by Sonia Belier
My lids were feeling heavy.
What the hell was I thinking? Must just be really tired…You’re a future doctor first and foremost April. Get your shit together.
On that note, I locked my phone and rose up from the sofa, heading to my room.
The Next Day
The lecture hall was empty when I got there at eight in the morning. It was so quiet I could hear the subtle sound of my humming against the gray walls. I took my seat in front of Dr. Gray’s desk and tapped my fingers idly against my desk.
That jittery, fluttery feeling of my heart racing crept back to the forefront of my mind. I wasn’t nervous yesterday, why on earth was I so nervous now? Just as I scolded myself for worrying over nothing, Dr. Paul Gray walked through the door on the right side of the room. His eyebrow raised and I swore those crystal blues shimmered when he saw me sitting in the front of the room.
“You’re here bright and early April. Good to see you.” Maybe it was just me, but every word he said made me feel like the whole room was shaking. His deep voice smoothly bounced off of my eardrums and stole my attention in an instant.
“Hey there Professor Gray. Thought I should get here early so I could catch a good seat across from you.” He looked even better today than he did yesterday and I didn’t think that was possible at all.
“Are you trying to distract me or something?” The sly smirk that crept up his face made my face turn red. I wasn’t trying to distract him but if I just so happened to that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
“I’m just trying to get as much out of the lecture as possible. You know, be a good med student and all?” I perked my shoulders upwards and widened my eyes trying to give my best “innocent” look. He laughed and shook his head like he didn’t believe me.
“You know, I’ve heard that one a lot.” He walked towards my desk and knelt down in front of it. His eyes were leveled with mine and he was close enough that I could smell the cool spice of his cologne.
Trying my hardest not to look like a smitten fool, I leaned in slightly closer to him and smiled. “It’s the first time you’re hearing it from me.” My eyes focused pointedly on his lips and I could see them quivering slightly as his lips parted gently. The heat from his body smothered me. It was crazy how it didn’t take him any effort to send my mind racing. Those few moments of him gazing into my eyes seemed like forever until he rose up and walked back over to his desk.
Just like that, I was snapped out of a trance.
I peeked over to the door to see if anyone was coming in. I didn’t want them to. I wanted to continue this. To continue being wrapped under Paul’s unfair spell.
Damn that group of chuckling overachievers that just walked in.
“Good morning Professor Gray!” They all took hands shaking his hand and walking to their respective spots next to me in the front row. I was a little irritated but relieved that I wasn’t alone to say anything stupid to Paul. Soon after, tons of students passed through the doors and my thoughts became a tiny blip in the back of my mind.
Usually, I’d speed through my notes and be the first one out the door.
Not this time.
I found myself tilting my head as Paul spoke, with the same vacant expression on my face that everyone else had. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what he was saying. Well, that was sort of why. But the truth was, I really couldn’t stop following his hands, his eyes, his mouth while he walked around the front of the lecture room.
I was mesmerized.
And before I knew it, class was up.
Chapter 3
Paul
I got a kick out of watching April try to avoid my eyes for the entirety of that hour-long lecture. Her soft round face was flush with a tinge of embarrassment and worry and if it wasn’t so sexy, I’d call it cute. She was walking over to my desk and I had about a minute to collect myself before she started talking.
Sweet hell, this was going to get interesting.
“So Professor Gra-” I brought a finger to her lips.
“Call me Paul. It’s alright.” She looked a little surprised but happy with the gesture and ran her fingers through her sun blonde hair.
“Paul.” It was almost like she took her time sounding out every letter in my name to see how it felt on her tongue. I watched her supple lips curl into shapes and furrowed my brows a bit to get a better look at her.
“I was wondering, you sent an email yesterday about office hours. Would you happen to have a printout of your schedule?”
Small talk. Pretty bad small talk. But I’ll take it. There was no way I could turn down a woman this breathtaking. Actually, her naïve little questions were pretty cute anyway. I reached for my briefcase on the desk, pulling out a paper from inside.
“Here, my hours are listed right there.”
My hand brushed against hers when I handed her the paper and she stood and stared for a moment like some wave of static shot through her hand.
I felt it too and it was dangerous. I had no intention of getting involved with anyone, let alone one of my students. It’d been three years since the accident… and I was just finally coming around to it. It probably wasn’t smart to throw more complications my way.
“Anything else you need April?” She hovered around the desk for a minute, twirling her hair idly. My eyes trailed down her body, soaking her perfect curves in as much as I could from a distance. I put my hands in my pocket to stop from clenching them so much and subtly looked her up and down.
“No that’s it. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
April walked out the room and I got one last look at her fine body before she left. I had a crap ton of consultations and a giant surgery tomorrow and usually ,I’d be fried. But keeping her in my head was keeping me going.
My chauffeured Benz was waiting for me outside, and I hopped in.
“Drop me off at the hospital George.”
“No problem Dr. Gray.”
I got to my office at the hospital and closed the door behind me. The sun was beaming through the windows and I turned the blinds a bit to get some kind of relief from the glare. The office was a little lonely. I thought about how interesting it would be to have April as my office assistant. Prancing around in a pencil skirt with that same lusty breathless look on her face that drove me wild.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea. Maybe I’d run it by her? Or maybe that would be one raging distraction that I didn’t need. I walked around my desk and to the chair behind it.
As soon as my ass touched the office chair, the intercom buzzed and blasted into my ears.
“Dr. Gray, you have a consult waiting to see you in the lounge. They’ve been waiting for five minutes.”
Seemed like I could never catch a break these days.
I jolted from the seat and put my white coat on, clearing my throat and running my fingers through my hair.
Jogging down the hall, I arrived at the waiting area where an old woman was sitting. I scratched my head at the sight of her. She was wearing a long mink coat and had at least three giant rings on each finger. It looked like a Halloween costume for sure.
“Dr. Gray, I’ve been sitting here in y’alls office for five whole minutes. Is there some kind of explanation to this? I already let y’all know I was coming days ago!”
The twang of her southern accent stung my eardrums like knives as she seemingly murdered me with her abrasive verbal onslaught. My eyes glanced down the hall quizzically as I tried to figure out who the hell let this crazy lady in my office.
“Hello ma’am, I apologize for the wait. Your name again? I didn’t catch it.”
“I’m Courtney Townsend you uncultured dummy! My father owns practically half of the residential property in Los Angeles and you don’t know who I am? My pa is scheduled here for some very important operation. Is this a world-renowned hospital, or a playpen?!” She stomped on the ground with a vigor that preceded her tiny little frame. I looked on in marvel, waiting for her shut up so I could do my job.
The Townsend’s. Yep, every fancy condo that was being constructed in LA belonged to them. I also couldn’t count how many times I’ve seen the name on damn near every tabloid on the shelves. Even met a few of them at some “elite” awards ceremonies. The family ought to be ancient by now.
Youngest member is 73 years old.
But they were rich.
And connected.
And for some reason, their 98-year-old father wanted to keep running his empire…
...after nine heart transplants.
As rich as I was I could never imagine putting myself through that.
“Okay Mrs. Townsend, I’m going to take a look at my calendar and get right back to you okay? Why don’t you follow me to my office.”
She followed me back to the office and when we arrived, I sat at my desk and scrolled through my appointment calendar. I could see her beady little eyes probing the reflection of my glasses, and I slid my monitor slightly to the side to block her from seeing anything.
Ugh, this lady was a pain!
“Mrs. Townsend, I have your father scheduled for surgery in one week. He’ll be having an open-heart surgery. Are you here because you have questions about that?” Damn, I should’ve given myself a pat on the back with how patient I was being with her. Because I was just cringing inside.
“I’m here because I wanted to get a look at this place...and you. I guess it meets my standards. You’re supposed to be one of the best Cardiac Surgeons in the world right, Paul Gray?” She walked around my desk and shoved her face in front of mine, squinting as she looked me up and down. “If you get this operation thing right on my father, my family will make you even more wealthy and influential man than you already are.”
Alright, now you’re speaking my language.
The stakes were high and in my favor. All of my surgeries were successes. I never turned down an opportunity to increase my empire. I might not have been the virtuous, textbook doctor that young medical students aspire to be. But as far as I was concerned, medicine was a dog eat dog world where only the best of the best make a name for themselves.
That kind of challenge was just how I liked it.
“It’ll be a challenging operation as your father is rather aged. But I can assure you if there ever was a perfect pair of hands to perform this operation, it would be these.” Raising my hands in the air and pointing at my fingers, I grabbed her own hand and gave it a small peck. Her hand felt like studded sandpaper, but I had to get into her good graces somehow.
“Well, I’m trusting you Dr. Paul Gray. We will be back one week from now for the operation. If all goes well, consider yourself more than set for life.”
She walked out of my office and the choking scent of her Chanel No. 5 left with her.
Seems like I had an opportunity in my midst. One that would garner me more wealth, and more fame than I’ve ever had before.
Removing my glasses from my face, I set them on my desk rubbing my chin in thought. This lifestyle was something most would dream of. Notoriety, and a life of endless wealth. Not a bad payout for spending a third of your life training to be a surgeon.
But beyond the never-ending rush of the “high-life”, I cared about Dylan more than anything. This was all for him anyway and it meant nothing without him.
I felt a sinking pit in my stomach thinking about the bad luck I had recently with babysitters.
“Maybe I will talk to April…”
A few hours later, I trekked back the UCLA to stay for tutoring sessions. I really didn’t fancy being a Professor but the school practically begged me, so I gave in.
Unlocking the door to my office, I placed my briefcase on the desk and sat down to go over some notes.
I wasn’t expecting anyone to make use of the tutoring hours. Most students thought they knew better and most failed as a result. Not that I had any control over that.
The door creaked open a bit and I looked up from my work.
April Madison walked in with a bright smile, her luscious hips swaying side to side.
“Dr. Gray, I’m here with some questions.” She seemed a lot more excited to be talking about cardiology than I was to be explaining it. Whatever her reason though, I was glad to get another chance to gaze into her star bright eyes.
“Sit on down April. I’ve got an hour. Any specific questions you have?” The black lace top she was wearing showed just the right amount of her supple breasts from underneath. I tensed a little while I peered over her body. She must’ve noticed because she let out a little mewl that made me have to adjust my seat. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun and she nibbled lightly on the cap end of a ballpoint pen she was using.
Fuck.
Being alone with her in this tiny office was going to be pretty damn hard.
“I don’t really have any specific questions, I just wanted to ask you what work was like in the hospital. It’s not every day that a medical student gets to be graced by the presence of one of the best Cardiac Surgeons in the world Dr. Gray.” She fluttered her eyes innocently and licked her lips removing a slight trail of her fire engine red lipstick off of them.
I could watch her little movements all day. If she only knew what they were doing to me.
“Well, it’s not every day that I get students that are as enthusiastic as you. And smart at that.” She shifted her position in the seat across from me and leaned in a little, her firm tits bouncing ever so slightly at the movement.
“Actually on that note April, I got the chance to look at your resume the other day. Impressive no doubt. But why choose UCLA? You probably could’ve gotten into any top school you wanted.” I figured the best way to get my mind off of her smoking body would be to ask some mundane questions. Maybe that would stop the growing constriction I felt in my slacks that was luckily hidden underneath my desk. Besides, I had a feeling I knew what kind of woman she was. I would just have to get to the center of the tootsie pop to find out for sure.
“Well, UCLA has one of the best reputations in California so it seemed like a natural fit for me. And of course, who would turn down the opportunity to study under world-renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Gray? I sure wouldn’t.”
“Aren’t you one for cheeky compliments?” I winked at her and watched her fair skin turn a bit flush in the cheeks.
“I don’t give compliments. I just tell the truth how I see it, Doctor.”
Tell the truth how you see it hmm?
That phony little good girl persona was starting to fall down the waist side. The tone of her voice was lowering and becoming more and more sultry. Her lips pursed over the ceramic mug she brought with her as she took sips of the steaming, blackened coffee inside. I followed her emerald eyes as they shot me curious glares.
She was definitely loosening up.
“The truth huh? Well, a truth I see is you’re definitely the most intriguing person that’s ever been sent to study under me. What’s your story? There’s definitely more than meets the eye with you.”
How much would she tell me? How far would she go?
“I’ll skip the boring crap about what brought me to the medical field. I know that won’t interest a man like yourself much.” She crossed her toned legs over one another and leaned forward even closer to my desk.
You got that right.
“I came to Los Angeles to pursue a lifestyle. One that being a surgeon would afford me. I came to challenge the greats in the field like yourself. I’ve built a mountain for myself that I’m determined to climb until I reach the peak. Besides, eventually you’ll have passed your prime and it will be up to students like me make you history.”
Damn, did she just completely shit on me? Like with minimal fucking effort? Not gonna let her get away with that one.
“That’s a dangerous game you’re playing April. You’re going to be a doctor. Your job will be to save lives. You didn’t just get into this for the money and power, did you? Because you’ll fall hard if you did. That’ll be your first lesson.”
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“Dr. Gray…” She dragged her words out as she slowly shook her head at me. I jerked my neck back in response anticipating condescension in her voice.
“...You would know a lot about doing things for power and prestigious no? You had two choices for your research project ten years ago. Either work towards developing more efficient methods of cardiac surgery so as to increase minimally invasive practices in children, or...the glory mission.”
She laughed narrowly as she spoke. It was grinding my gears to no visible end, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t utterly sexy and maybe a little foolishly cute.
A 24-year-old med student challenging my career choices. Yeah, that was cute.
“So, you’ve done your research on me. Well done. Glory mission you say? What exactly do you think that was April?”
“It’s blatantly obvious. You chose to work with a stellar biomedical engineering team from MIT to create sutureless aortic valve replacements, and you took the credit. The money. The patent. All because you’re charismatic, charming and unfairly sexy. And in it for the glory. That was your ‘Glory Mission’ Dr. Paul Gray.”
I would’ve spit out my fucking Espresso if it didn’t taste so damn good. I would’ve flipped the table in the office if I was sure it wouldn’t hit her. I would’ve pinned her down to the ground and torn of that lace top with so many itty-bitty holes to rip open so I could get a taste of that soft skin. And that arrogance that made me nauseous with desire.
She figured me out. Read me like a ten-page children’s book.
I didn’t know whether to be mad about it or reward the woman. It was clear my normal facade was transparent to her.
This was gonna be good.
“I admit, I’m impressed. You’re right. That’s exactly what happened. But what did you think this field was full of? Cherubs seeking to brighten the world with the gifts of medicine? We come in thinking like that April. And we leave thinking about the money, the prestige, and then the people. It’s fucked up but that’s how this industry is. You’ll learn. And if you think the physicians are bad…”