She slid Ashley an envious look. Switching places with Goth Princess for a night would be perfect. Anyone, really, other than herself. Someone sexy and confident, the kind of woman who took the man she craved and didn’t worry about her love handles or how she performed in bed. It was sex. Not a job, she reminded herself. No performance review at the end.
“I want to be some man’s fantasy woman.” Just once. Or possibly more than once, depending on how good the sex turned out to be.
“Amen.” Maddie licked salt off the edge of her margarita glass.
“Correction. You want to find yourself a fantasy man because what you want comes first.”
Ashley had a point. “I deserve a fantasy man,” she clarified. Because damn it, she did.
“Agreed. Now tell us why.” Ashley gave her the devil’s own grin. “Because I smell a story here.”
“It’s the usual story. Newly minted doctor meets handsome older doctor and falls for him. He invites her to move in to his swank city condo, pops the question, provides a Tiffany’s ring and sets the wedding train in full motion.” Her breath hitched in her throat but she forced herself to go on. “Then one day our heroine makes an unscheduled lunch stop at her doctor’s office and discovers he’s already made alternate lunch plans with a nurse. Plans that involve going at it on a gurney with his pants around his ankles.”
The mental image was burned into her head. Harlan, pants unzipped, slamming into the nurse. The nurse’s ankles digging into his butt as she held on and chanted his name. It had looked uncomfortable—and neither one of them had cared. They’d been too busy having the orgasm of the century. He’d never lost control with Laney like that, never so much as suggested they sneak off and have workplace sex.
“No one looks good in midthrust,” Maddie observed, taking another swig of her margarita.
“After I discovered them, I may not have closed the door,” she admitted.
Ashley’s grin got wider. “Revenge. I knew we were friends for a reason.”
“And I may have paged the entire trauma staff to the room for a code blue.” She might as well admit the whole embarrassing truth. Rather than suck it up and retreat with her dignity intact, she’d made sure the entire hospital staff knew what had happened.
“Caught in the act. Nice. Me, I’d have gone for something slightly more violent.” Ashley shrugged. “He’s lucky you’re so nice.”
And that was the truth, too, wasn’t it? She was nice. The furthest thing from fantasy material you could get. She worked hard, always kept her word and didn’t cause trouble. She’d let the hospital board convince her to resign “because things would be awkward” when she should have fought for what she wanted. And she did have a hard time asking for that. Maybe it explained the lack of excitement in her sex life, too.
“He had his fantasy nurse,” Maddie said. “The question is—who are you going to have?”
Gray came to mind.
“Rebound men are dangerous. I’m not having sex just to get even with Harlan.”
“Of course not. ” Ashley helped herself to another handful of chips. “You’re going to have sex for you.”
Meaning what, exactly? That it wouldn’t hurt to treat herself to a rebound man if she went into it with her eyes open?
“Gray likes you,” Ashley said with a wink. “Use him.”
She suddenly knew how Eve felt when confronted with the apple. Okay, she’d do it. “I’ll ask him out on a date.”
Shoot. She hadn’t sounded particularly confident, had she?
“Is that what we’re calling it these days?” Ashley winked. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
6
ASHLEY PULLED GRAY aside as he slipped back into the resort. He suspected she’d been lying in wait for him, which was an interesting development. He’d just finished check-in and patrol, and the mission was on schedule. Whatever she had to tell him, it wasn’t related to the job.
She nudged him into a laundry room. “Hot date?”
Christ. He hoped so. It was none of Ashley’s damn business, however, but when he opened his mouth to tell her so she cut him off.
“Good,” she said.
He blinked at her. Say what?
“Laney is in desperate need of a night of really hot, no-strings-attached sex.”
He leaned back against the washer, arms crossed. “Understood, but I’d like to know why you’re telling me this.”
“Sorry, Gray. Girl code says I keep what I know to myself.”
“I could pull rank on you.” They both knew he wouldn’t, however. It wasn’t how he rolled. If Ashley believed what she knew could affect the mission, this conversation would already be over and he’d have the information he wanted. Which meant this was personal.