He did kind of have a point. They were already working long hours together. Maybe a few extracurricular activities could be kept a secret. It wasn’t like they were planning a future together. They weren’t even dating. She chewed her bottom lip, mulling it over.
“Fine,” she finally conceded, deciding to jump in feet first and do what she wanted for a change, even if it meant breaking the rules. After all, if anyone deserved to have a little fun, it was her. She grabbed her bag and started shoving files in it. “We’re adults. We both like sex. Might as well hang on and enjoy the ride.”
He looked skeptical. “But?” For all his angling, it was clear he hadn’t expected her to change her mind. She was pretty damn surprised herself.
“But you cannot tell anyone. Sleeping with the boss is a credibility death sentence.” She slung the weighty bag over her shoulder and turned toward the door. “I have a full schedule tomorrow. We’ll pick up where we left off next week. We still have some time to come up with an angle for Vixen. We can’t lose focus now.”
Chapter Thirteen
The sharp tang of disinfectant assaulted Cole’s nose as he stepped through the sliding doors of the White Plains emergency room. The eye-watering, throat-burning stink reminded him just how much he disliked hospitals. He hated the look, the smell, and most of all the fact that someone close to him had been admitted for care.
As much as he loathed the place, he knew his little sister Anna hated it more. That knowledge alone kept him moving forward when he wanted nothing more than to make a U-turn and cleanse his lungs with the fresh spring air outside. Anna needed him and he had promised himself he’d always be there for her, no matter what. He was determined to make good on that promise, even if it meant facing the ER and Olivia’s wrath on the same day. He hated to miss the team meeting and the last thing he wanted to do was leave her hanging, especially now. They were finally on the same page with regard to sex and he didn’t want to screw that up, but blood came before business.
Although their lives had taken different paths, he and Anna had remained close over the years. While he had chosen a life of corporate bliss, Anna was the consummate suburbanite with a white picket fence and a pile of unruly children who, although he loved them dearly, regularly reaffirmed his bachelorhood. Cole was nowhere near ready for kids.
He scanned the crowded waiting room. It was a busy day and most of the cracked vinyl chairs were occupied with miserable looking souls seeking relief. Young, old, working class, and homeless, the emergency room was the great equalizer. There they all sat, ignoring the hum of daytime TV and waiting for the overworked doctors and nurses to call them back for treatment.
No Anna though.
Cole hoped her absence was a good sign. He’d have been royally pissed if she and her daughter were still waiting. Traffic had been horrendous and it had taken longer than expected to get to the hospital. The idea of his niece sitting there in pain all that time was unbearable.
He turned his attention to the harried looking receptionist, who was juggling two phones and typing simultaneously. He had to give the woman credit. She was the epitome of efficiency. He anxiously waited for her to hang up the phones before approaching the desk.
“Hello,” he started, giving her a dimpled smile. “My name is Cole Bennett and I’m looking for my niece, Lulu Kline. I believe she was admitted this morning.”
The receptionist looked him over, the frazzled pinch of her lips softening as her gaze fell on his mouth. She batted her eyelashes and he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking.
“Broken arm, right?” she finally asked, typing on the keyboard. Her fingers flew over the keys, although her eyes remained fixed on him.
His stomach dropped. He’d hoped it was just a sprain or something. Lulu was an accident-prone child, but she’d never broken anything before. Unable to trust his voice, he nodded at the receptionist.
“We were expecting you,” she explained, handing him a visitor’s badge. “Let me just call someone to escort you back.”
Cole followed an orderly, who didn’t look much older than Lulu, through the labyrinth of exam rooms. When they reached 113C, he knocked lightly on the door. It swung open and Anna jumped to her feet. She sighed with relief when she saw Cole standing in the hall.
“It’s about time,” she said, giving him a half-smile. Anna rushed forward and hugged him. Cole wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, which reminded him where Lulu got her frailness. Despite her feisty personality, Anna had always been delicate physically.
When she finally released him, he stepped back and studied his sister. For all the traits they shared—dark hair, blue eyes, and fair skin—there were just as many they didn’t. Anna was petite, nearly a foot shorter, and had bone-straight hair, unlike Cole, whose hair was out of control if not trimmed twice a month.