I didn’t know who was out there. It could have been Susan, or just one of the other patients, but I knew I needed to be out at the nurses’ station and I wasn’t supposed to be in a patient’s room. I really wasn’t supposed to have been having sex with a patient in their room, either.
“Literally.” Erik laughed as he got dressed.
“It’s not funny,” I scolded him.
“I know,” he said as he grabbed me and kissed me one last time before pulling the door open and releasing me into the day area.
“Hey, Brianna,” I said as I saw her walking down the hall. “Sorry, I was just getting Erik some water.”
Brianna didn’t look like she believed a single word that I was saying to her. She stood there with a sheepish smile on her face as she looked at me and then his room. I felt like she knew what was going on. She looked like a woman who was smart enough to figure out why I had been in Erik’s room and why my hair looked all tussled and my face was flushed with excitement.
But luckily, she didn’t press the subject and continued on to ask what she needed from me. I’m sure I would have tried to make a story up to say what was going on, but I was a horrible liar, so I was very grateful she didn’t need my explanation.
“Could I call my husband again? I know the phones are supposed to be off limits this late, but I just need to talk to him.”
“Sure,” I said with a bit of relief. “When I’m working, you don’t have to ask. I think you guys should get to talk to your family whenever you’d like. Just as long as your family is all right with you calling at this hour.”
“Yeah, I’m just calling my husband’s cell phone. If he’s asleep, he won’t hear it. I just wanted to talk to him one last time, and I couldn’t get to sleep.”
“Yep, go ahead and give him a call,” I said as I walked away.
I certainly couldn’t deny her request. I moved behind the counter and noticed I had my scrub shirt on inside out. I tried to play it off until Brianna finished her call and went back to her room, then I snuck into the back room and switched it.
As I stood looking at myself in the mirror, it was beyond obvious that something else had been going on in Erik’s room. My hair had half fallen out of the ponytail it was in. My shirt had been inside out, and my cheeks were flushed from the excitement. I was grateful that Brianna hadn’t decided to question me more about what had happened. I would have certainly been fired if I had been caught.
Erik peeked his head out of his room and looked around before shrugging his shoulders as if asking who had been out there calling for me. I shooed him back into his room. As he closed the door, he pressed two fingers up to his lips like he was kissing them and then blew it my way. It was not what I had expected from him, but I smiled and waved for him to shut the door.
BILLIONAIRE IN REHAB PART IV
Chapter Eighteen
Erik
For the first time in as very long time, I had made love to a woman who I actually had feelings for.
I liked it. I wanted her again. For a moment, I wanted to just check myself out of the facility, run over to her house, and make love to her constantly for the next week. But I couldn’t do that. Cassidy wouldn’t have been excited to see me if I left treatment, she would be pissed.
It was exciting to have something with a girl who also wanted to be sober. I seriously doubted I would find many girls like that on the West Coast in the party atmosphere I lived in. I didn’t sleep much that night, although I did eventually fall asleep from total exhaustion.
I was actually a little relieved when Cassidy didn’t work the next day. As much as I wanted to see her, I wanted to finish up my plan for my father and brother, and I had to call my old partner Spencer to have some help with the logistics of everything.
“Hey, Spencer,” I said when he answered his phone.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my kickass, sober friend,” he said with enthusiasm. “How the heck are things going?”
“Really good. I’m getting healthy, making plans for the future. I think this is probably the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.”
“I’m really glad, Erik. This isn’t just about work, you know. You’re my best friend. I can’t have you keeling over and leaving me with all these hot single girls alone,” he joked.
“So, tell me more about this movie studio deal,” I asked as we talked some more.
Spencer went on and on about all the benefits of getting into business with the new studio. Even though he had given me details before, I hadn’t really listened to him much. This time, I was clear headed and felt ready to really analyze the situation.
It was a wonder that I had ever been able to make decisions while I was drinking and using drugs. But most of my use had escalated after I sold my company. In my early days of business, weekend drinking was my only main issue.
I gave Spencer all the details of what I wanted done with my family, and he promised to make it happen. There weren’t many people in the world who I would have trusted with access to my money, but he was one of them. Spencer was more fiscally responsible with his money than I could ever imagine being.
After my phone call, I went to groups, did the homework Jarrod had assigned, and in general felt like I was kicking ass at this whole treatment thing. It had started to feel like my normal routine and I was getting comfortable.