Derek turned back to me, his eyes narrowed. “You’re always going on and on about how hot Sicily is.”
“What? She is. You want me to lie and say she looks like a gargoyle?”
“How can you lie when I never ask?” he countered. “I don’t ask if you think Sicily is hot. You just say it.”
“Come on. If you look at a piece of art, you comment on it. You say it’s beautiful or whatever.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying Sicily is like a piece of art?”
“Sure…if you want to put it that way.” Her fashion was definitely on point, and her eyes were bright like stars in the sky on a dark night. She had that sexy booty and those nice tits. I was her boss, but I was also a single, straight dude, and it was impossible not to notice.
“What would Dad think?” Derek asked.
My neck snapped back toward him. “You seriously going to tattle on me?”
“No,” he snapped. “But you know he would be disappointed.”
“Because I slept with an older woman?” I asked incredulously.
“Because you slept with your teacher, your mentor,” he argued. “That’s so unprofessional.”
“Yes, I know,” I said in a bored voice. “No arguments there. For the first time in my life, I did whatever the fuck I felt like doing. I did something without thinking twice about it. I’m such a terrible person.”
Emerson turned to look at her husband, giving him a look of accusation.
Derek sighed, like he knew he was being harsh, without his wife looking at him like that. “You’re right. I’m overreacting a bit. I guess I’m just surprised you would do something like that and get caught up in something that can be really messy and really awkward.”
I shrugged. “Like I said, a sexy woman wanted me, and I couldn’t say no.”
Derek finally dropped it. “So, how is it going with work?”
“No complaints.” I was operating on patients every week with no fatalities, getting back into the swing of things like that year-long break hadn’t happened in the first place. “Sicily is making me see patients in half the time, and while I was pissed at first, I realized it was necessary. It’s the same problem we’ve always had, lots of sick people and not enough providers. It sucks. And with all my positions, we’re trying to juggle everything, and it’s just impossible. I’m seeing patients on Saturdays now.”
“Really?” Derek asked in surprise.
I nodded. “Just half day. And then I cut back on research and teaching to accommodate more patients. We’re trying to shove everything into these tiny slots, so we have to keep moving the pieces to make them fit. And while they fit better, they’ll never really fit perfectly.”
“What about Doctors Without Borders?” Derek asked.
“We’re still doing that too.” When I rejected Sicily’s suggestion to get another assistant, it was selfish. I didn’t want to bother having another person when she was already perfect at her job. I knew that didn’t happen often, and if I had an assistant who just annoyed me all the time, I would never get anything done.
Derek shook his head slightly. “Dex, that’s insane.”
Emerson chuckled before she took a drink of her wine. “You’re one to talk…”
I grinned at my brother. “Have I ever told you I like your wife more than you?”
Derek looked at her, his gaze dark but slightly playful. “You may have mentioned it…”
“Man, this place is nice.” Daisy took off her coat and left it on the coatrack by the door before she came farther into my apartment, checking out the furniture on the rug shipped from Morocco and the other masculine sculptures. “Wish Mom and Dad would buy me a place.”
I glared at her for making the jab. “No, you don’t. And I’m paying them after I get my check.” I moved to the couch in front of the TV. The gas fireplace was on, the frost pressed to the windows with the view of the city.
“Got a big client?” She sat beside me and helped herself to the wine.
“Yes.”
“Who? Let me guess…” She tapped her fingers against her chin. “Politician?”
“No. A musician.”
“Ooh, anyone I would know?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t ask who because she respected her patient’s confidentiality and I respected mine. I didn’t even tell my family who I worked on, not that they would ever tell anyone else. I took my oath as a physician very seriously. Sometimes Catherine would ask, and I wouldn’t even tell her.
Daisy crossed her legs and got comfortable, sipping her wine as she looked at the TV. “Sicily did a great job.”
“She hired a decorator, so she didn’t pick out anything.”
“But still, she pulled this together. She really learned a lot from Mom, and she only worked there for a couple months.”
“Yes, she’s a smart girl.” I grabbed a handful of pretzels and leaned back as I popped them into my mouth, watching the game with my sister like she was one of the guys.
“Maybe I’ll get an assistant when I’m the director of Harper Clinic.”
“Is Dr. Levinson leaving?” I asked.
“He talks about retiring in the near future, so…” She sipped her wine. “It could happen.”
“And you think they’d hand over the reins to you?” I teased.
She nudged me in the side. “Come on, I’m the smartest bitch in that place. First one to get there in the morning, last one to leave at night. Always.”
“Why don’t you open your own practice?” She was smart enough to have her name on the door, and she had Dad to help her with the business side of things.
She shrugged. “I really like where I work. I like the collaboration with the other physicians. Sure, I have an ass that won’t quit, but I rely on the expertise of my colleagues to fix patients. If I started my own practice, I’d have to hunt for all the right people, and not because of their degrees and experience, but because of their grit and heart, and it’s hard to find that. It takes a long time, and I’m just not that ambitious. I like where I’m at.”
I could totally see Daisy doing her own thing, having a team of doctors that wanted to work with her because of her mind and heart. She was young, so maybe in a decade she would realize she didn’t need anybody else but herself.
“What’s new with you?”
Other than sleeping with my old mentor, not much. “Just work.” I didn’t tell anyone that Sicily had seen my old wedding picture. It would just make things awkward, and they would think it was weird that I still had that picture…because it was. I should have thrown it out with everything else, but when I stood over the dumpster with it in my hand, I just couldn’t do it. Something held me back. I didn’t know what. I’d shoved it in the back of my closet until it came time to move. “Patient care, research, residency… Never stops.”
“But you’re enjoying it, right?”
I nodded. “Definitely. I just…” I finished my pretzels but couldn’t find the words.
“Just what?” she pushed when I didn’t answer.
“I feel guilty for leaving in the first place. I see the way these patients need me… And there were patients who needed me, and I wasn’t there.” I was a human being with needs like everyone else, but it haunted me that people couldn’t get the care they deserved because I was too weak to overcome my issues. It was pathetic, really.
She placed her hand on my back and rubbed me gently. “Don’t carry that burden, Dex. You needed to take time for yourself—and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
When the game was over, she finished off the rest of her wine. “So, I was thinking… You free tomorrow night?”
“Is there another game?” I grabbed the last handful of pretzels and shoved them into my mouth.
“No. Wanted to see if you want to get dinner.”
“Why?” I asked. “We’re together right now.” I saw my sister often, more than anyone else in the family, but I didn’t need to see her more than onc
e a week. We had a lot in common, but we didn’t have that much to talk about.
“Well, I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine.”
I turned to look at her, knowing exactly who that friend was. “That guy you’re seeing?”
“Yes.”
She’d never asked me to meet a guy before. “You want me to meet him?”
“That’s what I asked, isn’t it?”
“You said it wasn’t serious.”
“It’s not super serious, but I like the guy. I’m sorry, is this 1852 and I can only introduce a man to my family if we intend to be wed under the full moon on a summer’s eve in the eyes of God?”
“No. I just… I’m surprised, is all.”
“Why? You’re more than just my brother, you’re my friend. I’ve introduced him to my girlfriends.”
“So, Derek isn’t included in this? Mom and Dad?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “You might come over for a game, and he could be there. I want you guys to know each other.”
That made me feel better but also worse.
“What’s the deal?” she asked.
“I just…haven’t met a boyfriend of yours since we were in high school.”
“A boyfriend in high school doesn’t count as a real boyfriend at all. Come on, you can bring a lady. Bring Sicily. Bring that chick I saw you with the other night.”
“You knew I was there?”
“Yeah, and you obviously knew I was there, so why didn’t you come say hi?”
I shrugged. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I’ve never seen her before, and I assumed it was a one-time-thing type of situation. Didn’t want to ruin your game. Besides, you’ve met Mason before. No reason not to stop by.”
“If I’ve met him already, why do you need to introduce me again?”
Her eyes narrowed, full of ferocity like a packed punch. “Seriously, what is your problem? I put in a lot of effort with Catherine before you were married and made her feel like a sister after you tied the knot. And after she decided to be a fucking bitch, I didn’t hunt her down and kick her teeth in, so what’s so damn hard about spending time with this guy that I’m into?”
I looked away, a little ashamed. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“No, I want an answer—not an apology.”
“I don’t know,” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. “I guess I don’t really have a good reason, honestly.”
“Clearly.”
I decided to stop being a sexist asshole and just get over it. “Yeah, let’s get a beer or something tomorrow.”
“You gonna bring that woman?”
“No. That was my old residency adviser.”
“Oh cool. That must have been nice to catch up.”
“Yeah, it was nice.”
Her eyes narrowed at what I said. “Oh my god…you fucking dog.”
“What? I didn’t say anything.”
She gave me a playful shove before she stood up. “I know that look. It hasn’t changed since you were a teenager.” She moved to the coatrack and grabbed her jacket. “But, you know what? You only live once, right? You know what my motto is?” She pulled on her jacket and hooked her purse over her shoulder. “Eat the cake, fuck the guitar player, and don’t apologize for being you—ever.”
5
Sicily
I was sitting behind the desk when someone dropped off an envelope of paperwork. “This is for my client.” Then they just left, without any more explanation.
I opened it and found Dylan’s paperwork—along with the cashier’s check for the visit and the surgery.
It was over a million dollars, and he paid in full…just like that.
Now I understood how Dex made his money. He volunteered his time to people who needed it, but he charged the people who could afford it up the ass. I returned it to the folder and watched the last client leave his office.
It was lunchtime, so I grabbed Dex’s food and brought it into his office.
He was used to it now, so he immediately glanced up in excitement, looking forward to his lunch that I grabbed for him every day. After he busted his ass all day, it was nice to do something for him, give him some kind of reward for all his hard work. “Whatcha got for me, Sic?”
I liked it when he called me that, using a nickname no one else had used before.
“Hot roast beef sandwich with a Gorgonzola salad.”
“Ooh, fancy.” He opened the bag and put his food on the table.
I turned to leave so I could give him some time to himself.
“Hold up a second.”
I turned back around.
“You got plans tonight?”
I stilled at the question, immediately jumping to a conclusion that I shouldn’t desire. “Nope. Free as a bird.”
“You want to go out for a beer with me?”
I felt my stomach tighten at the question, wondering if he was really asking me out, just out of the blue like that.
“My sister wants me to spend some time with her and her boyfriend, and I don’t really want to go alone. Thought it would be more fun to bring you.”
Reality slammed back into me, and I realized how stupid I was. He just said a few weeks ago he never wanted to get married, so why would he ever ask me out, his assistant? That would never happen. I didn’t even understand why I was disappointed because it wasn’t something I wanted in the first place…or at least, I didn’t think so. “Sure. You don’t like him?”
“It’s not that.” He unwrapped his sandwich and prepared to take a bite. “I’m just…probably not gonna like him.”
“That’s ironic, considering you seem to like everyone.”
“People in general, sure. But dudes for my sister…not so much.” He took a bite and chewed. When he got it down, he spoke again. “I know what it’s like to be crushed, and I’d rather go through that a million times myself than watch my little sister go through it once.”
We sat side by side at the table in the bar, waiting for Daisy and her boyfriend to join us. We were both enjoying a dark IPA, and there were a couple baskets of fries on the table. It was strange to be with Dex when it wasn’t work-related, because when we were on the clock, there were always a million things to do. Now that there weren’t, I didn’t know what to talk about.
Every time I scanned the room and waited for his sister to step through the entrance, I noticed several pairs of eyes on us. They all belonged to women making eyes at Dex, the hottest guy in that bar, with those broad shoulders, laid-back demeanor, his thighs open under the table as he took up a ton of space. His sleeves were shoved to his elbows, showing off his chiseled forearms and manly hands…surgeon’s hands.
Dex didn’t seem to notice, his eyes usually on his beer or out the window beside us. This man was the sexiest dude on the planet, but most of the time, he didn’t seem to be aware of it. He was also the smartest, but that didn’t seem to register either. He didn’t spend his free time deep in self-absorption but thinking of other people and other ideas.
This man was perfect.
His ex-wife was fucking stupid.
Yeah, she was beautiful, but she was still out of his league. How could she walk away from him when he only tried to help? How could she blame him for her father’s death when she wasn’t a physician who could even make that determination? Maybe she had no idea what the real world was like, that Dex was one in a million, and I bet this last year has taught her that she’d made the biggest mistake of her life.
Idiot.
“Is the valve replacement surgery difficult?” It didn’t seem like he did them often.
He tilted his head left and right a couple times, as if his answer were back and forth. “I mean, it can be, but I’m not worried about it.”
Air filled my lungs and cleansed me of the past. It was so nice to see Dex confident once again, ready to jump in and fix someone.
“Are you more nervous when you do celebrities?”
H
e shook his head. “They’re just like everyone else. I don’t give them special treatment because I provide the best care to all my patients.”
His answer made my heart melt.
He turned to me, sitting back in his chair and giving me his attention with his fingers wrapped around his bottle. His brown eyes were so bright and beautiful when he was close to me, showing all of his charm and intellect. “Here we are, sitting in a bar, talking about work. Tell me about you. How are you? I feel like all we ever talk about is me.”
“Well, you’re a lot more interesting.”
He gave a scoff before he took a drink. “Come on, that’s not true.”
“I’m not a heart surgeon.”
“That’s what I do for a living—not my identity. Take that away, and I honestly have nothing left. I don’t have any hobbies, other than working out and getting laid.”
I instantly pictured him on top of me, naked, the deep V leading to a big-ass cock that he would pound into me until I came. The smell of his body wash and cologne intensified with the sweat and activity, and he crushed his lips against mine to stifle his moan as he slid inside me. “Whoa…” I mumbled under my breath.
“Whoa, what?”
I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud. I chose to bypass the awkward moment that just happened. “Nothing’s new with me. I’ve just been working a lot—as you know.”
He chuckled. “Maybe we do need to hire another assistant so you can have some time off.”
“It’s something to look into, but that would be hard for me.”
“Hard how?”
I shrugged. “I would have a hard time trusting someone to take care of you when I’m not around. It’s almost possessive, it’s weird.”
He gave me that handsome smile like I’d just paid him quite the compliment. “That’s cute.”
“But maybe we can look into it. Maybe your mom has someone she can recommend.”
“She already lost you, and that was a huge blow to their team. No way in hell she’s gonna give up someone else—even for me.” He placed his palm over his hard chest and gave a gentle rub, moving the cotton of his shirt, outlining his hardness a bit. Sometimes when he was in his scrubs, there was a deep V in the front, and I could catch the lines of his pecs and his hard stomach when he bent down over the desk in front of me. “So, has Vince left you alone?”
The Doctor Who Has No Closure (Soulless Book 10) Page 5