CHAPTER 1

I took a seat by the end of the auditorium hall, in front of the exit door. I was seated at CAA, short for Cleveland Annual Awards. A program set up annually by the hospital to acknowledge doctors and nurses amd the entire staffs on their outstanding dedication and hardwork to Cleveland Clinic.

A cup of café latte settled in the palm of my hands. I had to stay wide awake since I had pulled up an all night at the hospital. I had spent my time, performing surgeries at the theatre. Coming home was not an option for me after taking off my gloves and washing my hands. I still had tons of patients to tend to. Being one of the senior doctors, work was loaded.

That's the kind of life we doctors face every single day. We don't get to live our lives the way we want it. We dedicate ourselves and everything we've got because human lives are involved and are no doubt, precious. If you're at home relaxing and you happen to receive an emergency call from the clinic, you just have to get going, no matter the time or day. You've got to save a life.

The warm liquid settled at the tip of my tongue as I closed my eyes, savouring the sweet taste. It was highly pleasant and richly flavoured. Just how I liked it. I liked my coffee a certain way. It had to have little sugar and a lot of milk. And a café latte. It had to be a café latte. That or no coffee.

I involuntarily opened my eyes when someone nudged me slightly on my right arm. Turning my head to the side, beside me was my heartthrob, my lover and the other part of me. Arnold, my boyfriend sat on the well furnished gold coloured chair beside me in a rich Armani tailoured suit.

His rich scent fuelled my nostrils, intoxicating me completely. Not to talk about his looks. He was breathtakingly handsome. I must have scored a point when he asked me eight years ago to be his.

It only took seconds for his scent to replace the air in the room. I filled my lungs with his smell and let it enter my bloodstream.

We attended high school together and were very much close, though he was two years ahead of me. Being the school's badboy then, it was pretty strange for someone of his status and high reputation to have anything to do with the school nerd. But that was him, doing things not minding what the other party thought. That and many more are one of the many reasons why I fell madly in love with him. His charisma, his carriage and the way he handled things. His self as a whole. He is a goal.

We formed a close bond till he graduated. We never lost contact even then. Our friendship blossomed into college and then, became something stronger and there and then, a beautiful love story ensued. We never had to force love to flow between the two of us. We were drowning in it the moment we met.

My lips stretched when I realized he was putting on the perfume I got him on his thirtieth birthday a month ago. Not knowing what to gift him since he had everything you could ever dream of, I went for the cologne instead. He had a thing for rich and well known perfumes. He said something about the fragrance lasting longer on his tuxedos.

                "I can't wait for you to stop staring, love. I've got to kiss those succulent lips of yours." Out of the blue, he kissed me without warning, without permission. Hell, he didn't even need to ask. My breathe was his. He kissed me right at the back of the auditorium. He moved his lips with mine so slowly, with an open mouth and every single thing in my body. My skin, my collarbone, the hollow backs of my knees, everything inside of me filled up with light. At that instant, I thanked the heavens I wasn't on my feet else I would have lost my balance.

I pulled away, my hands flew to my mouth, covering the view. Darting my eyes around, they crashed with others.

                 "Stop, people are watching." I half-smiled at him as I slapped him mildly on his arm. He threw his head back in laughter. I watched as his adam's apple bopped up and down in that singular act of his. He was a stunner. Sometimes, I wonder what he saw in a nerdy old workaholic of a doctor such as myself.

Suddenly, he stopped cackling and turned to face me again. A small smile still hung around his mouth. I covered my face with my palms in sheer embarassment.

                 "Darling, you know I don't care about that. Let them stare if they want to. You don't know how much I love having you around me." Our hearts are wild creatures. That's why our ribs are cages because mine right now, was thumping hard against my chest, threatening to burst out. If he kept on feeling my ears with these talks of his, I don't think it would last long inside of me. I might need a heart transplant soon.

                   "That doesn't keep those little girls from flocking around you." I looked away as soon as I said that. The corner of my lips was inside my mouth as I nibbled on it.

Arnold is one of L.A's most famous billionaire. Everyone knew who he was. He is one of the most respected bachelors in Los Angeles and a big time oil magnet but I saw him as Arnold, my first love, high school boyfriend, college sweet heart and the man that swept me off my feet.

Many a times when we decide to go out on one or two dates, I usually have to deal with other women giving him this unusual type of attention. The one that read, "What I would do when I get my claws on him."

I let them adore him anyway. As a matured lady, I understood he is famous. He is a public figure and a strikingly good looking man like him was bound to have more female fans than males. I quite understood that. I trusted him more than I do myself and If I'm sure of anything is the fact that he would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship.

As for me, I very much preferred staying in the background. The attention and recognition, I don't fancy those. My time and attention, I render all to the hospital. My life basically circled around the building to be precise.

                 "Jealous?" He smiled in a silly way as I rolled my eyes at him.

                 "Shut up." I turned to face the head doctor up at the podium. He was giving his speech but more than half of the things he had said never entered an ear or left through the other because I had a big distraction beside me. I love his type of distraction.

                 "Was I late?"

                 "Nope, just right on time."

                 "I've been informed that our guest of honour has arrived. Precisely thirty minutes ago. We can't go on with this program without giving him the very much welcome and accolades he deserves. He had contributed immensely to the smooth running of the hospital. Giving out huge donations on a regular basis. Every one, stand up on your feet and put your hands together for our hero, the chairman of this ceremony. Put your hands together for Mr. Arnold Dankworth." The entire audience were up on their feets. The only ones seated were and Arnold and myself.

I was getting a little bit awkward. I had to stand up. Just because I was his girlfriend didn't mean I wasn't equal to the rest of the people in the auditorium so I rose up and imitated the others.

The sound of palms striking against eachother repeatedly reverberated in the hall as everyone cheered him on.

Arnold stood up from his seat and waved to the crowd from the back, a mild smile plastered on his face. There was a special high table richly decorated and executive chairs for highly important guests. That was where Arnold was meant to be, not here with me.

                  "Go on. You know you're supposed to take a seat in front." I notified him.

                  "I'm right where I'm meant to be." He replied. "With you."

Lord, why does he keep doing this to me?

But, I'm not complaining either.

                "Stop." I turned away, avoiding his eyes. They were too intense to stare at. He knew what he was doing. Telling me this sweet little things so I could go crimson in front of my co-workers and make a fool of myself. I just know him a bit too much.

                 "Stop what?" He chuckled, while bending to sit back down.

                 "You know what."

                 "I don't, seriously." I glared at him. He chortled once again. The middle aged woman in front turned back to stare at us. As soon as she saw it was L.A's heartthrob right behind her, she smiled at him, batting her lashes in his direction. I'm very much sure the elderly man beside her was her husband. The two of the had a matching medium sized wedding ring on their middle fingers and she was flirting with my boyfriend.

I tilted my head to the front, indicating the M.C was still talking. She turned back as I thanked the heavens.

My colleague and co-worker, Dr. Paul took the role as the master of ceremonies and just as it started, the reason we were gathered in the first place took off.

                  "I love it when you play the jealous girlfriend. It turns me on."

                  "Arnold." I warned. "I need to concentrate."

                  "I can't hear you with all these clothes on." My legs tightened immediately. It's funny how mere words slipping out of his lips affected me. Except, these weren't just mere words but his dirty thoughts resurrecting from the surface of his unholy mind.

                 "Your mind is dirty. You've got to sanitize it." I drew my coffee to my lips in hopes of tuning down my arousal. He was drenching my underwear and he wasn't even inside of me yet.

                 "If you could read my mind, I'm pretty sure you'd either be traumatized, sexually aroused or both." As soon as he said that, I choked on a mouthful of coffee. Few heads turned to our direction. Arnold's quickly patted my back as I struggled to pull myself together.

I expelled air from my lungs a few times. My throat tickled a little more and soon, my breathing began to balance. He roared into laughter at me. I clenched my fists and pounded his thighs with it.

                  "You've got dirty thoughts, Arnold. I can't believe you just did that." He cackled.

                  "Love, I don't have dirty thoughts, I promise. I have unapologetically normal thoughts which happen to be intensely erotic. You can't blame me, I've got a beautiful woman by my side." It was the eyes. The secret of love was in his eyes as he gazed at me. I found myself staring right back at him as the world around us vanished, almost like we were the only ones in it. He must have hypnotized me. The way one person looked at another, the way his eyes communicated when his lips never moved.

He looked at me with those big golden brown orbs. I started to get lost in them. I knew in that moment I could spend the rest of my life getting lost in something so beautiful.

                 "I love you." My eyes fluttered as his hot minty breath fanned my face.

                 "I love you." I didn't realize my lips moved becsuse I had been gazing into his eyes. He leaned over and kissed me. A long, deep kiss filled with promise and passion. I love the way he kissed me. Like he was drinking in the taste of me and still coming back thirsty.

Had I truly thought I would not die when kissed me? But, I did. For a moment, the breath and life went out of  me and there was no time and no tomorrow but only my lips against his.

The sound of a resounding applause brought us back from our little world of fantasy as we pulled away. He smiled at me. I looked away in shyness.

Scanning my eyes around, few of my female co-workers had their eyes on us. Most of them were sending glares my way. I ignored their bad vibes.

C'mon, you can't possibly have what isn't yours and won't ever be.

Kimora, my colleague and best friend waved in my direction as I smiled cheekily at her. I know she would stop at nothing to make me spill the beans on what just happened between Arnold and I. She is crazy like that but I love her nothingless.

Awards were handed out to those deserving of it. Doctors and nurses climbed back and forth on the podium, receiving their accolades.

Arnold was called upon to give a speech and all the time, he had his eyes across the hall to my spot. From across a crowded hall, his eyes found their way to mine and I didn't break the contact. It felt as if he was speaking directly to me.

Few people present noticed it and from the corner of my eyes, I could see them turning their heads in my direction but my attention was trained solely on the love of my life.

His speech lasted up to an hour and when he stepped down, he left a lot of inspiration floating around the hall.

                 "I could feel you from across the room." I praised him.

                 "I know that. You're head over heels in love with me." He wriggled his brows.

                 "Cocky again, are we?"

                 "Only for you."

                 "And this is the moment we've all been waiting for. The moment of truth. The awards of all awards. For the past of three years, we've had this amazing doctor in our midst. A male in form of a woman.

She has given so much to the growth and development of this great institution and had rendered help to the sick when needed. Her style of work is so exquisite and rare and it's not easy to find that anywhere else. The dedication and commitment she renders onto the patients and their utmost love for her can not be over looked. Being the youngest doctor, she had succeeded in carving a great name for herself around the four walls of this distinguished hospital in a very short span of time."

Just then, my nurse, Elena tapped me from behind and whispered into my ears. I jumped up immediately, startling Arnold. He held me down as soon as I was on my feet. I had to explain to him what was wrong and that I had to leave immediately.

His hands slipped out of my mine and immediately, I dashed out through the huge black security doors but not before hearing Dr. Paul yell out my name followed by a period of prolonged applause. A standing ovation ensued.

I was already out the door on realizing I had just won the Doctor of the year award for the second time in a row but as usual, duty called.

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