Three days passed with Nuncio acting as her shadow, disappearing only when she was delivered safely to her workplace with the promise of being there when she was done work for the day. The press was not going away as they had last time, most likely because Alessandro Giordano was in Phoenix Arizona, and it was causing the world to tilt on its axis.
Not to say there were not insanely rich celebrities in Phoenix, There were plenty of wealthy people in her city. There just weren't very many obscenely rich, drop-dead gorgeous Italian men who descended on the city where his wife had made a new life for herself to escape the affairs her husband had. They were a tabloid sensation and she wanted to throttle him for it. She had gone from being his dirty secret to the victim in a horribly sordid story and she wanted his head on a platter.
She took a bite of an apple imagining shoving it in his mouth if she really did have his head on a platter in front of her. She was grateful she hadn't seen him since the night he had come bearing food to her apartment. She was frightened she might lose her cool and murder him where he stood. Nuncio had taken it upon himself to bring food to the apartment and stock her fridge. The man could cook and slowly, with his prompting she was starting to eat more. He'd even packed her a lunch the last two days, telling her the cafeteria food was not meant for human consumption.
Savannah for her part was enthralled with the man. Everything from his accent, how he kept them both safe to and from work, and now keeping their kitchen smelling like a five-star restaurant, the man was pushing all the right buttons for the doctor. She kept threatening Mackenna she was going to seduce her bodyguard. Mackenna told her not to get too attached because she was sending him on his merry way once Alessandro pissed back off to Italy.
Now as she sat opposite her best friend, eating her bagged lunch, aware Savannah had the same bagged lunch, she considered Nuncio would be a much more suitable mate for her friend than Dulce. She waved her apple at her. "Fine, you can do what you like with him but do it when I'm not there. I don't want to hear the headboard rattling against the walls."
Savannah squealed with delight. "You serious? I know he's been looking."
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head while you cry real tears when he goes back to Italy." She pointed a finger, "and hežs going back because there is no way in hell they are staying here forever." Savannah pulled another chair closer and propped her feet up on it. "Do you know what would be amazing?"
"If you say double date, I'll brain you right here with a cafeteria food tray,"
Mackenna warned her.
Savannah grimaced at her. "One, you've been really violent since you got back. Talk to the counsellor about it. Two, I was going to say a night on the town. A couple of the nurses and the new doctor on Portman's team were talking about hitting the new salsa club downtown on Saturday night. We should go."
"Nuncio would have a fit," she rolled her eyes. "I'm also not ready to go partying.
"You know who else would have a fit?" Savannah grinned devilishly.
"Alessandro," they said in unison, and both laughed.
"It's like we conjured him," Savannah grimaced distastefully looking beyond Mackenna's shoulder.
"Are you kidding?" Mackenna turned to see him making long strides in her direction weaving around the round tables in the dining area. She looked back to
Savannah, "Security has one job, do not let the man in the building."
"He made a huge donation to the orthopedic wing," Savannah hissed at her. "
He's made Portman his * He Can come and go as he pleases."
"Are you kidding me? How did I not know this?" she whispered back frantically.
Damn Derrick Portman.
"l found out this morning and forgot about it until right this moment." She looked up with an angry glare as the shadow fell over their table. "Hey asshole, you're on the wrong floor, Urology is on the tenth floor."
He stared back at Savannah, confused. "What?"
"l thought maybe you were here to try to get those oversized balls of brass you have fixed. There can't be any other reason why a total knob head would harass a
gotitjs
balls of brass?" As he shifted his feet, she put her hand to her ear. "Hear the clanging sound, it's not healthy. You should definitely get it checked."
"Been saving that one awhile Doctor Kirkland?" He shook his finger at her as he swung into a seat opposite them, "you're a very crass woman."
"Too bad for you. Your wife likes it when I talk dirty," Savannah leaned over to him. "I've been in her bed more in the last two months than you have in the last five years."
Mackenna saw the flush rising under Alessandro's collar and chuckled at how easily Savannah got under his skin. She wasn't lying, she'd held her more nights while she cried than she cared to count.
Alessandro eyed Savannah with a smirk, "can't get a partner of your own so you're trying to steal mine? You're out of luck Kirkland, she's straight so you're missing the one thing she needs from a lover."
Savannah shrugged her shoulders, his insults rolling off her back like water from a duck, "l have the one thing you don't have, a heart. My heart full of love will beat your puny d* *k any day of the week. Sometimes a woman needs a gentle hand
Giordano. Also, I have a strap-on."
A guffaw, the first real laugh she'd emitted in a long time erupted from her chest at Savannah's smart comebacks and the high red color on Alessandro's cheeks at Savannah's sass. She could watch Savannah rip him a new one all day.
A page over the loudspeaker paged Savannah back to the trauma unit and
Mackenna giggled as Savannah stood up and planted a big noisy kiss to her cheek. With a wink and a rustle of her boobs in what was supposed to be a provocative move she whispered loudly at Mackenna, "see you at home darlin'"
"You better hope a reporter doesn't hear her speak in this manner," Alessandro glared at Mackenna.
She held his gaze, as the last of her mirth melted away, realizing she was alone with the devil himself. "l hope they do. Imagine the headlines now, Alessandro
Giordano loses two lovers to the same woman." She spread her hands in front of her
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print. I'm sure Savannah wouldn't mind being the lead story in a tabloid."
•you are not funny Mackenna,» his palms were flat on the table as if trying to restrain himself. •you would do well to remember you are being scrutinized. The world is desperate to know."
Mackenna cut him off abruptly, "wrong! Nobody is desperate to know anything about me. It's you Alessandro. It's all you and your precious Dulce. I'm just a fly in the ointment. Where is she by the way? She must be losing her mind you're not at her beck and call. I saw the article where she said you were her best friend in the whole world. How special."
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