All She Craved Read Free Page A

passion that I had felt with Mr. Straus was also missing. Jeff didn’t seem to notice, as he worked his tongue in my mouth. Awkward. He finally stopped.
    “Let me know about this weekend,” he whispered. I got in my car and pulled away.
     
    ****
     
    “What the hell am I going to do?” I asked my sister over the phone later that evening. “You slept with him right there in the clinic? Who are you? Rwaaarrr!” We shared a laugh.
    “Seriously, Lilly, do you think I should go away with Jeff this weekend?” I asked.
    “Has Mr. Super-Sex given you any reason to think you’ll see him again?”
    “No, but he did leave a note on my car.”
    “Then I would say go with Jeff. He’s a good guy.”
     
    ****
     
    I spent the rest of the evening sitting in front of the TV snuggling with Pumpkin and watching the movie Bridesmaids . Pumpkin and I shared a bag of popcorn and I had some cheap Riesling. I jumped when I heard a sudden knock on the door. I looked out to see my neighbor waving at me from behind the glass. I opened the door.
    “Mrs. Johnson! Hi. How are you?” She held up a box.
    “Hello dear. A messenger accidentally dropped this off at my house, but it’s for you.” I took the box from her hands and set it on the floor.
    “Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.” I shut the door, picked up the box and brought it into the kitchen. Opening the box, I saw it contained a pair of shoes and a note nestled inside. I pulled one of the shoes out of the box—a nude-colored, velvet platform stiletto. Gorgeous. The note read:
    Ms. Saul, I saw these and thought of you in them… and nothing more — Michael
    Holy shit! They're from him! But, how did he know I’m a size 8?
Four
    I arrived at work early the next morning to find my manager standing at the nurse’s station. “Trisha, Mr. Strauss is requesting your presence in his office. I have arranged for someone to cover your shift,” she said, giving nothing away.
    Shit! Shit! Shit! “Um...ok.” I turned and headed back to my car thinking I’m surely getting fired. I arrived at Strauss Medical headquarters approximately an hour later. I had been there only once before. I pulled into the parking garage of the massive enterprise and parked my car. I continued to worry about what I would do if I lost my job, as I enter the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. I stepped off the elevator and was immediately escorted to the office of Mr. Strauss. The assistant opened the door to a large space and I walked in to see Mr. Strauss staring out the window. He was barking at someone on the phone. The assistant motioned for me to take a seat in front of his desk and then left.
    Michael’s office was simply stunning. Centered in the room along the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the ocean, there stood a large mahogany desk that likely cost more than all of my furniture combined. In the corner sat an oversized white plush sectional. The office also had an extravagant kitchenette and an adjoining executive lounge-style bar. Michael finished his conversation and set his phone down on his desk. He looked at me with an engaged masculine glance and I blushed.
    “How are you this morning, Ms. Saul?” God he’s so sexy. I want to eat him alive.
    “I’m…um...fine.” My mouth went dry and I could barely speak.
    “Do you know why I called you here today?” He had a malicious grin on his face and I knew he was up to something.
    “To fire me?” He laughed loudly and smiled.
    “On the contrary, Ms. Saul. I have a proposition for you.” He opened his office drawer, and pulled out an iPad. A few clicks later he handed the tablet to me. “Have you seen this newspaper article?” I looked at the screen and recognized it as the one I had read a week before.
    “Yes, this article was in the clinic newsletter. It’s about the expansion of Strauss Medical.” I handed his tablet back to him.
    “Yes, we are expanding to the Hawaiian Islands, and I’m going to need a liaison