Ric found his attention divided between the woman in his arms and the act playing out on the dance floor between Serena and Marcus. It was clear that Serena didn't have a clue as to who the man was, and that she probably thought he was a donor that she had to chat up. Which made it even more hilarious to watch as the man had the audacity to kiss her cheek and slip into her personal space. Though Ric was also startled by the fact that she was allowing him to be so close. That wasn't like her.
"Who do you keep watching?" his partner asked, and he smiled down into her upturned face.
"My colleague has gotten entangled in a situation that I don't think she can gracefully extricate herself from. It's not a place that she's normally in, so I find it a bit amusing."
She smirked and turned them so that she could look in that direction. "Oh, she's been trapped by Marcus Dunn! You have to save her, that man is an overbearing boor. Really, if you have any respect for her at all, you won't laugh!"
"Oh, but it gets better, Emma, believe me." She pursed her lips as if to hold back the tirade she wanted to unleash upon him. "Wait, wait, wait, hear me out." He gave her a charming smile and she shook her head.
"You have better have a good reason for leaving her in that horrid situation!"
"I do. She's in love with his ex-wife. And neither of them know who the other is. I mean, really, can you imagine a more perfect situation?"
"Wait, you're trying to tell me that Berenice Wolfe and her are partners?" He nodded. "Well, that does explain some of the rumors that have been swirling around about Ms. Campbell. Is Berenice still in Kiev?"
"No, she's just arrived home, and will be back at Holby on Monday."
Again, Emma frowned. "You need to get her here. Seriously, Ric, save her. Or do you not want another healthy donation to Keller?"
"Oh, you do drive a hard bargain. I am more than certain that Serena can hold her own, and I promise to rescue her should anything untoward happen, all right?"
Emma sighed as she shook her head. "I suppose, Ric. Though at this point, I think my donation will be earmarked for your trauma bay." He frowned a little, which pulled a giggle from her. "Oh, do try to not look so disheartened! I was already earmarking money for Holby before we began to dance. It will be entirely up to you to talk to Mister Hanssen to see about allocation of funds."
Ric shook his head as he danced her closer to Serena and Marcus. "Is he really that terrible?" he asked, feeling a tiny prick of conscious at the idea that something untoward might happen to his colleague. "I mean, he seems perfectly harmless enough."
"That is exactly what he wants you to see, Ric. Beneath that retiring exterior hides a snake of a man. He left Berenice completely broke, drained their bank accounts, and then had the gall to brag about it the following day at St. James'!"
"And how would you know this?" he queried as they came ever closer to Serena and Marcus.
"Because I was there, talking to the CEO, the following day, and overheard a few of the nurses gossiping. Things get around quickly in a hospital, it's almost as bad as being in high school."
He let out a loud laugh, which caught Serena's attention, given how close they now were. Her head shot up, and she fixed a black look at him, clearly trying to figure out what he found so amusing, and that just caused him to laugh all the more. Serena's eyebrows knitted together as she moved closer to Marcus, turning him deftly so that they were no longer looking at each other.
Taking the hint, Ric danced Emma a small distance away, still watching the pair. "You shouldn't needle her so, Ric. I think you might find the exact opposite reaction that you're trying to get out of her. I mean, you did see how she stepped closer to Marcus, right? Do you really want her growing affectionate towards a bounder like him?"
That thought took him aback, and his eyes widened as he focused on Serena once more. There it was, clear as day, she was deliberately cozying up to the man, and he let out a low breath as he shook his head. "No, I do not. But it might be too late to do anything about that."
"Well, you might have to pull in the big guns, then, and get Ms. Wolfe here, on the double."
He nodded a little as he moved them even farther away, knowing that he had to clue Hanssen in on this new development. While he still found the situation hilarious, there was a part of him that knew Serena would be terribly disgusted when she found out who she was really dancing with. "I don't know if I can do that, Emma, but I will talk to Mister Hanssen and see if we can extricate ourselves from the entire situation without embarrassing Serena. Is that okay?"
"That will be fine, Ric. And don't worry, if things go the right way, I might be persuaded to add a bit to my annual donation, earmarked for you. As long as you take care of her!" She leaned in and kissed his cheek lightly. "Seriously, no woman deserves to be saddled with that man for any longer than she has to."
Ric gave her another nod as he let go of her and made his way to where Hanssen was dancing with an attractive redhead. Their eyes met, and then the taller man was leaning in and whispering into the woman's ear before letting go over her and coming to his side. "Mister Griffin."
"Mister Hanssen. We may have a problem with Serena."
"Oh?" he asked, cocking his head to one side as he regarded him intensely.
"Yes. We may have underestimated how stubborn she is, and how smarmy he is. And that could spell disaster for Holby, and for her."
"I didn't realize that you cared that much for your colleague." Ric gave him a dark look, trying to ignore the smirk that came to his lips. "But I trust Serena to be able to hold her own when it comes to things like this. She has eaten lesser men for breakfast, after all."
"There is that, but she's also tender in regard to Bernie leaving her for Kiev, and you know how she gets when she's trying to keep her true heart from being on her sleeve. If we're not careful, she could step into something she's not prepared for."
Hanssen gave a tiny shake of his head. "No, she's stronger than you give her credit for, however I will agree to keeping an eye on her for the duration of the evening. If it looks like things are getting out of hand, I will step in with whatever means I feel are appropriate. Now go, and chat up another potential donor. Holby can use whatever funds she can get."
Ric nodded before meeting the eye of another woman that Hanssen had pointed out earlier. She was leaning against the wall, a bemused smile on her lips as she watched the other dancers. And he knew exactly how to start chatting her up, he thought as he made his way to her side.