Doctor's Delight (9 page)

“Step into the
treatment room,” he said levelly. “I’ll have a look at you.”

Oh God, that
stirred up all kinds of images. He had looked at her, seen her,
done things to her. Been inside her. Lifting her gaze, she met his
eyes squarely and felt a flush of heat blossom in her cheeks. The
bloody man knew exactly what she was thinking, she just knew by the
glint in his eyes!

“Thanks, but
not necessary.” In one swift turn, she walked quickly down the
corridor.

She could feel
his gaze burning into her back, but she knew there was no way he’d
pursue her. He had patients to see, notes to write, and no gossip
to stir up. She was safe. Until she came back to the hospital,
anyway, and that was a problem for another day. For tonight and the
next two days she could hide behind the safety of her closed door.
And cringe and worry there.

Arriving home,
she parked her car in the garage and went up the path to the house.
Locking the door behind her, she greeted Frizz and Sugar, who met
her and complained at not having been fed since midday.

“Yes,” she
agreed dispiritedly, “You both have very hard lives.”

Dropping her
bag on the hall table, she went into the kitchen, the cats meowing
and twining through her legs. Placing two bowls of fresh, raw meat
on the floor, she emptied and refilled their water bowl and watched
them eat for several seconds.

No doubt about
it, Frizz and Sugar had it good. Fresh food, fresh water, a soft
bed, and they didn’t have to go to work or worry about making fools
of themselves. Hell, they didn’t even care if they were fat or
skinny, as long as they were loved and fed. What a great life.

Leaving them to
their dinner, she went down the short hall to the laundry where she
took her clothes off and dumped them into the washing machine to
deal with in the morning. Her shower was lukewarm, just the way she
liked it, but her mind wasn’t on the water or the fragrant soap.
Her mind was on Dr Rick Reed and the problem looming over her.

It didn’t look
like Rick was going to pretend he didn’t recognize her. He’d been
almost challenging, his mouthed ‘wait’ a direct order he obviously
expected her to obey. Not in this lifetime. The problem was, how
far was he going to pursue this? Would he just give up? Decide
after seeing her in the harsh light of - well, not day, but the
electric lights – that she wasn’t really worth it? Why did he want
her to wait? It certainly wasn’t to profess undying lust for her,
not going by the grimness on his face. And it was that grimness
that made her so glad she hadn’t hung around.

Drying herself
briskly, she glanced at her face in the mirror above the basin. She
was okay in a fresh, apple-cheeked kind of way, but there was no
way she was a raving beauty. Nor a slim seductress, far beyond
that, in fact. Rick, on the other hand, was handsome and built like
a wet dream.

Feeling self
pity well up, she pulled her nightgown on and went to sit on the
end of the bed. Picking up the remote, she flicked on the small
television and stared unseeingly at the late-night news. Thank God
she was on days off and wouldn’t have to worry about facing Dr Rick
Reed. She had two days to figure out what to do when they finally
met again. By then, who knew, he might just be happy to forget
about it and not refer to their little meeting. Once the shock wore
off, she had no doubt he would be more than happy to forget about
it.

Yes, she
comforted herself as she lay down and flicked through the channels,
once he got over the shock of recognizing her, he’d see the wisdom
in not referring to it again. Life could go on as before and as
long as she avoided him—

The phone
rang.

Thinking it was
the hospital ringing with a query, she picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”

“Cherry
Williams?”

“Yes?” The deep
tones of the caller didn’t sound like any of the male nurses she
knew.

“This is Rick
Reed. I—“

Cherry
practically threw the receiver back onto the cradle. Heart
thumping, she sat on the bed staring at the phone. He’d actually
rung her home!

Frizz jumped up
on the bed and rubbed his head against her arm, purring
energetically.

The phone rang
again, the ring a persistent peeling. Was it her imagination or did
it suddenly have a decidedly masculine burr to it? If it was Rick
again, she could ignore it, yep. But what if it was the hospital?
Reaching over, she flicked on the answering machine and waited, her
heart bumping uncomfortably in her chest.

The phone
stopped ringing and the message was clear. “Cherry.” Definitely a
masculine burr. The deep tones sent a shiver through her. “We need
to talk.” No, we don’t. “Give me a call on the following number and
we’ll arrange a meeting somewhere.” He stated the phone number and
rang off.

No way was she
meeting him anywhere. Hands trembling, she picked up the receiver
and dialled the number before her nerve gave out.

He answered on
the second ring as though he’d been waiting for her. “Cherry.” The
way that same deep tone sounded saying her name slipped through her
senses and made her heart do crazy things. Cripes, she was going to
have a heart attack any minute, but business first.

“Dr Reed, we
have nothing to discuss. Forget the other night. I don’t want to
talk about it. Don’t ring me again.” Dropping the receiver back in
the cradle, she bounded out of bed, fled to the kitchen, pulled out
a can of Diet Coke, popped the tab, and gulped down the fizzing
liquid.

Sitting down at
the table, she let out a long, unlady-like burp, and stared at the
curtain-draped window. She felt numb. The man was ringing her to
discuss the other night, she was so embarrassed she could just die,
and how the hell had everything gone arse up?

“Susie.” It was
her best friend’s fault, her and her cockamie idea of hiring a man
for sex. “Bloody Susie.”

Grabbing a bag
of chips from the cupboard, she ripped the top open, strode into
the lounge, plunked down on the sofa and turned on the television.
No way could she sleep now, and she needed to eat something nice
and take her mind off Rick.

It did no good.
She practically inhaled the chips, barely tasted them, and drank
her Diet Coke. By the time midnight arrived, she’d finished the bag
of chips and three Diet Cokes, and she still couldn’t get the image
of Rick Reed’s handsome face and green eyes from her mind. For once
she wished she was a drinking woman, but alcohol had never been her
choice of drink. Damn it. She could certainly do to get blotto
right now, only then God knew what she’d do. She’d seen Susie and
Maxie do some crazy things when they’d had too much to drink. She’d
probably ring Rick and arrange a rendezvous, only to meet him and
rip his clothes off his muscular body and ride him until the cows
came home.

Blood hell!
Where had that thought come from?

Forcing the
disturbing – though admittedly delicious - thought from her mind,
she took a deep breath and focused on the movie just starting.
Good, it was a horror movie, just what she needed to take her mind
off Dr Rick Reed. Right now, she’d take ghosts and vampires over
him.

Lying down on
the sofa, she grunted when Sugar jumped onto her belly, and shifted
over to make room for Frizz, who was demanding his share of
attention. Watching the movie, she managed to push all disturbing
thoughts to the back of her mind.

~*~

Rick knocked on
the door then stood back and waited. He cast his eyes back down the
garden path. The small yard was neat and tidy. Mainly some lawn,
paving, and simple roses. Some pot plants on the veranda that were
rather plain but flowering. Obviously Cherry Williams wasn’t a huge
gardening fan, but she liked everything nice. The veranda boasted a
swing chair and he imagined it would be pleasant to sit there on a
summers evening. He had to remember to get himself a swing
chair.

Turning back to
the door, he frowned a little. The stubborn chit wasn’t answering.
He knew she was home, a peek through the small window of the garage
revealed her car parked inside. Faint music came from somewhere
inside the house. A cat meowed closer.

He knocked
louder.

“Cripes, Maxie,
it’s only eight in the morning and my day off to boot.” The door
was jerked open. “If it was Susie, she’d just use my spare key to
get in. You need to get a key.”

Bemused, Rick
gazed after Cherry as she walked back down the hall. The woman had
opened the door while rubbing her eyes and pushing a wealth of
thick hair off her face, and without looking to ensure who it was,
she had turned away and gone back inside, leaving the door open and
a tabby cat gazing up at him in equal bemusement.

“Meow,” said
the big tabby.

Raising his
eyebrows at the cat, Rick walked inside and shut the door behind
him.

“What brings
you out so early, anyway?” Cherry called from the room into which
she’d gone. “I thought you’d be bonking Ben’s brains out, seeing as
he’s home this weekend.”

Walking down
the hall, Rick drawled, “I’m here to talk.”

There was a
crash, a foul word, and then Cherry dodged back out into the
hallway, her eyes wide and her cupid lips parted in shock. And not
pleasant shock, either, which was a little unsettling, seeing as
how every woman in his life had always been happy to see him.

Dressed in a
nightgown that came down to mid-thigh only, her impressive bosom
pushing out the lace around the low neckline most interestingly,
she was a bewitching sight with her shiny brown hair tumbling
around her shoulders and her blue eyes no longer sleepy. Cherry was
enticing, all curves and softness, and he had a sudden desire to
taste her again.

But business
first. Tamping down the little flame that flared some heat into his
groin at just the sight of her in a flimsy nightgown with her
luscious body enticingly peeking out at him, he maintained a cool
professionalism. “Hello, Cherry.”

“What the hell
are you doing here?” she practically yelled.

“We need to
talk.”

“The hell we
do.” Her agitated breathing made interesting things happen to the
bodice of her nightgown. “Go away.”

“Not
happening.” He looked her up and down, outside coolly contained,
inside warming up. Damn, the woman was mouth-watering and she
didn’t have a clue. Or did she?

Cherry hunched
her shoulders, obviously trying to make her nightgown dip lower
towards her knees, and her cheeks were flushed. Hmmm,
interesting.

“Go away right
now,” she hissed, “Or I’m calling the cops.”

“Fine. You can
explain to them that I’m the man you paid to take your virginity
the other night.”

Apple cheeks
flushed and blue eyes flashed in mortification, but she stood her
ground. “You’re trespassing.”

“Oh, I know I
did more than trespass.” Moving forward languidly, Rick observed in
private amusement as she retreated. “I invaded you totally.” Her
eyes widened when she bumped against the wall, but she couldn’t
bounce forward, not when he was right in front of her.

Bracing one
hand on the wall above her, he leaned down to lazily scrutinize her
face. Her breasts rose and fell with every uneven breath she took,
the front of the lace nightgown brushing across his shirt.

He could just
imagine what it would feel like if it were her pink nipples
brushing across his bare skin. Just the thought was enough to make
his nostrils flare and his eyes close, and his intake of breath
sucked in the delicious scent of her, the faintness of soap and
powder and flowery scent.

In response,
his shaft started to harden. And something was happening inside
him, an awareness of—

“Dr Reed.” Her
voice trembled.

Rick opened his
eyes and ensnared her gaze with his. “Rick.”

She swallowed.
“Dr Reed, I want you to leave. Now.”

“No.”

Her pupils
dilated slightly in alarm. “Please.”

“No.” He
continued to gaze steadily at her. “We have things to talk
about.”

“No, we
don’t.”

“Yes, we
do.”

“I have no
intention—”

“You have
several choices, Cherry. You can sit down and talk to me now, go
and get dressed and then talk to me, or maybe we should just let
our bodies do the talking.” Oops, he hadn’t meant that last part to
slip out, but hell, it wasn’t so easy remaining cool and calm with
her scent invading his senses, and her sweet curves so enticingly
near him, not to mention the memories of those curves undulating
against him…and under him.

Now Cherry
looked panicked.

That didn’t do
his ego much good, and to tell the truth, that intrigued him even
more.

Taking pity on
her, Rick placed his finger beneath her chin and titled her head
back slightly. “Go and get dressed and we’ll talk. I’m putting on
some coffee.” When those lush lips opened in surprise, he almost
threw all caution to the wind to ravish her mouth with his, but he
retained his control and straightened, taking a step away from her.
“Go, Cherry. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”

Turning, he
left her near the wall and went to the kitchen directly opposite.
Crossing to the bench, he picked up the kettle and filled it with
water. The whole time he could feel her gaze on him, but he ignored
her. He’d just plugged in the kettle when he heard her curse.
Grinning, he glanced over his shoulder to find her gone.

Searching
through the cupboards, he found two mugs with pictures of cats on
them, and the coffee. Placing them on the bench, he started for the
fridge to get the milk, only to find his way barred by two tabbies.
One was bigger than the other, and both were gazing up at him
unblinkingly.

“Hi,” he
said.

When neither
did anything, he skirted around them to open the ‘fridge door.
Immediately the big tabby stuck his head inside and looked around.
The smaller tabby let loose a cry and twined around his ankles.