Ten years later
Eliza
The elevator doors open, and I stride out into the grand foyer of the top floor of Nathan's building. "Hello." I smile at the two receptionists.
"Hi," replies Maria.
"Oh, Eliza, hi. You must have a sixth sense, I was just thinking about you," the blonde receptionist says, looking me up and down. "Wow, you look lovely today."
I dust my skirt as I look down at myself. I'm wearing a fitted black pencil skirt and a cream silk blouse, along with high heels and sheer black stockings. My long, dark hair is in a ponytail. "Thanks. I have a job interview this afternoon with Dr. Morgan, the cosmetic surgeon. I'm making Nathan come with me."
She frowns. "I thought you were happy nursing at the hospital."
"I am, and I will always go back to that at some stage, but I just feel like I need a change at the moment. Besides, I'm not leaving the industry completely. It's still in the medical field, just in a swanky office instead of the hospital."
"Civilian." Maria smiles as she looks me up and down. "Well, you look fabulous, and maybe you can get me a discounted facelift."
I giggle. "I have to get the job first."
"Have you got time to quickly go through Nathan's schedule with me?"
"Yes, of course."
I walk around to behind her desk so I can see the calendar on her computer.
She begins to click through the days, "So you have a charity dinner on Wednesday night. Do you want me to book a car ride home?"
"Where is it?"
"Here in town, at the Fine Arts Museum."
"Hmm, yes, a car would be great, please."
"Okay." She ticks the first thing off on her list. "You have Nathan's father's sixtieth birthday in two weeks. I've booked the flights and transfers. You leave that Friday night and get back on Sunday at 9:00 p. m."
"Okay." I sigh.
She smiles, adding in a naughty wink as if she's reading my mind.
Nathan's parents live in Vermont; it's a trek. "I knew it was coming up, I just didn't realize how quickly. Okay, great." I fake a smile.
"Now, I haven't got his father a birthday present," she continues, "because I know you like to do all those kind of personal things, but let me know if you want me to get something. I can pick it up tomorrow."
"I'll get it, but thank you." I smile as I rub her shoulders. "What would we do without you?"
Maria smirks as she ticks the second thing off her list. "Let's be honest, you have to approve everything anyway, so I really work for you. I'm actually your PA, not Nathan's."
I chuckle. "This is true."
She goes back to her list. "Ahh, now on the 27th, which is a Monday, in six weeks, Nathan has a breakfast meeting in New York at 8:00 a. m. Shall I book him on a Sunday flight, or would you prefer to have you both on the Friday night flight? He isn't in surgery until the Wednesday the following week so you could make a weekend of it."
"Umm." I screw my face up as I think. "I'll have to try and get the Monday off work but if I get this new job, I'm not sure I can."
"Well, you know he won't go for the entire weekend without you."
"That's fine. I'll take the day off, and if I can't, he'll have to go alone."
Maria ticks her list. "Okay, so I'll book your usual hotel for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, which will be the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth?"
"Great. Don't book the flights yet, though. I'll have to get back to you on whether I can go or not."
The intercom comes to life on Haley's desk. She's the other receptionist. "Haley?" Nathan's strong voice snaps through the speaker.
"Yes, Doctor?" She replies timidly.
"Where is the report from Dominque? I asked you to email me it on Monday. I'm looking for it and it's not here."
Haley cringes before she pushes the talk button down. "I'm sorry, I haven't sent it through yet. I'll do that now."
He exhales heavily, and Maria and I wince, knowing what's coming.
"Haley…" he barks.
"Yes, sir?"
"I cannot do my job unless you do yours. When I ask you to do something, I want it done immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"Have you sent it yet?"
"Doing it now."
The line goes dead as he hangs up.
Maria smirks and goes back to her list. "Charming, isn't he?"
I smile with a roll of my eyes.
Nathan Mercer is unapologetically the most impatient man on Earth, and understandably so. He expects excellence from everyone because that's what he gives.
He's a cardiovascular surgeon… but not just any cardiovascular surgeon. He's the man who prototyped and patented a new kind of bionic heart: The Viso 220. Five years ago, he had a patient who didn't fit the regular requirements, and Nathan knew how he could fix it. After much deliberation, he used his entire life savings and developed a heart for her.
It saved her life, and it made him a medical rock star.
He now has a factory in Germany that manufactures them and ships all over the world. I'm so proud of him. At the time, when he poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into making the prototype, everyone tried to talk him out of it. They thought he was insane to use his own money on developing a product that had no guarantees. But Nathan had a clear vision of what he could develop, and he did it-he's saved thousands of lives, and in the process he made himself a very wealthy man.
He's handsome, strong, silent, deep… and I won the best friend lottery when we met ten years ago.
We're partners, him and me. Not sexually, of course, but we practically live together, rely on each other and are trusted friends.
"Maria!" his voice blares through the intercom again.
"Yes, Doctor?"
"When Eliza arrives, send her straight in."
Marias eyes flicker to me. "Go away," I mouth to the intercom.
"Yes, Doctor."
Haley and Maria giggle. "Are we done?" I ask.
"He's all yours."
"Thanks… I guess."
I walk down the corridor to his office to find him swinging on his chair as he looks at scans on an x-ray box.
"Hi." I drop my bag onto his couch.
He turns and gives me a broad smile. "There she is."
"Do you always have to be such a grouch with your receptionists? It's embarrassing to listen to."
"Then don't listen." He looks me up and down, and then raises an eyebrow.
"What?" I ask.
"You look a bit sexy for an interview, don't you think? Are you trying to get the job or trying to get laid?"
I roll my eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."
He stands and comes toward me. Grabbing my shoulders, he turns me away from him and inspects me up and down.
"You like?" I smirk and give a little wiggle of my hips, knowing he's about to lecture me.
He exhales heavily, turns me toward him, and he fastens my top button. "I'm not sure about this job." He mutters, distracted, as he does another of my buttons up. "Why would you want to work for Dr. Morgan when you could manage my office?"
Here we go again.
"You could manage Berlin from here. I could get you a nice office in San Fran."
"Nathan." I sigh. "Will you stop? I am not working for my best friend. We've had this conversation before; it would be weird."
He goes back to his desk and sits down with a huff. "What's weird is that you don't want to work for me." He yanks an x-ray out of the light box. "Do you know how many people would snap up an opportunity like this?"
I place my hands on my hips. "If I worked for you, we would fight every day."
"Why?" He snaps incredulously.
"Because you're a grumpy ass, and I wouldn't put up with it." I undo my top button.
He glares at me. "Do that button back up or I'm not fucking taking you anywhere."
I giggle and do as he says. I'll undo it in the elevator at the interview, it isn't worth the argument with Nathan right now. "You ready to go?" I ask.
"Yes." He closes down his computer. "What am I supposed to do while you are in this interview?"
"Have a drink in a bar and google somewhere new to take me for dinner."
He rolls his eyes as he stands and walks toward me. "I'm not your personal assistant, Eliza."
I smile up at my handsome friend. His hair hangs over his forehead, and his big blue eyes hold mine. He's too good-looking to be this intelligent. He should be a model on the cover of a magazine. I rearrange his tie, and I smile because I know I'm the only person who gets to boss him around. To the rest of the world he's a bastard, but to me he's a big pussy cat.
"Yes, you are." I rise onto my tippy toes and kiss his cheek. "And you know it."
He smirks and holds out his arm and I link it with mine.
"Let's go."