Page 17 of Seduction
He shrugged nonchalantly. “All right, then. I’ll take you,” he said in his bold English accent.
I sat beside him. For the first time ever, I didn’t feel like a Christmas. I felt normal. I had two older brothers and two sisters, one whose existence I’d learned of six years ago. But Si was a friend who was more like the brother I would’ve chosen.
But there I was, locking eyes with my friend seventeen years later. He’d been keeping my secrets since our first year at the academy. He had none, while I had enough for the both of us.
“All right, then,” he said, sounding much like he had when he let me be his lab partner. “Don’t fuck this up, Ash.”
Sighing, I stood. “I won’t.” I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t fuck up my world, but I could without a doubt make the promise to not blow up his.
Si nodded sharply, letting me know that he was solidly putting his trust in my hands.
* * *
I still hadtwo more surgeries on schedule for the day, a neuroendoscopy and a craniotomy, each to remove a tumor. As I walked down the hallway, head held high, I felt satisfied, knowing that I was a neurosurgeon and not a CEO. My father never would’ve let me be who I was. When I told him I planned to go to medical school, he shook his head adamantly and said, “I can’t use a doctor. Maybe a chemist for our product development interests.” Then he walked off.
But my father had a guy he thought he could control. I had the same guy, who operated in both our interests—Jasper, one of my older brothers, made sure I got what I wanted despite Randolph’s demands. I graduated from the academy a year early thanks to keeping up with Si academically then went straight to university. As an undergrad, I double-majored in chemistry and biology. After I graduated, my father thought I was working as a manager in product development for United Alliance Laboratories Chemicals, one of Christmas Family Industries’ conglomerates, but I was in medical school.
I was twenty-eight and nearing my fourth year as a neurosurgical resident at the University of California, San Francisco, when my father died on Christmas Eve. We were all in the mansion together, ready to play our roles for another bland holiday of parties, photo ops, and lies. Once he was dead and buried and unable to vex the world again, I decided to disappear.
Jake Sparrow was not a fake name, as far as I was concerned. Dr. Sparrow had done his fellowship in neurosurgical oncology plus advanced endoscopy and open-skull surgery in Australia. Si was the one who was able to get me into the program with my forged documents and no questions asked. As I said, Si had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t going to get caught. I started inquiring about legally changing my name. The problem was that I couldn’t do it without revealing my identity. The only person that could make sure I wouldn’t have to do that was Jasper, and I wasn’t ready to contact him yet.
Finally, the care station came into view. My team for my next surgery was gathered there. However, I couldn’t take my eyes off one of them.What the fuck is she doing here?
I walked faster, and the first thing I said when I reached them all was “Dr. Ross? What are you doing here?”
“I… Um…” Her face was red, and I relaxed a bit. I didn’t want her to think I was a prick.
“I asked if she could come in for this surgery. Dan had an emergency,” Deb said as she walked past us.
Fucking Deb had a point to prove. She was going to keep throwing Dr. Ross on my service until she knew I wasn’t being a dick to her resident.
The way Dr. Ross was looking at me, wide-eyed, with her succulent lips parted, had already made me fucking hard.Fuck!
“Dr. Sparrow, I promise. You want me on your team.”
I stood speechless as my chest fluttered. My stunned gaze glossed over my team members as I wondered if any of them had a clue what was going on inside me. I couldn’t be in the same OR with her, cutting on a patient. If Penina Ross was in the room, then she had all my attention. It was weak and unprofessional of me, but at least I was man enough to admit it to myself. One day, we could probably operate on a patient together, but that day wasn’t then.
“Dr. Ross, follow me,” I said curtly.
I took off without knowing if she was behind me. After I cleared the station and was heading down the sterile hallway, I could hear her footsteps.I should fuck her now. I want to fuck her now.I couldn’t. But I had to make her understand. She needed to go back to the penthouse and relax.
“Dr. Sparrow, I wanted to thank you for your hospitality,” she said. Her tone was unsure. “The flowers were gorgeous.”
I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t speak. We walked across the ramp that led to the doctors’ offices. I took my keys out of my pocket before I reached my door. My heart banged like a broken radiator.
I fumbled with the key until it sank in the keyhole. Her anxiety overtook me. I hadn’t wanted to make her nervous, but I needed her to understand. I opened the door and waited for her to walk past me. When she did, my insides ignited.
Then I closed the door.
