Page 6 of BillionHeir

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Maxwell

“You expect me to drink this swill?”

“Your diet plan was specifically designed for you and your needs, sir. Doctor’s orders” the timid night nurse says after bringing me my breakfast tray.

I narrow my eyes on her and watch as she wilts under my stare. “Well, then call the doctor and tell him he is fired. I am not eating this shit.”

I want to wipe the tray off the table with my arm, but that seems childish.

“I can’t—”

“I know you can’t, Ms. Davis,” I practically shout at the woman. None of this is her fault, but after two nights at Sanctuary Springs, my patience has worn thinner than ever. “Get out.”

The poor girl goes scurrying out of the room just as Ethan is walking in.

“Please tell me you are getting me out of here.”

“Good morning to you, too, Mr. Banks.”

“I told you to call me Max. When do I leave?”

“Well, there is the small issue of having no one to care for you when you get home,” he says, looking uncomfortable.

“What happened with the nurse?”

“You mean Chloe?” he asks, being purposely obtuse for reasons unknown to me.

“Of course that is who I mean. What did she say?”

“No.”

“No?” I ask incredulously.

“From what I understand, you are too difficult.”

“Difficult?” I nearly bellow.

Ethan arches an eyebrow at me but stays silent while I seethe.

I thought for sure this little plan of mine would work.

I knew the nurse looked familiar, but it took a few hours for me to remember how I knew her.

Once it dawned on me that she was the woman I met when I ran into Jackson and Jenna in Boston last year, I worked out the perfect plan.

Only, she doesn’t seem to agree. That is okay. She will come around. They always do.

“Offer her more money,” I demand.

“Are you sure? I am certain we could find another nurse for you.”

“I want her.”

“Why?” Ethan asks, his curiosity clearly piqued.

Why indeed.

I haven’t quite figured it out myself. All I know is that there is something about her that intrigues me.

“Just do it,” I command, unwilling to answer the question for him or myself.

“Okay, I will try again tonight when her shift is over. But she was quite emphatic about her decision, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Why wait? She is here right now, isn’t she?”

“She is working, Max. I am not going to poach her while she is on the clock.”

“Well, then send her in here, and I will do it myself.”

Ethan takes a deep breath and gives me an exasperated look. I know I am being difficult, maybe more difficult than usual, but I can’t stay in this place any longer or I am going to lose my mind .

“As you wish. I have to get to the office. I will be back this evening to check in with you.”

I nod and watch as he walks out, resigning myself to at least one more day in this hellhole.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t bored out of my mind.

I have slept about all I can sleep and watched more television than any person should.

I had an hour of physical therapy where I learned just how bad my injuries actually were, and just how hard I am going to need to work to get back to normal. But even that was mundane at best.

I am under strict doctor's orders not to work right now. I tried getting Ethan to bring me my laptop from home, but he won’t budge.

I could send someone else from my company to pick it up, but Ethan would inevitably find out and thwart my plan.

Probably disable the device remotely. I am supposed to be under as little stress as possible, but I am pretty sure the lack of stress is giving me anxiety.

I am used to a fast-paced world. One where I rise just before the sun every morning to get my workout in, then shower and go straight to work.

I don’t go to sleep until long after dark, usually after another workout and sometimes a glass of scotch, if the exercise doesn’t do the trick.

I am used to burning the candle at both ends. In fact, I thrive in that lifestyle.

Boredom is not a feeling I am familiar with. Nor is it comfortable. It gives me too much time to think. About my past. My future. Every single mistake I have ever made, and believe me, there have been several.

The state of my life isn’t all that great right now.

I have no family. No spouse. I have dated, but I really prefer not to.

It is just easier that way. Women tend to latch on to men like me, and I would just rather avoid all the leeches and gold diggers at this point in my life.

I have had a few women who I could call when I had some free time, but my free time has become few and far between these days.

When I have time, I usually prefer my own company, or that of my best friends, to that of a woman.

My social life consists primarily of my assistant Ethan, who has made himself indispensable with his efficiency and level headedness, and a couple of misfit best friends who can barely hold their own lives together, let alone help me get mine straight.

None of that is likely to change any time soon, if I am completely honest with myself. Sharing my life with people isn’t something that comes naturally for me. I don’t do well feeling vulnerable.

I am just dozing off about an hour later when I hear the door to my room. I open my eyes to see my favorite nurse walking in. I straighten, ready to convince her to quit her job and work for me.

“Good morning, Chloe. ”

She gives me a surprised look before quickly averting her eyes.

She avoids looking at me as she walks over to the monitors I am still hooked up to, checking the flow of the bag of fluids they are constantly pumping into me.

Either I make her nervous, or she is embarrassed by the fact that she wants to take my offer. I think it is the second one.

When she never answers my greeting, I clear my throat and try again.

“I will give you a million dollars to be my private nurse.” I didn’t expect to be quite so frank, but for some reason, I can tell that my usual powers of persuasion aren’t going to work on her.

Her eyes immediately meet mine. “You can’t be serious!”

“As a heart attack. Or a helicopter crash.” I gesture to my mangled body. “Take your pick.”

“I don’t think so,” she says after a few long seconds.

“That wasn’t a no. That is progress.”

“You are not a snarling evil beast today. That is progress,” she says. I can see the immediate regret on her face as soon as the nastiness is out. She reaches up and covers her mouth with her hand.

I suppose I deserved that, but I would like to see her in my shoes. “I can’t stay here another night, Chloe. I hate it here. Please,” I plead, looking into her eyes as I beg.

“I just . . .” she trails off as she searches for a reason to tell me no .

What Chloe doesn’t know is that I am well aware of her student loan debt, as well as the fact that she lives alone in an expensive part of the city.

She has plenty of money coming in, but she is still struggling to pay the bills.

A million dollars is nothing to me. I make more than that in a week these days.

But to her? It could mean staying afloat in this city and being debt free.

If she is smart with it, it could mean a whole different future for her.

“I can’t,” she finally finishes, looking distraught as she says it.

“Why not?”

“What am I going to do if you get mad at me for some random reason and fire me? The situation is too unstable. It would be reckless. I just can’t.”

“The doctor says I will need six weeks of recovery so here is my offer. I will wire you half of the money right now and the other half after a month. If you quit early, for any reason, you can keep whatever you have earned.”

“This is absolutely mad. I can’t just quit my job that I have worked so hard for, with amazing benefits mind you, to come be your private nurse.”

“Sure you can. And when the doctor finally releases me, I will give you a glowing reference. With my connections, you could find another job at the drop of a hat, if that is what you want.”

“What else would I want?” she asks with her hand on her hip and an annoyed look on her face .

“Maybe you would like to take a vacation? I am just saying, with that kind of money you could probably afford to take a little time off.”

Chloe relaxes, but she is still not convinced. How can I make her agree?

“Five million,” I say, without really thinking about it.

I know that with the original terms I just offered her, she could take me home, drop me off, and run away with the money I am going to pay her in advance.

I don’t think she is going to do that though.

I have the distinct feeling that she is not that kind of girl, and I am rarely wrong about this kind of thing.

“I accept,” she says, looking a little shocked at what just came out of her mouth.

“Perfect,” I answer quickly, giving her no time to reconsider.

“Now, go quit this job and get me the hell out of here.” I look up at the clock on the wall and do a little math.

“The traffic shouldn’t be too bad this time of day.

We can probably get to my place in Maine in about three hours if we get out of here soon. ”

“I can’t just quit in the middle of my shift,” Chloe says, looking gobsmacked.

“You can, and you will.” I pull out my phone and send a quick text to Ethan instructing him to transfer the money to Chloe. It is more than I was expecting to pay, but it is nothing to me if it means getting out of this place. I can’t stay here another minute without going crazy.

Desperation is quite the motivator.

Chloe closes her eyes as she tries to gather her patience. I am not an easy man to deal with, of that I am well aware, and I am even worse as a boss. She might not have known quite what she was getting into, but she will figure it out soon enough.

What I say goes. No ifs, ands, or buts.

“Why me?” Chloe asks as she watches me carefully, probably trying to get a better sense of who I am.

“Because you are the only person I can trust to do this for me.” I am completely honest with her, not only because I can sense just how fragile our new agreement is, but also because I want her to trust me as well.

She cocks her head to the side. “That must be really lonely.”

All the thoughts in my head come to a complete stop. That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. She is right, though. It is.

“I have friends,” I counter, trying to defend myself in vain.

“I believe you.”

For some reason, her response stings even more.

“They just can’t take care of me. My own mother is gone. I need a nurse, and you are Jenna’s best friend. How bad could you be?”

“Well, with that glowing review, why wouldn’t I help you?” Chloe says sarcastically .

“The care you have provided so far has also helped sway me,” I say, trying to ease the tension between us.

“I will do it. Because Jackson and Jenna mean so much to me. And because I need the money,” she adds. “But I am not your indentured servant. I am your nurse. I don’t cook. Or clean.”

“Is that all, Ms. Shepard?” I ask, using her last name to put things back into a more formal tone as she has requested.

“No,” she says, straightening up to her full height. “I will not be sleeping with you, either. So, don’t get any ideas.”

I scoff at the assumption that I hired her because of her looks.

She is a gorgeous woman with long dark brown hair and full lips, and I have no doubt that she would be fantastic in bed.

But this is merely a business transaction, and I am prepared to tell her as much.

No matter how much I might want her, recovery is my sole focus right now.

“I did not hire you to sleep with you,” I say carefully. “I can assure you that our working relationship will not be affected by my sexual attraction to you.”

She swallows before nodding once. “Good.”

“Now go quit. Time is wasting.”

She sighs loudly, probably annoyed at my dismissal, but I was serious. I need to get out of here.

“Fine,” Chloe says, sounding as exasperated as she looks before storming out of the room in a huff.

Spending time with this woman is going to be the best kind of torture.