Chapter 6

"Are you sure I can leave you alone for the afternoon?" Serena asked Ric as she packed her bag. "Are you sure you don't need me desperately so there is no way I can attend this complete and utter waste of everyone's time!?" Ric laughed and came to stand by her.

"Sorry, but the afternoon looks set to be a quiet one...all electives are done, most patients being discharged. How are you?" he asked her thoughtfully as he rested a hand on her arm.

"I'm...better." she smiled, thinking back to her morning with Hanssen in the gardens. "Are you okay?" she asked him, reaching her hand to cover his.

"I'm fine, you were the one who spent the most time with her." he said gently as he looked deep into her eyes and saw the sadness still lurking there. She smiled at him and he pulled her close to him, understanding immediately, being a parent himself. He kissed her lightly on the side of the head as he patted her arms and moved back to his desk, smiling knowingly. She picked up her bag and pulled on her coat, turning for the door.

"See you Monday...if I survive this bloody meeting." she scoffed as she left the room, heading for the main Reception to meet Hanssen. It had been a very long week, today being the cherry on top. Serena descended the stairs and reached the ground floor, opening the stairwell door to see Hanssen standing by the main entrance, adjusting his tie smartly. She crossed over to him and he looked up, straightening himself.

"Ready Ms. Campbell?" he asked lightly as they left the building together.

"Oh you know me, raring to go!" she smiled, feigning enthusiasm as Hanssen chuckled to himself. Their drive over to St. James's was spent once again listening to the rich sounds of Ludvig Norman, Serena tapping along in time with the music, Hanssen smiling. As they pulled into the car park, Serena groaned loudly as she saw Cunningham ahead of them, climbing out of his car. Hanssen looked at her and followed her gaze, realising what she had seen. He continued driving just a little ways passed him and pulled into the vacant parking space. He glanced over at Serena and saw the look of trepidation on her face.

"It will be fine, Ms. Campbell." he reassured her as she looked over at him, sceptically. "Also, you get to choose our eating establishment this evening." he smiled as he climbed from the car and she followed.

"What do you mean?" she asked him as he opened the boot, fetching his briefcase and coat.

"Simply that you could choose our restaurant for this evening."

"I mean, I didn't realise our meeting this evening would be held in a restaurant again." He stopped as he shrugged on his coat and eyed her warily.

"Is that a problem for you? Would you rather we conducted the meeting back at Holby City?" He closed the boot and stood staring at her as she exhaled and shrugged.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make sure we eat something as we work." she reasoned, catching his look of relief as he turned and they headed towards the building. If she was being honest with herself she had really enjoyed her evening with him the previous week and hoped tonight would be no different. Once again collecting their ID badges, they stalked through the corridors of the Hospital until they arrived at the Boardroom. Serena entered first and took her seat, followed by Hanssen. Once they were settled side-by-side Serena felt him lean closer to her and looked up to see him offering her a mint. She reached out her hand, pleasantly surprised and took it, smiling in thanks. As the meeting got underway, she couldn't help but notice that Hanssen appeared to be spending a great deal of his time keeping an eye on her. She wondered if it was because he was still concerned for her state of mind, or whether he simply enjoyed looking at her.

The meeting broke for a quick 15minute break around 5pm and Serena realised she couldn't cope with much more of this. Sighing, she dropped her head into her hands and took a deep breath before she felt a hand lay itself gently on her back. She turned her head to the side to see Hanssen had shifted closer and was looking at her, his face full of concern.

"What is it?" he asked her and she laughed, running a hand through her hair.

"Nothing, just this meeting." As she turned her head back she noticed Cunningham's eyes were fixed firmly on her breasts. Clearing her throat nervously, she reached for her shirt and pulled it together, subconsciously shifting closer to Hanssen. He'd seen Cunningham's wandering eyes and the way Serena had reacted to them. He wanted nothing more than to repeatedly hit the slimy cretin of a man. He looked at her and noticed her face had turned red, he leant in and whispered to her.

"Everything alright?" She turned her head back and whispered in his ear.

"If he doesn't stop looking at my cleavage, we'll soon have one less Board member to worry about." she threatened as he chuckled.

Once 8pm finally arrived and the meeting drew to a close, Serena and Hanssen were most definitely ready for food. Once again, Cunningham tried his luck by cornering her on her way back from the ladies toilets, Hanssen waiting for her in the Boardroom.

"Serena! Dinner with me, tonight. What do you say?"

"I say you're very persistent." she said dryly, smoothing down her shirt as she saw his eyes once again fall onto her chest. "However I am busy tonight, so a meeting would not be possible." She began to walk away as he followed her.

"I don't want a meeting. Just you and me, no talk of work. Come on?" he coaxed as she turned to face him, plastering on a false smile.

"Look, I don't think that's ever going to happen, okay? I don't mix business and pleasure. Sorry." she said as she walked away and found Hanssen leaning against the table in the Boardroom, holding her bag and coat for her. Once he saw her, he held them out to her and they left the room, Cunningham watching them leave. "He propositioned me on my way back to you." she said quietly as they walked through the corridors. Hanssen's eyebrows shot up as he turned his head to look back at the creepy little man.

"I hope you told him exactly what he could do with his proposition." Hanssen huffed as they continued walking and reached the main reception, handing over their ID badges.

"I did, although I don't think he heard it...people like him never do." she snorted as they walked towards his car.

"So, where are we going tonight then, Ms. Campbell?" He saw a sly look creep onto her face as she opened the passenger door.

"Wait and see." she smiled cryptically as she got into the car, leaving Hanssen feeling slightly nervous. They once again made a detour past the Hospital so Hanssen could pick up the paperwork from Ric and then they were on their way. "Take a left here." she commanded as he indicated and manoeuvred the vehicle in the direction she'd told him to. "It's just here on the right." she pointed as he pulled into a small car park and turned off the engine. "Now, don't go off first impressions..." she warned as she took off her seatbelt. "This place has many places within it...okay?" He looked over at her and felt completely out of his comfort zone. As they exited the car, she led them over to a tall, plain, brick building with only a large metal door to be seen. He stopped and turned to her, wondering if she was insane. "Trust me." was all she said as she reached out and pulled open the large iron door and they stepped through.

They made their way down a dimly lit corridor until they reached a lift. Serena pressed the button and the doors opened immediately. They both climbed in and she selected the top floor, turning to Hanssen as the doors closed.

"Don't look so worried." she whispered, reaching for his hand and squeezing it briefly as the doors opened and she pulled him out. They walked down another hall and she opened a door onto a large, rooftop area, filled with diners and lights and music. Hanssen stood transfixed to the spot, wondering how somewhere so beautiful had appeared from somewhere so dank and dingy. He looked around the open rooftop and noticed a bar area in the centre, with a kitchen behind that, tables dotted around the place and waiters milling between tables.

"Good evening, table for two?" asked a young female waiter as Serena nodded, following her. She turned back and beckoned for Hanssen to join her. Once they were seated, under their own halogen heater, she smirked across at him.

"Looks can be deceiving, can't they?" He sat back, still lost for words and simply smiled. Yes, he thought, yes they could indeed. Once they'd ordered and their drinks had arrived, he found himself putting off having to talk about work, simply wanting to get to know this surprising woman.

"How many times have you been here?" he asked her as she looked up trying to remember.

"Not a great deal, but more than I can recall at the moment." she smiled at him as she took a sip of her drink. "It was Eleanor who found this place...they have a nightclub on the first and second floors." she explained as Hanssen nodded his head.

"Well it really is beautiful." he said appreciatively, looking out at the lights of the city below them, his gaze coming to rest on Serena.

"It is isn't it." she agreed, oblivious. "I'd never have thought Holby could look like this." she motioned at the shining lights and sighed contentedly. He watched as she gazed out over the City, her eyes shining. He'd always known she was attractive, but here, tonight, she was something else. He felt drawn to her, seeing her in a new light, especially after the way she had dealt with Malory passing away. She suddenly looked back at him and smiled, embarrassed. "Sorry, I tend to get lost in the sight." she admitted as he smiled and held up a hand.

"Absolutely no need to apologise." As they sat staring at each other, the waiter arrived with their food and they both remembered how hungry they actually were.

Once they'd finished their food and had finished off their bottle of wine, Serena sighed loudly as she moved their plates to one side and reached for the folder that was next to him. He reached out his hand and placed it on top of hers, feeling a shoot of electricity rush up his arm. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes as he pushed her hand away and beckoned the waiter over.

"I think work can wait." he said as he ordered another bottle of wine and Serena smiled at him in surprise.

They had made their way through a second bottle of wine, mostly thanks to Serena, and had managed to discuss her entire childhood, when they noticed the place was closing. Hanssen looked at his watch and his eyes widened...12:24am. He looked over at Serena and saw her checking her own watch, a similar expression on her face. He couldn't believe how long he'd been chatting to this woman and how quickly the time had flown. Taking out his wallet, he saw Serena shake her head and pick up her handbag.

"No, you paid last week. Besides, this was my choice." she reasoned as she stood and headed to the bar to pay. As he watched her make her way around the tables and chairs, he smiled to himself at having been able to spend such a lovely evening with a truly remarkable woman. He watched her pay and stood up, reaching for her coat as well as his own and making his way over to her. She had just finished paying and turned around to head back to the table when she went crashing into his chest. "Oh, sorry!" she breathed as he held onto both her arms, steadying her. Smiling he held her coat out to her and she took it, silently shrugging it on before they headed for the door, thanking the staff. As they stepped into the lift, Serena suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She felt as if the air between them had changed and she was finding herself thinking about him in a whole new way. She had seen a different side to the stony-faced CEO and realised, she liked it. She risked a glance at him out of the corner of her eye and saw he was doing the same to her. She cleared her throat and fiddled with her handbag until the lift reached the ground floor and they stepped out, instantly mobbed by a group of young people pushing into the lift, chatting and laughing loudly. They managed to extract themselves from the lift, Hanssen grabbing her hand and pulling her after him through the throngs of people. They stepped outside and he kept a hold of her hand, absently allowing his thumb to caress the back. They reached his car and neither of them separated their hands. He looked at her as she raised her eyes to his, wondering what was going to happen next. He swallowed and released her hand, stepping backwards.

"We'd better be getting home." he said as he made his way over to the driver's side and unlocked the door. She exhaled, feeling frustrated as she climbed into the car with him. Once again, he dropped her at her house, both of them sitting awkwardly before she made a move to climb out. She stopped moving and turned back to face him.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked. She could see he was torn as he weighed up both sides. "Never mind, see you Monday." she smiled as she got out of the car, making the decision for him. She watched his car drive away and she turned to her house, seeing it in total darkness. Sighing she made her way up the path, hunting around for her house keys. When she couldn't find them, she knelt down and tipped her handbag out on the doorstep, finally locating them. Stuffing everything back into her bag, she stood up and stuck the key in the door, feeling a sudden presence behind her. Turning around sharply she looked up into Hanssen's eyes. "Christ..." she breathed as she held a hand to her chest "...don't just creep up on people like that in the complete darkness..." she was cut off when he lowered his head and brought his lips softly against hers. She was stunned momentarily, standing still until he pulled away and looked down at her. "...you could give people a heart attack." she finished as he smiled and stepped closer, reaching a hand around her shoulders and bringing his lips against hers for a second time. This time, she responded by dropping her bag and reaching her hands up his back, pulling him closer to her. The feeling of his lips against hers was exhilarating and she moaned as his hands travelled up and down her back. He held her tightly, reaching up a hand to touch her face as he deepened their kiss. After a few minutes, he pulled away gently and looked into her eyes, hearing her breathing heavily. She looked up at him, lost for words, shaking slightly.

"I didn't answer your question." he told her as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"I would love nothing more than to come in...but I don't think it's wise." he said quietly as she nodded her head in agreement, very aware of the fact they were still holding onto each other tightly. He raised his hand to her cheek once again and stroked it gently as she closed her eyes and he planted a kiss on her lips before stepping back and clearing his throat. "Goodnight, Ms. Campbell." he smiled as he headed back down the path and out of sight. Serena stood still, wondering if that had actually just happened. When she was confident she had once again regained control of her legs, she bent to pick up her bag and unlocked the door, heading inside.