Read Seducing the Boss (The Pulse Series) Online

Authors: Mari Carr

Tags: #coworker, #bad boy, #boss/employee, #contemporary romance, #Mari Carr, #girl next door, #ER, #Pulse, #brazen, #nurse, #opposites attract, #friends to lovers, #Entangled, #boss

Seducing the Boss (The Pulse Series) (9 page)

BOOK: Seducing the Boss (The Pulse Series)
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Why would she shut those needs down? Refuse to indulge them?

Forget it. If Sara wasn’t smart enough to know a good thing when it bit her in the ass, then to hell with it. He wasn’t going to beg her. Past experience had proven there were plenty of other fish in the sea.

It was time to move on.

Now he just needed to figure out how.

Chapter Six

Kellan walked into Southampton Social Club on Thursday night, cursing himself for playing the fool. Sara had rejected his offer to extend their affair on Monday, and since then, she’d avoided him like the plague. At first, he had taken her refusal in stride, telling himself he could take it or leave it.

That was four days and three eternal, sleepless nights ago. Now he was tired, pissed off, and not going to take no for an answer.

She’d made the wrong decision, and he intended to change her mind. She managed to hide from him at work, but there was no way she could get away from him tonight without making a scene. And Sara didn’t make scenes.

The hostess had just asked him if he wanted a table when he spotted his mother. He pointed to her. “I’m joining that group.”

Tonight was his mother’s birthday. Every year, she celebrated the event here. The Social Club was her favorite restaurant. Seated at the table, in addition to his father, would be Sara and her parents. The table looked the same every year.

With one exception. Him. Typically, he found an excuse not to attend. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his mother—he truly did. He simply found family gatherings difficult.

The shocked expressions on his parents’ faces, which quickly morphed to genuine delight, made him feel a bit guilty for not joining them before.

“Kellan.” His father rose, taking his hand for a firm shake. “We weren’t expecting you.”

Dad lifted a finger to the waiter, requesting another chair be added, as Kellan bent over to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Happy birthday.”

“What a wonderful surprise,” she said, grinning widely. “I thought you and I had done our celebrating yesterday at lunch. This is the nicest gift I’ve received.” His guilt grew, and he vowed that from now on he would attend all her birthday dinners.

Unfortunately, the waiter put his chair in between Sara’s mom and his dad, across the table from Sara. He’d have preferred to sit next to her.

“What are you doing here?” Sara was clearly not as pleased to see him as his parents were. He didn’t blame her for that, but it wasn’t as if he had suddenly morphed into the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. After all, they had made that vow to return to
just friends
status. And while he was here to break that promise, she didn’t know that.

“Why wouldn’t I be here? It’s Mom’s birthday.”

Sara shot him a
yeah right
expression that proved she didn’t trust his intentions. She knew him too well. Clever girl.

At that moment, Sara’s dad returned to the table with another man in tow, someone Kellan didn’t recognize.

Mr. Connelly’s brows rose when he spotted him sitting there. “Kellan. Good to see you.”

He stood and shook Mr. Connelly’s hand. He then turned his gaze to the other man.

“This is Gabriel Valladares,” Mr. Connelly said with a friendly smile for the stranger. “Sara’s date for the evening.”

Kellan forced himself not to snarl as he shook the man’s hand. Date? She’d left his bed four nights ago, and she already had a date?

He shook off the unexpected jealousy. They hadn’t been in a relationship. They’d been fucking. His response was wrong, yet Kellan couldn’t make the blood-red haze clouding his vision go away.

“So…” It took every ounce of strength he had to make his voice nonchalant. Casual. Friendly. “How did you two meet?”

“Actually, we met online,” Gabriel said as he smiled at Sara. “Never thought I’d try one of those dating sites, but I have to admit, I’m glad I did.”

Sara avoided meeting Kellan’s gaze. Instead, she looked down at her plate as if fascinated by the salad.

“Online,” Kellan repeated. Was this the guy who had stood her up Friday night? Or had Sara decided to return to the world of online dating? Had it really been that easy for her to move on?

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah. We’ve been chatting for several weeks. Unfortunately, our work schedules seem to fall in direct opposition to each other. We were supposed to meet last Friday, but it didn’t work out. So we managed to get together for lunch yesterday. She’s just as beautiful in person as she is online.”

It was the asshole. Why would Sara give the man another chance?

“What do you do for a living, Gabriel?”

“I’m a pediatric oncologist.”

Awesome. A doctor. And not just any doctor either. He treated kids with cancer. Luke Skywalker had just shown up with his fucking lightsaber. There was no way Kellan was going to come out of this conversation looking good.

“What about you, Kellan?”

Kellan hesitated. He wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed of his job. After all, he was the CEO of a hospital. But if Gabriel’s opinion of hospital administrators was as low as Sara’s, he was about to open the door to a night on the hot seat, trying to justify his workplace decisions, when all he really wanted to do was get Sara back into his bed. Or even just back onto his couch for a viewing of the latest
Star Wars
movie.

Coming here tonight had been a big mistake.

“Kellan is my boss at the hospital. He’s the CEO at Hampton Gen.”

“Wow. Impressive. That must keep you busy.”

Kellan nodded.

“Gabriel works in a private practice,” Sara said, looking at Kellan for the first time since her date’s arrival at the table.

“It’s very admirable work that you’re doing, Gabriel,” Mrs. Connelly said. “I can’t imagine it’s an easy job.”

Kellan was grateful Sara’s mother had turned the attention away from him, but it annoyed him to have to sit and listen to everyone rave about Gabriel. Did Sara tell them about the guy standing her up, leaving her sitting in Score by herself?

“Just like with any job, there are good days and there are bad ones.”

Kellan’s mother lifted her wineglass. “I’m so pleased you could join us tonight. Sara is a very special young woman. I’ve always thought of her as the daughter I never had.”

Sara blushed at the compliment. “Thanks for the endorsement, Mrs. James.”

Gabriel’s phone beeped. “I’m terribly sorry,” he said as he glanced at the screen. He gave Sara an apologetic look. “I need to step outside for a moment. I changed the medication for one of my patients, and his mother has a concern.”

“Of course,” Sara said. “Please call her.”

Gabriel left the table, and Mrs. Connelly and his mom both watched him go. God, it looked like both of the older women were staring at the man’s ass.

“Sara,” Mrs. Connelly said in hushed tones, even though Gabriel was well out of hearing range. “He’s marvelous. So handsome and nice and smart. Well done, sweetheart.”

Sara appeared to be as uncomfortable with this conversation as Kellan was. Part of him was debating crying off on the meal and getting the hell out of here. However, the stronger, jealous as shit side of him wasn’t about to leave Sara alone with the hot doctor.

Sara sighed. “He’s been called away from the table three times so far, Mom. How can you make that assessment?”

Kellan glanced over his shoulder. Gabriel was nowhere in sight. So, he was one of
those
guys—tied to his job and his cell. Which meant, if things worked out between the good doctor and Sara, she’d forever play second fiddle to his patients. Admirable profession or not, Sara deserved better than that. She deserved to be placed on a pedestal.

“I just mean,” her mother said, “I think it’s wonderful that he’s so devoted to his patients.”

“You’re right,” Sara amended, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. Kellan wondered if that was because he had shown up unexpectedly, or because her date kept slipping away. “He’s a very nice guy.”

“Did he have a good excuse for Friday?” If Kellan weren’t exhausted from too many sleepless nights, and grumpy as fuck from horniness, he probably would have saved that question for when they were alone.

Sara narrowed her eyes. “He did.”

“Friday?” Mr. Connelly asked.

“Gabriel and I had planned to meet for drinks Friday, but he didn’t show. Apparently there had been an emergency with one of his patients. He asked his receptionist to text me to let me know he couldn’t make it, but it appears the joke about doctors and their bad handwriting isn’t a cliché when it comes to Gabe. She thought his three was a five, and she texted the wrong number. It was an honest mistake.”

Dad glanced at Kellan. “How did you know about it?”

“I was at Score when the guy didn’t show. Kept Sara company while she waited.”

His mom smiled at him. “That was nice of you.” Then her attention wavered to something just behind Kellan. “Oh my word. Is that Gladys Partlow?” she asked Dad.

Dad turned in his seat. “You know, I think it is.”

Mom stood up. “Well, my heavens. I haven’t seen her in twenty years. Do you mind if I go say hello?”

No one minded, of course. Not that his mother stopped to confirm that fact. She was halfway across the room in seconds.

A slow song came on, and several couples from nearby tables rose to dance. Mr. Connelly stood, holding out a hand to his wife, who blushed as he led her to the floor.

Before Kellan knew it, the party at the table had dwindled down to Kellan, Sara, and his father. Not ideal, but Kellan suspected he could say some of the things he wanted to get off his chest without giving away too much to Dad.

“Haven’t seen you much at work this week, Sara. You missed the meeting yesterday.” It hadn’t been a meeting. It had been him summoning her to his office in hopes of seducing her. She’d sent another RN in her place, forcing him to come up with a lame reason for needing to see an ER nurse.

Her eyes betrayed her anger. She didn’t like that he’d crashed the party, even if it was his mom’s birthday. “I’ve been busy.” Her retort was short.

“I can see that. When did you decide to give the assh—I mean—
Gabe
another shot?” He exaggerated the nickname she’d just used for her date. He was pissed off to think the two of them had already gotten close enough that she was calling him Gabe.

Her jaw clenched. God only knew what his dad thought, but so far he’d stayed out of the conversation. That didn’t mean the old man wasn’t hanging on every word.

“It was a simple misunderstanding, which we were able to clear up. He’d sent me several emails over the weekend, but I was away from my computer and didn’t see them until Monday evening.”

If his father hadn’t been sitting right next to him, Kellan probably would have done a bit of gloating about why she missed the emails.

“I’m not sure this guy—” Kellan stopped when Gabriel returned to the table. Rather than resuming his seat, he asked Sara to dance.

Kellan gritted his teeth as he watched her accept Gabriel’s hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

“Well. I’ll admit this didn’t play out the way I’d expected.”

Kellan looked at his father, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

Dad nodded toward Sara. “The two of you.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

His father chuckled. “I’d call you a liar, but part of me is worried you actually don’t have a clue.”

Kellan blew out a frustrated breath and debated walking out. The night was a bust. “Are you going to talk in code all evening, or would you like to get to the point?”

“That girl has been half in love with you her entire life. But she knows you well enough to stay away. I can see the dynamic between the two of you has changed. However, I expected it to be you who broke her heart. Not the other way around.”

Kellan’s temper had been simmering since he’d been introduced to Dr. Fucking Perfect. He’d held it in check for Sara’s sake. He didn’t feel the same need to protect his father’s feelings.

“You don’t have any idea what’s going on here,” Kellan said.

Dad leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing Kellan’s face too closely for comfort.

“You’re jealous of Gabriel. You wouldn’t have that reaction if you didn’t have feelings for Sara.”

Kellan rolled his eyes. “Of course I have feelings for her. I care about her. Like a guy would a friend he’s grown up around all his life. You didn’t see her Friday night when that asshole stood her up.”

“Whatever you say, son.”

“Jesus, Dad. There’s nothing going on between Sara and me. Let’s just leave this conversation here. It’s pointless.”

“Do you remember when you and Sara were in fourth grade? The two of you were inseparable playmates. You used to spend hours in that tree house in our backyard.”

Kellan nodded. “I remember. And you’re proving my point. Sara is like a sister.”

“No. Neither one of you has ever viewed the other with anything even remotely close to sibling love. I knew that the day she fell off the top rung of that ladder to the tree house. She broke her arm.”

Kellan recalled that day vividly. He’d gone up before her. He was sitting on the floor when he heard her call out his name, then the crunch of the bone and finally her crying on the ground. He had scrambled down after her. He’d hit his growth spurt that summer, sprouting up a good four inches. When he reached her, he told her to put her good arm around his neck, and he lifted her, carrying her to the house.

“I watched you walk into the house with her in your arms, and I saw the expression on her face. She loved you. And even though you were both kids, I hoped perhaps she’d be the woman you would settle down with.”

They were treading on thin ice, entering dangerous territory.

“I’m not settling down.” Kellan spoke the words quietly, making sure to lace them with enough warning to clue his dad in. This wasn’t a discussion they needed to get into. “I don’t believe in marriage.”

“You didn’t always feel that way.”

Kellan clenched his fist around the napkin in his lap. “You don’t want to go there, Dad.”

Dad’s eyes softened, and for the first time, Kellan noticed the narrow wrinkles next to them, the way his lids sagged more than they used to. His father looked older and tired.

“I think it’s time you and I clear the air on this. Once and for all.”

Kellan shook his head and started to rise. His dad put a firm hand on his shoulder, halting his escape.

“I can’t watch you live this life anymore, Kellan. And more than that, I’m finished apologizing for the past. Your mother has forgiven me. What do I need to do to earn your forgiveness as well?”

BOOK: Seducing the Boss (The Pulse Series)
3.41Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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