The Return of the Tycoon (4 page)

“Nicholas, darling,” cooed a woman’s voice. “I’m back from Europe…” The woman stopped short at the sight of Julie, her perfectly painted face registering a mixture of shock and recognition. Julie swallowed hard. Drawing herself to her full height, she squared her shoulders, determined to meet the woman head on. “Who the heck are you?” the woman sneered, her manicured fingers thrust against her slim hips. Julie stiffened.

“
Tina
? I should have known.” Julie found her voice, using her nurse’s false bravado. Tina stared hard at Julie, ran one hand through her golden curls, and let out a boisterous laugh.

“Julie? Poor Nicholas,” she purred. “I’m gone for only a week, and it seems he’s gotten so desperate that he managed to dig
you
out of the gutter.” Despite herself, Julie felt her heart sink.

Nick literally had dug her out of the gutter. Besides, she didn’t belong to this world. Nick hadn’t belonged in it at one time, either, but that changed, and Julie would do well to remember that. Julia had no one to blame but herself. She had promised herself not to act foolishly, but here she was again. Would she ever learn?

“If you’ll please step aside,” Julie spoke through clenched teeth. “I was just on my way out.”

“Honey,” Tina smiled at her, “you were on your way out long ago. Maybe next time, you won’t get lost and wander where you don’t belong.” Julie felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Wasn’t the past enough of an embarrassment? Did she really have to rub it in? And Nick, that selfish bastard. Done with his old ways, and Tina still has a key to his apartment.

“Look,” she blurted, her icy demeanor having melted into tears. “I really need to go.”

Tina pursed her full lips in mock sympathy, opening the door wide for Julie to exit. Julie scrambled out the door. Not bothering with the elevator, she hit the stairs instead. Outside, a blast of cool morning air nearly froze her to the bones. To her dismay, Julie realized that she’d neglected to bring her wallet or phone when she hopped on the back of Nick’s motorcycle last night. Without money or phone, it would be a long walk back to the Bronx. Face down, she wept as she trudged toward home.

Chapter 5

Nicholas sighed with relief when he felt Julie return to bed; she’d been gone for too long. Rolling over, still half asleep, he pulled her into his arms, her bare flesh pressing against him. Nick buried his face in her hair, inhaled, and froze. The perfume did not belong to Julie.

His eyes shot open.

“Where’s Julie? What the hell are
you
doing here?” he asked and darted to the other side of the bed in search of his underwear.

“Oh, Nicholas,” Tina chortled from her position on the bed. She lay sprawled on the mattress, flaunting the tantalizing outline of her slim legs. But Nicholas couldn’t care less, fumbling for his underwear on the other end of the bed. “You needn’t cover up. It’s not as though you have anything I haven’t seen before,” Tina continued.

“How did you get in here? Where the hell is Julie?” Nicholas asked, reaching for his cell phone. He looked around the room, realizing Julie’s clothes were gone.

“Nicholas,” Tina pursed her lips, indicating hurt. “I know I haven’t seen you in ages, but it’s not as if we’re strangers.”

“Tina,” Nick’s hand ran through his unruly hair, “it’s over. I told you that. You need to leave. And I’ll change the locks this time.” He thought his getting his key back a few months ago was enough, but apparently not. Meanwhile, Tina stretched like a cat on his king-sized bed.

“I just don’t understand, Nicholas,” Tina pouted, clearly having no intention of leaving. “Everything between us was so good.” She pushed herself up on her knees as Nicholas turned his head, embarrassed by her wanton displays. “Is this because of that girl you used to date? You know, Nicholas, I’ve always been understanding. I knew you saw other women, but I didn’t let it get between us. Why does this have to be any different?”

Nicholas didn’t get a response on either number Tom sent him the day before. Julie. Why did it have to be any different? Nicholas had asked himself this question so many times. Why was Julie so different from all the other women in his life? Aside from the obvious, that Julie wasn’t a model, he wasn’t sure why he felt the way he did about her. When he’d seen her at the hospital yesterday, he just knew he wanted her, but wasn’t sure why. Usually, the morning after was when Nicholas Maxwell lost interest. Obviously, this was not the case here.

“Where did Julie go? Did you see her?” he repeated and looked down at Tina who remained motionless on the bed.

“She left. I saw her walking out. Why are you so worried about it?” Tina asked.

“Shit,” Nicholas muttered.

Julie had been so real to him. Everything about Tina was fake. Those weren’t her real nails. And blonde certainly wasn’t her real hair color. He was no expert, but he suspected her nose was enhanced as well. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Nicholas had never said anything when Tina wanted another sur
gery or went on another
diet. She was beautiful in her way, of course, and having her on his arm gave h
im some status and admiration. But n
ow, as he looked at her, Nick wondered why he had kept her in his life so long.

Things between them had gotten stale throughout the years. And yes, he had liaisons with other women, and yes, Tina didn’t mind as long as he came back to her. But after a while, even that arrangement no longer satisfied. He didn’t want Tina back, not now, not ever. Sighing, he turned his back on her and headed to the bathroom.

“You had better hope you didn’t tell her anything,” he said.

“Honey...”

“
Listen to me. Get out of here
, Tina,” he called over his shoulder. “There’s nothing here for you anymore.”

***

Nicholas burst through the breakroom door. Finding the room empty, he ran a hand through his hair. Where was she? Julie hadn’t been in her apartment or the hospital, even though she was supposed to come in. How had Julie gotten home this morning? Tina must have told her something. He turned and paced the floor of the breakroom. No doubt, Julie had been upset about running into Tina after all these years. And there’s no word to what Julie could have heard from her.

Nicholas exited the breakroom and made his way down a long corridor. He’d already searched every room in the children’s burn ward. None of the employees in regular or intensive care had seen her; only other place was the ER, a place she never worked in before. Reaching for his phone, Nick rang Tom and was about to ask his assistant to go by Julie’s apartment again when he spied Julie turning a corner down a far hall.

“
Jules
!” he called to her, jogging to catch up. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket, not bothering to say good-bye to Tom. Julie turned at the sound of his voice, and seeing him, hurried off in the opposite direction.

“Julie!” he shouted again, picking up his pace. She rounded a corner and disappeared. Nicholas caught up just as a utility door slammed shut.

“
Jules
,” he called softly outside the door, rapping gently. No answer. He tried the handle. It turned easily, but it felt as if something—or rather someone—pressed against the other side, blocking the door. “Are you in there?” he asked. A muffled sound came from the inside. He pushed on the door again, a little more forcefully this time, then cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“Come out,” he insisted. “I know you’re upset, but let me explain.” Still no answer. He glanced down the hall and spotted an elderly couple sitting on the bench. The couple watched him with unconcealed amusement. Nicholas turned his attention to the door and tried one more time.

“Julie, look, I’m sorry about...” He hated to say her name. “Tina,” he finished at last. “I want you to know that she means nothing to me.” He cleared his throat and leaned in closer, his voice coming out in a raspy whisper. “In fact, she
never
meant anything to me.” Suddenly, the door flung open wide, and Nicholas nearly lost his balance as he met Julie’s bloodshot eyes.

“
Never?
” she
said,
the green flecks in her eyes glowing dangerously. Her skin seemed blotchy, and he couldn’t help noticing her rumpled attire. She stood, feet shoulder width apart, arms akimbo. “If she
never
meant a thing to you, then I must have meant even less, or
you wouldn’t have cheated on me with
that slut ten years ago!”

“Tell me,” she seethed, her voice raising an octave. “If that
bitch
meant nothing, exactly how much did
I
mean to you?” Nicholas glanced around. Not only were the elderly couple all ears now, but he and Julie were also attracting a small crowd of hospital workers and patients.

“Julie,” he tried to soothe her, reaching out to place his hands on her upper arms. “Let’s go somewhere private where we can talk about this.” She thrust his hands aside, anger spewing from her like molten lava from a volcano.

“I see,” she snickered. “When you embarrassed me before all our friends and acquaintances back in the day, it was fine and dandy. But now that the attention is on you,
you
want some privacy, isn’t that so?” She turned to go, but Nicholas caught her by the elbows and pushed her into the utility closet, following closely. He slammed the door shut behind them.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” she
said

“How can you be so cold one moment, hot the next, and then cold again?” he questioned her, eyes vainly seeking her in the darkness. “Have you forgotten last night already?”

“Yes!” she hissed. “I managed to erase it while I walked back to the Bronx in my pajamas, freezing to death!”

“I would have given you a ride…”

“No, thanks,” she interrupted. “You had to spend some time with your girlfriend. I’m sure she was there ready for you, her legs spread and everything.”

“Dammit!” Nicholas swore. “For the love of God, shut up.” It was all he could do to keep himself together. He didn’t want Tina—never really wanted her—and he needed Julie to understand that.

“You shut up!” she cried, trying to break free.

“Julie, I’ve had it with you,” he said. “I want you, not Tina; that’s why I’m here, understand?”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’ll prove it,” he said, and his hands found Julie’s shoulders as he roughly pushed her against the wall of the closet. His lips didn’t need a light to find hers.

“You lying jerk, let me go; stop it!” she yelled, trying to break free of him. Ignoring her pleas, he kept going. Gradually, she yielded, her body softening, as if giving
him the benefit of the doubt
.

Nick couldn’t get her undressed fast enough. Yanking on the ties of her scrubs, he slid them down and removed her sneakers. He didn’t bother to remove the top entirely, instead, pushing it over her breasts and expertly unhooking her bra.

“You don’t want me, Nick. Let me go,” she
uttered
.

“Of course I want you,” he told
her, his face buried in the soft nape of her neck. 

“Let me show you how much.”  He pressed her roughly against the wall of the break room, his hand on her breast.

Nicholas resumed his assault, this time grabbing the lobes of her ass with his hands and pulling her tightly towards him.  “W
hat can I do to prove it to you?” he challenged her, grinding
his body against hers.

He pressed his mouth, too, against hers, and he could feel her body slowly relaxing, giving in to him.  He began to smell that familiar sof
t scent of her growing desire.
In the harsh white florescent light of the break room, with its cold edges of countertops and cheap plastic chairs, Nicholas hesitated for barely a moment.
Reaching over, he locked the break room door.

He pulled her to him, running his hands from her hips to her breasts over the light cotton scrubs, before tugging at the slip-knot in the little blue draw
string that held up her pants.
He quickly undressed her, leaving only her top pressed up around her neck, with her unclasped bra tangled up in it.

Nick
pulled her face to his for a kiss, at the same time that he pinched and tugged at her nipples un
til she moaned into his mouth.
This brought Nicholas to the next level of desire, and he undid his pants, thrusting them down to the floor.

With his hands in her hair, he pressed Julie down to her knees on the floor.  The door to the break room was rattlin
g as someone tried the handle.

With a hand to her shoulder, Nick forced Julie
to bend at the waist over the break-room table.  As the door to the room rattled again, he swatted her bare ass hard with
his hand, causing her to jump.
She quickly put one of her own hands over her mouth to keep from crying out from the stinging it gave her.