He did not exactly remember how it had happened or when he had realized it. Perhaps he had always known that there was a certain attraction there; a sort of spark. She was impressive; intelligent, devoted to her work, cunning, funny, the list went on. He had known people like her before; the go-getters of the world and he understood the attraction of being in a powerful position. He himself had always wanted power, but he had been careful in the manner in which he had reached his position. He had always tried not to step all over people to get ahead. And he was aware that she saw things differently. She was manipulative and usually he had no time for manipulative people. But he found himself in awe at how good she was at it. It was a form of art which she had most definitely mastered. He thought about this as he watched her present an unusual case from the platform at the conference. She spoke with ease and calmness, throwing in a joke every now and again to keep her audience captivated. It was attractive. He glanced around the room and was astonished to see that she was holding the attention of every one in the room. She shone like a star, demanding attention from every man and woman of significance and lapping it up. He had almost forgotten that he was to give a speech directly after her. He frowned, wondering how he would fare as soon as she left the platform.
The room erupted with applause and his attention was quickly drawn to the woman who smiled warmly, accepting the attention with open arms. She looked over at him, her eyes sparkling and he felt a peculiar sense of pride that she was seated at his table, working at his hospital and attending this function with him. He quickly got to his feet and made his way over to the podium. She introduced him as the wonderful and remarkably talented Mr Henrik Hanssen before stepping away from the microphone and passing him as she came down the stairs.
"Break a leg," she whispered, smiling brightly as her hand brushed against his arm.
The electric feeling made him almost giddy. The atmosphere was intoxicating. The audience had loved every minute of Serena's presentation and now, he felt respect from all of them.
He reached the podium, flattening out his speech on the small table in front of him. He glanced up to see Serena sipping her wine, while watching him closely. He focused his attention instead on the audience in front of him, before starting.
Hanssen was relieved to say the least when he finally stepped down from the podium. He, unlike Serena, was not particularly one for large crowds and attention. He liked to sit back and observe. He moved back to the table he was sharing with Serena and a few other surgeons, between having to stop and shake hands with other doctors congratulating him on his speech. Serena was dominating the conversation at the table and all were clearly enjoying her. He took his place beside her and she turned to him, leaning in to congratulate him. He could smell the wine on her breath but also her perfume which seemed to fill up his senses.
"Thank you," he said politely after she'd told him how well he'd done.
"Wine?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, holding the bottle ready to pour into his clean glass.
"Why not?" He nodded, watching her smile as she poured his glass almost to the rim.
"Looks like she's trying to get you drunk, Henrik," one of the surgeons laughed.
"I would never do that," she said jokingly, glancing at Hanssen.
He happily sipped his wine and was quite pleased to have Serena at the table. She could get lively after a few glasses of wine, but it saved him from having to make small talk at least.
He watched her eyes sparkle as she spoke, joking along with the other surgeons and every now and then he felt himself chuckle at something she had said or a look she given him. He felt relaxed in her company for a change.
The function room had slowly quieted down until there were only three other tables with people still talking and laughing. Their group had dispersed as well. There was only two surgeons still with them.
"Well, I suppose it's time to get to bed," Serena said, stretching in her seat.
"I'd be more than happy to accompany you," one of the surgeons smirked, giving her a look that Hanssen did not appreciate at all.
"I'm perfectly capable of . . ." Serena nearly tripped as she got out of her chair, grabbing the table for support.
"You were saying?" The man quickly put an arm around her waist. "I think you need help."
"Ms Campbell and I need to be up early to be back at Holby tomorrow morning," Hanssen said as he found himself getting up and gently taking hold of Serena's arm. "We both need our sleep."
"Well, sleep wasn't exactly what I had in mind," the man laughed.
Serena had to pry the man's arm off of her waist as Hanssen said good night to them and led her to the lift, glancing back to ensure that he was not following them. He was trying to mask his anger, but was finding it more difficult than usual.
As they got into the lift Serena leaned back against one of the panels, watching him closely. "Is the mighty Mr Hanssen a tad bit annoyed?" She teased, watching his jaw clench.
"Absolutely not," he responded.
"Oh, come on," she purred. "I would never have actually let him into my room."
"What you do in your personal time has nothing to do with me."
Serena sighed, looking down at the floor. She could feel she'd had more than enough wine. The floor seemed to be spinning slightly. "It was a good night," she finally said.
"Yes it was," Hanssen nodded.
"You were magnificent," she looked up at him again with that sparkle and he had to resist the sudden urge to pin her to the wall and kiss her. Clearly the alcohol had taken its toll on him too.
"You were excellent too," he answered, averting his gaze to the floor.
"Do you think so?" She asked.
He suddenly looked up at her and for the first time, he could sense a vulnerability within her; a crack in herfaçade. It was endearing. "Absolutely," he answered.
"Thank you," she smiled. The lift doors opened and they both stepped out even though Hanssen's room was on the next floor.
"I'll just make sure you get to your room without any problems," Hanssen explained when he saw the perplexed look on Serena's face as she walked with him down the corridor.
He almost felt sorry to leave her. Her presence had seemed to fill something that had been missing for a long time. He enjoyed her company.
She reached her door and dug out her keys, fumbling with them in the lock. "This is ridiculous," she chuckled, still trying to unlock her door.
Hanssen reached out to help her, but she didn't move her hand away. He had to guide her hand into the lock and turn the key, slowly releasing her hand. He could have sworn he saw her smile as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Once again, her perfume intoxicated him as she moved passed him. She turned around to face him.
He was not sure why he allowed it or why she did it, but it felt right. She reached out and pulled his tie towards her until his lips were close enough to kiss. He relished the feeling of warmth against his own lips as she pulled him into her room and slammed the door shut. He pushed her back against the door and kissed her harder this time. Feeling her heart thudding in her chest only managed to make him want her even more. She gently pushed him away from the door and towards the bed.
He could feel his own heart beating madly. This was possibly one of the most outrageous things he had ever done in his career, but for the moment, he couldn't think of anything he'd rather be doing or anyone he'd rather be with. He gently moved her on to the bed, burning to feel her body against his.
He didn't want to think about the next day. For the moment, it was just about him and this enigmatic woman who had torn through his life like a twister. If only things could stay that simple.