The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife
Chapter 36

In an unprecedented turn of events, Savannah had two Saturday night’s off in a row and tonight she had convinced Mackenna to join them for dinner and drinks, insisting they needed to celebrate. Where last week she had felt raw, somehow this week she felt as if she was healing and ready to face her friends and her life.

Mackenna was nestled between Savannah and Nuncio. Around the table their group consisted of Derrick Portman, a new orthopedic intern working with him, Padma Kaur and two nurses who had accompanied them all out the weekend before, Maisy and Cassidy. Tonight, they were celebrating Mackenna and Savannah replaceing a new condo in a nicer part of town with security doors.

Interestingly, the clingy nurse Savannah had mentioned the weekend before was nowhere to be seen and Derrick wasn’t talking about her. According to the rumor mill, the nurse got angry when he cancelled a dinner date last minute because he’d been called in for an emergency surgery. Allegedly she’d thrown a fit in the middle of the hospital lobby. The hospital gossip mill was running rampant about how Derrick very coolly looked at her and said “get over yourself” walked away and didn’t look back. The nurse had to be escorted off the premises sobbing hysterically, and her manager had to be called to review her behaviour. The hospital was gossiping like mad over the exchange, but Derrick’s lips were sealed.

Mackenna looked down at her dress. She had splurged today for the first time in many years. She had spent nearly seventy dollars on the dress, but she wanted something pretty to wear. It was a classic little black dress, but a wraparound, tying at her waist. The cut of the dress amplified her curves, cutting just enough cleavage to tease but not showing too much skin, the hem of the dress sitting mid-thigh. She was wearing a pair of Savannah’s old pageant shoes, unwilling to fork over the amount of cash the shoes she liked demanded, regardless of how many zeroes her bank account was showing. She had her hair in a high ponytail at the top of her head wrapped with a thick streak of her own hair Savannah had temporarily dyed a bright fiery red. The one streak around the base of her ponytail trailed playfully through the to the end. While she would never permanently color her hair such a vibrant color, it was fun for a night on the town.

Her make-up was flawless only because Savannah had done it, using her pageantry skills. Her eyeliner cat like, her lids smoky and her lips painted a glossy red. Savannah had contoured and highlighted her skin, so her cheekbones were defined, and she felt good. She had caught Derrick staring more than once and it was doing good things for her ego.

She forced herself to admit she would have loved for Alessandro to see her like this as she wasn’t sure he had ever seen her done up like this. Usually, he had her dressed elegant and he’d never taken her to a dance club. She felt young and vibrant and for the first time in a few months, alive.

“That’s a hell of a dress,” Padma complimented her.

“I splurged today,” she admitted to Padma. “I saw it in a window when I was downtown, and I decided I really wanted it, so I bought it.”

“You deserve it Mac,” Derrick commented from across the table. “You look gorgeous as always.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she gave a mock bow and blushed when he winked at her. Nuncio grunted and she elbowed him. “So, what is everyone ordering? Should we just do a bunch of shared plates?”

They were at one of her and Savannah’s favorite Greek restaurants where the food was amazing, and the service was stellar. Savannah had given the owner’s daughter several stitches once and her manner with the child had impressed the parents so much they made her an honorary daughter in their family, and they promised her whenever she wanted, she could call them personally and they would ensure she had a table for her and all her friends. She waved the server over and they all placed orders of appetizers and shareable dishes.

“Derrick, where’s Erica?” Cassidy asked the question nobody had dared, causing Savannah to choke on her beer and Mackenna to look away and pretend to take a long sip of her vodka and cranberry.

Derrick glared at her, “didn’t work out. Next question.”

“Are you going to take someone else home tonight? Padma lives with her entire family, like a hundred of them, she could probably use the break from them.”

“Oh my god,” Padma’s complexion reddened as she looked at Savannah for help.

“Don’t look at me,” Savannah grinned, “the whole reason we love Cassidy is she isn’t afraid to address the elephant in the room. You are fresh meat, and the good doctor is mighty fine, if you like blue eyes and lots of dimples.”

“Yeah Derrick,” Maisy jumped on board, “you usually date anyone not on your floor. Now we all know who Mac’s ex is, we all know not even you can compare. Sorry Mac, just pointing out the obvious. Why you even entertained the notion of dating Derrick Portman when Alessandro Giordano is your ex is beyond me. We like Padma, we like Derrick. You should date.” She pointed back to Mackenna, “you should convince your ex to stay in Phoenix so we can all admire him when he comes to join you in the cafeteria.”

“Can we change the subject?” Mackenna’s cheeks were as red as Padma’s at the conversation. “Let’s talk about something more fun. Savannah, got any more stories from trauma? Preferably something less gory than this current range of topics.”

“Please,” Padma begged unable to meet Derrick’s eyes.

Mackenna noted for the first time Derrick was looking at his new intern differently and she grinned. Maybe everyone else had seen something he had missed. She looked between the two and looked to Savannah curiously who gave her a nod of acknowledgement. Considering all she’d put the good doctor through, she decided to help things along.

“Padma, do you really live with your entire family?” Mackenna asked her.

“God, yes. It’s horrible,” she wrinkled her nose. “My parents paid for my schooling. All of it. In return they refused to let me move out of the house until I either complete my fellowship and have my own practice as a surgeon or I get married. It’s customary for everyone to live together but I’m not going to lie, I’m very much over it. They are always in my business. My mother is forever introducing me to men she feels are suitable, my grandmother criticizes everything I wear and this morning my grandfather thought it was perfectly acceptable to use the toilet while I was in the shower.”

“No!” Mackenna was horrified. “That’s not right.”

“He’s eighty-six years old. Do you know the intestinal problems of an old man? I begged him to leave, and he said I was a doctor, and I should be used to bodily functions,” she gave a shudder.

The table erupted with laughter at her story while she took a very long drink of her wine.

“Hey, Derrick, didn’t you buy a huge house in the burbs?” Mackenna asked suddenly. “Derrick told me knows how to make his own pasta.”

Derrick turned his eyes back to her and pursed his lips. “I change my mind, we aren’t friends.”

She laughed merrily at his comment and shrugged. “You took a massive donation from my ex-husband and from the rumor mill, you’ve had lunch with him on multiple occasions. I’d rather you sleep with her than him you traitor.”

“He’s a genuinely nice guy and he adores you,” Derrick shrugged unapologetically. “There’s actually on ongoing pool of how long before you take him back, quit again and move back to Milan.”

“Nope,” she shook her head. “Not happening. I have no desire to move back. Too many bad memories.”

“Note, she didn’t say she wasn’t taking him back though,” Padma jumped on the bandwagon.

“Do you know what the problem is with having friends who are all doctor’s and nurses,” Mackenna asked Nuncio who was slowly relaxing and chuckling beside her. “They all think they are the smartest in the room and they miss absolutely nothing. It’s like working with a bunch of arrogant detectives.”

“She didn’t deny it though,” Savannah quipped as she lifted her glass to her lips.

“Shut up Kirkland,” Mackenna took her straw into her mouth and drained her glass. She lifted it in the direction of the server who immediately went to the bar for her.

“So, you’re still in love with your ex?” Cassidy asked curiously.

“Change the topic now,” Mackenna urged desperately. “I am not nearly drunk enough to go down this path of introspection.”

“Fine,” Cassidy looked at Nuncio. “Did you know Savannah’s been calling you the hot bodyguard from hell? We have an ongoing pool about how long,” she tried to get away from Savannah who was trying to cover her mouth with her hand.

Mackenna felt Nuncio tense beside her and wondered how he’d react.

“You talk about me at work Savannah? Interesting, she told me she never thinks of me at all when I’m not in her immediate view.” Nuncio folded his arms over his chest enjoying how Savannah’s cheeks flamed. “And to think she told me it was all one-sided.”

“Shut up,” she gurgled at him from the other side of Mackenna.

Mackenna’s grin was wide as she sat between them and she turned to Nuncio, “want to change seats?

“No,” Savannah hissed as Nuncio agreed immediately.

Suddenly Savannah chortled with glee. “Oh, this is perfect.”

“What?” Mackenna asked as she looked in the direction where her friend was staring, and her breath caught. In all his beautiful glory was Alessandro cutting through the restaurant in their direction. “He’s not supposed to be home until Sunday night.” She glared at Nuncio, “you told him last night we were going out tonight didn’t you.”

“It is my job. He is my employer.” He flopped down in the seat she’d just vacated and rubbed his ankle she kicked.

“Rat,” she hissed under her breath.

“Brat,” he hissed back as he dropped his arm over the back of Savannah’s chair. “So, let’s talk more about how Savannah calls me the hot bodyguard.”

“From hell,” Savannah finished her cheeks burning.

Mackenna heard nothing as she saw Alessandro walking towards them, looking around the table as if he didn’t notice her. Then his eyes landed on her, and his eyebrows shot upwards at her appearance.

“Mackenna,”

“Oh god,” Maisy said with a squeal, “he sounds just like he looks.”

Cassidy motioned to Derrick. “Get him a chair. Join us Alessandro. We’re all friends here.”

“It’s a trap, run,” Derrick warned him but did as he was instructed by the nurse and pushed the chair in between where he and Mackenna sat.

Mackenna grinned at him when it moved his seat closer to Padma’s. She waggled her finger between them. “Talk amongst yourselves.”

“Mac,” Padma flicked her straw at her throwing sprinkles of drinks in her direction, “you are dangerously close to not being my friend either.”

“I’m just saying when it’s obvious, it’s obvious.”

The entire table turned to look at her pointedly and she g*****d. “Shut up.” She looked to Alessandro who was still standing. “Are you joining us or not?”

He had been in the mind to drag her out of the restaurant as soon as he saw the hair and make-up, but curiosity got the better of him and sat down between her and the doctor. He crossed his ankles under the table, his thigh brushing against hers as he invaded her space as he shrugged out of his jacket to hang over the back of his seat.

Mackenna’s senses were operating on overdrive with him sitting so closely. While he gave his drink order to the server, she took a minute to surreptitiously take in the appearance. He was dressed casually but with precision the way only someone who had modelled for most of his life. His dark pants hugged his long legs deliciously and as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, Mackenna’s eyes were drawn to his long fingers and bared forearms. She allowed her gaze to travel up his muscular arms toward his chest, and almost sighed as he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, exposing a smattering of hair and bronze skin. A four-letter word echoed in her head as she turned her eyes back to the table and noted everyone except Nuncio was watching him relax. The man was s*x on legs and even Derrick was probably turned on.

“Is there something on my face?” he asked suddenly breaking the sudden silence of the table.

“No,” Mackenna swallowed hard and then grabbed her drink the server had just set in front of her and moved the straw away and chugged the drink shaking the glass in her direction.

“What are you drinking?”

He took the glass from her hands and Mackenna fought the zing travelling up her fingers from the simple connection.

“Vodka and cranberry.”

“I didn’t know you liked spirits.”

“Ghosts?” Cassidy interrupted causing a giggle to leave Mackenna’s throat as the alcohol hit her.

“Hard liquor in Europe is referred to as spirits,” Mackenna explained and the woman nodded in understanding, “and yes, I do like spirits in some forms. This,” she shook her empty glass, “is going down very well tonight. Is this going to be a problem for you?”

“Not at all, I’m interested to see how Mackenna drunk on hard liquor,” he corrected winking at Cassidy, “behaves in public.”

Cassidy was clearly under his spell and Mackenna wanted to slap her cheeks to bring her back to the land of the living. “Cassidy,” she snapped her fingers in the woman’s face, “he’s just a man. Get it together. He’s pretty, I know but just a man nonetheless.”

“Pretty?” he tugged her ponytail. “Hardly a compliment to appease my rugged machismo,” he grinned broadly. “What conversation did I interrupt?”

“We were talking about how Savannah has the hots for Mackenna’s bodyguard Nuncio,” Maisy piped up and offered her hand to Alessandro. “Maisy Duke, and if you make one joke about my name, I swear I will hurt you. My parents thought it would be funny, it was not.”

He laughed and shook her hand, “it is nice to meet you Maisy.” He turned his gaze to Savannah. “So, you want Nuncio?”

“Oh my god, you are all jerks,” she threw her napkin on the table and moved to stand up, but Nuncio pulled her back down and planted a hard k**s on her mouth. It lasted only seconds, but it was enough to make her sit still in her chair, holding her hands to her mouth and her eyes wide.

“Well,” Mackenna gave a wide-eyed glance around the table, “if I’d known a simple k**s would shut her up.”

“Pfft, you’ve kissed her hundreds of times Mac,” Derrick grinned across the table. He saw Alessandro’s curious tilt of the head and he laughed. “Savannah has used Mac multiple times as a shield against unwanted advances. Mac just plays along. There was a rumor for a long time at the hospital they were lovers.”