“Did you take his picture?” That was her thing; she had to have a picture of her lover, preferably as close to the time of their encounter as possible. She liked getting the raw look, not porn, mostly black and white facial expressions. Kate was quite the photographer. "Not worth talking about—so who was your mystery caller, Lilly?” She looked at me with her bleary, red eyes.
“None other than Dr. Steinmann.”
“No kidding! Bullet Steinmann called you?” Kate’s dark eyes flew wide open.
“Bullet? Who names their child Bullet?” I had to ask.
“Bullet is a fine name for a criminal and in this case—a hot doctor!”
“How do you know he’s hot?” I had seen her idea of hot before so I was not sold that he was actually good-looking, at least according to my standards—mine were pretty high when it came to sexual partners. "Oh hold on." She tapped on her tablet for a few seconds and passed it to me. “See, what did I tell you?”
I took the tablet and said, “Whoa…” I could not stop staring at the face of Bullet Steinmann. The handsome doctor had dark wavy hair that he wore clipped neatly like a halo around his square face. His dark blue eyes shone back at me; he looked a little mischievous but it could be his smile. Bullet had perfect white teeth and dark pink lips. "Good Lord, he's going to see me naked? I don't think so. This guy can't be a cosmetic surgeon, can he? I mean he looks like a model or a race car driver—not a freaking doctor. I am going to have to cancel my appointment."
"You do that. I will go in your place. I would love for him to see me naked." I snickered at the idea. "Lilly, Katie, you guys listening?" Our professor stared at us over her glasses and clicked on the monitor.
"It's Kate, Professor Lindale and yes we are listening." I tried to focus on the lecture but spent a lot of time daydreaming about the face of Bullet.
I whipped out my phone and texted Kate. "I wonder if he's short?"
She texted me back, "I guess you will find out at three o'clock." My eyes widened at her. I stared at the classroom clock. Just four more hours to meet Dr. Hottie, not an appointment I had forgotten but now, it seemed much more exciting, more daring. As Lindale bored us with her latest diatribe on the current field of art historians, I wondered what I should wear. I mean, I only needed to take off my top, right? Not all of my clothing. If I did have to strip down to my underwear, I certainly wasn't going to wear my Saturday
-night-without-a-date panties. However, my thongs might be a bit over the top. I mused about this problem until the end of class and headed to the cafeteria for a bite to eat. Kate went back to her dorm for a two-hour nap—she had more classes, including Martel who liked pop quizzing individual students in front of the entire auditorium.
Originally, I planned to sprint from my last class to the clinic, which occasionally hosted Dr. Steinmann's consultation appointments. Not going to happen now. I needed time to get a shower, shave and pick out what to wear. I am being ridiculous. Why should I care? He is not going to be looking at me like that anyway. I am sure he sees dozens of women's bodies every day. I am worrying over nothing.
I did not ditch my entire last class of the day but I did leave 30 minutes early. It was only courteous to get a shower, right? In the end, I settled on my sapphire blue bra and panties set. I reached for a casual-looking orange summer sweater and a dark brown short skirt. I had good skin tone and I was proud of my naturally tanned skin. It was too hot for boots so I settled on cork-heeled wedges. I left my hair in ringlets—it took forever to straighten it and time was not on my side.
I stared at myself in the mirror. Was I sure I wanted to do this? I turned to look at my side profile. "Yep," I said to myself. "You deserve this."
I grabbed my purse, cell phone and keys and headed out the door. I hopped in my BMW and pulled out onto the highway. The clinic was only a few minutes, not long enough to change my mind. The parking lot was full when I got there but I managed to find a spot.
A friendly nurse with warm-looking brown skin greeted me and handed me an interview sheet. "Just fill out the first two pages please."
I found a cozy spot in the waiting room and began filling out the papers. In a few minutes, I returned the forms to the nurse at the counter and looked for something to read on the way back to the white leather couch. I hoped it was not going to be a long wait. I needed to pick up my violin; I had it restrung and would it need it tomorrow for orchestra. I peeked at my watch and flipped through the pages of People Magazine. It was one of their beautiful people editions. I skimmed through the glossy pages, looking at an endless parade of perfect faces and bodies. I stopped at one page featuring one of my favorite actresses who quite openly talked about a breast procedure she had undergone. "It was the best decision I ever made. I have so much confidence now." Exactly! I don't want to look like a freak show—I just want a little more up top. Is that so wrong?
"Miss Brightwood? Right this way." Obediently, I followed her to a private consultation room. She politely asked me a few questions and pointed to a chair. "Dr. Steinmann will be right with you."
"Should I go ahead and change?" I set my purse on the floor and reached for the paper gown lying on a nearby bench.
"No, not yet. Is this your first time with this doctor?"
"Yes," I nodded. "I'm not sure how all this works."
The older woman smiled knowingly. "You are in good hands. I only get to work with him when he is in the area but all of his patients love him. Dr. Steinmann likes to consult first, then do a physical exam and then consult again, answering any questions you might have. At the end, if you two decide to schedule any procedure, I will come back and take your blood. We have to have a full work up before we do anything. He will be right in. Make yourself comfortable."
That was easier said than done. I only had to wait a few minutes before I heard a light tap at the door. "Yes?" I answered. Dr. Steinmann walked in and I caught my breath. He was even more handsome in person and definitely not short. He flashed a brilliant smile and extended his hand. "Miss Brightwood?"
"Please call me Lilly." I shook his hand trying not to notice how warm it felt.
"Alright, Lilly. I’m happy to meet you. Let's talk for a few minutes. Tell me how I can help you." He sat in a rolling chair across from me. God he smells good! Okay, put your game face on—you aren't a teenager, Lil.
"You were recommended by a friend—Amanda Dixon? Auburn hair, purple eyes? Likes to talk a lot?"
"Yes, I do remember Miss Dixon." He grinned even bigger.
"She says that you are the best and since I only want the best for this sensitive procedure, you were the first doctor I called."
"Thank you. So what did you have in mind, Lilly?" He flipped through the papers in the folder.