Dr. Fake It - A Possessive Doctor Romance

He inclined his head. “That’s true, more or less.”

“I want to offer a solution to that problem. If you allow me to pay off Erica’s debts, and promise to call off Cosimo, then I’ll have the zoning board accept your application and rezone those buildings.”

He snorted. “How could you do that?”

“I have connections on the board.” One connection, at least, but I didn’t go into detail.

He studied me for a moment then leaned back in his seat. I felt exposed and wished I could see what was behind me, but I kept my eyes on him and stayed calm. I thought about Erica back in my house, probably still asleep, or maybe just waking up, maybe making some coffee wearing an old pair of gym shorts and a long t-shirt, looking gorgeous with messy hair, her skin glowing in the morning sun. I wanted to get back to her as soon as I could and press my lips against that skin.

“That’s interesting,” he said finally. “Very interesting.”

“I can make that problem go away if you make my problem go away.”

“Here’s the issue with that. We already said we wanted you to work for us, to do some medical jobs for us, and now you’re backing off.”

I stared him down and nodded. “I’m not as foolish as you might think. I know that once you get your hooks in me, you’ll never let me go. Five years, two years, it won’t matter. Once I’ve seen things, you can’t let me walk.”

A glimmer of a smile passed his lips. “That’s true.”

“Then I’m telling you right now, I’ll never take that deal. I’d rather have to kill Cosimo myself than risk being trapped with you people.” That was another lie, at least from my end—I knew Erica would rather that, at least.

“You seemed more willing during our last discussion. What changed your mind?”

“I thought about it. Talked to my priest. Emailed my friends from high school.” I leaned toward him, eyebrows raised. “Does it really matter?”

He laughed and shook his head. “I guess not. Frankly, you’re right not to take that deal. Vincent wanted to trap you into our service. He figured he could get a cheap doctor that way, and honestly, he was right. If you’d taken the deal, we would’ve milked you for all you were worth, and maybe killed you in the end.”

“Good thing I changed my mind.”

“Good thing.” He stroked his chin and nodded. “All right. I’ll take this to Vincent, so long as you can really get the zoning through.”

“I’ll make it happen.”

“We’ll be in touch then.”

I hesitated, then stood up. I looked at him and he smirked back at me then picked up his paper. I knew I was dismissed, but I wanted to ask him one more thing. I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help it.

“Is it common for your soldiers to try to marry the people that owe them money?”

He met my gaze and shrugged. “I’m in an unusual business, Dr. Majors. Who knows what’s normal under these circumstances?”

I nodded and turned, leaving him behind. I walked to the door and stepped out into the morning.

A strange surge of hope rushed through me as I walked toward the curb. Dante seemed receptive of my offer, and he even admitted that they never would’ve let me go if I agreed to work for them. That was never going to happen now, no matter what they said—and he had to know it.

Before I could cross the street, some motion caught my eye. I turned and took a step back as Cosimo came barreling toward me.

I sucked in a breath as he tried to smash into me. I dropped my weight and slammed an elbow into his shoulder, knocking him aside and breaking his tackle. He grunted and hit the pavement, rolling to one side with an angry grunt. He climbed to his feet as I took a few steps away, putting distance between us, and he laughed. His lip looked scratched and he wore an oversized sweater with a pair of dark jeans.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he said, grinning huge.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Testing you. Couldn’t help myself. You’re such a delightful target.”

“Go to hell, Cosimo.”

“I know what you were doing in there. You think you can convince my bosses to get me to step down.”

I glared at him, muscles tense, ready for a fight. I knew Dante wouldn’t come out and help me, and if Cosimo decided to escalate this, I had to be ready to stop him.

“I’m appealing to someone sane.”

He cackled with delight. “You think they’re sane? I work for some of the most bloodthirsty motherfuckers in this city. And you think they’re sane?”

“I think they aren’t trying to marry a woman that owes them money.”

He waved that off. “You live in such a simple little world, don’t you, doctor? But unfortunately, my world is very complicated, and very dark. I’m telling you right now, I don’t care what my bosses say. This isn’t about business anymore. For me, it’s very personal.”