Isabella felt conflicted, but she felt too good to be upset at herself for letting her guard down. Besides, it was hardly a serious relationship. They were just two adults with a mutual attraction to one another. If they wanted to have casual sex on occasion, where was the harm in that?
She took a quick inventory of her feelings. When she thought about it, she didn’t have the urge to date him or bring him home to her mother. She didn’t like him in that way. All she had was a raw sexual attraction to him. Nothing more.
If she knew anything about men, it was that they were usually less attached than the women they chased. Perhaps James was right after all—they could make this work.
She hastily finished changing and met up with Jordan by the nurse’s station.
“Good morning,” Isabella chirped.
“You seem especially chipper this morning.” She eyed her suspiciously.
“I suppose I just got a good night of sleep,” she lied.
Isabella caught James’s eye. He flashed her a quick smile and she looked away quickly. Luckily, Jordan wasn’t paying attention.
“Gather ‘round,” James called. “I have an extra special pop quiz for you all today. Whoever answers the most questions correctly gets an exclusive opportunity.”
Isabella felt sharp and focused. She was always up for a competition.
James asked them a series of ten difficult questions. Isabella’s hand shot up into the air, often before he was finished talking. In the end, she had managed to answer eight of the questions correctly while her fellow interns sulked.
“Congratulations, Isabella,” James said. “Here’s your prize: Dr. Jensen needs extra help in his study, so you’ll be working closely with him next week. You’ll learn a lot, and as a bonus, you’ll get your name in a medical journal.”
The others groaned. Isabella beamed. This was a huge opportunity for her. She was a little disappointed that she would be seeing much less of James, but it would be worth it.
“When do I start?” she asked.
“Actually, you can go to his lab right now,” James said. “The other research assistants will fill you in on their work, and then you start research on Monday. He said he needs someone for at least a week, but depending on how things go, maybe longer.”
She didn’t know what to say. She really wanted to plant a sloppy kiss of appreciation on James’s face, but she knew that would be wildly inappropriate.
“Okay, I guess I’ll see you later,” she said to the group, but mostly directed at James. She walked to the lab with an extra spring in her step.
Once she got into the study, the rest of the day flew by. She was so busy learning about the brilliant research being done that she hardly even thought about her morning in the on-call room. At the end of the day, she left the hospital with a big stack of research to digest during the weekend.
She was psyched for the upcoming week. While her peers were slaving away in the ER, she would be in surgery, learning new techniques.
On Monday, she woke up early, and out of habit, went to the locker room, even though she could go straight to the lab. Perhaps it was just her subconsciousness guiding her to what she really craved.
Sure enough, James’s bag was sitting on the wooden bench. Steam was pour
ing out from the shower area.
“It’s like a sauna in here,” Isabella called out.
The water stopped. James peeked his head out from behind the curtain.
“Care to join me?”
“I’d rather not. I don’t have time to dry my hair, and if someone comes in here, I don’t want to explain why we were in the same shower stall.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Anyway, you’d be surprised how many shower sex-related injuries I’ve seen in my short career in medicine.”
Isabella bit her lip. She was still tempted to strip down and join him.
“Are you excited to work with Dr. Jensen? I hope you know how good of an opportunity it is.”
“Yes, I know,” she replied. “Although, I have a feeling that the other interns hate me now.”
“Probably.” He laughed. “Who cares? They should hate themselves for not studying and actually earning their opportunities.”
She smiled.
“I’m happy for you,” he said. “But I can’t help but be disappointed that I can’t check you out all day.”
Isabella giggled. She shared the same sentiment.
“Do you think we have enough time to revisit the bunk beds?” she purred.
Just then, a doctor entered the room to use the vending machine. That answered that question.
To avoid any suspicion, Isabella took off and went to the lab. Her body was pulsing with arousal, and it took a few moments for the feeling to wear off. Fortunately, work was always a stronger distraction for her.
Just as she was about to leave for the day, she saw James talking to Dr. Jensen. She was too far away to hear what they were discussing, but it looked serious.
“Dr. Carter,” Dr. Jensen addressed her. “Dr. Johnson needs your assistance. You are dismissed for the day. Have a nice evening.”
She followed James down different hallways until he led her into an exam room.
“What did you need my assistance for?” she asked.
He gave her a devilish grin and shut the door behind them, taking extra care to lock it.
“I think you know what I need. I think you need it, too,” he said, grasping her waist.
He was correct. She had been craving his touch all day, ever since she saw him in the shower. James picked her up and sat her on the exam table. The paper crinkled underneath her.