Page 1 of Seduced By a Billionaire

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“Idon’t give two fucks what their excuse is, if those financial documents aren’t on my desk first thing tomorrow morning, I’ll proceed with filing a subpoena. Have I made myself perfectly clear Elenore?” Kyle Bennett said to his assistant while maneuvering through traffic.

“Yes sir.”

“Good. I’ll see you in the morning.” He disconnected abruptly, frustrated by the delay.

He pressed his foot down on the accelerator as he reached the open road, enjoying the sense of power afforded by the V8 engine of his Ferrari. He confidently rounded a sharp curve, his strong tanned hands relaxed on the steering wheel. He let his mind wander away from the heavy caseload of his law practice.Finn.As if he didn’t have enough on his plate to worry about, he had just received the nanny’s two-week notice yesterday.Dammit!His son had experienced enough change to last a lifetime. Now this.

“What the fuck!” A truck ran a stop sign and right into his path. He slammed on the brakes, but there was nothing there, no pressure—the pedal went all the way to the floor. Then the sound of scraping metal and shattering glass as his car was tossed in the air like a tin can. The last thing that flashed through Kyle Bennett’s mind was an image of his late wife holding their newborn son. Then his world went blank.

* * *

After securing her hair in a ponytail, Ella leaned down to tie her running shoes. Daisy pounced on the laces. Snagging one shoestring she rolled onto her side and hung on with claws extended, then used her back feet to make sure her prey didn’t escape. Apparently, she’d decided it was play time.

“Ow! You scratched me you little twit.” Daisy ignored her and bit the toe of her shoe. Ella tried extracting her foot from the cat’s nails and teeth, finally succeeding by plucking one claw off at a time. Foiled, Daisy flounced off.

Ella finished her warm-up, stretching out her hamstrings, quadriceps, and finally her calves. She strapped on a waist pack to carry her water and headed for the door. Glancing down at her watch, she called over her shoulder, “Guard the house killer.”

Daisy stared unblinkingly.

“Don’t then,” Ella responded.

The first quarter mile was torture; her legs felt like lead until she hit her comfortable stride. The scenic bike path that ran along the Atlantic shoreline was a few short minutes from her condo and she invariably headed there. She ran through a charming residential area with Cape Cod beach styled houses. It was a gorgeous sunny day; the sky was baby blue with white puffy clouds scattered across the horizon. Bonus… she pretty much had the trail to herself since it was a weekday and well before tourist season.

The sound of the waves crashing to the shore soothed the tension from her shoulders. The gulls squawked in flight and the smell of the sea assailed her nostrils as she watched pelicans dive bomb into the water. Her mouth curved into a smile. As she relaxed her thoughts began to wander. She had been feeling somewhat restless lately and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She didn’t think the problem stemmed from her job, although after six years working as a registered nurse, she thought she had pretty much seen it all. She worked in the ICU, which was never dull, requiring an analytic mind and quick thinking. Her inquisitive nature didn’t hurt either as she often had to problem-solve in tight spots.

She liked her colleagues for the most part, barring her supervisor, Deloris Henry, who had it in for Ella and tried to make her life miserable whenever an opportunity presented itself. Her co-worker Deb Richards had become her best friend and kept her sane. The doctors on staff were generally okay. A few had the God complex, but most were respectful and easy to get along with.

She acknowledged that this restlessness could be a sign that she was ready for some romance in her life.Whatever. If it happened, it happened. She was a bit attracted to Andy Thompson, one of the docs who’d been in pursuit, but she had sworn to herself she would never date a doctor again.

As she reached the halfway point of her run she pivoted and headed back the way she had come. Her ponytail bounced in rhythm with her footsteps and breath, by now all synchronized like a well-tuned instrument.

She made it back just in time to jump in the shower and dress quickly for work. With her hair still damp she did a French twist and secured it with a claw clip. She slipped on her Dansko clogs and raced out the door.

* * *

“It was a little hairy last night, but I feel more confident that Mr. Bennett’s going to pull through. His vitals are less erratic. Arrived by squad early last evening, they had to pry him out of the vehicle. One emergency surgery to repair a torn femoral artery in his right leg, another to set the broken bones. Internal bleeding was stemmed. Multiple contusions, three fractured ribs, all on the right side, compound fractures of his right Radius and Ulna bones, swollen left wrist, not fractured, probably a sprain. Mild concussion.”

“Is he communicative?”

“A few words, not really, he’s been pretty out of it. It took a long time for him to wake up from the anesthesia. The surgeons were concerned. He has been in and out of it since, but he is sedated.”

“Sounds like an exciting night. I’m sure you’re ready to get the hell out of here.”

“You’ve got that right. My bed has been calling to me for the last hour.”

“What else do I need to know about our patient?”

“Overall, I’d say he’s damn lucky to be alive. The guy in the other car came out relatively unscathed. It figures the one responsible gets a get out of jail free card. He was treated and released.”

“Do you know what happened then?”

“Yeah, unfortunately, our patient was driving a Ferrari convertible and it collided with a big-ass pickup truck that had run straight through the stop sign.”

Ella glanced through the notes on the computer screen as she responded, “No contest there,” Ella said. “Any family here for Mr. Bennett?”

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