by Ann Mcintosh
Regina’s brand of loving was addictive, and he wanted as much of it as he could get.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WHAT SHE’D TOLD Mateo was the truth. She never socialized when on call.
Yet by Wednesday morning, she was absolutely contemplating breaking her own rule and inviting Mateo over that evening.
The night before, for the first time that she could remember, she’d felt lonely. Adrift, as though some essential mooring had been slipped over the weekend with Mateo, and she was floating without a destination.
Ridiculous, of course. Her destination was still as fixed as it had ever been—perhaps even more so, since she’d received an email from the hospital in San Francisco, announcing the retirement of the current Chief of Medicine. He’d finally set a date of departure, which was six months hence.
She’d known the retirement was in the works for a while, and that the hospital board had already chosen the Deputy Chief to replace him. It wasn’t her time quite yet, but she’d positioned herself to keep moving up in the hierarchy, and was hopeful that all her hard work would pay off with a promotion to the next level.
Then she’d be third from the top, behind whoever was chosen as Deputy Chief of Medicine.
Although it seemed as if her plans and hard work were paying off, she’d felt no real excitement on seeing the email, and no amount of telling herself she should be excited helped.
She’d wanted to call Mateo and tell him about it, so as to get a relatively unbiased view of it all, but that wasn’t the kind of relationship they had.
More like, not the kind of relationship she wanted to have with him.
There was no future in being his friend, or considering him hers. No use in cultivating the kind of relationship where his opinion and advice were important. That hearkened back to her mother having to take her father’s “advice” before doing even the simplest of things, and just thinking about it made Regina’s stomach curdle.
She’d thought about calling Cher, just for a chat, but had gotten lost in the memories of the weekend spent with Mateo, and then realized it was too late to phone her friend, who went to bed with the birds.
That had left her with only her muddled thoughts and physical yearnings for company.
It was no good telling herself that she didn’t want to want Mateo the way she did, when every nerve ending in her body was set on reminding her of how good he made her feel. So here she was, trying to figure out which was better: another sleepless night of tossing and turning with unfulfilled desire, or setting a precedent she’d probably regret.
She chose the latter, rationalizing that she couldn’t go on suffering insomnia and still being her usual effective self at work.
Mateo was the cure for what ailed her.
Besides, it was a carefully considered action, she reassured herself, rather than a spur-of-the-moment loss of control. Wanting to have a physical urge taken care of was natural, and when it could be easily dealt with, and out of the way, there was no need to quibble.
Although tempted to text him, she called instead, from her private phone to his, but had to leave a message.
He called her back thirty minutes later.
“Hi, what’s up?” he asked when she answered.
She walked a little way away from the desk, for privacy.
“I was wondering if you—”
“Yes,” he said, before she could finish.
Regina couldn’t help the gurgle of laughter that bubbled up in her throat.
“You don’t know what I was going to ask.”
“I don’t care. For you, anything.”
For some reason that went straight to her heart, and warmth radiated out from that silly organ.
It almost made her change her mind, but she found herself saying, “Come by later?”
“What time?”
She glanced at the desk. It had been a busy day, and she didn’t know when it would end.
“Is nine too late?”
“Not at all. See you then.”
And she spent the rest of the day with a strange floaty sensation making her want to smile at everyone she met.
Except Dr. Welk, who was intent on treating her as though she was something he’d found on the bottom of his shoe, because of her giving him what-for the day before.
Just thinking about his behavior made her shake her head. He’d been adamant that Kaitlyn Mignon wasn’t suffering from Fabry disease, and that they were wasting time and money in testing her for the condition.
“She has a heart valve abnormality and is suffering from TIAs, and that’s all there is to it. All this other mucking about is making my treatment of the patient more difficult.”
Regina had kept the smile on her face with a great deal of effort.
“Since she’s my patient at this time, and I’ve done exhaustive research into her prior history, it’s my professional opinion that Fabry disease accounts for all the diverse symptoms she’s experienced over her life.”
“Fabry’s is only symptomatic in males. Don’t you know that?”
“Research has proven otherwise.” Disgusted, she’d added, for good measure, “In fact, it’s been more than fifteen years since it became common knowledge that females with Fabry’s can also be symptomatic, and not just carriers. You really should keep up-to-date on the current research, Dr. Welk.”
Apparently, that had been too much for him, and he’d walked away.
Regina was still surprised she hadn’t gotten a call from Administration or Human Resources, as she was sure he wasn’t going to let it go. Hopefully, the genetic test results would put the entire situation to rest.
And in the meantime, she had tonight to look forward to, and that made the rest of the day seem like an eternity.
She got home just twenty minutes before Mateo was slated to arrive, and dashed into the shower to wash off the workday. When the doorbell rang, she was still wrapped in a towel, with nothing else on, and a wicked impulse had her pushing the buzzer to let him in just the way she was.
His expression, when she opened the apartment door, made the decision a great one. Just the way his face tightened and his eyes grew dark had her arousal soaring.
He kicked the door closed behind him, just as she gave the towel a tug and it dropped to the floor.
“I’ve been thinking about this all damn day,” he growled, reaching to trace a finger along her throat, and down to her already puckered nipple. “No, that’s a lie. I’ve been thinking about you since the moment I dropped you off on Monday.”
Again, that ridiculous warm feeling blossomed in her chest, and she held out her arms.
“Here I am.”
They didn’t make it farther than the couch.
It seemed he was as ravenous for her as she was for him, and Regina let all the fears about what they were getting into be blown away on the waves of the ecstasy crashing through her body.
* * *
They finally made it to her bed about an hour after Mateo had first arrived, and he set about making love to Regina again.
Afterward, as she lay cuddled alongside him, he wondered how, in such a short period of time, he’d become so attached to her.
He hadn’t been lying when he said he’d thought about her constantly since they parted. Somehow she’d gotten into his blood, and he was beginning to think he’d never get enough of her.
But it was also clear that she was just in it for the sex, and that wasn’t something he could complain about, since he’d been the one to set the rules of engagement.
No relationship, just fun.
Well, it was all fun and games until feelings started getting involved, and he was pretty sure it was edging past that stage for him already.
He wasn’t going to bring any of that up with her, though. Not with the chance that she’d completely shut
him out, and their relationship—such as it was—would end sooner than it had to.
“I got an email from my job in San Francisco.”
Her sudden words startled him. He thought she’d fallen asleep.
“Oh? What was it about?”
She was quiet for a moment and then said, “The current Chief of Medicine is retiring. I knew he’d been talking about it for a while, but I didn’t know when it would happen.”
The sensation running through him was a confluence of conflicting emotions, but he pulled his excitement for her to the forefront.
“Do you think you’ll be offered his position?”
The sound she made was a cross between a huff of amusement and a snort.
“No, I’m not there yet. I doubt I’m even in the running for the Deputy spot, but it’s all getting closer.”
He tried to put himself in her shoes, to figure out the parameters under which she was working toward her goal.
“How do they fill those top-tier positions?” he asked. There were varying protocols at different hospitals. “Is it a board decision alone, based on current staff, or by applications?”
“It’s usually a board decision, unless there’s no one they’re willing to promote, but I don’t think they have that problem. The current Deputy is slated to be promoted, and I’m almost sure I know who he’ll want for his second. All I can hope is that I’m next in line.”
Mateo squeezed her shoulders.
“You’ll get there. Is there any way to up your chances further?”
She seemed to think about that for a little while, and then sighed.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve done all I can. No one has faulted my work. I’ve had no malpractice suits filed against me, or complaints to the board, except for the one doctor who expressed the opinion that I was too sharp with my colleagues.” She chuckled. “My defense was that he was too thin-skinned, and the board seemed to agree with me.”
“Well, then, unfortunately all you can do is wait.”
She rolled over so her hands rested on his chest, and they were face-to-face.
“I don’t want to wait. I’ve worked toward this for so long, and it feels as though it’s almost as far away as it was six years ago.”
He shook his head, raising his hand to caress her cheek.
“But you know it isn’t as far away, and that you’ve put in the work to get to where you want to, and that’s really all you can do.”
With a sigh, she nodded. “I know, but I can almost taste it, you know?”
He did know. Fulfilling her goal was of paramount importance to her, and it was eating at her that it was still out of reach.
“Hey, you’ve come too far to be discouraged. Especially now, when there’s some movement in the hierarchy.” Then it struck him. “Wait, are you worried that they won’t move you up a level when the current Chief leaves?”
Her eyes were shadowed as she replied, “It has occurred to me, although I haven’t allowed myself to think about it too much. The reality is, there aren’t a lot of women in those higher positions, and only one other African American, who’s the Deputy Chief of Surgery, and male. My chances, based on those conditions, aren’t that good.”
Mateo sought the right words. It wasn’t an easy conversation to have, and he wasn’t willing to either dismiss her fears, or try to diminish their veracity.
“I think...” he said slowly, trying to gather his thoughts, “I think you’re right to consider those circumstances, and wonder if your sex and race might hold you back. We both know the possibility exists. But I also know that no one works harder than you do, or has a better rapport with patients, and you’re one of the best diagnosticians I’ve worked with. I mean, who else would look at a case like Kaitlyn Mignon and put all the clues together that way?”
“I’m sure there are lots of other doctors who would,” she replied, but she sounded more relaxed, as though his words were getting through to her.
“Maybe, but I’m telling you, you’re special, and really great at what you do. Plus, you’ve expanded your qualifications beyond what might otherwise be expected, all while carrying a full workload. You’ve done your part, and if the hospital doesn’t appreciate what they have in you, they’re idiots.”
Leaning forward, she kissed him. It was just a brief, soft touch of her lips to his, but it filled him with warmth and longing.
Not sexual longing, but the kind of longing that made his arms tighten around her and never want to let go.
Then she smiled, her face lighting up, eyes gleaming, and he knew he was falling for her even as he fought against it, knowing it would lead only to heartbreak.
“You’re very good for my ego,” she said, resting her cheek against his chest.
“I’m not trying to be,” he pointed out. “It’s all the truth.”
Before she could answer, her phone rang.
“Dammit,” she muttered, rolling away to answer it. “Regina Montgomery.”
Mateo listened to her side of the conversation, and knew, even before she hung up, that she would be heading back to the hospital.
He got up, looking around for his clothes, then remembered they were in the living room.
“Oh,” she said, after hanging up. “I meant to tell you, Paul Reynolds will be back on shift on Friday, which means I’m off for the weekend.”
“Great. How about a trip over to St. Petersburg? I think you’d like it.”
“Sure,” she said. She was still naked, hunting in the closet for something, and Mateo cursed the hospital for calling her in. He would have happily spent the night holding her close, instead of going back to his lonely bed. “That sounds good.”
“And the weekend after, it’s my birthday. I’m having a little party, and I’d really like you to come.”
That had her turning around to look at him, and her gaze was extra-searching, as though she was trying to figure out why he’d want her there.
“Will your family be there?”
“Yes,” he replied, trying to keep his tone casual. There was no way he wanted her to know just how eager he was to introduce her to his siblings, and see how they interacted.
Although his head was telling him not to get too involved, his heart had other plans.
After what seemed like forever, she nodded.
“I’d like that.”
And he felt as though he could once more breathe.
When they were both dressed and ready, they left at the same time, and he kissed her lightly inside the elevator, since her car was parked in the secure underground lot, and his was outside.
“Stay safe,” he told her, making her smile.
“Have a good night,” she replied as he got out of the elevator and she continued down another floor.
Driving home, Mateo tried to sort through his emotions but couldn’t. They were too tangled up and confused. The one thing he was able to decide on was the fact that, with Regina, he was having the time of his life, and he resolved to enjoy it as much as he possibly could, for as long as it lasted.
He’d put off living his life for too long to complain about this new, exciting chapter not being exactly what he would have hoped for.
And he knew all too well that nothing lasted forever.
It made sense to keep reminding himself of that, even while he sought out pleasure in Regina’s company.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ST. PETERSBURG WAS GORGEOUS, but the weekend flew by, leaving her vaguely melancholy. Her time with Mateo had already begun to wane, like the moon. But unlike that celestial body, their relationship wouldn’t rise, full and beautiful, again.
They walked on the windswept beach, visited the Dalí Museum and the Chihuly exhibit, where Regina found herself dazzled by the art glass installations. This was an experience unlike any she’d had before: magical and transf
ormative. The colors and shapes seemed to swirl and dance, leading her into a trancelike state that lasted until well after they’d left.
At lunch, she was still quieter than usual, leading Mateo to ask, “You really loved the glass exhibit, didn’t you?”
His smile did something to her insides, adding to the sensation of being someone slightly different than she’d always been.
“I don’t have the words to describe how I feel about it,” she admitted.
He didn’t reply, just offered her his hand across the table. She took it, her gaze locked with his, and it was then she realized why his expression affected her the way it did.
It was the same way he looked when he spoke about his family—his parents and siblings, the life they’d all had together. That tender set of his mouth, the soft crinkling of the skin at the corners of his eyes were indicative of some sweet emotion she knew she had no right to.
Drawing her hand away was instinctive, and far harder than she cared to admit even to herself, but was the right thing to do. They’d agreed to the parameters, and either of them getting attached would negate the whole point of their relationship and cause far more problems than either of them wanted.
On the way back to Miami on Sunday evening, she asked, “What should I bring to the party next Saturday? And how fancy is it going to be?”
“It’s casual, and you don’t need to bring anything. Lola and Cristóbal are flying in on Thursday, and they’re in charge of putting it all together. It’ll be maybe twenty people, at the most.”
It would be interesting to see him interacting with his brothers and sisters, but at the same time, she had to admit to being a little nervous, and torn about whether she really wanted to go or not.
Theirs wasn’t the type of relationship that should be opened up to familial scrutiny, at least as far as she was concerned.
And she was still undecided during the next three days at work, which were hectic, leaving Regina neither the time nor energy to see Mateo in the evenings. One night, as soon as she got home, she got called back to the hospital again.