by Ruby Scott
OPEN HEART
CITY GENERAL: MEDIC 1 SERIES
RUBY SCOTT
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
ONE
“I promise you. It’s the best place in town. I get laid every time I go.” Jack
said, giving Izzy’s hand a tug.
From the look on her face, she was still just a bit uncertain about this.
She hadn’t done much “fun” over the last few years. She had been solely
focused on her studies. Now that she had been accepted into the
cardiothoracic residency program at City General, she figured it was about
time she did something for herself.
“You’re telling me the minute I step foot in there, girls are going to
swarm all over me?” Izzy scoffed. “Unlikely, but thanks for getting my
hopes up.” Part of doing something for herself involved having a ‘big night
out’ with Jack. They’d been friends for a few years, after meeting in
college, and Jack called her on her sexuality immediately. ‘I can just tell’ he
had told her with a smirk. Izzy hadn’t even been sure of it herself at the
time.
She was now. But much like fun, Love wasn’t something Izzy had time
for. Not that she was going to the club tonight to find love. She was looking
for lust; she was looking for something that was just fun.
The club, Parade, was on the corner of a busy crossroads. It was large,
taking up most of the block it was on. The exterior was painted a mid-grey
with a shiny silver detailing at the top of the facade. Sitting overtop of the
front door was the name, ‘Parade’ in giant silver lettering. Each letter was
illuminated with a purple, almost UV light. People were flooding in and out
in a seemingly never-ending stream. A tall, muscular chap who seemed to
know Jack opened the door for them, and they stepped inside.
The interior of the club was in stark contrast to the outside. A giant
chandelier hung from a deep red velvet-clad ceiling above the circular
dance floor. The floor reacted to the energy and pressure of the movement
and lights pulsed to the beat of the bass pumping through the speakers. To
the right was the first of two bars, which ran halfway down one side of the
club. High tables surrounded by groups of animated people were scattered
around the area dividing the bar from the throng of dancers.
Izzy stood, wide-eyed, taking it all in. It was simultaneously just like
she had imagined, yet not. She must have looked like a deer in headlights.
Luckily for her, Jack was there to pull her out of her daze. He gave her arm
a tug, bringing her back into the moment.
“Sorry.” She said, despite knowing there was no reason to apologize.
She hadn’t done anything wrong… she was just slightly overwhelmed.
Parade was most definitely out of her comfort zone.
Jack shook his head, shaking off her apology. “Let’s go get a drink. It’ll
help you loosen up a bit.” He didn’t wait for a response before giving Izzy
another tug, this time towards the bar.
The pair squeezed in-between the people surrounding them, waiting to
be served. As the people next to them left, Izzy slipped herself onto one of
the black curved stools that had become vacant. Twisting around she turned
her back to the bar as she took the opportunity to observe more.
“Izzy,” Jack elbowed her side.
“What?” She snapped in response to the nudge. She whipped around to
see the blue-haired bartender in front of them. The bartender reminded Izzy
of a pixie. She had small, dainty features with a silver hoop nose ring and
dark lipstick. Izzy felt her cheeks heat up slightly. She probably looked like
a fool. Offering a nervous smile, she apologized. “Sorry. I guess I just kind
of zoned.
The bartender offered a smile back; however, Izzy had a feeling that it
wasn’t genuine. It was the type of smile someone in customer service offers
when they’re clearly annoyed. “Of course. What can I get for you?”
“A mojito, please?”
The bartender nodded before moving away from them to make their
drinks. Jack turned his attention back to Izzy, leaning back against the bar
just like she had been. “So, what do you think?”
“It’s amazing.”
Jack laughed, shaking his head. “Not about the club, dumbass. I’m
talking about the people. Do you see anyone interesting?” And by
interesting, he clearly meant attractive.
While she had been scanning the crowd, Izzy hadn’t exactly been
checking anyone out. Now that Jack mentioned it though, half the people in
the club were drop-dead gorgeous. There were a number of different
women she wouldn’t mind going home with. “I mean… I’m not
complaining about my options if they’d have me.” She said, grinning at
him.
“They’d be a fool not to want you, Izzy!” he gave her a wink. “You’re
fresh meat.”
Izzy cringed, knowing she was giving Jack exactly the reaction he was
after. As their drinks were placed on the bar, she swung around, grabbed the
glass, bringing it to her lips as soon as it was in her hand. She took a sip
before glancing up at Jack.
He clearly knew what was on her mind. He grinned back. “See? Not
only is this place filled with hot and horny people, they also do the best
cocktails.”
Izzy was really starting to see the perks of this place. She took another
sip and stared out into the crowd. She wasn’t quite sure where to go from
here. She was a bit out of shape when it came to flirting. It was
embarrassing how long it’d been for her.
When she looked back to Jack to ask him about it, she noticed him
making eyes with a blonde guy wearing a blue shirt and jeans tighter than
the ones that she was wearing. She took another sip of her drink and
reached out, giving Jack’s arm a shove. “Go.” She said. “Go and talk to
him.”
Jack turned back to her, his facial features softening. “But it’s our night
out. I’d feel like an ass if I just ditched you here, especially as we have just
arrived.”
“And I’d feel like an ass if I stopped you from hooking up with him.”
She said, gesturing with her head towards the guy.
Jack laughed and downed what was left of his drink. “Alright
, then.” He
hopped off his stool and started to walk away before he turned around to
face Izzy once more. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” He said with a
smirk.
“Stay confident!” She called with a laugh. Once Jack was out of sight,
she let out a sigh before turning back to the bar and taking another sip of
her mojito. Now she was left on her own, in unfamiliar territory. Before she
did anything, she was going to need another drink. Refuelled with another
mojito, she felt herself start to ease into the night. At this point, she was
damn near certain she could walk up to anyone in the club and start to flirt.
Although, Izzy didn’t get the chance to. Two sips into her second drink,
somebody had taken the seat next to her that had previously been occupied
by Jack. Izzy turned to look at the stranger and was instantly in awe.
The woman was gorgeous, with short mahogany brown hair that was
slicked back and large, dark eyes to match. She was slender, with broad
shoulders and slightly tanned skin. Her entire body was turned to Izzy, a
smile toying at the corners of her lips. “I noticed your friend just kind of left
you alone here. I thought you could use some company.” She said with a
laugh.
It was almost instantaneous that Izzy felt comfortable with this woman.
Either the alcohol was making her confident, or the rust was wearing off.
“If you’re offering to be my company, how could I not accept?” She said
with a grin.
The other woman smiled before signaling to the blue pixie behind the
bar. The bartender appeared to like her new friend, and the smile on her
face actually seemed genuine. The dark-haired woman ordered a JD and
coke before turning back to Izzy. “I haven’t seen you around here before.
And trust me, I think I would remember somebody like you.”
Izzy could feel the heat in her cheeks and knew she was blushing. She
only hoped that the neon lighting of the club would hide the color. “That’s
because this is my first time here.” She paused, taking in the firm biceps
and tattoos which peaked from under her short sleeves. “Do these lines
always work on women” She replied, finishing off her second drink.
“Are they working on you?” she paused long enough to take in Izzy’s
soft smile. “If this is your first time, then I feel lucky.” She replied. The
bartender returned with her drink, but before she could leave, she stopped
her. “Can you get my friend here another… mojito, right?” Izzy nodded in
response. The bartender didn’t hide her annoyance, sighing before walking
off.
“And why do you feel lucky?” Izzy asked. She was glued to this
woman. She turned to face her; her entire attention was on this gorgeous
enigma sitting next to her. She slid into place next to her like a perfect fit,
and she was hardly complaining.
“Because we happen to be here on the same night. Must be my lucky
night since I get to sit and enjoy a drink with you – and you haven’t asked
me to leave yet.”
Izzy grinned. “Why would I ever do that?”
After another drink, the dark-haired woman (who Izzy had learned
was named Cara) pulled her out to the dance floor. Without a care in the
world, Cara’s hands found their way to Izzy’s hips and pulled their bodies
flush against each other. Izzy felt heated, but not just from the alcohol.
As the two of them danced, it was like there was nothing in the world
except the two of them and the thumping bass. Cara’s hands slid over her
body, and she certainly wasn’t complaining. She wrapped her arms around
Cara’s neck, allowing her body to move to the beat.
Whatever wave of nervousness that had washed over her earlier was
gone. She was confident and completely into this. Cara looked like fun. The
type of fun that Izzy could get behind… or under.
She knew where tonight was going, and the very thought of it made
her stomach tighten, as excitement started to curl up in her gut and bubble
up towards her chest.
Cara’s hands found Izzy’s behind, she gripped tentatively at first, but
when Izzy didn’t object; she tightened her grip. As the rhythm of the music
changed, Cara slowly pulled her body away from Izzy’s.
Izzy wanted to object. She wanted Cara’s warmth once more. Cara
didn’t pull too far away, her forehead pressing against Izzy’s. “Do you want
to get out of here?” She asked, her voice low so only the two of them could
hear.
Izzy didn’t hesitate to answer: “Yes.”
TWO
Izzy ordered an Uber outside of the club and the pair climbed in the back.
Even inside of the cab, they could barely keep their hands off of each other.
They weren’t obnoxious about it. They sat with their thighs touching,
Cara’s hand gripping onto Izzy’s slender thigh in a possessive way. The heat
from her hand radiated up, and Izzy was growing desperate to get her home.
She leaned forward to the cabbie and told him the address of her
apartment building. It was only a few blocks from the club. It would be the
quickest way to get the two of them back to her place, and Izzy could
finally give into all the urges she was feeling.
Sitting next to Cara like this, all Izzy could think about was kissing
her. She wanted to know if she tasted like the JD and coke she had been
sipping on earlier or something entirely different. She wanted to see how
her body looked under the pair of jeans and the tight grey tank she was
wearing. Cara was exactly what she needed.
When the cab came to a stop outside of Izzy’s apartment building, she
swung open the door, grabbed Cara’s hand and practically pulled her from
the car. They all but ran into the apartment block, the eagerness between
them building.
Izzy hit the button to call the elevator ride, and the doors opened
immediately. As the elevator climbed up the floors, Izzy couldn’t resist the
urge to kiss Cara for a second longer. Her fingers were intertwined with
Cara’s and she pulled her in for a long, slow kiss. Cara’s response told her
she wasn’t alone in building anticipation for what was about to follow.
Finally, the elevator ‘dinged’ and the doors opened. Izzy almost
skipped through the doors, pulling Cara behind her and towards her
apartment. With one hand, she fumbled with her keys and got the door
unlocked. They went inside together, the door slamming behind them.
As soon as it was closed, Cara let go of Izzy’s hand. She turned, so
she was facing her and without a moment of hesitation, she pressed their
lips together. The kiss sent shock waves through Izzy’s entire being. In the
beginning, all she could think about was how soft Cara’s lips were on hers.
But the kiss progressed from the soft, tentative start to something deeper.
Cara’s lips parted and Izzy could taste the JD and coke she had been
wondering about since the cab ride.
Cara stepped forward, pushing Izzy back against the front door. One
of her hands rested on Izzy’s hip while the other worked its way up,
tangling in her dark waves. She moved her hand until she
was cradling the
back of Izzy’s head, pulling her back into a kiss.
The heat between them was building to the point of desperation.
Izzy’s hands moved without hesitation, coming to rest on Cara’s hips. She
pulled, making sure there was no space between the two of them.
The kiss made Izzy’s knees weak, which she chalked up to not being
kissed for a while. When they broke apart, Cara rested her forehead against
Izzy’s like she had earlier in the club. “Fuck, I want you.” She sighed.
“Why don’t you show me how much?” Izzy responded, a tiny smirk
growing on her lips.
Cara didn’t need to be told twice . Their hands were intertwined again
as she turned around, looking over Izzy’s open plan apartment. “Wow!”
Was the only word that Cara could utter as she looked around the sleek,
modern apartment. “This place?”
It was a gift from her parents for graduating John Hopkins and for
pursuing her cardiothoracic residency, and she had barely moved in, so the
entire place still had that showroom feel.
“If you are looking for the bedroom, it’s the first room to the right.”
Izzy raised an eyebrow, showing the slightest bit of impatience. Cara took
the hint graciously.
“Oh yeah, sorry.” Grabbing Izzy’s hand, she pulled her towards the
bedroom, as her head whirled around taking in the glossy white cabinets,
marble floors and large flat-screen TV. In the back of her mind, Izzy
wondered what she thought of her. Did she think she was bedding some
wildly successful woman? Or just a trust fund brat?
Swinging open the bedroom door, Cara turned to face her, taking both
her hands in her own. She walked backwards, pulling Izzy towards the large
king-size bed in the centre of the room with its crisp starched white linen.
No words were exchanged when Cara came to a stop and pulled Izzy to her,
before turning the pair of them around.
Izzy felt herself being gently pushed down onto the bed. As Cara
slowly climbed on top of her, she felt her excitement rise again. Bringing
her face to just above Izzy’s, Cara whispered, “I’ve been waiting for this
since the moment I saw you.”
“I’m yours to do exactly what you want with me.”
A pulse of electricity shot through Izzy’ as she watched Cara’s eyes
darken with want. There was no hesitation this time as Cara’s hands slid
