by Thorpe, Elle
I needed to snap out of it. It was times like this that I wished I had a girlfriend. Someone I could ring and spill all the dirty hot details to and analyse what the whole thing meant. I had Bianca, but although we talked each day at work, we weren’t really in the habit of chatting outside of it.
I wanted to call my sister. We’d gotten along so well last night, and for years she’d been my go-to person. And even though we’d fallen out, that desire to run to her when things went wrong, or when things were great, had never gone away. I’d missed her to my very core. Seeing her had made me miss her all the more. And this morning, for the first time in so long, I was happy. Maybe Lou and I would never be what we once were, but last night had shown me that time had certainly healed some old wounds.
I picked up my phone, found her number in my saved contacts, and hit the little green button. She picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, Lou…” I said as I stood and walked to my bedroom with my phone. I plonked down on the mattress, the springs squeaking, reminding me of the last time they’d done that. I tried not to giggle. “It’s Bree,” I added lamely.
“I know, you goose. There’s this thing called caller ID. Why do you sound like you’re smiling?”
I grinned. “Because I am.”
“Does that have anything to do with the hot doctor you brought to my house last night?”
“Maybe.”
“You had hot monkey sex all night, didn’t you?”
I burst out laughing. “Yes. But it’s not just the sex. Though that was mind-blowing. I like him, Lou. He’s sweet, and funny, and thoughtful.”
“And sexy.”
And just like that, we were back to normal. “Super sexy.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is, I don’t know if he feels the same. I might just be a one-night stand. And I don’t think I want to be.”
She paused. “What do you mean? Aren’t you two together? You looked pretty together last night.”
I bit my lip. Shit. I was the worst liar ever. “We…I…kind of lied last night. He’s not my boyfriend. Truth is, I only met him last week.” I winced. It sounded bad when I laid it all out like that. “We just pretended to be a couple last night because I didn’t want to face you and Tim and feel like the loser little sister again.”
She let out a long sigh. “Oh, Bree. You never were. We were the ones who messed up. I wanted to tell you last night how sorry we were, but then everything was going well, and I didn’t want to ruin it. You deserve so much more than an apology, and I know I’ll have to work hard to regain your trust. But I really want to. I’m so sorry, Bree. I have been every day since it happened.”
Tears flooded my eyes. I might not have needed the apology like I thought I had, but it was still nice to have. “Thank you. And I’m sorry about lying.”
Lou made a dismissive sound.
“So, what do I do about Damien?”
“Well, the two of you had me completely fooled. I thought you were completely in love. Maybe you were acting, but I doubt either of you are that good. Maybe your acting skills were enhanced by real feelings? And I’d say they aren’t just on your side. Maybe you didn’t notice the way his eyes followed you around the room. Or the way he was constantly finding reasons to touch you. But I noticed. And it made me happy you’d found someone who cared so much about you.”
I flopped back on my bed. “I don’t know. He said he’s a relationship sort of guy, but look at him. He’s a young, hot doctor. And he fucks like he’s had plenty of practice.” I didn’t know what to think. I wanted last night to have been real.
And Lou was wrong. I had noticed the way he’d touched me and the way his gaze had followed me. I’d noticed, because I noticed everything about him. I’d been hard pressed to keep focussed on the dinner conversation, when every part of me felt drawn in Damien’s direction. When every touch was so distracting, I’d barely been able to keep myself out of his lap.
“He’s not like that,” Lou said.
“You only met him last night.” Then I frowned, remembering the way she’d looked at Damien when she’d first opened the door. “Didn’t you?”
“You’re letting your hang-ups from what Tim and I did cloud your judgement. If he says he’s a relationship sort of guy, believe him. Has he given you a reason to think otherwise?”
“No.”
“Then give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone in your life will cheat and lie.” Her voice cracked.
“Lou…”
“No, don’t smooth this over. It’s true. I deserve it.”
“We were kids. And we’re talking again now. Things can only go up from here, okay?’
She let out a shaky breath. “Just please don’t let what we did ruin your chances at happiness. I couldn’t bear it.”
I didn’t think I could either. But with my sister back in my life and something maybe starting up with Damien, my happiness in that moment was hard to put a damper on.
13
Damien
I couldn’t stop thinking about Bree’s damn long legs. Her delicate ankles and shapely calves. And the smooth skin that led to thighs I could lay between all day and never get bored. That skirt she’d worn on Saturday night, with a thigh-high split had been my undoing. I’d known from the minute she’d stepped out into the hall that I was a goner. There was no way I was going to be able to keep my hands to myself for the entire night. And thank god, I hadn’t had to. The blow job she’d given me in the car had replayed in my mind all day as I’d followed up on a pile of overdue paperwork. Her crimson lips wrapped around my cock as we’d driven through the city streets…the way she’d not even flinched when I’d come, then demanded more. Fuck.
Cleo stuck her head through my office doorway, startling me. “You okay?”
I straightened in my seat and focussed on her. “Of course.”
“You know it’s five-thirty? Time for you to quit day dreaming about your sexual conquests and go home. Everyone else has already left, I think.”
I shook my head. I’d swear the woman was a mind reader. She always knew what I was thinking. Which made her an ideal assistant. But there was no keeping secrets from her. She was too damn perceptive.
A door slammed from the front of the clinic, and Cleo sighed, looking into the hall. “Not as alone as I thought we were. I’ll get rid of them. We officially closed a few minutes ago.”
I nodded and packed up my things, trying to come up with some sort of pun or gimmick I could use to lure Bree over to my place tonight. I’d done the pizza and the coffee thing, and she’d seemed to think it was funny. I liked making her laugh.
“Please. I just need to see him for a moment,” a woman’s voice pleaded from the reception area.
“I’m sorry, he’s finished for the day. I can make you an emergency appointment for tomorrow if you like? Mrs Braun, isn’t it?”
I scrambled to my feet and rushed into the hallway where Lou stood with Cleo. “It’s fine. I’ll see her.”
Cleo gave me an exasperated look behind Lou’s back and glared at the clock on the wall.
“Just leave the front door open. I’ll lock up when we’re done.”
She shrugged but grabbed her handbag from her desk, and with a wave over her shoulder, she left. I turned back to Lou.
“Hi, again.”
“I’m so sorry to barge in like this. I came straight from work. Can we talk?”
“Of course. Do you want to come sit in my office? We’re alone, so we can talk here, but my office is more comfortable.”
She nodded, and I ushered her out of the reception area. She sat gingerly on the edge of the chair opposite my desk.
“I can’t be your patient anymore,” she said in a rush. “I’m so sorry, if I’d known you were dating my sister I would have never come here in the first place. I really hope you didn’t feel too awkward on Saturday night.”
She twisted her hands on her lap.
“Not
at all. I was surprised to see you, of course. And I totally understand why you need to change doctors.”
“It’s nothing personal. I just can’t have my sister’s boyfriend looking at my vagina then face him over Sunday night dinner.”
I choked out a laugh. “Understandable.” I liked the idea of Sunday night dinner with Bree’s family. I was an only child, and my parents lived out of state. Family dinners were a foreign concept to me, but they sounded nice. “Just let reception know which doctor you’ll be transferring to and I’ll have them send over your files. But while you’re here, your test results should be in. Do you want me to go through them with you, or would you prefer to do that with your new doctor?”
She bit her lip. “Would you mind? I know it’s after hours, but I’ve been nervous all week about the results. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get an appointment with someone else.”
“No problem.” I turned my monitor back on and brought up her file, quickly scanning through the results of the tests I’d sent her for. My heart sank with every line I read. I cleared my throat as I stood to walk around the desk and sit in the chair next to her.
“It’s not good, is it?” she whispered.
Most of the time, I loved my job. I loved helping people. But this was the side I hated. I hated having to ruin someone’s dreams.
“No. It’s not. Did you know you have endometriosis?”
She shook her head.
“It would be the cause of your painful periods. I’m going to recommend your new doctor do a laparoscopy and check it out more thoroughly.”
“But you think that’s why I haven’t fallen pregnant?”
I nodded. “Most likely. The ultrasound you had shows quite a severe case.” I took her hand, even though it was unprofessional. But I’d had dinner with the woman over the weekend, and she felt more like a friend than a patient. And she wouldn’t be my patient after this conversation was finished anyway.
“But I’ll still be able to have children? It can be fixed? With surgery or medication?”
I squeezed her hand. “Your doctor will be able to tell you more after the surgery.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “Don’t do that. Just tell me.”
I sighed. “I really don’t know. Your scans show a severe case. Just from looking at them, I’d highly doubt you’ll be able to fall pregnant naturally. IVF may be an option.”
Her face crumpled. “May?”
“I just can’t say for sure, without actually getting in there and having a look. I’m so sorry, Lou. I know this isn’t the news you were hoping for.”
She stood, and I did too, still holding her hand.
She took a deep breath, but her fingers shook, and a sob burst from her chest. “I just don’t know what I’m going to tell Tim. He wants a baby so badly. So do I. We’ve been trying so long.”
A tear slipped down her cheek, and it broke my damn heart. Her scans were bad. I’d tried to sugarcoat it as much as possible, but I highly doubted a laparoscopy was going to yield good results. If anything, I suspected it might actually be worse. Lou’s shoulders shook as her head dropped, and my gut twisted. She knew. She knew exactly what I wasn’t saying. I pulled her into my arms and let her cry on my chest. Her arms were limp at her sides, but I felt her misery in every sob.
Eventually, she quieted and looked up at me. “I’m sorry, I—”
“What the hell?” a shrill voice came from the doorway.
My head snapped up and I dropped my arms, jumping away from around Lou. Bree stood in the doorway, those red lips I’d been dreaming of all day pressed into a snarl. Her long legs were bare, black stilettos on her feet, and damn. A trench coat tied at her waist. My mouth dried. She had to be naked underneath.
It would have been hot as hell, and I would have thrown her across my desk and gone to town on her. If she hadn’t just caught me with another woman in my arms.
“Bree,” I started, but her gaze swung from me to Lou, her eyes widening when she recognised her sister. Then filled with tears.
“No,” she said, backing out of the room. “I’m not doing this. Not again.”
I opened my mouth to tell her why I was hugging her sister, but doctor-patient confidentiality prevented me from actually saying the words. Shit! I couldn’t tell her Lou was here as my patient. I’d be breaking an oath I believed in. Even though I wanted to tell her everything, it wasn’t my place. “Bree,” I pleaded, and she fixed me to the spot with fire in her eyes. I abruptly shut my mouth. She seemed mad enough to cut my dick off, and I wasn’t sure if there were scissors on my desk.
Lou rushed forward, her hands outstretched. “Wait! Bree, this isn’t what it looks like!”
“Oh, isn’t it?” she snarled, her face distorted with anger. “It looks exactly like how I found you and Tim. And those were the exact same words you used back then, too.” She shook her head. “No. I’m not doing this again. The two of you and Tim can all do whatever the hell you want. You deserve each other.”
She spun on her heel, and a moment later the front door slammed.
“Excuse me, but what on earth is all the yelling about?”
Lou and I both turned to the male voice behind us, and my heart sank. “Dr Simpson. I didn’t realise you were still here.”
“Well, I am.”
So he was. The CEO of the whole damn company. Witnessing two upset women yelling at me.
“Care to explain yourself?”
I may as well have lit my promotion on fire.
Lou glanced at me in panic. “I’m going after her. I’m so sorry. This was inappropriate.”
I cringed at the use of the word inappropriate and the concerned furrowing of Dr Simpson’s forehead. I was going to be dragged over the coals by HR for this, I could just see it. Lou grabbed her bag and cardigan from the floor and ran for the door.
I ran after her, not caring that Dr Simpson was still waiting for an explanation, and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “Stop, Lou!”
“What are you doing? Didn’t you see her face? I’ve got to go after her.”
I shook my head. “No. I do. Please. Let me.”
14
Bree
The door slammed shut so hard the walls of my entire apartment shook. Un-fucking-believable! Damien and I hadn’t made any commitments to each other, but the man had spent all weekend in my bed, and now, less than twenty-four hours later, he was standing in an embrace with another woman. And not just any woman. My sister.
It was my own stupid fault. I’d seen the look on Lou’s face when we’d arrived at her house, and I’d ignored it. She either knew him, or she’d been checking him out. I wasn’t sure which, but it didn’t matter. The end result was still the same. I don’t know why I’d thought things were any different. Once a cheater, always a cheater.
A little voice in the back of my head said that wasn’t fair. I’d cheated once, too, and hadn’t I reformed myself? But when slapped in the face with the evidence, as I’d just been, there wasn’t much option other than to admit the truth.
My initial assessment of Damien as a manwhore was obviously correct. Were we some sort of conquest to him? Find a set of sisters to sleep with and tick it off your bucket list? Bile rose in my throat. He was disgusting. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I pulled off my heels and threw them into my wardrobe so hard one bounced back out. What had I been thinking? Rocking up at his work in a damn trench coat? Stupid, Bree. Stupid. I tried to slow my out-of-control breathing, but it was no use, I was too worked up. I had so much adrenaline coursing through me I could go a round with Mike Tyson. Or preferably, Damien. I’d get a sick sort of enjoyment in cracking his perfectly straight nose. Asshole.
Thumping from the front door echoed around my quiet apartment. “Bree!”
Speaking of assholes, one was at my door.
More thumping. “Bree! Open the damn door, or I swear to god, I’ll kick it down.”
I rolled my eyes. And people thought I was dramatic. I
stomped across the apartment and yanked open the door. “What!”
Damien’s gaze darkened when his eyes met mine, and he stormed into the apartment, giving me no choice but to scuttle backwards or be mowed down. The door slammed shut behind him.
“What the fuck was all that about?” he yelled. He shoulders heaved, and he was breathing as fast as I was.
“I was about to ask you the same thing! How do you know Lou? Were you already sleeping with her when we hooked up? Is this some sort of game to you? I knew the two of you recognised each other at dinner, but neither of you said anything so I thought I was just being paranoid. Letting old fears cloud my judgement, but I should have trusted my gut instinct. What the hell is wrong with the two of you? You’re both sick!” The firey words flew from my mouth.
“What the hell is wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?! I’m not sleeping with your goddamn sister! And I’m not this playboy you seem to think I am! I already told you, I’m a relationship sort of guy. I’ve never had a goddamn one-night stand in my life.” The anger in his gaze suddenly changed, morphing into something slow and hot as it travelled over my body. “And I don’t plan for you to be my first.”
Despite my anger, my damn traitorous body glowed under his attention.
“Take off that coat, Bree.”
I froze. “What? No! Didn’t you hear what I—”
“I heard. And I also told you that your arguments are complete bullshit. There is nothing going on with your sister. Now take it off.”
He stalked towards me, like a lion ready to devour me, and damn if it wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever seen. I’d only seen a tiny glimpse of this dominant, alpha side of him, but it was thrilling, if not a little shocking, to be in the direct path of it. The idea of him bossing me around in bed was hot as fuck, and my core throbbed at the thought of having him rip off my clothes. I held up a hand in a stop motion before he could touch me. He stopped immediately.
