Chapter 3
“Oh, dear, are you alright?” Melissa, my assistant peered at me closely as I removed my sunglasses and squinted at her through hooded eyes.
It felt like I had a hangover, but without the benefit of being able to blame it on the alcohol. I barely slept all weekend; my mind was racing at a million miles a minute trying to get up to speed with all the events that had happened.
From the attack in the alley to my subsequent make out session with Derek. The elusive man with the stormy gray eyes, and the most sinful pair of lips I had ever laid eyes on.
Damn, could that man kiss.
It wasn’t the only thing that drew me to him, although it was a definite perk. It was also the fact that he kept his attention fixed me on whenever I was there. No matter what was spewing forth from my mouth, it felt like he gave it the utmost thought.
Something I had never experienced before.
He acted like I was the only person around even though I’d only been around him for all of an hour tops, but he made me feel important. The way he tilted his head and pursed his lips as he studied me carefully.
The way his lips quirked into an involuntary smile when I said something amusing, which was apparently a lot, judging by his reaction. I got the sense that he was fascinated by me, although for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why.
He was on my mind all weekend, and he wouldn’t leave no matter how hard I tried. I scrubbed my body hard, yet I could still feel his skillful fingers running all over, and no matter how many times I stared at my lips, I could not erase the feeling of how his felt pressed against mine.
This was going to be a problem, especially considering I had no way of reaching him again. Having just the first time to go on was little to nothing, and even Sarah’s stalking skills couldn’t be put to good use.
I resolved to forget him about him.
“Fabulous,” I responded as I grimaced at my reflection in the mirror. With my bloodshot eyes, messy bun and unkempt clothes, I looked like I’d gone through the zombie apocalypse and barely made it out, tooth and nail.
So much for all The Walking Dead binge watching.
It was a shame that particular skill set didn’t come in handy.
“Are you sure?” Melissa asked sympathetically. She was in her late forties with dark pin straight hair and kind brown eyes. When I first hired her, it was because she reminded me so much of my mother, and now there were times she did act like her. Fussing over me and trying to make sure I ate enough.
It was so sweet and appreciated. Like a little home away from home.
“Yeah, I just had a rough night,” I said, noncommittally as a yawn escaped my lips. My shoulders slumped forward as it finally subsided, and I gave Melissa a sheepish grin through watery eyes.
“Seems more like a rough weekend. Out partying the whole time?” Melissa teased knowingly as she nudged my shoulder with hers.
I barked back a laugh. “Oh, I wish, but no, I spent the weekend catching up on my sleep and my shows.”
“What kind of a social life is that?” Melissa questioned in bewilderment.
“My kind of social life,” I commented as I gave her an easy smile. “Trust me, it’s just what I needed.”
“I really don’t understand this generation with its Netflix and fill,” Melissa muttered darkly.
“It’s Netflix and chill,” I corrected, amusement lacing my tone. “I enjoy it as much as the next person, but I’m actually more of the old fashioned type. Beautiful love letters, romantic dates, the works,” I admitted. “Which is why it can be hard to date right now. I guess that’s why I’m having a tough time reconciling who I am with who society thinks I should be.”
“My dear, who cares what society says? You need to live your life the way you want to, not the way they tell you to. It’s too short for anything else,” Melissa tutted as she patted my hand briefly and fluttered around the office, getting everything ready.
“Tell me, does this kind of advice come in the adult handbook?” I asked, jokingly.
“Oh, of course, honey. You’ll get your copy soon.” Melissa gave me a quick wink. “It’s all very hush hush though, so best not talk about it in public lest they recruit you early. You wouldn’t want to be considered mature or anything.”
“Heaven forbid that should happen,” I said, sarcastically. “What would my peers think of me? A wise twenty four year old? What is this world coming to?”
“The shock would be too much,” Melissa agreed as she nodded her head somberly. “Well, the good news is you have a nice easy day ahead of you. Not a lot of patients today.”
“No?” My eyebrow rose. “How odd. What happened to the weekend rush?”
“Not much of one today. People must finally be taking care of their teeth,” Melissa said, optimistically.
“Or they’re too hungover to realize that they need me,” I added, cheekily as I jumped out of Melissa’s way when she tried to swat me. Finally, I held my hands up in surrender as I laughed. “Alright, alright, I surrender.”
“Something tells me you’re only doing that, so I’ll get off your back, but I don’t care,” Melissa decided. “I’ll take what I can get.”
“Happy to hear that, so who’s my first patient of the day?”
“A Mr. Price. Twenty five-year-old male who got into an altercation the other night outside a bar. Says he just needs a checkup.”
I shook my head. “That’s what they all say then come the discoveries that there’s a cavity or a wisdom tooth that needs removing.”
“That’s if they’re lucky,” Melissa pointed out as she went behind her desk and began organizing files.
“Who else do I have to look at? A woman, and a little kid coming in, but that isn’t till a while from now.”
“Strange that the first patient who booked the appointment is a guy. Don’t they usually have to be dragged in here kicking and screaming?”
Melissa frowned. “No, that would be the kids. Actually, no, wait. You’re right. That applies to men too.”
“They can be such cry babies sometimes.” I sighed as I scrubbed my hands over my face before I straightened my back. “Alright, duty calls.”
“Another day, another cavity to slay,” Melissa called out, triumphantly.
I tried not to cringe at the cheesiness because it truly was a sweet sentiment, and her mottos sort of grew on me after a while. Once I entered my office, I shut the door and glanced at the clock on the wall. I still had about an hour before my patient arrived, so I decided to try to get a quick power nap in before my day began.
I propped my feet up on my desk, tucked my hands under my head and shut my eyes. My dreams were filled with gray storms and bursts of golden sun. My head rolled to the side, and I fell off the chair and landed flat on my ass on the floor as I gazed up in confusion.
“Dr. Davis?” Melissa’s voice came in through the speaker.
I pressed my hand over the button as I began to rub my sore bottom. “Yes?”
“Mr. Price is here.”
“Send him in after five minutes please, Melissa.”
I hastily stood up and went to the small bathroom I kept for my own personal use. It had a small shower, a tiny sink, and a toilet. It wasn’t much, but it helped on the days when I had long hours here.
I quickly splashed some water on my face, slipped on my latex gloves and shrugged my lab coat on. I ran my fingers through my hair in order to make it look halfway presentable before I decided on a messy ponytail.
I did a few jumping jacks while I was standing to get the blood rushing through my veins, and I buttoned up my lab coat before I began to ready my equipment. A knock sounded on the door, and I had my back turned when the patient walked in.
“Come on in, Mr. Price and have a seat,” I gestured behind me in the general direction of the chair as I readied my equipment and gave them a quick cursory glance.
“What can I do for—” The words died on my lips as I turned around and came face to face with the gray eyed stranger from last night. He looked just as surprised to see me, though he controlled it a lot better.
I was sure that my jaw was halfway to the floor by now as my eyes widened into saucers.
“You,” I finally choked out.
“Me,” he agreed, casually as he shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted uncomfortably. In broad daylight, he was just as handsome with the overhead light glinting off of his hair. He was wearing a pair of ripped jeans, a rolling stones t-shirt, and a black leather jacket that clung to his smooth muscles.
I closed my mouth when I realized I was gaping like a fish. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking on my teeth,” he explained, as if that needed clarification.
Right, I needed to snap out of it because I was being completely unprofessional.
“Right. After the fight last night, I’m sure you need to get it looked at,” I said brusquely as I breezed past him and sat across from him at my desk.
I picked up his folder and began to flip through it. “Your medical history indicates that your teeth are in excellent shape. That’s good news for me. Makes my job easier. Why don’t you sit up on the chair?”
Derek nodded and moved so he was sitting on my chair with his gaze fixed straight ahead. I took a deep breath and walked towards him. I switched the overhead lights on and asked him to open his mouth.
I peered and critically swept my gaze over the inside of his mouth to check and see if there were any problems. His gums were slightly inflamed, and his wisdom tooth seemed to be a little swollen. I tried not to focus on how close he was, or how his scorching gaze made my face heat up.
“Well, it doesn’t look like last night did any damage,” I announced. “However, your gums are slightly inflamed, so I’m going to prescribe something for that, and I do want you to come in again in a week or so, so I can check on that wisdom tooth in the back. It might need to come out.”
Derek grimaced. “Is that really necessary?”
“I’m afraid that if I keep it in, it will cause more pain in the future. Have you been experiencing headaches on and off?”
“Yeah, I thought they were just regular ones.”
“If they are accompanied by pain in that general area then it’s your wisdom tooth. It will spread if you aren’t careful.”
Derek plopped onto the seat in front of me at my desk. “Alright, I guess I’ll have to do it then.”
“Fear of needles?” I asked as I poised my pen over the paper.
“Slight.”
“Allergies?”
“None.”
“Good, we’re all set here then.” I signed my name at the bottom and handed him the folder. “Just give this to the receptionist outside, and she will sort it out for you.”
“Thank you,” he said, gratefully. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“About what?” I tried to keep a neutral expression as my eyes looked anywhere but at him.
“Leaving so abruptly,” he began. “I just don’t like cops.”
I made a noncommittal noise in the back of my throat. “You don’t owe me any explanations, Mr. Price.”
Derek pursed his lips and frowned. “I hardly think calling me Mr. Price is necessary.”
“Why is that?”
“Aubrey, you were pressed up against me, and I had my hands all over you, I think the time for my formalities has passed.”
My face flushed, and I lowered my face to hide it, doing my best to maintain a carefully professional façade. “I find that information irrelevant to the topic at hand.”
One eyebrow rose. “Is that so?”
“Yes, it is a fact. What I call you is of no consequence as long as I treat your teeth,” I said, coolly.
“I think you can treat a lot more than that,” Derek said suggestively as his gaze dropped to my lips.
I leaned backwards self consciously and crossed my arms over my chest to keep from leaping across the desk and fusing my lips to his. I was a grown ass woman who was perfectly capable of handling her urges; not some awe-struck, hormone driven teenager who couldn’t keep it together.
“Mr. Price, I am here to treat your teeth,” I insisted as I struggled to maintain eye contact despite the heat that began to travel up my body.
Jesus, just one look, and this guy had me squirming uncomfortably.
What was I going to do next?
Pant?
Get it together, Aubrey.
Derek studied me carefully. “You really think that you can fight this, don’t you?”
“This?” I asked, confusion lacing my tone.
“This attraction between us,” he explained. “I am not a very patient man, Aubrey, but I can be if the end result is worth it.”
“I am not a prize,” I snapped, testily, the lack of sleep making me more irritable.
“I never said you were, but you are a treasure. One I intend to feast upon and ravish at the earliest opportunity,” he said, seductively.
The sound of his voice pitched low like that sent waves of desire crashing over me, and my legs tightened reflexively.
“I can see you’re used to being in control, but once you relinquish that need, you’ll see just how good it feels.” His voice was a quiet and inviting lull, luring me in with whispered promises of wild nights and rocking beds.
“What makes you think I want to lose control?” I whispered, my voice slightly husky, which I hated right now.
The whole alpha thing never really appealed to me, and it was clear that Derek was about as Alpha as they got. Not just because of how he looked but because of how he acted as well. Here was a man who was used to getting his way, and something told me he was used to motioning people forward with a mere nod or a slight twitch of his finger.
He probably used the same method with women, and they just fawned all over him. Well, I was not going to be one of those women. I would not grovel at his feet just because of sex.
“It’s in your eyes,” he clarified as he leaned forward on the desk, capturing my gaze with his, like a predator would with a prey. It was like being hypnotized, the way I unconsciously leaned towards him, unable to help myself.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I murmured.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am.” He shrugged.
“Because of my eyes? Yeah, because that reasoning is a hundred percent accurate,” I said, dryly.
A smile tugged on the corner of his lips, but he refused to give in as he fought to keep his expression serious. “I wasn’t aware that I needed to offer cold hard proof to convince you.”
“You definitely have to bring your A game if you want to do that,” I said, sounding slightly breathless.
He cocked his head to the side. “Alright, well how about the fact that you can’t seem to stop yourself from leaning in?”
I scowled as I purposefully moved backwards in my chair.
“No, no. Leaning backwards now doesn’t count because you did that on purpose whereas your earlier action was a subconscious act.”
Well, he had me there.
So much for staying in control.
“That proves nothing,” I said, dismissively.
“It proves that you are, at the very least, attracted to me,” he answered, smartly as he leaned back, looking smug.
“It could be that I just want to keep you in my line of vision,” I answered, casually.
“Why? Because you’re afraid that there might be a repeat of last night?”
I cleared my throat. “There’s no chance of that happening again. We both had a moment. A momentary lapse of judgement—”
“It was more than momentary,” he pointed out. “If your friend hadn’t interrupted, I don’t know if either of us would’ve been willing to stop, but I’m glad that she did because the first time I’m inside of you, I want to see the look on your face as I fill you up, and I want you to be totally comfortable, because I’m going to be in there a while, touching you and kissing you like you’ve never been touched or kissed.”
I blanched as I stared at him, my heart rate suddenly picking up.
No man had ever been this blunt with me. Ever.
Oddly enough, it made me want him even more.
Huh.
I swallowed thickly. “I—I—”
“I wouldn’t leave you all hot and bothered like I did last night. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me? I tried to stay aloof because of what you’d been through, but there you were in that hot little dress, tempting me and beckoning me forward.”
“Me?” My mouth fell open. “I did no such thing.”
“Yes, you did. You’re not even aware of how alluring you are, Aubrey. It made me want to have you, all of you to myself.”
I was about to open my mouth to protest when the shrill ringing of his phone interrupted. We jumped apart guiltily as if we’d been caught doing something we weren’t supposed to be doing, which in a way, we kind of were.
He was my patient, and I was his doctor.
This was completely unprofessional.
I’d get my license revoked if anyone found out what was being said behind closed doors. Derek had a way of painting quite the vivid picture, and something told me I was barely skimming the surface when it came to his dirty imagination.
It was so….erotic.
I was almost positive that I was completely turned on, and he hadn’t even touched me. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before.
Derek began to curse as he fished his phone out his pocket, and gave it a withering look. His eyes narrowed into slits as he gave me an apologetic look.
“What?” he barked into the phone, his tone borderline angry.
I took the moment to blow a strand of hair out of my face and collect my nerves. It didn’t seem to be working. What I needed was to splash some water on my face to cool off.
He pulled the phone away from his ear and whispered. “Can I step outside and take this? It won’t take long.”
“Sure.”
He stood up abruptly, and the door clicked shut behind him. I ran to the bathroom and hastily unbuttoned my coat as I stared at myself in the mirror. There were pit stains all over my shirt because of how hot he was making me, and I didn’t want to smell for the rest of the day.
I cursed my decision to wear a button up t-shirt today, and my hands shook as I struggled to get them undone. I wanted to be back in my seat before he got back, so that he could see that I was capable of being professional.
I had no idea who I was trying to convince, me or him.
I fumbled with the last few buttons as I shoved my wayward hair back from my face. For some reason, I couldn’t seem to get them undone, and my hair kept irritating me, so I undid the ponytail and was in the process of gathering it back up when Derek stepped into the office.
Shit.
I’d forgotten to close the bathroom door.
Here I was standing before him with the top half of my shirt unbuttoned, so that my red lacy bra was visible, and a scrunchie in my mouth. I spat out as I left my hair drop and tried to quickly do the buttons up.
Derek’s eyes darkened as he stood there, motionless, a slight muscle ticking in his jaw the only indication that he was aware of what was happening. In one swift movement, he spun around and turned the lock on the door.
“What are you—”
Before I had a chance to finish my question, he had crossed the room in two strides and had me pinned against the wall. I gasped as his hands ran all over my legs, and my back.
“You are fucking gorgeous, Aubrey,” he growled. “You deserve to be worshipped from head to toe.”
“Derek,” I said, breathlessly as I made a guttural sound when he placed his hand atop my breasts.
“If you want me to stop, Aubrey, I will,” he said seriously. “Just say the word, and I’ll walk right out of here, and you don’t have to see me again.”
“I don’t want you stop,” I admitted. “But you’re my patient, Derek. This isn’t ethical.”
Derek gave me a slow and sexy grin. “I agree, but haven’t you ever had any kinky fantasies?”
“You mean like fireman, nurse, that kind of thing?” I asked.
“Yes, but in this case, it’s a doctor patient kind of thing.”
I blushed furiously. “No, I try not to think about that particular scenario, considering I am a doctor, and it would be uncomfortable for me.”
“Well, I’m not, so I can fantasize all I want,” he announced as he lowered the straps of my bra, so that they were around the upper part of my arm. “You should dress like this more often.”
I choked back a laugh as he pinned my arms above my head in a vice like grip. “I think half my patients would have a heart attack if I did.”
“And the other half would get down on their knees and beg,” he murmured as he nuzzled my neck, his hands continuing their exploration of all the contours of my body.
“For what exactly?” I whispered as I squirmed against him.
“For a taste of you.” He nuzzled my neck as he took one leg and wrapped it around his. “To be able to feel you, and smell you. God damn it, Aubrey. I can’t even see straight when you’re around. All I want is to take you off somewhere and have my way with you.”
“After just one night?” My tone held a note of incredulity, but I was having a hard time reconciling this gorgeous specimen of a man wanting me this much after we locked eyes at a club.
“You have no idea. I saw you the second I walked in. You commanded the room without even being aware of it.”
I snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I don’t want to hear you insult yourself,” he growled. He pushed my legs apart with his. “Or else I’m going to have to punish you for being a very naughty girl.”
“Punish me how?” I leaned forward and began to nibble on his earlobe. “I don’t think you actually mean it.”
Okay, I had no idea where that came from.
Clearly, I was channeling some kind of inner alter ego I had no idea I had. I wasn’t even sure I said the right thing till I saw the look of naked hunger splashed across Derek’s face.