The next day around mid-morning, having finished a case, Rex checked his phone messages. As he’d expected, there was a text from Tiffani, notifying him that she and the photographer were in the hospital. The text ended with her requesting he call the moment he was available. What if he ignored her? No. Tiffani would track him down. He wouldn’t put it past her to show up in surgery. She’d not slowed down the last time she’d been after him.
The episode in the café the day before had not improved his opinion of her. The very idea of using pictures of that child’s medical emergency to further Tiffani’s agenda left him with a nasty taste in his mouth. He hadn’t helped Lucy because it was a good PR move. He’d done what any dedicated doctor would do. His job was to save lives. Tiffani’s opportunistic attitude appalled him.
Her comment about not caring for his profession struck him as odd. What did she have against doctors?
And still all this PR stuff painfully reminded him too much of his childhood. Dressing things up so they looked perfect and idealistic violated the promises he had made to himself. Straightforward honesty at all times was his motto. Yet here he was in a situation he wasn’t completely comfortable with. The hospital provided exceptional care and he was who he was, an experienced physician. Neither of them needed some PR campaign to prove their worth. Still, he had agreed to participate in Tiffani’s program.
Finally he texted back.
OK.
She replied.
We are in the conference room of the administrative suite.
Rex groaned and responded.
Only have thirty minutes till next case.
As he entered the conference room Tiffani made a beeline toward him. Today she wore pants emphasizing her curves and a flowing, ultra-feminine blousy shirt. To his disappointment, her hair was still worn up, this time tightly twisted behind her head. They might not agree ideologically but he had to admit he was intensely attracted to her and sought to know more about her. If nothing else, he wanted to see what she looked like with her hair down.
The meeting room had been transformed into a photography studio. The large table and chairs had been pushed against the walls. In their places stood a camera on a tripod, lights, a large backdrop that depicted the front of the hospital and a few other props. Besides Tiffani there was a man with a scruffy beard, wearing a vest, and two other people working at positioning props. Rex assumed they were the photographer’s assistants.
“This is a bigger production than I anticipated,” Rex murmured when Tiffani was at his side.
“We want to get pictures conveying confidence and trust,” Tiffani informed him with an excited note in her voice.
The bearded man in the vest came over.
Tiffani took his arm, pulling him closer. “Dr. Maxwell, I’d like you to meet Luke Johnson, the photographer.”
Rex offered his hand. “Make it Rex.”
Luke nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’d like to get some shots of you dressed as you are before you change.”
Rex looked through narrowed eyes at Tiffani. “Change?”
“Into one of the outfits we bought yesterday.” Her expression was unyielding.
He did not have time for all this nonsense, but he’d given Nelson his word. The board would look dimly on it if he didn’t cooperate as requested.
“Why don’t you stand right here?” Luke suggested, indicating a spot in front of the backdrop.
“This is turning into more hoopla than I agreed to,” Rex muttered, as he made his way to where Luke directed.
“I can assure you it’s important,” Tiffani replied.
Over the next few minutes Rex turned this way and that as instructed. Held his hands to his sides, crossed them over his chest and put them behind his back, all while smiling or not. Tiffani made comments here and there to Luke, occasionally placing her hand on his shoulder or looking into the camera before she gave Rex instructions to position himself a certain way.
Tiffani’s obvious closeness to Luke deepened Rex’s displeasure. Just how well did they know each other? Luke was a business associate, just like him, yet she paid him attention. She made it clear Rex was off limits. More perplexing and annoying was why he would care? He wasn’t even sure he liked her.
It didn’t take long until he’d had enough. Enough of having his picture taken. Enough of watching Tiffani so close to another man. Luke finally looked up from the camera said, “That was great. Now we’re ready for the street clothes.”
Perfect. There would be more of the same. Them using him as a mannequin while they huddled together and whispered.
Tiffani pointed to a screen in the back corner of the room. “You can change there.”
“I don’t have any more time for this. I’m expected in surgery.” Rex didn’t even try to keep the irritation out of his voice.
Tiffani glanced at the clock on the wall. “It won’t take long. According to the schedule Dr. Nelson provided, you have another twenty minutes.”
Rex glared at her. “You should already have what you need.”
“I need you in street clothes as well. It’s better to do all the pictures at once than to have Luke come back later. When you’re ready, we are. The clothes are behind the screen.”
She was relentless. Like he cared if Luke was inconvenienced. It didn’t matter to her that she was inconveniencing his surgical patients, let alone what he thought or wanted. Her job took precedence. Like yesterday with the choking girl.
More than that, he was unable to intimidate Tiffani. He wasn’t used to that. His word was usually law. He wanted to assert his dominance over the irritating woman. At the moment that woman’s and Luke’s heads were almost touching as they studied the just-taken photos. Disgusted, Rex headed for the changing screen. The sooner he changed the sooner he would be done here.
He donned a sky blue shirt and khaki pants. To his great relief, there was no tie. There was a brown belt on a hanger, though. When he stepped from behind the screen Tiffani studied him before nodding, apparently satisfied.
“If you’ll stand in front of the backdrop again,” Luke said, looking through his camera on the tripod.
Rex took his spot once more. Luke clicked the button on the camera rapidly before asking Rex to turn another way. This entire ordeal was becoming more exasperating and frustrating by the minute. He was quickly reaching his limit on this silliness. Even so, he managed to give a pleasant smile on request.
When Luke stopped taking pictures and straightened, Rex’s hopes rose. Maybe they were done with him. But a glance at Tiffani dashed his hopes. Her head was tilted and mouth drawn up in thought.
“Something’s missing.” A bright smile lit her face seconds later. “I know what it is. Anna,” she said to one of Luke’s assistants, “can you bring me that stethoscope?”
The girl picked it up from a chair and rushed to hand it to Tiffani.
Rex watched Tiffani approach. She was all business, viewing him as a figure she could manipulate this way and that. She didn’t care about him. To her he w
as just the model for her damn PR crusade. For some reason that pricked his male pride. He didn’t consider himself a vain man or expect every woman to find him appealing but he didn’t appreciate Tiffani treating him as an object. The need to rattle her grew.
Reaching him, Tiffani held the stethoscope in both hands and raised it over his head. He didn’t offer her help by bending so she could put it around his neck. She went up on her toes, causing her breasts to press against his chest. He burned where she made contact. Without any apparent reaction on her part, she slipped the tubing around his neck.
Watching her concentrated expression closely, he said soft enough that only she could hear, “My heart rate’s up. How about yours?”
Her eyes widened and fixed on him. She stumbled. Rex put steadying hands on her waist. Her fingers gripped his shoulders. Hot seconds of awareness raced between them before Tiffani blinked and pushed away. His dented ego was bolstered by the red tint on her cheeks.
She kept backing away until Luke snapped, “Hey! Watch the camera.”
Tiffani jerked around and sidestepped the equipment before going to the photographer’s side. He immediately started taking pictures once more.
A minute later she said, “Anna, would you adjust the stethoscope so it doesn’t hang quite so evenly? Pull it down a little on the right side.”
Rex challenged Tiffani with a silent look, smug with the knowledge she was afraid to do it herself. He’d gotten to her. He smiled, emphasizing his unspoken invitation.
Tiffani averted her gaze.
Once Anna was out of the way, Luke resumed rapidly clicking, enthusiastically declaring, “That’s it. The one we want.”
Soon Tiffani announced, “That’s all we have time for.”
“I think we got what you wanted in that last batch, Tiffani.” Luke started showing her the images.
Rex swiftly ducked behind the screen and dressed again. He left the “costume” piled beneath where he’d originally found it hanging. Tiffani didn’t say anything as he left, but that was all right. He smiled as he strode down the hall. There was no doubt in his mind that she’d remember this photo shoot for a very long time.