7
You know the thing that annoys me about sexual chemistry? It doesn’t turn off when you want it to. Cameron Stanton is openly furious with me, and here I am, following his cranky ass around all day, imagining how he would look naked. I mean, the suit is nice… perfect, in fact. That messy dark hair that looks like he has just been fucked hard is inspiring. The spotless shoes are designer, and the watch probably cost more than my car, but nope… it’s naked that’s working for me. We walk up the corridor as a group following Dr. Stanton on his rounds. This is the worse kind of torture to watch. He is so gentle and caring with his patients that I can feel myself melt more and more as the day goes on. We stop out the front of the room so he can give us our usual briefing, and he opens the client chart.
“This is Gloria Hernandez. Gloria is ninety-two and in need of a triple heart bypass.” He pauses. “Although at her age, she likely wouldn’t survive the surgery, as she isn’t well enough.” His eyes rise to meet ours. “She will be staying on here so that I can keep an eye on her and make sure she is as comfortable as possible. She has no surviving family left.”
The group falls silent. We know that’s code for Gloria is dying… alone.
Dr. Stanton fakes a smile and heads into the room. He smiles broadly as he sees the frail, little old lady in her bed.
“How is my favorite patient today?” He smiles as he picks up her hand affectionately in his.
Gloria is little, old, and frail. Her hair is completely white with a pretty curl to it and her small hand is covered in dark purple veins. She is wearing a pretty pink nightdress and has a pink clip in her hair holding her bangs back. Her face lights up when she sees him and she smiles excitedly as she takes his hand. “Hello, Dr. Stanton,” she gushes. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
He gives her a cheeky grin and squeezes her hand. “Gloria, this is my new group of interns. They are here for the next twelve months.”
Her eyes flick around to all of us and she smiles politely. “Hello.”
“Hello.” We all smile.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“I’m okay.” She pauses. “I would like to go home, though, please.”
He smiles harder as he pats her hand, still held firmly in his. “We have this conversation every day, Gloria. You won’t be going home anytime soon.” He picks up her chart and starts to read it.
“It’s just so boring in here, doctor.”
“Just try and relax.” He flicks the chart up to the next page as he reads on.
“Can you do something about my sight?” she pleads. “If only I could read. This is a cruel end, not being able to read.”
His eyes meet hers and he nods sadly. “Unfortunately, I can’t restore sight, Gloria. If only I could.”
A lump in my throat forms as I watch on. As an avid reader I can’t imagine anything worse than the day when my sight will no longer allow me to read. Dr. Stanton continues to read the chart. Unable to help myself, I speak up.
“What is your favorite book, Gloria?”
She looks over at us, surprised by my question.
“I’m Ashley.” I smile as I hold my hand out and gently shake her little hand.
She smiles. “Hello, Ashley.” She reaches up and cups my face in her hand. “God blessed you, my love.”
I frown. “I’m sorry?”
“You are so beautiful.”
I smile bashfully, embarrassed by her attention.
“Pride and Prejudice.” She smiles a soft, far away smile. ‘If only I could read it one more time.”
I smile as I try to block out the emotion. “That’s my favorite book, too, Gloria.”
“It’s a classic.” She rubs my cheek, and suddenly aware that eight people are looking on, I step back from the limelight. Dr. Stanton’s eyes hold mine for an extended time.
“Doctor?” Gloria interrupts.
His eyes flash to her. “Yes, Gloria.”
“I would like custard today, and not that hideous yogurt that they try to make me suffer through.”
He throws her a cheeky wink. “Are you going to be a good girl?”
She laughs mischievously. “Oh, Dr. Stanton, if only I met you sixty years ago.”
He smiles as he hands the waiting nurse her chart. “Can you please order custard today instead of yogurt?”
The nurse practically melts at his feet. “Yes, doctor.”
With one last smile at Gloria he leaves the room.
It’s just before lunch and I am famished. “Is it this way?” Amber asks.
I frown as I look around the parking lot. “I don’t know.” I’m walking in front of her as we search the parking lot for Dr. Stanton’s car. We are picking up some files from his trunk that he brought over from the private hospital. “Who does he think he is asking us to get things for him from his car anyway? I’m not a damn slave,” I snap.
His gorgeousness is seriously pissing me off.
Everyone loves Dr. Stanton. Why does he have to be so fucking perfect?
Ugh, it’s so annoying.
I’m glad I told him I didn’t remember him because we are going to be mortal enemies, I can just tell. I have to watch him be pathetically nice to everyone around me, but then he totally ignores me like I don’t even exist.
Every nurse at every opportunity flirts up a storm with him. And what’s more infuriating is that he flirts back. I can only imagine how many women he must sleep with around here.
“Why are you complaining? He actually asked the guys, remember? But we wanted to hide for ten minutes, so we offered.” Amber replies.
“Oh, yeah, we did.”
“I’ll be his slave. Seriously, how fucking gorgeous is he?” Amber sighs.
I roll my eyes. “He’s okay, I suppose,” I murmur. “I haven’t really noticed. He’s too busy being an asshole.”
“Are you kidding me? He’s a lot better than okay,” she continues from behind me as we weave through the cars. “I think he likes you.”
I turn to face her. “Why do you say that?”
“He is checking you out every chance he gets.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is not.”
“Is too.”
That shouldn’t excite me, but it does. “Like when?”
“Like when you bent down to get all the things out of the filing cabinet, he was checking out your behind.”
I screw up my face. “Oh, please, he so wasn’t.”
“You should ask him out.”
“What?” I shriek. “Ask him out? Have you been sniffing the gas in theatre?”
“If he was checking me out, I would ask him out.” She widens her eyes to accentuate her point.
I smile wide. “Amber, you’re crazy. Do you know that?”
“Well, he couldn’t ask me out, so I would have to ask him.”
I frown. “Why couldn’t he ask you out?”
“Hospital policy. The doctors are not allowed to have...” She puts her fingers up to air quote. “Liaisons with interns.”
“Why? Last time I looked we were all adults.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know, but I’m seriously breaking that rule if I get the chance.”
I smile as we keep walking.
“Tell me if you see him checking me out so I can pull the trigger,” she continues.
I burst out laughing. “Pull the trigger?” I repeat.
“Yes, you know. Seize the day. Mow that fucker down.”
I laugh as we walk. “Mow that fucker down.” I snicker. I glance around the parking lot. “What car is it again?”
She frowns. “I don’t know. He said it was in the farthest B block in the secured parking and the number plates were 777.” She changes direction and I follow her across the parking bay.
I frown. “What kind of wanky plates are 777 anyway?” Ugh, this guy is an idiot.
She stops still and I nearly run into the back of her. “Oh… my… fuck,” she stammers.
“What?”
“Look at his fucking car.”
I glance around. “Huh, where?”
“I swear I need to marry this guy,” Amber whispers.
“What?” I snap. “What are we looking at here?”
She points to a black, super shiny, flashy car and I frown. It’s so fancy, I don’t think I have ever seen one like it before. “What kind of car is that?”
“An Aston Martin.”
My face falls. “How… much do they cost?” I stammer.
“Like, two-hundred thousand dollars.”
I stand still on the spot. “Oh,” I whisper. My mind goes back to Vegas and the guards he had. Who is this guy? Not many doctors are at this level of wealth at his age. She clicks the button and the lights go on as it unlocks. She climbs into the driver’s seat.
“What are you doing?” I frown.
“Let’s go for a spin.” She smiles mischievously as she turns the engine on. It purrs like a kitten.
“Are you fucking crazy?” I whisper as I glance around guiltily. “Get out! I have already been in trouble once today.”
She grabs his black playboy sunglasses from the console and puts them on as she pretends to drive and turn the wheel. “Oh, Amber, I want to fuck you so hard,” she mimics in a fake Australian accent.
“Oh, Amber, I want to section you in a mental institution,” I hit back in a better Australian accent than hers.
She smiles up at me. “Get in.”
“Are you crazy? No.”
“Nobody is here. Just get in and sit in it for a minute.”
I glance around. The parking lot is empty, I suppose. I walk around to the passenger side, get in, and close the door.
Amber’s loud laugh is contagious and I find myself giggling like a schoolgirl as she pretends to drive fast and turn the wheel back and forth. “Oh, Amber, suck my dick while I drive you to my castle,” she mimics again in her bad Aussie accent.
I burst out laughing. She is the most refreshing fool I have met in a long time. Med school people are usually so boring.
She turns to me, all serious. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“No. What does this mean?”
“It means I need to bag myself Dr. Stanton.”
I smirk.
“And if he doesn’t want me… then you have to bag him.”
“He doesn’t want me,” I reply.
“He might.”
“He might want Henry.” I smirk. “He could bat for the other side.”
“Fuck.” She thinks for a moment as she falls serious. “Then there is only one solution to that problem.”
“What is it?” I smirk.
“You will have to give me a gender realignment.”
My eyes widen. “And where am I getting your new penis from?”
She twitches her lips as she thinks for a moment. “Got any old boyfriends we can cut up?”
We struggle up the corridor with a box of files each to find Dr. Stanton standing in the door of his office. “Where do you want these?” Amber asks him.
His eyes fall to the boxes in our hands. “Amber, your box has to go down to archives on level one, and Ashley, your box comes into my office.”
Amber frowns. “So, do I just take it down to the office?”
Distracted as his eyes hold mine, he answers, “Yes, just go down. The receptionist will guide you.” He holds out his arm. “Come into my office, Ashley.”
My stomach flips. Could he sound any more seductive? I walk past him into his office and he closes the door behind me. I stand with my back to him for a moment, too scared to turn and face him. Surely he will be able to read my mind.
Stop it, stop it, stop it.
I nervously turn to face him. “Where do you want me?” I whisper. What the fuck? “I… I mean. Where do you want the box?” I correct myself, embarrassed.
He steps toward me as a trace of a smile crosses his face. His big brown eyes are fixed on mine. “I know what you meant, Ashley.”
Oh, the way he says my name is just so…
He leans forward and takes the box from my hands, placing it on top of his desk before he turns back to me. The gentle aroma of his aftershave surrounds me. I have never met a man who smells so damn good. We stay still, only a meter apart as the air crackles between us.
It’s still there.
The chemistry is still there. I felt the fireworks all those years ago, only now it’s nuclear energy.
His eyes roam all over my face and then fall to my lips.
I can hardly breathe. Holy hell, this is insane. I watch as his tongue slowly licks his bottom lip.
I remember that tongue.
My eyes flicker to his desk and I remember Jenna’s words from last night. Have French sex on the doctor’s desk were her exact words.
She was onto something because that’s exactly what I want to do. I catch myself and I smirk.
“Something funny?” He frowns.
“Where do you want the files, doctor?” I ask innocently. Does he feel it?
He regains his composure and nods. “They will need to be filed into the bottom drawer, please.”
“Do you want me to do it now?” I whisper as I feel my arousal start to pump deep inside of me.
His eyes hold mine. “Yes.”
My breath catches.
“You will have to get on your knees.” His eyes darken.
Wait, what? Are we talking about the same thing here?
Our eyes are locked firmly. “Sure,” I reply without hesitation.
I can feel his arousal. He’s baiting me. He wants to know if he is doing it for me, and holy fuck, he so is.
Unable to help it, I walk to the filing cabinet and drop to my knees on the carpet. He stands above me, his hands clenching at his sides as if he’s stopping himself from doing something.
Oh, he wants it, alright.
I could give it to you so good, Dr. Vegas.
“You going to give it to me?” I breathe.
He stands tall, looking down at me on my knees, clearly aroused and dominant, and I know we are supposed to be talking about patient files right now but in my mind we are talking about unzipping those expensive suit pants he’s wearing.
“You want the whole lot?” He raises an eyebrow.
I nod. “Yes.”
He turns and picks up the box, and then places it on the floor next to me, our faces only a few inches away from each other.
So close I can nearly taste him.
Holy shit, it’s been way too long.
Knock, knock.
He stands abruptly, as if remembering where he is. “Yes?” he snaps, annoyed at the interruption.
I quickly grab two files out of the box as I pull out the bottom drawer in a fluster.
A tall, handsome man sticks his head around the door and his eyes glance between the two of us. “Am I interrupting?”
Dr. Stanton scratches his head in frustration. “Come in, please.” He gestures to me. “Ashley, this is William Jameson, my partner.”
Oh shit, my other boss. I scramble to my feet. “Hello.” I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.” I smile.
“Ashley Tucker?” he asks.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Oh, you are with me then.” He smiles broadly.
“No. She’s with me.” Dr. Stanton replies curtly.
Dr. Jameson’s eyes flicker between us. “But I thought—”
“Change of plans,” Cameron interrupts.
Jameson fakes a smile. “Well, I will leave you in his capable hands then.”
I nod nervously as I glance over to Dr. Stanton. This is awkward.
“Cameron, can I see you for a moment outside, please?”
“Sure.” His eyes fall to me.
“Do you want me to keep filing?” I ask.
He frowns. “Actually, just leave that and come back to it later. Will, take a seat. We will talk in here.”
I stand and head to the door.
“Ashley?” Dr. Jameson calls.
I turn back to face the two men. “Yes?”
“We are having a welcome reception for coffee on level two this afternoon. You will join us?” He smiles warmly.
“Thank you, that would be lovely.”
“See you at two.”
I nod, and without looking back at my dreamboat Dr. Vegas, I leave the room.
That was close.
I glance at my watch as the cashier rings up my purchase. I chew the last of my sandwich as I wait. I was starving and I couldn’t have waited a minute longer. I ducked out in my lunch hour to a store to pick something up. I couldn’t help myself. I can’t imagine not being able to do my most favorite thing in the whole world.
She hands me my brown paper bag. “Here you go. Enjoy.” She smiles.
I take my package from her. “I will, thank you. Have a great day.” I exit the shop and quickly get back to my car.
Fifteen minutes later I find myself at Gloria’s room.
Her little face lights up when she sees me. “Hello, Ashley.” She smiles.
She’s as sharp as a tack. “Hello, you remember my name?” I smile. “I brought you something.”
Her face lights up. “You did?”
I smile and pass her the little brown paper bag.
Her eyes lift to meet mine. “What is it, dear?’
“Open it.”
She smiles as her little frail hands struggle to open up the tape and I stand patiently, I wonder how long it has been since she had a present. She finally gets it open and pulls it out of the bag. Her face drops and she gasps. “Oh…” She puts her little hand over her mouth. “You remembered?” She opens the hard cover edition of Pride and Prejudice that I have just bought her.
I smile proudly. “I told you, it’s my favorite book, too. I wanted you to have a copy with you in hospital.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “Thank you,” she whispers as she looks down at the book. “That’s the most thoughtful thing anyone has done for me in… I can’t remember how long.”
“You’re welcome.” I take her hand and sit next to her in the chair. Dr. Stanton said she has no surviving relatives. How long has she been on her own?
“Do you have time to read me a page, dear?” she asks. “It’s okay if you don’t, it’s rude of me to ask.”
I glance at my watch. I have fifteen minutes before I have to get back. “Yes, but only ten minutes, okay?”
Gloria smiles excitedly and lies back as I open the book with a huge smile on my face. This is the most fun I have had in a long time, too. I curl my legs up underneath me on the chair and I begin to read.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering the neighborhood.
I smile as I read, and on a few occasions I blink back the tears. I feel like I’m having an out of body experience, gifting an elderly woman time with her favorite book before she dies. Suddenly, this is the most important job I have ever had.
Gloria lies in her bed with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, a huge smile covering her face as she listens attentively.
“His pride,” said Miss Lucas, “does not offend me so much as pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very find a young man, with family, fortune, everything in his favour, should think highly of himself. If I may express it, he has a right to be proud.
“I had my own Mr. Darcy.” Gloria smiles softly.
I place my book down onto my lap as I watch her. “Did you?”
“I did.”
I smile.
“He swept me off my feet and we were married for seventy-four years. Happy until the day he died.”
“How wonderful, Gloria.”
Her face falls solemn. “We were never gifted with children.”
“Oh.” Is all I can muster because I’m not sure what to say.
Her eyes flicker up to me. “What about you? Have you found your Mr. Darcy?”
I laugh and shake my head. “They don’t make men like they used to, Gloria.” I stop for a moment as I try to articulate my thoughts. “We only seem to breed one dimensional men these days.”
Her wise eyes hold mine. “And you want a three dimensional man?”
I nod as I smile softly. “Yes. I want mind, body, and soul.”
“And you just find the men who want the body?”
I nod sadly. “Seems so.”
She holds out her hand and I take it in mine.
“Your Mr. Darcy will come for you,” she whispers.
I smile and squeeze her hand in mine. “Maybe.”
I glance at my watch. I have five more minutes.
“That is very true,” replied Elizabeth, “and I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”
“Pride,” observed Mary. “Is a very common failing I believe.”
From the corner of my eye, I see something move, and I glance up to find Dr. Stanton leaning on the door frame listening to us both.
How long has he been there?
I sit up nervously and close the book. “I’m… I’m just reading to Gloria,” I stammer.
He smiles softly. “So I heard.” His eyes hold mine with a glow I haven’t seen in them before.
What is that look?
“Gloria, can we pick this up tomorrow?” I ask as my eyes find her.
“Yes, dear, thank you so much. You have made me so happy.”
I smile, place the book on her nightstand, and she holds her hand out. “Can you pass the book to me please, Ashley?”
“You are going to try and read it?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, I just want to sleep with it.”
Emotion overcomes me and I quickly hand her the book. I keep my eyes on the floor and scurry out of the room before Cameron sees my tears.
I don’t want to die alone.
The sound of the music echoes through the space, and I struggle to hear what the clients are ordering.
“Scotch on the rocks,” he announces. I swear I’m getting good at lip reading.
I’m on my third shift behind the bar at Club Exotic. It’s so busy. Men are everywhere and, even though I would never admit it, I look forward to coming here now. The girls are really nice and the members are all so polite and friendly. The money is amazing and I don’t start until Owen is in bed tucked up safe. I couldn’t ask for a better part-time job.
Never once have I felt cheap.
We’re short staffed tonight. The Barr exam is on tomorrow for all of our Law students, so we are all working that bit harder to cover for them.
“Vivienne, can you do the door for me for a minute while I run this order down to the Escape Lounge?” Ebony asks me.
I frown. “I’ve never done the door before. What do I have to do?” I ask.
“Come, I will show you.”
I follow her over to the little desk near the front entrance and she swipes on the touch screen computer. “So, when they come through, you swipe the barcode on their card with this gun.” She picks up a little laser gun thingy and shows me how to use it.
“Okay.”
“And then all the names will come up on the screen of the men who are in the club tonight.”
“Aha.”
“Just welcome them with Welcome to Club Exotic and then check the screen to make sure that their name adds to the bottom of the list.”
“Got it.” I frown. “Wait, do I ask them their name?”
“No. They don’t ever tell you their name, but their real names come up on the screen. But you never acknowledge that you know it. That’s a big deal. Never let them know that you know who they are.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, okay.”
“If someone is going to the Escape Lounge tonight, you will have to wait until I get back, so just let them in, but tell them they have to come back to see me.”
I nod. “Got it. How will I know if they are going to the Escape Lounge?” I ask.
“Their name will be red on the screen.”
“Okay.”
She disappears into the darkness and I stand and wait at my position by the door. I’m wearing my little leather cream outfit. My hair is down and the girls put my makeup on tonight in the staff room. I’m feeling a bit sexy, to be honest. I watch as Simone, one of my new friends, walks past me in her sheer top and her little leather hotpants. She’s about to give someone a lap dance. The song Naughty Girl by Beyoncé comes on, and I watch her slowly walk up to the guy sitting in the chair like she is going to eat him alive. His eyes hold hers and he sits back as he waits for her private show.
The sexual tension between them is thick and I hold my breath. The hypnotic beat pumps all around and I watch as she drops to her knees on the carpet in front of him. He sits back dominantly as she places both her hands on his upper thighs and crawls over the top of him.
A broad smile crosses my face. Holy hell, this is like another world here. My private peepshow is soon interrupted by a man walking through the door. He hands his card over to me. “Hello.” He smiles.
“Welcome.” I smile. I pretend to know what I am doing and swipe the barcode on his card with my little gun and he walks through. That wasn’t too hard. I actually like being on the door, I get to see what’s going on. Oh shit, I didn’t check the screen to see if his name got added. I touch the screen and it lights back up and I glance to the list of names. I go through them from the bottom up.
Jack Hammond
Brandon Miller
James Holland
Stuart Miles
Carson Archer
Cameron Stanton
My eyes widen when I get to a name that is all too familiar.
Holy fuck.
He’s here.