The Doctor Who Has No Closure - Victoria Quinn Page 0,43

lived for the chase. Very few women probably ever said no to this guy. “You know—”

“I know that you don’t work here anymore, so I don’t see the harm. Not breaking any rules. So how about it?”

I didn’t even realize that. I didn’t work at the Trinity Building anymore. I could date any of the eligible bachelors who lived there. But Zach was definitely the hottest, and his confidence was magnetic. As tempting as the offer was, all I could think about was Dex, the person I was most excited to see now that I was finished with Cleo. Every time I saw him, my heart raced a little harder, and seeing the Christmas lights reflect in his eyes was a memory I would never forget. I needed to move on, see somebody else, forget about the guy I could never have…but I couldn’t. “I’m seeing someone, Zach. But I’m very flattered.”

Disappointment filled his eyes as he reached for his wallet and pulled out his business card. “I’ve never had to ask out a woman more than once, and here I am, asking you out at twice. But maybe the third time will be the charm.” He handed me his business card before he turned to his car. “Give me a call when you’re ready for an upgrade.”

10

Dex

Natalia turned onto her side, naked on top of the sheets, tight and chiseled like a woman in her twenties or thirties. She eyed me as I got dressed, her blond hair messy and all over the place. “You’re an even better lover than a surgeon, if you ask me.”

I pulled my shirt over my head then my sweater, sexually satisfied, but I also felt distinctly dirty. It wasn’t her age that bothered me, but the fact that this professional relationship had turned into a cheap hookup. It was wrong.

But I couldn’t say no.

“Moving to the city is the best decision I ever made.” She got out of bed and pulled on her silk robe, covering herself by cinching the belt at her stomach. She stepped into the bathroom, probably to fix her hair and makeup.

Full of self-loathing, I checked my phone and saw the text messages and emails.

A few were from Sicily.

I was immediately hit with a pain in my chest, like I was doing something wrong, betraying her in some way.

I quickly shoved the phone into my pocket and pretended I didn’t see her messages in the first place.

Natalia came back and walked me to the door. “You’re awfully quiet.”

I turned to her to say goodbye. “Natalia, it’s probably too late for this, but I’d like it if we could just be colleagues again…and forget this happened.”

Her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes narrowed. “I’m not the kind to kiss and tell, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No. It just feels wrong, inappropriate.”

“You’re overthinking it, Dex. We’re both adults. We don’t work together. We would probably never talk if it weren’t for us hooking up.” She gave a gentle pat to my cheek before she turned away. “I’ll call you.”

I got to the practice early that morning, needing to catch up on paperwork. I’d prefer to sleep a little longer, but I needed to document everything from my surgeries and complete my notes for the patients I’d already seen. I already had Sicily fill in a lot of information from her notes, but I still had to review everything before I signed off on it.

No matter how early I got in, Sicily was always there first.

Today, she was in skinny black jeans, boots, and a blue sweater that fit snugly against the small of her back, highlighting the curves she had at every angle. Her hair was in loose, bouncy curls, and she always looked like a bombshell, ready for more than just the office, maybe even the runway.

Jesus fucking Christ, it was distracting.

Maybe I needed to make a dress code for the office—burlap sacks.

But knowing her, she’d still rock it.

I walked past her desk. “Morning.”

She beamed when she looked at me, always so happy to see me every single day. “Morning. Coffee and breakfast are on your desk.”

“Thanks.” I gave her a smile before I headed into my office. It was clean and organized, even though I left my papers everywhere at the end of the day. She came in after I left and filed everything, scanned it into the computer, and tidied up. My flowers were always fresh, and it always smelled good, not like the leftover