“Is it because I didn’t have the chance to thank you for the coffee?” Isabella hissed at James when the other interns split up for work.
He looked shocked. “Oh, do you want me to give you the surgery because I’m sleeping with you?”
“Of course not,” she said. “But you know I’m better qualified for it.”
“I do. But I also know that you wanted to be discreet. This is for your protection. I can’t always give you the best jobs.”
“Fine. By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?”
He wrung his hands. “Let’s talk later. You seem like you’re angry with me at the moment.”
She unclenched her jaw and took a deep breath. “I’m not angry, but I am running late. What is it?”
“Meet me in Dr. Jensen’s office at the end of the day. He’s at a conference, so we can talk.”
“Just tell me now,” she demanded.
“See you tonight,” he called to her, walking away.
He won that round. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of winning an argument, but she couldn’t help but to be curious about what he was going to say.
Luckily, her work assignment for the day didn’t take a lot of brainpower. While she ordered tests and poked and prodded patients, she thought of all the different possible things that he could talk to her about.
The most logical explanation was that he wanted to trick her into meeting up with him for sex. She wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea, so it would be a lot of work for nothing. She didn’t need a latte and a secret message to have sex with him. Isabella was easily convinced in that department.
The next logical explanation was that he was going to deliver some bad news and didn’t want her to be mad at him. Maybe he met a girl who actually wanted a relationship and he went for it. Isabella couldn’t blame him for something like that. This theory made sense, too, when she considered that he wouldn’t tell her anything until the end of the day.
The thought of James sleeping with another woman, loving another woman, made Isabella’s chest feel tight. She had no hold over him—not officially, anyway. She couldn’t possibly bar him from seeing another girl. She had come to look forward to their meet-ups when she would feel his soft caress and his urgent desire to be close to her. It felt good to be wanted. The things he did to her felt good, too, in an entirely different way.
If he was waiting until the end of the day to cut things off with her, Isabella formed a response plan. If he were ending their less-than-professional relationship, she’d seduce him one last time. No matter how she spun it, she’d be meeting up for some after-work sex.
When the other interns left for the day, Isabella made a beeline for the locker room. She undid her bun, letting her hair fall in loose curls down her back, and reapplied a light coat of makeup.
She found him sitting in the empty office, hastily scribbling notes into a chart.
“Okay, will you tell me what you wanted to talk about now?”
He jumped, then laughed, turning his chair toward the door.
“Shit, you scared me,” he said, noticeably on edge. “Sit down.” He gestured toward a leather chair.
She sat, crossing one leg over the other. He watched her foot bounce up and down for a few seconds. “Well?” she pressed.
“I, um, I’ve been thinking.” He fiddled with a pen. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you. The last few weeks in the on-call room and the exam rooms have really been incredible. I just don’t think we can carry on this way anymore.”
Her stomach sank. She figured this was coming but still didn’t know how to handle it. How could she work alongside James every day without wanting more from him?
“I guess it’s not technically a breakup if we were never really together,” she said. “I respect your decision. We should have ended this a long time ago.”
He raised his eyebrows toward his hairline. “No, I don’t think you understand.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, giving a soft, reassuring smile. “I’m an adult. I can handle it. I’m just curious, though. Did you meet someone?”
He shook his head, exasperated. “Listen,” he said slowly. “I’m not saying I want to spend less time with you. The opposite, in fact.”
Isabella opened her mouth to interject, but closed it immediately.
James took a deep breath and paused for a second. “Isabella, I want you to go on a date with me.”
“A date?”
“I can’t help but feel like there is more to this than just hot sex,” he said, smiling. “I don’t know if you feel anything, but I think it’s worth a shot.”
She grimaced. “I don’t know. I don’t really have time for a boyfriend.”
“It’s just a date,” he said quickly. “I’m not making you commit to anything. I just want to spend a night with you outside of work.”
She thought for a moment. There was no harm in going out on one date. She could use a little fun outside of work. However, she didn’t want to feel like she owed him anything.
“So?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” she responded. “I agree to one date with you. There are some minor conditions though.”
“Like?”
“This is just a date. I can’t be expected to enter into a serious relationship.”
“I can agree to that. Anything else?”
“Nothing expensive.”
He laughed. “We’ll see.”
“When is this happening?”
“This Saturday?”
“Okay, it’s a date,” she said, trying not to show her excitement.
She turned to leave the office, but she couldn’t help but to turn around and peek at James through the window. He had a massive smile on his face.
Isabella grinned. The man was easy to please.
Chapter Nine
The best part about agreeing to a date with James was that there was no awkwardness during the work day. As much as he wanted to give her all the good surgeries, he tried to be fair and distributed the good jobs and bad jobs in equal measure. Isabella could accept this, but she was still jealous when the other interns bragged about the cool stuff they did while she was changing catheters.
For the moment, Isabella and James had put their sexual adventures in the hospital on hold. The lack of sex was making Isabella long for the weekend. She tried to imagine his house and all the places they could do it. Having sex in a proper bed would be such a nice change for the pair.
On Friday night, James ran to catch up with Isabella as she walked to her car in the hospital parking lot.
“Hey,” he panted. “I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow night. Where do you live?”
She gave him her address and phone number. “It’s funny that we’ve been sleeping together and we never even exchanged numbers. Even one-night stands do it out of courtesy.”
James laughed. “Can I trust you to use this responsibly? I’m not going to be your booty call, am I?”
She rolled her eyes. “I should ask the same from you. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven. What are we doing?”
“That’s a surprise.”
Isabella didn’t like surprises. She liked to always be in control of the situation.
“Are there any foods that you will not eat?” he asked.
“Not really. Do you want me to choose a restaurant?”
“I’ve got it covered.”
“Can you at least tell me what to wear?”
“Something nice. Not too casual, but not super formal either. Does that help?”
“Hardly.”
“Do you want me to buy something for you to wear?”
“Absolutely not.”
“I’m sorry, I cannot divulge any more,” he said. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.”
When she got home, Isabella immediately tore through her closet looking for an outfit that matched his specifications. She tried on a variety of skirts and dresses and blouses, but
nothing looked quite right.
Where could he possibly be taking her? She hoped that it was somewhere private, where no one from the hospital would see them. She also hoped that wherever they went, they wouldn’t have to socialize with others. Isabella wasn’t in the mood to meet any of his family or friends.
Even though she specified that she didn’t want him to spend a lot of money on this date, she had a feeling that he ignored that request.
As a young doctor, she knew that he must have some money. However, she knew that he had money to begin with. No one else his age dressed the way he did or looked down upon interns scrambling to fill up on free food. No one bought expensive gifts for girls they hardly knew when they still had student loans to pay. Most surgeons didn’t spend frivolously until they were well into middle age.
She finally settled on a strappy floral dress with a deep neckline and a modest circle skirt. Isabella had worn it just once before for her mother’s wedding a few years back. That was one of her more enjoyable weddings, as Isabella was old enough to spend the reception completely wasted at the bar.
Isabella pulled it from the back of her closet and tried it on. It still fit perfectly. The dress showed the right amount of skin and accentuated the right features, but still left a little to the imagination. It was the perfect mix of classy and sexy. James would love it.
Isabella woke up late the next morning, hoping some extra sleep would improve the dark circles under her eyes. She felt well rested, but she was nervous. She didn’t go on dates very often and was worried about doing something stupid. James was always so charming and clever, and she worried that she would be too boring for him. After all, the novelty of dating a future surgeon wasn’t a big deal to other surgeons. She couldn’t impress him with all of her knowledge because he knew way more than she did.
That, and an impressive job title only ever worked out for guys. In her experience, girls liked guys with impressive jobs, but guys didn’t like when girls made a lot more than them.
She spent Saturday morning reading, but she was having a hard time staying focused. Isabella hardly ever got nervous, but for some reason, thinking about the date made her insides clench up.
Instead of spending the rest of the day studying, Isabella decided to treat herself to a trip to the salon. She found a place that did blow outs and shelled out the $50 to get her hair styled. The stylist set her hair into loose, beachy waves that cascaded past her breasts. Her nails, which were always chewed, were filed into smooth ovals and painted a soft pink, and her toenails were done to match. She left the salon a few hours later with an added boost of confidence. James found her attractive regardless, but the pampering helped to relax her nerves.
Isabella felt incredibly sexy when she pulled on her dress and applied her makeup. Her skin was already tanned, so she applied a lightly tinted moisturizer, a coat of mascara, and a berry colored lip stain. She stood back to admire her handiwork. It was a very rare occurrence when she looked this put together.
When James met her at her front door, he was stunned into silence.
“You look amazing. Honestly, you look incredible.”
“You have to say that,” she said, waving him off.
“I made reservations at a restaurant, but I’m not sure I want to go anymore,” he said, softly laying a hand on her hip.
She playfully slapped his hand away. “I’m hungry. We can do that later.”
Isabella was thankful that the drive took them far away from their part of town. It lessened the chance of being spotted by an intern or a surgeon dashing out for a quick bite to eat.
They pulled up to a restaurant just as the sun was setting. He opened the car door for her, then handed his keys to the valet.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to spend that much on me,” she scolded.
“You haven’t even seen a menu.”
“There’s a valet. I can put two and two together.”
He tried to defend himself. “I just really like the food here, and I thought you’d enjoy it too.”
She felt a little bad. He was trying really hard.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s great,” she said.
They were seated in a cozy corner of the dark restaurant. Isabella used the light from the candle on the table to read the menu. She balked at the prices. Even for her, it was pricy.
“What are you getting?” she asked him.
“I’m getting the surf and turf,” he answered, snapping his menu shut. “I figured we could split a bottle of wine. What do you like?”
“Whatever,” she said, not wanting to say that she drank whatever was cheap and got the job done.
James noted her hesitancy with the menu. “Order whatever you want. If it bothers you that much, you can pay for the second date.”
“What makes you think there’s going to be a second date?”
He didn’t answer, and instead, waved the waiter over to take their orders. When the wine arrived at the table, James poured her a full glass.
“Hey, are you trying to get me drunk?” she asked.
“I thought it would help take the edge off. You seem nervous.”
“So do you.”
In response, he poured himself an equally large glass. “To a night away from the hospital,” he toasted, clinking his glass with hers.
They both took a long pull.
“So, what do we talk about?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Ugh,” he crinkled his nose. “Things aren’t off to a good start if you have to ask for a conversation topic.”
“I don’t do this very often,” she said quickly.
“Really?” he said sarcastically. “I would have never guessed.”
“If you’re so popular,” she returned, “how many dates have you been on in the past year?”
He paused for a moment, silently counting. “Two. Three, if you count a double date.”
Isabella was surprised. For a man who was so handsome and confident, she figured he went on dates fairly regularly.
She took another drink. “I thought that number would be higher.”
“I’m not exactly boyfriend material to a lot of women. I work a lot of hours, and I’m not home a lot. At this rate, I’ll only be busier in a few years. I won’t have a ton of time to take care of kids, nor will I be available for hosting parties or attending benefits. My career comes first, and not a lot of women are okay with that. I understand that they want more out of a partner, but I can’t give that to them.”
“I have a similar problem,” she added. “Except no one wants to date me in the first place because my high-powered career will overshadow theirs.”
“Maybe we have a lot more in common than you think,” he said, taking a sip.
The wine had kicked in, and the two of them had loosened up since they first sat down. They ate their expensive seafood dinners, laughing and having a good time. It was fun spending time with James outside of work. At the hospital, there were always too many people around. At the restaurant, they ate together and didn’t have to worry about who was listening.
It was impossible to not talk about work, but it was fascinating for Isabella to hear stories about the doctors that she revered. She never would have imagined that Dr. Jensen went to medieval festivals in his free time, but it made so much sense when James told her about it. After much prying, she even got him to rank the interns in order of knowledge and ability. It was no surprise that she came first, because she was the best, but also because he was trying to impress her on their date.
After they ate, despite her protestations, he ordered the restaurant’s signature chocolate lava cake. He was really going all out for the date.
“Do you always eat like this?” she asked, licking chocolate sauce from her lips.
“Never,” he said, taking a bite. “I eat a lot of cafeteria food, so this is a special treat. Did you like it?”
She nodded. “You’re going to have to roll me out the door,” she joked.
>
When the bill came, he looked at it, purposefully emotionless. He quickly pulled out his credit card and returned it to the waiter.
“How much was it?” Isabella asked, finishing off the wine.
“Oh, I don’t remember.” He feigned ignorance.
“I don’t want you thinking that I owe you sex after that major expense,” she said half-jokingly.
He looked her in the eye. “You don’t owe me anything,” he said earnestly. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
“I had fun, too,” she said.
They walked out to the car, and to his total surprise, she slipped her hand into his.
Before he started the car, he turned to face Isabella in her seat.
“I had a really nice time with you tonight.”
“Me too.”
He paused, trying to carefully choose his words. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you want, you can come back to my place. But I completely understand if you’d like me to take you home instead,” he added quickly. “You can have a drink at my place, and then I can take you back home.”
She grinned. It was funny seeing him all serious. “I’d like to see your place. I’ve always wondered how you live when you’re not at work.”
He started the car. “Then let’s find out.”
Chapter Ten
James’s house wasn’t as big as Isabella imagined it to be, but the inside was more decked out than she could even imagine. He had a massive big screen TV mounted on the wall in his living room, and a plush sectional couch that hardly looked used but probably cost a fortune. His kitchen had state-of-the-art appliances and cookware. The office was wall-to-wall bookshelves with a seating area with leather furniture by the fireplace. Isabella imagined that he smoked expensive cigars here with his old college roommates. It was a bachelor pad through and through.
He took her back to the kitchen and made her a cocktail. She sipped it as he cracked open a craft beer.
“Do you want to go outside?” he asked.
Forbidden Prescription: A Stepbrother Romance Page 6
