The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife (Mackenna and Alessandro) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Alessandro looked at his wife‘s bent head of glossy hair as she ignored him and filled out a form on her desk. While he wasn‘t in the least happy by her behavior, he admitted he was intrigued by this new side to Mackenna. She‘d always been feisty and strong-willed, but he had always been able to coerce her to do as he wanted.

He enjoyed the challenge she was presenting to him and as he watched her tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear before turning over the papers and moving to enter information into a computer on her desk, he admitted her pull on him was still extraordinarily strong. He was going to enjoy bringing his wife back home.

―Fine, we‘ll discuss it later over dinner. For now, I will let you do your job

She almost snorted at his words considering the last dinner he‘d promised her. ―I‘m not having dinner with you. Sit down and fill in the information on all three of those pages,‖ she didn‘t look at him as she finished entering Derrick‘s information and then scowled as she realized she‘d missed another purposefully placed miscoded number. She needed to call him again and get it sorted.

―Damn it, Derrick She lifted the receiver and dialed the number to his desk. ―Hey gorgeous, missing me already?‖ ―No, I don‘t miss you at all. I‘m going to wring that thick neck of yours ―So, you noticed I work out?‖ Derrick teased. ―It's not only my neck that's thick though

She was no longer even remotely in the mood considering the devil himself sat across from her desk eavesdropping. ―Doctor Portman, I swear to

God if you don't quit it, I'm going to come down there and murder you and splay you out on your own damn operating table as an example to the damn team. You did the surgery on Mr. Meyer Sunday in the early morning correct?‖

He sensed she was really upset and instantly stopped teasing. ―Yes, Mac, are you okay?‖

―I'm fine Derrick; just stop screwing with my billing, okay?‖ She tried to keep her cool.― Unless you want to get paid at the basic rate instead of the weekend morning rate, you'll quit it. I have enough to do without double-checking your work

―I‘m sorry Mac. Do you need me to come down there?‖ He asked as he‘d never heard the tone she was using before. ―I can redo it myself

―No, it's fine She took a deep breath. ―Just tell me now if you did any others like this?‖

―No, it was just the MRI code and the Sunday morning one He spoke quietly. ―Are you really angry with me over this?‖ was absolutely furious with but not him. ―No Derrick, I‘m not really angry. We'll talk later, okay? ―She smiled into the phone unable to stay mad at him as she fixed the codes on the screen.

―Over dinner?‖ he asked hopefully and was rewarded with a quiet laugh.

―No, not over dinner, you oaf She hung up the phone before he could ask anything else.

She turned back to Alessandro. ―I‘ll need your insurance cards

―The company is paying one-hundred percent of the bills directly He shook his head and didn‘t miss Mackenna‘s scowl at his words. He ignored it. ―Are you having an affair with Doctor Portman?‖

―No,‖ she held his gaze without shame, ―much to his chagrin She extended her hand for the first of the papers and then rolled her eyes. ―Alessandro, you haven‘t even filled this out

―Forgive me for being distracted by you. You‘re lovely He took her hand in his instead of taking his papers back. ―I like your hair long. It is very becoming

―I didn‘t grow it out for you,‖ she yanked her hand back, dropped the papers on the desk and pushed a pen across the desk. ―Please fill them out so I can get this started

She looked up when her assistant knocked on the door.

―Mac, the insurance rep from the claim last week is on the phone and he is arguing with me over the bills we submitted Tabitha‘s words trailed off as she took in the sight of the man sitting in the seats in Mac's office. Her mouth hung open as she stared blatantly.

Mackenna scowled as Alessandro chuckled at the girl‘s reaction and then he gave another laugh as Mackenna swore under her breath at it. ―Tabitha, pick your jaw up off the floor. He‘s just a man. He puts his pants on the same way you do, one leg after the other She saw the woman blink rapidly and turn to look at her as if she hadn‘t heard a syllable she‘d uttered. Good grief. ―Just transfer the call to me. I assume it‘s Sigmund?‖

―How‘d you guess?‖ Tabitha blushed as the man winked at her. She slowly backed out of the office

―Nice,‖ Mackenna griped, ―Flirting with my admin assistant. Now I‘ll have to spend a week listening to her detail her wet dreams The man knew how attractive he was. He was tormenting her assistant and she didn‘t have time for it.

She ignored the choking sound Alessandro made at her rude comment and picked up the buzzing phone line. ―Sigmund, why must you torment me so?‖

She waved at Alessandro to finish filling out the papers as she dealt with the man on the

meet for dinner to discuss the billing. ―Sigmund, I don't think we need to have a meal together to get this sorted out. I tell you what, how about get your supervisor Myriam on the line and I'll deal with her directly She listened for a moment and then smiled smugly as she adjusted papers on her desk. ―Yeah, that‘s what I thought. Talk to you soon, I‘m sure She hung up the phone and grimaced.

―Does every man you deal with invite you out dinner?‖ There was no denying the irritation in his voice.

―Only the ones who want to sleep with me She retorted smugly, instantly rewarded with

another angry hiss of irritation from the bane of her existence.

Before he could comment though, Savannah poked her head into the office and stared at her from behind Alessandro. ―Uh, hi

Mackenna shot her a warning glance. ―What?‖

―I have to work,‖ Savannah hadn‘t been able to get out of it. ―Half the trauma team is out with the flu so nobody can cover for me Mackenna pointed her pen at her. ―If you bring it home with you, Doctor Kirkland, I'll kill you in your sleep

―Hey, you haven‘t died yet from my infectious diseases Savannah grinned unapologetically.

―No, I simply spent a week in quarantine from measles and ten days in intensive care from meningitis. I don‘t want influenza. Knowing you, it‘s probably some seventeenth century strand of flu and I'll end up losing my spleen or something She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair aware Alessandro was listening to every word. She stuck her tongue out at his bent head and earned a grin from Savannah. ―What time are you off then?‖

―Midnight at the earliest Savannah copied her and stuck her tongue at him and then made a rude gesture with her finger too and Mackenna grinned at her. Sometimes being childish felt good.