“You and your scumbag partners can’t fuck your way out of this one, I’ll see you in court.” Right there under the scathing email I just read, there’s the business email signature of one Al Jefferson, CEO of Jefferson Medical Holdings.

No pithy little quote at the end of that signature.

That email was one of several that I received last night.

My inbox is flooded because Al Jefferson is suing our practice for medical malpractice on the grounds of unnecessary complications resulting from surgery.

Of course, I didn’t check any of these messages last night because I was fucking Elodie with Julian and David.

Elodie, who may not be his actual daughter, but the article that popped up on my phone minutes later described as “the daughter he never had” and details her “fall from grace.”

Fucking news stories get worse every time. Because even though percentage wise Elodie was only 25 percent of the fuckfest that went down last night, she gets 100 percent of the disdain and shaming from these media motherfuckers.

So why was Elodie fucking us right as her father was ramping up to sue our practice?

Why has a sex tape surfaced?

Fuck me, if she’s going to use this for some kind of scandal…god I don’t want to believe that about Elodie at all, but I have to know. Luckily, knowing her name and being a billionaire means I’m already at her house at the early hour of 7am. There’s a chance she isn’t even awake yet and I’m confronting her about this. I wish it was just that I needed to know for preparing for future attacks and dealing with the situation.

But the truth is that in the face of one of the most powerful men in our industry deciding personally to take us down, I am more concerned that his adoptive daughter might be part of it because I care about her.

Sure, this isn’t the best way to be following up on an incredible sexual encounter that I’d like to repeat…but I’m starting to feel fucking anxious to just hear the truth from her.

Why was she so goddamn alluring if she was going to be our ruin?

Worse, how the media is shaming her…if it wasn’t intentional, the only way for her to spin this so it doesn’t destroy her career in what I now know is hospital administration is for her to swing the blame game our way.

Fuuuuck.

I knock on her door, fully expecting some grumbling sounds and someone rushing to the door, harried-like.

What I don’t expect is her sweet voice. “Coming!”

Mmm, fuck. Now I’m thinking about every inch of her silky skin shimmering with sweat and being flushed from how hard she came with Julian, David, and I last night at Coeur de la nuit.

I need to stop thinking with my cock. The most incredibly sexy woman I’ve ever met is probably a snake, and I’m not letting her hide out on this one. I’m confronting her head on.

It seemed logical.

I’m a badass fucking surgeon. I operate on hearts and lungs and save goddamn lives with my bare hands. So I fucked the wrong girl and I’m here to make it right.

So how come my cock is already hard when she’s opening the door.

Fully dressed and coffee cup in hand, Elodie looks goddamn incredible.

“Wh-Stefan?” She’s clearly shocked to see me. Like, genuine shock. I kinda thought a girl who was trying to drag my practice through the dirt wouldn’t be surprised when I show up to confront her.

But there’s no air of that shit right now. She’s just coming off as, well, a gal who is shocked that a guy that she had casual sex with is showing up at her door.

“Elodie, we need to talk.” I try my best to sound serious…and to shift my stance so somehow it can be less obvious that I have a raging fucking hard-on at the sight of her.

Pretty fucking difficult when I feel my dick already weeping out pre-cum because she licks her lips and laughs.

The sound of her laughing is so damned sexy I could almost forget why I’m here.

“You aren’t pregnant, are you, Stefan?”

Despite how serious the situation is, I can’t help but laugh at that.

“No, Elodie,” I say, trying to prevent the corners of my mouth turning up in a smile. “We need to talk about the tape.

And as if I triggered it, her phone from somewhere inside her apartment starts to go off. A barrage of notification sounds are clipped by a ringtone.

“Oh, wow, guess my first day of work is happening fast enough for everyone else.” She raises and lowers her eyebrows, shaking her head. “I’m planning on heading into work in a couple of minutes, but why don’t you come in, have a cup of coffee, while I go see what work hurricane is building in there?”

Oh shit. Does Elodie genuinely not know? Slowly I walk inside, my voice raised into a question. “Do you not know what’s going on? Not at all?”

Elodie closes the door behind me and looks at me like I’ve grown a third head, taking a large sip of her coffee. “Umm, okay, what? I’m starting a new job at my father’s hospital today – I’m finally running a flagship property for his firm, Havenfield General Hospital, now that I’ve worked my way up—“ Elodie stops talking in the middle of her sentence when her eyes connect with her phone, lighting up with a menagerie of alerts. One is her father calling while a barrage of notifications from not just news sites talking about the sex tape, but several of her friends texting her everything from three sets of eggplant emojis from long strings of ‘WTF??!!!!!’

A picture preview pops up in one message and it is her with my cock in my mouth.

“I thought Coeur de la nuit was the most private club in this city? What the fuck is this? Did you film us?” Elodie slams her coffee on the table. “On second thought, you shut up, my father is calling now. I’m supposed to be dealing with these jerk surgeons he’s going to sue, starting my first day…” her voice trails off and she answer the call. “Al!”

“We are those jerk surgeons,” I say, my face drooping even saying that. Fuck, she’s Al Jefferson’s daughter. The Al Jefferson that wants to sue our practice. “And your father is suing is. I came here because I thought you might have framed us and got the video out there for some reason-“

Elodie puts her finger over my lips, here eyes wide and her face heating up with obvious anger. Whatever her father is saying in her ear is not helping her. I see her eyes welling up a little and I just want to comfort her. I also want to suck on the finger she’s placed over my mouth, but that’s not exactly helping anyone but my cock here, now is it?

Elodie’s eyes trial down to the massive erection in my slacks. “Jesus!” She wails for a second. “Okay, Al, I’m going to be at the hospital in just a minute…wait…oh.” Elodie sits down in her chair.

“Well he doesn’t want me to come in today, and he hung up.” Elodie’s clearly upset, and I just want to comfort her.

Hell of a change, wanting nothing more than casual sex and then just wanting Elodie…just wanting to make her feel better. “You didn’t know about the tape, the malpractice suit…who we are?” I walk towards her chair and look in her eyes.

Those gorgeous eyes are harried with sadness and I want them to stop racing and look at me. When I get closer, I see her swallow.

Good, she’s reacting to me, too.

“I didn’t.” Her voice sounds surprisingly calm for someone that two seconds ago might have been close to tears. Fuck, her whole world is falling apart and she’s really holding it together. And I don’t think she’s some amazing actress. I don’t think she’s lying at all.

“I believe you…and I didn’t know that you were Jefferson’s daughter, either.” I watch her lick her lips slowly, her foot fidgeting under the table.

And I know I’m such a dick for what comes next, but I lean close enough for my nose to brush hers. I see her close her eyes and I cup her face, closing my eyes and kissing her perfect lips. God, she tastes so fucking perfect.