Dr. Fake It: A Possessive Doctor Romance

by Hamel, B. B.

  It was possible. I knew it was possible. Dr. Martin might be willing to grant me a favor—but that might come at a high price, the sort of price I wasn’t sure I wanted to pay.

  Then again, I couldn’t imagine turning into Chen, either. He was bitter, and angry, and afraid, and I knew that I couldn’t put Erica through that. I’d live with a chip on my shoulder, constantly looking around corners to make sure nobody was waiting to kill me. Chen was my future if I didn’t find a way out.

  I smiled at Linda and walked to her side. I touched her hand softly. “Your daughter’s a smart girl. Still a pain in my ass, but smart.”

  I squeezed her hand, then left the room and continued my rounds.

  22

  Erica

  I stared at the TV but couldn’t follow the action. Nothing seemed to matter to me, and I couldn’t bring myself to invest any attention in the characters flitting across the screen.

  I kept thinking about Gavin and what the mafia wanted from him, and it made me want to break down.

  Throughout all this, I kept telling myself one thing, over and over again: no matter what, they wouldn’t own me. Since this started, I kept thinking about it that way, kept imagining that this was all about me, all about my future and what Cosimo wanted to do to me, but now it was so clear that Gavin was deeply tied up into my mistakes. Looking back, I knew I should’ve run away, and never should’ve taken him up on his offer, but I was broken and confused and so scared, and when that handsome doctor offered to save me, offered to marry me, I couldn’t turn him down.

  Now he would pay the price for my failures.

  I got up and paced across the living room, glancing at the clock. He should’ve been home already, and I kept picturing him dead in the street, stabbed over and over again by Cosimo, or shot in the head and left for dead. I opened a bottle of wine and poured myself a full glass, hand trembling as I took a long sip, and stalked back toward the front window, heart racing. I couldn’t get these horrible thoughts out of my head, not ever since this all started.

  Before, I’d been a happy girl. Mostly happy, at least—happy enough that I didn’t obsess about my future, didn’t worry about failures, and lived day to day in a hazy, gauzy shimmer of contentment. I had my mom, and my job, and my friends at the restaurant, and I had a little money in my pocket, a little cash saved up. I wasn’t ambitious, but I wasn’t unhappy, and that seemed good enough.

  At least until my father’s debt drowned us. Now I felt like a different person, always anxious, always on edge trying to make life-or-death decisions, when I’d grown up never having to make them. Even though I felt like I was always on the verge of falling apart, it never seemed to matter. I had my mother and I trusted that things would work out, sooner or later. My dad would find his way in the world, or he’d end up in the gutter, and either way we’d be okay.

  Except it didn’t happen that way, and now I was so stuck it hurt.

  I peered out the front window, sipped my wine, and felt my heart do flips as I spotted Gavin coming toward the house. He walked up the steps and unlocked the door, and I quickly moved away, sitting back down on the couch like I hadn’t been peering outside like a weirdo.

  He stepped into the room and locked the door behind him. I smiled a little, holding the wine glass up in front of my face.

  “You’re home,” I said.

  “I’m home.” He smiled at me, narrowed his eyes, and nodded. “I could use one of those.”

  I followed him into the kitchen and watched him pour a glass. He sipped some wine and sighed, then leaned up against the sink and watched me.

  “How was your day?” I felt odd talking to him like nothing was happening, but I was so sick of being on edge all the time, and it felt kind of good to pretend for a second.

  “Busy,” he said. “Unfortunately, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

  “Did you see my mom?”

  He nodded. “Checked in on her a few times. No change, but she seems okay.”

  “Good.” I let out a breath and I’d hoped some of the tension would go out with it, but I still felt like a bundle of raw nerves. “It’s been pretty quiet around here.”

  “You should come to the hospital tomorrow and hang around.”

  I shook my head a little. “I’m not sure they want me sitting in that room all the time, you know?”

  “So long as it’s visiting hours, you can hang as much as you want.”

  “Thanks. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

  He gave me an appraising look then put his wine glass down. “Speaking of trouble, I had a visitor today.”

  I felt my stomach drop. I tightened my grip on my wine glass, so hard I thought it might break. “Yeah? Who?”

  “Dr. Chen.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Who?”

  “The doctor that works for the mafia. And the guy whose job I’d be taking if I accepted their offer.”

  I cleared my throat and felt a silly, stupid laugh bubble up from my throat. “Seems like he wouldn’t want to see you then.”

  “He seemed like a pragmatic man. Seemed to understand that I don’t want to get involved with the mafia at all, and would rather find another way to make things right.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He thinks I can offer them something else. Apparently there are some buildings they want to get rezoned, but the zoning board’s been dragging its feet.”

  I chewed my lip. “And you can help?”

  “Dr. Martin sits on the board.”

  I laughed again, feeling stupid and giddy. “So you think you can ask him for a favor?”

  “That’s the idea.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But you have to understand, this might not work.”

  “There’s a change though, right? Dr. Chen thinks you can pull it off?”

  “He thinks it’s possible.” He watched me as I drank some wine then put my glass on the table and paced in front of him, heart racing.

  “You wouldn’t owe them forever then,” I said, staring down at my feet. “You could convince Dr. Martin to help them out, then you’d be free to do whatever you wanted. No getting stuck in their clutches.”

  “That’s the idea.” He stepped toward me and I stopped walking. “I’ll do it for you. I’ll go to Dr. Martin and ask him—but you have to be sure this is what you want.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He spread his hands. “We have an answer already,” he said softly. “I can work for them, give them some of my time in exchange for your freedom. This can all be over if you want it to be.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want that, I don’t want that at all. It wouldn’t be over, far from it. You’d be stuck.”

  “Maybe. I’d be working for them for a long time, at least, and Dr. Chen might be put in a bad position. But, Erica, you have to understand, this might be your only chance. They might not take this offer.”

  “I can’t exchange my freedom for yours.” I stared at him, heart racing, and he came closer. I wanted him to stop, to back off, but I also wanted him to press his lips against mine. I felt so confused, so broken and shattered but he was offering me a way to put myself back together.

  He was offering a way out of this hell. I had to take it, even if the chances were slim, even if it might blow up in my face.

  I couldn’t drag him down with me.

  “If this is the only option that means you don’t end up their pawn, then do it.”

  He nodded and let out a frustrated sigh. “I’d do it for you, you know,” he said. “I’d happily give my services to those bastards if it meant your freedom and your life. I wouldn’t hold you to anything, wouldn’t keep you, wouldn’t hurt you. I’d make sure you were free.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “But I would.”

  “Just understand what I’m willing to give for you.” He came closer then and I backed up, stumbling against a chair, then running into the wall. He kept coming, ey
es locked on mine, and I could smell his shampoo, the soft scent of his skin as he came so close that I felt a shiver run down my spine.

  I wanted him, wanted him so badly it almost hurt. He was offering me so much, was willing to do so much for me, and I barely understood why—at least until he looked into my eyes. Then I saw what he wanted, what he meant, and how he felt, and I felt the same thing, churning deep inside me, yearning to break free and come out into the open.

  He leaned down and kissed me softly. It was tentative, almost probing, but then I pushed my lips tighter against his and a soft, strangled moan escaped my throat. He groaned and pulled my body tight against his, held me there, kissed me hard and deep—but this time, it didn’t stop. He tugged my shirt off, kissed my neck and my chest, unhooked my bra and let it drop to the floor, his hands on my skin, his hands on my breasts.

  I took a deep heady breath and knew this was right. I felt his lips on my neck and whispered his name.

  “Do you think about this when you’re alone in your room?” he whispered, his voice gruff and intense. “Do you wonder what it would be like to feel me between your legs?”

  “I don’t want to wonder anymore.” I tugged at his shirt and felt his hard chest, his beating heart, his rough abs and gorgeous, cut muscles.

  “I’ll give you whatever you want. You know that by now, don’t you?” He reached down and unbuckled his jeans, letting them fall down onto the floor. I gasped as he pushed me against the wall then dropped to his knees and slowly peeled off my pants until I was wearing nothing but a pair of black panties.

  His fingers teased me as he stood and pushed himself against me again. Pleasure blossomed all through my body and I couldn’t help the moans that rolled off my tongue. I’d been waiting at home for this, I knew it deep inside, I’d been waiting for him to come home and touch me again, come home and make me feel right. He could do that for me, his tongue and fingers, his lips and teeth, all of him could bring me back from the brink and save me.

  I didn’t know I needed saving. Not even when it seemed like Cosimo would have me and everything was lost, not even then. I didn’t know I needed him to swoop in and save my life, but right now, in this kitchen, with his body pressed against mine, I knew it without a doubt. I knew I needed him to come and take me away, take me somewhere only he knew about, somewhere warm and safe in his arms.

  I gasped as I stroked him over his boxer briefs, and moaned as I pulled them off him. I was dripping for him when he turned me around and put my hands up on the wall. He teased me from behind, his body rough and gorgeous, his hands so gentle and skilled and right. His cock quivered, pulsing with the beat of his heart, so hard it seemed impossible, and when he grabbed my hips and pressed himself deep inside me, I knew it was right.

  I gasped, tilted my head back, and let him have me. He leaned over my shoulder, lips against my neck and ear. “I didn’t know how badly I needed this until you came into my life.”

  “Yeah?” I gasped and he pulled my hair. “You needed all this heartache? All this stress and danger?”

  He laughed softly and held himself inside me. “Darling, you’re so much more than stress and danger. You’re laughter, and pleasure, and everything good.”

  I leaned back and he kissed me over my shoulder. “Tell me why you’re doing this. Please, tell me, and make me believe it.”

  He gripped my hair and moved slowly, taking me in and out. “Because you’re worth the risk. Because you need a man like me, and I need a woman like you.”

  “You should’ve run away the second I showed up in your life.”

  “Maybe.” He pressed himself hard inside me and I gasped. “But that’s not what I do.”

  He pulled back and lifted me up then put me down on the counter. He slid himself deep and fucked me like that, taking me hard, making my body sweat as I gripped the cabinets, the countertop, the sink. He kissed me, bit my lower lip, teased my nipples with his tongue and lips and teeth and, god, he felt good, so good, plunging deep inside me, taking me rough and raw, taking me like I needed.

  I felt sweat roll down my body and I rolled my hips, faster and faster. We were in a frenzy, I knew it, unthinking, feeling only him inside me, feeling only that glow that comes from a perfect body. I moaned his name, again and again, faster and faster and took him, took him right, and he growled my name as I came with him deep inside me, as I came on every inch of him.

  I bit his lip and trembled in his arms, but he wasn’t finished with me. He took his fill and finished between my legs, and I gasped his name. He held me there, panting, sweat on both our skin, and I felt dizzy and wild for him, out of control in a way I’d never felt in my life. Instead of fear and worry, I only felt pleasure, and joy, and yes—I felt content with him.

  He kissed me then helped me down off the counter. We dressed, and he smiled at me, and I saw him take real pleasure in the long lines of my body. That sent a strange thrill through my chest, that even after taking me like that, he could still want more.

  We ended up on the couch, my head on his chest, his arms wrapped around me.

  “I’ll go to them tomorrow,” he said gently. “I’ll see what they say. If they’re willing, I’ll make it happen.”

  “And if they’re not willing?”

  He kissed my hair. “Let’s not worry about that yet.”

  I nodded and let him hold me, and even though I could feel the anxiety creep back into my chest, I did my best to stay with him, still and calm and happy, because no matter what came later, we had this moment at least.

  23

  Gavin

  Erica slept in my bed that night, and I was a perfect gentleman.

  Well, for half the time, at least. The first few hours, I spent exploring her body, teasing her until she could barely take it anymore, and held her tight when she fell asleep in my arms.

  I woke up early and snuck out of bed. I showered, dressed, and kissed her as I left the room. She stirred, but didn’t wake up, which was good— I wanted her to rest while she could.

  I didn’t know how this meeting would go, and I wasn’t about to drag her along to something that might end badly. I drove over to the bakery and parked across the street, then sat there for a few minutes watching the front door and wondering what the hell I was about to do.

  They’d made their offer, and now I was about to try to negotiate. I knew Dante wouldn’t be happy about it, but I hoped my alternative plan would be tempting enough to make him forget that he was annoyed with me for trying to change things around on him. I got out of the car and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air then walked to the bakery and stepped inside.

  The place was quiet. It was barely after six in the morning, and I guessed it’d only opened a little while ago. Dante sat in a corner booth with one other guy I didn’t recognize. He looked up and I saw a spark of surprise in his eyes as I walked over and lingered near the empty chair.

  He tilted his head. “Dr. Majors. What are you doing here? Came to accept our offer?”

  “I came to talk.”

  He frowned then looked at his companion and nodded. The guy nodded back, got up, and walked over to a different table.

  The hiss of an espresso maker steamed through the otherwise quiet room as I sat down across from Dante.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked, spreading his hands. He wore a dark suit and a half-eaten bagel sat on a plate in front of him. He had bags under his eyes, and I wondered for a moment how difficult it must have been to be a gangster, constantly worried about death, about violence, about some up-and-coming asshole trying to take over your turf. I imagined most mafia guys didn’t live to old age. They didn’t have a retirement plan.

  For one brief second, I thought about telling him to go fuck himself. I thought of my sister, and the asshole that killed her, and I wondered if these guys were like him. Some of them had to have been—it was the mafia, after all. Cosimo certainly was, and there must’ve been others. I wondered if Dante was an abusive, violent piece
of shit, and decided that it didn’t matter.

  I couldn’t protect every woman in the city, only Erica. She was all that mattered, all that I could protect.

  “I thought about your offer,” I said, “and I came with an alternative.”

  His expression darkened. “That wasn’t part of our discussion.”

  “I understand, but hear me out first.”

  “Dr. Majors, if most men came to me trying to change the deal at the last second, I’d kill them. You understand that, don’t you?”

  “I understand. But we didn’t have a deal yet. I never agreed to a thing.”

  He grunted and shook his head. “You’re testing my patience.”

  “And you’re going to lose out if you can’t listen.”

  I saw a surprised expression flit across his face, followed by anger. He wasn’t used to people talking to him like that, but I was sick of this bullshit, of the discussions and the negotiations. I wanted to be done with these guys, wanted to be finished with the bullshit.

  “Speak your mind, and be careful.”

  “I heard that you recently bought up a lot of buildings near here,” I said, speaking slowly and carefully. “It’s my understanding that those buildings are zoned for commercial use, and that zoning has been a real problem.”

  He inclined his head. “That’s true, more or less.”

  “I want to offer a solution to that problem. If you allow me to pay off Erica’s debts, and promise to call off Cosimo, then I’ll have the zoning board accept your application and rezone those buildings.”

  He snorted. “How could you do that?”

  “I have connections on the board.” One connection, at least, but I didn’t go into detail.

  He studied me for a moment then leaned back in his seat. I felt exposed and wished I could see what was behind me, but I kept my eyes on him and stayed calm. I thought about Erica back in my house, probably still asleep, or maybe just waking up, maybe making some coffee wearing an old pair of gym shorts and a long t-shirt, looking gorgeous with messy hair, her skin glowing in the morning sun. I wanted to get back to her as soon as I could and press my lips against that skin.