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