If he persists, please talk to the tour guide and tell them he's harassing you. Give me the phone number and I'll call if you need me to.
She tried to down play it in her response.
I'll ignore him. Don’t worry about me. Sorry I mentioned it. I love you.
I was left with the unsettled feeling that deVilliers was intent on trying to put a wedge between us. It wasn’t the first time a man sought to raise doubts in a woman about her partner.
The man was a Dominant, and that meant he was used to getting what he wanted and from the sounds of things, he wanted Kate.
I spent the night at the hospital once more, sleeping in the resident’s room, hoping to catch a few hours of rest before the start of the next day. If I couldn’t be with Kate, I didn’t really want to go home and sleep in our big empty bed.
Of course, I didn’t get to sleep the night through. Barely an hour after I fell asleep, I was awoken by a page. When I got to the ER, I found we had a multiple vehicle collision and several patients en route. It was going to be a very long night.
Michael had gone home so I was already scrubbed in and working on the first patient when he arrived, looking bleary eyed. Together, we cared for the four patients who arrived over the next hour. My patients took extra long to complete and so it was morning when I was finally finished in the OR.
I had a whole day of call ahead of me and had no idea how I would get through it. I tried once more to catch some sleep, but got no more than another hour. There were walk-in patients to see at the ER as well as trauma cases brought in via ambulance.
Later on Sunday, after the ER quieted down, I was sitting in the staff room, drinking a cup of coffee when Sam arrived.
“I heard you had a busy night,” she said and sat on the sofa across from me.
“Multiple vehicle accident. Michael and I were up all night.”
“You must be exhausted.”
I nodded and popped a couple of Tylenol for a headache. “Headache.”
Sam stood up and came over to me. “Here,” she said as I was rubbing my neck. “Let me give you a massage.”
“No, that’s all right,” I said, waving her away.
“I insist,” she said and began massaging my shoulders.
It was then I saw motion in the doorway and turned to see Kate and the receptionist from the Information Kiosk.
Before I could say anything, Kate took off down the hallway. I pushed Sam’s hands away and followed Kate down the hallway. She was almost running in her haste to get away.
"Kate," I said and grabbed hold of her arm. "Why did you leave? What's the matter?"
Her jaw was set and her face flushed with emotion. She avoided my eyes. "You know very well what the matter is."
I frowned and shook my head. "It's not what you think."
"Isn't that what everyone always says when caught in a compromising situation?" she said. "What, exactly, do you think I think?"
"Sometimes it really isn't what you think." I sighed. "You saw Sam offering to give me a neck rub because I have a headache. I refused and she insisted but you didn’t see or hear that."
"No I didn't," she said. "All I saw was you alone in the staff room with Sam, leaning your head forward, rubbing your neck, and her massaging your shoulders."
I took hold of her arms, trying to catch her eye, but she kept looking away.
"What you didn't hear was that she offered to give me a neck massage when I complained of a headache because I was up all night. I said no, but she ignored me. I can't help that she did it anyway."
I took her face in my hands, cupping her cheeks. "Kate," I said, my voice soft. "It was nothing. Nothing happened. There's nothing between us."
Kate finally stopped struggling and looked in my eyes.
"You didn't answer any of my texts. I thought you were mad at me."
"I haven't checked my phone for hours,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t get your texts."
She stared at me for a moment like she was checking to see if I was telling the truth.
"I'm sorry," she said and hit her head with a fist. "You have to understand how it made me feel to see you like that. I've been away all weekend, missing you so much, and what do I find but you alone with her. A woman you had sex with. And she's giving you a massage." Then she took in a deep breath. "And something else. Sefton said and did some things to me this weekend and I…" she said, hesitating. "It looked so intimate I thought you were with her..."
"What did Sefton do?" I said, a jolt of adrenaline coursing through me. "Tell me." I led Kate to a small waiting area and she sat on the sofa beside me.
"I sent you texts about it. I think Claire misinterpreted…"
"Kate, you’re not making any sense. Tell me what happened."
She stared in my eyes, and I could see that she was afraid to tell me.
"Sefton was drunk and followed me to my tent after dinner. He tried to kiss me, and Claire came in and saw. She thought we were together. I couldn’t talk sense into her. She said she thought you and I were wrong for each other. I figured Claire would have told Michael or even called you or texted you."
I frowned, not at all happy to hear Sefton had hit on Kate. "Go on."
"I had to tell him I was going to scream if he didn't leave me alone. He finally left."
"Did he kiss you?"
"No, no," she said. "You have to understand. I did nothing to encourage him. You know how I feel about him. He's pushy and rude."
"I knew you shouldn't have gone when I found out he was going but I didn’t want to stop you,” I said, regretting that I hadn’t put up more of a fight. “I know how much it meant to you."
"I'm sorry," she said and tried to smile past tears. "Claire knows about you."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"She said something about your peculiarities. Drake, she knows you're into kink."
I exhaled loudly and leaned back, running my hands through my hair. "I don't need this right now. Goddammit." Kate got up and once more started walking away, out of the waiting room and down the hall. I followed her, keeping a few feet behind. She walked aimlessly through the halls, and I knew she was lost, but she needed to calm down.
"You're going in circles," I said finally when we ended up back at the bank of elevators where I first caught up with her. She stopped and stood with her eyes closed, trying to breathe in deeply. "Kate, let me get my things and we'll go home."
She didn’t say anything. Finally, I reached out my hand, wanting to connect with her and move past this.
She stared at it, not taking it.
"Let me lead you to safety," I said, trying to be funny. "This place is like the labyrinth in Greece. You could get lost and wander forever. I swear I've seen the Minotaur here once or twice late at night…"
When she looked at me, I smiled and shrugged helplessly.
"Don't do that," she said, frowning, but I could see she was trying hard not to smile.
"Do what, Ms. Bennet?"
"Don't try to make me smile."
I stepped closer and ran my hand down her arm. "I don’t want you to be upset," I said, my voice soft. "I don’t want you to misinterpret what you saw. I want you to listen to me and to believe me when I say not to worry. I'm doing everything in my power not to misinterpret what happened with you and Sefton."
Kate sighed. "When I saw you with her, both of you in scrubs, I thought you belong with her. She's tall and beautiful and a surgeon… And Claire said—"
"Forget what Claire said. I don't belong with Sam," I said and pulled her closer, holding her face in my hands. "I know you don't want Sefton. You were ready to stay here because he'd be there, but I encouraged you. This is all my fault." I stroked her cheek and felt such emotion swell up inside of me. "Kate, I belong with you. I am with you. You have to understand that. Accept that you have nothing to fear from Sam. Or anyone. Do you believe me?"
"I do," she said finally.
"No, you don't." I pulled her into my arms. "If you did, you'd be putting your arms around me and kissing me."
She was stiff, unyielding. Undeterred, I took her hand and led her down the hallways to my office.
"Here," I said and closed the door. I pulled her over to the couch. "Sit with me for a moment."
I sat on the couch, my arms spread out on the back like that first night in her apartment. I wanted to remind her of our relationship.
"Katherine," I said, trying to be authoritative. "Sit with me."
She wouldn’t look at me. "I've been sitting all morning."
"Poor excuse," I said. "Sit on my lap."
"Why?" she said, resistant. "So you can overcome me with your seductive Master D ways?"
"Yes." I grinned despite trying to keep a straight face.
Finally, she straddled my hips and wrapped her arms around my neck. She kissed me, the kiss hesitant at first but then becoming more insistent. She pressed herself against me and kissed me deeply and I kissed her back, my hands slipping around her waist to pull her against me.
I pulled back, breaking our kiss. "I'm so sorry you had to see that," I said. "She means nothing to me. Nothing. Only you. You're everything to me."
I pulled her back into my arms, kissing her hungrily, slipping my hands under her shirt to cup her breast through her bra.
"Oh, God, I missed you, Kate. I don't want you going away without me again. It was hell thinking of you alone with him where I should have been. I hated it."
"You seemed fine with me going despite him being there," she said.
"I didn’t want to deny you the chance to go on safari." I ran my fingers through her hair. "I wanted to be with you on safari. I wanted to be out looking at stars with you at night in the middle of the savannah. Instead, it was him." I shook my head, realizing how much I hated being apart from her. "I was incredibly jealous, but I knew I couldn't keep you from going, even if he was there. You're an artist and you need to do art."
She ran her fingers over my shoulder. "I don’t know if I am an artist. I don't know if what I do is really art."
"How can you say that? Your teacher invited you to take the master class. It means she sees you as an artist, even if you don't."
"Forget it," she said. "I'm trying to be an artist. Let's go home."
I nodded and kissed her once more.
"Oh, Ms. Bennet," I said when the kiss ended. I touched her cheek with the backs of my fingers. "I missed you so much. I didn't want to go home and have to sleep alone in our bed. I couldn't face it so I stayed here and slept on a bunk. Don’t leave me ever again."
She smiled and kissed me. "I won't."
"I mean it," I said, and I did mean it. I’d gone so long sleeping alone, but after having Kate to myself, even for so short a time, I couldn’t stand the thought of her sleeping away from me. "Promise me we'll never spend another night apart."
"Promise." She leaned down, nestling her face in the crook of my neck. I stood, picking her up and letting her slide down my body with reluctance. Then I went to my jacket and removed my cell. I examined it for a moment, but didn’t open any text messages, although I saw several from Claire.
"Claire texted me and left a voice mail. Do you want me to read them?"
Kate sighed but I knew she was hesitant. "If you want."
I held the phone in my hand, trying to decide how to proceed. I was curious about what Claire would say, but I wanted Kate to feel that I trusted her. Finally, I handed the phone to Kate.
"You read. You listen,” I said. “Delete both afterwards if you want. I trust you."
She took the phone while I went to the staff washroom.
When I returned, she handed the phone to me.
"I didn't delete anything,” she said. “I want you to know what she wrote and what I said."
I checked the text.
Drake, I don't know how to break this to you, but I tell you as someone who has your best interests at heart. I found Kate with Sefton deVilliers, one of the art instructors she's taking a class with, and they were alone in our tent and in each other's arms. You can imagine how shocked I was for we thought that she was so sweet and would be so good for you. I'm sorry to be the one to bear bad news. You can count on Michael and I me to help if you need it at all dealing with this.
I rubbed my eyes, angry and frustrated—and jealous at the thought Kate was alone with Sefton. Angry at Sefton for being such a bastard. Jealous that he was so good looking and a talented artist, when I couldn’t draw a stick man. Angry at Claire for being a busybody and a gossip.
Then, I read Kate’s text.
Drake, something happened with Sefton and Claire completely misunderstood. Please, if you hear from her, don't believe what she says to you. Nothing happened with Sefton. He came to my tent when I was here alone and grabbed me. He's under some delusion that I'm meant for him, but I sent him away. Unfortunately, Claire came in when he was holding my arms, and she misinterpreted everything. Now, she's sleeping somewhere else, angry at me because she thinks I've cheated on you. I haven't. You know I can barely tolerate Sefton.
Please answer me as soon as you get this. Please call me…
When I finished, I slipped the phone into my pocket, and turned to Kate.
"You said he had hold of your arms. Were you embracing?"
She shook her head. "No. He grabbed hold of my arm like this," she said and demonstrated. "It actually hurt. I thought he might force me to kiss him, or worse. He saw your bite mark when I took off my shirt during the mid-day heat, and he thought I was into rough play so there's no telling what he might have done if I hadn't threatened to scream."
I sighed, exhausted from my night of no sleep and from the drama of the past half hour. "I'm so sorry this had to happen to you. I'm sorry Claire had to see it. Michael's a very close friend of mine. I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us. I'm going to have to go in damage control mode with him."
"I'm sorry," she said, tears in her eyes.
"It's not your fault you’re so delicious," I said and pulled her into my arms. "I'm so glad you're mine."
We stood together, in each other’s arms, and reconnected. After that message, I needed to touch her, I needed to feel her in my arms and I really needed to fuck her and make her come several times.
That would have to wait.
The entire drive home I held her hand, brushing my thumb over her knuckles, not wanting to let go for even a moment. I parked the car and came around to open Kate’s door, taking her hand and leading her up the path to the doorway. Once inside, I pushed her back against the wall beside the door, taking her hands in one of mine and raising them over her head so that she was confined and unable to move.
When she opened her mouth to speak, I placed my finger over her lips to stop her.
"Shh," I said firmly. "No talking."
I didn’t kiss her. I touched her, squeezing her breast, tweaking her nipple, running my hand down her body to cup her belly and then her buttock before pulling her hips against mine so she could feel my erection.
"Keep your eyes open and on mine."
She rubbed against me and I groaned, rubbing back.
I stripped her top off so that she was in her lacy bra and I squeezed her breasts once more, enjoying their fullness in my hands. Then I pulled down the fabric and took her nipples between my fingers and thumbs. She gasped in response.
I bent down and sucked on first one then the other nipple, while Kate writhed against me. I pulled off the tunic of my scrubs, struggling with the tie at the back of my neck, roughly throwing it on the floor before turning to Kate’s jeans, stripping them off her, my thumbs hooking her lace thong and pulling it off so that she stood naked before me. I pressed her roughly against the wall again and kissed her hungrily, one hand slipping between our bodies to brush her nipples, then trailing down to her pussy. I slipped my fingers between her lips and groaned against her throat when I felt how wet she was.
She was ready.
I was hard as rock.
I pulled down my scrub trousers and let them fall around my ankles, followed by my boxer briefs, which I pulled down to my knees. Then, I placed her arms around my neck and picked her up.
In response, she wrapped her legs around my hips, groaning when I pressed the head of my cock against her and rubbed her clit, kissing her, my tongue finding hers, sucking it into my mouth hungrily. I took my cock in hand and move her so that I slid inside of her warm tight wetness. I didn’t start thrusting yet. I wanted to feel myself buried deep inside of her. I wanted to feel her muscles clench around my cock.
I kissed her, all my focus on our mouths, one hand squeezing her breast.
She closed her eyes and I knew waiting was driving her crazy.
"Open your eyes," I said and when she did, only then did I begin to thrust, each thrust slow and deep, coming all the way out before thrusting hard back inside, making sure to brush her clit first when I withdrew and when I entered her. I kept this pace, slow and deep, our eyes locked together.
My pace quickened, and Kate responded, her body becoming rigid, a flush spreading over her neck and chest. She gripped harder onto my shoulders, gritting her teeth as her orgasm neared, her eyes closing.
"Keep your eyes open," I said with a growl, thrusting faster. "Look in mine."
She tried but was barely able to open them as she went over. I thrust hard and fast, and soon, I came as well, my own teeth gritted, pleasure ripping through me with each thrust and ejaculation. I gasped, my mouth pressed against her shoulder, kissing my bite mark tenderly.
Finally, I lifted my head, moving my lips along her chin before kissing her deeply. When I pulled away, I stared in her eyes, frowning.
"Don't ever doubt me," I said, my voice deep, firm.
"Don't ever doubt me."
I nodded, then sighed heavily and leaned back down to her shoulder, kissing the mark there gently once more.