The Doctor Who Has No Ambition (Soulless Book 9)

by Victoria Quinn

  “Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re just like that.”

  I rolled my eyes as I released a chuckle. “Trust me, if you knew us better, you would see how different we are. Daisy and I got a lot from our mom, which allows us to have a sense of humor, and you know, talk to people. Derek is basically a second version of my father. It doesn’t seem like he got any distinguishable traits from his mother.”

  “His mother?” she asked.

  “Sorry, we have different moms.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah. My dad was married a long-ass time ago. He says he got it right the second time.” I couldn’t imagine myself getting it right the second time, not after the first one. It ended badly and that left me broken, but the worst part was how happy I’d been at the time. If a perfect marriage couldn’t last, then nothing would.

  “And your sister?”

  “She’s a doctor too.”

  “Wow, that genius gene really runs in the family, huh?”

  “Well, my sister is an idiot, so she clearly didn’t inherit it.”

  She smiled because she knew I was kidding. “What kind of doctor is she?”

  “She started as a general practitioner, but then she moved into this other sector and became a diagnostician, which is a kinda weird specialty that doesn’t quite exist. She works with a team of doctors at a clinic here and tries to correctly diagnose people who have already been to other doctors a million times with no answers. It’s a hard job that requires knowledge of every discipline, along with investigative work and collaboration. She’s deeply, deeply invested in her patients, so she doesn’t stop until she figures it out.”

  Her smile softened as she looked at me. “For thinking she’s an idiot, you speak really highly of her.”

  “Yeah, don’t tell her I said any of that.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.” She moved her pen to the page. “I’ll make the arrangements so you can start as soon as possible. I’ll also hire some people for the office. You’ll need at least one nurse, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Anyone else? Another receptionist?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t have a lot of patients, so I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “How does that work, exactly?” she asked. “If you don’t have a lot of patients, how do you stay in business?”

  “Since I take on the most difficult surgeries that most other surgeons can’t perform, it’s pretty fucking expensive, basically.” That was the candid answer. “I’m not going to operate on someone when I think there could be other treatments conducted, so I only take on advanced cases with slim odds. My reputation as the best fetches me the highest price, and some of my surgeries net a couple million.”

  Her eyebrows rose.

  “The wealthiest people in the world come to me for health care. I’ve had actors, politicians, Saudi Arabian princes…” They paid for the best, so they got the best, and it allowed me to be selective in my patients while keeping the lights on and my bank account big. “But the beauty of it is that it also allows me to take on patients who can’t afford my services under any other scenario, like Mr. Torres. I usually have a lottery system in place because I’ll take on any patient, regardless of their health insurance, or if they even have health insurance at all. I believe everyone has the right to good health care, but the constraints of our system in this country make that unrealistic, so this is the best I can do—best of both worlds.”

  She nodded in understanding and looked at me with the softest eyes I’d ever seen. “If they don’t have health insurance, how are the rest of the fees paid? I know you can donate your time, but what about the operating room, the nurses, the medications?”

  “I have a lot of sponsors. They make donations to this fund of money that I use for those patients. A lot of those sponsors are former patients of mine, but also members of the community, patients of my father, stuff like that.”

  “What happened to that fund after you left?”

  “I tried to refund everyone, but nobody wanted it. I gave it to my father so he could use it for his patients, but he didn’t use it either because he has his own financial sponsors. So, I imagine it’s just sitting there.”

  “That’s good news for Mr. Torres.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Speaking of Mr. Torres…should I book your first appointment?”

  My eyes immediately dropped, terrified of having that kind of intimacy with a patient again. I spent a lot of time with my patients and developed a deep bond with them, and that made my surgeries more challenging because the person on the table had become a friend. I’d been criticized for it by my colleagues, and after losing Allen, I realized they were right.

  “Dex?”

  I lifted my chin and looked at her again. “Not right now.”

  Her eyes slowly filled with disappointment. “Dex, I don’t need to remind you that this man is on borrowed time…”

  I closed my eyes at the reminder. “I already know exactly what he needs, how I would handle that operation, but I’m just not ready. I can’t force it, Sicily.”

  She gave a slight nod in understanding. “Alright. Then let’s start slow.”

  21

  Sicily

  When Cleo told me they got Dex an apartment in Manhattan, I assumed they meant a real apartment, like my apartment.

  But no, they had a whole different definition of the word.

  Because the place was more like a luxury penthouse.

  It had serious square footage, three bedrooms, a full kitchen, a dining room, and a living room that could hold enough people for a major holiday party. One look at it made me envious that I didn’t have billionaire parents who would give me everything I could ever possibly need at the drop of a hat, but it also made me a little fearful because Dex wouldn’t be happy when he found out.

  He was technically my boss, but Cleo was like my other boss, so I followed her orders over his. I brought the designer into the space so the custom furniture could be ordered, along with the paintings and the sculptures. It would take a few weeks for everything to come in, along with the rugs, and whenever he was ready to see it, hopefully he would be so pleased with the way it looked that he wouldn’t be pissed at me.

  After the long day, I lay on the couch in my pajamas, snacking on a box of cookies I got from the grocery store along with a bottle of wine. My new job was more demanding than my previous one, but I also got a lot more fulfillment out of it. The more time I spent with Dex, the more I realized how honored I was that my job was to make him be the best he could be—and I got paid for it.

  I was about to fall asleep on the couch even though it wasn’t even eight yet, when a knock sounded on my door. I stirred from the couch and threw my hair out of my face before I marched to the door. With sleepy eyes, I peered through the peephole, expecting to see a solicitor or maybe a friend, but it was Vince.

  Fucking Vince.

  Adulterer. Liar. Jackass.

  I could just walk away, but seeing his face pissed me the hell off. I flung the door open and ignored the sad look in his eyes, the slouch of his shoulders, the defeated posture of his broken frame. “I don’t know how many more times I can say it, but I despise you. I want nothing to do with you. Please leave me alone and go home to your wife. Wife.” Her tearful voice still haunted my dreams to this day. This whole nightmare was months in the past, but it was so traumatic that I still hadn’t gotten over it. I woke up one morning, thinking I would be getting engaged to the man I loved, and instead, I found out he was a goddamn fraud.

  “She’s not my wife anymore. We’re divorced.”

  That didn’t dissolve my rage. “If you think your wife leaving your cheating ass is going to get us back together—”

  “I left her.”

  I shook my head, chewing the inside of my lip.

  “I left her for a lot of reasons, and it was the right thing to do. I wasn’t happy anymore, and my adultery i
s a symptom of a bigger problem. I’m not some serial cheater who just goes around and has affairs. It happened because I was unfulfilled, unhappy, and it was time for both of us to find happiness—”

  I cut him off by holding up my hand. “She was not unhappy. It was obvious in her voice that you’re the man she loves, that she still loves you despite what you did. What actually happened was you decided to abandon ship because things got hard. Don’t fucking stand there and lie to me.”

  “You talked to her?”

  “Yes, asshole. She called me.”

  He took a deep breath, his eyes closing in humiliation.

  “That was not a mutual split. That was you leaving her, shirking your commitment, abandoning your family, and I’ve never been less attracted to a man that I am to you right now.”

  He bowed his head, finally shutting his mouth.

  “I never want to see you again. Do you understand?”

  He lifted his gaze and looked at me. “I know what I did was wrong, but I love—”

  “I will punch you square in the mouth if you say that to me.” All the love I once had for this man evaporated. Sometimes it only took a single moment to look at someone differently forever. This was not the man I wanted for the rest of my life. This was a man I would despise for the rest of my life.

  “I’ve relocated to New York. I’ll still see my boys on my rotation in Chicago, but I’ve moved out of the house and gotten an apartment here—”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I snapped. “You left your family in another state so you could chase some tail?”

  “You aren’t some tail.” Now, he snapped back, unable to keep silent and remain defeated. “What we had was real. I don’t want you to think it was a lie because it wasn’t. My relationship with my ex-wife wasn’t real. We were beating a dead horse. Life is short, and you should spend your time doing what makes you happy. You make me happy, Sicily. You’re the woman I should have—”

  “Every time I think I’ve finally moved on from this, you show up and remind me of what happened, of my involvement in this disgusting affair. If a man cheats for you, he’ll cheat on you.”

  “That’s not true—”

  “It is. This isn’t a situation where I’m mad at you but I still love you. This is a situation where I don’t even want to look at you. I’ve moved on, Vince. I’m seeing someone else. Whether you stay divorced or try to make your marriage work, it makes no difference. I’m with a new man now.”

  His eyes were visibly pained, like that really tore him apart.

  “Goodbye, Vince.” I shut the door in his face—and locked it.

  I stuck my fork into the noodles and spun them around as I listened to Cleo over lunch.

  “So, the practice is ready to go, Dex has agreed to take on those positions, and his apartment is being completed. I’d say we’ve gotten a lot done in a short amount of time.”

  I stopped thinking about my altercation with Vince and lifted my gaze to look at her. “Yeah, I think so too.”

  Cleo took a bite of her lunch and stared at me as she chewed, like she could read my thoughts based on the slight tightness of my face. “Something on your mind, honey?”

  “How do you do that?”

  She shrugged then inserted her fork back into her noodles so she could wrap them around her fork. “I’ve got three kids and a brooding husband. Lots of experience.”

  “I’ll say…” I put down my fork. “Vince stopped by my apartment last night. Told me he officially divorced his wife and relocated to New York, like that’s going to fix our problems. I told him I was seeing someone else and to leave me alone.”

  “Are you seeing someone?”

  “No,” I said with a sarcastic laugh. “I’m done with men right now.”

  She dropped her gaze and looked at her food again. “Does that include Dex?”

  Now I wished I’d known she was his mom sooner so I wouldn’t have said that and made an idiot out of myself. “Yes. He’s my boss, and I wouldn’t jeopardize that relationship for anything.” We would just be friends, and when he said something deeply moving or picked up something heavy and his muscles flexed, I would just tell my ovaries to be quiet. “He’s not my type anyway.”

  “Not your type, how?” she asked, slightly incredulous.

  “He just doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy looking for a relationship.” I wouldn’t tell her about the girls I saw him with, that he was obviously a serial playboy. “And now that I know he’s divorced, it makes sense. I won’t waste my time with a fixer-upper. He’ll get all the benefit, and I’ll just get my heart broken—again.” I realized I was being too candid with her because I viewed her as my own friend, my own mother figure. But when it came to her son, I needed to be delicate. “No offense or anything. Dex is a great guy, one in a million, and I’m so happy to work with him and be his friend. But that’s the extent of it.” Besides, I’d asked him out when we no longer worked together, and he totally shot me down without thinking twice about it. I clearly wasn’t the kind of woman he was looking for.

  She nodded as she looked down into her bowl. “No offense taken. Just curious.”

  “Anyway…” I brushed over the awkwardness, relieved that it was finally done, that we could forget what I said months ago, and I could just be his assistant now. “He was really moved by the pictures you gave me.”

  “I knew he would be.” She smiled triumphantly. “As humans, we focus solely on the bad, for a lifetime, and forget all the good. I knew he needed to be reminded of all the people he’s helped, of the people living their lives right now because of what he’s done for them. It inspired him just the way I hoped.”

  “It inspired me too.” I saw his heart outside his chest, saw how big and loving it was. I saw a man different from all the others, someone that truly cared about other people. “It made me so thankful for this job, because while I liked working at the Trinity Building, I feel like I’m making such a difference, and I haven’t really gotten started.”

  She grinned widely and dropped her gaze, practically triumphant.

  “What?”

  She turned back to me, still grinning. “I thought you didn’t like fixer-uppers…”

  22

  Dex

  My first day at the clinic was really jarring, to say the least.

  I met the research team, got up to speed on what projects were underway, and was given an office to process paperwork and catch up. Most of my colleagues knew me by name even though we’d never met, and it was a warm environment to be welcomed in. It was my first dip back into this ocean, but the second I got my feet wet, everything felt familiar. My interest was piqued, and it was immediately far more interesting and satisfying than my tenure at the Trinity Building and the lab.

  It felt like it was the first time I’d ever really used my brain to full capacity. I read through their data and projects, sitting in my office at my practice for hours and making my notes because all of their work was fascinating, and it got the wheels in my own head turning.

  A knock sounded on my door, and I stiffened at the sound, my concentration shattered for the first time in hours. “It’s open.”

  Sicily walked inside with a paper bag in her hand, rocking another bitchin’ outfit of a tight black dress and snake-patterned boots underneath. The skintight material showed the curves of her hips and that tiny little waist…and then those nice, plump tits.

  Okay, Dex…get your shit together.

  I set down my papers and leaned back in my chair to give her my attention. “What brings you here?”

  She raised the bag and placed it on my desk. “No compliment on the outfit today?” She teased me with that cute smile and playfulness in her gaze.

  I let out a slight chuckle, but it was full of a couple awkward coughs. “Yeah…also bitchin’.”

  She opened the paper bag, probably completely clueless to how much I really liked her outfit—and the curves underneath. I liked women of all shapes and sizes, but
I really loved her hips and her thighs. They were a little thick, but that gave her a striking figure in tight clothing. “I thought I’d bring you lunch. Wasn’t sure if you’d have time to grab something.” She pulled out a green salad, a sandwich, and a side of fruit.

  “Didn’t cross my mind, actually.”

  “Your mother told me that was exactly what would happen, and that woman is always right.”

  “Annoying, isn’t it?”

  “I find it fascinating, actually. She told me that intelligent and ambitious people like your father will get so caught up in whatever they’re focusing on that they’ll forget all the other stimulation being sent to their brain.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that, their brain ignores it. So, then you won’t eat or move for really long periods of time, which becomes a problem. And apparently, the three of you are just like that.”

  That was a damn good description. “Yeah, that’s accurate.”

  “Anyway, I thought you should eat.”

  I opened the containers and pulled them close. “Everything looks good.”

  “Great.” She took a seat at the corner of the desk, sitting straight so the curve in her lower back was really prominent. “How’s your first day going?”

  I poured the dressing onto my salad then mixed it together before I took a bite. “Not bad. I’ve spent the day catching up on all the projects. The work is good, so it’s exciting to get involved.”

  She nodded. “That’s great to hear.”

  “They said I can jump on one of the teams or start my own project. Haven’t decided yet.” There was no dress code at the clinic, so I wore jeans and a hoodie, just like my dad. Derek didn’t wear a suit to work either. Suits were uncomfortable and only compensated for lack of confidence.

  “I’m glad you’re getting settled in nicely.”

  “Yeah. It was rough first thing in the morning, just coming here. When I had to meet everyone, I expected a bunch of questions about my year-long sabbatical, but no one asked me about it.”