His Intern: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance Page 24

  “Good girl. Now eat up, you’re looking scrawny!”

  Somehow, I managed to avoid both Julien and Nina for the next few days. Sure, I saw them around, felt Julien’s eyes bearing into me, but I refused to give him any time, making my excuses to leave at any opportunity that there was a chance we would be together. Thankfully with my patient list, I didn’t need to consult either of them. I knew that I couldn’t continue like this forever but at the same time, I wasn’t ready to deal with him at work. I needed to get over this Julien hang-up and move forward with my career. Or at least try.

  I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with Pieter, on Wednesday. He had some amazing experience under his belt and listening to some of his patient stories, made me realise that more than anything, that I wanted to concentrate on my professional demeanour. Without any personal baggage looming over me.

  I really tried not to think about Julien and Nina together but every time I saw them, all I could picture was catching them together on Friday night. It was a tough week trying to balance my job with my personal turmoil.

  On Thursday, I was cleaning up one of the procedure rooms, lost in thought and enjoying the classical music, which was softly playing through the hidden speakers. In the middle of sterilising the bed, I heard the door open. Looking up, thinking it was one of the nurses, my heart started to pound. Julien was staring at me with determined eyes as he came towards me. Consciously, I stepped back, eyeing the open door as I quickly planned my escape.

  “I was just, er, cleaning up, but I can come back.” I made to walk past him, but he gripped my arm. I looked down at his grasp and then back at the door.

  “Ellie.” His voice was strained. “Please, we need to talk.”

  I tried to make my voice sound as indifferent as possible. “There is nothing to say, Julien. Please let go of me.”

  I shrugged my arm out of his grasp.

  “Please, Ellie. It’s not what you think! Just give me a chance to explain?”

  “Explain? How do you explain walking in on you and Nina with your tongues down each other’s throat?!”

  I spat the words out at him and glanced at the door, aware that my voice had risen. To my dismay, I noticed Pieter watching us, a disapproving look in his eyes as he quickly walked away. Great. That was all I needed.

  “Julien, please. This is work. I don’t want to talk about it here, okay?”

  I shoved past him, embarrassed to be caught out by Pieter.

  “Ellie, you will have to talk to me soon. Besides anything else, we need to have a professional working relationship.” His voice was low and smooth, but I could detect an edge to it.

  “Fine, Julien! As this is personal, we’ll talk outside work.” I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Is there anything else for now?”

  “No, that’s all for now. Please, continue in here - I’ll leave.”

  I watched him walk away, unable to control my heart, which tugged at his departure.

  Julien

  I was in a shitty mood. The week had not gone to plan as I expected in any way at all. It felt like Pieter was watching my every move, observing my actions from a distance. It didn’t help that Ellie was professional, yet extremely cool with me. I hadn’t fucking done anything wrong! And to top it all off, we were going to be working together in approximately ten minutes, with Van Wyk observing my methods and Nina assessing Ellie’s. This was going to be fun.

  I made my way down to the operating room, pushing open the door with my elbows. I nodded briefly to Pieter and Nina - who shot me a smug smile as she consulted her clipboard.

  Glancing at Ellie, she briefly looked at me and then quickly busied herself with the equipment. The tension between us was so thick I’m sure it was obvious to our spectators. Thankfully, this was a quick procedure - rhinoplasty on my 25 year-old male patient, who was already under anaesthetic. It wouldn’t take more than half hour. I got to work, making small comments to Pieter along the way, explaining my method of the bone reconstruction. Ellie barely glanced at me as she passed me the instruments, refusing to make any form of eye-contact unless absolutely necessary. At least I had her full attention, which is the most amount of time I had with her all week, aside from our cell phone conversatio on Monday. I concentrated on my patient, trying not to be affected by her presence, ignoring the heated looks between Nina and Ellie.

  As soon as I finished the procedure, I snapped off my gloves and left the room. Nina and Ellie could take care of the after-procedure duties. Storming past everyone, I caught a glimpse of their surprised expressions at my abrupt departure, but I was desperately in need of fresh air to clear my head.

  As I headed towards the side exit, I instead found myself walking towards Lawrence’s office. The man had been my father’s business partner and confidant, hell he’s been like a favourite uncle to me! Perhaps he could help me get some perspective, maybe give me some advice on the situation with Ellie - he certainly was no stranger to office dalliances. I was concerned with Pieter’s obvious disapproval of me - I’m sure he had been informed of mine and Ellie’s position. If nothing else, I would have a slug of his five hundred dollar bottle of whiskey I knew he kept in his office.

  I tapped on his door and pushed open the handle. Lawrence was just finishing up on a call and gestured for me to take a seat. I nodded and sunk into the leather armchair opposite him, looking around his office as I did so. I preferred to keep my office impersonal but both Lawrence and Nina had their walls covered with celebrity photos.

  I ran my hand over my face, feeling the light stubble and sighed deeply as Lawrence finished up on his call.

  “I know that look, boy. What the fuck mess have you got yourself into now?”

  I laughed at his welcome. “Mess? Why would you say that?” I shook my head, trying to dodge the direct question.

  “Don’t look at me that way, Junior. I’ve been around a shit ton longer than you. I’ve been watching you this week, walking around like a big old bear with a sore head. What’s going on?”

  As I had hoped, he pushed back his chair and went to his liquor cabinet, pulling out the whiskey and two glasses. He placed them on the table and I watched as he poured the aged liquid into the glasses. Handing me the glass, I took it willingly.

  “Thanks, Lawrence. I need this.” I took a big gulp, enjoying the burn as the liquid slipped smoothly down the back of my throat.

  “So talk.”

  I decided there was no point beating around the bush. “It’s about Ellie, our new intern.”

  “Oh for fuck’s sake, Julien! She’s young and fresh - what did you do?!”

  I held up my hands in defence. “I haven’t done anything, Lawrence, back the fuck up.”

  “Sorry, kid, I just assumed, with your track-record and all….”

  He trailed off. Damn, he was right. My reputation preceded me most the time. So, I came clean, explaining how I felt about her, right up until the moment she walked in on Nina and I.

  “Shit, my Nina pulled that shit?”

  I nodded miserably. “I’m sorry, Lawrence, I know she’s your daughter, but she screwed me over on purpose.”

  The older man shook his head and took a long swig of his drink.

  “I apologise on her behalf, Julien. She’s a grown woman…I mean, I know you guys had a thing a while back, but I had assumed it was over…”

  “It’s not your duty to apologise for her, Lawrence. It is over – was, a long time ago. I have no interest in her.” I spat my words out, the anger in chest building up again.

  Lawrence was silent, lost in his own thoughts, before he spoke again.

  “And this, Ellie - you care about her?”

  I took my time answering, whilst I pondered on his question. Something was happening but I had yet to define what it was. If I considered my personal life, I’ve never been one for thinking things through and to an extent, I’m still not that guy. With women, I’d never be anything other than an animal of instinct, but for whatever reason, thi
s time my instincts were on a slow burn, rather than a hot wave of lust. There’s no question, I knew how to sweep a girl off her feet, make the grand gesture minutes after meeting her, make her head spin whilst I broke through every defence. I knew how to do it all with style and money, how to go in for the kill and ravage her like a whirlwind. But this time it was different. Ellie didn’t respond to my alter ego and something was telling me to take it slow with her, or she’d take flight like a bird of paradise and I’d never get the chance to explore this. Whatever this was.

  I stared into my near-empty glass.

  “I do care about her, yes.”

  “Hmmmm…certainly seems that way. Why are you drawn to her?”

  I laughed out loud, feeling like a patient discussing his feelings with his shrink.

  “I don’t know, Lawrence.” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not sure what it is that has drawn me to her so relentlessly.”

  “Well, she’s certainly easy on the eye!”

  I smiled. “Yeah, no doubts there.” It was easy a few weeks ago, when all I could think about was possessing her round ass, the way her tits bounced and moved, somehow even making the nursing scrubs look sexy. How her soft lips tasted, the way her body melted into mine before she pushed me off. I felt it and I knew she felt the connection too. I still thought about those things - how could I forget? But it was different now.

  “It’s not just that, though. She’s an amazing nurse, Lawrence - the best intern I’ve seen in a long time. She’s very bright too - I’m a little surprised she didn’t go to med school, she certainly would make a great doctor too.”

  “What’s her background?”

  “I’m not too sure, honestly. I understand from Penny that her mother passed away from cancer when she was in her teens - seems to have spurred her decision to go into nursing. I believe her father is back home in London.”

  “Poor kid, too bad about her mother.”

  Glancing at the photo of Lawrence’s late wife, who he had lost a few years ago, I knew he still missed her terribly.

  “So what are you going to do, Julien?”

  He looked at me directly as he asked the question.

  “I’m not sure. I was kind of hoping that you could give me some advice.”

  “You need to talk to her, son. If you feel this strongly, you need to rectify what she thought she saw between you and Nina.”

  He seemed slightly disgusted as he mentioned Nina’s name and I almost felt guilty for turning her father on her. Nina was no saint, but then again, with my record, neither was I. Still, I couldn’t forgive her for what she did on purpose. Right now, she seemed totally preoccupied with Pieter, pleased with the conflict she had created for me. She had to be stopped.

  “I’ve tried to talk with Ellie, Lawrence. All week, but she just doesn’t want to know. She said we’d talk outside work, but with her shifts and my schedule, we haven’t had a chance.”

  “So try this weekend. Even if it means showing up at her place.”

  I finished my drink. I concurred with his plan. I wasn’t ready to give up on us yet, to explore what we were starting.

  “That’s a good plan, thanks. But onto other matter - Pieter. How do I handle him?”

  Lawrence looked up, a hint of confusion in his face.

  “Why, what do you mean? What’s happened with Pieter?”

  “I think he thinks the devil of me right now. It’s been a tough week and I’m pretty sure he disapproves of office romances. In fact, I know he’s aware of the, uh, Ellie situation.” I sighed, replacing my empty glass on his desk. “Fucking great week to take on a new partner!”

  “Ah, I see.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m pretty sure he is in his office now. Why don’t we head over and try to clear the air?”

  “You think that would be a good idea?”

  “Yeah, I do. I don’t want any tension here between us. You’re both incredible doctors and I trust you will both extend each other professional courtesy. If things are going to happen between you and Ellie, then it’s best we get it out in the open, no point sneaking around. We’ll figure it out between us. I trust you both.”

  “Okay, let’s do this.” I pushed back my chair. “Oh, and Lawrence?”

  He stopped as he reached his door and turned back around. “Yes?”

  “Thank you. For listening to me. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to do this.”

  “Julien, I’ve told you time and time again. My door is always open to you. You’re like the son I never had. Plus I made a promise to your old man to always look out for you, so you’re kind of stuck with me too.” He winked and smiled kindly at me.

  I nodded and stood up. “I appreciate that.”

  We walked the short distance to Pieter’s office as I contemplated what I was going to say to him, steeling myself for a bit of abasement and a lot of manly discussion. Having gotten off on the wrong foot, it was important to me to re-establish my professionalism with my partner. I didn’t want to cause any concern or worry for Lawrence.

  We were almost at his office but stopped short when his door flew open and a furious looking Pieter stood there with his arms crossed.

  “Get out, Nina! Such inappropriate advances are certainly not welcome.” His words were cold and exact.

  The next moment, an angry looking Nina stepped out, not noticing either of us standing there watching the scene play out in front of us. She walked right up to his face, pointing at his chest.

  “You’ll regret this! Just you wait!”

  Lawrence’s face twisted in anger as he quickly stormed the short distance to Pieter and Nina.

  “What the hell is going on here?!”

  Nina spun around, quickly stepping back from Pieter. Her face immediately coloured, thankfully having the decency to look embarrassed in front of her father.

  “Uh, daddy.” She was speechless as she looked around, trying to grapple for an explanation.

  “Pieter, please, can we step in your office?” I took the lead, not wanting to cause a scene out in the hall.

  “Fine.” His face was stony as we all traipsed into his room, shutting the door behind us.

  “I asked once. What the hell is going on here?”

  “Lawrence, I’m afraid your daughter tried to pull some moves on me. I explained that her advances weren’t welcome but she can’t seem to take no for an answer!”

  “Is this true, Nina?” Lawrence didn’t fail to hide the disappointment on his face.

  “Daddy, I think he’s got it wrong. I mean, please, I’ve seen the way he looks at me!” She gestured at Pieter with her hands, her expression full of venom.

  “How I look at you? Nina, I can assure you that I look at you the same way I do my other colleagues.”

  The room was silent, thick with tension. Seriously, she was a piece of work.

  “That’s it, Nina. I have heard enough today. You’re fired.”

  Both Pieter and I snapped our head up to Lawrence, in shock. He was firing her? His own daughter?

  Tears immediately sprang to her eyes and I had to look away.

  “Daddy, please, no, you can’t do this.”

  “I can and I will, Nina. This is a business and if you won’t treat it like one, you won’t be required to!” His voice was harsh as he directed his wrath towards his daughter.

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this, daddy. For them!” With tears streaming down her face, she pushed past me and ran out of the office.

  We waited in silence for a few minutes, listening to her footsteps disappearing down the hall.

  I spoke first.

  “Lawrence, are you sure you want to do this?”

  He looked at both of us, a look of sadness upon his features.

  “She’s been screwing up quite a bit, lately. I won’t have our reputation tarnished because my daughter can’t keep her legs closed. I admit, my actions are somewhat abrupt, but it would have happened sooner or later.”

  I nodded soberly, lo
oking at Pieter for his reaction. He looked over at Lawrence with surprise.

  “I appreciate the support, Lawrence. I’m sorry it’s turned out this way.”

  Lawrence moved across to the small conference table in Pieter’s office, signalling the conversation to be closed. We followed him and took our places at the table.

  “So, I think we need to clear some air between the two of you. Seems like you may have got off to a bad start.”

  I looked at Pieter. “Pieter, I apologise for my short temper this week - this is not my usual style.”

  “I appreciate your honesty, Julien. Is there anything I should know about?”

  “Well,” I looked at Lawrence who gave me a slight nod to continue. “I’ve been dealing with some personal shit.”

  “Ellie?”

  The man certainly was clued up. I smiled.

  “Yes, it concerns Ellie. Things were great last week until Friday, when, er, Nina, pulled a stunt similar to what she did right now.”

  Pieter raised his eyebrow. “Really, please go on?”

  I explained about my feelings towards Ellie, how our relationship had developed over the past couple of months.

  I ran my hands through my hair roughly. “The thing is, Pieter, this is new to me too. Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I even had a proper relationship.” I smirked, shaking my head at how ridiculous it made me sound, when the fact was that anyone could pick up a gossip magazine and see my face splattered across it with the various different women I’d dated over the months. Except for the past two months. Hell, it was like I had taken a fucking vow of celibacy.

  “Sounds like you genuinely care for her.”

  “I do, Pieter. I certainly want to see if this can go somewhere but it’s pretty screwed up at the moment.”

  “Maybe she just needs a little space, Julien. I’ve seen her at work, she certainly takes pride in what she does. She’s a very talented and dedicated nurse, there’s no question in that. I wish you both well and I hope you will be able to talk this Nina problem over.”

  I was grateful for his support, suddenly feeling a little lighter than before. “Thank you for your support, Pieter. I assure you, from now on, I will leave my personal life at the door. I will figure things out with Ellie outside work.”