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Moments later, Sam set the heated plates in front of them. “Eat something, Maddie. Do you want more coffee?”
She shook her head. “Maybe in a while.”
He stood looking down at her for a moment before he started to finger her hair. He tugged at the elastic from his condom, a loud, masculine laugh escaping his mouth before he commented, “Very creative, Sunshine.”
She looked up at him smugly. “I thought so. Glad you were an extra-large or it might not have been big enough to hold all my hair back.”
“There are other advantages to that,” he answered lightly as he seated himself.
She wasn’t touching that comment. Watching him as he shoveled in his eggs, bacon, and potatoes ravenously, while still looking immaculate, Maddie never would have known that he had just given her the most incredible orgasm of her life with nothing more than his talented fingers and mouth.
She shuddered, picking up her fork with fingers that were slightly shaky. Starting slowly due to her lack of interest in food at the moment, she picked up speed, cleaning her plate quickly. “God, that was delicious. I didn’t know you could cook.”
He shot her a wicked grin. “You never asked. And I didn’t have much to work with when we were together. Mom tried to teach both Simon and me to cook. My lessons stuck and I learned to enjoy it. Simon’s never did.”
He’d really only had a hot plate because his stove didn’t work in his small apartment back then. Still, he was pretty talented. It was the best breakfast she’d had in a while, even reheated. “Kara’s terrified to let Simon into the kitchen.” Maddie smiled, remembering two episodes where Simon had tried to cook. Both had been a nightmare, one episode triggering the fire alarms because of the smoke.
Sam dropped his fork and napkin onto the empty plate and picked up his coffee. “It’s strange, because Simon’s always been the creative one.”
Maddie gaped at him as she picked up her mug. “That’s not true. You’re brilliant.” Yeah, Sam might be a dog with women, but he was an incredible businessman. She’d followed the growth of his company, although she would never admit it. Sam had taken the business of developing Simon’s computer games to a whole new level, and then proceeded to expand Hudson into commercial real estate and other ventures, making it one of the most diversified and powerful corporations in the world. Simon still headed the computer game development portion, but Sam was responsible for much of their billionaire status with the other ventures.
Sam shrugged. “I was just the go-to guy. Simon was the brains behind the company.”
“You really think that? I know he did the initial designs, but who sold them, marketed them, who invested and started the other ventures? He may be the brilliant game developer, but you’re the genius in business. It took both to make the company.”
Sam took a slug of his coffee and lowered the mug to the table, shooting her an amused glance. “Madeline, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were throwing me a compliment.”
Rolling her eyes, she got up and picked up the plates, rinsing them before putting them into the dishwasher. “I tell the truth as I see it. I may not like you for the most part, but I can’t deny that you’re successful.”Ridiculously so!
Sam helped her load the remaining dishes. He refilled their coffee and set the mugs on the table. “We need to talk, Maddie.”
“Actually, I need to get home. I need to get dressed and be back for the rehearsal,” she told him lightly, not wanting to hear whatever he had to say. His tone was too serious, too much like the Sam she used to know, and it made her weak with longing, yearning for something that could never happen again.
“You have clothes here. Sit,” he grumbled, his expression implacable.
Instead of sitting, she grabbed the coffee mug and took a sip, eyeing him cautiously. “Just tell me whatever you have to tell me. You have no say in my life and what I do, but I’ll listen. Then I need to go.” It seemed like the fastest way to get away from him. And she needed to remove herself from the presence of the hottest man she had ever known. Immediately.
“You aren’t going anywhere today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that,” he growled, taking her coffee mug from her hand and sitting it back on the table. “You’re taking some time off while you consider my proposition.”
Crossing her arms in front of her, she mumbled, “And what is that?”
“I want you to leave your job at the hospital and work full-time at the clinic. As a paid physician. I’ll start your salary at a half million a year and you can do all of your work in the daytime there. I want you out of there before dark and you can’t work more than five days a week. It will give you more time there without the stress of having to juggle two jobs.” He shot her an irritable look.
“It’s a free clinic. I can’t take a salary,” she answered, perplexed.
“It’s run on donations. I can up my donations and pay your salary myself. I have a lot of contacts who would be more than willing to help you back the clinic. All I have to do is call them.” He raised an eyebrow, as though daring her to tell him differently.
Obviously, he did have contacts, other rich businessmen who could help fully fund her clinic.Oh, God. What would it be like to be able to be at the clinic every day, a place where she could really make a difference in people’s lives? She liked her job at the hospital and it was fulfilling to take care of patients there, but it wasn’t the same as helping people who couldn’t afford healthcare. And there were plenty of other doctors who would take her job at the hospital. The clinic…umm…not so much.
“I’m not worth that much money. I’m just a family practice doctor. I don’t earn that kind of salary.” Seriously, was she really considering his offer? Shit! He was dangling a carrot that she almost couldn’t refuse to take.
It’s Sam Hudson, Maddie. Be careful.
Thing was, she didn’t reallywantto be careful. She wanted to grab this opportunity. “What’s the catch?” she asked cautiously. “There’s nothing in it for you except a bigger tax deduction if you take it on as a charitable organization. Why put yourself to this much trouble for my clinic?”
“I get to know you’re safe every day and out of the clinic before dark. I’ll know you’re sleeping, eating.” He shrugged. “The conditions are firm. No working after dark and no more than five days a week.”
He was manipulating her, and she didn’t like it. However, it was hard not to accept when it was something she had always wanted. “Lower my salary. I’d rather use it to pay some full-time staff. I just need enough to pay my student loans and mortgage plus some other minor expenses.”