Forbidden Prescription 6: A Stepbrother Fake Girlfriend Medical Romance (Forbidden Medicine)

by Stephanie Brother

  “I hope he’s terrible at it,” I said spitefully.

  “Me too,” Damon agreed with a chuckle. “I’ll have to let Dr. Farnham know that he wasn’t the first choice. Besides, I’m not sure if I want to stay at CUIMC now.”

  “Really?” I asked. “What are you planning on doing?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing anytime soon. Lately, I’ve been trying to think toward the future.”

  “And?”

  He smiled. “It’s not something I’m used to. At least not since I started on this path to follow in my dad’s footsteps and become a surgeon. In my personal life, I’ve always been focused on the present.”

  That’s where we were opposites. I had always been so focused on the future that I forgot to live in the present moment.

  “Do you think your mom is going to get back together with my dad?” he asked.

  I bit my lip. “I truly have no idea. I’ve never heard her so devastated before. I wish we would have known they were going to get married so we could get them to slow things down a little. I don’t object to my mom dating your dad, but she had no idea what she was getting herself into.”

  “I agree,” he sighed, “he’s really not a bad guy, but he does stupid stuff sometimes. He falls in love too easily and he’s gotten away with sampling every willing woman who crosses his path.”

  “I don’t want my mom to get hurt again.”

  “I don’t either. I really liked her when I met her. She’s really too good for him.”

  “Are you just saying that because I’m her daughter? Either way, I appreciate you saying so. I’m glad we’re on the same side here, even though you kind of have to be loyal to your dad.”

  “He understands he messed up. I’ve made it clear to him that I think he’s a jackass for what he did. I advised him to never get married again. He just thinks he needs to go to couple’s counseling or rehab.”

  “Both are probably wise,” I said. “They’re probably going to get divorced, right?”

  “I’d say almost definitely. It’s probably best that we aren’t step-siblings. It was already difficult to introduce you to people. This would only make things more complicated.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, that is pretty weird. When my mom said she was dating a guy from Hazelwood, I didn’t even consider the fact that your father was from there. I wish I would have made the connection earlier.”

  “So much heartbreak could have been spared,” he said wistfully.

  Something had changed about Damon since we started to get to know each other. On our first date, he was incredibly rude. Now, he was mellow and kind. It was as if I had managed to break down whatever wall he kept up to protect him from suffering his father’s fate. He went through women and threw them away like old tissues, not because he didn’t respect them, but because he feared getting too close. He had seen what his father’s ways could do to a person, and wanted nothing to do with it. I must have caught him at a vulnerable time, because he was slowly opening up to me. He had been using a defense mechanism, and I was able to break into the machine and watch how it functioned. I had to remind myself that Damon was a real human being with thoughts and feelings, and not just a science experiment. Finally, I could understand why he made me feel like shit one day, and a princess the next. He had no idea what he was doing and was scrambling to protect us from disaster.

  However, I felt it was best to keep these suspicions to myself. I didn’t want to spook him and lose him forever. Though I swore to myself on multiple occasions that I would be done with him, I couldn’t shake Damon Rye. And, if he was going to be a part of my life in one way or another, I thought it was best to keep things cordial and peaceful.

  For the first time since we started hanging out, I felt calm. Though we were deeply entangled in a series of never-ending dramas, I could relax around Damon and speak to him as a friend. I didn’t need an agenda or ulterior motive. We were no longer pieces in a chess game, always thinking of our next move, working to outsmart the other.

  “What an absolute mess this day has been.” I giggled, nearly delirious from emotional exhaustion. “Are there any more secrets that you haven’t told me?”

  I was joking, but Damon’s face went blank. I was expecting a sarcastic remark from him, but got silence instead.

  “Is there?” I asked exasperatedly. “Your silence is telling.”

  “No, I promise I don’t have anything else,” he said.

  I looked him in the eye, staring at him until he finally broke. Whatever he was hiding, he was putting up a pretty good fight.

  “Don’t make me guess,” I said, trying to figure out what he was thinking. “Are you seeing someone? Are you failing me in my evaluations? Are you about to tell me that you don’t want to be seen with me anymore?”

  “No,” he said brusquely. “I think I have feelings for you.”

  I froze. I hadn’t been expecting that. If anything, I figured I would spill the beans first, and he wouldn’t be able to reciprocate.

  “Oh, that’s it?” I said softly. “Huh.”

  Now it was his turn to stare at me.

  “And?” he asked.

  “Well, I like you too, I guess,” I said, feeling flummoxed.

  “You guess,” he scoffed. “Oh, I’m an idiot. Why did I say that?”

  “No, I’m glad you did,” I said reassuringly. “I’m sorry, I’m not great at this either. Obviously, there’s something between us, but what are we supposed to do about it? We’ve already gotten ourselves into so much trouble, and we’ve only really known each other for less than two weeks. Where could we possibly go from here?”

  I could see a little sadness behind Damon’s eyes. When it came down to it, I would have loved to be able to date him. I wanted to be able to spend more time with him and get to know him properly. But, until the divorce went through, we were step-siblings. Not to mention the fact that he’s my teaching doctor and I was still just an intern.

  “You know, if you’d be willing to try to make it work, I would be interested in giving this a shot,” he said carefully. “I’m kind of new to this, but I’d be open to making this work.”

  “Really?” I asked, my eyes lighting up.

  He nodded. “It might be best to keep public appearances to a minimum before you are fully through your first year residency, but I think I’d really like to continue this relationship.”

  “Continue?” I asked.

  He smiled. “Well, I’ve already introduced you to people as my girlfriend. We’ve already been on a few dates, and you’ve slept over at my place. That sounds like dating to me.”

  I giggled. All along, I had been so far into my own head that I hadn’t realized that we were behaving like any other couple would. We just had a lot more baggage than most.

  “What if we didn’t see each other until after this session is over?” I asked. “We could still talk on the phone, but we just keep physical contact out of the picture until you’re done being our mentor. The distance might make things more meaningful.”

  “Two weeks?” he asked. “That’s a long time.”

  “Are you not willing to wait for me so we can make this thing legitimate?”

  “No, I am,” he said. “I think it’s a good idea. I’ve never tried to have a real relationship with anyone before.”

  “What about our parents?” I asked, wincing.

  “Let’s not mention it just yet,” he said. “If the time comes where they need to know about us, we’ll tell them. They can hardly be mad after the mess they’ve created, right?”

  I chuckled. “Right. And now that I’m not going to be working with you, that takes care of that debacle. At the very least, we can just sneak around together.”

  “I think I want more than that,” he said, taking my hand in his. “I want to have more moments with you at fundraisers, so I can show off how cool you are. I want to be able to walk down the streets of Manhattan without worrying about what people will say.”

  I rarely got caug
ht up in romance, but my heart melted a little at this. All my life, I saw myself as a weird, little girl who could never catch the attention of the popular crowd. Hearing him say that he wanted me on his arm meant the world to me.

  “So, do we start our two weeks of celibacy now?” I asked after the waiter came by for Damon’s credit card.

  He smirked. “How about one more night? Come back to my place and then we’ll start the clock from there. I know we said we’d try to take things slow, but I’m having such a nice night. I don’t want it to end.”

  I returned his smile. “Okay,” I relented. He was impossible to say no to.

  Chapter 26

  Damon

  Once again, we were hand in hand, racing to my apartment for a little privacy. In the cab on the way home, I discreetly slipped my hand under her skirt and touched her as she tried to pretend as if nothing was happening. I loved watching her sit in the cab while her cheeks began to flush. I found the way she bit her lip incredibly sexy. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through the doors of my building without showing my excitement below the belt.

  We giggled as we walked through the front door, arms around each other. I had one hand firmly on her ass and she had hers around my waist as we rushed to get inside.

  When we got to the front door, none other than Kevin walked out of the elevator. He seemed surprised to see us together, looking so happy. I thought about slugging him in the face right then and there, but he was still an intern and I didn’t want to get myself into trouble, especially after giving into his demands.

  “You have what you want,” I said darkly. “Leave us alone.”

  He nodded as though he understood what I was trying to tell him. Then, Olivia and I got into the elevator and we started making out. I saw Kevin look back at us before the doors closed, so I flipped him the bird and continued to kiss my new girlfriend.

  We didn’t have a very good track record for making it all the way inside the apartment before we started going at each other. I just couldn’t help it— our bodies were magnetic. We just fit together like puzzle pieces. I couldn’t wait to ravish her.

  There were so many good locations to choose from in my apartment. We could go back out to the hot tub and strip down, using the natural flow of the water to guide our movements. Or, I could put her up against the wall in my home office, surrounded by the smell of cigars and leather bound books. The shower was always a good option, as there was something I found so sensual about cascading water. And, in many cases, the living room floor was the place I’d end up with a woman in the heat of the moment. But now, our bodies called us to my bed— old reliable.

  For the first time in my memory, I was overcome with a rush of emotions. For a second, I wondered if I was feeling what my dad described when he was with his various wives. While I instinctively started to withdraw, I decided instead to go all in. I allowed myself to feel the unmatched joy of being close to a phenomenal woman.

  Though we rushed the entrance, we took our time removing each other’s clothes. Olivia carefully undid each button on my shirt, tossing it onto the floor when it was finally off. I pulled her blouse over her head and slid her skirt off, adding it to the pile of clothes.

  “No panties?” I mused.

  “I— I was in a hurry to kick your ass at the hotel,” she said sheepishly. “I didn’t have time to change.”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t your subconscious preparing for this very moment?”

  She grinned. “You’re so full of yourself. Only you would be aroused at the thought of an angry woman coming after you.”

  I laughed. She was absolutely right.

  “You’re absolutely stunning, do you know that?” I asked her, marveling at her naked form.

  “Flatterer,” she accused. “I would say the same to you, but you have a big enough head as it is.”

  “I’ll take it,” I joked, pulling her on top of me.

  She squealed with delight.

  Olivia and I made love off and on for the rest of the evening. Every time we declared it to be our last, we found ourselves bargaining.

  “Well, since we’re not going to do this for a few more weeks, maybe once more won’t hurt,” she’d say after I’d pull her close to me.

  Eventually, we got to the point where I don’t think I could have finished another round if I tried. We were both sore and exhausted, but took to each other’s arms like old lovers. I purposefully stalled her until it was too late for her to return to her apartment. I don’t think she minded staying at my place for one more night.

  As we lay in bed together, I found myself coming to terms with our new relationship. I was scared as hell and had no idea what I was doing. In all other aspects of my life, I had everything under control. But, I welcomed the new challenge. If I could master a serious relationship, then I may just have it all.

  In the morning, Olivia made breakfast while I showered and got ready for work. I was running behind, so I didn’t have one last quickie with her before our fortnight of celibacy. However, we did steal as many kisses as we could before I left for the hospital and she returned to her apartment.

  I wasn’t sure how long my domestication was going to last, but I was going to make a serious effort. While I taught Olivia everything she needed to know about the medical world, she would teach me how to be a better person in my personal life. It was a struggle to forget everything I thought I knew about relationships, but I decided that with Olivia, it was absolutely worth it.

  Epilogue

  Olivia

  Evaluations came out and I noticed that mine had additional comments from Dr. Farnham. He praised my contributions to the CUIMC family and professed his disappointment that I was unable to accept the surgical internship, but praised the fact that I was going to get to work with such an amazing surgeon as Dr. Rye. It left me very confused.

  “I’m so glad your evaluation went so well, sweetie. We should probably head out of here or we’re going to miss our reservation. Winston picked out a very nice steakhouse for our reception tonight.”

  “Okay,” I said. I still felt weird ordering from menus that didn’t have prices listed, but it was something that I would have to get used to, since I was seeing Damon on a regular basis. Besides, Winston seem genuinely happy to spend that kind of money on my mom and me.

  “How did you enjoy having Damon mentor you?” she asked.

  I shrugged and looked away, but I could feel my cheeks heat.

  “Olivia?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

  My blush deepened. This was the fifth time in two weeks that she’d brought Damon’s name up to me and I’d had the hardest time not spilling everything to her.

  “Has he not been treating you well? Do I need Winston to have a talk with him?”

  “God, Mom. No. It’s just… well, Damon and I have been seeing each other.”

  “What?”

  I blushed again. “Look we were seeing each other before we knew you and his dad were involved. It started out as something casual, but it’s turned into something more serious. We weren’t sure we wanted to continue once we found out, but… well,” I said with another shrug and a sheepish look.

  “Oh my goodness! No wonder you two were so strange that day!” she said looking completely mortified. “If I had known, I would have told you who Winston was sooner, Olivia, I’m so sorry!”

  “It’s okay, Mom. We’ve worked through it, we had a long talk and we both realized there was something more between us and we want to see where it goes. It’s a bit weird knowing you and his dad are married, and that we are in a twisted way related now, but for all intents and purposes, we’re not blood related and we don’t see a reason for us not to try to make things work.”

  “If he doesn’t treat you right though—”

  I held a hand up. “Mom, it’s between me and Damon. If things don’t work out, they don’t work out, but I think if it doesn’t we’ll always be friends, so there is
n’t anything to worry about.”

  “Okay,” she replied as we met Damon and his father at the restaurant.

  Damon greeted us, pulling me in for a kiss. He wrapped his arm around my waist and escorted me in behind Mom and his dad. We were seated at a table for four, with me beside Damon and Mom and Winston on the other side of the table. My mom pulled out a small, beautifully wrapped present and handed it to me.

  “Mom, you didn’t need to get me anything, it was just first round evaluations,” I scolded.

  “Of course, I did, I’m proud of you.” She smiled. “Open it.”

  I peeled back the paper and opened the small, leather box. Inside was a gorgeous, rose gold watch.

  “I thought it would look nice when you’re talking to patients,” she said.

  “It will,” I replied. “Thanks.”

  Winston sat up a little straighter. “I have a present for you as well, but it can’t exactly fit into a box.”

  My shoulders sank. I wondered what outrageous gift Winston bought me to make up for everything he put my mother through. I liked the guy, but if he thought he could buy my loyalty, he was mistaken.

  He leaned forward, a big smile on his face. “I’ve decided to come out of retirement,” he said. “I get myself into trouble when I don’t stay busy, and I miss working. I’m going to open my own clinic and do minor surgeries.”

  “That’s great,” I said, faking my enthusiasm.

  “And if you’re okay with it, I’d like you to come work for me. I’m not talking an unpaid internship, either. You can be involved in as much or as little as you want. Granted it’s not the internship you were hoping for, but I promise you, you’ll probably get more benefit than that blackmailer Kevin will working with Dr. Wilhouse. It’s basically what Damon did when I was head surgeon at CUIMC, but on a smaller scale. What do you think?”

  My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “Seriously? That would be amazing!”