I snorted a little in amusement, but Carl was clearly miffed about the situation.
"She can't see he's using her, and it's infuriating."
"I know I'm bias, but I can't think anyone is dumb enough to date my dad and not see him for the green monster he is. I mean, it's one thing if the woman wants to spend on him, but... ugh. Just ugh." Shaking my head at my own words, I scrunched up my nose in disgust. "My dad really let himself go. I get it. He's fifty-nine in October, but..."
"Yeah. That's my only saving grace is that this guy is around the same age as my mom. I don't know what I would do if she was dating someone my age."
A bark of uncomfortable laughter escaped me at the notion of my dad doing exactly that— dating some insipid woman my age, and goosebumps swept down my back. "My mom was married to her second husband longer than she'd even known the first. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I think she got married the first time because her own parents made her. They divorced amicably when I was two, and then my mom married her second husband, and they had Laurie when I was almost eleven. He died of heart issues right before I graduated medical school. My sister was devastated. I didn't invest in the guy much, but he was her idol. They definitely had a better relationship than her and my mom."
"I don't know if my mom was going to divorce my dad when he cheated on her the second time, but she was going to cut him out of her will. She died before she could, though, so he got a little of her money and blew through it in a year." Our topics were so personal, but I felt so comfortable sharing with Carl. He'd been through the same thing, almost, just in reverse. Shrugging lightly as I took another bite of my taco, I glanced over as he wiped his mouth to frown at his empty taco boat.
"It's stressing me out like crazy."
My lips twitched in sympathies, and he inhaled a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair to sigh heavily. He was so handsome, and I sucked in my cheeks as I scanned him over the curved edge of my hard shell. He didn't have any tattoos, and he obviously kept himself very well.
"I'm gonna get more tacos. Do you want any more, Mel?"
"Oh, no, I'm good. Thank you, though."
Chapter 13
Carl
"Hey, Mandy." Mandy's blonde head popped up, and a huge smile stretched her lips as relief slumped her shoulders. "Today is going to be a great day. I can feel it."
"You're back! I was terrified I'd get sent back to the ER, Carl. What happened with HR?" Swiveling around as I leaned on the door frame, I waved a hand in dismissal, and Mandy's smile widened even more. "You're in the clear?"
"Yes, and Eva was transferred out to Boston. According to HR, she left on Saturday. I'm guessing they gave her an ultimatum to run away as fast as she could before they dug deeper into my allegations. She transferred, they closed the case and don't have to deal with the fallout." Honestly, I knew that Eva would get off light, but that didn't mean it didn't bother me. If the roles were reversed, I'd be in jail, my credentials gone, my whole life wasted... but because she was a woman, it wasn't as serious to sexually assault someone? I wasn't sure, and I sure as shit wasn't going to dwell on it.
Eva was gone, and I was grateful for that.
"I'm sorry it's like that, but at least she's not here. Plus, Boston isn't like this sleepy town. I bet she's spent so long not being a real pediatrician that she'll get fired for negligence eventually, or she'll be so miserable actually doing her job that she'll quit."
Nodding firmly, I frowned when Mandy's blue eyes narrowed on me quizzically.
"Are you gonna sue her for what she did?"
"I thought about it, but considering how things played out... I just want to forget about her. If I never see Eva again, it'll be too soon. It's good I've been to Boston before because I'm never going back."
Mandy laughed.
I smiled a little as I nodded at her. "I need you to contact Dr. Sahper in Providence for me. Can you send him an email asking for his availability for a referral?"
"Yeah. I'll do that once I'm done digitizing these." She patted her stack of files lightly, and I was grateful Mandy wasn't actually a nurse but a medical coding specialist. She couldn't ask about patients, didn't care, just did her job, and went home with a nice paycheck for a little work. "I'm glad you got out of that unscathed, Carl. I mean, I knew you would, but it's like... you don't deserve that crap."
"Thank you, Mandy. I appreciate the sentiment. Let me know when you get that email out." I left the reception area to head back to my office, and I felt so refreshed. I felt that same elation as I had when I first walked into this space. My computer with my sign in information sat on the desk, right next to a picture of my sister. Flipping on the lights, I sat down in my chair without even taking my jacket off and sighed in utter satisfaction.
It wasn't until this morning that I'd learned that Eva had broken her lease, resulting in thousands of lost dollars because she's supposedly trashed her place in a rage. It wasn't until this morning that I'd heard the rumor that she'd been transferred with an extreme pay reduction. It wasn't until this morning that I'd learned she'd be on probation for three years, and any little thing could get her fired from the Boston hospital.
She'd lost her cushy job taking care of sunburns and kids swallowing sea water in the summer and no appointments in the winter. Now, Eva would be surrounded by truly sick kids and have to actually do her job. I feel a little bad for those kids, but...
Either she did her job and hated it, or she quit and couldn't work as a doctor anymore. The only thing better than this situation was the image of her in a green vest, bagging groceries, and being berated by middle-aged soccer moms.
As far as I was concerned, this was enough retribution for the Hell she put me through. When doing bad things, it will come back to bite ten times harder, and I was more than satisfied with this outcome.
"Ah..." Once Sahper got back to me about Melissa's referral, I was going to ask her on a date. Flopping my head back to stare at the ceiling, I smiled a secret smile at that notion, but it quickly faltered. I knew Melissa didn't want to have a doctor so far away, but it was obvious to us both that there was more than just a doctor-patient relationship budding. "I'm a piece of shit."
Referring a patient out to another doctor specifically so I could date her... while I wasn't doing anything unethical, it was still extremely taboo. If anyone at the hospital found out, I'd be facing stigma backlash for the rest of my career here. It wouldn't go in my file, but it would still follow me.
Dr. Sahper was a wonderful Pulmonologist, head over heels above me in experience and had a very successful private practice. I wasn't sacrificing Melissa's standard of care just to get in her pants. I'd read her file when she went to a closer office in West Greenwich, and he'd obviously not taken her seriously. Sahper was worth the drive, at the very least.
"I hope she doesn't think I want to date her for her money." I mean— I definitely didn't want to date Mel for her money. I made very good money myself. "The way she talked about her dad was so bitter."
If we'd met while I was in med school, Melissa may not have been so open to dating me. Easily, I could picture her worrying about paying for whatever we did but not having the spine to say 'no'. She wasn't a people pleaser, per say, but more anti-confrontational. Which explains why she had that panic attack at the tea shop. She's probably never told her dad exactly what she thought of him.
I reached to turn on my computer with a slight shake of my head. Melissa was sexy, with her glossy red hair and abundance of freckles. She wore pretty, sophisticated clothes that hinted and teased at her plump ass and thin waist. Bumping into her at the park in her sports bra and leggings, with her hair pulled high...
Before I got Melissa's attention, I honestly could not look away from her ass. At the time, I felt kinda guilty for ogling her, but then she flirted back. I still had a hard time figuring out when finding her pretty morphed into this ravenous desire for her. We'd only seen each other half a dozen times, but every time had b
een more impactful on me than the last. Clearly, she felt comforted by me, and if my being her pulmonologist was all that stopped us, there was nothing wrong with referring her out.
"I'm such a piece of shit." My mumble echoed in my office, and I stood up to shirk off my jacket. Pulling my phone out of the pocket, I hung the garment up and swiped open the screen to purse my lips. "Laurie? What's she want?"
Tapping the call button, I sat back down and held the phone to my ear and pointer-finger-typed my password into my computer with my free hand.
"Hey, Carl. Guess what! My professor was really impressed by my overview of your HR meeting, and that guy— Eric Dan or whatever— actually called my professor to compliment me!"
My brows rose, a smile stretching my lips as a proud giggle floated along the line.
"This is great! I actually got complimented for being a bitch!"
"That's awesome, Laurie! Congratulations! You did your first ever corporate smackdown! What did your professor say?" Great timing. Genuine happiness rang in my tone, and I sat back as my computer home loaded. "You deserve the praise. Seriously."
"Yeah— he said that I just did a great job expecting what was gonna happen, but to make sure not to show too much next time. Corporate law isn't the same as criminal law, and it's all about what you know and what you don't let your opponents know until the most advantageous time. That being said, he added two hours to my requirement for the time of the actual meeting." Excitement colored Laurie's tone.
I glanced at the clock on the screen to lick the roof of my mouth. I still had a good twenty minutes before we were set to open, and even then, my first appointment wasn't until 11 a.m. I could listen to Laurie until I had to hang up.
It was honestly better than contemplating my salacious relationship with Mel.
Chapter 14
Melissa
Eyeballing the absolutely pungent margarita that Terry had bought for me, I struggled to breathe from the alcohol wafting over the rim of the glass. My best friend stared daggers into my face, and I pursed my lips before reaching to swing the straw my way.
"I don't think this was necessarily the 'one drink' you should've got me, Terry."
His huge, shit-eating grin was contagious, and I reached to plug my nose before sucking on the end of the straw. This glass was bigger than my whole head, but I managed to take a few enormous gulps of the strawberry flavored beverage before I had to stop. The cold gave me brain freeze, and the alcohol burned my throat and made it hard to breathe.
Shaking my head viciously, I scrunched up my face and sucked in a sharp breath as Terry clapped overly excited.
"You're such a trooper, Mel! I knew you could do it, you teetotaler."
I didn't even know what 'teetotaler' meant, but I couldn't question it when I inhaled a deep, hot breath. The bar we were in wasn't all that busy considering it was Tuesday night, and I sniffled a little as I reached to rub my watering eyes. There's so much tequila in there.
"So, tell me about your hot doctor friend and what happened on Thursday. I'm so mad I missed it. Sometimes, having to travel for work sucks."
"I mean..." Rasping slightly, I grabbed my napkin off the table to wipe my eyes and nose, and Terry leaned in with a ravenous glint in his eye. I was most definitely not going to tell him that I was glad he was gone over the weekend. I needed that time to really process what had happened and figure out what I wanted to do. "He said he'd refer me out so we could go on a date. That's all. Every time I see him, I want to see him again more, and obviously he wants to, too. He shouldn't have to risk his whole life for a date, though."
Guilt stained my tongue, and Terry reached over to squeeze my forearm. "Some women are worth it, and you are someone worth breaking the rules for, Mel. I mean, look at you! You're so beautiful, and you have a wonderful, carefree personality, and you're super adventurous."
Flames licked up my neck, as much from Terry's compliments as the alcohol swimming to my brain. I didn't think I was any of those things, but I still basked in Terry's praises. If my lungs weren't so bad, I would hike, maybe. If my dad weren't looming over me all the time, I wouldn't be so stressed out, and Terry didn't really know how much work went into looking the way I did.
Thank God for the internet. Otherwise, my hair would still be coarse and curly instead of smooth and glossy. Reaching to twirl a stray lock around my finger, I stared into the deep, orange color that swirled in the giant glass.
We were celebrating Terry closing his deal and my getting a date with Carl, but was what really worth cheering about? He could seriously impact his career negatively if our behavior ever got out.
Guiding the straw to my lips, I took a few more gulps before the cold shocked my brain again, but that's what I wanted. I didn't want to think about the consequences, worry about what might happen, and Terry flashed me a quizzical look. Leaning back with a hot sigh, I ran my hand through my hair and shivered as the alcohol spread across my chest.
"What about you, huh! You finally closed that deal after five months over the deadline! Congratulations!" I wasn't exactly sure what Terry did for a living, but I knew he sold computers to huge corporations. He was really smart, and I nudged his arm over the table as he took his turn to blush furiously. "Yay! You're the greatest, you know that?"
"I've been told, yeah." Giggling at his bashful reply, I watched through heated eyes as Terry took a huge gulp of his own margarita and rolled his eyes. "It was such a hassle. If they weren't such an important client, none of their shit would've flied with me. How can you want to do something so intensive and procedural when you haven't worked through basic problems?"
I only nodded; even when Terry dumbed it down for me, I didn't know what he was talking about. But that was okay. Everything was okay. That tequila is really smackin' me. Maybe it's because I never really drink.
Of course, I did drink sometimes, but only a little, and only if I had to. If I went to a party, I made a glass a wine last me the whole time. I had never been blackout drunk, and I wasn't planning on that tonight.
Terry smiled broadly at me, his little chuckle dragging another laugh from me, and I reached to cover my mouth. Glancing around the quiet bar, I propped my elbow on the table to hold my cheek in my palm. This wasn't one of those bars where people went to get absolutely trashed, but they also had something of a dance floor toward the back. Rolling my lips between my teeth as I eyeballed the jukebox, I bopped my head before the door leading to the bathrooms swung open.
Surprise widened my eyes, and the hairs on my neck bristled when Carl stepped out to close the door gingerly behind him. I never expected him to be at a bar, and I jolted a little as I sat up. He hadn't noticed me while he walked back to the bar to take up his stool again, calmly nursing a brown beer bottle.
Of course we'd bump into each other again. That's how it went, didn't it? The universe said, 'here you go!' and screw the consequences.
"God. He's so handsome. And polite— and thoughtful... and—" Terry craned his neck at my mumble, and I blinked hard as I trailed off. The liquid courage flooding my veins warmed my body as I watched Carl drain his beer and order another. His Bluetooth hung onto his ear, and his lips moved as if he was talking to someone but surely enjoying the conversation. He smiled, gesturing in thanks to the bartender, and I bit my lip hard.
"You should go say 'hi', Melissa."
"I should screw him in the bathroom— that's what I should do." My murmur made Terry choke loudly, and I glanced over as his jaw hit the table and eyes boggled slightly. Scrunching up my nose at his shock, I frowned a little. "What?"
"Maybe, it's a good thing you're not into hard liquor, Mel."
Puffing out my lips, I shook my head as Terry picked himself out of his surprise. When I glanced back over at the bar, Carl's attention was firmly on me, and it was obvious that wasn't his second beer so far. "He's kinda hot— not as cute as Jason, though."
"That's just because your man has those pretty Spanish features." True, Jason was first g
eneration American direct from Spain, but I couldn't hold the thought. Across the lean floor, Carl drank his whole beer in three gulps without dropping eye contact. "I'll be right back."
"Sure, you will."
Ignoring Terry's drawling tone, I stood up as that tequila smashed all my inhibitions to dust. Carl's eyes narrowed on me, and my nipples tightened under the thin fabric of my party dress when he scanned me critically. My journey seemed to take a lot longer than a few seconds, and my heart pounded furiously in my chest. Before my brain could spout out reasons not to, I grabbed his face in both my palms and kissed him.
In the background, under the blood drumming in my ears, I heard Terry squeal like a teenage girl, but it faded as my scope of comprehension boiled down to just one man. A strong arm instantly wrapped around my waist, and Carl's thickly beer-stained breath intensified when he slipped his tongue between my lips. Shivers raced up my back, and goosebumps pocked my whole body when Carl drew me between his knees.
For weeks, maybe, even since the first time I saw him in his office building, I wanted to kiss Carl. And he didn't disappoint as his tongue danced with mine. Desire coiled in my abdomen, and I slung my arms around his neck to press up against his muscular chest.
"Mel—" Sighing my name, Carl pulled back.
It took me a moment to realize my eyes were closed. Cracking open my lids, my brain swam in a vat of tequila, and he opened his mouth but nothing came out.
"... If you say it, I'll never forgive you." Slurring a little, even my watery eyes could see the hesitancy in his face, and Carl frowned at my whisper. No— not right now, in this moment. He wanted to say we can't or it's wrong, but that was exactly why we should, damnit! Hot, alcohol-soaked breaths hung heavy between us, and mine hitched harshly when Carl turned to the bartender.
"I'll be right back."
My Forbidden Doctor: A Secret Baby Medical Romance Page 7
