Beth guffawed and screwed up her lips. “Yeah right. I mean for real?”
Char tossed her a Cheshire cat smile and shrugged. “I told you.”
Beth still looked quizzical but stopped pushing her for answers.
When they re-entered the smoky, noisy room, Dexter still gloated up on the stage, galling her. “Look at him, so smug and self-righteous. Now he really thinks he’s hot shit.”
“And just whose fault is that?” Beth said in a sing song voice as she poked Char in the ribs.
“I do believe I created a monster.”
“Shush!” Beth jumped on the chair and wildly waved her arms. “It’s Dr. Hunky’s turn. I want a hot night, too.”
Revelation struck Char square between the eyes and suddenly, she knew what she had to do. Although Beth gave her questioning, malicious glares, she kept bidding until she won Dr. Hunky at thirty-five thousand dollars.
Dex glared at her, too, and shook his head as he slumped in his chair. His flesh looked grey, but it must be a trick of the lighting.
Amy tapped her fingers on the mic and looked ready to eat metal. “Aren’t you being a tad greedy, Reynolds, buying both dreamboats?”
Char climbed on stage. “Do you want the money or not? Is anyone willing to go higher? It’s all for the kids, right? So give me some competition people!”
Several pairs of eyes lowered and several other heads shook as a grumble echoed through the crowd. After several moments of waiting, Char asked Amy, “Well, what’s the verdict? Do you want my cheque for Dr. Hunky, too? Or not?”
Amy glowered but snatched the second cheque, passed it to her assistant and mumbled under her breath, “Call the bank right away and make sure these are good.” Louder, she said to Char so that the entire audience could hear, “Are you done, or do you want them all?”
Char offered the most innocent look she could. “I’m done. When do I get to collect my booty?”
Dex looked like he was about to gag, and he bent his head over his knees and wrung his hands.
Ben slapped his thigh and laughed as if he got the joke and enjoyed being her partner in crime.
Her gaze bounced from man to man as she pondered which was hotter. It was a toss up, but she had no idea what to do with the extra man.
Simone slinked up like the snake she was. “I always knew you were a greedy bitch. I bet those cheques bounce to the moon. Or did you rob one of your geriatric patients?”
Char’s fists balled up, and her temperature sky-rocketed. She’d had enough of Simone’s bitchiness for three lifetimes.
When Char advanced on Simone, Beth and Jody caught her arms and spun her around. Then Beth pinched her arm hard. “Your men for a night are waiting for you. You don’t want to disappoint them.”
Char yelped and gave her friends a rueful look. She rubbed the sore spot on her arm hoping it wouldn’t bruise. When she checked it, there was no discolouration-yet. “Thanks.”
Jody gave her a lopsided grin. “What are you going to do with two men? I hope you have plenty of condoms. I know a place you can get a big stock for discount. Coloured. Flavoured. Ribbed. I’ll give you the address.”
Beth made a moue of her lips. “What a little slut you are. Who would’ve thunk? Gimme the address, too, while you’re at it.”
Char gulped but grew warm and gooey. It had been a long time since she’d needed condoms, and her pussy quaked at the idea of needing
Beth’s laughter tinkled over the throng. “Of course. Good for you. It’s about time you got a life outside this hospital.”
Not liking the sound of that one bit, she wrinkled her nose and decided to evaluate her life when she got a free moment. Did she spend all her time here? All her friends were on staff. She didn’t know her neighbours. She hadn’t been to church in forever because she worked every Sunday and religious holiday.
She knew the Chinese delivery man very well. And the pizza guy who delivered to the hospital. Didn’t they count? Every year, she gave them Christmas gifts, and she’d given them their own ring tones on her cell phone, too. “I have a very good life! One night won’t be the start of anything. Since when were you two closet romantics?”
Tingles attacked her, and the little voice inside her head taunted her. “Liar.”
With a vengeance, she shoved the darned thing away. Tonight would be fun, but that was it. Nothing more.
At that, her heart cried and crushed her chest. Dexter’s seductive smile flashed in her mind and her gut twisted with impossible sensations so she closed her eyes and willed him away. But he refused to get out of her skull.
Once and for all, she had to get him out of her system.
Dexter bristled. Why did Charity want Ben, too? His nemesis was a younger, flashier surgeon who loved ‘em and left ‘em faster than the sun rose and set-just what she’d wrongly accused him of doing.
He gritted his teeth and his fingernails dug into his palms.
Wishing he could read her mind, doubting he’d understand even then, he glared at her. The femme fatale merely tossed him a cool smile then beamed at the dork, Ben.
Was the head nurse trying to kill his ego? Or did she really have a thing for the other man?
Neither answer placated him. She might as well castrate him now and be done with it.
He tried to focus on Amy and all the money being raised to save kids like Debbie, but he couldn’t nudge Char completely out of his head.
“This is for you, Deb,” he murmured and forced his most charming smile to his lips, sauntered over to Amy and looped his arm around her shoulders. Then he took the mic. “A lot of you don’t know this, but I had a kid sister whom I adored. You’ve never met her and you never will because she died of cancer when she was nine and I was eleven. Two years after her death, a cure was found for her type of cancer because of generous benefactors like you. There are still a lot of families like mine, praying for miracles, and waiting for angels.”
He paused, trying to get control of the warble threatening to overcome his voice, and pointed to the crowd. After several moments, when he was able to speak again, he loosened his tie and undid the top button on his shirt then continued, “You’re their angels. I know that together we can still raise a lot more money to help. This is one of the richest communities in the world. If we can’t do it, no one can.”
As if Debbie had just died again, his heart broke and he swiped away errant tears. Sniffing, he accepted a tissue from Amy’s administrative assistant, Suzie, and dabbed his nose. God, he hated to cry in front of people. He lifted his eyes heavenward and could almost see Debbie with her angel’s wings hovering above, and he took courage from her.
Tears fell and tissues exchanged hands throughout the audience. Amy hugged him and announced, “Let’s do this for Debbie and kids like her. What do you say?”
Thunderous clapping rocked the room and bittersweet emotions fell over Dex.
Chapter Two
The following weekend it was finally time for Char to cash in on her special night with Doctors Hottie and Hunky. Cold feet didn’t begin to describe how she felt. Iced feet was a lot more accurate. She waffled between downright terror and excitement.
Since she’d bought two men, she’d hired two limos to pick them up and bring them to the rented hotel suite.
Shaking, asking herself for the billionth time what had been in her pea brain when she’d set up this fiasco, she triple checked all her preparations.
Wine chilling on ice.
Lobster in wine sauce.
Filet Mignon with shitake mushrooms.
Chocolate-covered strawberries.
Flavoured coffees.
Broiled baby asparagus tips.
Flaming cherries jubilee.
Rice pilaf.
Dim romantic lighting.
Scented candles.
Soft romantic mood music.
Clean red satin sheets on an extra large bed.
