and along came SPIDER ( A Martina Spalding Thriller ) (Spider Series Book 1) (2 page)

CHAPTER
THREE

Back at the hotel, near
six, Marti was surprised to see Gloria, the attractive brunette receptionist
from the Spencer House, sitting in the lobby.

“Martina!” she said
cheerfully upon seeing her enter and sprang to her feet.

“Gloria, what are you
doing here?”

“I thought we could
talk.  Can I buy you a drink?”

“Of course, but I’m not
really dressed for…”

“You’re fine.  I know a
little place down the street where you may even spot a cowboy or two,” she
laughed.

“Great,” Marti said,
not necessarily in response to the part about cowboys.  But she did slip off
the old wedding ring and put it into her pocket.

“So I take it by our
conversation this morning, you’re not familiar with St. Louis,”  Gloria said on
the way out of the hotel.

“Not at all.  In fact,
when I came across that bridge yesterday, it was the first time I’d ever been
out of the state of Illinois.  How’s that for being a homebody?” Marti laughed.

“Then you’re a
greenhorn.  Around here they call new arrivals greenhorns.  I’ve been here five
years and they’re still calling me that.”

“Wow!” Martina doubled
back.  “Gee, I don’t know if I appreciate being labeled a…  Where does that
come from?”

“Well, you know, St.
Louis has a very historical past.  I suppose it came from early travelers, who
passed through here on their way west.  Many were inexperienced in the survival
skills needed to make it out there in the wild.”

“How many years ago was
that?”

“Louis and Clark left
out from here on their expedition.  I guess that was about a hundred and fifty
years ago.  And, believe me, a lot of the people here are still rooted in the
past.  Some even protective of it.  They don’t mind pointing it out when a person
is an outsider, and do it at every opportunity.”

“Oh, my!”

“But I like it here. 
It’s a great place to live, otherwise.  There’s always something going on. 
Lots of celebrations.”  Gloria smiled over at her as they walked.

“You know Gloria, after
what you just told me, maybe I should move on.  I mean, I kind of have my heart
set on settling in a place a bit more welcoming.  If the people here are that
way…”

“How were the people
where you came from?” Gloria asked.

“Sonsofbitches…
mostly.”  Marti laughed.

“Well, if you’re
looking for paradise, Martina, I’m afraid you may be looking for a while
longer.  At least I haven’t found it yet… and I’ve traveled extensively.”

Entering a place called
Hannity’s, Gloria led the way past the packed bar to an empty booth in the
back, next to an area where a pool table sat, at the very rear.  Looking
around, Marti noticed the place was very old, but charming in a way, with all
the wood and marble everywhere.  A waiter came up behind as they seated
themselves. 

“Grog or grub?” he
bellowed out.  “Weenie or martini?”

With that Gloria smiled
at the short, white haired man, dressed in a green polo shirt with a white
apron tied about his waist.  “The weenie sounds inviting, but I’ll take the
martini for now, extra wet, Lenny.”

“Oh, Gloria, honey you
always know how to wind up my tired old clock,” the old man remarked.  “And
you, sweetie?” he focused on Martina.

“Just a glass of wine. 
Something red.”

“Cabernet, Merlot, or
Bordeaux?”

“The Merlot, please,”
Marti said, smiling up at him.  She then noticed his twinkling blue eyes,
nestled among a road map of wrinkles that surrounded them.

“Lenny, this is
Martina,” Gloria made the introduction to her friend of five years. 

“Martina!  Beautiful
name for a lovely lady,” Lenny smiled down on her.

“I bet you say that to
all the girls.”  Marti laughed, her eyes crinkling as they often did when she
was amused.

“He does,” Gloria
confirmed and watched Lenny shuffle away.  “I don’t know what I would have done
without that man’s shoulder to cry on, when I first came here… fresh from a
divorce, new town, new job.  Lenny was a real lifesaver.”

Marti glanced to Lenny,
working behind the bar… then refocused on Gloria.  “It was good you found him
then.  It’s none of my business, but how old are you Gloria?  I mean, you said
you’d been here five years.  You don’t look old enough to have gone through
college, gotten married… and… well you don’t look a day over thirty.”

“Thanks for the
compliment.  But I’m thirty-eight.”

“You don’t look it.  So
did you ever marry again?”

“Twice,” Gloria laughed
heartily, her green eyes glistening.  “You know what they say, the more you do
it, the easier it gets.”

“So you’re single now?”

“Very! That may be it
for me… at least for a while.  Lenny introduced me to the last one,” Gloria
groaned.  “But say, this is supposed to be about you, Martina.”

“It is?”

“It is.  Mister Harris
mentioned you were undecided about the job.  I thought maybe I could help in
some way.”

“You mean… he sent
you?”

“Yes, I guess he did,”
Gloria fessed up.  “But for all the right reasons.  He thinks you may have
gotten the wrong idea of what we’re all about.”

“I guess… I do have a
question or two.”

Seeing them in serious
conversation, Lenny eased the drinks onto the table and departed quickly.

“Fire away!  I’ll try
to clarify anything that concerns you.”  Gloria took a sip of her martini,
studying the innocent face across from her over the rim of the glass.

“First off, what makes
me so special?  What sets me apart from the other nurses who are out for the
job?” Marti asked, attentive to Gloria’s glare.

“Perhaps you should
look in a mirror, Martina, if you want the answer to that.”

“You see, that’s what
bothers me.  I just can’t get past the notion that primarily I’d be hired for
my exterior appearance… that over and above my nursing expertise, which I’ve
worked very hard to acquire over a short period of time.  Frankly, it makes me
feel like a brainless piece of meat.”

“Now, that’s where
you’re wrong!  I’m here to tell you from experience working at Spencer House
for as long as I have, you wouldn’t even have gotten the interview if you had
less than impressive credentials.  The only thing different about us, as
opposed to other quality private hospitals, is we believe in going that extra
step in the selection process for the nurses we hire.  We pick ours, from those
qualified, who are a little more on the youthful, attractive side.  We think
that’s important, as Mister Harris may have told you.  You ought to feel proud,
Martina, to have that one in a million total package of attributes that we’re
looking for.”

“Well, put that way, I
do feel a bit more at ease.  However, there is a difference between being
attractive and being sexy.  I’ve never considered myself sexy.  Actually, I
have trouble even thinking of myself as desirable, being that I was bone skinny
and quite homely for much of my life.  I never had a single date until I was in
nursing school.”  Marti laughed nervously, waiting for a reaction.  “So if it’s
sexy you’re after…”

“It isn’t!” Gloria said
solemnly.  “But one thing I’ve noticed; the aura you cast is just a bit too
innocent.  However, that’ll go away once you get yourself a steady boyfriend
here and start having regular sex.”

Hearing that, Marti’s
hazel eyes instantly glassed.  “I didn’t know it showed.”

Gloria eyed her
appraisingly and asked almost as if she already knew the answer, “Are you a
virgin, Martina?”

With that, an abundance
of tears began rolling down Martina’s cheeks and dripping off her chin, as she
desperately tried to finger them away.

“Oh my God, you are! 
Just how old are you, girl?”

“Twenty-five,” Marti
responded hesitantly, while digging in her purse for a Kleenex.

“Martina, you need to
do something about that.  Holy Mother of Christ!  It’s a wonder you don’t have
pimples!”

With that, Marti began
to laugh.  “I don’t, thank goodness!”

“You’re probably one of
those girls that think you need to be in love first,” Gloria said sternly. 
“Well, take it from a girl who has been there, that ain’t going to happen,
kid.  Get out there.  Get your feet wet a little, then swim into love if it
feels right.  It just doesn’t work the other way around.  Men aren’t that
patient.”

“You make it sound so
easy, but haven’t you forgotten one thing?  It takes two to tango.”  Martina
laughed again, this time from frustration.

“Hell, if you think
you’re ready, Martina, Lenny knows everybody.”  Gloria turned to get his
attention.

Realizing what was
about to happen, Marti near shouted, “No!  No, Gloria, just let me handle it in
my own way.”

“Suit yourself.” 
Gloria eyed her briefly before draining the remainder of her drink.  She
noticed now that Martina had hardly touched her wine.  “Look, I have a place of
my own.  If you decide to take the job, you can hang your hat there for a while
until you find a place of your own.  Hotels can get expensive.”

“Thank you.  If I
decide…”

“Mind if I have another
drink?” Gloria asked, looking around for Lenny.

“Not at all….  You may
as well make it two,” Martina said, and took a drink of her wine.  She was
beginning to like this woman across from her.  She marveled in Gloria’s take
charge aggressiveness.  No doubt it was something she could use more of.  Take
the bull by the horn, so to speak.  The thought of that, however, aroused her,
and she took another gulp of the wine, hoping it would serve to head off the
blush she felt coming on.

CHAPTER
FOUR

The following morning
at six, Marti threw on some sweats and went through a routine of vigorous
exercises that lasted nearly an hour.  She had taken several bi-weekly
self-defense courses during her nursing school years for extra credit and found
it psychologically beneficial to keep up the training.  In all that time she
had never had a need to use it, but found keeping up with it comforting, nonetheless.

Then, after showering
and changing into another suit outfit, she again went to the diner for
breakfast.  This time she ordered the works: bacon, eggs, and toast, and she
took her time eating it.  She was still mulling over the decision, but had
ample time to come to it.  She had promised it by noon, four hours away.  But
there was one remaining thing standing between her and agreeing to take the
job.  Would she be allowed occasional operating room duty?  It was important to
her she that continue to get experience in the OR.  No two operations were ever
exactly the same, and no one could ever learn it all, she knew.  But knowledge
of a certain procedure in an emergency could make the difference between life
and death.  And after all, the reason she had become a nurse in the first place
had been to save lives.

At eleven, after having
read the newspaper and puzzled out the crossword, Marti walked the last block
to the Spencer House.  Then, from across the street, she took in the entirety
of the ornate gothic structure that stood before her.  It was six stories tall,
with steep gables rising far beyond that.  No doubt charming, but perhaps even
a little scary in its imposing nature, she thought before moving on.

Seeing Martina coming
from across the street, Gloria stood when she pushed through the huge iron
door.  “Good morning, Martina,” she greeted cheerfully, dying to know her
decision.

“Well, good morning to
you, Gloria.  Before saying anything else, I just want to sincerely thank you
for last night.  You’ll never know how much that did to ease my jitters from
being in a strange town.  And that Lenny, he’s such a laugh.  It was a great
evening!”

“I’m glad you had a
good time.  I had fun, too,” Gloria smiled broadly.  “So, I’m dying to hear… 
Have you come to a decision?”

“I think so, but I do
have one question…  Is Mister Harris in?”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry,
Martina.  He had an emergency at one of our other facilities and had to fly out
last night.”

“I didn’t know there
were any other Spencer Houses?”

“There aren’t.  Spencer
House is a stand-alone entity.  However, there are five other private
hospitals, each with its own unique name and specialty, under the umbrella of
the holding company that owns us.”

“I see,” Marti said,
although she really didn’t.  But then, there was a lot she didn’t understand
about the business.