The Billionaire's Private Nurse

Chapter Eleven - Mother

ANNIE

I paced around my bedroom restlessly at five in the morning. Things were getting better... and worse at the same time. Mr. Greene was less grumpy than he had been. He was making a real effort to assist himself more. He was glaring at me less. Our meals together were almost starting to feel friendly.

The problem was... I couldn’t maintain a professional distance. When I had climbed up on the table to massage him, my mind had definitely gone into dark and forbidden territory. His skin was beautiful, and I was fascinated by his tight, taut muscles. I tried to focus on the task with clinical detachment, but my imagination kept running away from me. When he groaned under my hands, I felt my pulse jump in an excited response.

I was pathetic. My instant attraction to him was annoying me.

“Oh for crying out loud, Annie, get a grip.” I huffed as I sat in front of the dresser and started to yank a brush through my curls in an almost vicious way. I didn’t know who Mr. Greene was, and frankly, I didn't care. I didn’t ask, he didn’t tell. I could only assume that he was someone rich and famous. I didn’t follow the news or the entertainment industry, so I had no idea. But whoever he was, he wouldn’t be interested in a woman like me. He probably dated someone equally rich, beautiful and famous. For all I knew, he already had a wife and a couple of perfect kids tucked away somewhere.

Besides, who wants a grumpy rich guy? Not me. Nope. I liked funny guys. The laid back kind that wore flannel and kicked back with a beer around a bonfire on a Saturday night.

I had two hours before I had to report for duty. Rather than do the usual aerobics and calisthenics in my room, I decided to throw on a tank top and head for the gym. The gym was amazing. I climbed onto an exercise bike and let my eyes gaze out over the lake which was slowly illuminating in the grey, predawn light. It was almost a spiritual experience, and the slight ripples on the water lulled me into a meditative state. Whenever my thoughts strayed back to Mr. Greene, I increased the difficulty, bumping up the resistance or increasing the speed. Sweat was slipping down my back, and my hair was sticking to my face. I was totally absorbed in my zone when a woman’s sharp voice almost scared me right off the bike.

“Who the hell are you?”

I yelped and let my feet slip off the pedals, which then cracked into my shins. I turned quickly on the seat to find an elegant looking woman standing in the doorway with her hands propped on her slim hips. My first thought was that this must be “Mrs. Greene.” At first glance she seemed quite young and beautiful. But once I had wiped the sweat out of my eyes, I realized that this woman was quite a bit older. Although she’d tried to defy nature with cosmetic surgery, make-up and hair dye, I thought she must be in her fifties at least, if not her sixties. And the way she was glaring at me was oddly familiar.

“Ah sorry,” I smiled awkwardly, "I’m Annie Clarke, Mr. Greene’s nurse.”

“Mr. Greene?” Her brow drew together even more. “Oh... is that what he’s calling himself?” Her eyes ran up and down my body with a look of derision. “It is not acceptable for the staff to use the family facilities.”

“Oh,” I felt my own brows climbing up my forehead, and I had to take a deep, calming breath. “I wasn’t aware that the gym was off limits. I apologize.” I checked my watch, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go shower quickly. It was nice to meet you, um...”

The woman made no attempt to introduce herself, even with a fake name. She sniffed and turned on her heel, going out of the room.

I grabbed my towel and my water bottle and started back toward the bedroom. On the way, I passed Mr. Greene’s bedroom. The door was ajar, and I could hear Mr. Greene’s raised voice.

“What were you thinking, bringing my MOTHER here?”

“I thought it would be okay, Kam. I mean, if you can’t trust your own mother, who can you trust?” Another man’s voice spoke smoothly, although I couldn’t see the owner of the voice.

Kam, huh? Mr. Greene had a first name. I smirked to myself as I continued to go by, but the argument wasn’t finished.

“And what if it's not safe, Phil? You realize you are putting my mother’s life in danger? And your own, for that matter.”

“Your location is secure, Kam, you are worrying over nothing. Besides, she insisted, and no offense, but I’m more scared of your mother than I am of you.” There was the sound of a chair being moved. “She wanted to see you. I thought it would be good for you. I don’t think it's healthy, staying here all alone.”

I heard Mr. Greene snort. “What do you think was going to happen? Do you think she’s going to sit by my bedside and hold my hand? This is my mom we’re talking about!”

I continued to my room and shut the door quietly. I had to remind herself that Mr. Greene... Kam’s... relationship with his family was none of my business. And who was Phil? He must have been someone close to Kam and his family. I stripped off my exercise clothes quickly and disposed of them in the laundry basket. My dirty clothes disappeared during the day, and reappeared in my closet later, clean and pressed. Even my wrinkled scrubs had been mysteriously ironed at some point while I was away from the room.

I jumped in the shower and cranked on the water. Once I had shampooed my hair, I turned off the heat and subjected myself to a few minutes of ice-cold water. The shock of cold brought my senses to full alert, reduced the soreness from my intense workout, and just overall kept me feeling strong and focused. I twisted off the shower and grabbed a towel. I briskly dried off before grabbing my uniform.

My hair was still damp as I twisted it up into my working bun. I gave my reflection a critical look as I prepared. I added a touch of eye make-up, and then slipped into my scrubs. Today my scrub design was a colorful assortment of African butterflies flitting across a sky-blue background. Now that I had seen his mother, I knew for sure that Mr. Greene would never be attracted to a woman like me. I took a deep breath. I WOULD get my hormones under control; I would behave like a professional, I would not let “Mr. Greene” disturb my composure.

I opened the door and stepped out without looking, and ran straight into a man’s solid chest.