“Fine,” he said loading the last suitcase into the truck. “That's not my first issue. I have some issues I got back from the war. That's actually not my first rodeo with a boat either. I need to stay the hell out of the water. He pulled up his shirt to reveal his washboard abs and I practically felt my pussy warm even in the summer heat. He had that effect on me.
But then he pointed to something I hadn't noticed before. A scar. It was large, but I hadn't noticed it before because I've been so focused on the rest of his delicious body. But now that I saw it I realized that had to come from a pretty serious injury. “What happened?”
He let his shirt go loose. “Like I said, I have an issue with boats. When I got back from overseas I got a little too wasted one night and then fell off the yacht. Some metal went right through me, I was alone. So I had to handle it myself.
“You stitched it up yourself?”
“Yeah. Being a doctor has its benefits. Like knowing exactly how anatomy works.” He said as he took his finger along the skin beneath my chin. “I know exactly how to treat a body. How to get everything it needs. Don’t you agree?”
My knees trembled beneath me and my pussy ached with desire. He leaned in and laid a kiss on my lips.
“Convincing my uncle I'm obsessed with you is going to be easy.”
He walked away leaving me breathless and I quickly followed him to get in the other side of the moving truck. Once he started up and I felt the rumble underneath my body. I realized that I was so hot and bothered I couldn't wait to get back to his apartment. I wanted to see just how well he knew a woman's body. Sure the sex last night had been hot, but now that I was getting to know Cole, I thought just maybe I could fall for him.
“So my uncle will want to meet you,” he said as he drove back to his penthouse apartment. “We’re going to have to make this believable, he's a businessman. He can smell a lie a mile away.”
“So how do we convince him?” I couldn't disappoint him. I realized I was desperate to make this ridiculous arrangement work, and not just because I needed the money. It was because I wanted to make Cole happy.
“I'll set up with him. I'm sure he'll want to take you out to dinner or the both of us, see us in action together as a couple. Can you handle that?” He said as he slid his hands across the seat and placed it on my thigh. I was wearing shorts and with our bare skin touching, I would've said anything to me, trust me. To get back to the apartment back into his bed.
“Sure. I can play a part. You just have to tell me what his strengths and weaknesses are. So I know what to look for. If you say that he's good at catching a lie, I’ll make sure a lie is believable.” Out of the corner of my eye I could see him smiling at me. I knew he was right, it wouldn’t be hard to keep up our ruse. Not with how easily we were falling for one another. And it had only been a day. Where would we be when the four months was over?
I wasn't sure.
But I was dying to find out.
Ten
Cole
“Morning, I’m Dr. Cole Brennan, I believe I’m assigned to the first floor?” I winked at the receptionist for good measure. Maybe she could show me where the coffee was later.
“Hi there, you’re reporting to the attending, Dr. Mallory. He’s about my height, with dark hair, actually, why don’t I just take you down there?” She offered, her sparkling green eyes looking up at me from behind the desk.
“That would be great.”
As we passed rooms, she poked her head into one and gave greetings to parents and kids.
“First day?” she asked.
“Yeah, is it obvious?”
“Well you just looked at the kid in the wheelchair like something was wrong with him, so yeah, that’s obvious. You have to look at them like they’re normal, like nothing is wrong. Because for some of these kids, this is their whole life. So this is normal. Their normal.”
That hit me right in the gut. Even if I wasn’t really a kid person, I would definitely do my best. And when I was done here I would make sure we made a large donation to the hospital.
No kid should have to live here. No kid should feel like being sick is normal.
She walked me down the hallway until finally, we hit another reception desk.
“Is Dr. Mallory with a patient, Ashley?” She asked the receptionist.
“No, he is sitting in the break room. Kind of quiet here this morning, you must be the new doc on staff. I'm Ashley. I work the day shift.”
I waved at the petite blonde behind the desk but noticed that I wasn't even that interested. That didn't really make much sense except of course I could only think of Addison. I was really going soft.
The original receptionist pointed me in the direction of the break room. “Follow the smell of the coffee. And good luck.”