By the time he returned, I was incredibly nervous to go home with him. I tried to play it cool when he came back in the room with his car keys in hand, ready to escort me outside.
“My car is in the back of the building,” he said as we walked down the stairs. “We’ll go through the back exit so he won’t see you.”
“Won’t you have to drive past him to get out?”
He thought for a moment. “I suppose I will. But, if I’m supposed to be your husband, then it only makes sense that I would be driving us home.”
He smiled at me and I managed to smile back at him, even though I was screaming on the inside. I was scared, nervous, but also, a little excited.
When we got outside, I jogged to his car and slid into the passenger’s seat. He drove a nice car that still had the new car smell. It wasn’t outrageously flashy, it was surprisingly sensible for a man who dressed in designer suits and was clearly worth a lot of money.
When we drove toward the road, I slid down in my seat so Jake couldn’t see me. I wasn’t brave enough to show my face yet.
“He can’t see us now,” Dr. Malone said softly when we were out of sight. I slowly scooted back up to an upright position and smoothed my hair.
“Thanks, Dr. Malone,” I said again. “You really didn’t have to do this.”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “And if you’re going to be staying with me for a while, call me Daniel.”
Chapter Five
Daniel
As we drove back to my place, I tried not to look over at her too much. I could tell she was pretty rattled and I didn’t want to freak her out more than she already was. But, I couldn’t deny the fact that I was excited to finally have her with me, outside of my practice. In fact, this was far more exciting than any of the lame fantasies I created in my mind.
I mean, it wasn’t ideal for her to be in danger, but going into hiding at my house was much more exciting than asking her out on a coffee date and hoping that she’d want to go back to my place.
Seeing how upset she was, I wanted to put her at ease in any way that I could. She needed a friend, and I would have to put my feelings aside and be there for her. She was vulnerable and in a bad place. This was no time for me to take advantage of the situation. I would have to be on my best behavior, no matter what my brain told me.
Besides, I had experienced a few particularly lonely years myself. Of the few friends of mine that still lived in the area, most were married and had kids of their own. Wild nights out had turned into the occasional backyard barbeque where everyone brought their kids and left early. Everyone was at a different stage in their life.
Even though I was bringing a woman home, I kind of felt like I was having a night out with a buddy. It just so happened that this friend was one of my patients.
“Is this your house?” she asked as I pulled into my driveway.
“Yeah. Is everything okay?”
“I guess I didn’t think it was going to be this big,” she said.
I chuckled. “I get that a lot,” I said under my breath. Luckily, she didn’t seem to hear me.
“I have to warn you,” I said, before getting out of the car. “I have a little guesthouse in the back. I would let you stay there, but my dad has temporarily moved in. He usually just stays out there so he won’t bother you.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. “I’d like to meet him.”
I pursed my lips. She must have made the incorrect assumption that my dad is remotely like me.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Even though he’s staying with me, we’re not that close anymore. But he had to get rid of his house, so I feel obligated to take care of him.”
“I know what you mean,” Ariana said. “I’m kind of going through that too.”
“Then you understand,” I said. “I’m much more like my mom, anyway. She’s someone you would want to meet.”
I got out of the car and walked toward my front door while thinking about Ariana meeting my mom. I had no doubt that my mom would love her. She always wanted me to end up with a nice girl. Ariana was the type of girl that every mother wanted her son to marry.
Once inside, I tossed my car keys on the counter and loosened my tie. My usual routine was to strip down and flop on the couch and watch TV for a few hours, but since I had a guest, I changed my routine.
“I’m going to change my clothes really quick,” I said, going down the hall toward my bedroom. Make yourself comfortable.”
I exchanged my suit and tie for a t-shirt and jeans and jogged back into the living room. When I returned, she was in the exact same place that she was standing when I left.
“Sit down,” I laughed, pointing to a couch. “You really should be relaxing. You’ve endured enough stress today.”
“Yes, Doctor,” she said, raising her eyebrows. She stretched her long legs out on the couch.
“What did I tell you about calling me ‘doctor’?” I smirked. “I’m going to order a pizza. What do you like?”
“Everything,” she replied.
“Okay,” I said picking up my phone. “Then I’ll just order one of everything.”
After I made the order, I sat down on the opposite side of the couch and faced her.
“I hate to bring this up again,” I said, “but is there anything I need to know about this Jake guy? Like, can I expect him to show up here with a machete or something?”
Ariana sighed. “I don’t think so. As far as I know, he’s not much of a fighter. He’s tall, but he’s not very muscular or athletic. Someone like you could easily overpower him.”
I smiled at her comparison. It felt good that she appreciated my body type. After seeing her stalker, it wasn’t hard to be bigger than him, but it still felt nice.
“So, what are you looking for from a husband?” I asked.
“Excuse me?” she squeaked, sitting up a little straighter.
“You’re the one who needed a pretend husband,” I clarified. “What exactly would you like me to do? I’ve already committed to the task, so I want to go all in and do this thing right. So, how can I help you out?”
“Oh,” she said, relaxing a little in her seat. “I think, for now, I just don’t want to be alone in my apartment. Obviously, he knows that I live in that apartment and I have to take the bus to campus. He’s probably looked up my class schedule by now.”
“You can stay here as long as you need to. Besides, this house is too big for one person. I want you to make yourself at home. Take whatever you want from the fridge and watch whatever you want on TV. You’re my guest.”
She looked at the floor. “Thanks. Your place is amazing.”
“Some people go on expensive vacations or buy a bunch of fancy cars. I put all my money into my practice and into my house. It helps that I got scholarships for medical school.”
“Meanwhile, I can hardly afford rent for my apartment,” she grumbled.
“Don’t forget, I’m a few years older than you. Besides, once you have your degree, you’ll be running some big business.”
“I hope so. Maybe then I could
afford a place that has better security.”
If I could, I would put her up in a nice apartment with guards at every door. Unfortunately, I also have bills to pay. The best I could do was offer her one of my spare bedrooms.
When the food arrived, we grabbed plates and went back to the couch. I tossed her the remote and told her to find a movie to watch.
“I haven’t seen this one yet,” she said, the cursor hovering over the title of some award-winning drama that I had never heard of. I didn’t watch a lot of movies.
“Sounds good to me,” I replied and settled in.
From what I remember about the movie, it was pretty good. The plot had something to do with spies who were sent out on a secret mission together but ended up falling in love. But, it was one of those movies you wouldn’t want to watch with your parents, which meant that I had a hard time keeping Ariana out of my mind.
I thought I could keep my cool, but it was hard to watch a love scene without having my imagination run wild. I could practically feel the blood coursing through my veins a little faster.
These scenes left little to the imagination, which made it all too easy for me to become aroused. I was sitting an arm’s length away from Ariana, too. I could smell her perfume, she was so close.
This was straight out of my office fantasies. I would have her alone and we wouldn’t be able to keep our hands off each other. No one was around to see the forbidden thing we were doing. We could do whatever we wanted.
I so desperately wished she would slide over just a little. I wanted to touch her, even if it just meant that we were holding hands. My body craved contact.