Page 7 of The Doctor

RAINE

I markthe last task off my list and breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve been running my butt off trying to get everything ready for our photoshoot down in San Diego tomorrow.

Taking off my glasses, I wipe a smear off them. I’m in the middle of putting them back on when my boss and her husband walk upstairs.

“Hey, Raine,” Ryder waves as he keeps heading upstairs to the roof. “Let me know if you need any help with anything.”

“I will,” my voice is soft, and I feel my cheeks heat as I try to look at anything but Ryder. I walked in on them having sex this morning when I showed up. I’m not sure I’ll ever be comfortable seeing him naked.

Lexie giggles from beside me and tugs me back downstairs. “I’m sorry you walked in on that. Downstairs is the only place we can have sex and not wake up Delilah.”

I pull from her grip and cover my ears with my hands. “I don’t want to hear about your sex life. It was different when I didn’t have to see him every day.”

“Oh, Raine, you need to loosen up.” A big smile crosses her face, and she claps while giving me a look that I know only results in trouble. “I thought after the other night, you’d be more chill,” she laughs.

“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a time when I want to hear about or see you having sex with your husband.”

She dismisses what I said and drags me into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she frowns. “You still haven’t told me what happened after my show.” She turns to me with a hopeful expression on her face. “Was it at least good?”

I swat her away. “You know I don’t like talking about sex. That’s not how I was raised. I’m not as… free-spirited about it as you.”

She turns and starts to walk back upstairs. “Well,” she says over her shoulder. “I think you should have gotten his number and made hooking up with him a regular occurrence. Don’t you miss sex?”

I do, and it doesn’t help that I literally see my boss glow every day from all the sex she has with her sexy as sin husband. But that’s just the thing, I’m me, and Lexie is Lexie. She’s gorgeous with her blue hair, skin adorned with tattoos that make her even more beautiful, and she knows what she wants and goes after it. I’m not like that. It felt like a mistake after waking up in Kade’s bed, and I didn’t like the way I felt. I didn’t want to hear his excuses as to why I needed to leave, and shame isn’t something that should belong with sex.

“Why don’t we go get some lunch?” I know what she’s trying to do, and it’s not going to work. No way am I going to talk about the best sex of my life with her.

“But what about work?” I try to get out of it.

“I’m giving you the rest of the day off.” I start to open my mouth, but Lexie shakes her head. “I’ll have Ryder load everything in his SUV, and it will be ready to go in the morning.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea. I need to check on…” Shoot. I don’t have anything to check on. If Ryder is going to pack everything up, then I’m finished for the day.

“That’s what I thought. Now go grab your phone and purse, and I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

“If you’re not outside in five, I’m leaving,” I threaten because I know if she takes any longer than that, it’s because she’s having sex.

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll be down.” Putting her arm around my shoulder, she hugs me to her side. “Come on, you know you’re hungry and that you want to talk to someone about your sexy night with that hottie stranger.”

I’m not going to argue with her. There’s no point. I do kind of want to talk to her, but not about the sex.

She digs into her purse and then throws me her keys. How did I let her talk me into this? Oh, I know how—because I didn’t. She steamrolled me into it.

I’ve barely started up her car and turned the air all the way down when Lexie is bounding out of the warehouse she owns and lives in. She has an infectious smile on her face.

I hope I won’t regret agreeing to go to lunch with her. There’s only so much embarrassment I can take.

* * *

“We need to come here weekly,”Lexie says as she dips a tortilla chip into the guacamole. “From now on, we’re going to have our meetings here.”

“I second that idea,” I take a sip of water to cool down the fire burning through my mouth from the salsa.

There was a time when I was afraid Lexie wouldn’t want to come back here after being attacked outside by her ex. I should have known I had nothing to worry about since her love of Mexican food is second to Ryder and Delilah.

I pull out my iPad and set it on the table. “What’s today’s meeting about?”

My blue-haired friend only shakes her head at me. “Not going to happen. You know exactly why we’re here. I don’t need explicit details, but you’ve got to give me something. I know something happened with the guy from the exhibit, but what I’m unsure about is if it was a good thing or a bad thing. You’ve been so up and down; you’re giving me mixed signals.”

---