His Hired Girlfriend Read online

  Perhaps it was for this very reason that his eyes were suddenly drawn to a young woman striding across the street. She was completely different from the others. She wore a bright blue coat that had seen better days, and her long, dark hair was a mess, streaming around her as she dashed across the street. She darted her way from person to person, passing through them like a trained soldier racing through a minefield. He noticed that she wasn’t wearing the high heels so liked by others. Instead she wore a pair of white sneakers that were a complete contrast to her black jeans. Jay had to shake his head. She had no sense of fashion whatsoever.

  “Done! You didn’t see that,” Pete said suddenly.

  Jay glanced at his friend and saw Peter slotting his BlackBerry back into his jeans pocket. As the traffic light changed to green and Pete’s foot pressed on the accelerator, Jay glanced at the girl in the blue coat. He noticed that she had slowed down her pace. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a cell phone. As she strolled toward a door, her head was down as though she was reading a message. Jay glanced up and saw the logo in blue, big bold letters – ANZ Bank. Perhaps she had trouble with money, he thought.

  Not long after that Jayden found himself in the Dunedin Public Hospital cafeteria, looking about his surrounding in astonishment. The atmosphere was as grey and dull as the faded wall paint, washed out carpet, and the smell of hospital food.

  Had he actually agreed with Pete to cancel their full week of fun extreme sports and to drive for most of a morning along the dangerous snow-covered, twisty roads from Queenstown for this? Looking at patients eating their lunch? If this was Peter’s idea of a joke then it was in very poor taste, Jay thought, as he watched an elderly patient sitting across the table from them trying to pick up a sandwich with wrinkled, liver-spotted hands that shook with the desperate determination of old age.

  “What the hell are we doing here?” he hissed. “I thought we were supposed to...you know...” He suddenly felt rather self-conscious. Even though he had dressed down, it now occurred to him that the people in here couldn’t care less what they or he looked like. Most were dressed in baggy clothing, but then again, Jay told himself, they were in a hospital. Who the hell cares what they look like when they are more worried about their health?

  “Looking for the perfect girlfriend for you,” Peter said enthusiastically.

  “Very funny,” Jay snapped, picked up his ham sandwich and took a bite. They were looking in the wrong place. No proper socialite chick, even one desperate enough to be hired for whatever reason, would be found in this type of place.

  Suddenly a large group of young doctors came into the cafeteria with trays of food and drinks in their hands. Some were wearing scrubs, while others, the younger ones, wore semi-formal clothing with stethoscopes hanging around their necks, and Jay noted that a few of the female doctors looked quite appealing.

  “Hey, I can tell you like the looks of this,” Peter said, his mouth full of food, as they watched the doctors taking their seats not far from them.

  “Is she a doctor?” Jay asked.

  Peter shook his head.

  “A nurse?” Jay watched a pack of young and old nurses wearing dark blue scrubs file into the cafeteria.

  Again Peter shook his head.

  “What does she do then? You said you know her,” Jay said, watching a pretty, young doctor heading their way.

  She looked very attractive – long legs in heels, medium brown hair that flowed down her back, full lips, and a bedroom eyes. Perfect!

  Peter nodded. “Of course I know her. She’s exactly what the criteria are not.’

  “What? But she’s perfect.” Jay watched the woman glide across him. Then she smiled at him. My God, he thought, she was beautiful. She could be a model if she wanted to; only she was a doctor, which was even better. She had brains and possibly a good family background. What about manners? He had no doubt that she had excellent manners because he couldn’t imagine her yelling and screaming insanely at her sick, elderly patients.

  Yup, she fits the criteria all right.

  “Really, that’s good. I’m glad you agree,” Peter said, eyeing the woman coming toward them. He waved and she approached the seat opposite them.

  “Hey, you,” she greeted. “I thought you were on holiday. What are you doing back here?”

  Jay liked the sound of her voice. It was soft and sweet.

  “Mary, this is Jayden, a friend of mine,” Peter introduced, nodding toward Jay, who rose and offered his hand.

  “Hi,” Mary said, “I’m Pete’s cousin. I’m a trainee intern.”

  Jay liked her hand, too, that was still in his. It was soft and yet he could sense both gentleness and strength in it.

  “So how is your holiday going?” she asked, “You’re not back before you’re due, right?”

  Peter shook his head, “Not for another week.”

  She nodded prettily and turned to Jayden with a sparkle in her eyes. “So where are you from?”

  “The States,” Jayden replied promptly.

  “I like your accent.” She laughed delicately, brushing her hair over one shoulder. “So what brings you to New Zealand?”

  “Just a holiday.”

  “Having fun so far?” She leaned toward him across the table. Then beep, beep, beep... she glanced down. “Oh damn, my pager. Excuse me for a sec,” she got up and hurried to the phone on the far side of the room.

  “She fits some of the criteria so far,” Jay commented, watching Mary. He saw her eyeing him as she was talking into the phone and jotting down notes.

  “How do you know when you haven’t met her yet?” Peter asked, sipping his coffee.

  Jayden glanced at his friend, frowning in confusion as he brought the cup of hot coffee to his lips. “Mary?”

  “Nope, not Mary...Her,” Peter nodded toward the far entrance of the cafeteria.

  Jayden glanced in that direction and his eyes widened in shock. His breath caught at the back of his throat and he started spluttering, hot liquid burning his tongue.

  “Hey, are you all right?” Pete asked.

  “Yeah,” Jay muttered, wiping his mouth with the napkin. He glanced up and watched intensely, his frown darkening into a scowl. This female, the girl in the blue coat he had seen in the street – the girl who was walking toward them now with a satchel over her small shoulder and a cup of tea in one hand – was nothing like what he had expected. She didn’t fit the criteria. Period!

  So let us do the check list then, he thought. She was average height. He estimated her no more than five feet and four inches – if she was lucky. She was not pretty. In fact she was very plain. She was also a mess. Those old jeans that had seen better days did not look like they fit her properly at all. Her baggy jersey was an odd, dull grey colour didn’t exactly enhance her skin tone either. It made her face look pale and ghostly. Her long, dark hair was a mess and hung forward in long bangs that hid her eyes.

  As she was walking toward them, Jay couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked nervous, like a shoplifter leaving a store knowing she might get stopped at any moment.

  She glanced at them, gave Peter a fleeting smile, and rushed past.

  “What do you think?” Peter asked.

  “Not her,” Jay felt his gut retching with dread, “please tell me it’s not her.”

  “It’s her,” Peter chuckled. “Once your family sees her, they will leave you alone.”

  “How do you know that for sure?” Jay growled.

  “Because they will give up. If you show them that she is the type of girl you are in love with and, mate, I know you are not at the moment, they will give up in the end and leave you alone.” Peter smiled smugly, crossing his arm across his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

  Mary finished her phone call and joined them.

  “You look busy,” Peter said.

  “I am,” Mary replied, “every patient in ED seems to have pneumonia. Then there are those with colds and flu. Can’t
they just go to their GP?” She turned to Jayden who had suddenly gone very quiet and had a trance-like look on his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Huh? Oh, I’m fine.” Jay sounded much like a deflated balloon.

  “Hey, we should go out Saturday night,” Mary suggested, eyeing Jayden. “Dinner, a movie, a quiet drink and then...’

  Jay raised his eyebrows. Peter cleared his throat and nodded. “How about inviting the others along too? It’ll be fun.”

  Mary frowned at Peter who simply shrugged his shoulders and tried on an expression of innocence – which failed.

  *****

  CHAPTER 2

  THOUGH HER EYES were on her book, Alexandra Stewart, known simply as Alex to close friends and relatives, knew Mr. Hot-Choc was still watching her. Odd that he had switched seats and was now facing in her direction. Perhaps he wanted to sit next to Mary St. Clair, which would not have surprised her at all. Her ex-classmate from high school was very popular with everyone, and her catwalk figure, dark brown curls and bright blue eyes stole the tongue right out of the mouths of the boys. Couple this with a very rich family and high intelligence, which had inevitably led to her current position as a medical student, and you could have said she was perfect, almost. If only if she didn’t act like such a bitch, thinking everyone was beneath her and that no one else was as deserving of her perfect life.

  Alex could never behave like Mary. No way hosay! She would rather hide in a closet or do dishes than flirt with a guy. In her world she felt she wasn’t pretty enough to have the confidence that seemed to exude from Mary.

  And now Mary looked to be really hitting on Mr. Hot-Choc. Again she wasn’t surprised. The man was a hunk, tall and trim, blonde hair and blue-eyed. She was sure she had never seen him around Dunedin. He had walked around the long table with that loose limbed grace usually only seen in big cats. A true-bred alpha male, he had that powerful aura about him that fairly screamed - Don’t challenge me or I’ll eat you for breakfast’.

  Why was he watching her with such intensity though? Who was he? Why was he sitting with Peter and Mary? Were they friends? And why had she decided to name him Mr. Hot-Choc? Because he was damn hot and at the moment she was craving for a cup of hot chocolate that was why. Only she couldn’t afford one right now. Her budget was very tight, every cent supporting the family.

  She bit her lip and tried to concentrate on her novel. Hercules Poirot uncovered the murderer, the motive was laid bare, and all from brilliant deduction of seemingly insignificant facts. She couldn’t figure out how, and now her mind, without warning, flipped to her dad, Jacob Stewart.

  How long could he wait for a heart to be available?

  His condition was getting worse. He needed a new heart and fast, as Peter, the cardiologist and long-time family friend, had told her. Finding a donor, however, was very difficult. There was the option of going to a private hospital. Alex knew there was no way they could afford that. There were the costs of flights to Auckland, the accommodation, the surgery, and of course the heart itself, but they were desperate, and her mother, Maly Stewart, had been willing to apply for a personal bank loan just so Dad could get his surgery done more quickly. Unfortunately, as Alex had found out only half an hour ago, the bank had rejected the application. The risk of non-payment set against her modest income as a lab scientist and the mortgage on the family home had been too much. On top of that she had her student loan and the family living costs. Then there was Timothy and Emma, her younger siblings. Tim was just about to finish his high school and a university place was on the horizon. Emma still had a couple of years to go, but...well, the expense just kept on climbing.

  She ground her teeth. It was one thing after another. The company Dad had worked for had closed the Dunedin factory and moved it overseas, chasing cheap labour in their quest to worship the almighty dollar. They had told Jacob that his services were no longer required. What a bitter day that had been! And Dad had gone into overdrive trying to find another job, any job that would let him provide for his family. It was the stress that had led to his sudden massive heart failure six months ago, and it was a miracle that he had survived. Alex had hoped that he had taken health insurance, but a frantic search of his papers as the ambulance sped him to the hospital had revealed nothing. Too late now, she thought, but her mind wasn’t in the mood for staying on one subject today. She remembered the text message she had received from Peter. She took out her cell phone and read the message again.

  Happy Bday, Alex. Bck frm Qtwn. Catch up? Coffee?

  I hve a frnd u shuld meet. He can hlp u & yr dad. C ya soon :P

  A grin crept across her face. Peter always remembered her birthday, and his gifts were usually thoughtful, but lately he had been trying to find her a guy, which was really annoying. It had started innocently enough with some simple suggestions, until last year, when he had arranged a blind date for her. The guy, Andrew something or other, had seemed pleasant enough to begin with, although the evening had been awkward. Then, as the hour grew late he had made a quite inappropriate move on her and she had slapped his face and left. When she told Peter about the incident he had ended his own short friendship with the man.

  She knew Peter meant well, but she simply didn’t have the time for a boyfriend. She had far more important things to think about right now, and what exactly had he meant about a friend who could help with her dad? Help with the cost of the surgery perhaps? She felt hope rise in her at the mere thought of it.

  The light trill of a woman’s laughter drew her attention. Mary was giggling away loudly and enthusiastically, leaning ever closer to Mr. Hot-Choc, and Alex couldn’t help but admire the way he was handling the situation. Mary was an outrageous flirt, confident that the men around her would be enchanted, but he seemed not to be affected at all. In fact it looked as if he were playing the game and playing it well, in full control of the situation.

  Suddenly he glanced her way and caught her. She looked away, her heart pounding and her cheeks hot and flushed with guilt. She pretended to be interested in her phone but she felt his amusement from across the room. The urge to be somewhere else, anywhere else, was strong, but not as strong as her curiosity about this extraordinarily handsome man. Then a thought struck her and she started texting.

  Hey, Pete, sorry didn’t join u cos u hve frnds.

  Coffee sunds good. Sunday? 2:30? SAN Cafe?

  A push of a button and the message was on its way. She peeped up and saw Peter checking his BlackBerry. A second later he turned round to face her with a big grin, waved and nodded. Mr. Hot-Choc was watching her with interest, the gentlest of smiles playing with his lips. She was about to smile back when she noticed Mary’s hateful glare. The message was clear – ‘piss off - he’s mine!’ Alex reddened again and dived for cover into the musings of the great Monsieur Poirot.

  Ten minutes later she glanced up as Peter, Mr. Hot-Choc, and Mary left their seats and headed toward the exit. Well, she supposed she should get going, too. Back to work for her. She tidied up, wrapped the satchel over her shoulder, and picked up her half empty cup of cold tea. She was deep in thought, her eyes seeing only the threadbare carpet as she headed toward the conveyer. What happened next was a bit of a blur. She was aware of cold tea seeping quickly through her jersey and chilling her skin. She felt strong hands holding her as she tottered. She looked up straight into his clear blue eyes as he pulled her upright and almost into an embrace. Warmth and strength seemed to flow from him in an intoxicating mixture.

  She heard a voice, his voice, saying, “Are you all right?” and it was low and deep and wonderful, full of rich tones and soothing, like the calmness of a great sea gently tasting the pebbles on the shore. She took a deep breath and was overcome with the scents of fresh spices floating on a spring breeze.

  Snapping back to reality she stared in disbelief at the cold tea that had somehow transferred itself from her old jersey onto his expensive looking jacket.

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I
’m sure it will wash out,” she apologised as her hands were busy dabbing at his jacket. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, glancing up at him.

  It’s him! It’s Mr. Hot-Choc!

  She spiralled away into the fathomless depths of his cobalt blue eyes. The colour reminded her of those lovely summer days years ago at the farm where she had worked as fruit picker. The sky had been huge and the air had hummed with the busy sounds of insects. Suddenly she could smell the sweetness of ripe strawberries. She didn’t know where it was coming from but it was there. She remembered the feel of the long, soft grasses and the cool sprinkling of water against her skin, and she missed those wonderful, simple things that had made her feel so carefree.

  The intensity of his gaze disturbed her from her reverie, and she blushed as she lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry. It was my fault. Let me get something to clean it off.” She picked up the empty cup from the floor and put it on the food conveyer belt. Then she grabbed a handful of napkins from a nearby table and started to pat his jacket dry.

  Jayden watched her for a moment.

  ‘That’s okay,’ he said and took hold of her hands again, softly but with insistence. The contact made her nerves jump, and excitement coursed through her body. It was a touch filled with such intimacy and promise.

  “It’ll wash out.” He noticed her discomfort and let go of her hands.

  “I’m truly sorry,” she said, realising that he had an accent – an American one. So Mr. Hot-Choc was not a Kiwi. He must be a tourist then. No wonder he stood out so much. “I’m not usually this clumsy.” She glanced up and saw him raise an eyebrow. “There. It’s kind of dry now.”