Chapter One
Sutton sighed as she sat down for what seemed like the first time in hours behind the front desk in the emergency room. It’d been a busy day in the ER, and having to finalize two last minute schedule swaps hadn’t lessened her load any. She loved her position as shift lead, but at times it could be overwhelming and exhausting. A few of the nurses had asked her to head over to the local all-night diner, like they always did, and she’d declined, as usual. The only thing on her mind right now was a glass of white wine, chocolate truffles, and a warm bubble bath in her garden tub.
For her, home was sanctuary, and tonight she was in need of a major dose of tranquility. After she finalized her paper work she turned to the nurse who stood to her right and gave her the run down.
“This should be everything you need, Mrs. Tracy. The rush has passed, and everyone’s all settled in. The people who are currently waiting have all filled out their paper work.”
“Sutton, I never have to worry about something being wrong when I take over floor duty from you. That being said, you work too hard. Please tell me you have plans to go out tonight.”
She smiled at the petite white- haired woman who held a special place in her heart. Despite being in her mid-fifties, Mrs. Tracey was gorgeous. Her clear skin was the color of walnut, and she had an even, white, smile that never failed to put patients at ease. With her take-charge attitude, wicked sense of humor, and penchant for meddling, she reminded Sutton of her mother. She’d lost count of how many nice boys Mrs. Tracey knew and wanted to introduce to her to. In retrospect, it was a good thing Mrs. Tracey and her mom had never met, or they’d double team her.
“I hate to disappoint you, but the only date I have tonight is with my bathtub. If it’s any consolation, there will be wine and chocolate.”
“Honey, you are too young and beautiful to be cooped up in that house of yours. You need to get out there and play the field while you have the chance. When I was your age, you couldn’t tie me down. I was a firecracker, getting it in all over the place, and answering to no one.”
“Mrs. Tracey, you’re still a firecracker.” Sutton laughed at the woman’s sly smile.
“How do you think I keep the Mr. satisfied?” Mrs. Tracey asked with a wink. “I was far from ready to settle down. Then I met my Howard, and no other man seemed to be able to measure up. That’s how you know you’ve met your match.”
A dreamy look crossed the older woman’s face, making Sutton smile.
“Howard must be one hell of a man to be your man, Mrs. Tracey.”
“He is, and I have a son just like him. It’s too bad he’s married, or I’d have paired you two up and made you a member of my family by now.”
“Heaven help me if you ever meet my momma. You have a good shift. I’m getting out of here before they find a reason for me to stay.”
With a quick wave Sutton made her way around the desk and down to the locker rooms to change into her street clothes. She had the next two days off, and she planned on taking full advantage of them.
Now all she needed to do was get out of these scrubs. In her mind the removal of scrubs was almost like hitting an off switch. It allowed her to go from RN extraordinaire to a civilian. It was something similar to what she’d seen her father, who’d been in the Army, do. His uniform came off, and he switched out of his role as a soldier to become a father and a husband.
The moment she opened the door and entered the beige sand-stone tiled room, lined with tan lockers she made a beeline for the back of the corner. Tension rolled off her shoulders as she stripped down to her skivvies, folded her light-blue scrubs, and placed them in her black book bag. The door swung open, and she heard the other nurses as they made their way into the room towards her.#p#分页标题#e#
“I don’t know why you waste your time asking Sutton to go out with us, Leigh. She never says yes. It’s like she’s got a major case of stick up her—” Sutton felt her face flush at the crude statement. She knew they thought she was too focused on her career, but there was no reason to get nasty.
“Hey! That’s my friend you’re talking about,” Leigh said. A smile flickered over Sutton’s lips. She could always count on her girl to have her back.
“All we’re saying is, Miss Priss needs a good dick down, so she can loosen up and let her hair down a bit.”
Sutton clenched her jaw as anger replaced her embarrassment. How dare they talk about her behind her back! She went out of her way to make sure their work environment was the best it could be. Sutton paused in mid mental rant to shake of her head. Jesus, listen to me. Even now what I’m upset about is the fact that they don’t appreciate my work ethics. They’re right. It’d been months since she’d gone on anything that resembled a date and much longer since she’d experienced an orgasm that wasn’t self-induced.