by Katy Connor
I walked over to their big table where, of course, Bridgett was sitting next to Alex. I always thought she was nice enough, but right then, I wanted to rip her face off and feed it to a feral, rabid dog.
One thing to know about ortho surgeons, they were like the jocks of the medical profession—usually big guys in great shape, a lot of them former athletes themselves. Gabs and I often referred to them as the frat boys of the hospital.
Alex was nothing like that, but the rest of those boys sure were.
“Hey guys,” I said with a half wave. “How’s everything?”
“Well, hello there,” said one of the surgeons, patting his lap. “Have a seat.”
“We don’t usually get you over here, Jen,” said another surgeon. “I like it. Being available is a good look on you.”
Alex gave them a withering look that told them to shut it.
“Jenny,” he said.
“Alex,” I said.
Then Bridgett draped her arm around his shoulder. “We are just having the best time! I’m so enjoying getting to know you,” she said, staring big heart-eyes. “All of you.”
Holy shiitake, has Alex hooked up with Bridgett?
Gabby was right as usual: coming over here was a big mistake. I was such an idiot.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered to my shoes. I threw out a “see you later” and speed-walked to the ladies’ room. I thought I heard him call out, but the bar was so loud, I couldn’t be sure.
Thank goodness there wasn’t anyone else in there. I bent over the basin and splashed cold water on my face. I ripped a paper towel out of the holder and wiped under my eyes, glancing at the mirror.
“You don’t care what Alex Petrinov does,” I said to my reflection. “Remember that, Jenny.”
“You do care—and so do I.”
Of course, there was Alex, standing by the bathroom entrance, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb. He was wearing black jeans with a charcoal gray, buttoned-down shirt.
He looked amazing. I almost hated him.
“What are you doing in here?” I scowled.
He folded his arms across his broad chest.
“Geez, did you get even more buff over the years?” I mumbled.
He smiled.
“Oh crap, I said that out loud, didn’t I?” I asked.
“Yes, you sure did,” Alex said, the corner of his lip twitching.
Another woman came in. “Excuse me,” she said to Alex, followed by batting her lashes and a hair flip. I looked skyward, shaking my head—and that’s when the alcohol really hit.
“Oooh boy, that’s a ship not ready to leave port,” I said, holding onto the sink.
“You all right?” he said, reaching out, but I shimmied past him, into the hall.
“I’m fine. I’ve got this.”
I then proceeded to trip over my own feet, right into the wall in front of me.
“You’re like a newborn colt on legs for the first time,” he said, steadying me by my waist, his hands spanning the expanse of my ribcage. “You all right?”
“I’m okay,” I said, a bit slurred. “Wow, two drinks on an empty stomach. Good self-care there, doc.”
“Finally. Something we both agree on,” he muttered.
“Look, you played the nice guy last weekend. I get it, all right? Don’t worry about me.”
“Got it all figured out? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” he asked without really asking. Then his hand wrapped around my upper arm and guided me into an empty office toward the back of the restaurant.
“Are you serious right now?” I said, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. “I am not staying in here with you.”
“C’mon, Jenny. Stop running from me…from us,” he said, letting go of my arm.
“You’re the one who’s been running from me these days,” I said, trying not to slur my words. “And it seems you have your choice in the HR department—either Ashley or Bridgett. Maybe they’ll do you at the same time. Or maybe you’ve picked one already?”
I didn’t even wait for his response.
“Because if so, that’s just great. Go ahead and fall in love with Miss Cream Cheese. She’s nice enough, but have you noticed she’s always smiling? Who does that? She even smiles when she’s pissed, and the only reason why I know that is because her left eyelid gets all wonky and twitches up a storm. So, go ahead and marry Ashley or Bridgett and have a bunch of Alex babies running around the hospital. They’re probably going to have ‘A’ names too, like Allison and Albert and Annie and—”
“You’re infuriating, you know that, don’t you?” he said, not giving me a chance to answer. Instead, he kissed me. He tasted like whiskey and lemon, and if I wasn’t drunk before, I was now. “Did you ever think I was giving you space, so I didn’t scare you off like last time?”
My head was spinning from being this close to him. “Gabby said the same thing.”
He pulled at the ends of his hair. “You hear, but do you ever listen?”
“In case you haven’t figured out yet, I’m stellar at medicine, but really bad at the whole relationship thingy.”
“Yeah, I’ve realized that,” he said, his eyes scoring right through me.
I ran my hand down his length, lowering his zipper. “Have I told you how much I love that you go commando?”
“Not exactly,” he said, sucking in a harsh breath. “It’s hard to think about anything when you’re playing with my cock.”
I didn’t want to talk anymore, to think about how badly I had handled this beautiful man. I wanted us both to forget.
“Oh really?” I drew out. “Then you’re going to go totally blank when I do this.”
I pulled down his pants and got on my knees, wrapping my lips around him. I moaned because I loved the taste of him and I really dug watching his eyes roll back. I ran my tongue around and along his shaft, following the ridges.
“Ah hell, that’s so good,” he groaned, threading his fingers through my hair, tugging as I sucked and stroked him faster.
I released him briefly. “Widen your legs. I want to play with all of you.”
“Whatever you say, Dr. Price,” he said.
Then I put my mouth back on him while reaching to stroke his balls. His thighs tensed, and his breathing became labored.
“Your mouth feels like heaven.”
“Mmhm,” I moaned, humming around him.
He gripped the edge of the desk behind him, his knuckles turning white.
“Ah, fuck,” he said. “Stop, Jenny. I want to come inside you, not in your mouth.”
He sat on the desk and pulled me up off my knees.
“Take off your panties,” he said, his voice low.
I shimmied them down and stepped out of them, tucking them into the pocket of his pants. “A little present,” I told him, wondering what had come over me. But I couldn’t bring myself to care. I wanted him too much.
“I like that present. Now give me another one and sit on my cock,” he said.
I didn’t even hesitate. He hoisted me from under my arms, my hands on his shoulders, and my knees on either side of his hips.
“Now, give me that pussy. It belongs to me,” he said, as I lowered myself onto him.
I moaned as he stretched me.
“There it is,” he said. “Now, ride me. Ride the fuck out of me.”
Holding onto his shoulders, I gyrated my hips. It was a snug fit, but it was also like a lost puzzle piece finally fitting back into place.
I was already whimpering, feeling something in the center of my chest explode and ache with emotions I couldn’t even begin to identify.
And that scared the hell out of me.
“No, don’t you dare freeze up on me,” he growled. He grasped around my waist and flipped us so I was laying back on the desk.
“It’s too much,” I said. “You’re so…”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It is too much, but we need it. I need you, Jenny.”
Then he p
ummeled into me, his length moving inside me in the most perfect way, hitting this deep spot that was bringing me closer to release. Alex was panting as I tightened my legs, clenching around him.
“Ah, that’s it,” he said, his gaze scoring into me as deep as his cock.
I reached down, my fingers finding my center. I started rubbing in time with his thrusts. Pleasure snaked up, my orgasm building in time with Alex’s.
“I-I…” I was trying to say.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
“It’s too much. I can’t…I—”
“Me too,” he said. “It’s the same for me.”
I closed my eyes as I came, with him following right behind.
We were an explosion of stardust and electric magic.
I shuddered, a haze of velvet surrounding my body. He rested his head in the crook of my neck, and I could feel him smiling along my skin.
“It’s only ever been you,” I admitted on a whisper.
“I know,” he said, moving his head while holding me tight. “Open your eyes, gorgeous,” he said in a gentle command.
I opened.
“The most beautiful woman in the world,” he said.
“Alex,” I breathed.
“No one comes close to you,” he whispered while kissing the tip of my nose.
My throat tightened. I was falling for him all over again.
Then I heard someone trying the handle, and my whole frame jerked.
“Who the heck is that?” I whispered.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Someone started knocking. I froze.
“Maybe if we’re quiet, they’ll go away,” he said, keeping his voice low.
Another round of knocks followed.
“Hey, are you in there, honey bear?”
It was Bridgett.
“Honey bear?” I said, my head starting to spin. And not from too much alcohol.
“I don’t know why she’s calling me that,” he said, his tone dead serious.
I didn’t care. I shimmied my body out from under his and pulled down my skirt.
“What are you doing?” he asked, but I just glared at him.
“C’mon, A-Man,” she said, her speech slurred on the other side, as she knocked on the door again. Loudly. “My lady parts need to rub against your man parts.”
Fury scorched through my veins as his release ran down my leg.
Well, isn’t that just fabulous and classy AF.
“I can’t believe I fell for this,” I muttered. “Revenge sex. That’s all this is to you. Isn’t it?”
He stared. “You’re actually listening to her?” he said, tucking himself back into his pants and re-fastening his belt.
“Why else would she feel comfortable enough to say such things?”
“Jenny, c’mon…take a second to breathe and think for once in your life. Don’t just react,” he said through a growl. “I barely know the woman!”
She started knocking on the door again.
“Dr. Aaaalex, c’mon out and playyyy!”
I unlocked it, turned the knob, and opened the door wide.
Even though she was holding onto the doorjamb with one hand, Bridgett still swayed in place. “Oh wow, hi…uh, Dr. Price. What brings you here? Have you seen Dr. Petrinov?”
“Take him. He’s yours,” I said to her, then turned toward him. “Don’t ever come near me again.”
Chapter Eleven
JENNY
The first thing I thought when I woke up the next morning: Alex is gone. It is really and truly over for good. I was going to throw up, but I was already empty.
“Oh good. You’re up.”
I tried opening my mouth to talk. “I think…yeah, I’m sure…something crawled inside my mouth and died. Then it mated with something furry and had stink babies. So, if you’re smart, don’t come any closer.”
Gabby was standing over me with a tall glass of water and some pills, I assumed for my headache.
“Morning, sunshine,” she said, handing over the aspirin. I took them without question, with my eyes mostly closed.
“Wow, you really can’t handle alcohol,” she said, shaking her head. “You just had two drinks last night.” She went over to the windows and opened the blinds.
“Dear God, why do you hate me? My eyes, my eyes!”
She chuckled. “You’ll live. Are you up for some food?”
I hid my head under the comforter.
“I’ll take that as a ‘no,’” she said.
“Good call,” I said, muffled.
She sat next to my bed lump. “Do you remember anything from last night?”
My eyes peeked over. “Sort of?”
“All right, what do you remember?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “Maybe something about a dark lord and a ring and the end of the world?”
“Are you paraphrasing The Lord of the Rings?”
I tightened the covers. “Maybe?”
“Jenny, there’s no need for you to hide under there. I already know you’re a big nerd.”
“I’m also not coming out because I have breath so bad it could be weaponized,” I said.
“All right, well, I’m going to go in your kitchen and make us some food. Feel free to use that time to brush your teeth and do whatever it is that you do to become less, I don’t know, Gollum-like.”
When she left, I rolled out of bed, making my way to the bathroom. Then I made a bigger mistake—I glanced in the mirror.
“Dear God, why…why would you let me see this?” I said as I brushed my teeth and started the shower. Once the temperature was just right, I took off everything and immersed myself in the water. As I started to wash, I noticed something between my legs.
A beautiful, dull ache. The kind you get from riding a ten-inch cock. Oh, and two silver dollar–sized bruises, one on each knee.
“Yeah, that’s classy,” I said, shaking my head.
As I washed and rinsed, flashes of last night came back to me.
Taking him into my mouth.
The way he drove into me on top of that desk.
And then, Bridgett’s face.
I got out of the shower, dried off, and threw on some jeans and my favorite Death Cab for Cutie T-shirt, made soft from wearing it so much through the years.
“Comfortable clothes…now I need some comfort food.”
I dragged myself into the kitchen, where Gabby was already making coffee and a full breakfast. She came from a long line of proud Southern cooks and, occasionally, if I was good, she would share her gift with me.
“Am I smelling your famous grits and bacon?”
“You know it’s true,” she said, stirring in a slow, continuous motion.
I sat on the stool by my breakfast bar.
“Thanks for staying over and making sure I was okay,” I said. She just smiled and put a plate of food in front of me.
“Oh please, it’s the least I can do,” she said, spooning sugar into her coffee. “Besides, you need all the help you can get, to make up for last night.”
My head reared back. “What are you talking about?”
She eyed me over her coffee cup. “Really? That’s how you want to play it?”
“I guess so, since I sincerely don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She gave me a look. “You totally freaked on Alex last night.”
“Are you sniffing glue right now? I had good reason to freak on him! He’s hooked up with Bridgett…probably Trashley too,” I said, shoving some grits in my mouth.
Gabby laughed. “Tell me you’re joking with me. And also—aren’t you usually the one defending her, yelling at me not to slut shame?”
Now I was genuinely ticked off. “Whose side are you on?”
She cocked her head. “C’mon, you do realize Bridgett was drunk last night.”
“So?” I said, shoving two slices of bacon into my mouth at once.
“So, that man is crazy about you. He gets thi
s dopey look on his face any time you two are in the same room together.”
I shoved more food into my mouth and shrugged.
She stared. “You’re scared.”
I swallowed. “Ha ha, very funny.”
“I’m being totally serious right now,” she said. “I somewhat get you running from him when you were younger, but now? It doesn’t make any sense.”
I got up from the breakfast bar and went to my cupboards. “I need my vitamins. Have you seen them?”
She slid my vitamin bottle next to my plate, then went to my fridge and took out the orange juice, pouring a glass. “Here, take it with this. You need to rehydrate. And don’t change the subject. Talk to me.”
I took them with the juice. “I appreciate all the TLC this morning, Gabs, but you’re way off on this one.”
“Really? Well, then…okay, my bad,” she said, palms up.
“Glad we agree,” I said before finishing the juice. Between the food and the coffee and everything, I was feeling better. “Hey, thanks for taking such good care of me. You really are the best friend ever.”
She smiled. “Not a problem, Jen-Jen,” she said before checking the time on her phone. “I’ve got to go. You all right now?”
“Wait a second, what happened with you and Darius last night? And why are you in such a rush to leave?”
“Nothing happened. You ran out the back of the bar like your skirt was on fire. I had Darius drive us here and I stayed over to make sure you didn’t choke on your own vomit or some fucked-up shit like that. Anyway, he just texted me that’s he’s almost here.”
I blinked, trying to process everything she said. My brain was definitely not running on all eight cylinders yet. “Why is he coming here?”
She shook her head. “Good thing you’re pretty. Jen, he’s taking me back to my car. You know I hate leaving my baby by herself.”
Her “baby” was a Jaguar F-TYPE R. For all my frugality, Gabrielle was all about living large. Then we spotted Darius driving down my street.
“Holy mother of pearl, that’s a 1969 Mustang Boss 429. I must have been too drunk to notice last night,” she said.
I shrugged. “If you say so.” I didn’t know the first thing about cars. Nor did I care. What I did know is that he looked really good in it, especially with his mirrored Ray-Ban shades and beaming smile.
