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“I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable returning with Dr. Martin so willing to break the law just to take my position,” Noah says. “Had he not interfered, there would never have been any issues to begin with.” Noah looks the head of the board right in the eye. “Besides, since you neverofficiallytook a stance against alphas during your hiring procedures, there aren’tofficiallygrounds to let me go over it, are there?”
“But your resignation—”
“I believe I was offered a significant pay increase should I choose to stay,” Noah says cheerfully. “I haven’t given my official answer on that, have I? I’d like to accept the terms.”
All four board members look shocked, their mouths hanging open as they realize we’ve backed them into a corner.
“We’d also like to officially disclose our relationship,” I add.
The woman looks confused. “But you said—”
“Oh, we aren’t mated,” I assure her.
Noah clears his throat. “Not yet.”
My mouth falls open as I look at him, a giddy sensation bubbling in my chest. His eyes are warm, too warm for the situation, and I have to bite back a grin as I return my attention to the board. “And we would also like to officially call for Dr. Martin’stermination. That is, if you want to avoid us taking legal measures for the multiple offenses he’s committed.”
The oldest board member leans into the woman sitting next to him, both of them looking nervous as they whisper rapidly to each other before turning to repeat the same song and dance with the other members seated around the table. As they deliberate quietly, Noah doesn’t let go of my hand, keeping a tight hold on it to remind me that he’s here—that no matter what happens, we’re in this together.
It’s a new feeling for me, but one I find I don’t dislike.
“Dr. Taylor,” the old board member finally calls, sounding weary. “In light of these new findings, I think it’s safe to say that you can resume work starting next week. We would like to officially apologize for making you feel as if you would be unwelcome on our staff because of your designation. It is not in this board’s interest to dally in exclusion of any kind. Especially not with someone as gifted as yourself.”
I feel myself beaming, victory surging through me. “And Dr. Martin?”
“Right,” the older woman says. She gestures for the secretary taking minutes at the end of the table. “Patricia, could you please page Dr. Martin? It seems we have a lot to discuss.”
“We’ll be sure to forward an official transcription of this meeting for both of your records upon completion,” a middle-aged, balding member says. “And again, our deepest apologies.”
“No apologies necessary,” Noah tells them, sounding sincere. He looks down at me. “It ended up being worth it.”
Noah Taylor? Being cheesy? Next thing I know, the sky will start falling.
He pulls me out of the boardroom after we say our good-byes,neither of us saying anything further until we’re down the hall and far out of earshot. I squeal when he suddenly turns and lifts me from the ground, pulling me up and against his body before covering my mouth with his for a searing kiss. He holds me there for far longer than is appropriate, given where we are, but I can’t find it in me to care, just enjoying the warmth of his arms and his kiss and everything else.
I fall back down to the floor slowly, my body sliding against his until my toes touch the linoleum before my feet fall flat. He’s beaming at me like I’m some sort of present, and I find it infectious, my mouth mirroring the motion.
“I can’t believe we pulled that off,” I laugh.
Noah shrugs. “You mention lawsuits to these people, and they’ll just about piss their pants.”
“Probably should have been ourfirstcourse of action,” I say with faux irritation.
Noah chuckles. “Turns out I’m not as smart as I thought.”
“That’s okay,” I deadpan. “I’ll be sure to teach you a thing or two.”
“Perfect,” he says with a grin.
We don’t hear the footsteps over our own chatter, so it’s a mild surprise when we hear his grating voice.
“Well, if it isn’t the lovebirds,” Dennis calls. “Funny seeing you here. You decided that your job wasn’t worth it, after all?”
I feel Noah tense beside me, but I press a hand to his chest, smiling at Dennis sweetly. “Actually, we just had a long talk with the board about something a lot worse than lying on a relationship disclosure form. Didn’t we, Noah?”
“That’s right.” Noah nods stiffly. “Turns out, they’re much more interested in things like extortion and HIPAA violations.” He clickshis tongue. “Doesn’t look too good for the hospital when one of their staff is messing around with things like that.”
The color draining from Dennis’s face is beyond satisfying, and it’s clear by his expression that he hadn’t considered this possibility in the slightest. Hereallythought he’d won, that he’d pulled a fast one on us, and that in itself makes me want to kick him between the legs. I decide the complete ruining of his career will be much better.
