Dr. Grant (Off-Limits)

by Catharina Maura

  Maddie rests against my desk and smiles at me. “We’re so lucky to have gotten such a handsome doctor,” she says, smirking. “You’re definitely going to brighten up my days.”

  I smile, but not for the reasons she’s thinking. I can hear Aria’s voice in my head, and I just know my little sister would’ve sicced Human Resources on Maddie real quick. She’s all for equal treatment, and she’d never stand for this type of behavior. I miss her. I’ll have to hop on a video call with her and Gray soon, even if it’s just to fill her in on the new job. She’s probably heard about it from Grayson already, but I know what she’s like. She’ll want to hear all about it from me directly.

  “So,” Maddie says, drawing out the word. “There are a couple of things you need to know, though I’m sure HR has already filled you in.”

  I turn to her and nod. Since the entire university and everything on its grounds is owned by one family, there are bound to be some unwritten rules. I don’t want to fuck this up. This job opportunity is far too good.

  “One: don’t fuck any of the students. Like, really don’t. It’s an instant dismissal. Don’t even go anywhere near them, because if Mr. Astor finds out he’ll lose his shit. Apparently, his daughter fell in love with one of the staff and threw away everything for him, only to have to come back home, all alone. No one knows the full story, but ever since then, Mr. Astor has been crazy about boundaries for staff members.”

  I nod. I have no intention of fucking some preppy student. Fuck that shit. I can’t stand the drama — and the lack of experience. Maddie grins and runs her hand through her hair. “That doesn’t include me, of course. I’m not a student.”

  I shake my head at her bravado. She’s trouble. I can already see it. I definitely can’t ever fuck her, because she’ll never leave me alone if I show her the tiniest bit of attention.

  “Two: sleep with a patient, and your career is ruined. Doesn’t matter if they aren’t a student. Faculty staff is off-limits too. Mr. Astor will legit report you wherever he can. He’s done it to the doctor you’re replacing. Last I heard, the poor guy still hasn’t found a job, and it’s been a few months. Doubt he’ll find anything. If the Astors want something, they get it.”

  I nod, a chill running down my spine. I’d better be extremely careful. It’s been a while since I was at college, but I remember what it was like. I doubt I’d be tempted, but it won’t hurt to be a little extra mindful of my interactions with patients.

  “That’s it, really,” she says, before turning to show me how the systems work. I’ve barely spoken a word, but thankfully I don’t have to. Maddie speaks enough for the both of us.

  I smile as I think of the horror I’d see on Grayson’s face if he were in my situation right now. A chatterbox is his worst nightmare. Me? I don’t mind it so much. I prefer being around people that fill the silence that always seems to surround me.

  “That’s all, Dr. Grant,” she says, smiling up at me. She’s leaning in, showcasing her breasts. I smirk, and that only seems to embolden her. “Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need something,” she says. “Like… anything.”

  “Sure thing, Maddie,” I tell her. “Thank you for the warm welcome.”

  She giggles as she hops off my desk and walks to the door, looking back over her shoulder. “Anytime, Dr. Grant.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief when the door closes behind her. She’s a whirlwind, that girl. I shake my head and reach for the white doctor’s coat hanging on the hook behind my desk.

  This is everything I’ve always dreamed of. An office of my own, being referred to as Doctor, and helping patients on a daily basis. This is a dream come true, and I need to make sure I don’t fuck it up.

  I sit down in the far too posh seat behind my desk and shake my head. How could I have gotten this lucky? I smile bittersweetly as I reach for my bag and take out two photos: one of my parents, and one of just Aria and me. I place both photo frames on my desk, already feeling much more at home in this office.

  Would Mom and Dad be proud of me today? I’d like to think they would be. Neither Aria nor I are very religious. We stopped believing the day our parents were brutally taken from us. Yet somehow, I still want to believe they’re watching over us.

  I’m startled out of my thoughts when my desk phone’s loudspeaker crackles, the receptionist’s voice resounding through the room.

  “Dr. Grant, I have a patient here to see you. I’m sending her file over now.”

  I nod, my heart pounding. “Send her in,” I say, just as I click on the patient file. My eyes widen when I read the patient’s name. Amara Astor.

  Astor? Fuck me. Just my luck. It’s not a common enough surname for her not to be one of the Astors.

  I’m nervous as the door opens and try my hardest to hide it, but all my composure is lost the second I lay eyes on her.

  Bright blue eyes. Long wavy red hair. She’s breathtaking. Fuck. I tear my gaze away and tug at my tie, suddenly feeling suffocated.

  I offer her my hand in introduction and she nods at me, her cheeks flushed and her breathing uneven.

  Does she have a fever? Fucking hell. I’m a doctor. She’s obviously here because she needs medical help, yet here I am, acting like a goddamn pig. No wonder Mr. Astor has his rules in place.

  “I’m Dr. Grant,” I tell her, taking her hand in mine. I could’ve sworn her touch fucking zapped me, but she doesn’t seem to notice a thing as she shakes my hand. “Amara Astor,” she tells me, and her voice… fuck. It’s rare for a woman’s voice to turn me on, but she does it for me.

  And she really shouldn’t. She’s my patient, after all.

  “Doctor,” she says, her voice soft. “Let me preface this by telling you that I’m a mechanical engineer. A PhD student, actually. This sounds like the lamest excuse, but I swear I’m not lying.” I frown, intrigued. Amara shakes her head and looks away. “Maybe this is a bad idea. I shouldn’t… I can get help elsewhere. I didn’t expect you to… Why are you so young?”

  I put on my most reassuring smile and shake my head. “Don’t you worry, Ms Astor. There isn’t much I haven’t seen yet.”

  She laughs, the sound betraying her nerves. “Oh boy. You have no idea how wrong you are.” She looks into my eyes, seemingly gathering her courage. “Dr. Grant. I need your help. I… I have a sex toy stuck inside me.”

  She has… what? What the fuck?

  Chapter 4

  Noah

  A sex toy? Is that what she said?

  I try my best to school my features, praying my face doesn’t betray my shock. I will my face to remain blank and nod at the stunning redhead standing in front of me.

  “I can explain,” she tells me, her cheeks blazing. She can barely look me in the eye, and something about her stirs my heart. I bite back a smile and shake my head, holding a hand up.

  “That’s all right, Ms. Astor,” I say, gesturing toward the patient bed in my office. The damn thing is nicer than anything I own, and it’s perfectly suited for a woman like the one standing in front of me.

  She smiles at me, and fuck me. My heart skips a damn beat. I didn’t think she could get any more beautiful, but fucking hell…

  I swallow hard as I follow her to the bed, pulling on my gloves. Her lips fall open when she sits down and I bite down on my lip. Whatever it is she’s got stuck in her must feel pretty damn good if that look in her eyes is any indication.

  “Please be careful, doctor,” she says, her voice soft. I nod, oddly nervous. I spent years doing medical rotations. This is far from the craziest thing I’ve experienced, yet somehow, I’m as nervous as when I was an intern.

  She hangs her head as she slowly exposes more of her skin. My eyes follow her fingers as she pulls up her red dress, exposing her thighs first, until I can just about catch a glimpse of her bare pussy. No underwear.

  Amara presses her legs together and looks up at me hesitantly. Beautiful. The way that blush stains her cheeks crimson, the way those blue eyes of her betray her ne
rves. She’s without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  “Don’t laugh, okay?” she whispers.

  I shake my head reassuringly and smile at her. “I won’t. I promise.”

  She pulls her dress up to her hips and spreads her legs, squeezing her eyes closed. I bite back another smile as I kneel in front of her, taking in the faint strawberry smell. Lube?

  “Okay, let’s take a look,” I murmur, placing my gloved hands on her thighs to spread them just a little further. Amara gasps and places her hands on my shoulder. “Are you okay?” I ask, worried.

  I didn’t think her face could get any redder, but it does. “Um… yes,” she says, her voice husky. She’s so fucking sexy, and I doubt she even realizes it.

  “I won’t hurt you, okay?”

  She nods, and I lean in to take a look. I can’t see anything. Whatever she’s put inside her is in deep.

  “Can I touch you? Please let me know if at any point you don’t feel comfortable.”

  She nods, and I carefully push my index finger into her to feel where her toy got stuck. Whatever she’s got in there is vibrating ever so slightly, but it certainly isn’t budging. Interesting.

  “Oh,” she gasps, her grip on my shoulders tightening. “Oh my god.”

  I freeze when her muscles tighten around my finger, her entire body shaking. She comes on my finger, and my cock hardens instantly. Fuck.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispers.

  “It’s okay,” I tell her, trying my best to avoid eye contact. I don’t want to make this any more awkward than it already must be for her. “I’ll need something to grip it with,” I tell her, and she nods, facing the window.

  “Please be careful, Dr. Grant. The toy… it’s my own invention. I’m an engineer. This is my only prototype, so please don’t break it.”

  I nod as I walk back to her, a set of tools in hand. I hold up medical pliers and she looks at me, her expression a mixture of worry and lust. Damn. She looks so beautiful sitting there, her legs spread, her long hair covering her body.

  “No,” she says. “That might damage it, and since this is a prototype, it’s not quite safe enough for us to break it while it’s inside me. There’d likely be some electric shock.”

  I nod. “Something soft then.”

  “It relies on suction. That’s why it won’t budge.”

  I kneel in front of her again. “All right. I’ll have to break the seal somehow.”

  She tenses when I carefully push two fingers back into her, feeling around for the edges of her toy. Amara pushes her legs closed just as I manage the wrangle a finger in-between her skin and the toy. Her grip is fucking tight, and I tense as a moan escapes her lips. She pushes her hips up against my hand as her eyes fall closed, another orgasm washing over her.

  “Oh God,” she moans. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Grant. I… I can’t help it. I’m so sorry. Your fingers… I can’t.”

  I smile and bite down on the edge of my lip, my fingers still buried deep inside her. “Don’t you worry. It’s only natural. You’re going to have to keep your legs open for me, Ms. Astor.”

  Her eyes widen and she opens her legs back up for me. “Call me Amara,” she whispers, looking away. “I came on your hand twice… it’s strange hearing you call me by my mother’s name.”

  “Amara,” I whisper, and her pussy spasms again. Fucking hell. She’s sensitive, and my filthy mind can’t help but wonder what it’d feel like to have her squeeze my dick. She’s so sensitive I reckon she’d come all over my cock, multiple times.

  “I think I’ve got it,” I tell her. “Bear with me, okay?”

  I manage to pull it just slightly lower, and that’s all it takes. The weird-shaped tool slips out of her, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I doubt my sanity or my cock could take another second of this.

  Amara moans loudly as it slips out of her, revealing how insanely wet she is. I grab her toy, my sick mind wishing I wasn’t wearing gloves. I wish I’d gotten a feel of her, of her wetness.

  I lift it up and rise to my feet with a smile on my face. Amara looks at me with wide eyes as I place it down next to her. She hops off the bed, only to tumble straight into my arms as though her legs can’t carry her.

  I catch her, my arms wrapping around her instinctively, and she gasps. It takes me a moment to realize that my erection is pressing up against her stomach, and I take a step away hastily, my hands on her shoulders.

  “I do apologize, Ms. Astor,” I tell her, unsure what else to say. I’m as in control of my body’s response to her as she was of her orgasms just moments ago, but that doesn’t excuse my lack of professionalism. I shouldn’t be getting turned on by a patient. Not just a patient. Amara Astor. While I don’t know for sure who she is, I know she must be related to Mr. Astor. To Astor College. A moment of unprofessionalism with her could cost me my future.

  “To be honest, this really just makes this whole experience far more bearable,” she says, grinning. “At least I wasn’t the only one turned on.”

  I smile involuntarily and look away, shaking my head. “That shouldn’t have happened,” I tell her, letting go of her. “And you needn’t be embarrassed. I’m merely doing my job. However, I strongly advise against inserting unsafe prototypes. If nothing else, refrain from doing so without medical supervision. This could have gone quite wrong.”

  “I’m an engineer, Dr. Grant. I’m not going to stop testing my own inventions. Medical supervision is a good idea, though… are you volunteering?”

  My eyes widen, and Amara bursts out laughing as she grabs her toy and throws it in her handbag. “You’re cute when you’re flustered,” she tells me as she walks past me, seemingly unaffected by the ordeal we just went through. “Thank you for your help, Dr. Grant,” she says, and then she’s gone.

  The door closes behind her, and I stare at it, fully fucking mesmerized. This girl. Who the fuck is she?

  Chapter 5

  Amara

  “Sorry I’m late, Mom.” I sit down opposite my mother in a restaurant that will probably bill us a crazy amount of money. Money that I wish I could invest in my company instead. I glance around at the widely spaced tables, the servers in tuxedos, the dim lighting. It’s beautiful, but it’s excessive.

  “I was wondering where you were,” Mom says, crossing her arms. I smile nervously, hoping she won’t actually ask me where I went. I’m an adult, but I still haven’t mastered the art of lying to her face.

  My little accident and subsequent visit to Dr. Grant’s office completely derailed my plans. I was going to dress up and do my hair for my standing dinner date with Mom. I know how much she looks forward to our dinners, and every week I try my best to look the way she wants me to, even if it’s just for one evening. Mom hates it when I look unkempt.

  “I was working and lost track of time,” I tell her. Technically, that isn’t a lie. I have no idea how much time I spent in Dr. Grant’s office. All I remember is his golden-brown eyes, that chiseled jaw, and those hands of his… oh, those hands.

  Mom shakes her head at me, and I sigh, hoping she won’t go into preacher mode, telling me that I should join the family business instead. My eyes roam over her, and the tiredness she exudes pains me. When was the last time I saw my mother laugh? I can’t even remember. Not since Dad left. That’s for sure.

  I can’t ever end up like her. I need to make sure of it. If I can’t get my company to take off before I finish my PhD, I’ll have to find a job. There’s no way I’ll remain dependent on Grandpa, like Mom is. Or worse. Become dependent on another man.

  I can’t allow myself to be in a situation where I’ll have to come running home. I love Grandpa, but I want to stand on my own two feet and be beholden to no one. I don’t want to end up like my mother, with no career of her own and a child in tow, knocking on her father’s door after she swore she’d never return.

  “You work too much, sweetheart. I barely see you these days.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” I murmur,
feeling bad instantly. “I just really want to get this right, you know? This company… it’s my every dream come true.”

  Mom nods, but I doubt she gets it. Even though there are so many businesses Grandpa would happily let her run, she has no desire to have a job of any kind. She wasn’t always like that, though. I still remember the woman she was before Dad wrecked our lives.

  “I know, sweetheart. I get it, I do. But don’t forget to enjoy life, okay? All you do is work. When is the last time you went on a date? You’re going to end up alone at this rate. You don’t need a job. We have enough money, Amara. If you really want to do this whole running a business thing, just ask Grandpa to invest. Why are you making things so difficult for yourself?”

  I freeze, trying my best to stay calm. “And what happens when Grandpa decides that he’s done entertaining me? What if he uses my company as leverage? You know as well as I do that Grandpa wants me to work for him. Do you really think he’d fully support me? The only way he’d provide me with funding is if I agree to work for him after a couple of years. I’m not willing to do that, Mom.”

  Mom grits her teeth and looks away in anger. “Why not, Amara? Why do you insist on making life so difficult for yourself? Your grandfather is one of the richest men in this state, and look at you, going around begging for money for your little company. When will you stop making a fool of yourself? You’re not a child anymore, Amara.”

  I swallow hard, my heart twisting painfully. “Is that all you think it is, Mom? Do you believe in me at all? Don’t you want me to chase my dreams? Don’t you want me to at least aim for independence? Do you truly want me to rely on Grandpa for the rest of my life?”

  Mom sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “What’s wrong with that, Amara? Have you learned nothing from me? I’m a prime example of what happens when you follow foolish dreams, Amara. Be realistic. You have a good life — a better life than most. Be thankful and do your part. Gregory wants you back, doesn’t he? He’s young, but he’s got a bright future ahead of him. Give him another chance, Amara. Go on a date with him. Take the easy road. Both he and your grandfather are offering you so many opportunities, yet here you are, playing foolish games.”