Forbidden Doctor - R. S. Elliot Page 0,39

I caught you. Do you have a moment to speak?” his voice filtered through the line.

“Sure.”

I was nervous for the dinner, but not in the way I usually was before a date.

No, this was me trying something out, trying to get over a certain hazel-eyed girl that kept distracting me at work. I kept repeating the things I knew about the woman over in my head.

Melissa. Thirty-one. Works in publishing.

The way my father had spoken of her, you’d have thought she’d hung the moon. It had become standard for him to set me up on dates, but he seemed particularly keen on this one. Apparently, she was some bigwig in the publishing industry and had a great familial background. It was no use explaining to my father that no one cared about familial connections in my world. I knew he was hoping she’d be the one, we’d get married, have a couple of kids, and make him a proud old grandfather that could show off his son’s progeny at the country club and at horse races.

I was more expecting to meet a gold digger that wanted to get a handle on the family money I didn’t give a shit about and spend it to her heart’s content while I worked my ass off day after day.

I still had to look presentable, though, so I combed my hair, trimmed the stubble that had grown just out of control, and dressed in a suit. The restaurant we were meeting at required men to be in suits, and I thought that said enough about the establishment. I straightened my tie, a half-windsor feeling less choke inducing than a full and buttoned up. I left the house looking just as debonair as my father had always hoped I’d dress on the daily and drove to our rendezvous. I recognized it as the same hotel restaurant that I’d met Stevie in, and I had to swallow down the memory. She’d only been a sensation then, a feeling I’d absorbed with my skin the night before.

It hadn’t even occurred to me where I was until I’d seen the glowing facade. It felt like the universe was mocking me and I’d had enough of it. I put Stevie out of my mind and decided I would do my best to enjoy the clear night and the company of whatever woman my father had picked out for me. I walked in the door and gave my name to the maître d'. She smiled at me and led me to an empty table. Given that it was a weeknight, the place was fairly empty, with mostly businessmen sitting across from each other and talking. I had always hated places like that, even when my mother was alive. I checked my watch a couple of times, feeling petty and irritated that this woman was all of three minutes late.

I ordered a drink, nothing exciting because of work, and bemoaned the fact I had to spend my evening waiting on someone who probably wouldn’t even show. I could have been at home, doing almost anything else, and I would have been happier. I even glanced at my pager, hoping selfishly that it would go off. Nothing major—maybe just a resident needing help. My current interns were all about as mediocre as they could be, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they called me in for things as simple as intubations.

A whole, grand five minutes past our meeting time, I saw the maître d' approaching again, someone in tow. I gritted my teeth and braced myself, and when the host moved, my heart stopped.

“Hi,” Melissa said.

“Hi,” I replied.

Chapter Thirteen

Stevie

It wasn’t a date with Jack, it was just drinks as friends, and it had become a fairly regular occurrence—one we both needed. We’d both head to Sweet Nell’s, down a couple of beers, and talk about anything that wasn’t the hospital. I cherished our times together because Jack’s friendship didn’t feel as tender and conditional as the one with Adrian felt.

Not that I saw Adrian all that much.

He was still friendly, and we still chatted at lunchtimes, but his free time had been mostly monopolized by a walking ad for shampoo named Melissa Heron. She was everything I had ever hoped to be: tall, successful in her field, effortlessly beautiful, and free to be with Adrian. The two of them had been going steady for a couple of months, while I slogged through my general surgery rotation with Jack and Smith (who