Desiree Holt - Caught in the Middle

Academy Award: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences UNINC. ASSOCIATION

Boy Scout: THE NATIONAL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA FOUNDATION

NASCAR: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.

Pippi Longstocking: Lindgren, Astrid

Charity “Char” Reynolds stared at Dr. Dexter Graham, her eyes narrowed, her heart doing the cha-cha while mathematical calculations flew around in her head. He was gorgeous with his dark, five o’clock shadow, the sexy glint in his eyes, and his broad, powerful shoulders. If it weren’t for that smirk on his lips, he’d be perfect. But he was far from it. He only looked perfect.

The good doctor was a bad boy through and through. It was a toss up whether he mended or broke more hearts. His record on the operating room table was stellar. Off, however, was horrendous. He’d broken so many hearts with that killer smile and huge dimples he should be thrown into solitary confinement for the rest of his miserable life.

Amy Koch, the hospital’s chief administrator, adjusted the microphone with her only hand. Then she tapped the instrument and blew into it. “Can you hear me?”

When the sound from the mic blasted through Char’s head, she clapped her hands over her ears in self-preservation. “Have mercy, woman.”

Once her brain stopped spinning and she was able to see again, she looked over a sea of other people holding their ears. Tentatively, she removed one hand, keeping it close just in case the mic went crazy again.

So far so good. Slowly, she lowered her other hand but kept it at the ready as she warily kept her eye on Amy.

Although, she felt sorry for Amy since the car wreck that had amputated the administrator’s left arm, that she couldn’t find anything to like about her caused her to war with feelings of guilt and distrust. Even before the accident, Amy had only been out for number one, stepping on anybody in her way, claiming it was for the greater good. Now people overlooked her mean tempered whining-until they came into her sights. Char had been dead centre in Amy’s far too often. As head surgical nurse, she and Amy butted heads daily.

“Welcome to our first annual charity auction.” Amy beamed at the audience and batted her fake lashes. When she moved, the spotlight made her rhinestones shoot laser beams around the room.

Amy clapped her hand against the mic and shot a grin as fake as her lashes at the audience. “I hope your cheque books are fat and happy and your fingers are itching to write outrageous amounts for the new children’s wing. Let’s get this thing off the ground tonight!”

Cheering anew deafened Char, and her lips stretched so tightly over her teeth they ached.

Her best friend, Beth, another surgical nurse, elbowed her. She rubbed her hands together, and there was a hungry gleam in her eyes. “My cheque book’s ready, willing and able. I moved money from savings to bid on Dr. Hottie.”

It was all Char could do to hold her smile in place and not growl at the sweet strawberry blonde. Since she’d never breathed a word about her brief fling with Dr. Hottie, she couldn’t accuse her friend of trying to steal her ex-boyfriend, yet her claws extended and her skin crawled. When her throat stopped constricting, she said as airily as possible, “Oh, really? Great minds think alike. Me, too.”

Their third musketeer, Jody, a surgical intern jumped up and down and waved her psychedelic-coloured cheque book in their faces. “Me three! Let’s do a ménage à trois with him and have our wicked way.”

Beth scrunched her nose at the perky child. With a duh hanging in her voice, she said, “Ew. I don’t want to see your naked tits. Besides a ménage à trois is three and there would be four of us.”

The three of them would be much too good for the louse. What she wanted to do to him involved whips, chains and video. He’d be so sorry he’d ever broken her heart…

“Aw shucks.” Jody scrunched her nose and pouted. “You two make three times as much as me. I’ll be lucky if I can buy Dr. Rob. I might as well go home since you two party poopers won’t share. It’s way too smoky in here anyway.” She covered her mouth with her hand and coughed as if to add emphasis.

Char’s gaze landed on Dr. Hunky, aka Ben Price, plastic surgeon to the rich and ritzy Boca Babes. “What about Dr. Hunky? He’s mighty cute.”

Jody rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Yeah, right. He’ll go for big bucks, too. I don’t stand a prayer.”

Char gave her friend’s thin shoulders a commiserative squeeze and worried when she felt her boniness. Still, she wasn’t ready to share that her great Aunt Laila had recently left her several hundred thousand dollars or that she had planned to share some with charity anyway. If she could get a little fun out of the deal, why not?

She whispered in Jody’s ear. “I’ll let you in on a secret. Dr. Hottie’s a big jerk. Don’t be fooled by those dreamy eyes or those firm, kissable lips, or his artistic, sculpted hands…”

Beth’s emerald eyes widened, and she shook Char’s arm. “Oh no! He’s gotten to you, too?”

Char stiffened her spine and her resolve. She lifted her chin a notch, turned on her heel and shot a lethal glare at Dr. Hottie. It was easier to think of him as the heart-breaking monster than as the sweet, lovable, adorable Dexter. ”You’re mine, sucker.”

Beth got in her face and snapped her fingers. “If he’s that terrible, don’t waste your money. Buy Dr. Hunky or Dr. Casey.”

Amy motioned for the crowd to quiet, and when they didn’t she made the mic whine again. As half the population of the room moaned, she gave her evil smile. “That’s better. Since we’ve had so many special requests for Doctors Hottie and Hunky-I mean Doctors Dexter Graham and Ben Price, I’m going to start the bidding with Dr. Graham then Dr. Price so that you won’t hold onto all that wonderful cash of yours for them.”

Amy winked at the rest of the bullpen. “Sorry, fellows. Maybe you should work out more before next year’s auction if you want to bring in bigger bucks.”

Several of the men on stage gaped at her. One walked off.

Jody hissed. “Bitch!”

“That’s ‘Major Bitch’, sweetie.” Beth returned Amy’s venomous glare.

“Don’t worry. She’ll get hers. Those guys don’t forgive and forget easily.” Char didn’t doubt her prediction for a moment. She’d seen these doctors in action for too many years. If the elite of Boca got wind of half their shenanigans, they’d be out on their collective asses so fast they couldn’t wink.

Amy crooked her red-painted fingernail at Dexter. “Why don’t you join me, Dr. Hottie, so we can get things hopping? You don’t mind if I call you that, do you, sugar?”

Dexter winked broadly at Amy then stood and bowed to the audience. He swaggered over to the administrator. “Not if you don’t mind me doing this.” Without warning, he bent Amy over his arm and kissed her hard on the lips.

The audience stomped and yelled. Jody snarled at Amy. “He’s slipping her tongue.”

“I told you not to trust him.” Char folded her arms over her breasts and glared at the big lummox. How dare he!

Despite the stifling heat of the ballroom, she shivered. Boy, is he ever going to get his and good!

Dexter peeked at Charity Reynolds, woman of his dreams and the one who had gotten away. He wondered if he was doing enough to make her jealous and to make her outbid everyone else for him?

Would she bid at all?

Since she’d supposedly caught him with another woman, she’d shunned him. She’d marked his letters “Return to Sender” and blocked his emails. She wouldn’t listen to him or stay in a room with him unless the job demanded it.