Unfortunately for me, we go to bed at an ungodly hour and I wake up with the hangover from hell. Even more unfortunate for me, I have to go to a mandatory staff meeting at Hillcrest this afternoon when all I want to do is crawl into my little hole and sleep the day away. It has been a while since we had a night like this and I really needed it. Even the raging headache is worth it. I inch my way into the kitchen to make myself some coffee. As I head to the kitchen the smell of bacon and eggs tickles my nostrils. I am in no way prepared for the sight I walk upon. Mika is sitting at the breakfast bar, looking ever so delicious in a three-piece suit with dark blue pinstripes. The light blue tie he is wearing looks very familiar. He smirks when he sees me gaping at it.
“Well good morning there, sunshine,” Jill says way too cheerfully.
Crap, I didn’t even notice her. Jill is cooking up a storm, looking like a freaking million bucks in a pair of form hugging jeans and a cropped shirt. Her long hair is rolled up into a messy bun on top of her head. This is when I realize that I look like I just walked through a tornado. I catch my reflection in the window. Holy crap on a cracker. I am beyond mortified because I look a lot worse than I thought.
“I’m making you the hangover cure. Grab a quick shower. It should be done by the time you come out,” she says as she winks at me.
Of course, Jill deduces what I am thinking, most likely from my facial expressions. Mika hasn’t said a word yet and unfortunately he has also not taken his eyes off me. He walks over to me, that panty melting lopsided grin firmly in place. I actually feel my knees buckle for second. He leans down and kisses the top of my head.
“Good morning, Sweet Pea,” he whispers against my temple.
I grumble something along the lines of good morning and turn to head to the bathroom. I hear Mika chuckle behind me.
“Aww isn’t she a ball of sunshine when she wakes up?” I hear Jill say.
“Shut up, Jillybean!” I shout over my shoulder.
The two of them burst out laughing and I duck into the bathroom. I take a quick shower and spend some time trying to decide what to wear. I want to look nice but I also don’t want to overdo it. I end up putting on one of my favorite dresses. It is V-neck fit and flare vintage dress with a gorgeous print. The top part has yellow and white stripes and the bottom is yellow with a fall print on it. There is a red belt attached to it and I pair it with some red flats. I throw my hair into a bun and apply some blush and a clear gloss. This will have to do for now. I make my way back to the kitchen.
“Ah, there she is,” Jill says with a smile. “And looking like she stepped off the cover of Hot Damn magazine.”
I roll my eyes and take the cup of steaming joe that she hands to me. I don’t even have to look to know that it has just the right amount of cream and sugar. I take a sip of the scorching liquid and close my eyes as it slides down my throat.
“CC and I have had a good little chat while you were in the shower,” Jill says casually.
Her words cause me to cough uncontrollably on the sip I just took, which Jill finds highly amusing. I shoot her my best “shut the hell up” look and, as usual, she ignores it.
“Breakfast is ready. Eat.”
In my mind, I have a few not so nice things to say but I keep my lips sealed and walk to the dining table where Mika is reading the paper. Sean seems to have joined us, too. I walk over to the open seat next to Mika. I lean in and kiss the corner of his mouth before I sit down.
“Good morning,” I say pleasantly.
Mika folds up the newspaper. He looks at me, amusement written all over that exemplary face of his.
“It is now,” he smirks.
The four of us have breakfast together and it turns out to be quite nice. Jillybean is on her best behavior and Mika is his charming self. Conversation flows easily between the four of us and by the end of breakfast, I feel good about the likelihood of my two most important people getting along. After breakfast, Mika has to leave for work and he assures me that Clark, my newly assigned security guard and driver, will be here in plenty of time to take me to Hillcrest. He takes my phone and programs the number to call if I need Clark sooner than specified or need to contact him for any reason. I walk Mika and Sean to the door.
“Thanks for the talk, CC!” Jill yells after us.
I sneak a peek at Mika from the corner of my eyes to try and gauge his reaction. The man is stoic. I can’t make out anything. When we reach the front door, Sean goes on ahead to the car.
“Thanks for breakfast, Sweet Pea.”
I chuckle.
“I’ll tell Jill that you said so.”
“I’ll see you tonight then?” he inquires.
“Yes, I can’t wait.”
Mika strokes my cheek with the back of his index finger before he slides it all the way down to my chin, which he hooks between his finger and thumb. He lifts my chin and angles it before he leans in and fuses his lips with mine. God, I love kissing this man and his wickedly talented mouth. When we part I can tell he is as reluctant as I am and this knowledge does strange things to my insides. I smile up at him.
“Don’t go anywhere without, Clark. Promise me.”
“Okay,” I whisper, unable to find my voice.
“Tonight then,” he breathes.
“Tonight,” I reply.
He brushes my lips with his once more in a sweet kiss before he makes his way to the car. I watch him walk away, admiring the magnificent view. He turns to look at me before he gets into the waiting vehicle. Sean is holding the door open for him. I can see the pleased look on his face as he smirks at me. Apparently, he likes being ogled by me. I watch him get into the car and wave goodbye as they drive off.
* * *
Clark shows up right on time to escort me to Hillcrest. He seems nice enough and the man is the size of a damn tree so I think it’s safe to assume he will easily be able to protect me. He is a lot stiffer than Sean is, but just like Sean he is a good-looking guy. Very good-looking and, according to Jill, he’s also very gay. I lean toward believing her because her gaydar is unparalleled. It’s not really something you just ask somebody you don’t know very well. I wonder if he’s single. George, our very hot and very single friend who own this amazing bakery called Barbarella’s would love to meet him, I bet. I idly wonder if I can set that up as we pull up in front of Hillcrest. Clark parks and walks around the car to let me out. He walks me all the way inside and I tell him I will call for him when I am ready to leave. He nods and disappears out the front door. I am pleased to be seventeen minutes early because Mrs. Sims already dislikes me enough. When I walk into the conference room I am the first one there so I start to make my way over to an empty seat when I hear the icy voice of Mrs. Sims.
“Did you just not bother reading the policy regarding dress code while on the premises or are you simply incapable of following the most basic of instructions?”
I stop mid stride and turn to face her.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Sims, I was not made aware of any such policy.”
“You were given a handbook at your orientation, with clear instructions to read it and familiarize yourself with it. But I suppose that you have been too busy globetrotting to bother.”
She looks at me malevolently. I’m not quite sure why this is the moment where I reach my limit but it is most definitely here.
“Look Mrs. Sims, I have no idea what in the world your problem with me is. This dress is perfectly respectful, and has no indecent hemline or cleavage. I was not aware of any policy but I will make sure to follow said policy in the future. There is absolutely no need for this over the top and rude approach. I never speak to you with anything less than respect and I would appreciate that same courtesy.”
Her brow shoots up and if looks could kill, I would be dead as a doornail.
“You would do best to remember that I am the one who decides upon the continuance of your employment here. Just because Kingsley forced my hand to give you the position doesn’t mean that I will not fire you if I see fit. And if you wanted to earn my respect, you shouldn’t have gotten your boyfriend to get you this job.”
This woman has lost her damn marbles.
“With all due respect, Mika—I mean, Mr. Kingsley—had nothing to do with me getting this job. I didn’t even meet him until after I started working here. So, if that is the reason why you have this irrational dislike for me, then you are disliking me for the wrong reason.”
“Ms. Ray, do you think that a facility like Hillcrest would hire a new grad with no experience? You have not been with us long, but I hope I can assume that you know we only hire the best of the best. And you may be adequate thus far, but you were certainly not my choice. Mr. Kingsley is on the board of directors and is our greatest benefactor. He in no uncertain terms told me to hire you or risk losing our funding. And Ms. Ray, I do not take kindly to threats.”
I am stunned. She isn’t making any sense at all.
“I didn’t even meet him until after I started here, Mrs. Sims. What you are saying doesn’t make sense. Why would he go through all that effort to get someone he doesn’t know a position here?”
She narrows her eyes at me.
“I can’t decide if you are playing some kind of game with me or not. But, I assure you Ms. Ray, that I was told to hire you and put you in charge of Ms. Kingsley’s care. How did you think you got such a prestigious position? There are nurses who work years to get the experience needed to get hired here. You may not be half bad but you are a novice nurse; not the type of employee that we usually hire here at Hillcrest.”
I gape at her, stunned into silence for a moment. My mouth opens and slams shut several times before I have my thoughts gathered enough to form a coherent sentence.
“Mrs. Sims, when exactly did Mika approach you?”
She looks at me as if I just asked the dumbest question ever.
“About a week before you got hired, give or take a day,” she says, still looking unconvinced.
“And you say that he insisted on my taking care of Ms. Kingsley? It wasn’t you who made that assignment?”
“That would be correct.”
“Mrs. Sims, I have no idea what is going on here. However, I want to assure you that I had absolutely no knowledge of Mika’s involvement, nor do I understand it. But I am going to get to the bottom of this.”
Her facial features soften slightly.
“You be sure to do that but not until after the mandatory meeting, Ms. Ray,” she says, dismissing me.
I nod and take my seat. People start to pour into the room minutes later and Mrs. Sims starts the meeting exactly on time. I sit through it and mostly pretend to be paying attention but I really have no idea what these people are discussing. All I can think about is Mika. I am racking my brain. We didn’t meet before my first day. I would have certainly remembered meeting him. So why is she making this up? She doesn’t have a reason. I remember the photo on his desk in Japan, the one that had to have been taken before we met. I feel my throat start to tighten, making it difficult for me to breathe. I try to force myself to control my breathing. What the hell is going on? I dig through my memories and yet another question pops into my head. People around me are starting to get up and leave, so I get up and start following them out of the room. As soon as I am out in the hall, I punch in a text to Jill.
Raeva - Weird question… did Mika text you the day that we went on our trip to Japan?
Jill - LOL um yes? Why is that a weird question?
Raeva - Had you given him your number?
Jill - Um no, I assumed you had. Why? What is going on?
Raeva - No reason, just wondering. I’ll see you later at home. Xoxo.
Jill - K, FLOVE you.
Raeva - Ditto.
I take a deep breath in an effort to calm myself but it’s in vain. My heart is beating so hard and fast inside my chest cavity; it feels like it is going to shoot out of my throat. My mind is working overtime, I have so many questions. I type another text into my phone.
Raeva - Are you busy right now?
Mika - I am always busy but never too busy for you…everything okay?
Raeva - We need to talk. Now.
I’ve barely pressed send when my phone starts ringing. I look down at my cell and see Mika’s name light up the screen. After taking a deep breath I answer on the second ring.
“Raeva,” he breathes. “What’s wrong?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as the mere sound of his voice shatters my heart.
“Mika, I need you to tell me the truth. Did you make Mrs. Sims hire me at Hillcrest?”
He is silent for a moment and it already confirms what his answer will be. It is not the one I want to hear.
“Yes,” he finally mutters.
“But why? How? We didn’t even meet until my first day here, Mika.”
“Raeva, please give me a moment to explain.”
Part of me wants to hang up right now, quit my job, change my number and never look back, but a bigger part of me needs to know what he has to say.
“I’m listening,” I manage to choke out.
“Where are you? Let me talk to you face to face.”
That doesn’t sound like a good idea at all. Panic starts to rise in my chest.
“No, you can tell me right now.”
I hear a car door slam shut.
“I’m getting into the car right now. I can be wherever you are in minutes.”
“No, Mika,” I sob. “I don’t want to see you right now.”
“Raeva, please…just let me explain.”
“Explain it then.”
“I’m on my way to Hillcrest. Wait for me, please.”
I panic and hang up the phone. I head to the lobby and see Clark sitting there so I turn around and head for the kitchen because I know that there is a back door located there. I am so distraught that I don’t watch where I am going and I slam into a hard chest. I surely would have landed on my ass if two strong arms hadn’t grabbed me and held me up. I look up and see Jasper looking at me, concern etched on his face.
“Hey, Raeva. Everything okay?”
I can’t find my voice so I shake my head.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he offers.
“Do you have a car?” I ask with shaky voice.
He nods.
“Do you need a ride somewhere?”
I nod.
“Okay,” he says as he pulls out his cell phone and punches in a message. “I’m just letting them know that I will be back in a bit. This way,” he says as he makes his way to the back door. “I park in the back.”
Well that worked out perfectly, I think to myself. We get to the back door and sure enough his van is parked close by.
“Oh, crap,” he says, looking at the passenger front seat, which is packed with boxes. “Would you mind getting in the back? I forgot about all this stuff.”
“Yeah, no problem. I just really appreciate the ride,” I say as I reach for the handle.
Jasper has moved behind me and reaches for the handle also. He opens it for me and that’s when I see a flimsy mattress on the floor of the van. The hairs on the back of my neck immediately stand at attention. I turn to tell him that I have changed my mind but he grabs me by the hair before I have fully turned and presses a rag to my face. I try to scream and fight him off but within seconds everything goes black.