Amorous (The Lincoln Series Book 1) (5 page)

Marie came into the office on Tuesday morning and she wasn’t the first one in. The familiar nausea from being late for the meeting yesterday rose in her gut until she realized it wasn’t Dr. Carrington. She exhaled and her stomach started to settle.

Her computer had been turned on but not logged into. The copy and fax machines were both on and every room except Dr. Carrington’s office was lit.

She headed back to the staff room to put away her personal belongings and saw the coffee had been brewed. Her glass was sitting on the table filled with her favorite soda.

Her stomach growled as a reminder she’d missed breakfast. The decision to skip it to make sure she beat Dr. Carrington into the office had paid off. She pulled out a bagel from the fridge and dropped it in the toaster.

Back at her desk she set down her glass and bagel and noticed how clean it looked. Not that it was normally dirty but she could almost see her reflection in the polished wood.

Marie looked around the reception room and noticed the magazines were neatly stacked on the wooden coffee table. The paisley pillows were arranged in a row along the over-stuffed couch on the far wall. Even the lampshades looked fresh and new. The housekeeping staff wasn’t scheduled to clean the suite of offices until tonight but it appeared they’d come in a day ahead of time. And apparently they were intent on impressing someone. She’d never seen this place so sparkling clean.

There wasn’t anything left for her to do except sit at her desk and get straight to the reports Dr. Carrington needed for his meeting tomorrow.

Marie could hear Dr. Jackson talking in his office and after a short time realized he was on the phone.

She was pulling the information from the file cabinet she needed for the reports when Dr. Jackson emerged from his office.

“That’s great sis. I’m really happy for you and Ted. Keep me posted…Love ya too, bye.” He ended the call. “I knew I’d miss something.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your bagel, I should’ve thought of that. I saw them in the refrigerator.”

His smile was warm and genuine and he looked absolutely edible. He was in another silk suit, but this time his tie was tied neatly around his neck. It was fire engine red and she couldn’t help but follow it straight down to his…Wow!

Her eyes widened and she stared at the impressive bulge in his pants for a second then snapped her gaze back up to his face. She could tell he was trying to hide his grin when he brought a hand to his mouth and rubbed it over his chin.

“Uh, no. I don’t usually eat at the office. Breakfast I mean. So it wasn’t…uh, necessary. I guess.”

She quickly turned her head back to what she was doing. Now if she could only remember what she was doing that would be great! She walked over to the front of her desk and stood there trying not to make eye contact with him.

“You know it’s part of my job to open the office each morning. You don’t have to take care of it.”

She shuffled papers around her desk and tried to remember which ones she was working on but more importantly she was trying not to ogle Dr. Jackson.

“I just thought it was a start,” he said.

His voice sounded closer but she really didn’t want to look up and find herself staring at his bulge again. Good lord, it wasn’t even eight AM and she was already making a complete fool of herself. This was going to be another long day.

“A start to what?” she asked.

She finally looked up to see him sitting on the end of her desk with one arm across his fantastic chest, his hand resting in the crook of his elbow. The urge to touch him, run her hands along his body nearly overwhelmed her self-control.

He was twirling a pencil in his fingers, the action drawing her attention like a moth to a flame. He was grinning when her gaze slipped beyond the pencil to his enticing physique.

‘Ugh,’
she was staring again, this time at his chest. The light shimmered in long patterns on the silk stretched across the broad contours between his powerful arms. She tried to seem casual and look away but her gaze went straight to his cock. Dear Lord, she was hopeless. She closed her eyes and felt her face get hot.

Oh, this was bad. Working with Dr. Jackson around was not going to work. She was never going to get her proneness to idiocy under control when it came to him. She turned her head back to her desk and opened her eyes when she heard him laughing quietly.

“I’m just trying to make up for yesterday. I really am sorry for what I said, Marie. I don’t know what came over me.”

He stood up and stepped closer to her. When she looked up he slipped the pencil into the breast pocket of his shirt and smiled down into her eyes. He reached up and touched her shoulders gently.

She could feel the warmth of his touch moving through her body as he slowly ran his hands down her arms. He held her gaze for a moment then broadened his smile.

“I guess I like to joke around a little too much sometimes. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you. I was trying to be funny. But something tells me I missed the mark on that one.”

She stared into his eyes and wondered what they would look like in the heat of passion. She moved her hand to touch his but he dropped his hands and tucked them in his pants pockets.

She felt a chill when his hands left her body and she unconsciously rubbed her arms to chase away the cold. She reached down and nervously adjusted the position of the glass on her desk as she spoke.

“It’s fine, Dr. Jackson. I think you’ve more than made up for yesterday. Maybe we could just forget about it. I’d really prefer that.”

“Of course, you’re absolutely right.”

He turned from left to right looking around the room as if to find something.

“Is there a tool box around here anywhere? I need to hang some things in my office.”

He stopped turning and flashed her that smile again.

She momentarily lost the ability to speak or think.

“Uh…No actually we don’t. If you need something hung on your wall you can call maintenance and they will send someone up to do it for you.”

She walked around her desk and sat down. She looked over her to do list and let out a small sigh. The only way she was going to be able to get through this day was to bury herself in work. A distraction, that was exactly what she needed, and work was the perfect solution.

“That seems a bit over the top if you ask me. I think I can handle a hammer and a few nails, for God’s sake. I would expect them to have something more important to do.”

He was still standing in front of her desk.

She couldn’t help herself when she sneaked a glance at his bulge. After all, it was on perfect display right there in front of her.

He arched his back and pushed his thighs against the edge of her desk. Slowly, he started to sway from side to side, her eyes never leaving his arousal. When she heard him cluck his tongue like a clock to the rhythm of his hips she realized she’d been caught. She was mortified. She whimpered and turned her gaze back to her computer screen. She was hopeless. It was only a matter of time before she got herself fired.

He cleared his throat. “So, what time does AJ get in?”

“According to his schedule, not until this afternoon.”

She looked up at him, this time feeling confident that she was finally able to keep her mind focused on work rather than how aroused he was. “Do you need to get a hold of him? I can do that for you.”

“No. That won’t be necessary. Does he have any free time this afternoon? I’d like to talk to him.” He was grinning as he twirled the pencil again.

Great! Here comes the jokefest at her expense.

“He’s got a half hour at two thirty, will that work for you?”

She successfully resisted the urge to stare at him. Anger was welling inside her. She was going to lose her job over this. But maybe it was for the best. Something needed to get through to her brain. Losing control around an attractive man would always lead to disaster.

“Perfect.”

He flipped the pencil perfectly into its holder, spun on his heels and headed straight for his office.

****

The rest of the day went by quickly. Dr. Carrington arrived with changes to his busy schedule that required rearranging travel plans and completing reports for his upcoming conference. Much to her satisfaction, she was able to concentrate more on work and less on Dr. Yummy. She didn’t spill anymore water on herself or more importantly on anyone else, and she successfully managed to keep her hands off of Dr. Jackson. She just made sure he was always out of reach.

Her eyes were another matter, though. She would have to keep working on that. Of course it helped when both men left early for the day. Now she just needed to get some rest and try to prepare for another day of trying to keep her mind out of the gutter.

Finally on Wednesday morning, Marie walked into the office and was relieved to find she was the first one there. This was going to be an easier day. Dr. Carrington’s schedule was packed so she would be busy all day preparing for his various meetings with no room to spare for ogling Dr. Jackson. Dr. Carrington had indicated he would be in about ten and Dr. Jackson was attending meetings all day with the doctors in the ER. Perfect! No temptation to deal with today.

Dr. Carrington had explained to her that Dr. Jackson was hired for his expertise in trauma mental health and would be supervising the mental health portion of the ER as well as the Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury units. And for the next few weeks he would be conducting a sort of training/orientation with the MDs. That meant he wouldn’t be spending a lot of time in his office, at least not during the day when she would be there. That alone gave her some hope of regaining her self-control.

Two hours later she was putting the reports Dr. Carrington needed for his first meeting into his briefcase on his desk. She hummed along to
You Dropped A Bomb On Me
by
The Gap Band
and swayed her hips to the beat. She increased the volume on her iPod and turned sharply to dance her way back to her desk. When she spun around her shoulder slammed into a hard chest and she screamed in surprise, stumbling backwards.

In an instant Dr. Jackson had her in his arms and held her as she regained her balance. The heat of his body wrapped around her and once again her brain could focus on only one thing, keeping him close.

He reached up and gently removed her ear buds. For a moment they just stared into each other’s eyes before he dropped his gaze to her mouth. His embrace tightened and he pulled her up the front of his body.

“I like the way you dance,” he whispered.

She grabbed the lapels of his suit coat and opened her mouth on a sigh when he tilted his head and bent down to take her mouth in a soul searing kiss. Her lips were a breath away from paradise when the door behind Dr. Jackson slammed shut.

She slid down the front of him and pushed against his chest to step back. She straightened her blouse and cleared her throat as she stepped aside to greet Dr. Carrington.

“I’ve got all the reports you need for your meeting in your briefcase.”

She headed for the door as quickly as possible without looking as if she was running for her life.

“I’ve also included the contract for your seminar in New York.”

She turned to him and opened the door.

“If you need anything else I’ll be at my desk.”

Without waiting for a response she closed the door and retreated, wishing for all the world she could just melt into the carpet.

Neither Warren nor AJ said a word. When Marie had pushed out of his arms, Warren had realized his mistake. He dropped his head with a groan when she stepped away. He really needed to get better control of himself around her. He could feel the anger radiating from AJ as he prepared himself for a fierce reprimand. He was hoping AJ would remember where they were and not serve him the knuckle sandwich he so richly deserved.

He couldn’t let this cause a problem between Marie and AJ. She shouldn’t take the blame for his lack of control. He also shouldn’t be encouraging her reaction to him. AJ was his friend, and friends didn’t seduce each other’s women.

When he heard the door close behind Marie he sighed and turned to face AJ. “It’s not what it looks like, AJ. She started to fall and I reached out to catch her. She was regaining her balance when you slammed the door.”

Warren’s voice held a hint of disgust. Hopefully AJ knew the disgust was for his own lack of control and not for getting caught. He knew AJ had seen more, but Warren was hoping he could plant enough doubt that AJ would question his interpretation of what he had just seen. He hadn’t intended to seduce her. He was just finding it more difficult to resist her every time she was near.

AJ stood at the end of his desk like a granite statue. For long moments he said nothing but the look on his face would have dropped a lesser man.

“You said you needed to talk to me before your meeting with Dr. Collins. Make it quick. I have a meeting with the board in ten minutes.”

AJ’s voice was calm and cool but the look in his eyes had gotten the message across loud and clear. Warren was dangerously close to crossing the line.

****

Dr. Carrington was all business as usual. He hadn’t said a word to Marie about the scene he had walked in on, but she could tell by his expression he was furious.

Much to her relief he informed her he would be gone for the rest of the day. He also didn’t mention whether or not she needed to show up for work in the morning. She was sure he was going to fire her before the end of the day, but for now her job was safe. He had been so busy lately he was probably going to wait until he had a replacement for her before he told her she was through.

The two men had walked out together and Dr. Jackson hadn’t even looked at her. She had turned away and tried to look busy while hiding the fierce blush she could feel burning her cheeks.

Every time she was around him she seemed to be cast under a spell, one that wrenched her self-control right out of her hands and made her a slave to her desire for him. She acted like a complete hussy when Dr. Jackson was near. She couldn’t think of anything but touching him in some way when her fantasies took over. She needed to talk to Janet. She had to get a hold of herself before she lost her mind, and her job.

****

Marie met Janet at Parillo’s right after work. She hadn’t even gone home to change her clothes. She had been so consumed with trying to figure out how to maintain her control around Dr. Jackson she’d missed her bus stop and gotten off just two blocks from the nightclub.

After ordering their drinks and chattering about the crowd around them, Marie blew out a heavy sigh and dropped her face into her hands.

Janet leaned forward and whispered across the table, “Okay, spill. What has got you tied up in so many knots?”

Without lifting her head Marie spoke directly into her hands.

“I need your help, Jan. I’m turning into a slut.”

Janet nearly choked on her drink when she burst into laughter.

“You? A slut?”

She laughed louder.

Marie raised her head. “Shhh. I’m serious, damn it! And you don’t have to announce it to the whole world.”

“You’re serious? Please, Marie. Saints have had more sex than you. I know a slut when I see one and you are definitely not a slut. In fact you’ve been avoiding men like the plague for the past two years.”

Marie rolled her eyes.

Janet continued, “Okay, just tell me why you think you’re turning into a slut and we’ll go from there.”

“I can’t keep my hands off him. Every time he comes anywhere near me I’m all over him.”

“Who?” Janet grinned devilishly.

“Stop it Jan.”

“I want to hear you say it. You need to get used to gorgeous men paying attention to you and you need to stop referring to them as pronouns.”

“Yeah, because there’s so many of them lined up at my door.”

“You have no idea how many men stare at you. You get a lot more attention than you think.”

“No. I don’t”

“Yes you do. Now say his name.”

Marie closed her eyes and grunted. Every time she was remotely attracted to a good looking guy Janet did this. She made her use his name repeatedly. It was embarrassing. What if she said the guy’s name and he was close enough to hear her? He’d feel sorry for the dumpy little brunette who lost her senses when he was near. Drawing attention to her proneness to idiocy was something she’d rather avoid, so keeping to pronouns was safer.

But Janet kept insisting she do it. She told her it would build her self-confidence and convince her she was beautiful. Yet all it did was made her feel like she was still in Miss Krandle’s kindergarten class.

“Dr. Jackson,” Marie whispered.

“Does he seem to mind your attentions?”

“Of course not. What man in his right mind would turn down a free piece of ass offered so willingly?”

Marie winced at her own words. Thinking it was one thing, she could still fantasize about him actually being attracted to her for something other than easy sex. But voicing it out loud made it harder for her to imagine she was anywhere near his league.

Janet’s laughter broke free and she leaned back into her chair with a plop.

“God, you are such a drama queen. What makes you think every man wants a slut? Trust me. If a man isn’t attracted to you he isn’t going to take what’s offered unless he’s too drunk to care. Believe me, I know.”

Marie hesitated. She knew Janet was referring to her own experience. About a year ago on a girl’s night out Janet had gotten drunk and weepy. She had told her the story about an old flame who had spurned her. She never said his name, but Marie knew the pain was real, and Janet had refused to talk about it again.

“Jake did—”

“Marie, when are you going to stop comparing every man you meet to that pig? I’m not even sure he qualifies as human. And when are you going to start believing you are not Quasimodo’s little sister?”

“When I grow two more inches taller, lose about 30 pounds, and die my hair blonde.”

“Not every man wants a tall, skinny, blonde.” Janet blew out a heavy sigh and continued, “As much as I hate to use him as an example for anything good…Jake found you attractive.”

“No. He just saw an easy piece of ass—”

“I told you a man won’t take what’s offered unless he wants it. And even Jake fits into that category. You’ve seen him with those bimbos that throw themselves at him. He won’t even give them the time of day.”

“But—”

“But nothing. You are the most stubborn, infuriating woman I have ever known. If Dr. Jackson isn’t pushing you away then you can damn well believe he’s having the same thoughts you are. He most definitely wants what you are
so willingly
offering.”

“I would love for that to be true.”

“Of course it’s true. Now start believing it and let’s order some dinner. I’m starving. Dealing with you can work up a hell of an appetite.”

She giggled when Marie threw a wadded up napkin at her.

By the end of dinner Marie was relaxed and feeling a bit more confident about herself. Maybe Janet was right about Dr. Jackson. She had been right about Jake and most everything else in the many years they had known each other. Maybe for once she needed to stop questioning Janet and start believing her. Most importantly she needed to start believing in herself.

****

Thursday was another busy day. Dr. Carrington left for his last meeting so Marie decided to take a break and head for the coffee house in the middle of the hospital campus. It was a bit of a walk but she needed the exercise and the fresh air.

She sat at an outside table near the line of trees that separated the coffee house patrons from the busy street just beyond. While she steeped her green tea and took a bite of her bagel, she watched a group of finches pecking at the food that had dropped from the table next to hers. She exhaled a cleansing sigh and ran down her mental to do list for the next day.

A grateful smile spread across her face when she realized she only had one more day to this long and nearly disastrous week. Hopefully, she could find a way to regain her composure over the weekend and be able to be more professional around Dr. Yummy.

Much to her dismay her thoughts strayed to one of her favorite fantasies…

Dr. Jackson pinned her against the inside of the door to his office. He held her there with his hands manacled on her upper arms preventing her from escaping. He had stripped her naked except for her heels. Her legs were wrapped around his waist supporting her weight.

His chest was bare and his pants were open just enough to free his cock. He bit her neck and pounded into her furiously as she moaned.
He kissed and nipped his way to her breast and a hand touched her shoulder—.

She flinched and her fantasy disintegrated. She closed her eyes in frustration. Couldn’t they have waited until she was done with her fantasy?

“Marie, are you okay?”

The smooth and sexy voice sent her heart racing. Somehow fully clothed, he was sexier than her naked fantasy version.

“You look like you just ran a marathon,” he said.

“I’m fine Dr. Jackson. Thank you. I was just lost in thought, that’s all.”
‘Dear God, don’t let him figure out what I’ve been thinking.’

He slid into the café chair next to her, pulled it close and whispered into her ear, “I hope those thoughts were inspired by me. You look positively irresistible with that flush on your cheeks.” He turned his face to her cheek, his mouth a breath away from hers. “God knows you do the same to me.”

She felt her face burst into flames and embarrassment rush over her like a firestorm. She opened her mouth to speak and nothing came out. She couldn’t find the words that wouldn’t give her away. After a few seconds she closed her mouth, realizing she already had.