“You’re clearly one of the better interns this session. But, there are always things you can do to improve your chances.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“There’s this event I have to go to on Friday night. It’s a charity dinner for cancer research, and a lot of important people are going to be there. I wanted to bring a date, but not just anyone. I wanted to bring someone who knew her shit. You’re smart, and with a little preparation, I think you could really be an asset to me. There are a few doctors that the CEO is wanting to bring into our network and he’s asked me to talk up the hospital, and if I play my cards right, it could be a very big night for me.”
“And you want me to go with you?” she asked in disbelief.
“I think you would be the perfect date, yes,” I said, smiling sweetly. “If things go well, I’d be happy to have you come onboard as the surgical intern.”
“And if things don’t go well?” she asked, looking concerned.
I shook my head. “It’ll be fine. I’ll make sure you’re prepared to go. It shouldn’t take much work. I’ll give you a few pages on the doctors you’ll be talking to, and some background information on what the CEO is looking for. You’re not the one selling the hospital though, that’s my job. Mostly, I just want you to make polite conversation with them and their spouses. Just general conversation, it can be medical, but nothing too difficult. You don’t even really have to know anything about CUIMC’s doctor network, at least not right now. You can leave all of that to me.”
She nodded intently, her brow furrowing. “It all sounds very promising, but I have a ton of studying to do. And you did give us three fairly large assignments.”
I pursed my lips. “True, but I never said when they would be due, I can always give everyone a reprieve.”
She smiled. “I guess you probably could do that. And I would really like that internship.”
“Go with me to this event, and it’s practically yours. Of course, I’ll have to announce it so it seems like a fair competition, but no one has to know our dirty little secret. It should be fun for you, too. You can mingle amongst powerful and wealthy patrons, wear a fancy dress, and eat and drink some fantastic food. I bet you’ve never been to an event like this before.”
“I haven’t,” she replied. “That does sound nice. What if I don’t fit in?”
“You will if you’re with me. I wouldn’t even ask you if I didn’t think you were the right girl. What do you say?”
“It’s a very enticing offer.” She giggled.
I reached across the table and took her hand in mind. “Excellent. Now, what do you say to coming back to my place now? We can start preparing for the event.”
She bit her lip in hesitation. “I don’t know, I told my roommate I’d be home after a quick drink.”
“Text her and tell her you’re with me. You just look so pretty right now. It would be a shame to waste those good looks on a dorm room. It’s not even late yet. I promise I’ll have you back to your apartment before first rounds tomorrow.”
She frowned. “Tomorrow?”
“Sure,” I replied casually. “I’m not going to kick you out of my place in the middle of the night. What kind of a guy do you think I am?”
She looked away from me. “I don’t know. I suppose I don’t really know you, after all.”
I sighed. I was losing her and I wasn’t sure how to get her back. Perhaps I had misjudged Olivia. She seemed to smart and eager to please. Maybe she wasn’t nearly as eager as I originally thought. Nevertheless, I had to press on. The event was just a few days away, and I really didn’t want to show up alone. If Olivia were as smart as she seemed, she wouldn’t refuse my extremely generous offer.
Chapter 5
Olivia
Sitting in the private booth, I went from feeling very confident to very foolish. I had allowed myself to get so caught up in all of the excitement and prestige of a meeting with Dr. Damon Rye that I didn’t think about any ulterior motives. He was so far out of my league; I was an idiot for thinking that he truly had an interest in me. Well, he had an interest in me, but it seemed to be purely motivated by my willingness to put out.
I wasn’t opposed to having sex. I had just a few sexual encounters during my college career, and they were all with men I had been dating for a while. I wasn’t a prude, but I also didn’t give it up for just anyone. I still believed that sex was special, and I only wanted to do it with men who truly respected me. Sleeping with a guy, just to get an internship was out of the question. I wanted to get ahead in the medical field, but I could not live with myself if I had to sleep my way through life, just to get the job I wanted. I didn’t want to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to go to school, just to come out a glorified sex worker.
I was insulted and hurt that Damon would even suggest a thing. Carol said that he had a reputation for sleeping with interns, but I thought our connection was stronger than that. I didn’t need anything from him. In fact, it sounded like he needed more from me.
But, I didn’t feel like I was in a position where I could leverage this point over him. He wanted to parade me around some rich people at a hospital fundraiser for cancer research. Somehow, he thought that the offer would be enticing enough on its own. While I did want to be able to network with some of the greatest minds in the medical field, I didn’t want to go so badly I would give up my morals. I just wasn’t that kind of girl. If he had treated me with an ounce of respect and courted me, instead of bribing me, maybe I would go back to his apartment after a few dates. He was still beautiful and charming, but now I knew he was a rat. I wanted to trust him, but I just couldn’t. As he begged me to go back home with him, the horrible sinking sensation in my stomach only got worse. I had to trust my instinct on this one.
“I don’t like this,” I said. “It doesn’t seem right. If you’re offering an internship position for the whole class, should you really be offering it to one person? And, should you be trying to get that candidate drunk enough so she’d go home and have sex with you?”
My voice had gotten louder. I forgot that we were in public and lowered my voice so no one would look over. I already felt embarrassed enough.
“Relax, would you?” he chastised me. “I’m not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do. People have said a lot of things about me, but none of them bordered on criminal. If you don’t want to come over, you don’t have to. And, when did I mention sex? Do you think you’re really so irresistible that I wouldn’t be able to keep anything else on my mind? I have a job to do and I wanted to know if you were willing to help me out. I was about to let you into my world of endless possibilities for you. Do you know how many girls would kill for that kind of inclusion? Guys, too! You can’t tell me that a few of your male co-interns wouldn’t suck me off, just to spend an hour outside of class with me. I didn’t ask anything of you that wouldn’t directly benef
it you as well. I’m downright insulted that you would act this way.”
I looked down at the table. He was making me feel like garbage. I wondered if I really had overreacted. While he never explicitly said that he wanted me around for sexual purposes, he made it seem that way. Was Carol right about him all along, or was I projecting her concerns onto my situation? My mind was in a pretzel and I was in no place to sort it all out.
“I’m sorry,” I said, not exactly sure what I was apologizing for.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “You really didn’t need to get riled up over nothing.”
I pursed my lips. “Does this hurt my chances of getting the internship?”
“Are you going to the fundraiser with me?”
I frowned. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
His face contorted from his pleasant, charming resting face to a scowl. “Then no, probably.”
“Because I didn’t want to go out with you?” I squeaked. “You know I’m qualified for the internship. I’m the best intern in that whole session and you know it!”
“Then I guess I’ll give you equal consideration,” he said wearily. “This is what I get for trying to help you out.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel. I felt this strange combination of disgust toward Damon, and guilt for not playing the game. It was easy to be optimistic now and tell myself that I didn’t need him to get to where I wanted to be. But, I wondered if five years down the line, I’d be kicking myself for not playing along.
Most of all, he made me feel like the invisible girl in Hazelwood. Once again, I was a nobody, stupidly hoping that the popular guy would like me. He seemed so sweet and genuine, and I fell for his tricks. He was no different than the assholes my mother warned me about. He was exactly what Carol warned me about.