Chapter 21

Connor

I was more than a little nervous stepping into the office that next morning. Richter had made his ultimatum, and I knew that he would be interpreting my ignoring our conversation as me calling his bluff.

But there was no way I was going to let him blackmail me. Not a goddamn chance.

“Morning, Dr. Rex,” said the receptionist as I strode through the lobby.

“Morning, Becky,” I said. “What’s the agenda for the day?”

“The board’s bringing in some new faces,” she said. “Transfers from Los Angeles, mostly nurses and such.”

I glanced around the place, noting a handful of mostly young women who I hadn’t seen before.

“And I’m assuming that I’ll be taking one or two of them under my wing?”

Becky nodded, her face scrunched up.

“You know the board is about things like this. They want staff shift to be as smooth as possible.”

“Smooth for them, at least,” I said with a smirk.

“You know it. And by the way, we’re all totally upset to hear that you’re going to be leaving us.”

“It’ll be for the best,” I said. “Can’t stay in New York forever, I suppose.”

“At least you’re going with your new family!” she said, her expression brightening. “New start and all that.”

A pang of…something hit me at that moment. The truth—that there was no wedding, no marriage to look forward to, no Alice—hit me hard. Disappointment rushed through me, settling heavy in my heart.

“Yep,” I said. “New start.”

“Anyway,” she said. “I’ll let you get to it. I have your usual room set aside for your clinic hours.”

“Thanks, Becky.”

And with that, I took off. As I stepped into my office and shut the door, little movies played in my head. I imagined what it might be like to actually make a family with Alice. I thought about what our wedding might be like. I imagined taking her someplace wonderful for a honeymoon—Rome, maybe—and spending a carefree week together, just her, me, and Hunter. Then we’d come back to the states and start getting settled into our new home.

I thought about coming back after a long day at the hospital, walking into the house to the smell of something delicious cooking in the oven.

Wait a minute, I thought, checking myself. Alice is a career girl.

Fine—coming home to Alice busy at work in her sunny office, the windows facing the beach. I imagined coming up behind her and slipping my arms around her body, kissing her softly on the neck and…

A shrill buzz cut through the air and snapped me back to reality.

“Dr. Rex?” called Becky through the intercom. “Your first appointment’s here.”

I thanked her, shook my head one last time to bring myself back to the present moment, and headed off toward my office.

The first appointment was the usual fare—a middle-aged man with various vague aches and pains. I recommended some exercise and a more balanced diet and sent him on his way. Then, before I had a chance to even think about what was next, a knock sounded at the exam room door. I screwed up my face a bit, curious who’d be there so soon after my last appointment.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Dr. Rex?” came a woman’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Yep. Come on in,” I said.

The door opened slowly and in stepped what had to be one of the most stunning young women I’d ever laid eyes on. She was a redhead, with fair, flawless skin, sky-blue eyes, and features that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the cover of any magazine. Her shapely, busty figure was poured into a pair of dark slacks and a tight T-shirt that looked like it was one stretch away from ripping open at the chest. She regarded me with a wide-eyed expression, a small smile forming on her blood-red lips.

Back in my med school days, this pretty little thing would’ve been the kind of girl I was all over—literally and figuratively. Now, however, I just wanted to know who she was and why she was walking right into my exam room.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Um, hi,” she said, eagerly sticking out her pink-nail-tipped hand toward me. “My name’s Lillian Winters.”

“Hello, Lillian Winters,” I said, shaking my head, my eyes narrowed slightly. “Something I can do for you?”

Her eyes went wide, the sun pouring in through the exam room window making them as blue as it gets.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did no one tell you who I am?”

“Should I know?”

I unbuttoned my coat and took a seat on the edge of the examination table, the paper crinkling underneath me.

“Wait a minute,” I said. “Are you one of the LA nurses?”

Relief spread over her face.

“Yes! That’s me,” she said, pressing her hands to her bosom. “They sent a bunch of us over for the week to help us get acclimated before the big transfer.”

“I see,” I said. “And did you just come to introduce yourself personally? I mean, I’m going to be gone by the end of the month, so if you’re looking to network around here you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“Oh, that’s not it at all,” she said. “I just…um, well I’ve heard so much about you. I’m a cardiac nurse practitioner, and you’re, well, a little bit of a legend.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“A legend, huh?” I asked.

“Are you kidding?” she responded, taking an eager step toward me. “You should’ve heard the reaction when the girls and I heard that you were transferring to LA. But, um, I get to be one of the lucky ones who gets to work with you in advance.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, ignoring the fact that she was fawning over me like some kind of groupie. “Work with me?”

“That’s the other thing,” she said, sliding her body up onto the exam table next to me.

She was close now. Too close.

“They’re pairing the incoming nurses with doctors during this week of orientation and, well, you’re my match.”

She looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and bit down gently on her lip. Things were getting a little too close for comfort. I hopped off of the exam table and put a little distance between the two of us. But that didn’t dissuade Lillian from whatever was on her mind. She slowly slid her body off the table and stood before me.

“So, you’re going to be my shadow, then?”

“That’s right,” she said, her voice taking on a more seductive tone. “I’m going to be working very, very closely with you over these next few days. I just wanted to make sure that we were good and acquainted.”

I couldn’t help but notice just how quickly Lillian was able to switch from an “adoring fan girl” persona to a “naughty nurse” one. It was almost as if she were trying different angles and seeing which one found more purchase.

“Well, pleased to meet you,” I said, eager to get back to work and finish off the rest of my clinic hours. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“I suppose not,” she said, not letting my icy tone knock her off course in the slightest. “I just wanted to make sure you knew how…excited I am to be working with you, even for a little while. I’m sure you have lots to teach me.”

With that, she gave me a wink, turned, and headed out.

Once she was gone, I crossed my arms and leaned back against the window. Something seemed…off about all of this. Sure, cute nurses weren’t exactly hard to come by, but the way this girl was so quick to hit on me, to let me know that she was available for whatever I might want, just struck me as odd. She was either a girl who didn’t waste any time, or she had something else in mind entirely.

Something was up. And I was going to figure out just what it was.