Sorry, I mouth.
It kills me to act so nonchalant, my expression unreadable and devoid of emotion. I can tell by the strange look on Stacey’s face that she wants to say something. She’s going to have a field day with this exchange. An attending and a surgical intern would be the talk of the hospital and a scandal for us both. I can’t have that. My father would die from embarrassment. I would die from the shame.
Sloan looks at Stacey and shoves his hands in his white lab coat. His muscles flex beneath the material, making me wet just thinking about the sight of this man naked. His friends drank shots off her tits. She had sex with his friend Ryan. It would have been Sloan, too, if he hadn’t taken an interest in me.
He holds his hand out to Stacey. “And you are?”
“Dr. Stacey Carlyle,” Stacey says, flashing a set of pearly-white teeth. “I graduated from P&S with Dr. Roberts.”
How she can act as though nothing happened between us amazes me. Meanwhile, I’m about to throw up from the nerves that cause the bile to rise up from my stomach. I wish I could be as calm as Stacey and not give a fuck. But her father isn’t one of the most respected surgeons in the city.
“Columbia.” His gaze shifts between us, his eyes landing on mine. “Excellent choice.”
He sounds impressed, as he should be. I worked my ass off to get accepted. Despite our weekend of stupidity, Stacey and I’d spent most of our time either with our noses in books or in a lab or hospital. I bet Sloan didn’t expect the girl who had sex with him on a rooftop to be so…educated. And Stacey, well, she’s anything but your typical bookworm.
“It’s my father’s alma mater,” I confess. “Columbia was the only choice for me.”
He nods. “Roberts…I know a Dr. Roberts who also attended Columbia. Your father wouldn’t happen to be Dr. Lawrence Roberts, would it?”
“The one and only,” I say with pride.
“For the sake of this hospita
l and this program, I hope the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.”
Please don’t fanboy over my dad.
I blush ten shades of red at his comment, and of course, he notices. He opens his mouth, as if he’s about to say something and stops himself. An awkward pause passes between us, before Sloan interrupts the silence.
“Are you interested in cardio?”
“Yes, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’d like to take my time and see which specialty is right for me.”
“General surgery is a good way to go,” he says. “That’s the route I chose. It gives me more opportunities to take cases I might not have seen had I chosen a particular specialty.”
I smile, trying to hide the nervous energy shooting through my body. “That’s also an option. I guess we shall see. My dad has been planting the seed since I was in high school. He makes jokes about the heart wanting what it wants. They’re super lame.”
He chuckles. “I’ve met your father a few times at conferences. Dr. Roberts is an interesting man.” Sloan turns to the side, so that he has my ear, and can cut Stacey out of our conversation. “Meet me in my office after orientation. It’s on the fourth floor.”
The bile rises up from my stomach, choking me from all the anxiety that floods through my veins, causing my stomach to turn. I lock eyes with Sloan. Instead of the smile I wore two seconds ago, my face remains expressionless. Why does he need to see me? This cannot be good.
I nod in answer, not wanting to draw too much attention.
A wicked grin turns up the corners of his mouth, and I have no idea how to interpret his strange gesture. Is that a good or bad smirk? All I know is that it’s hard to think of Sloan in any other way than my first one-night stand and the best sex I ever had. But Doc—I mean Dr. Hart—is my new boss. Well, fuck me.
Chapter Ten
AVA
On my way to Sloan’s office, I contemplate applying to another hospital for my residency, but Penn General is one of the best trauma hospitals in the country. My father would kill me if I quit the program because of a one-night stand. How would I ever begin to explain that to him?
My sexual history with Sloan creates a serious conflict of interest, one that could cost us both. The hospital strongly frowns upon doctors dating their subordinates. We even had to sign and initial a no-fraternizing clause in our contracts. After our spiel from human resources about workplace behavior, I’d say what I did with Sloan is more than just frowned upon.
When I reach Sloan’s office, a pretty blonde, with cleavage that’s spilling out of a tight blue top that hugs her petite frame, greets me. I’m sure Sloan will forget all about me with Barbie as his secretary. I have no doubt she can tend to his every need. And now, I am jealous of his secretary. Just great. The last thing I need is to feel anything for this man, yet the second I laid eyes on him in the conference room, my nipples hardened and the memory of everything we did came flooding back to me all at once.
“I’m here to see Dr. Hart,” I say to the woman behind the desk.
She lifts the phone to her ear and covers it with her hand. “What did you say your name was?”