Читать книгу Hollywood Hills Collection - Lynne Marshall, Amalie Berlin - Страница 13
ОглавлениеZACK READ THROUGH their email exchanges in the taxi on the way to The Hills.
At first it had been a semi-formal ‘Dear Zackary’ type of exchange.
Zack had been head-hunted by James Rothsberg and he’d had some questions about the charitable side of things so James had flicked over to Freya some of the questions that he had raised.
To: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
From: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
Dear Zackary,
James has passed your concerns on to me and I hope I can address them.
For some time The Hollywood Hills has been looking into a suitable charity to partner and support.
The highly regarded Bright Hope Clinic was chosen. The clinic treats underprivileged children and is situated in the south of LA, where its services are desperately needed in the densely populated area. As a result their facilities and equipment are severely stretched.
The partnership of the Bright Hope Clinic with The Hollywood Hills aims to increase the number and scope of cases that can be treated. We are lucky to have world-class facilities and can also allow for easy transfer of emergency or overseas patients using the Hills’ helicopter or ambulance transport system. The Bright Hope Clinic in South LA will still run as usual, with cases requiring more complex care being referred to the Bright Hope at The Hollywood Hills.
Sincerely,
Freya Rothsberg
Public Relations Consultant
To: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
All good. I’ll take a look into the Bright Hope Clinic and get back to you with any questions.
Zack
To: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
From: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
Dear Zackary,
I have attached some further information on the Bright Hope Clinic as well as the names of some contacts I have there, who would be happy to answer any of your questions.
Sincerely,
Freya Rothsberg
To: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
Zack!
Please can you email the forms and brochures on The Hills, the postal service is a bit slow in Nepal. Also, I note that you have the same surname as James and wondered if The Hills is a family-led clinic?
Zack loathed the politics of work and the thought of butting up against husband and wife with their own agendas held no appeal.
To: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
From: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
Dear Zack!
Please find attached the brochure that will better explain the clinic structure.
To address your concern—James is my brother. So, no, there aren’t twenty Rothsbergs or husband-and-wife teams :-)
Freya!
He grinned that she’d read between the lines and understood his concerns.
To: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
Good to know!
Zack!
Flicking through the brochure, he had smiled again when he’d seen who he was dealing with and on a rather long night in Nepal he’d responded again.
To: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
I meant good to know that there aren’t hundreds of you, as opposed to your marital status.
Zack!
He’d regretted sending it, because Zack never flirted or got involved with anyone at work, but it had been such a subtle flirt that she probably hadn’t got it.
Two days had passed and he’d actually forgotten when her response had come back.
Oh, she’d got it.
To: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
From: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
Zack!
Is there a question mark missing in the previous email?
Freya!
No he never got involved with people at work, but a quickie with the PR rep surely didn’t count, Zack had thought, and there were slim pickings where he’d been that night and it was nice to dream.
To: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
?
Her response?
There hadn’t been one.
His next email, after a long day of surgery followed by a very long night in Nepal:
To: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
??
To: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
From: Freya.Rothsberg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
Very single. (Don’t tell James.)
To: Freya.Rothsburg@TheHollywoodHillsClinic.com
From: ZCarlton@ZackaryCarlton.com
I never kiss and tell.
He smiled as he finished reading and did a quick search on her name, and suddenly Zack wasn’t smiling.
There was an article on Freya, accompanied by a picture of her collapsed and being taken out of a nightclub and he read about her drug habit. There was a quote from her mother, stating that Freya was finally getting the help she needed and was in rehab.
He thought of the woman who had slunk out of his hotel room rather than face the music.
Oh, yes, they needed to talk!
* * *
Freya wasn’t proud that she had dressed and left but she hadn’t wanted last night to dissolve into a terse exchange.
And neither had she liked how one minute they’d been so, so intimate and the next he had reduced it to a lab-report exchange. She’d heard the shower being turned on and had gone red in the face as she’d recalled her pleas and her demands, and what had felt fine—in fact, amazing—just a short while ago had then felt like an embarrassing mistake.
She’d pulled on her dress and slipped out of his suite, taking the walk of shame back to her own room. Once in there she had surprised herself by letting out a shocked burst of laughter.
Who knew?
Not she.
Freya showered and massaged loads of conditioner into her hair and then as she dried herself off she looked at her body, turning to see her red butt cheeks. God, she felt better for it. And, now that she thought about it more calmly, Freya liked the head-on way he had tackled the awkward subject.
She’d print off her results, Freya decided. She would cross out her name and other details and put the relevant part in an envelope and leave it at Reception to be delivered to his room.
Freya got ready and dried her hair so that it was its usual straight self, and was about to put it up when she remembered why she couldn’t.
The memory of them had her wanting more. Freya did her best to quell a building want and she pulled out of her wardrobe the dress she had worn before the bridesmaid outfit.
It had been a one-off, a little sexual adventure and one that was never to be repeated again, Freya told herself.
She pulled on a neutral linen shift that she wore with flat ballet pumps and she carefully did her very neutral make-up then gave a sigh of relief when she finally recognised herself in the mirror.
Freya.
She called down to Reception and asked for her car to be brought around and decided that, given she had late check-out and Red was feeding Cleo, she would come back after the interview to pack. She took the elevator and went to one of the juice bars in the foyer and ordered her regular blend along with a nutrition bar and she was back in control.
Freya headed over to the business centre and printed the necessary form off, blacked out all details except the relevant part and lined up at Reception. The want and desire for him wasn’t diminishing in the way she’d hoped.
It was building.
If anything, the thought of never seeing him again, of it really having been just one night had her hesitate when the receptionist asked if she could help her.
‘Could I check in for another night?’ Freya asked.
‘Sure.’ The receptionist smiled. ‘I’ll just check that we don’t have anyone incoming for your room. No, that’s fine. Is there anything else I can do for you?’
‘Yes,’ Freya said. ‘Could I have another card for my room, please?’
‘Of course.’
It took just a few seconds but Freya knew what a monumental few seconds they were. The receptionist popped the card into a little wallet with Freya’s room number on it, but instead of putting it in her bag Freya put it in the envelope along with her blood results.
‘Could you please deliver this to room 2812?’ Freya asked, determinedly not blushing, telling herself that the receptionist would not care or even guess what she was up to.
‘Sure.’ The receptionist smiled. ‘I’ll make sure that’s done for you. Is there anything else I can help you with?’
‘That’s it, thanks.’
Oh, my!
Freya was all flustered as she drove to work and then parked in her reserved spot at The Hills.
It really was stunning. James had put everything into the place and the patient list read like a who’s who of the film industry. They did a lot more than just cosmetic procedures here, though. From obstetrics to intensive care, everything was luxuriously catered for. Well, everything except eating disorders, but Freya was planning on addressing that.
Just not today.
Today she had this interview to get through, but there was one good thing about last night, Freya thought—it had made a tiny email flirt seem pretty tame.
Yes, she’d get through the interview and then head back to the hotel and wait and see if lightning did strike twice.
Freya walked through the entrance into the foyer with its marble floor and pillars and stunning floral arrangements that were changed daily. A huge chandelier shed a calming light and Freya did her best to walk as if she hadn’t been having torrid sex all night.
Sometimes the luxury of The Hills gnawed at Freya.
All her life, disparity had. She could remember tours of Africa with her famous parents. Seeing the utter poverty and then taking off in a luxury jet had felt so wrong. Being photographed with people who walked miles just for water and then watching her mother guzzling champagne for hours and bemoaning her menu selection later had made Freya furious.
Her questions to her parents had gone pretty much unanswered. ‘Why are they hungry and we’re not?’ Freya had asked. ‘I just don’t get it.’
‘We’re doing our bit,’ had been Aubrey’s dismissive response, and her father, Michael, had had no time for his daughter’s questions either.
‘Freya, can you just, for five minutes, stop trying to change the world.’
James had listened, though, when Freya had approached him, and now things were finally getting under way.
‘Hi, Freya.’ Stephanie, the receptionist, smiled. ‘James said to go straight through to his office.’
Freya nodded and promptly ignored Stephanie’s instruction by heading for her own office. Yesterday evening James had finally sent Freya the bio for the cardiac paediatrician. He kept all staff files himself and there were no sneak peeks, even for his sister.
She wanted to read up on Zackary Carlton rather than explain to James that she was utterly unprepared for this interview. She was usually meticulous in preparation and her intention had been to read up on Zack over a leisurely breakfast this morning.
She opened up her laptop and accessed the file but looked over as there was a knock on her open door.
‘Freya,’ James said. ‘I asked Stephanie to tell you to come straight though.’
‘Happy New Year to you too.’ Freya smiled at her brother. ‘Stephanie did ask me to go straight in but I’m just having a quick read through.’
‘I’ll deal with all the medical stuff, you just need to explain the publicity side of things and get a decent bio, so we can get the word out he’s on board.’ James gestured for her to come to his office and Freya picked up her laptop and went with him.
‘Is he on board, though?’ she asked.
‘He has to be. We need this guy,’ James said as they arrived at his office.
Freya took a tentative seat and thanked the spanking gods he’d stopped when he had, and she started to scroll through the file as James spoke.
‘I’ll bring you up to speed—Zackary Carlton. Australian, drifter, arrogant bastard. He won’t commit to more than three months anywhere but, God, he does magic with his hands...’
Indeed he did.
Freya looked at the résumé and very impressive bio. There was also a photo attached and, yes, she could concur, Zackary Carlton made magic with his hands.
It was Him!
The man she had thought was safely in one of the clinic’s luxurious apartments reserved for visiting guests had been staying at the hotel all along.
Freya felt sick.
And doubly so when she thought of the daiquiri-laced emails she’d sent him.
It was the same man!
How could she possibly face him?
Quite simply, Freya couldn’t.
‘James,’ Freya croaked.
‘What?’
But Freya couldn’t answer straight away. After all, how did she tell her brother that she’d had random sex last night with the cardiac surgeon he wanted to hire?
‘Do you really need me here for this interview?’ Freya attempted. ‘I’ve got the worst hangover. I actually feel a bit sick.’
‘You hardly drink.’
‘Well, I did last night,’ Freya lied. ‘I really think I need to go home...’
‘Freya, you couldn’t even begin to match my hangover,’ James said, and as the intercom buzzed and interrupted him, it would seem her nightmare had just arrived.
That sexy, somewhat scruffy man she’d met yesterday scrubbed up terribly well.
He was clean shaven and wearing a dark suit in a lightweight fabric. His hair was so thick that it was still a touch damp from the shower he had been in when Freya had run, and she wanted to run again now.
Absolutely she did. So much so that Zack watched her eyes dart to the door.
Poor thing, he thought.
Zack was also surprised, not that he showed it. He hadn’t expected her to be on the interview panel and seeing her face pale, rather than redden, he did what he could to put her at ease.
‘James.’ He shook James’s hand. ‘It’s good to meet you.’ He turned then to her. ‘Freya...’
She swallowed.
‘I saw you in the brochure,’ he explained as he took a seat, and her embarrassment turned into anger.
He knew who she was.
Which meant that he’d known who she was last night.
Zack’s teeth gritted as he saw her eyes flash in anger and he realised that, far from putting her at ease, he’d made things worse.
James and his very real hangover were going through the mountain of forms that had come in about the man he would hopefully be recruiting.
‘You said no to the apartment?’ James checked as he caught up on some finer details. ‘Was there a problem?’
‘Not at all. I just prefer to stay in hotels,’ Zack said.
‘What about if you work here?’
‘Same,’ Zack answered.
James was one of the most in-demand cosmetic surgeons in Los Angeles and he looked over at Zack, who was highly in demand too, and he chose not to play games.
‘Look, I’m not going to waste your time or mine with small talk. We want you on board. The Hills needs a cardiac surgeon specialising in paediatrics and we want it to be you.’
Zack gave an appreciative nod. He preferred people who cut to the chase.
‘The only issue I have,’ James continued, ‘is that you’re only prepared to commit to three months.’
‘Then you have an issue,’ Zack said, and Freya blinked at his assertion. She had never met anyone so in command of themselves.
‘We’re going to be building your profile and reputation and for that we’d hope—’ James started.
‘Now there are two issues,’ Zack interrupted. ‘I don’t need my profile or my reputation to be built, they already speak for themselves.’
‘They do,’ James said. ‘But our partner, the Bright Hope Clinic, desperately needs funds. I see you’re keen to do some pro bono work.’
‘That’s the main attraction.’ Zack nodded. ‘Working on these cases with top-level facilities is an enticing prospect.’
‘How many charitable cases were you thinking of taking on?’ James asked.
‘One a week during my regular list and I’ll also do a full pro bono list one Sunday a month.’
There was a lot of good that he could do in three months, Freya thought.
‘I’ve brought Freya in to discuss the PR side of things.’
‘I don’t get involved with any of that.’ Zack shook his head and looked at her and she recognised his voice. It was the one he had used on her that morning when they’d discussed the condom issue. He was now utterly engaged in work. Only Freya was scorching with embarrassment, because Zack was looking at her and talking to her exactly as if they’d never met. ‘If I come on board I won’t be doing interviews and happy smiley photos. I’m sure young Paulo won’t mind. I hear no other surgeon wants to touch him.’
‘Correct,’ James said.
Paulo was five years old and had been brought to the Bright Hope Clinic from Mexico with his single mother, Maria. His complex cardiac problems meant that no surgeon would operate on him as it was very possible that he wouldn’t survive surgery.
‘It happens a lot.’ Zack nodded. ‘I take on high-risk patients that others refuse to go near.’
‘I’ve explained that to Freya,’ James said, ‘and I’ve spoken with my colleagues. We’re all agreed that we’re not involving ourselves in charity to fudge figures just to make us look good. We want to do some necessary work and that involves risks.’
‘I’d only operate if I thought there was a chance,’ Zack said, and James nodded. ‘I focus on the surgery,’ Zack continued, and turned to Freya. ‘That’s it.’
He was arrogant, utterly immutable, and if Freya wasn’t so angry that he’d known who she was all along, she could possibly have jumped on his lap and started purring.
She didn’t know how she could simultaneously be embarrassed and cross while also being impossibly turned on.
‘I work on short-term contracts and the patients benefit from that.’ Zack further explained his stance. ‘I might not be around to do the follow-up but they have my skill and attention in the operating theatre, or the OR, or whatever the terminology is you use here. In Nepal I was working in a field hospital so I can’t wait to use the amazing facilities here. I am up to date with technology and I am also very hands on with the basics...’
Freya crossed her legs.
‘Will you consider extending your contract?’ James asked. ‘If things are going well?’
‘I’ll speak with you after a month.’ Zack conceded the smallest fraction. ‘If I can commit for another three months, I’ll let you know then. If I can’t commit to more than that it will give you time to start looking. I am, though, going to Australia for a couple of weeks in April.’
‘To visit family?’ James asked, and Freya blinked as Zack simply didn’t answer the question.
Yes, they were being told that what Zack did in his own time was his concern only.
And then Freya glimpsed again the joy of anonymity and the pain of it going wrong. Zack had told her in bed this very morning that he was running from stuff. Their gazes met briefly and then Zack flicked his away and she saw his neck stretch in slight discomfort.
Oh, she wanted to know this man.
‘So, when could you start?’ James asked.
‘I just have to sort a couple of details out and then I can let you know.’
Freya’s phone buzzed and James tensed. He loathed texts and Freya rolled her eyes at his familiar response. ‘It’s mine.’
She glanced in her bag and saw that it was Mila.
‘Sorry about that,’ Freya said.
‘Do you have any questions for Freya?’ Jack asked.
‘I do but I’ll speak with her later,’ Zack said.
‘I...’ Freya was about to say she couldn’t hang around but she knew she was just putting off the inevitable. ‘Sure.’
‘I’ll send Zack through to you when we’re done.’
‘Thanks,’ Freya said. ‘It was nice meeting you, Zack.’
Her voice was pleasant and her lips smiled, but her eyes told him what a bastard he was.
She went into her office and her skin was crawling with embarrassment and she pressed her fingers into her eyes.
This was, very possibly, going to be the longest three months of her life.
‘Freya?’
She turned at the sound of Stephanie’s voice.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Just...’ Freya took a breath. ‘A bit dizzy,’ she explained. ‘It was a big night last night.’
‘Sure,’ Stephanie said and handed over some files and then left.
Great, Freya thought. Stephanie just loved to have her nose in everyones business.
No doubt, that Freya was dizzy, would soon work its way back to James.
Freya made the call she had just missed.
‘How are you?’ Mila asked.
‘You really don’t want to know,’ Freya said.
‘Oh, but I do.’ They both laughed. ‘I’ll have to prise it out of you later.’
She’d better not! Freya thought.
‘I just wondered if there was any news about that surgeon for Paulo? I’ve got Geoff, his cardiologist, here now and he’s concerned.’
‘He’s in with James now. Let me...’ Freya glanced up as James and Zack came to the door. ‘I have to go,’ Freya said hurriedly. ‘I’ll call you back.’
Zack noticed her cheeks redden and that Freya was flustered as she quickly ended the call.
‘All okay?’ James checked, because Freya was usually completely together, or did everything to appear to be.
She was behaving very oddly today.
‘Of course it is,’ Freya said. ‘I thought you were giving Zack a tour.’
‘We’re going to do that at eleven. I’ve just got a patient that needs a quick review. If you can get started on the paperwork, and a head shot so that everything is in order, that would be great. We’ll also need you to write up a press release and let the world know we’ve got Zack on board.’
‘Sure.’
‘Oh, and I’ll ring the Bright Hope Clinic and see about getting the child looked at by Zack today,’ James said.
‘I can do that,’ Freya offered.
‘Do what?’
‘Arrange his transfer.’
‘Zack has to see the patient first.’ James frowned. ‘Since when did you start acting as a receptionist? I’ll leave Zack with you.’
He walked out and Zack stood and watched as Freya picked up the phone.
‘Could you give me a moment, please?’ Freya asked.
‘Sure,’ Zack said, and stood there.
‘I meant I’d like a moment of privacy, please,’ she snapped, and Zack stared at her for a second before exiting her office, closing the door behind him.
God, this morning was a disaster, she thought as she frantically called Mila back.
‘You haven’t told James about me yet,’ Mila said. ‘Have you?’
‘No,’ Freya admitted. ‘And he’s just about to call the clinic.’
‘It’s fine,’ Mila said. ‘I don’t generally man the phones. I’ll have him put through to Geoff, but, Freya, he needs to know that the Bright Hope Clinic is mine.’
‘I know he does and I am going to tell him.’
‘If you can’t do it face to face, just text him.’
‘He hates texts.’
‘Well, he’s going to hate finding out that we’re going to be working together a whole lot more.’
‘Leave it with me.’
Freya ended the call, took a breath and opened the door on her currently more overwhelming problem. Zack was leaning up against a wall outside and not looking very impressed to have been asked to step outside. ‘Sorry about that! Come on through,’ Freya said, and put on her bright corporate smile and stepped back to let him in. She waited till the door was safely closed for the smile to go and then she let him have it.
‘You knew...’
‘No.’ He gave a small shake of his head.
‘You weren’t even surprised when you walked in. It was supposed to be one night, no names...’
‘I thought you looked vaguely familiar but it only clicked this morning when I was in the shower,’ Zack said. ‘I just looked you up, and you were quite a wild child, it would seem.’
He thought of the photos of her collapsed and being carried out of a nightclub that he had seen, and he thought of the article he had read that spoke of drugs and alcohol and a lengthy stint in rehab.
‘I’m not discussing this here,’ Freya said. ‘I don’t bring my private life to work.’
‘And neither do I,’ Zack said. ‘So go and get some blood work done and then tell me when I can start work.’
Where were the green eyes that had locked with hers last night? Oh, he was looking right at her but his expression was serious.
Grim.
‘I’m a cardiac surgeon and this morning we had unprotected sex and it would appear you’ve had a habit. I’d like a little more than your word that you’re not using.’
And she could only find a grudging admiration that he had the guts to address it directly.
‘I’ve never done drugs.’ She looked at him. ‘I did have some tests last week and they all came back clear.’
‘Has there been anyone since then?’
‘Zack!’
‘Freya, don’t play coy. You’ve got all my lab results sitting on your desk, I haven’t been with anyone since I had blood pulled, and I sure as hell haven’t been in rehab. So I need to know the score.’
‘I had some blood work for fertility issues and they ran the tests as routine. I was in rehab for an eating disorder. Happy now?’
‘Well, happy isn’t the word I’d use to find out the condom split with someone having fertility treatment, but, yep, glad to know we’re both clean.’
‘Well, you don’t have to worry about the fertility issue. I haven’t started treatment and I shot my ovaries.’
‘Shot your ovaries?’ Zack frowned and then got it.
Her eating disorder meant she couldn’t have kids and he understood better now what she’d told him about running and trying not to.
‘I’ll let James know that I can start straight away, then.’
He gave her a nod and turned to go but Freya halted him. ‘Zack, you won’t—’
‘Freya.’ He turned around. ‘I’d never say anything and, as you’re about to find out, I’m a very different person at work.’
‘Sure.’
‘The only reason I am talking about last night in this office is because it’s pertinent to work. What happened is not to be brought up or discussed, do you understand that?’
‘Yes.’
* * *
It was the longest day.
All she wanted to do was go home and curl up with her shame, yet, now that Zack was on board, her life had gotten busy.
His résumé was impressive on a professional level. He’d worked all over the globe, in both lavish and sparsely equipped hospitals. She looked up his hometown and her eyes widened when she read about the tiny population and how widely it was scattered.
Well, they could go with the country-boy angle, Freya thought, and then tried to picture herself suggesting that to Zack.
Ah...perhaps not.
What else could she find out?
It would seem that five years ago he’d been in Canada at an ice hockey match when a player had gone into cardiac arrest and Zack had successfully resuscitated him.
A couple of phone calls later and she was in touch with the player’s own PA. Nothing was said, just a little touching base query to see if the player might be open to being flown to LA.
‘He’s on vacation but I’ll get back to you at an appropriate time.’
God, no wonder people were tense, Freya thought as she realised that most of the world considered today not really a day for such calls, but at The Hills, though there were no scheduled operations, it was a work day as usual.
The staff up on the cardiac unit didn’t say, Oh, no, it’s a holiday, as they prepared the bed for Paulo to arrive.
And neither did the pilot of the luxury helicopter question it when, after examining Paulo and going through his tests at the Bright Hope Clinic, Zack called James.
‘I’ve just spoken with Maria, his mother,’ Zack said. ‘I’ve told her that I’m still not sure if he’s a candidate for surgery but I would like to run some more tests at The Hills. Their equipment is terrible.’
And so by three that afternoon a new little patient with black hair and eyes and a gappy smile was sitting in bed with his worried mother by his side.
And by five all Freya wanted was home and was struggling to hold it together when James knocked at her door.
‘He’s not very sociable, is he?’ James rolled his eyes. ‘I tried to schedule a meeting and he wants it to be held in a meeting room, rather than my office. Neutral territory, he said.’
Freya actually laughed.
‘Three months in a hotel...’ James shook his head. ‘The guy’s a well-dressed gypsy. I’ve asked him to come and get a security tag—can you please sort out his head shot?’
‘I shall,’ Freya said.
She’d sort it tomorrow.
All she wanted now was home.
