by DL Gallie
* * *
The door to my room opens and snaps me back to the present and away from that fateful day. A group of doctors enters for rounds, thankfully this only happens twice a day, I cannot wait to go home where it will just be Lexi and me. Looking up, I smile at Dr. Jenkins and glance around at the other doctors with her. My eyes land on a doctor hiding in the back, holy hotness, Batman, he is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. Then I realize I look like a hot mess. I haven’t slept in a gazillion hours and yesterday; I punched a watermelon out my hoo-ha with no drugs. Why, universe, why would you do this to me?
“Cressida,” the doctor says, and I internally cringe, I hate being called Cressida.
Shaking my head, I focus on her. “Sorry, I missed that, Dr. Jenkins?”
“Can we have a quick look at Alexis?”
Dropping my gaze, I look to a sleeping Lexi in my arms and smile. I’ve been doing that a lot in the last twenty-four hours. She is the apple of my eye and I don’t ever want to give her up. “Umm,” my voice wavers and I hesitate, “she’s just drifted off.”
She can see the trepidation in my eyes, but her face softens in that dreamy way it does regarding babies. “That’s fine, we can come back later.” And that is why I chose Dr. Stefanie Jenkins to deliver my baby: she cares and takes my feelings into account. I was not the easiest of patients, with being a first-time mom and doing it alone, but she was my savior.
Before I can say anything the group exits my room. Dr. Hottie is the last to leave, our eyes connect and the moment could not be more perfect. It's intense. It's electric. His gaze penetrates deep into my soul, my skin heats as his eyes roam over me. He winks and turns to leave. Looking over his shoulder, he says, “Congrats on the birth of your little girl, Cress.”
“Thank you,” I manage to utter as the door closes behind him.
He called me Cress, it's like he knew I hate being called Cressida. And his voice, ohh my God, his voice. It’s deep and husky, I could listen to him talk all day long. Hell, I’d even listen to him read the phone book. Lex stirs in my arms and I realize I need to pee. I shuffle out of bed and I place her in the bassinet in my room. After using the bathroom, I climb back into bed, and drift off to sleep, dreaming about Dr. Hottie.
After that morning, I never saw Dr. Hottie again but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, a guy like him would never go for someone like me. Plus, I don’t need a man in my life; I now have a baby to focus on. I’m going to be the best mom ever to my little munchkin.
2
Preston
….present day
Flopping down on the sofa, I kick out my legs and flick on the TV. Bringing up Disney+, I grin when I see DuckTales is currently playing. Lying back, I watch as Huey, Dewey, and Louie get into mischief and like usual, Scrooge McDuck is being all scroogey. Drifting off to sleep, I wake up when the alarm on my phone blares, reminding me I need to pick up Flynn from the airport. Thank God I set the reminder because I totally forgot I was to collect him today.
Hopping up, I grab a quick shower and make my way to the airport to pick Flynn up. Lucky bastard has spent the last ten days in paradise at Oasis, an adults-only resort in Castaway Grove. I'm sure on the trip back to his place, I’ll hear all about his conquests…ohh how wrong I was. “Are you telling me, Dr. ‘I have an accent, drop your panties now’ has blue balls and callouses on his hands?”
He nods his head and sighs dejectedly, “Yep.”
This is pure gold. The Irish God—according to the nurses, well anyone with a vagina, at the hospital—got cockblocked by the woman of his dreams, and he spent the last few days at the resort by himself, with Mrs. Palmer and her five daughters, watching her douche of an ex swoop in and win her back.
“Sounds like you need to get laid and you need to get laid good.”
“Tell me about it. I feel like a teenager again.”
“If you like, we can go out tonight,” I offer.
He once again shakes his head. “Nah, I need to get home, unpack, and get my head back into the game. Plus, I’ve got an early shift tomorrow.”
“No worries, some other time then.”
The rest of the trip to his place is silent. I’ve never seen Flynn so down, it’s concerning, and I kind of feel guilty for the teasing earlier. We pull up to his building. Turning off the car, we climb out and I help him with his bags.
“Thanks for picking me up, man…and the talk.”
“Anytime, you know that.” Flynn and I met in med school and we hit if off straightaway. And as they say, the rest was history. Our friendship has grown stronger over the years, he’s more like a brother than a friend and colleague. I’d do anything for him, and I know he’d do the same for me too.
“Appreciate it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” We do the manly, one-arm, backslap hug and I watch him walk inside. Shaking my head, I internally laugh at him and his blue balls. Climbing back into my car, I head back home. Stopping along the way, I grab some Chinese and in front of the TV, I watch old-school Scooby Doo—hey, I’m a pediatrician and spend all day with kids, plus I’m a big kid at heart—and I eat my sweet and sour chicken, thinking about the busy week ahead.
Friday finally rolls around, this has been the slowest week in history but it did allow me to catch up on paperwork; who knew there’d be so much paperwork being a doctor? I’ve just finished up a meeting with admin when I get word that Flynn lost a patient earlier this afternoon. I know my friend, he will be gutted and as his best friend it’s my duty to cheer him up. Making my way to the doctors’ lounge, I walk in and see Flynn sitting in front of his locker. His shoulders are down and he’s ignoring everyone, but I won’t let him ignore me. “Dude,” I say as I walk over to him. When he sees it’s me, he stands and greets me with our one-armed man hug, and then he sits back down. “Sorry to hear about your patient.”
“Thanks, man.” He begins to change out of his scrubs. “How he held on as long as he did is beyond me. There was literally nothing I could have done.”
“That’s tough,” I offer in condolence, there’s nothing worse than losing a patient, especially for me since I deal with kids. The death of a child always sucks ass, actually the death of anyone is rough.
Before I get to ask him about heading out for a few drinks, he beats me to it. “Drinks?”
“Hell, yes. It’s been a rough week.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
After changing my shirt, Flynn and I hop into my car and we head to The Fat Fox Tavern. We decide on a bar away from the hospital because if we went to O’Malley’s, the one closest to the hospital, the topic of conversation would turn to work and people would offer condolences to Flynn and that’s the last thing he needs. Tonight he needs to get drunk and maybe hook up with a chick…giving his palm a rest and ease his blue balls.
We enter the tavern and head toward the bar; my eyes gravitate toward a gorgeous chick sitting at the bar with her friend. Her friend is hot, with blonde hair and blue eyes, but it’s the other gorgeous woman I’m intrigued by. She lights up the room when she smiles and her laugh is like music to my ears. I order our drinks and notice Flynn looking in the same direction. I hope, and pray, that he wants the other chick. With our beers in hand, we walk over to a table and silently sit down. Flynn’s eyes are still locked on the girls, as are mine, and I’m trying to gauge whom he’s checking out.
The goddess I’ve been admiring looks over to us and that’s when I realize Flynn is eyeing her friend. Thank you, I silently say to the big guy upstairs. He chugs back his beer and without saying a word, he slams the empty glass on the table, walks back to the bar but this time, he heads over to the girls. My eyes are locked on the dark-haired angel, when suddenly, the friend spins around and hits Flynn in the nuts. I clench my nuts, feeling his pain in my own balls, but I’m also laughing. It was like a scene from a black-and-white slapstick comedy. It’s the funniest shit I’ve seen in a long time, I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard. I watch the scene unfo
ld and shake my head when he smoothly leans in and fucks her mouth in the middle of the tavern. The Irish fucker has done it again, I think to myself as I watch him make out with the blonde chick, her friend watching from the sidelines grinning from ear to ear.
Picking up his beer, he walks back toward me with a smug look on his face.
“How’s the nuts?” I tease as he takes a seat.
“Now they’ll be purple and blue, but if I play my cards right, they won’t be blue after tonight.” He winks at me and takes a sip of beer.
Shaking my head, I pick up mine and drink. The woman looks to Flynn and he winks at her. I see it written on her face, she’s going home with the Irish stallion tonight. Out of nowhere, Flynn slams his glass down—again—and stalks across the bar. “What’s he up to?” I mumble to myself, as I watch him walk toward the restrooms, the blonde nowhere in sight.
From the corner of my eye, I see my angel sitting at the bar by herself. She looks over her shoulder and even though we are in a packed bar, our gaze connects. Time stands still. Everything around me disappears, everything except for her. Our eyes are locked on one another. It's intense. It's electric. It feels like déjà vu. Her gaze penetrates deep into my soul, my skin heats as her eyes roam over me. She winks and turns her attention back to the bartender. Ohh, I’m taking this one home tonight, I think to myself, as Flynn and her friend walk back into the bar from the restrooms together. Her cheeks are flushed and he looks like the cat who ate the canary, knowing him, he totally just did that. They stop and speak to the friend, Flynn grabs her purse and they head toward me.
“I’m taking Avery home, please make sure her friend gets home safely.” He tells me.
“Roger that.” I salute him and wink at Avery, her cheeks darken in embarrassment. He drags her out of the tavern, leaving me alone.
Finishing off my drink, I walk over to the friend. “Seems, I’ve been tasked with getting you home tonight.”
“Lucky me, but I don’t recall ordering a handsome Uber to get me off…home,” she says. Ohh the sass on this one is on point, I think to myself as I take the recently vacated stool next to her.
Offering out my hand, I introduce myself, “Preston Knight, handsome Uber guy.”
She smirks at my smart-ass remark. “Nice to meet you.” She places her hand in mine and shakes. She has a good grip. Strong. Firm, perfect to wrap around my cock. An image of her fingers wrapped around my cock, stroking from base to tip appears in my mind. Her tongue darting out, licking the head before she swallows my shaft to the hilt.
The clearing of a throat snaps my attention away from my dirty thoughts. I see her looking intently at me. “Where did you just go? You drifted off there.”
“Nowhere,” I say. I’m so glad she cannot see into my dirty, perverted mind right now, or my dick, which is painfully pressing against my zipper right now.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“Really? That's what you’re going with? Friendly advice, you really need to review your flirting strategies.”
“How about over a drink you teach me…insert name here.”
She eyes me, her gaze roaming all over my body. She brings her drink to her lips, takes a sip, and spins around to face me, leaning on the bar. “Do you think I'll go home with you, just like my friend did with your friend?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I nonchantly say, “Well, my friend's charm clearly impressed your friend...”
“What my friend and your friend do have nothing to do with me.”
“So you think I'm a lesser man than Flynn?”
“I didn’t say that.” She pauses. “So why don’t you take a seat, buy me a drink, and we will see what happens. Plus, I’m not ready to leave with my handsome Uber guy yet. You still need to complete lesson 1-0-1 in flirting.” She pauses and smiles at me, it lights up her face. “And my name is Cress.”
Taking a seat next to her, I signal the bartender. He nods and finishes serving the couple at the other end and walks over to us. “Two more please,” I ask him, but my gaze is on Cress, sassy sexy Cress. Even her name is beautiful. “So, Cress, tell me about the woman under this sexy, sassy exterior.”
“You tell me what you see,” she sasses in reply.
“Well, I see a very attractive, smart woman with a sharp mind and a quick tongue.”
She licks her lips seductively, my eyes drop to her tongue and my cock twitches. It wants that tongue licking him. Hell, I want that tongue licking all over me.
“You also need to add to that assessment, the mom of the most amazing daughter, substitute grade school teacher, coffee addict, and wine lover.” She pauses, and then adds, “So, it seems my bestie and your bestie are going to bump uglies tonight.”
“And what about you, Cress? Do you bump uglies?”
She shakes her head side to side. “Ohh, no, I don’t bump uglies.” I deflate at hearing this but then she adds, “I’m more of a do the horizontal tango all night long kind of girl.” She takes a sip from her beer. “And what about you, Preston, who are you a knight for?”
“I’m a pediatric doctor at Western General, I guess I’m a knight to my patients. Well, I try to be anyway.” I lean into her, my lips hover near her ear, she smells amazing, “I’m eager to learn how to horizontal tango…with you.”
Pulling back, I gaze into her blue eyes, noting her breathing has become labored. She swallows deeply and stares intently back at me. That déjà vu feeling hits me again. Reaching up, I brush a tendril of dark blonde hair behind her ear. Running the tip of my finger along her jawline and down her neck, her skin breaks out in goosebumps, but our moment is interrupted by the ringing of her phone.
3
Cress
His stare, it feels like I’ve felt it on me before but that’s not possible, he and I are from two very different worlds. He’s a doctor, I’m a single mom and substitute school teacher, we never would have crossed paths before, trust me, I’d remember meeting a Channing Tatum look-alike like him. I’m just about to offer to teach him how to horizontal tango when my phone rings, it’s Mom’s ringtone. “I need to get this,” I tell him. Grabbing my phone from my purse, I swipe to answer, “Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, Cress. Sorry to bother you—”
“Mom, it's no bother, is Lexi okay?”
“Kinda sorta. I’m not sure.”
Her answer causes my eyes to pop wide open. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?” Panic sets in that I’m not there for Lexi. Instead, I’m in a bar with a sexy man. I’m a shitty mom.
“She’s running a temperature and she’s very lethargic, not Lexi like at all. I’m going to take her to the hospital.”
I can feel Preston staring at me, he seems concerned too. “There’s no need to take her to the hospital, Mom.”
“No need? That’s crazy, Cress. She needs to see a doctor.”
“I said there’s no need to get her to the hospital because I have the doctor. We’ll be there soon. Tell her Mommy is on her way.”
I don't wait for Mom to answer, I look to Preston. “We need to get to my mom’s, Lex isn’t well. I need you.”
“You need me, do you?” he playfully teases, but when he sees the worry etched on my face, he nods his head and stands up. “Okay, let’s go.”
He throws some bills onto the bar for our drinks. He places his hand low on my back and if I wasn’t worried about Lexi right now, my body would be thrumming from the ever so light contact with him. We exit the Fat Fox and head over to his car. It's a sleek, silver Aston Martin; it's the perfect car for the sexy doctor. He unlocks it and opens my door for me—such a gentleman—I climb in and admire the interior, and then I remember that Lexi is sick. I need to stop drooling over his car and focus on getting to Mom’s and my daughter.
Pulling my belt on, my leg tics and I bite my nail. Now that I’m thinking about Lexi, I’m anxious to get home to my munchkin. Preston starts the car but he doesn’t pull out immediately. He reaches over and pulls my hand away from my mouth and gently sque
ezes.
My eyes snap to his and he smiles. “She’s going to be fine, Cress. Now, what’s your mom’s address?”
Nodding my head, I tell him her address, he punches it into the navigation system and I stare out the window thinking about my little munchkin and what I’m going to find when I get home. When Ave left, I should have left too. I should be a better mom, I need to be there for Lexi. I’m all she’s got. Sure, Dickwad Dawson pops in every now and again, but I don’t think she really realizes who he is to her, even though she calls him ‘Daddy Creed,’ which totally pisses him off. Even though he left me, I will never hold him back from seeing his daughter. I keep hoping that one day he will become the father he promised to be before he left, but I think I have a bigger chance of shitting glitter than that ever happening.
We are stopped at a red light and I feel Preston’s hand on my thigh, I have no idea how long it's been there. I look down at his hand and then I look over to him. He’s staring at me, calm and cool, the complete opposite to how I look and feel right now. “How you doin, love?”
“Worried.”
“You need to stop, I know it's easier said than done but if it was super serious, I’m sure your mom would already be at the hospital with her. We will be there soon and then you can see for yourself that she’s okay.”
Nodding my head, I think over his words but I don’t say anything because right at this moment, I don’t know that everything is going to be okay. I don’t know anything. Until I see Lex for myself, I’ll continue to worry and fret.
