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“Relax, it’s me.” He bent and kissed her lips. “I left a bagel and cream cheese for you on the counter, and here’s coffee.”
She raised the cover all the way to her neck in a prudish move that made him smile.
“Oh my God, coffee in bed for me. That’s a first. Thank you. You’re so sweet.”
“I have to go to work. Don’t forget the staff meeting.”
She reached for her phone. “Already seven-thirty? Okay, I’ll be there on time. Rafael, we’re not supposed to have met, right?”
“Right. The CEO will introduce us, and I’ll shake your hand formally.”
She giggled. “So funny.”
Damn, she was way too attractive with her innocent, blue eyes and her hair mussed over the pillow, and under the cover, all naked and ready for another round of passion. Part of his anatomy hardened. Oh damn, he winced and spun toward the door. “See you later, babe.”
He left in a rush and drove to SAMF. The CEO Andy Williams caught him when he stepped into the lobby of the building housing the offices. “Morning, Rafael. I have good news for you. We hired a replacement for Martha who handed in her resignation.”
Rafael walked into the CEO’s office and settled across from his desk. “Oh yeah, another one who’ll waste my time training her, and then hardly last three to six months on the job.”
“No, this one looks very good. An ER nurse who has a pilot’s license, excellent references, and is ready to start right away.” Andy opened a folder.
“Great. I hope she’ll stay. Did you make her an interesting offer to keep her loyal to the company?”
“Huh… a beginner salary. We’ll increase it as she proves herself.”
“Show me.” He snatched the folder out of Andy’s hands and perused the files. Jerks! They were planning to take advantage of a needy person who didn’t have the guts to bargain for more money and benefits. “You must be kidding. If that’s all she’s worth to you, I’m not wasting my time on her.”
“She didn’t complain. Be reasonable, man.”
“No. You be reasonable. If you take advantage of her now, she’ll take advantage of us in a few months. And that’s a no-no for me.” He scratched out the dollar amount and wrote in a new one twenty percent higher, then studied the benefits and changed them to four weeks’ vacation, the same as his, left the insurance coverage unchanged, and added the use of a company cell phone. “Here, if you want me to train her to be a good flight nurse.”
Andy huffed at the changes. “No way, man. You gave her a higher rate than Martha. We’ll see if HR will approve.”
“HR always approves the CEO’s decision, especially if it’s to the employee’s benefit. Call them and tell them to correct the official contract.”
“Okay, okay, I’m calling.”
“Here is your Nurse Chief Officer.”
Barbara Concetti knocked and entered, her chin high, more arrogant than if she owned the company. “Captain Lopez, I’ve chosen a great nurse for you. If you upset this one, I’ll throw you out myself.”
“Good morning, sweet Barb.” He laughed and hugged her. “As amiable as always.”
“Don’t try your charm on me. It’s never worked.”
“I’ll take you up for a ride,” he joked.
“And I’ll make sure to give you all your vaccines myself.” She knew he hated injections as much as she hated flying. “Seriously Rafael, this new nurse is one of a kind. They loved her at St. Jude’s and hated to see her go. Andy, I hope you gave her a competitive salary?”
“Huh. I already discussed that subject with the captain,” he grumbled. “We should be heading to the conference room. Our HR officer and the three other pilots should be on their way.” Andy paused by the administrative assistant on his way out. “Louisa, when Arianna Garcia arrives, bring her to the conference room.”
Fifteen minutes later, Louisa called Andy, announcing she was bringing Ms. Garcia. When Arianna entered, stunning in black pants and a white sleeveless shirt, her hair pulled back on the top of her head with a clip and floating on her shoulders, the blue of her eyes highlighted with a shadow of makeup, the men stood, grinned, and took a step toward her.
Barbara handled the introductions. “Good morning Arianna. You’ve already met Andy Williams, our CEO, and Jack Lars, HR officer. Here are the company pilots, Liam Albert, Mike Barrett, Steve Carlson, and Rafael Lopez. Gentlemen, I’m pleased to introduce Arianna Garcia, an ER nurse, coming from St. Jude’s to be our next flight nurse. She’ll replace Martha and work with Rafael to start.”
The pilots shook hands with Arianna, and she bewitched them with a radiant smile. She didn’t need much effort to have them eating out of her pretty hand. An annoying feeling gnawed at Rafael. He should warn her not to be too friendly with the SAMF pilots, all handsome fellows and easy-talking jerks.
Barbara sat Arianna between her and the CEO. “Jack has a revised contract for you to sign.” They passed over a sheet of paper for her to read. Rafael noticed her frown and blink as she read and noticed the changes.
