Page 7 of Slipperless 3

“All right. Well, is it okay to go in and see her?”

The nurse answered in the affirmative but added I’d need to keep my visit as short as possible and keep my voice as close to a whisper as I could.

“Thank you,” I said, as I turned and began to walk towards the exam room.

“Of course, Mr. Hawkins.”

A few moments later, I eased the door to the room open. The hydraulic swing arm emitted a slow, persistent hiss. Cracking the door open just wide enough to fit inside, I walked through and closed it behind me as quickly as possible. Engulfed in near darkness, I turned towards the center of the room.

It took a moment for my vision to adjust, but when it did, I noticed the curves of Fiona’s figure as she lay on an exam table in the middle of the room. I walked towards her with a heel to toe motion, pressing the soles of my feet hard into the flooring to keep the sound to a minimum. After a half dozen steps or so, I stood over Fiona. Keeping the nurse’s admonition in mind about whispering, I started to speak with as soft a voice as I could.

“Fiona,” I began. “Are you able to talk to me?”

She shifted her body a bit as I finished speaking.

Under ordinary circumstances, the sound of her crinkling the thin paper covering the exam table would have hardly caught my attention. In the still quiet, however, it was noticeable. Fortunately, though, Fiona didn’t seem to be too bothered by it. With a slow roll, she turned her body in my direction. The harsh light of the hallway in the infirmary shone through a small window on the exam door. With her face half-concealed in shadow, Fiona looked at me through hazy blue eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Gabe. I-I don’t know what happened.”

“Well, according to the nurse, you experienced an acute migraine headache. She said it’s caused by stress.”

Fiona looked away from me. I sensed the regret she had over it. Even so, these things happened to people from time-to-time. Now wasn’t the time to wallow in it. We’d have to confront whatever it was that put her here and deal with it.

And in that instant, the perfect solution came to mind.

“Fiona,” I began, as I moved closer to her. “Look, I’ve got an idea. We’re going to take a few days off. Just you and me. I’ve got a standing reservation at a suite in a hotel and spa not far from here, about an hour’s drive. We’ll spend a few days there and unwind. You’ll be good as new, I promise.”

As much as she could, Fiona rolled her head back and forth on the pillow in disagreement.

“Thank you for the offer but I can’t afford to be gone from the lab, Gabe. Not right now.”

After a soft chuckle, I leaned against the bed. With a tender stroke, I swept the back of my hand across her forehead. I hadn’t been this close to her in a while and frankly, I missed it. There were any number of little things, of course, but mostly it was her voluptuous curves, perfectly kissable lips and the delicate fragrance of her perfume. As my fingers slid off her cheek, Fiona turned her head toward them, nuzzling her soft flesh against me.

“Fiona, I know what it’s like to work as hard as you have been, all right? I built this place from nothing, with my wits, my balls and a dream. Of all the people you know, I’m the one who relates to what you’re going through more than anyone else. And let me tell you, the body has a way of making choices the mind thinks are the wrong ones. Right now, what your body is telling you is that you need a break. There’s still a lot of work ahead, and now is not the time to be in a situation like this.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. So very sorry.”

“It’s okay, Fiona.”

She looked exhausted, utterly spent. In spite of her protests, I had the real sense she was on the verge of agreeing with me, so I moved in to close the deal.

“Look, this is my company and my investment. The simple fact is that I need you, Fiona. I need you healthy. I can reschedule things. There’s still enough time. You need this and I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

She hesitated for a moment. “Gabe, believe me, I would love to, but I’ve got some family responsibilities outside of the office. They can’t be helped.”

Of course she spoke about her grandmother. I decided to see if she’d make mention of it.

“Why can’t they be helped? Do you have to be the one to do it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you hire someone? You know, to do whatever needs to be done while you come with me?”

“Of course I could, Gabe. But I can’t afford it. Anyway, I-I’d rather not discuss it.”

“No problem,” I said with a nod. “I understand. How about this… I’ll reimburse you for hiring someone. Just think of it as part of the vacation.”

Shaking her head, Fiona began to speak. “No, Gabe, I can’t, I…”

But no sooner had she started than she emitted a shaky moan. Wincing, Fiona slid her fingers into her hair and fell silent.

“This won’t do, Fiona. Get your home situation handled or I’ll do it for you. One way or another, you’re coming with me.”

She remained still for several moments until, without moving, she replied with a whisper, “Okay.”

FIONA

As it was, I really had no alternative in the matter. When it was all said and done, it was Gabe’s company.

So I did as he asked and found an in-home nurse to stay with my grandmother while we were away for a few days. I told her it was a mandatory work retreat Gabe wanted to hold to last-minute prep with the team. Whether she believed me or not, I wasn’t certain, but she didn’t press me either, so I assumed I’d more or less convinced her.

As far as Gabe was concerned, even though I appreciated the gesture, I committed to keeping my guard up while we were away. Instead, I wanted to do my best to keep things cordial. I didn’t have the immediate sense that Gabe was taking me away for any other reason than what he told me, but I wasn’t absolutely certain either.

On a positive note, my migraine symptoms relented the day before our getaway, giving me a bit of a respite and hopefully an opportunity to get rid of some of the stress I’d been dealing with.

We rode along in the back of limousine with the windows down. I looked out into the distance, and with my arm extended, I made waves with my fingers, curling them up and down over distant trees and knolls. As the miles streaked away beneath the tires, I closed my eyes and exhaled the first deep breath I’d had in months. It was wonderful to be away from the grind of the lab and the relentless pressure of the Link Protocol presentation.

It wasn’t long afterward when Gabe spoke up to tell me about where we were going. I hadn’t asked. Knowing Gabe, I was certain it would be fabulous. All I had to do was relax and take it easy for a few days. Rolling my head in his direction, I opened my eyes with a slow blink. Gabe sat less than a foot from me. The warm breeze filled the backseat, causing his hair to swirl around his face as he looked at me.

As my eyes locked on his, I realized the idea of keeping my resolve was to be much harder than I planned. His tan jaw flexed, and as he began to tell me about the day’s activities, my tongue slid from between my lips. Lucky for me the air was dry, otherwise I would have no explanation for the lip licking gesture.

“You’ll love it, Fiona,” Gabe said with a quick wink. He paused for a moment and reclined into his seat. “Especially what we’re doing as soon as we arrive.”

“Mmm, can’t wait,” I said, as I smiled and rolled my head away from him, closing my eyes once more. A myriad of activities flashed in my consciousness. Mani-pedi, mud bath, hot stone massage… The list of pleasurable activities swelled as rapidly as my desire to kiss Gabe had moments earlier.

“Great. Hopefully you’ve never done it before. I’d love to be your first.”

Never done it before? Who hasn’t had a mani-pedi or a massage? After all, what else was there to do at a luxury spa and hotel? I tilted my head up and swiveled it in his direction. With one eye opened, I muttered, “Done what?”

Gabe winked.

Two hours later, a swirl of dust and dirt came up from behind us as Gabe hit the brakes on a Jeep we’d picked up as soon we’d arrived, bringing us to stop with a semi-slide. I waved at the cloud as it passed by, doing my best to keep the particles from flying up my nose. As I did, Gabe jumped out of the driver’s seat and headed around to the rear of the vehicle. In less than ten seconds he reappeared to my right, clutching a large knapsack.

“Come on,” he said with a smirk. “We walk from here.”

As grateful as I was to get away, so far this wasn’t looking like the kind of trip I had in mind. Images of pampering began to fade from my consciousness.

Unable to control myself, I exhaled and grumbled. “Really? Do we have to?”

Gabe scoffed. “What? Are you nuts? Don’t be ridiculous. Now come on. This will be worth it. Trust me.”

Gabe began to walk away, and the sound of dry leaves and trail scrub crunched beneath his feet. I was not a backwoods kind of girl. As I climbed out of the car, I cursed at myself. I didn’t want to come off as ungrateful, but at the same time, I was in no shape to hike for miles on end. Just then, I planted both feet on the ground and looked towards Gabe as he vanished into a thicket ahead. Looking up to the canopy above, I moaned and a moment later, I hurried after him.

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