Page 3 of Tempting the Doctor

This sparks a long conversation about our favorite books, interrupted only for a moment when our meals arrive. We both just finished the same crime thriller that’s been on the bestseller list for ages, and we both guessed the twist in the first half. She jokes about how smug she felt about it, and I admit I did too.

“I can’t just enjoy a mystery; I have to analyze everything until I’m certain I know what’s going to happen,” she says.

“In my opinion, that’s the only way to enjoy it,” I agree. Then, recalling something my mother said this afternoon, I say, “Tell me about your dog. My mother mentioned you’ve entered him in a few competitions.”

“Oh,” she says, surprised. “Um, his name is…Baxter. He’s a…poodle.”

Now, I know that’s not right. I’m certain my mother said the dog was a collie. Suddenly, it dawns on me that nearly our entire conversation has been about me. I’ve never spoken about myself so much, and I hadn’t even realized I was doing it until now. Caroline has hardly said a word about herself.

An idea begins to form, and I quickly excuse myself to the restroom. Once out of sight of my date, I pull my phone from my pocket and do a quick internet search forCaroline Winters, stockbroker, Wall Street.

The images that accompany the search results are of a beautiful blonde woman in her early to mid-thirties. She’s exactly as my mother described and nothing at all like the woman I’ve just shared a meal with.

Chapter 3

Mandy

While I wait for Trey to return from the bathroom, I’m hit with a wave of guilt over all the lies I’ve told to get here, starting this afternoon at his office. After eavesdropping on the conversation between his receptionist and assistant, it didn’t take long for me to figure out who Trey’s blind date was. A quick search online was all it took to find Caroline Winters, and only a little more digging to find her office phone number. My stomach threatens to revolt as I recall phoning Ms. Winters’ office, pretending to be Trey’s assistant, to inform her of a need to cancel their date.

Another quick call to the restaurant to confirm the reservation told me when the date would take place. Then, it had taken the rest of the afternoon to find a suitable dress for the evening and get ready. This might not be a real date, but I still wanted to impress Dr. Trey Miller. I was gambling on my impression of the man as too busy to bother looking up his date online. When Trey had approached me at the table, I quickly realized my gamble had paid off.

Our evening so far has been incredible. I’ve learned far more about the elusive heart surgeon than I needed to for my article, but I’m fascinated by everything he says, and I want to learn more. I’m equally surprised that it turns out he isn’t quite the jerk that I’d thought he was. He’s been polite and courteous the entire evening. I’ve even discovered that we share a love for mystery novels and the outdoors.

This unexpected side of his personality makes him seem even more gorgeous than he already did. I can hardly keep my eyes off him. Even now, while he’s away from the table, I can feel my cheeks heating as I think about how handsome his lean body looks in his suit. He’d taken off his jacket when he sat down and rolled up his sleeves before dinner. The pulse of heat between my legs at the sight of his strong, veiny arms flexing when he sliced into his steak had me shifting in my chair.

I’m startled from my thoughts by Trey’s return to the table. My breath catches as I take in the fierce scowl on his face and the anger in his eyes. Either something horrible happened in the bathroom, or he’s uncovered my ruse.

My fears are confirmed when he demands, “Who the hell are you? I know you aren’t Caroline Winters. You have three seconds to explain before I have the manager escort you out.”

I swallow hard as my brain races to come up with some plausible excuse. I’ve never been a very good liar, though, so I end up telling him the truth. “My name is Mandy Cline. I’m a journalist withthe Manhattan Chronicle. I really am sorry for this ruse, but I tried so many times to get an appointment with you, and always canceled or didn’t return my calls altogether.”

I can tell he’s stunned and still more than a little angry. He doesn’t speak for several moments. And before I can apologize again, we’re interrupted by the waiter asking how our meal has been and if we’re ready for the check.

“Yes, we’ll take the check now please,” Trey says through clenched teeth. The waiter leaves, and I wait for Trey to say something else but he remains silent, his accusatory glare boring into me.

I can’t stand the weight of that glare, and I blurt out everything that led up to this point. I tell him about the article series I’m working on, the canceled interview, that it was me in his waiting room today, and how I’d hijacked his blind date. By the time I’m finished speaking, I’m out of breath.

Trey is still quiet, though his expression is more shocked than angry now.

“Um…I-I really am sorry for lying to you,” I say.

The sound of Trey’s laughter has me jolting in surprise. I stare at him, unsure if he is laughing at the admittedly absurd situation, at me personally, or if maybe I’ve somehow broken him. It takes him a couple minutes to collect himself, and he has to wipe his eyes with his cloth napkin before speaking.

“That is the most outrageous and ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Ms. Cline, I am probably the most boring person I know. Why on Earth would you feel compelled to go to such great lengths to interview me? There are a hundred more interesting men and women in this city. In fact, Caroline Winters is one of them!”

My heart sinks at his formal address, but I suppose it’s understandable, given the circumstances. I have to remember that, despite the coziness of our evening, this isn’t a real date. Sheepishly, I meet his eyes and explain, “My editor was dead set on having you featured in the series because you never give interviews to anyone. Plus, that new bypass procedure you’ve been developing is revolutionary. You’re hardly boring, you’re the most fascinating person I’ve ever featured. I’ve read everything about you and every medical journal article you’ve ever written. And I did want to interview Ms. Winters for this series, but my editor wants to feature her in another series specifically for women on the rise.”

“So, your solution to getting an interview was to lie to both me and Caroline Winters. While I admit I wasn’t looking forward to this date in the first place, I don’t appreciate being lied to, Ms. Cline,” he says solemnly.

“I know. I really am sorry about that. I just didn’t know how else to reach you.”

“Well, did you get enough information for your article, or should I expect more surprises?” he asks.

“I did get enough, more than enough. I really am sorry, but this article is going to be amazing. I’ve read your articles about the new bypass procedure you developed in a few medical journals, and I’m going to include that in my article as well, so people know what an amazing surgeon you are,” I tell him.

He seems surprised that I’ve read his journal articles, but he doesn’t comment on it. Instead he says, “So, this is it then? We can part ways tonight and put all this ridiculousness behind us?”

I’m sure it’s my imagination telling me that he looks almost disappointed at the prospect of not seeing each other again, but the thought makes me bold enough to say, “Well, there is a photo shoot for all the people featured in the series. I don’t suppose I could convince you to come?”

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