Exquisite (10 page)

“You know if Rachel sees that she
is going to freak out.”

“She can’t tell me what to eat.”
she mumbled around a mouth full.

Mason grinned at her and flicked
the pen down onto the desk. “No she can’t but she will say it’s blasphemy to
eat any other pastry or dessert in her presence.”

Wendy swallowed reached out for the
bottle of chocolate milk and gulped it down. “Pssh! She’s such a pastry snob.”

Mason smiled at her and looked
around when he heard the door open. Rachel bustled through with a box of her
own and a hurried look on her face. He turned back to see Wendy snatching the
donut box off the table and throwing it on the floor beside her out of view.

“Hi guys! I brought breakfast.”
Rachel announced as she flopped down in the last remaining seat smiling at them
both. She looked from Mason to Wendy then at the guilty chocolate milk
container that had powdered sugar fingerprints on it.  “Alright who’s the
sell out?”

Before Wendy could even try Mason
pointed. “It was her.”

Wendy groaned then shook her head.
“You’re such a wimp! You caved quicker than a house of cards.”

Mason grinned reaching into
Rachel’s open pastry box. “That’s because I know what she’s capable of.”

Wendy rolled her eyes and tried to
defend herself but Rachel wasn’t having any of it. “Nope don’t bother. The only
thing that will console me is to find out why a Dr. O’Donnell called up for
Mason Sunday night but wouldn’t bother him or leave a message.”

Mason almost choked on his donut as
he looked toward his sister with watering eyes. He swallowed as fast as he
could then asked, “What did you just say?”

“A Dr O’Donnell called for you.”
“Yeah I got that part. The problem I’m having is why you’re only telling me
now.”

Rachel shrugged in the same
nonchalant way he himself did and replied. “She told me not to bother you. So I
waited until you weren’t running around like a maniac.”

Mason sat up very straight and
turned to his sister. “Did she maybe tell you anything else?”

“Nope.” Rachel reached into the box
pulled out a fruit flan and before she bit into it asked. “Hey, is that Pants
Suit?”

Lena was sitting at her desk with
the phone wedged between her shoulder and her ear listening to a voicemail from
her mother. Her parents wanted to come and visit in a couple of weeks. Lena
sighed and replaced the phone into its cradle. It wasn’t the fact she didn’t get
along with her parents. She loved them, very much. It was the way they watched
her, waiting for signs that she was going to crack or come undone that unnerved
her. It was just about 3pm and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything yet. She
knew that it was to late to call Shelly, she’d be in the middle of rounds right
now, so she got up and walked to the door. Just as she started to make her way
down the hall she heard Brandy behind her.

“Dr O’Donnell?”

Lena turned and stopped waiting for
her to catch up.

“I’m so glad I caught you.”

“Yes well, I’m on my way to lunch.
Is it important?”

Brandy looked as though she was
trying to decide then nodded. “There’s a Mr. Langley in the waiting area asking
to see you.”

Lena felt her face move into a
smirk and Brandy almost looked confused. Then she continued, “I don’t want you
to be shocked but it’s the delivery man from a week or so back. You know the
tall guy with the roses. I don’t know what he wants.”

Lena nodded once and walked back toward
the waiting area. She looked over her shoulder and for the first time in
Brandy’s history she smiled at her.

“I do.”

Mason once again found himself
sitting in one of the chairs lining the walls of the Pediatric waiting area.
Sure, he could’ve called her back but he’d wanted, no he was finding he
needed
,
to see her. Plus, he thought with a smug grin, he was back at the scene of the
first
crime. He heard her before he saw her. The tight precision of the click of
heels on the floor and he almost found himself holding his breath, wondering
how she would react to him turning up here unannounced. As she rounded the
corner he noticed she was in a pair of black tailored pants and a red blouse
that once again tucked in at her waist and buttoned up to the bottom of her
slender throat. Over that was a white labcoat that had pens in the pocket and a
name badge hanging from it. He stood automatically and waited for her to stop
in front of him. There was no smile on her face just a some what serious
expression.

“Mr. Langley.” she acknowledged
with a slight tilt of her head.

He felt himself start to smile then
stowed it and cleared his throat. “Dr O’Donnell.” he watched as her lips
twitched.

“What can I do for you?”

He looked over her shoulder at the
young receptionist that’d been his buffer last time and she seemed to be
watching them with caution. Maybe she was worried he’d come back to exact his
revenge.
Nope, sorry sweetheart
.
I’m apparently the idiot that is
going to fall on his sword not wield it through battle.
“Well,” he paused.

“Yes?”

He lowered his voice and asked
softly. “Is there somewhere more private that we could speak.”

She narrowed her eyes and he knew
this look on her. This was her battle look before she lobbed the grenade. “I
assumed when I didn’t hear from you that you didn’t want to speak.”

Boom
, there is was.  He
stepped closer and she stood her ground, as he knew she would, and tilted her
head back. Somewhere behind them he heard an intake of breath.

“You should never assume. Now do
you really want to do this here?” he stopped then added on. “You seem to have a
fetish for doing things in public.”

That straightened her spine right
up. He could have sworn she hissed at him.

“Oh come on then.” She snapped as
she turned marching off in the direction she’d come from. He looked over to the
confused looking receptionist, winked then followed the lovely doctor.

Lena was smiling as she walked away
from him. She figured she could let it go since he couldn’t see her. She hadn’t
been upset he didn’t call her right away she knew he’d be busy over the
weekend, but when he hadn’t called this morning she’d started to wonder. Now
though as she walked to her office with her heart beating a rapid tattoo in her
chest she was secretly delighted he’d come to see her instead.

She needed to get these feelings
under control. She was beginning to enjoy the moment her heart started to pick
up when he looked at her and she was starting to find she didn’t know how she’d
feel when it all came to an end. When she reached her office she walked in and
stood aside letting him follow her through. It also gave her the perfect
opportunity to look at his fine ass. Today he was in jeans and,
wow
, he
could really fill them out. His legs were so long they seemed to eat up the
ground as he walked. On top he was in a midnight blue sweater that made his
eyes such a deep blue they looked like the ocean and his black hair looked as
though the wind had personally run its fingers through it to make it look like
he just got out of bed, so damn sexy. Lena closed the door and cleared her
throat walking around her desk to put some space between her and the temptation
that was now sitting in a chair opposite her. She watched him as he sprawled
his jean clad legs out in front of him then rested his hands on his thighs.

“Alright Langley, enough with the
tense silence.”

“Tense? Who’s tense?” he grinned at
her slowly. “Are you tense Lena? Want me to help?”

Before she thought it through she
quipped. “Sure, take off your pants.”

Arching his brow he moved to sit up
straight, “Careful doctor.”

Rolling her eyes she sat down and
he grinned dimples and all.

“This feels like our first date,
rolls reversed though.” he commented as he looked around her office at the
large certificates on the wall then over to the bookcase that held text books,
research journals and yes a couple of Twilight books,
so what?
He stood
as though he couldn’t sit still and moved over to the large window that over
looked the city and whistled low.

“Wow this is some view.” then he
turned and rested his delicious ass against the window sill and told her
softly. “But I like this one better.”

Lena turned her chair to face him
and rocked back on it. “Stop the excess charm Langley. I said yes to the second
date.”

He nodded slowly, “You did didn’t
you?” he paused. “This isn’t charm Lena I mean it when I tell you I like what I
see. Your so buttoned up, professional. You make me want to unbutton things.”

Lena felt her heart pick up at the
look that came over his face. He was such an easy going man by nature. She
could tell he was relaxed and calm, most likely well loved by everyone who met
him. However, there were moments with her that he changed, his emotions took
hold of him and she watched as a darker side rose to the surface and made its
way out. She wondered if she brought his dark side out because she wasn’t what
he needed. She wasn’t sunshine and light. She was gloomy, cold and numb.

“Why?”

Mason watched her as she continued
to push herself back and forward on her chair by the tip of her toe.

“What do you mean why?”

“Well come on Langley. It isn’t
like I was the obvious choice here. I’ve got to wonder why you’re even
bothering with me.”

He pushed off from the window and
walked over to her. Placing his foot on the bottom rung of her leather chair he
brought it to a halt then reached down and drew her up so she was standing an
inch apart from him. He ran his hands down her arms to her hands then
intertwined their fingers. Looking down at her silently he watched her as she
stared up at him, mouth slightly parted eyes wide and not a single sound came
out. He noticed she fought to stand still and came to the conclusion he liked
tormenting this woman. Not in a horrific, mean spirited way, but in a sensual
frustrating way he’d never known he could enjoy. Usually he was all about the
wham the bam and the thank you ma’am, but as he stood there not touching
anything but her hands he was more aroused than he’d ever been.

“I don’t understand.” she finally
whispered. He leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to her cheek then moved to
her ear and whispered.

“Neither do I.” he felt her swallow
and could smell that delicious vanilla and wondered if it was the soap she used
or a perfume. “I came by to ask you to meet me tonight at my restaurant. I want
to cook for you.” he felt her take a deep breath then continued, “I would’ve
told you the other night but you had nothing to write it down on. In fact if I
remember right, you had nothing on at all.”

Lena couldn’t move. It was as
though she was a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car. Here she
was, professional Dr O’Donnell standing in her office in the middle of the day
with a man whispering in her ear and making her want to reach down between her
legs and give herself some kind of release. She swallowed and unconsciously
tilted her head to the side. That was when she felt his mouth as he kissed the
side of her neck gently. She was sure she would’ve fallen over but his hands
gripped her tighter and he lifted his head and looked down at her.

“Nothing to say?”

She shook her head quickly and he
stepped back taking with him his warmth. She looked him over and noticed a
bulge straining hard against his zipper.

“I think we can safely give up the
argument that you’re not my type. Right?”

Lena stood motionless feeling like
an idiot then she remembered, “I-I- can’t do tonight.” she stuttered for the
first time in her life. She watched Mason narrow his eyes a little.

“I swear I’m not putting you off. I
have something I have to do. Can we make it another night?”

He walked over to the door and she
thought he was going to leave. She almost found herself calling out for him to
stay, but he stopped turned and flashed her that sexy ass grin, “How about
Wednesday?”

L
ena shut down her computer, switched off the
light and headed out into the cold. It was Monday night and as she took the
elevator down to the parking garage she started to think back to this
afternoon. Somehow Mason Langley had got past her defenses. He’d managed to
irritate her into a date, then stalked her into a second one. She groaned
leaning back against the wall thinking about how good he’d felt against her.
She’d been fine before he’d come along. Of course, she wished she could go out
meet some random guy and take him home, but if she was honest with herself that
always made her feel much more lonely then just being alone. So she’d stopped
the random hook ups, put up her barricade and had hidden behind it quite well,
until
him
. Making her way to her car she got in and drove down to the little
boutique flower store, ‘Precious Petals’. Parking out front as usual she got
out bundling herself up in her coat and walked across the lot to open the door
to the store. She loved hearing the tinkling of the bells as she walked in, it
made the place feel special,
magical
. The whole store, including the
lovely owner, made her feel comforted in a way nothing else did. Just as she
was reaching the counter Catherine walked out from the back and a smiled so
bright Lena thought it could light a room.

“Lena!”

Lena smiled and waved, “Hi
Catherine.”

“How are you tonight my dear?”

Shrugging Lena nodded. “I’m okay.
Getting by. How was your day?”

“Oh lovely dear. Just lovely.”

Catherine came around the desk
stopping by one man asking him if he needed help. When he shook his head she
continued over to stop by Lena. Slipping her arm around Lena’s waist she moved
them toward the back room. “They came in just an hour ago.” she whispered as
though she was telling her state secrets. Lena squeezed the little lady tighter,
so happy to be there with her. She always made Lena feel comfortable with her,
she never asked to many questions. In fact Lena would have to say this was just
about the happiest she’d been in years. If she were honest and like Mason had
said, she should always be, part of
that
had to do with him. Catherine
turned them around the last corner in the back room and sitting in an aluminum
can were seven bright yellow sunflowers. They were magnificent. Lena grinned
and patted Catherine’s hand. “They’re beautiful.”