Taming the Whirlwind Read online

  Taming the

  Whirlwind

  L.M. Heidle

  Copyright © 2015 by L.M. Heidle

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher.

  Book design by Julie L. Casey

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, or incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  ISBN

  Printed in the United States of America.

  For more information, visit

  www.amazingthingspress.com

  Chapter One

  Monday, August 19

  I could barely sleep last night from all the excitement. I was dressed in a black sleeveless knee length dress with a small pink belt and my favorite black Stilettos before Meg was even out of bed.

  When she wandered into the kitchen, she took one look at me, “I know you’re excited for your interviews but geez, aren’t you up a little early?”

  “I know but I couldn’t sleep. Not all of us already have a job in the real world.” Meg had already landed a dream job at the New York Times. “Do I look okay? Should I change into something more business-like?”

  “No, you look great. Let me get my coffee and I’ll do something with your hair.” I knew clothes or at least I knew what I liked, but Megan knew I couldn’t do anything with my hair to save my life.

  “Does it look that bad? I was just going to leave it down,” I replied.

  “No, it doesn’t look bad; it just needs a little fine tuning,” she lied. I laughed because that was her polite way of saying it looked horrible. After an hour of Megan trying what seemed like a thousand different hairstyles, she finally decided on a sophisticated look. It looked like a ponytail to me but whatever. I was just happy to be out of her torture chamber, AKA her bathroom, because my head was throbbing.

  I walked out of my last interview at the Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Clinic. The interview went great, better than I could have imagined. When I left the clinic and headed towards the elevators, I wasn’t paying much attention as I was sending a text to Meg. When the elevator doors opened, I started to walk in without even looking. I looked up at the last second and luckily avoided running into him as he got off. I stumbled as I tried to avoid him and he grabbed my elbow to keep me from falling. The skin-to-skin contact made me gasp because there was this indescribable electricity that shot through my body. Then I looked up to see the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. They took my breath away. There was something about him that had red flags flying up all over, but damn if I could turn away. The word ‘handsome’ didn’t even begin to describe him. He was dressed in a black tailored suit with a blue shirt that only enhanced his eyes. To top it all off, he had gorgeous dirty blonde sexy hair. It looked so soft that I just wanted to run my hands through it. I had to shake my head to get my bearings before I did something stupid.

  “Are you all right?” the sex god asked. Who was he talking to? Crap, he’s talking to me. Please, please don’t let me sound like an idiot.

  “Huh? Umm, I mean, yeah I’m fine,” I stuttered, looking like a complete idiot. What was wrong with me? I wasn’t usually nervous around guys. I guess it could be because I had never been around a guy who looked like him.

  “You look pale. Do you need to sit down? Maybe have a glass of water?” He smiled at me, making me take in a sharp breath. When he smiled, I noticed his lips, what I wouldn’t give to have them on me. To top it off, he had dimples. Two! Then like the klutz I was, I stumbled back again. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he smirked.

  “Ah, no. I mean, yes! I’m fine. No thank you to the water,” I barely got out. When my brain started working again, I realized he was laughing at me. Oh, great…the sex god thought I was funny. How embarrassing could this get? I bet he knew exactly what he was doing because I highly doubted I was the first woman to react this way to him. That realization made me angry so I pulled my elbow out of his hand as politely as I could. “Thank you for catching me. I haven’t eaten today so I guess I’m a little lightheaded,” I replied trying to save face. I knew it was a weak excuse and so did he by the arrogant look on his face. I reached around him and hit the elevator button several times because the more you hit it, the faster it comes, right? Could I look any dumber today? I kept praying it would get here fast. I could barely think with him standing so close.

  Thankfully the elevator arrived and I practically ran into it. I turned around to see him staring at me. This time, I looked him dead in the face into those beautiful eyes and just stared. I heard myself say thank you but all I could focus on were his eyes.

  Once I was in the safety of the elevator, I let out the breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding. I pressed my back to the elevator wall not sure if I could stand without a little support. I shook my head again and tried to rationalize what just happened. I mean, no man could look that good. It was impossible. When he grabbed my elbow, that had to just be static, right? Could I have looked any more like an idiot? Then I remembered his stupid smirk. How dare he think he affected me? Oh I don’t know, moron. Maybe it had something to do with your inability to speak or maybe the staring tipped him off. If I were lucky, I would never have to see him again. Okay so, of course, I wanted to see him again but maybe it would be better if I saw him from afar. There was one thing for sure though. I was not texting and walking at the same time anymore.

  I made it back to the apartment and threw myself on the couch. Meg walked around the corner, giving me a quizzical look. “Did the interviews go bad or something?”

  “No, the interviews went amazing and I think I may have gotten the job at the last one.” At least, I hoped so. After the elevator fiasco, I wasn’t sure of anything right then. I was still reeling from the feeling of the contact or what I imagined.

  “Okay, so what’s with the look?” She plopped down on the couch next to me. I knew there was no way she was going to let this go; she lived for gossip.

  “There was this guy. I mean, we’re talking a sex god type of guy like nothing I’ve ever seen before. When I saw him, it knocked me on my butt. Well almost, before he caught me.”

  “You’re exaggerating! He couldn’t have been that good looking.”

  “Meg, I’m serious. Think of the hottest guy you’ve seen and double that by like a million if not a trillion. He had the most piercing blue eyes which the arrogant jerk knows.” You could get lost in those eyes. He isn’t even here and I’m fantasizing about his eyes. Don’t forget those lips or his dirty blonde hair. Man, I have got to get a grip.

  “Okay, so he’s the hottest guy ever. What happened? You can’t just leave me hanging here. I haven’t seen anything but boxes for like weeks.”

  “Yeah, I made a complete idiot out of myself. I stuttered, I blanked out. I was a klutz. You name anything stupid to do in front of a guy and I probably did it.” I needed to get my mind off him. “Let’s just talk about something else, please. Just thinking about him makes me nervous.”

  “I would have loved to have seen that,” she said while trying not to laugh. “Onto another topic, how about dinner?”

  I laughed as my stomach growl reminded me I hadn’t eaten today. “What do you want? I don’t feel much like cooking. How about Chinese takeout?”

  “That sounds good, I’ll call. The usual?”

  I nodded my head and started walking to the kitchen when I saw him. “That’s him, that’s him!!” I shrieked.

  “Who’s him?”

  I pointed to the cover of the magazine. Oh geez, those eyes again. The picture didn’t do him justice but
he still looked amazing. “That’s the guy from today.”

  Meg set the phone down and looked over my shoulder. “You met him? Today? Are you serious? How could you not know who that is? That’s Kade Parker. He is only the richest bachelor in New York. Every woman in town and probably the country is trying to land him. He’s worth like twenty-five billion dollars or something. How could you possibly not know who he was?” She looked at me in complete and utter shock.

  I shrugged. I didn’t keep up with celebrity lives. I had a hard enough time making it through mine. “I don’t know. I guess I’d never seen him before.”

  “Tell me everything that happened again and I mean everything! I can’t believe you touched him and he talked to you,” she screeched.

  “There isn’t much to tell besides I looked like an idiot. I’m going to grab a quick shower before dinner gets here.” Meg just shook her head at me in disbelief.

  When I walked into the living room, Meg was paying the Chinese delivery guy. He had a huge smile on his face and I knew it was because of Meg, not the tip. She was gorgeous with blonde hair and blue eyes. The kind of girl that made every other girl want to leave the room.

  Dinner was amazing but I was bone tired. I should have unpacked, but it just wasn’t happening tonight. The boxes would still be there the tomorrow. I tried to fall asleep but every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was him and those damn blue eyes. This was getting ridiculous! I met him once for less than ten minutes and would probably never see him again. We traveled in completely different circles. He was living in the lap of luxury and I was trying to find a job to survive. What would he want with me when he could have his pick of any beautiful woman around? I finally fell into a deep sleep but still, I dreamed of blue eyes and soft lips.

  Chapter Two

  Tuesday, August 20

  I walked into the kitchen and Meg looked at me with a smile. “By the way you look, I’m guessing you didn’t get much sleep last night. Could it be because of a certain billionaire? You’re going to have to try a little harder on your appearance if you want him to notice you again.”

  “Oh, shut up! I’ll probably never see him again.” Secretly, I was hoping to see him again but I was not going to let Meg know that or I’d never hear the end of it. She laughed at me, knowing damn well what I was thinking. Sometimes it sucked how well she knew me. I went to the bathroom to see how bad it was and, of course, she was right. I looked like I hadn’t brushed my hair in weeks, and I had bags under my eyes. Lucky for me, I didn’t have plans on going anywhere today.

  Chapter Three

  Tuesday, August 27

  The week drug by and I was dying to know if I got the job at the clinic. I mean, at this point I would take any job but I really wanted that one. Finally, I finished unpacking the boxes in my room. It was a beautiful day outside so I decided to go for a run. I was getting ready to walk out the door when my cell phone rang. My heart leaped into my throat. They were supposed to make a decision about the job today. I took a deep breath, “Hello?”

  “Elizabeth?” a male voice asked. I about screeched right then and there because I knew it was Danny. This was it.

  “Yes this is she,” I replied.

  “Elizabeth, this is Danny from the Clinic. We were wondering if you were still interested in working with us.”

  “Of course I am.” I was wearing a face-splitting smile when Meg walked in the door. I was trying hard not to jump up and down in excitement.

  “I know it’s short notice but we were wondering if you could start tomorrow. One of our therapists hurt herself in a climbing accident over the weekend so we are short staffed.”

  “Of course! What time do I need to be there?”

  “If you could come in at eight to fill out paperwork and get a quick orientation before we open at nine, that would be great.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

  “We look forward to seeing you. Thank you for being able to come in so quick,” he replied before he hung up.

  “So was that the job you wanted?”

  “Yes it was! I start tomorrow. I’m so excited!” I started dancing in a circle.

  “Well, we are going to have to celebrate! How about we splurge for pizza and cheap beer?”

  I laughed. “Whoa, let’s not break the account.” I decided to skip my run and figure out what I was going to wear to work tomorrow instead.

  After a fun evening of pizza and beer, I called it an early night. I took a shower and went to bed. I was exhausted from lack of sleep due to the interview excitement and him. I didn’t see that changing anytime soon because I couldn’t get those damn blue eyes out of my head.

  Chapter Four

  Wednesday, August 28

  Wednesday morning I woke up from a dreamful sleep. Once again, I dreamt of piercing blue eyes. I was starting to get seriously irritated that I couldn’t stop dreaming about him. I was pissed at myself for being so affected by him and I was mad at him for being so damn attractive. I’d decided to wear my best jeans and a blue polo shirt for work. After putting my hair up and doing my makeup, I made my way to the kitchen to make breakfast. So maybe saying I was going to make myself something would be a tiny exaggeration. I’m not known for my cooking abilities. The smoke alarm goes off once when you’re cooking a frozen pizza or Ramen noodles and you get labeled a horrible cook? I get distracted easily, what can I say? Instead of taking my chances with the smoke alarms, I settled for yogurt with granola.

  Meg walked out as I was putting my bowl in the dishwasher. “I’m heading to work. Hope your day of lounging around is fun.” I teased. I didn’t hear her reply because I had already put my headphones in. One of the best things about the job was that it was within walking distance of the apartment. I had a car but it was just faster to walk. I turned my music on and started out to my first day at my dream job.

  I walked into the building and took a deep breath. This was really happening! As I made my way to the elevators, I took everything in. The building was modern but had an old world charm to it. It was an impressive building with twenty-five floors. There were two guards stationed at the security station centered in the lobby, with the elevators behind them. I made my way past the station to wait in line for the elevators.

  I stepped off into the foyer and took a left to the entrance of the clinic. I took a deep breath and tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. I had to knock four times before Danny opened the door. “Sorry about that, Elizabeth. We don’t usually open the door until 8:45am,” he apologized.

  “That’s okay, no worries. Please, call me Liz.”

  Danny showed me around the clinic in greater detail, explaining the different stations they used. He also showed me how the computer system worked. To say it was a little overwhelming would be an understatement. “Liz, don’t worry. You don’t have to learn this all in one day. I’ve been working here for years and the computer still gives me issues.”

  “Thanks. Computers aren’t usually my best friend but I’m a quick learner.” He smiled and nodded. As the staff started to show up, I was getting more nervous by the minute. I excused myself and went to the bathroom to collect myself. This was no time to be freaking out.

  The patients started coming in and Danny introduced me to my clients. That hit me. I had actual clients! Of course, they were the easiest cases and there was always someone discretely watching, but I still had clients. The morning flew by in a flash. When it was time for lunch, I decided to hit up the deli I saw on my walk to work. I walked into the elevator and felt this odd charge. It hit me like a wrecking ball. I looked around the elevator and in the back, there was he was. We locked eyes and he smiled. I couldn’t look away. I was mesmerized by those eyes. Lucky for me, the elevator dinged and it broke the trance. When the elevator reached the lobby, I practically ran out of it and didn’t stop until I was at the deli. You have got to be kidding me; he must work in the building … just my luck.

  I called Meg as soon as I found a seat. “Y
ou are never going to believe who I just saw,” I practically screamed into the phone.

  “No way! You saw him again? Lucky bitch! Did you talk to him this time? Is he as hot as you remember? You didn’t fall on your butt again, did you?”

  “Yes, I saw him again. He must work in this building. No, I didn’t talk to him. Of course, he is as hot as I remember. No, I didn’t fall on my butt.”

  “Why didn’t you talk to him?”

  “It was a crowded elevator. I was in the front and he was in the back. Meg, it was so weird. I could tell he was in there before I saw him.” My mind was reeling. What was that charge? “Meg, I gotta get back to work. We can talk about this when I get home. See ya.”

  “All right, but this discussion is not over by a long shot.” I had no idea why I called her. I knew she would pounce on the information. Well, hopefully she would find some new gossip before I got home. I walked back to work, praying I didn’t see him again. Lucky for me, I made it from the lobby to the office with no sign of him. I sighed out of relief.

  I was with my last client when my luck ran out. My client was a sweet little old lady who had broken her hip. Betty was a lot of fun to work with and she made my job so easy. I was just finishing up when I felt that charge again. I closed my eyes, hoping it wasn’t him. I turned my head slightly and there he was, standing in the doorway. He had changed out of his grey suit into a t-shirt and shorts. He was the only man I’d ever seen who could make shorts and a t-shirt look just as good as an expensive suit. I inhaled sharply. I wanted desperately to look away but I couldn’t. His t-shirt let me see his tattoos. I would have never guessed he had tattoos. He had a tribal tattoo that ran all the way down his arm. Betty brought me back to the present when she smiled and said, “He’s nice to look at, isn’t he? Even an old lady can appreciate something as good looking as him. There’s a reason I picked this time to do my therapy and he is it!” She winked at me and I smiled. After I had checked Betty out on the computer, I went looking for Danny.