by Sandra Marie
“I’m not, like, ‘dating around’ to have fun or whatever. I’m looking for someone I met at the Halloween party. He was… we just…” She let her words disappear, nothing worthy enough a description. Andrew smiled, though, like he knew exactly what she meant.
“And you don’t know who he is?” He shifted in his seat, moving closer. “How in the world does that happen?”
“Mask.”
“Just ask who was wearing whatever costume he was in.”
She blew out a sigh. “I thought about that, really. But… Okay, so here’s the thing, his mask came off at one point.”
Andrew’s brow wrinkled. “And you don’t know who he is… how?”
“I’m pretty blind without these.” She jabbed her glasses. “Which were conveniently not on my face.”
“And you’re embarrassed to ask around because he’ll find out you never knew who he was, right?”
“I’ll take Things Cassidy is Afraid Of for two-hundred, Alec.”
Andrew chuckled, leaning back as their food was set in front them. Cassidy dug in, letting the food calm the remaining nerves inside of her.
“I take it you’ve been SOL since you’re here with me.”
“And apparently I’ve become the office floozy.” The next guy she asked out would probably expect some sort of pay off. A wave of relief hit her that Andrew wasn’t expecting any such thing. She still hadn’t gotten the image of her parents on her bed out of her head long enough to even get into the sexy mood.
“You like this guy, yeah?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Enough to ask people you barely know out.”
“Yeah…” She stopped eating, the food in her belly suddenly not sitting so well.
“Maybe find that same courage to just… be upfront about it before asking them out.”
She’d been tempted so many times to blurt the question out at any passing man in the office. Besides the docs, there weren’t many around; she’d thought narrowing down her choices would’ve been easy as pie, but the longer time went on, the more she mistrusted her memory.
“Maybe he was a figment of my imagination.”
“Well, how drunk were you?”
They both laughed, and Cassidy found her appetite again. He was right; she was sick of these disappointing dates. All she wanted was another night with Westley. Another fifty nights. She wanted to sit on her couch with her feet kicked up over his legs while she forced him to watch Marvel movie after Marvel movie. She wanted to finally feel like herself with a guy because he actually liked that person. Her shoulders slumped a little, knowing she’d have to get bold enough to admit to him that hey, she had no clue who he was during their night together, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about him every dang second afterward.
Well, she’d have a whole week of boring coding classes to dig up that bravery.
“You should find some courage, too,” she said. Andrew’s fork paused halfway to his mouth. “Tell your guy what you want.”
He gave her a thoughtful look that lasted maybe a second before tilting his head. “Touché, Cass.” Then they both had a great dinner, even if it wasn’t a love connection.
Jon whistled as he waited at the hotel front desk, the concierge grinning as she recognized the tune. He’d started a Disney binge the night before, starting with the first—Snow White—and the song had been stuck in his head since.
“Okay, Dr. Bateman,” she said, her nails clacking against the marble countertop as she slid two keycards toward him, “you’re all set in one of our newly renovated luxury business suites in the North Tower.”
“Quite the mouthful of a room,” he joked. She didn’t seem amused.
“Take the first left,” she continued, gesturing with her entire hand. Obviously, she’d been trained not to point. “The elevators will be on your right. To get to your floor, wave your room key over the panel.”
“Fancy.”
She forced a smile through the annoyance showing in her overly done-up eyes. “Only the best for the doctors.”
Jon grabbed the handle on his duffel and slung it over his shoulder. Either she hated doctors, or she was having an off day, and he wasn’t going to sweat it, especially if he had an entire week of staying at the place.
The hotel was clean and sparkling, the lights reflecting off each and every creamy surface as he made his way to the elevators—not exactly the scene at hotels he was used to. He was an under-sixty-bucks-a-night kinda guy whenever he did the vacation thing.
A bar and lounge was set off to his right, decorated with all sorts of Halloween props. Glittery spiderwebs wove in and out of the checkered wood paneling above the lounge area. Black and orange bulbs lit up behind the bar, and the scariest mechanical clown he’d ever scene guarded the beer taps. He assumed that’d be the place to be after a long day of seminars and lectures. He wasn’t a huge fan of crowds, but in the back of his mind, he wondered if the setting might make Cassidy nostalgic, and he’d get another shot with her.
He slammed his eyes shut and shook his head. He couldn’t keep going back to her when she clearly wasn’t ready for what he wanted. Word around the office was that she dated someone new almost nightly, and it wasn’t like he could blame her; she was young and beautiful, probably living it up like everyone else in their twenties. Jon had skipped that period of his life for homework and residency.
But man had she mixed a cocktail of gorgeous imagery in his mind of futures and families and things that should not be there after only one night.
He waved the keycard over the panel on the elevator a few times like an idiot before a beep sounded overhead, and the doors eased shut.
“Hold it!” a familiar voice shouted from the lobby. Jon shot his hand and foot in the way, smiling as a rushed-looking Nat slipped inside. “Fancy seeing you here,” she joked, breathless and adjusting her Thomas Rhett concert t-shirt. It was odd seeing the midwife out of her usual scrubs and lab coat.
“They put you up in one of the suites, too?” he asked, his voice cut off by her derisive snort. She leaned over him and pushed the button for the fourth floor.
“As much as I’d like to think there’s equality among MDs and CNMs, it’s about as big of a joke as gender equality in Hollywood.”
“That so?” He tucked his thumb into the strap of his duffel and casually leaned against the railing. “I think that cappuccino machine in the midwife office begs to differ.”
“Oh, boo hoo, you have to ask your nurse to get you fancy coffee when the craving strikes.”
“If I asked Rebecca that mid-shift, you better believe it’d be met with a laugh and sarcastic comment.”
The corner of her lip perked up, and her eyes drifted to the floors as the elevator climbed. They just passed three.
“Just so you know… since you’re new at this… the providers usually take the girls out for dinner the first night. You good with that?”
The doors dinged open. “Good with me,” he said, trying with all his might to squelch the excitement that rose up in him at the prospect of spending another evening with Cassidy. “You got a place in mind?”
“Yep.” A tease glinted in her eyes, but her lips stayed pressed together.
He slumped against the back wall of the elevator. “Expensive?”
“What’s money to a successful OB?”
“It’s on record that you think I’m successful.”
She let out a laugh and tossed a wave over her shoulder. “Meet you in the lobby at six.”
The doors slid shut, and the elevator pulled him farther upward to floor twelve. If he made it through the week without getting vertigo, it’d be a miracle.
He snorted. First world “doctor” problems, he supposed.
The moment he opened his suite, he let out a whistle and dropped his grungy duffel to the floor. I did not pack right for this, he thought, taking an eager step inside to find the bedroom. A king bed sat on top of a deep chocolate colored rug, the pillows taking up hal
f the space. He dove immediately for the welcome mint.
The suite was way too big for him, especially since he’d be in classes most of the day and at the bar after that, hoping for some face time with a certain Marvel enthusiast. He grabbed at the remote on the nightstand and clicked on the TV, flicking to the movies. There had to be some Marvel options; would it be completely inappropriate to watch a few with her?
Sweat clammed up his palm, and he threw the remote across the bed.
“No,” he said aloud. “What in the world are you thinking, Jon?” There were horror stories everywhere about men in authority positions taking advantage of the women in their fields. He refused to join the ranks of those disgusting creatures.
His fingers ran through his hair and weaved together at the back of his head. He blew out a long breath at the ceiling and gave himself the “speech.”
This was a business trip. He was there with colleagues, not on a quest to catch the one that got away. No matter how many times he was in Cassidy’s company, he would remain professional. He had to.
Yes, he could do this, no problem. It wasn’t like she was constantly thinking about their night together. He’d built it up to be some kind of written-in-the-stars kind of evening when it was probably just another fling, just another kiss, just another guy.
An ache arched through his chest, and he clutched his t-shirt and took another calming breath. He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the dating app Thomas was raving about and started swiping yes, even when he wasn’t really interested.
***
After a restless nap and changing through every shirt that he’d packed—twice—Jon headed down to the lobby at five-to. He shook his hands out, wriggling his fingers and furrowing his brow. Were these even his hands? Did he keep them to his sides? In his pockets? He jammed them in, but that didn’t seem right.
He could hold his phone while waiting. He fumbled for it and mindlessly scrolled through his notifications. Three matches so far this afternoon. Maybe he was a better catch when he wasn’t being so picky.
“She’s cute.”
The phone slipped through his fingers and crashed to the tiled floor. Jon turned to Cassidy as her face formed into the most adorable “oh shit” expression he’d ever seen.
“Crap… did it survive?” She bent for his phone, Jon still too mesmerized by her to move yet. He stood like a buffoon, and she retrieved his phone, her lips turning down in the corners, her brows tilted up. “Please say that crack was already there.”
He looked at the screen in her delicate hand, splinters running jagged from the bottom corner. He groaned, taking it from her, ignoring the fact that her fingers touched his for the shortest of seconds, and turned the phone off.
“I’m so sorry, oh my gosh. Can I pay for it? How much is a new one? Is it under warranty? I shouldn’t have been reading over your shoulder… What an idiot… None of my business… Sweet cheeses, I need a lesson in etiquette.”
He pressed his lips together. He was not going to fall in love with her, even though it was far too easy to love her sudden self-scolding, far too easy to love the wrinkles above her nose when she edited her cursing, far too easy to love the temporary Avengers tattoo on her wrist and the permanent mustache tattoo on her forefinger.
He was not going to do it. He would not flirt back, even if the comment was on the tip of his tongue. He would not play into this, blame her for the mishap, tell her she had to take him to get a new one now, spend an hour at the cell phone place only to end up paying for it and for dinner in the end.
He wasn’t going to, but man did that option put up a fight.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, smiling as professionally as he could. How did one smile professionally? His lips felt funny, like he was suddenly under a year old and not sure how his face worked. Cassidy quirked her head at his expression, her brows pulling slightly inward.
“You sure… I can take it to the store or something, get it swapped out…”
Did she know what she was doing to him? “Promise, it’s all good.” He shoved his phone into his pocket, keeping his shaking hand in there with it. “So…”
“So…”
“You been to this conference before?”
She made a face. “Unfortunately.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“I’m not sure about some of the doc classes, but the billing coding ones are pretty close to torture.”
His shoulders relaxed, his body naturally easing toward her. “Coding anything sounds like torture.”
She gasped and brought a hand her to chest. “You take that back, sir.”
“I stand by my statement.”
That gorgeous smile of hers enveloped her face, the small gap between her two front teeth making an appearance. He cut his gaze to just over her shoulder where the elevators emptied into the lobby. It was past six now. Where was everyone? He needed buffers.
“They’re never on time,” Cassidy said, following his gaze. “I knew when they said six, they meant six-thirty.”
“Coulda filled me in on that,” he teased, then held his breath, hoping that his friendliness would not be misconstrued as flirting.
She rolled her eyes back to him. “Honestly, I was surprised to see you here already. Docs run on different times than the rest of the world.”
“Good point. I think I need a new watch. I’m the first one there in provider meetings.”
She looked at him head on, her big brown eyes widening playfully behind her chunky glasses. “Please don’t ever change. The world needs more punctual doctors.”
He was going to need a defibrillator. His heart was no longer functioning properly, and his breathing shallowed enough to make him check the area so he didn’t hit his head when he inevitably passed out. She had no control over her charm, and it was going to kill him by the weekend.
He took a long, deep breath and let the wave of relief hit as he saw Nat and Rebecca round the corner. They were chatting loudly about their husbands at home with the kids, who were apparently texting them with simple questions like, “Do they eat?” and “When can they go to bed?” Jon quirked a grin at the thought of hopefully being at that point in a few years; he was going to be a champion diaper changer.
“Hey, Bateman,” his nurse greeted him, sidling between him and Cassidy. “You have any idea what you’re in for tonight?”
His brow rose. “Should I be scared?” It was only dinner, as far as he knew.
The ladies all shared a look and a laugh. Nat shook her head and shoved her arms through her jacket sleeves. “Oh, they are gonna eat him alive.”
Cassidy shifted her weight, flinging her hair over her shoulder. “Does he not know where we’re headed?”
Nat and Rebecca grinned devilishly. It’d better not be Magic Mike’s or something. Wasn’t this supposed to be a professional setting?
Cassidy let out a laugh that warmed his soul, and he caught eyes with her. “Gosh, your face,” she said. “You look terrified.”
“I know what those two are capable of in terms of hazing the new guy.” He jutted a thumb at Nat and Rebecca, who shrugged innocently.
“It’ll be fun,” Rebecca promised, yanking out some lip stuff from her purse. A few seconds later, Julie joined them, and they headed outside. Being surrounded by four gorgeous women was enough to boost his ego as they walked down the sidewalk, but hell, he couldn’t help but wish it was only Cassidy so they could chat and laugh about the Halloween party. His gaze kept drifting over to her in the setting sunlight. Her demeanor was so… nonchalant, like they hadn’t had their tongues down each other’s throats a little over a week ago.
He quickly pulled his eyes away before they fell to her mouth and his thoughts went haywire.
“Well, here we are!” Rebecca announced a few blocks later, her arms spread almost as wide as her smile as she showed off their destination. Jon could feel each set of eyes on him as he took in the flashing lights and entertainment at the door.
“Drag This Way,” he read with a half grin to hide the knot of nerves jumbling in his stomach. A large poster with a Drag Queen Lady Gaga hung from a lit up frame on the right of the front doors. He felt an arm loop through his on the left; Nat pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh.
“They have the best pasta primavera.”
“I’m sure.”
Another touch came on his right, this one more tentative and softer, and it caused a ruckus in his stomach that he knew turned his face the brightest shade of red. Cassidy’s timid smile met him, her arm warm and gentle looped through his, and he could think of nothing more perfect fitting there.
“Fair warning, Doctor…” she said with a laugh. “They’re gonna be all over you.”
Cassidy couldn’t believe her loose tongue, and she hadn’t even had a drink yet. Yes, Dr. Bateman was attractive; every girl who’d laid eyes on him would think so. Those drag queens would see him and pounce. But implying—right to his frickin’ face—that he was pretty much Captain Kirk reincarnate was a little bold. Almost as bold as taking his arm and dragging him into the drag show alongside the rest of the OB girls.
Drag This Way was the best part of the conference week, not that it had much to contend with. Last year Dr. O’Neal ended up on stage with The Little Mervary and sang “Kiss the Guuuurl.” Cassidy had to rush with her hand between her thighs to make it to the bathroom.
A Queen decked out in Elvira glam and glitz stopped at their Halloween themed table, winking at Dr. Bateman as she sidled up next to him. “Fabulous evening, isn’t it girls? How lucky are you to be out with this tall glass of water?”
Blush spread across the doctor’s neck, and Cassidy snorted into her drink. Dr. Bateman side-eyed her playfully, and a jolt of familiarity shot through her. Had his eyes always been green? She could’ve sworn they were brown just the other day.
“Eh, he ain’t that great,” teased Nat, probably the only person at the table who could because they were “equals.” Cassidy still had trouble navigating the boss/employee line, since technically she worked for him, but he wasn’t her boss exactly. But she was like that with all the providers, to be honest. They had the authority air about them that just intimidated the crap out of her.
