“Well, I just recently became a resident doctor with CUIMC, but I can tell you I am treated very well, the doctors are top notch, so are the nurses. The patients are well cared for and we have a great administration who is always accessible to us. I can only hope that once I finish my residency, I will be able to join the CUIMC surgical family permanently. Working with Dr. Rye, here, as a supervisor has been a dream come true for me. We are both from the same small town, and getting to see his skill in the surgical theater has been amazing, I can only hope that I will be able to one day be his colleague at CUIMC,” Olivia said with a genuine smile and enthusiasm for the hospital.
I was impressed with her knowledge and her ability to speak to someone she’d never before met. She completely sold the family feeling that CUIMC strove to achieve with its network. Once she was finished talking to him, I scheduled a lunch meeting with him later in the week, to introduce him to the CEO. Afterwards, the administrator, Dr. Farnham, who was the hospital VP and had sat at the table with us, told me he heard that we were about to gain a new doctor in the CUIMC family, and he was proud of my hard work. I could have kissed Olivia right there.
Relieved to have managed to do the CUIMC family proud, I had a few more drinks and tried to enjoy myself. I looked over at Olivia and saw her stifle a yawn, the cue that the evening was winding down. People were beginning to depart and it was getting late.
“How about a dance before we go?” I asked.
“I don’t really dance,” she said.
“Me neither,” I replied. “It’s slow dancing, so you just kind of sway around, you know?”
“Sure,” she said, finishing her drink. We walked to the dance floor, her arm in mine, and we made our way underneath the dim, colored lighting.
I pulled her in close, and she didn’t seem to mind. We swayed to the beat, her hand in mine.
“Dr. Farnham said you’re a keeper,” I said into her ear. “It’s too bad I have to return you at the end of the night.”
“I had a really good time,” she said. “It’s really cool to see what goes on outside of the hospital in regards to research and networking.”
“I’m glad you came with me. I truly think you helped me convince Dr. Michaels to join the CUIMC family.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said modestly. “I do feel a little bad about all of the trouble I caused you before this. On the other hand, if you had only simply asked me to go, maybe I wouldn’t have had to go through all of that.”
I laughed. “Nothing comes easy,” I replied. “I guess I formally apologize for being rude. It’s not often that people call me on my bullshit. I can’t promise that I won’t be an asshole again. It’s just kind of in my nature.”
“Just getting to talk to some of the doctors here almost made it all worth it,” she said. “Do you think they’ll remember me once I’m out of my residency?”
I nodded. “It’s possible. A good impression goes a long way. Dr. Farnham doesn’t compliment just anyone.”
I held her close to me as the music wound down. Then, we stood for a moment in silence, our bodies touching. Neither of us wanted to move.
Finally, I took her by the hand and led her out of the building and into the waiting car in front.
“Back to my place, please,” I said, not wanting to give Olivia up. “When we get there, can you circle the block as she changes her clothes, then take her back to her apartment?”
The driver nodded and took off, rolling up the partition. We sat in the car, no longer holding hands, but we each sat with our adjacent hands on the seat, just in case either of us suddenly felt brave. I wasn’t sure where we were at in our relationship. The night went better than I could have ever expected, but I still didn’t know what was proper protocol. I had put the poor girl through enough, and she had done me such a huge favor that I didn’t really want to bother her again. Not right now, anyway.
But, if she wanted to stay at my apartment for a little longer, I would not object. Not at all.
When we returned to my place, she sauntered off to the spare room, shutting the door behind her. I wanted to follow her, but knew it wouldn’t be received well. A few minutes later, she returned in her street clothes, all the glamour from the night gone. Still, she looked good— tired, but with a glow about her.
She stood in front of me, a smile on her face. She fiddled with her fingers, as though she was nervous.
“Thanks again,” I said.
“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “It was great.”
“I just want to let you know, you really have a bright future at CUIMC. I’m not just saying that because you did me a favor. I think I underestimated you before.”
I held my breath. A compliment from me was about as meaningful as me telling her that I loved her. I didn’t hand out compliments often. I had to fight the urge to turn it around into some kind of dig at her, just to feel normal.
We stood in silence for a moment, neither of us wanting to make a move.
“Well, I don’t want to keep the driver waiting,” she finally said. “Goodnight.”
She reached in for a hug, and I gave her a soft kiss on the lips before she departed. Then, I watched as she went into the elevator and left me alone in my apartment, wondering what the hell happened that day.
Chapter 13
Damon
The next morning, I awoke to the sensation that there was someone in my bed. I quickly felt the sheet beside me to realize that it was cold. Perhaps it was just a dream.
I padded down the hall to the guest room and was immediately struck with Olivia’s sweet scent the moment I stepped inside. It was whatever flowery, fruity perfume she was wearing the previous night, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I walked to the long dress hanging from the bathroom doorway and inhaled. I had an almost Pavlovian response to it, my stomach buzzing as it often did when she was near. I picked up the bracelet on the dresser, wondering if I’d have a chance to put it back on her wrist. I had outfitted dates with jewelry before, but she was the first one who declined to take it as a parting gift. Either she was too humble to accept such a gift, or she was expecting to see me again. I hoped for the latter.
The rest of the morning was spent replaying the previous night in my head. I smiled when I remembered how brilliant she was with Dr. Michaels. She said that the night was enough thanks from me, but I don’t think she realized how much money she was about to make the hospital by bringing him into the network. I could shave off a fraction of the bonus I would get and pay off her student loans with it. Taking her to the event ended up costing a few thousand dollars, but she helped open the door to much more income for the hospital.
I had already made up in my mind to give her the internship. Or, at the very least, find her an equally good one within the hospital. I realized that Dr. Farnham thought she was my girlfriend, and that might look suspicious to award her such a prestigious internship. But, he knows her and knew what she was capable of, so it might just work out after all. Not only was the she the most qualified resident for the job, but there was no one else I’d rather have in the surgical theater with me, even if she did just hand me tools and observe, or go over patient files.
She was stuck on my mind though, and it was making it impossible to do anything else. I couldn’t watch TV without wondering what she was up to. I couldn’t browse through intern assignments without thinking about all the things we talked about last night. I couldn’t even take a nap for a moment without her soft curves in that snug, red dress in my brain.
When I took a shower, she was fully on my mind. I kept imagining her in there with me, our bodies sliding around each other while the warm water cascaded down her long hair.
It was too much. I either needed to call a girl to relieve some tension or do it myself. I knew I could find someone to come over for some lazy weekend sex, but the thought wasn’t all that appealing to me. I didn’t want another girl. I wanted Olivia.
Instead of making a booty call, I t
ook matters into my own hand. I closed my eyes and touched myself, thinking of her chest in that dress at the bar. Then, I pictured her in the conference room, bending over so low that I could see half of her ass in those sexy panties. I replayed the memory of her flirting with me as she stood between my legs, begging me to do something about it.
It didn’t take me long to relieve some of that pressure inside of me. Physically, I was taken care of for the time being, but it wasn’t enough. I needed the real thing or I was going to go crazy. Unfortunately, she was off limits. We completed our agreement, and now it was time to go back to our doctor/intern relationship.
Back on the couch, I decided that I wanted to see her. If I could restrain myself, I reasoned that it might help me diffuse the strong feelings of attraction to her. If I cut myself off, cold turkey style, I would surely lose my mind. Besides, if I asked her to come to my apartment, she would surely turn me down. I needed to frame it in a way that would seem totally harmless.
I pulled out my phone and typed a few different drafts of the same sentiment, before erasing them and trying again. I wanted to take her somewhere nice for dinner, as a way to say thanks again. Then, I decided that dinner could be too sensual. There were always drinks involved, and when the lights went low, there was no telling how we would react. No, a dinner frequently ended with an invitation up to my place, something that was strictly off limits.
Lunch was safe. We could sit outside on the patio, in the full daylight. It was starting to get quite warm outside. It might be a little romantic, but could also pass for a business function. Lunch was just one step above coffee when it came to non-sensual dates. That would be perfect. I could get my little fix, then make it through the rest of the weekend until I saw her in sessions. That could work.
Would you be interested in going to lunch with me today? I can pick you up around noon and we can go to this new brunch spot I found on 5th Ave. Girls love brunch, right?
I sat with my phone clutched in my hand, eagerly awaiting a response. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when the device buzzed a few minutes later.