Reclaimed Read online

  I know what you’re thinking. I’m pretty inexperienced.

  By the time my shift is over, at nine a.m., I grab my bag, go to the gym and work out. I’m weird. I know. Instead of being tired after a twelve hour shift, I’m exhilarated, for some reason. I can’t go home and go to sleep so, I work out. Once home, I take a shower and fix myself something to eat then crawl into bed like someone who hasn’t slept in days.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  “What the fuck?”

  Blindly, I reach out to smack the shit outta whatever is making that God awful noise. I was sleeping so good. So deep and having the best dream. I bring my hand out from under the covers and move it around. Sleepily, I open my eyes and pull the covers off my head and look around. No wonder I couldn’t feel anything. I’m laying across the bed diagonally. Again. I’ve always moved around a lot in my sleep. Sometimes I end up totally turned around with my head at the foot of the bed. A couple of times I even fell off the bed. I groan as I move myself into a normal position and reach out. My hand knocks into something, and I smack it. Hard. Pulling my hand back under the covers, I close my eyes and let out a breath.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  I’m gonna hurt someone.

  Okay, that wasn’t very nice coming from a person whose sole purpose is to help keep people alive but I hate having my sleep interrupted. From my semi-comatose state, I realize it’s my phone making the racket. Grabbing it, I swipe across the screen and put it up to my ear, not opening my eyes. “This better be fucking important,” I growl then let out a yawn.

  “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.”

  I growl louder.

  Brooke.

  “I’m not going. I need sleep and you’re disturbing it.” I pull the phone away and start to reach out to end the call when I hear screaming.

  “No! Saige!”

  I have a decision to make. One: I can go and she’ll be jumping all around me all night. Two: I don’t go and she’ll be moping around me for days, even months. She’ll make my life a living hell.

  “Saige, you promised!” Now, she’s whining. Ugh! Opening my eyes, I stare up at the ceiling and hold my breath. Decisions. Decisions. Then it happens. I hear a sniff on the other end.

  Fuck.

  My.

  Life.

  Blowing out a breath, I bring the phone back up to my ear. “Okay. I’ll go.” I’m pretty proud of myself. It will make her happy and she won’t be driving me crazy for a while. I even said it nicely, well through gritted teeth and with a growl.

  “Yay!!!” I pull the phone away at the squeal that vibrated through the phone and into my ear. “Be ready in one hour. One hour, Saige. Get up, get showered, and put on something sexy.”

  Click.

  I hate her sometimes.

  3

  A knock sounds on my front door. Then another. And another. And then endless rapping. I smile as I walk through my apartment while putting in my other earring, taking my time. When I open the door, her fist is raised in the air and her huge smile falls instantly. “What in the hell are you wearing?” I look down and frown. “Oh, no. We are going out to a swanky club. You’re not wearing that.”

  Smoothing my hands down my silky white blouse and my blue skirt, I sigh and look up at her. She grabs my arm, turns me around and starts pushing me back to my room. “Wait. Wait!” I stop mid step causing her to fall backwards. “What I’m wearing is fine, Brooke.” She shakes her head. “No?” I place my hand on my hip. “Why?”

  She takes off for my bedroom, and I reluctantly follow. “Because, Saige, my best friend. We are going to The Palms, and it’s very high class.” The Palms? You have to be invited in order to get in there. She walks into my closet, and I sit down on my bed. “You need to be dressed to kill and with what you’re wearing you’d be lucky to score an olive.” I let out a snort. “That won’t help either, Saige.”

  “Brooke. What I’m wearing is fine. Besides, we can’t get into The Palms. You have to have an invite to get in there.” I let out a laugh.

  She emerges from the depths of my closet and smiles. “We have invites, silly woman.” We do? “Now, this will look perfect!” She holds up my red dress in front of her. “Quick! Put this on and I’ll help you with your makeup,” she says, bouncing on her heels.

  Standing up, I walk over and grab the dress from her hands. “I already have makeup on,” I growl as I go into my closet to change.

  “Never hurts to add some smoky eyeshadow to it. Oh! And maybe a bit more blush.”

  “Blush this,” I whisper, holding up my middle finger.

  “You don’t mean that,” she sings.

  Bet me.

  After changing into the skin tight red satin dress, blushed and smoked filled eyes, earrings replaced with extra-long diamond earrings, and feet pushed into black high heel shoes, I’m pushed out of my apartment. Literally. I think I’m a bit overdressed but I have heard The Palms is pretty plush. Sitting in the cab, I see my reflection in the passenger window and would never admit to her that I do look pretty damn nice. “Told you,” she says from her seat, but I don’t answer. Wench. The driver stops alongside the curb of The Palms, and Brooke immediately opens her door and gets out. As I step onto the sidewalk, I look up at the grand building. Different colored lights flow back and forth over the building. A crowd is waiting outside with a velvet rope drawn across the front of them holding them at bay.

  “Come on, Saige!”

  Brooke grabs my hand and I almost fall off my heels as she pulls me towards the entrance. “No. There’s a line,” I hiss as I try to pull back, almost pulling her arm out of its socket. She comes bouncing back with me and I glare at her.

  “We have invites, silly. C’mon. Trust me.”

  Said the whacko to the idiot.

  Hesitantly, I follow her. In other words, I allow her to pull me against my will until we’re standing in front of a wall. Oh, my bad. It’s a huge bouncer who could be easily be mistaken for a wall. He practically growls at us while puffing out his rock hard massive chest. I start to inch my way backwards until Brooke grabs my hand and squeezes it so tight that I stop abruptly. In pain. I watch as the crazy woman holds up the invites as she stands up on her tiptoes and whispers something in Goliath’s ear. His eyes shift to me, and I swallow hard then they shift to her. Suddenly, it’s like Moses parting the Red Sea as Goliath moves out of the way, opening the velvet rope. I keep staring at the bouncer as I’m dragged inside.

  “You can close your mouth now.” Brooke laughs as we stop inside the door. I startle when the door slams shut behind us, closing my mouth as I look around. “Isn’t this great?” Everything is dark except for tea cup lights centered on each table. Small blue lights align the underneath of a long bar with more blue lights in the ceiling behind the bar. She pulls my hand and we walk on what appears to be red velvet carpeting. Everything is posh, elegant, and expensive. “I think you need a drink.” She giggles as she leads me to a table with classic dark cherry wood chairs, the red velvet cushions matching the carpet, sitting around it. It has a reserved sign sitting in the middle, the words “Casey” written across it in elegant handwriting. How did she get a reserved table? Light music sounds all around and I notice the large wooden dance floor below a big stage. The club is packed, people laughing, glasses clanking, and there’s barely enough room to walk.

  “I might need two,” I whisper as I take a seat, thinking I might soil it with my butt.

  “Saige. Brooke.” I look up to see Dr. Gregory Mansfield standing beside my chair. Why in the hell is he here? “I see you both made it,” he says, looking straight at me.

  “Yes, we did.” Brooke sits down next to me. “Thank you for the invitations, Dr. Mansfield.”

  Him? What the…?

  His eyes burn a hole into mine and not in a pleasant way. More of an “I want you now” kind of way. “It was my pleasure. I assure you. But please. Outside of work, it’s G
reg.” Finally, he tears his eyes from mine and looks at Brooke. “Would you be so kind as to get you and Saige a drink at the bar? Please tell them I said they’re on me.” Brooke stands up so fast I thought she might take the tablecloth with her. She nods and walks towards the bar. I open my mouth to protest when he pulls out the chair beside me and sits down. “So, what do you think?”

  My mind has difficulty catching up. “Um – about what?”

  He smiles, showing his very white teeth. “About my bar?” His bar? Well, that explains – nothing. “I’d asked Brooke the other day if she wanted to come check it out and hoped that you’d come with her.” Did he now? That’s odd. He reaches over and puts his hand on mine, which is clutching my evening purse with a death grip. “I was hoping we could spend a little time together.”

  Okay, stop. Now this could be a good thing or a bad thing.

  Good – because he’s very attractive. Thick blond hair that’s a little longer than his ears, a slight wave making some curl over his neck. Baby blue eyes and a very deep dimple that shows when he smiles. All of the nurses swoon over him and some of the patients, even the male patients – and the male nurses. His body is much leaner than I like but he definitely keeps in shape. I could fuck him.

  Bad – because he’s a prominent doctor at the hospital, which is where I work, and if something happened between us, it could be very, very bad at work.

  “Here’s your drink.”

  I love you, Brooke.

  She sits down on my other side, and I immediately pick up the martini in front of me and practically down it. Okay, that’s all I’m having since I’m on call, but I need a little liquid courage right now. We sit there in uncomfortable silence until Greg, uh – Dr. Mansfield, gets called over to the bar. Before he goes, he stands and leans over me until his mouth is next to my ear. “I’d love a dance in a little while.” My eyes shift up to his, and I smile. At least I think I do. He winks at me, and I watch in wonderment as he walks away.

  “What the hell, Saige?” I look over at Brooke then down at my drink, pick it up and finish it. “Uh, Greg Mansfield. The Gregory Mansfield that we work with. The one that owns this nightclub.” She proceeds to smack my arm. My eyes snap to her, my eyebrows raised in warning. “He wants to dance with you, later. O. M. G!” I roll my eyes.

  “He’s just a guy, Brooke. An attractive guy but just a guy. And we work with him.”

  “So?” Sometimes she just so naïve.

  “Ha, so, say we hit it off or go out or hell, we fuck then we break up or don’t really get along or he’s a lousy fuck. I’d have to see him all the time at work? Awkward.” She smacks my arm again. If she doesn’t stop doing that, I’m gonna have to deck her.

  “It’s just a dance, Saige. You don’t know if it would go any farther than that anyway.” Okay, she’s got me there. Suddenly, her eyes widen, looking over my shoulder, and I try to be nonchalant as I turn my head to see what she’s looking at. Greg is walking this way carrying two more martinis in his hands. I startle when she smacks my arm and swiftly turn around and look at her with a scowl. “If you don’t stop that I’m gonna…”

  “Ladies.”

  Shit!

  I turn back around with a smile. Greg sets the drinks down in front of us as I hear the volume of the music grow louder. I look down and reach out to pick up the glass, suddenly needing more alcohol in my system, when his hand is suddenly in front of my eyes. I look up at him and see he’s smiling. “Will you do me the honor of a dance?” Oh, shit! Brooke smacks my thigh, and I growl under my breath.

  “I guess I can dance, just this once.”

  Placing my hand in his, I stand and let him lead me to the dance floor. Of course it’s a slow song so he pulls me into his arms but not too close. He is acting pretty much a gentleman. I’ll give him that. “I guess I should thank you for the invitations to get in tonight?” I look up and see him smiling. “I don’t go out much so I wasn’t sure I was going to come.”

  “Yes. I’m so glad you decided to and I’d love to make you cum.” Ah! Right to the point. I shiver.

  I give him a smile back, changing tactics. “Being a doctor, a prominent one at that, what made you decide to own a nightclub? I mean, it’s not like you’re not busy enough,” I add sweetly. He turns us around slowly, swaying to the beat. Not a bad dancer. At least he has rhythm.

  “This sounds a little like an interview.” He laughs. I tilt my head and raise an eyebrow. He looks up, never missing a beat. “I guess I wanted more out of life.” He sighs as he looks back down at me. “I still love being a doctor but I wanted something to fall back on. One day I might want more regular hours.” I laugh and he smiles. He grows serious and my smile fades. “You and I know that being in the business we’re in life’s so short and can be taken away at any moment.” God, that’s so true. His hand squeezes mine, and his arm pulls me closer. “I mean, who knows better than us what can happen?” His eyes smolder, and I feel myself getting wet with those baby blue eyes that have now darkened a shade looking into mine intensely. I lean up, my lips close to his.

  “That’s one of the best pick-ups I’ve ever heard,” I whisper.

  His mouth turns into a smile and then it covers mine. That spark I always look for isn’t there but still his tongue does something to me as it peeks into my mouth. His hand around my side lowers and cups my ass. Okay, he does have possibilities but do I really want to do the dirty with someone who works at the same place I do? With the great possibility of running into him all the time? Suddenly, he presses into me, and I can feel his length against my lower stomach. It’s harder than a rock and – big.

  “Can you feel what you’re doing to me,” he whispers in my ear then bites my lobe. Damn, that moved right down my body.

  Maybe I wouldn’t see him that often at work. Maybe it would work out between us, and it won’t be a problem. Maybe I just need to get laid. Sigh. It’s been too long.

  I look up and study him. His hair is full, thick. His lashes long, causing a shadow below those baby blues. He’s taller than me, by a good three inches. His hands are strong, steady. His fingers long. I imagine what he could do with those fingers and shiver. He kisses my neck, underneath my ear, and whispers, “Let’s get out of here. I bet I can make you cum with my fingers and mouth alone in a matter of seconds.” He sucks some of my skin into his mouth. “God, I want you.”

  My head tilts back slightly as I think internally, rationally or irrationally.

  What could it hurt?

  It could be awkward at work.

  People could talk.

  He could make my life’s dream of being a nurse a nightmare.

  I could change hospitals.

  I could have an orgasm that might rock my freaking world. Or multiple.

  Raising my head, I kiss him – hard. “Let’s go.”

  Brooke is nowhere to be found as Greg leads me over to the table. I pick up my evening bag and follow him through the club, his hand resting on my lower back, and away from the front doors. Please don’t tell me he’s going to fuck me in the storage closet. I take my phone out of my purse and quickly send a text to Brooke, telling her I’ll talk to her later and to be careful. I get an instant reply. “Score!” Rolling my eyes, I put my phone away and look around as we walk down a dark hall. He opens a large door at the end and a small breeze flows against me. He leads me to an Audi R8, and now I’m wondering just how much he makes being a doctor. It’s almost the same color red as my dress. When we reach it, he turns me around, pressing me up against the shiny exterior, leans down and kisses me.

  “You look so enticing against my car,” he whispers against my lips.

  Fuck, he’s killing me. I can feel how wet my thong is as I press my legs together. He pulls me back from the car and opens the door, holding my hand as I slide onto the leather seat. I watch him walk around the front, in confident strides. He gets in and starts the car, my body shaking with the power of the engine. He takes off and out of the parking lot only to
turn into the parking lot of one of the finest hotels on the strip. He parks in a reserved spot, and I give him a look.

  “Only the best.” He smiles.

  When he leads me through the lobby, he takes out a key card from his back pocket and pushes the elevator button. The doors open instantly, as if they knew it was him. Once inside, he puts the card into a slot and presses the penthouse button. Oh! As the doors begin to close, I’m suddenly pressed against the wall, the rail biting into my lower back. His mouth on mine and his hand covering my breast. “Fuck, you smell divine,” he whispers against my mouth, his nose rubbing over my jaw. His hand leaves my breast and moves down my body until he pushes my leg to the side and cups me through my dress. “Is that for me?” He smiles against my mouth. “Fuck, you’re already so wet. I’m going to lap you up like a man dying of thirst.” That just made me wetter.

  My head hits the wall as his fingers stroke me, each time his thumb hitting my aching clit. I’m lost in sensations when suddenly he takes my hand and leads me out of the elevator. I hadn’t realized it had stopped or that the doors had opened. Looking around, it dawns on me that the doors had opened right into the penthouse. Large windows cover a long wall, the lights of the city gleaming into the large room. It’s masculine, black leather furniture sets in front of the windows. A large screen TV hangs down from thin wires before them. I can barely keep up with his long strides in these damn high heels. We bypass everything and walk into a hallway, down to the last doorway and into a very large bedroom. I scarcely see the king sized bed centered in the room when he whips me around, his mouth covering mine as he reaches around and lowers the zipper on my dress. He’s in such a hurry, but I don’t think I can take slow right now either.