Two Weeks of Sin

Lila smiled at me, knowing me all too well, and said. “She's your new intern, Dr. Pierce.”

“Oh, yeah. Right. I'm sorry,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “I guess I wasn't expecting a woman, that's all.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, her expression saying she couldn't believe I'd just said that.

“Morgan can be a guy's name,” I said with a shrug. “And in this field, well, since we work with professional athletes, the field tends to be more male dominated. So, I apologize for the poor assumption on my part.”

Morgan smiled. “I understand, Dr. Pierce. I just want to thank you for the opportunity to train underneath you,” she said. “Orthopedic surgery – especially in regard to athletic injuries – has always been an area of interest of mine.”

“Oh really?” I asked.

She was a curvy girl with a nice hourglass figure. It was clear that she cared about her fitness, but I still wouldn’t have pegged her for a sports fan.

“Yes,” she said, seeming to sense my doubt. “My father was Theo Brooks,” she said. “Quarterback for the – ”

“I know who your father is,” I said. “Quarterback for the USC Trojans. Until he got injured, of course. Could have gone pro if not for that.”

“Exactly,” she said. “And it's always killed him too. It’s why I want to give other athletes the opportunity to follow their dreams.”

“Uh huh,” I said, turning to leave.

Morgan followed me into my office, continuing to yap about how excited she was to work for me and all the good she hoped to accomplish in the field. I knew her dear old had dad passed away about two years ago, so I wanted to have some compassion for the girl, I did. But truth be told, I really wasn't sure Little Miss Sunshine could handle working with the Neanderthals that made up my daily schedule.

These men didn't want some petite little flower operating on their torn ligaments. They wanted a fellow man. Somebody who understood them. No one wanted to look weak in front of an attractive woman like Morgan – especially not athletes who relied on their machismo as much as their natural athleticism to excel.

“Listen, Ms. Brooks,” I said with a sigh. “If that's meant to impress me, it's not going to do much good. I honestly couldn't care less who your father was or why you want to do this. The truth of the matter is, I see bigger and brighter stars in here every single day, with injuries surpassing your dad's. And let me tell you, it's not easy to do this job. So, if you think it's going to be all sunshine and rainbows and helping people's dreams come true, you're in the wrong field.”

That shut her up right away, her jaw nearly hitting the floor she looked at me. For a moment, I even thought she might cry. If so, that would be enough proof for me that she couldn't hack it in a field with the rough and tumble athletes that came into my office day in and day out. I waited for the tears to fall, but they never did.

“You listen, Dr. Pierce,” she said, her voice calmer than I expected, considering the fact that she was a woman. “I may be excited because it's my first day at an internship I worked very hard to get,but I'm not naïve; not by any stretch of the imagination. I’m damn good at what I do.”

She said all of this while standing tall and staring me right in the eyes. Day one and she was already standing up to me, showing me she wasn't going to take crap from anyone.

I had to admit, it just made her that much hotter.

CHAPTER TWO - MORGAN

I'd heard a lot about Dr. Gavin Pierce. He was the best of the best in the field, which was a plus. He also happened to be a raving misogynist, which was obviously a big minus. Others who'd interned for him had reported back, talked about the way he viewed women as little more than a conquest. I, for one, wasn't about to put up with that shit. I'd worked hard to get through medical school, to secure this internship. And no man was going to screw it up for me.

Not even Gavin Pierce.

I had to admit though, he was more attractive than I'd thought he’d be. Being in his late thirties or early forties, he had at least a decade on me. His old-fashioned mentality toward women and because the fact that he'd built up a reputation as a genius in his field, had me expecting someone older. Either way, it came as no surprise that he could lure attractive, young women into his bed. With his short-cut sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, he was the epitome of classic American sex appeal. Tall, built like an athlete himself, and confident as all get-out. He was catnip to many a pussy out there.

And yet, I already despised him.

“We're meeting with Tyler McAdams this morning,” he said, once we got past the awkwardness of him degrading me because of my gender. “Do you know who he is?”

I had to physically restrain myself from rolling my eyes. “Yes, of course,” I said. “I may be a woman, but I'm not an idiot.”

“Yeah, he is fairly popular with the women,” Gavin muttered.

“That's not why – I know who he is because I follow sports, Dr. Pierce,” I said. He shot me a cocky, half-grin and a shrug. “Are you familiar with his injury?”

He was testing me, so I shot him an equally cocky grin.

“I am. He tore his MCL,” I said. I continued on about what that meant, how it could impact his career as a winger for the Sharks, and the entire time, Dr. Pierce just stared at me, a condescending look on his face. It was as if he was expecting me to say something wrong, maybe even secretly hoping for it so he could swoop in and correct me, thus proving his point that women were inferior. And when I didn't get it wrong, he didn't even look impressed. He actually looked disappointed.

“Very good, Ms. Brooks,” he said.