“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.