Chapter 23

Connor

The view from Lionel’s Midtown penthouse was stunning, to say the least. Martini in my hand, I took a slow sip of my drink as I looked out over the twinkling towers of the city. The sounds of my going-away party taking place inside the apartment were muffled through the glass.

“Taking it all in while you can, huh?” asked Lionel, stepping out onto the balcony.

“It’s easy to forget how amazing this city is when you’ve got your head down every day,” I said.

“It’s quite a place,” said Lionel, now standing next to me. “Been here for forty years. Moved here from Duluth and thought this city would eat me alive.”

“I’d say you’ve done alright for yourself,” I said. “Aside from the hair loss.”

Lionel gave me a sly look as he ran his hand over his smooth head. My gaze tracked to the dozens of party-goers in the apartment behind him, all of them chatting and drinking and enjoying the occasion.

“You should pray you look so good when you’re this age, Connor.”

I let out a laugh.

“But I’m not the only one who’s done well in this town,” he said. “You’ve taken this city over in ways that I could’ve only dreamed of when I was your age. And now you’re leaving it for a promising position at one of the best hospitals in the country. And a lovely wife to support you through it all.”

I felt a pang of regret at the mention of Alice. This thing had all started as an innocent lie to help me get the promotion that I wanted. But now it all seemed to be taking on a life of its own. I felt less and less in control with each passing day.

“Thanks, Lionel,” I said. “Happy to have been a part of the team.”

Lionel smiled, then turned, craning his head to get a good look at the party.

“Speaking of which, where is that fiancée of yours?”

It was a good question. I’d come here straight from work, and Alice let me know that she’d be over as soon as she could make it.

“She’s said she was going to drop off Hunter at one of his friend’s.”

“Well,” said Lionel, placing his hand on my upper back. “Let’s hope she doesn’t miss too much of the evening. Shall we?”

He held his free hand out toward the balcony door and the two of us stepped inside. The focus of the party turned immediately to me, broad smiles appearing on the faces of the many guests. Personally, I didn’t care for the attention—the party was the board’s idea, not mine. But these were the men and women with whom I’d been working for years, and I did appreciate the chance to bid them all farewell before the wild rush of the next couple of weeks and the transfer.

“So, the golden boy is headed to LA,” said Richter, stepping up to Lionel and me and sticking out his hand.

A brief, skeptical expression formed on my face as I shook Richter’s hand. He squeezed my palm hard—not vice-like—but just enough to remind me of the tension between us.

“That’s right,” I said. “Nothing but sunny days and drinks on the beach ahead. Right, Lionel? That’s what you promised me, after all.”

Lionel let out a laugh at my little joke.

“If a life of worry-free leisure was what you’re looking for, I think you might’ve picked the wrong line of work.”

“Well,” said Richter, “it’s good to see you moving up in the world. Hopefully, your star continues to rise. Excuse me.”

And with that, he was off. Not before giving me a strange look, one that seemed to suggest that there was something on his mind he wasn’t telling me. Before I had the chance to think about the matter for too long, however, the front doors of the apartment opened and a figure stepped through. Certain that it had to be Alice, I turned my body and prepared to walk over to greet her.

But it wasn’t Alice. Instead of a winsome, green-eyed brunette, it was a redhead packed into a skintight black cocktail dress, her cleavage looking as though it might come pouring out at any moment. The wide-eyed looked on Lillian’s face vanished the moment she realized that she was in the right place, and I could almost feel the eyes of every man in the room lock onto her.

“Holy moly,” said Lionel. “Girl’s just poured into that dress, huh? What I wouldn’t do if I were your age, Connor. And, ah, not engaged.”

Seeing Lionel openly ogle a girl like this was a little bit of a surprise. The girl was a bombshell, though—I had to admit it. But far from being attracted to her, my thoughts were more on how blatantly she’d been hitting on me during her first day at work.

“Evening, gentlemen,” she said, stepping past us with a walk seemingly designed to catch the eye of just about every guy there—as if she didn’t already have it.

Her eyes lingered on me for a long moment, and it was clear that she wasn’t wasting any time in letting me know that she was there for the taking.

There was no temptation, however. Alice had been the only girl on my mind since things had heated up between us, and the idea of even flirting with another woman seemed almost strange.

“Girls like that make me glad that I’m squirreled away on the top floor,” said Lionel. “Can’t imagine getting a damn bit of work done with a body like that in my face all day.”

I let out a polite laugh, letting Lionel have his fun. Quickly, I slipped out my phone to see if Alice had called or texted. Nope—nothing. I fired off a quick “where are you?” text, then dropped my phone into my pocket and turning my attention back to the party.

The next hour flew by as guest after guest stopped by to say their goodbyes. While I was still not all that excited about being the center of attention, it was a pleasure to be able to speak one last time with all of the men and women with whom I’d been working. It was bittersweet to be bidding both Beth Sinai and the city farewell. The reality of everything happening was beginning to dawn on me.

But all I could think about was how much I wanted Alice at my side. We’d been a team through all of this, and despite my attempts to keep myself emotionally distant, the closeness formed between us over the course of our time together was undeniable.

“You’ll all have to excuse me for a moment,” I said, addressing the guests with whom I was currently speaking. “I need to give my fiancée a call.”

Lionel pointed me in the right direction toward his private office and I was off. I passed Lillian on my way there, and she directed a very pointed gaze at me, her lips wrapped around the straw of her cocktail.

I closed the office door behind me, pulled out my phone, and dialed up Alice’s number. After a few rings, it went straight to her voicemail.

“Hey,” I said after the beep. “I’m at the party right now. Where are you? Give me a call or shoot me a text or something whenever you get this.”

I shook my head as I clicked off my phone and put it away. Turning toward the window, I took a seat on the edge of the desk as I wondered where Alice could’ve been. It was past the time of being irritated—I was beginning to get worried. The crisp taste of my martini lingered on my palate as I took a sip and shook my head.

A light knock on the office door snapped me out of my thoughts. I crinkled up my face, wondering who it could be.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened and in stepped Lillian, a coy expression on her face.

“Good evening, Dr. Rex,” she said, slowly shutting the door behind her.

“Lillian,” I said, furrowing my brow in skepticism. “What’s up?”

She leaned back against the door, her hands clasped in front of her in a way that pressed her breasts together and made her dress look ready to burst at the seams.

“Just thinking about how disappointing it is that we’re not going to be working together,” she said, looking away, a trace of childish lilt to her tone.

“Well,” I said, keeping my own tone dispassionate and professional. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop other workplace relationships.”

“It’s just such a shame,” she said, now stepping toward me, one leg placed in front of the other slowly in a very obvious attempt at seduction. “Because I thought you and I had developed quite the…connection.”

Now she was only a few feet from me. I realized that this situation was getting more precarious by the second.

“Lillian, it’s very flattering that you’d be interested, but I’m engaged. So, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Oh, spare me the bullshit,” she said, that sly expression still on her lips. “I know all about your med school days—that cock of yours has quite the reputation. Now, why don’t you let me give you the goodbye present I know you’re really wanting?”

It couldn’t have been further from the truth. Even at that moment, Alice was on my mind.

But before I had a chance to say or do anything else, Lillian reached out with lightning speed, grabbed my tie, and wrapped it around her hand. With a tug, she pulled me close, a one-side-raised smile forming on her mouth, bringing me in close for a hard kiss.

There wasn’t even a second of hesitation before I clamped my hands down on her shoulders and pushed her back.

“Stop this now, Lillian,” I said.

Over Lillian’s shoulder, I spotted my reflection in the mirror above the office fireplace and saw that my lips were now smeared with candy-apple-red lipstick—not a good look.

“Just give me what we both want, Dr. Rex,” she said. her voice heavy and breathy. “Right now.”

She closed the distance between us and pushed me back into the desk chair. My tie still wrapped around her hand, she moved in, straddling me and coming in for another kiss.

Before she could, however, the office door opened abruptly. My eyes shot over, and my heart sank upon seeing just who was standing there.

It was Alice. And at her side was Lionel. A handful of other guests stood with them, Richter among them, a narrow-eyed expression on his face.

“Connor!” Alice shouted out. “What the fuck is going on?”

And I had nothing to say.