by Katy Kaylee
I walked down the hallway until I could get into the stairwell and have a quiet conversation. I had seen plenty of doctors sitting on the stairs taking calls, since mostly everyone took elevators, leaving the stairs a private space to talk with loved ones.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, answering the call. “Everything okay on the west coast?”
Tommy had really wanted this opportunity to show himself, to spread his wings and be the face of the company for a bit while I took a back seat and focused on Tabitha. I trusted him, of course I did, I’d known the guy for years, but I was worried about him. I’d never had the… dubious pleasure of meeting his wife. It had just never worked out. With how busy I was, jetting around the world while Tommy had been focused at home, it just hadn’t come up. But I’d heard plenty about her over the years. Tommy deserved better.
“Everything’s good,” Tommy replied. “I just wanted to check in and see how you were. Has anyone been bothering you?”
“What, from the press? No, why would they?” They probably were posting stories right now wondering if famous party-boy Alex Conner had died, seeing as I was missing all my usual rounds like fashion week and so on.
“A few members of the press caught wind of our merger deal and so I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone calls you. Just be on the alert.”
“I definitely will be. Thanks for the heads up.” Now I could be prepared.
“How are things going with Tabitha?”
“Going well, actually! We have a good treatment plan, she’s got a great doctor, good team of people with her, and she’s been a real trooper. Doing better than I expected, actually. She’s picked out our Halloween costumes and everything.” I found myself grinning as I recounted stories about Tabitha. I had never pictured myself as the kind of paternal guy and yet here I was, excited to talk about my adopted daughter’s crayon drawings and Halloween costume.
Tommy chuckled. “You sound like a completely different person, you know. But in a good way, a real good way. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot to hear, honestly.” Tommy had seen me when I was at my lowest point, when I had run away from home and been all on my own. Despite our lives taking us in different directions at times, despite all the ups and downs, he was still like a brother to me.
“In fact, I, uh…” Tommy sounded nervous, which was rare for him. “Your relationship with Tabitha and all… it’s encouraged me to try and reach out to my daughter.”
Oh, shit.
Tommy had a daughter, but I had never met her. His wife, well, now ex-wife, had done literally everything in her power to keep their child away from Tommy. It had been really ugly. I had been on the other side of the world when it had all gone down, building up my empire in China and Japan, and I regretted not being there in person to help Tommy through that difficult process.
“I know that Jennifer did a lot to keep her away from me and all that, but I realized that I still could have done something to reach out. Something to make it better and to repair our relationship. I feel like a coward for not doing it sooner.”
“Hey, no, it was tough. And it’s hard when you’ve got someone working actively against you.”
“Still. You know as well as I do that I could’ve done more. I could’ve built a proper relationship with her, somehow. She’s not five years old and stuck at her mom’s house, she’s a grown adult and she’s been a grown adult for some time, nothing’s stopping her from having a relationship with me if that’s what we both want. I was lazy. I need to do better.
“I know that it won’t be easy. But I lost sight of things after the divorce. Threw myself into business. Made some mistakes, as you know. And I appreciate you agreeing to give me a second chance on the business end of things. I just hope that I’ll be able to earn forgiveness on the family end.”
“Hey, you have my best wishes and support.”
“Thanks. God knows I’ll need it, considering Jennifer.”
I chuckled. “You can do it. I believe in you. You’ll knock ’em dead.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
We hung up, and I felt a little better. I would figure out what to do about Claire later—right now I was feeling good about Tommy and about inspiring him. I should go check on Tabitha again. Even if she was asleep, it just did me good to be near her.
8
Claire
Thank God for Saturday.
Not that Saturday usually meant anything to me. Most people worked Monday through Friday and then had the weekends off. Not so with me. I worked a crazy schedule with crazy hours and I was lucky to get whatever time off that I did. The hospital was a doctor’s life, I had been told once in medical school, and it was really true. A lot of doctors and nurses struggled to balance their work lives and everything else—friends, family, relaxing.
But today, I had the rare afternoon off. I was up in the morning at the hospital doing an early shift but then I got home, took a nap, and now I was ready to go out on a run.
Despite being up on my feet a lot as a doctor I didn’t really get the chance for a lot of actual exercise. On my time off it was tempting to just relax and sleep the whole time, because God knew that my shifts could be exhausting—although nothing like what would go down in the ER. I didn’t envy those guys one bit.
Exercise was important, though, so I made myself get up and go for a run along the waterfront. It was a good run, a nice one, fresh air and cool breeze and all that. It was still warm even though we were in late-October, and the weather forecast said to take advantage of it while we could because a cold snap was expected the first week of November and then nothing but snow for a week.
I did my pre-run stretches, getting into the zone, music playing in my ears—when I heard someone calling my name.
The voice was familiar, and it caught me off guard. I startled, looking up, trying to locate the source.
It was Philip—Dr. Franklin.
I stood up, getting out of my stretch, as he jogged up. He was wearing shorts and an athletic shirt with some team name or something on it.
My stomach knotted a little. Normally I would be pleased to see Philip, but now… now Alex Conner’s words were ringing in my ears and I felt wary. Not like Philip would ever do anything without my permission, or take anything a step too far, but I feared that just spending time with him would give him the wrong impression. I didn’t want anything more from him than friendship.
“Would you look at that,” Philip said, grinning. “Just about the last person I expected to see. Warming up or cooling off?”
“Warming up.”
“Hey, same here, I was just about to get started on my run. Why don’t we go together?”
“I’m surprised to see you,” I said, instead of answering. Not that I thought—I mean, it would be ludicrous for Philip to stalk me or something like that, but—still.
“I’m just as surprised. I run along here three times a week and this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“Usually I run in the mornings,” I explained. Philip was so relaxed, grinning at me, and he was my friend, my mentor. Someone that I trusted. Surely I was misinterpreting this. And Alex—Mr. Conner—he was into me. That kiss… the one I’d been trying desperately not to think about… that had proven his interest. What if he was mistaken just because he wanted me and so he thought Philip wanted me as well?
“Ah, that explains it.”
“It was just such a lovely fall afternoon, I couldn’t resist. Especially since it’s supposed to get so cold soon, I figured… better take advantage of it, you know? While I could.”
“Hey, I totally get that. Shall we?”
Well, honestly it was just a run. What harm could it do?
I nodded. “Let’s.”
“We’ll see if you can keep up with me,” Philip teased, and then we were off.
The run was nice, but actually… well. I would never tell Philip this because it would be rude, and I wouldn’t see the point in it, but desp
ite his big talk, I was actually sure I could outdistance him if it came down to it. I was slowing down my pace to keep him equal with me. Sure, some people might not mind it because it was a chance to have someone with you and be a bit social but… I wanted a partner who could actually keep up at my pace so that I wasn’t feeling like I was cheating myself out of a workout.
Still, I supposed that the company was nice. I was so used to being alone in almost everything. Maybe this was a sign from the universe that I had to start being more social, to start reaching out to the people around me.
We didn’t talk much as we ran, because that would defeat the purpose. To actually get enough breath to talk, we’d have to slow down our run, and then what would be the point? But it was good to have someone with me, someone to share the time with. I think I needed someone to be with me—I think, maybe, that I needed more people in my life.
I tried to shove that thought aside as we wrapped up our run after a few miles, but… it was a thought that I’d been having a lot lately, and it persisted.
“You have any other plans for the afternoon?” Philip asked as we slowed down and prepared to stretch.
“I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do,” I admit. “I rarely have weekend afternoons free.”
“Ah, yeah, I’ve seen your schedule. Sorry about that. The newer you are, the worse your schedule is.”
“Hey, I get that, it’s how it is.” I shrugged. “It’s not a problem, really, I don’t mind. But it means I’m kind of wondering what to do with the rest of my day.”
“Well, if you want… there’s a farmer’s market a few blocks away. They serve delicious apple cider.”
I laughed a little in surprise. “I’m surprised you want cider after a run.”
“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it. It’s surprisingly restorative.”
Well… I didn’t have anything to do for the rest of the afternoon, it was true, and this could still all be seen as just two friends hanging out and spending time together. I didn’t want to be alone just yet anyway. “Sure.”
The farmer’s market was nice and I did really enjoy myself. The cider was delicious, and we wandered the stalls for a bit, seeing what people had to offer, although I didn’t buy anything. Philip was good company and I felt comfortable with him but that… that was it. Just comfortable.
Of course you should feel safe and comfortable with the person that you had a romantic relationship with. Not to say that you shouldn’t. But when that was all that I felt, no spark, no heat, nothing, it… it was a warning sign for me. A sign that I really wasn’t into him and that if he was into me, I needed to be careful not to encourage him or give him the wrong impression.
As we walked for example, I saw Philip sneaking looks at me out of the corner of his eye. And he seemed to be going out of his way to try to make me laugh, smiling at me constantly, standing just a little too close.
It wasn’t anything inappropriate but it was enough to make my suspicions ramp up tenfold. Alex was right. Philip was into me.
How had I never noticed this before? How had I never thought about this? Was it simply that I didn’t know men—or people—all that well? Or was it that he’d been holding back and now he was determined to move forward and actually do something about his attraction?
“Got any plans for the evening?” Philip asked as we left the farmer’s market.
“No, not really.” I wondered if there were any movies on my DVR that I had yet to see.
“Why don’t you join me for dinner, then?”
My stomach twisted with nervousness and I stopped walking. No, no way. We’d spent the whole afternoon together, to now go out to dinner? That was a date, there was just no other word for it. He’d been pushing for more and more intimate time together this whole time and there was no way that I could ignore the signs anymore.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I didn’t want to date him, I had to nip this in the bud.
Philip frowned. “I think that maybe you’re interpreting the hospital rules a little too narrowly.”
This didn’t have anything to do with the hospital rules. And trust me, I knew those rules, I’d reminded Alex—Mr. Conner, dammit, Mr. Conner—of them. He had seemed surprised when I’d said them, and I honestly thought that he hadn’t been aware of those rules.
Well, he was aware of them now. It would be strictly professional between us.
Oddly enough, I felt disappointed at the thought.
But this with Philip, this wasn’t about the rules. This was about my simply not wanting to be with him.
“I’ve just got a ton of stuff to do at home,” I told him. “Laundry that’s been sitting there waiting for me to have a free moment, that kind of thing. If I don’t wash my coat it’ll be gray instead of white from the lack of washing.”
Philip laughed. “I get it. But hey, give me a call if you ever want to grab dinner one night.”
I nodded, and then quickly walked away, eager for a shower and to get into some more relaxing, non-workout clothes. Maybe I really should do a load of laundry or two, who knew when I’d get the chance again.
It had been a nice afternoon, I supposed. I went over it all as I got to my car and drove back to my apartment. But Philip just… wasn’t for me. I would’ve enjoyed the afternoon more if I’d known that he only wanted to be friends and we could’ve hung out just like that, instead of… hoping that I wasn’t giving him a false impression. I just wasn’t interested in him that way. He was a great guy, plenty of women would be lucky to date him, it wasn’t that there was something wrong with him. I just didn’t… feel anything.
Not like with Alex.
Mr. Conner, that is.
I was trying so hard to keep it professional, even in my head, but… I couldn’t forget that searing kiss. The feel of him against me, his body, his cock, knowing that he was hard and aching for me, that I had done that. It filled me with desire. I’d wanted him to slide a hand underneath my coat, my clothes, to make me cry out into his mouth.
I had even touched myself that night, even though I was ashamed about it afterwards. I’d imagined him taking me on my desk, fucking me as I writhed in abandon, his cock thrusting into me rough and hard until I came with a shout. It was the most intense fantasy I’d ever had and I’d come all over my sheets, forcing me to change them.
Nobody had ever made me feel this way. And even though he was off limits… now that I’d had a taste… I wasn’t going to waste my time for settling for anyone if they couldn’t give me the same delirious sparks that Mr. Conner gave me. That was my new standard.
Once I got home, I finally checked my phone, idly wondering if I had any missed texts from Pippa. I didn’t have a lot of friends but Pippa was always good about texting me and saying hi throughout the day when we weren’t working on the same shift.
Oh, fuck.
Somehow I had missed several calls from Mom. Dammit, she was going to be pissed about this later. Although she wouldn’t be straight up angry, oh no, she’d just be passive aggressive about it and try to guilt me over it.
Look, I… I loved my mom. I really did. Ever since the divorce we had been close. But…
Okay, so my parents had a bad divorce back when I was young. Ever since then, my mom had been rather… well, focused on me. Growing up, I had thought it was great. I had a best friend in my mom. She was my biggest cheerleader. She was always supporting me and encouraging me to go on and to be my best self, to reach for the stars, to be successful. I loved that about her.
But as I’d gotten older I’d started to wonder if maybe she hadn’t focused in on me a little too much. It felt a lot of the time like my mom didn’t have a life outside of me—and that as a result I didn’t have a life outside of her. It was why I had been thinking lately that I needed to expand my social circle, to spend more time with people, to get out and be active. I was realizing now that I was living alone and done with my residency that I had been leaning heavily on my mom, and she had
been leaning heavily on me.
Not that I didn’t love my mother, but… I felt smothered by her. I didn’t think that our relationship was healthy.
I didn’t call her back. Instead I tucked my phone away and went up to my apartment to enjoy a rare free afternoon.
9
Alex
It was Halloween, the day that Tabitha had been looking forward to this entire time. I brought the costumes as I had promised, and Tabitha’s face when I walked in with the Tinkerbell costume in hand was something that I would never forget.
“Uncle Alex!” she shrieked. “You brought it!”
“Of course I brought it!” I waved the costume. “What do you take me for?”
Tabitha giggled and Pippa, who was checking the chart, smiled down at her. “Somebody’s excited for the trick or treating,” she noted.
“Here, Pippa—would you mind helping me get the costume on her?” Tabitha had a lot of tubes and wires and I wanted to be careful.
“Of course!” Pippa took the costume from me and started to unwrap it.
“You should change into your costume!” Tabitha said, sounding like a queen giving an order.
I laughed. “Well, if you insist Ladybug… what do we say when we want something?”
“Please?”
“That sounds right. I’ll go in and change in the bathroom and then you can get changed in here with Pippa, sound good?”
Tabitha nodded vigorously, and I ducked into the bathroom to change. It was just a small adjoining bathroom but it would work for this.
As I changed into my outfit, though, I was starting to have doubts about this, ah, choice of a costume. I had to struggle to fit into the green tights and the green shirt. The fabric hugged me so closely, I wondered if I’d made a mistake.
I took a look at myself in the mirror. Oh my God. Every muscle stood out in this outfit, including, ah, my cock.
Great.
Normally I wouldn’t mind showing off a little muscle—I worked out and I had a great body to show off, dammit—but not in this situation and not in this costume. Besides, there were kids around. Even if there weren’t, there was a line between being sexy and teasing and being straight up indecent. Hell no.