A Gambling Heart: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (6 page)

I focused on my patients in the geriatric ward where I was assigned. I was happy to see that Mr. Taylor, who suffered from depression over his cat who died, was in great spirits.

He smiled; glad to see me again as he showed me flyers of animal shelters where he could look for another cat to replace Damien. “That’s great news, Mr. Taylor,” I replied. He was being discharged the next day and I wished him well. “I hope I never see you here again,” I joked, and he replied back with a grin.

I consulted with the psychiatrist who informed me that the depression was gone.

I spent the next few hours writing reports and recording patients’ behavior. I stepped out for lunch, wondering where Chantal was. I knew she was assigned to the pediatric ward today.

When I couldn’t find her anywhere, I reckoned she was making up for lost time and decided to get a bite to eat. I was back at the floor by half past one in the afternoon. I was ready to resume my rounds when I got a call from the nurses’ station. It was Nurse Silva asking me to see her in her office.

“Nurse Silva?” I said as I stepped inside her cubicle.

“Sienna, I need you to do me a favor.”

I raised my brows, wondering what it was she needed from me.

“Our VIP is giving everyone a hell of a time. Do you think you can haul your ass over there and find out what’s wrong? I really need to get these reports done.”

“Y-you mean Gareth Westbrook?” I asked, keeping my voice normal while my heart did the cha-cha-cha inside my chest.

“Yes…him.” She took a deep breath and added, “I appreciated that you made no mention at the meeting that you have already met him.

That means I can depend on you to be discreet. And he seemed to think highly of you. After you left his room he asked a lot of questions about you.” Oh…that info made me want to dance the tango across the hallway. But I kept my cool. Miller, Sienna RN, professional to the core.

Nurse Silva looked at me. I knew she was trying to read through my indifference. I gave in and lowered my eyes. I couldn’t fool this woman even if I tried. “Look,” she said, “I wasn’t born yesterday.

I know about the bird and the bees. That guy has a thing for you and judging by how flustered you were when we arrived that night, I know you are not immune to whatever it is that makes all the nurses act like their hormones are in overdrive.”

“I-I really didn’t know who he was, Nurse Silva, honest. It was only this morning when I heard the news on CNN and then…seeing all those paparazzi outside the hospital…”

“Well…that makes it even more risky for me to send you.” Oh no, she was changing her mind about sending me there.

“It’s alright, Nurse Silva. You can depend on me. I’ll take care of the problem with Mr. Westbrook.”

I thought Mr. Westbrook was a nice touch. If I called him Gareth in front of Nurse Silva, she might just think I was getting too familiar. She nodded and waved me away. Thank God.

I maneuvered with as much dignity the elevator ride to the BHH floor. I immediately spotted nurses huddled outside Gareth’s room. One of them, Mel, was in tears...again. “Did you get the meds all jumbled up?” I asked with concern, but she shook her head. “What’s the matter, then? Why are you all outside his room?”

“He-he threw me out…demanded I left the room…said he wanted to take a shower…I said he wasn’t allowed out of bed…but he threatened to throw me off the balcony if I didn’t leave. He’s mean, Sienna. He even locked the door from the inside.”

Oh God. He could be dead by now. I knocked on the door, hard. “Mr. Westbrook, open the door. Please open the door.” No answer. I made a quick decision. “Mel, go to the nurses’ station and get the key to this room. Hurry!” Mel ran like her pants were on fire.

“He wouldn’t take his medication either, said it made him feel woozy. I said he had to. Doctors order. I gave him water to take with it and he slapped it away from my hand,” one of the nurses revealed.

I was starting to get really worried and hoped Mel was on her way back. God knew what might happen if he was inside the shower.

He may lose consciousness and hit his head on the floor. I heaved with relief to see her come back with the key to the room. I opened the door as the other nurses fled like I was entering Chernobyl. He wasn’t in his bed.

I heard the splash of water from the shower. I went near the bathroom door. My heart was thumping like a jackhammer as I knocked on the door.

“M-Mr. Westbrook? Are you alright in there?” No response. “Mr. Westbrook, this is Nurse Miller. Sienna Miller? We met the other night.” The shower was suddenly turned off. “Mr. Westbrook? Gareth? Please open the door.” I prayed for a response.

The door opened suddenly. Hallelujah! I jumped back in surprise. I knew I asked him to open the door but I didn’t expect him to come out dripping wet with just a towel around his waist.

“Wh-what are you doing?” I knew it probably sounded stupid.

“Taking a shower, obviously,” he scoffed.

“I know…but you aren’t supposed to be out of bed yet.” I was on the verge of panic, but not for any qualified reasons. My nursing expertise took flight at the sight of him standing there half naked.

I had never seen abs more pronounced on any man. A pool of water could literally form between the spaces in his chest. It didn’t help my composure that his chest tapered down to a narrow V line to a waist where the towel hanged just below his ‘happy trail.’ The towel was not thick enough to hide what was obviously an erect penis. That left me totally flustered.

“Robe…robe…do you have a robe?” I heard myself mutter as I scrambled for the closet. Thankfully one was hanging just inside the door.

I grabbed it and handed it to him. Without any consideration for my presence, he dropped the towel to the floor and donned the robe. I squealed and whirled away from him. Jesus H. Christ! The man had absolutely no shame.

“You’ve never seen a naked man before?” he taunted as I busied myself with the bed and tucked the edges in. I fluffed his pillows and arranged them neatly.

“Of course I have. I’m a nurse. But those patients were mostly inert, sick, and lethargic.” And didn’t have a hard on.

“I wasn’t just referring to patients, Sienna.”

I liked the way he said my name, like he knew me. His voice was coming from the direction of the closet where I found the robe. I gave a furtive glance in that direction. He reached in for something to wear, I assumed. His back was towards me. And then he dropped the robe and donned drawstring pajamas… but not before I got an eyeful of his firm ass.

I slapped down my libido as it did a somersault and landed jubilantly on its feet. I summoned the certified nurse in me that had gone into hiding. “Get back into bed now!” The authority in my voice took him by surprise. I saw him waver from his cocky stance as I pushed my advantage. “If you do not do as I say, so help me God, I will order restraints on you.”

I meant it and was relieved when he actually followed my order.

“Are you usually this bossy with all your patients?”

“Mr. Westbrook, you have no idea…”

“Gareth…”

“Mr. Westbrook, if anything happened…”

“Call me Gareth.”

“Alright…Gareth. You have absolutely no idea the repercussions of your actions. If you lost consciousness in the shower, you could hurt yourself and get a concussion.”

“I feel fine.”

“You were in a vehicular accident. There are internal injuries that have delayed reaction like concussion, whiplash, and brain injuries.”

A worried look crossed his face. Good. Served him right for causing so much trouble.

“There is a reason why you have prescribed medication…which I heard you refused to take.”

He looked embarrassed, like a little boy caught being naughty. I found it rather cute, but still maintained my bearing.

“But they make me sleepy. I don’t like it.” The whimper in his voice was rather endearing.

“It is supposed to make you sleep. The body heals faster that way.”

“Oh…alright. I’ll take the damned thing.”

Winning!
I went to his bedside table, got the prescription and some water, and brought it back to him.

“There…happy now?”

I smiled. Then he flashed a smile that almost knocked my socks off.

“Thank you, Gareth. Why were you being difficult with the other nurses?”

“I thought you’d be back sooner.”

What? Was he waiting for me to come back sooner?

“It was my day off.” I was fishing for more.

“Hmmm…well…Okay. Tell the nurses I’m sorry, okay?”

“I’ll let them know. They all ran away like you were biohazard.”

He laughed. It was husky and sexy. I noticed his eyelids were starting to droop. He stifled a yawn and said, “I’m glad you’re here now.”

“I’m glad I’m here too.” It was the truth. No harm in letting him know.

“Sienna?”

He was starting to slur. I knew sleep was coming.

“Yes, Gareth?”

“Tell me more about yourself.”

He was probably groggy…and bored…but I humored him as I told him about my background, my family, where I came from, how I finished school and ended up as a nurse here in the hospital. I kept an eye on his breathing.

“Shhienna?” Definitely slurring now.

“Yes, Gareth?”

“You snore in your sleep.”

What the…Oh! The night I fell asleep inside this room. Was I snoring then?

“I do not…” I protested lightly, not sure if he was mocking me.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“Okay, fine. And I won’t tell anyone I saw you butt naked.”

He managed a sleepy grin as his lids drooped even lower.

“I need to take a pulse reading, okay?” I took hold of his wrist and counted the beats.

“And you liked what you saw?” he asked.

I didn’t really know if I should answer that. He twisted his wrist and somehow got hold of my hand. I should have removed mine from his grasp but I didn’t. His eyes were struggling to stay open as he waited for my reply. I threw caution to the wind.

“You have a mighty fine ass, Mr. Westbrook and…yes I liked what I saw.”

He smiled and then fell asleep in a snap with my hand still entwined in his. I knew I was crossing a line here somewhere. But…to hell with it. I was attracted to him. I’d take whatever I could get. Even if I was a nurse I was still very much a woman, and I liked the way it felt…holding hands with this man…even if he was starting to snore.

When I heard her voice through the shower, I thought surely my brain had gone under. It was now playing tricks on me. I was going insane and was hearing voices.

I must have brain damage. I had spent the last 48 hours waiting for her to show up. Since she left the room that night, I spent all these time waiting for her return.

To be honest I wasn’t just waiting for her. I had done more than that. In my mind I had her standing in front of me…naked. I imagined running my fingers over that silky, chocolate-y skin and felt her shiver.

I ran my fingers in her hair and marveled at the soft twisty texture. I touched her nipples and delighted in the way they puckered under my attention. In my mind I have possessed her, controlled her, and fucked her. It was like a heat that consumed me.

I was so annoyed that night with Steve and his posse of doctors that I had trouble paying attention to what they had to say. I gave brief, sullen answers. I just wanted them to go away. My mind was somewhere else. I wanted her to come back. Sienna, that was her name. Sienna Miller, and she was a nurse here. Which meant…I would see her again.

I cheered quietly as Steve and the doctors hied off to a corner. I heard snatches of conversation. “…watch out for TBI…difficulty keeping up with conversation…brain scan…” I really didn’t care. The other nurse was checking my pulse and taking my temperature. I peeked at her name plate. Silva, Andrea, RN. CNE.

“Err-Nurse Silva, that girl who was just here, Sienna Miller, does she work for you?”

She gave me a surprised look. “Yes, Nurse Miller is one of my nurses.” Then a worried look crossed her face. “Why? Did she do anything wrong?”

“Oh no! No! No! Actually I wanted to thank her but didn’t have a chance because she left so suddenly.”

She seemed relieved to hear that and said, “Nurse Miller is one of my dedicated nurses. Poor girl. She reported for work this morning even if she was dead tired.”

Dead tired? I happened to know that she was drunk the night before. She was out drinking with her friends. It was an impulsive confession because I caught her sleeping. But I didn’t say a word to the head nurse.

“I was surprised to find her here. I told her she could leave after she checked on you.”

I put on a grateful face and said, “That’s why I want to say thank you. Will she be back tomorrow?”

I held my breath.

“I-I really don’t think so,” the nurse replied. “The woman deserves to take a break.”

I tried to mask my disappointment. Fuck. How long do nurses take a break? “Well…tell her I said thank you.”

I waited the next day on the off-chance she was that dedicated to her work. No show. I wondered if she was with her family. Was she married? I didn’t remember seeing a ring on her finger. Boyfriend, perhaps? But she said she was out drinking with her friend. She could have said boyfriend. Did that mean she was single? My heart skipped a beat.

To divert my attention, I watched TV and switched channels for the latest news. I was still making headlines. A major sponsor was ambushed on his way to the office and was asked if they had plans of dropping me because of the accident. The chairman of the board kept mum and replied ‘no comment.’ I knew they wouldn’t. I could earn more in damages alone if it went the way of a major lawsuit.

I knew that. They did too. Next, some officials from Formula One were asked about my chances of competing in the coming event in three months. I, too, wondered if I could.

“I should have listened to Steve.” I sighed. All these trouble could have been avoided if I had. But…if I didn’t suffer that freak accident, I wouldn’t have been admitted to this hospital and I would have never met Sienna Miller.

I realized my thoughts were back with her again. Why couldn’t I get her out of my mind? Sure, she was attractive, but I’d been with lots of beautiful women before. Maybe she was just a figment of my imagination and was really a wrinkled grey woman in her seventies.

I hated myself for thinking about her. It was getting more and more difficult to ignore the boner that erupted between my thighs each time my thoughts went her way. Shit.

By Monday I was starting to feel surly. But the idea that she would be reporting for work gave me a bit of a lift. Each time the door opened, I looked up, hopeful it was her. By mid-morning my crabbiness had become irritation at anyone who came through my door that wasn’t her. Steve arrived and said he had everything under control. He would take care of business.

My sponsors who were calling incessantly, he said, kept asking about my condition. I didn’t care. To hell with all of them. Maybe I didn’t want to race any longer… just to spite them.

That should put everyone in frenzy. Then Steve mentioned the meeting with the nurses earlier in the morning. I perked up a bit.

“The nurse who was here when I first arrived, was she in the meeting? Nurse Sienna Miller?”

“I don’t recall but there were so many of them. Anyway, don’t worry about it. Everyone knows who you are and have been strictly forbidden to talk to the press.”

Not the answer I was expecting. I was frustrated, edgy, and needed a shave and a shower. He ordered a special lunch for me. I took a few bites and pushed it away. I could see he was starting to get really worried about me.

“Are you feeling okay, Gareth?”

“No,” I snapped at him. “I want to use the shower.” I needed a cold bath to take away the heat that was consuming me.

“I’ll take care of it,” Steve replied, and headed out the door.

A few minutes later, a nurse arrived with some linen and airily announced, “I’ll be giving you a sponge bath.” She said it like it was some surprising good news.

What the fuck? Was I ageing here? Did I have a full head of white hair?

I was about to retort, “No way…” when the door opened again with a nurse saying it was time for my meds. All this unwanted attention from all the wrong people made me furious. I wanted to be alone. Maybe if I asked nicely, they would leave.

“Please, Nurse…I am perfectly capable of taking a shower. And you…I’ll take those drugs after I’m done with my bath.” There. I was trying my best to be civilized. Take a hint, people.

“But…you can’t…I mean, you’re not allowed to get out of bed” Then she added, “Don’t be shy, Mr. Westbrook, you’ll feel so much better after the sponge bath.”

She winked at the other nurse and then both giggled. That broke my stash of goodwill.

“Both of you get out!
Now!
”

“But Mr. Westbrook, Sir…I-We…”

“If you do not leave me alone, I swear to God I’ll throw you out the balcony.
Go!
”

They scampered like frightened cats. I stood and swiftly locked the door behind them. I grabbed the towel, entered the bathroom, and turned the shower on. It felt good.

Every obscene thought about Sienna Miller was splashed away. I must have been there for some time until I thought I heard Sienna’s voice. Now I was going crazy. I shook my head, hoping to get rid of my delusion.

“Mr. Westbrook? Are you alright in there? Mr. Westbrook, this is Nurse Miller. Sienna Miller? We met the other night.”

I turned off the shower and cocked my head. It was her. I wasn’t hallucinating. She was knocking outside the bathroom door. I felt exhilarated. After hoping and waiting, and waiting and hoping, she was finally here. Just as suddenly, my exhilaration turned to funk. Why should I care, really? She doesn’t mean anything to me.

But who was I kidding, right? My cock certainly doesn’t think so. I grabbed the towel without any regard for decency. Let her see what she was missing. Maybe she would come around more often if she saw my merchandise.

She literally jumped backwards when I opened the door. I was sure she could see the faint outline of my bulge from the towel around my waist. She turned around and for one fucking second I thought she intended to bolt out the door.

I was about to cry out when I saw she was headed for the bedroom cabinet. She came back, handed me a robe, and then proceeded to fix my bed.

I decided to take it slow if I wanted to see her again. This bathrobe didn’t do much to cover the chubby between my legs. I had some loose pants in the cabinet.

Steve had brought them in from my apartment. That would hide the fucking erection. I wanted to get to know her better. I didn’t think being considered a sex maniac was a good way to start.

I meekly retired back to the bed after flashing my butt. I didn’t want her to feel threatened around me. I would do anything right now for her to stay a bit longer.

Even take that damned medicine which made my head fuzzy. She seemed pliant and willing to stay, and when I slipped my hand into hers after she took my pulse, she didn’t take hers away.

That was a good sign, wasn’t it? And she had some spunk. She said my ass looked great.

My eyes felt heavy as I fought to stay awake. I was afraid she’d be gone again. I had to think of ways to make her stay close to me. I knew she wasn’t as immune as she pretended to be. No woman ever was with me.

But I needed to play my cards well. The last thing I wanted was something the magazines would pick up and sell as a story.

A woman who wanted more that I was willing to offer was potential trouble for me.

I didn’t want that. My plans were never long-term and that included any relationships.

I just wanted to get laid. Sienna Miller would fit the bill perfectly.

Those were the thoughts inside my head before oblivion claimed me.