The Best Medicine (8 page)

Though her legs felt like freshly cooked noodles—hot and limp—she somehow willed them to walk backward toward the table. Scott’s eyes never left hers as they followed her gradual movements. Then she leaned back against the table’s edge and shimmied up onto it, expecting Scott to come toward her. When he didn’t, she knew why. He was waiting for her to follow his orders. But knowing that Scott would probably appreciate a little teasing, she kept her knees locked together as she brazenly rubbed her hands up and down her thighs.

Scott stood where he’d been, arms crossed, waiting patiently for her to comply with his request. Lauren’s nipples hardened further when she saw one side of his lips twitch a bit. Teasing Dr. Scott was going to be more fun than she’d expected.

She let her gaze drift below his waist to see the tip of his hard length straining against his gray slacks. Involuntarily, her tongue swept across her bottom lip with the urge to take him inside her mouth.

But before she had time to do anything else, Scott was on her, his strong hands gripping her thighs, roughly jerking her legs apart and yanking her quickly toward the edge of the table and settling himself intimately against her. She was surprised at how much she liked being handled so roughly.

“So we’re going to tease each other, are we?” Scott rasped, his eyes speaking just as clearly as his words. “I’m pretty sure that’s a game you’ll lose.”

Lauren inhaled a sharp breath as Scott’s hands slid up her thighs to grab under her ass. Then he pulled her up
his legs, his pants straining until his cock pressed perfectly against her aching clit, causing another rush of moisture to work its way onto her thong. “I think you’re right,” she replied, her voice low with need.

Scott’s deep growl was his only reply as he shifted her up and down slowly against his shaft, his fingertips digging harder into her ass with every caress.

With Scott lifting her hips off the table, Lauren was at his mercy. And as she lay back and let Scott rock into her, taking each thrust he gave, she decided there was nowhere she’d rather be. She knew better than to say she wanted him inside her. And she was enjoying the feel of his dick stroking her toward orgasm way too much to ask him for anything else anyway.

Scott choked back a groan as he spoke. “Are you loud when you come?”

Lauren was caught off guard by his question. She had never been asked something so directly personal. “Sometimes,” she answered honestly.

“Sometimes means yes. You won’t be this time. Remember that.”

“Okay.” It came out a breathy moan, which made Scott increase the speed and pressure against her clit. It had only been a few minutes and Scott wasn’t even inside her, but she was dangerously close to the edge.

And she had a feeling Scott was too. His breathing had quickened, and she could see a hint of sweat on his hairline. He leaned back slightly as his pace grew faster. “Take your shirt and bra off.”

The way Dr. Scott told her exactly what to do, exactly what he wanted, made her that much closer to climaxing. Lauren’s fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt
that Scott hadn’t already undone until she was able to let it fall off her shoulders, followed quickly by her bra so Scott could see her breasts.

Scott’s forest green stare felt hot on her skin as he looked her up and down. “God, Lo. They’re fucking perfect,” he said as he rolled his hips in delicious circles. Lauren locked her legs tighter around him, writhing in pleasure beneath him. “I’m gonna make you come while I watch you play with your nipples.”

That wasn’t something she normally did. But she was willing to do things for this man—for herself—that she hadn’t done before. This experience with Scott would be about exploration and self-discovery. She needed to step out of her comfort zone.

So with only slight hesitation, she softly let her fingers travel across her breasts until they reached the hard peaks of her nipples.

Scott watched her touch herself tentatively for a minute before speaking. “Don’t be so gentle,” he said brusquely. “
I
wasn’t.” He slowed his movements gradually, making Lauren want to buck against him. “Seeing you do that to yourself . . . God, it does things to me. All I can think about is how soft your tits will feel when I get to rub my cock between them.”

“Oh
God
, Scott.” Lauren’s fingers squeezed her nipples, pulling them more roughly than she was used to. “Please . . . keep going.”

“If I keep going much longer, I’ll come in my pants.” His eyes narrowed slightly at Lauren before he spoke. “But I think that’s what you want, isn’t it? To feel me fucking lose it while I grind against you and make you do the same? Tell me, Lo, is that what you want?”

Lauren was practically panting with need, her orgasm only seconds away if Scott would pick up his speed. “Yes. Yes, that’s what I want. Please, Scott.”

At Lauren’s desperate pleading, Scott thrust harder, grunting softly as his hips moved in smooth circles. The steady motion had Lauren struggling to suppress a moan as waves of pleasure coursed through her at the feel of Scott’s hard length. She didn’t know an orgasm could feel that good without anything inside her. A few seconds later, Scott followed with a groan and she felt his cock twitch against her sensitive clit, only prolonging her own climax.

When the aftershocks of their orgasms subsided, Scott placed Lauren down on the table and fixed his clothing without saying a word.

“So that was . . . different,” Lauren finally said, needing to break the silence.

“Different good?” Suddenly the powerful Scott had vanished, and in his place stood a man who seemed concerned, maybe even a little vulnerable.

“Different . . . unbelievable. And you barely even touched me.”

Relief seemed to wash over Scott’s face at her confession. “I couldn’t do everything I wanted to.” He stood rigid, his gaze holding hers when he spoke. “I have a feeling that when I touch you, really touch you, I won’t be able to stop,” he said simply, before leaving the room and shutting the door softly behind him.

Migraine

Scott experienced the next twenty-four hours as if he was in a fog. Lauren had gotten to him. Again. All he’d done was dry-hump her on a table, but the bliss that had ensued was consuming. His desire for her made him feel vulnerable and self-conscious. And he fucking hated it.

He also hated how he was completely unable to stay away from her. No matter how much he told himself that a little distance would go a long way, he only made it until lunch the next day before he was tracking her down like a lovesick bloodhound.

“Ah, so you’re not purposefully ignoring me?” Lauren playfully scolded when he sat down across from her in the hospital cafeteria.

“Did you say something?” Scott asked with a smirk as he bit into his turkey club.

“Ha, ha, very funny. Busy morning?” Lauren tried to sound nonchalant, but Scott could hear the uncertainty in her voice. After their romp in the file room, he’d gone
almost totally MIA. He couldn’t blame her for wondering what the hell his problem was.

“Pretty typical, I guess.” Scott knew that his answer wouldn’t put her mind at ease, but he didn’t want to lie to her. He hoped that she’d accept that response and they could move the conversation along to topics that didn’t make him want to grip the silver dollar in his pocket for dear life. “Did you finish in the file room?”

Scott had never wanted to take words back so badly in his life.
So much for changing the subject, asshole
.

Lo cocked her head, clearly trying to bite back a smile. She set her yogurt down and rested her head on her hand. “Why yes, Doctor, I did.” Her eyes danced with delight. All Scott could do was stare back at her, a slight grin twitching at his lips.

“Okay, smart-ass, calm down. I know I walked right into that one.”

“You really did.” Lauren burst out in the laughter that she couldn’t hold back any longer. Thankfully, once she calmed down, she answered his real question. “Yeah, I finished yesterday afternoon actually. So today I’ve been doing the scintillating job of talking to pharmaceutical reps and requesting samples. Thanks to you, I may never talk on the phone ever again.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

Lauren quirked an eyebrow as she resumed eating.

Scott watched her for a moment. One thing was becoming overwhelmingly clear to him: he wanted to
know
Lo. Not just sexually, but personally. Wanted to know what made her tick, what her aspirations were, what made her who she was. All of it. And though he chalked
it up to basic human curiosity, he knew that wasn’t quite it. He didn’t want to think about what it
was
though. “So why are you still in college when all your friends have graduated?” The question spouted from him like water from a fire hydrant.

She stared at him curiously for a second before scraping her spoon against the inside of the yogurt container. “Guess I’m just dumber than them,” she retorted playfully.

Scott set his sandwich down again and looked at her intently. “No, really.” Despite how haphazardly the question had left his mouth, he did want the answer.

“Well, I’m in grad school, not college.”

“Wait. Why didn’t you tell me that when we met and I asked how old you were?”

“I hate to ruin a chance at a good first impression,” she retorted with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Scott laughed but still looked at her expectantly. “But seriously, you’re almost twenty-seven. I’d think you’d be working in your field by now.”

Lauren took a deep breath and crossed her legs, as if she were preparing herself for a story she wasn’t too thrilled with sharing. But Scott knew she would. “After I graduated high school, I went to Dartmouth for two years. I got into a little . . .” she hesitated, seemingly searching for the right word, “drama up there. So I took some time off to get myself back in order. Eventually, I enrolled in George Mason. But since I switched majors, I lost some credits, and it put me a few years behind.”

Scott was intrigued. He could tell by the way her face scrunched up that there was a story there. And he was determined to know it, even if he had to chain her to his
desk and torture it out of her. “You? Drama? I don’t believe it.”

“I know. It’s so unlike me,” Lauren joked before staring at him silently for few seconds. “You’re dying to know what happened, aren’t you?”

Scott let out a laugh. “I am.”

“It’s really not that interesting of a story.” Lauren thought for a moment. “I take that back. It’s pretty fascinating.” She laughed, and Scott was momentarily distracted by how much he liked the sound.

“Now you
have
to tell it,” he prompted.

“Fine. I kind of had a stalker. Well, not really a stalker. Kind of like an overzealous admirer.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Whom I was also sleeping with.”

“You were sleeping with your stalker?” Scott’s eyes widened in shock, and he felt his mouth gape open. He wasn’t sure what he thought Lauren’s story would involve, but it wasn’t that.

“I said he
wasn’t
a stalker,” Lauren defended.

“Can you please tell me the difference between a stalker and an overzealous admirer?”

Lo thought for a few seconds, tilting her head back and forth. “No,” she finally answered before laughing again. “He didn’t start out as a stalker. He just got . . . really attached.”

Scott could see how such a thing could happen.
Am I really sympathizing with a stalker?
“How did he start out?”

Lauren clearly tried, and failed, to fight a grin as she lifted her water bottle to her lips. “As an Intro to Philosophy professor,” she said over the rim before taking a sip.

Scott nearly choked on his drink. “You’re shitting me!”

Lauren slowly shook her head.

Scott slouched back in his chair. “That’s so cliché.”

Laughter burst from Lauren. “I know, right?”

“What, do you have a thing for authority figures?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she let her eyes roam overtly over Scott’s body. “Maybe,” she joked. “But in my defense, he wasn’t
my
teacher, and I didn’t even know he worked at my school when he took me home from the bar.” She hesitated a moment, seeming apprehensive, which was in contrast to the Lauren he was getting to know.

“Man, where were you when
I
was in college?” Scott joked, hoping to bring back the lightness of their conversation.

“Probably riding the bench on my seventh grade basketball team, Doogie.”

Scott glared at her, causing Lauren to burst out laughing. “So you were, like, into him?” he asked when she finally calmed down.

“He was a nice guy,” she said simply. “I was going through some stuff and he was a welcome distraction. I thought we were on the same page, but we clearly weren’t.”

“On the same page about what?” Scott was fascinated.

“I was looking for casual, something completely devoid of messy feelings. I was dealing with enough of that already. I just wanted . . . an escape, a chance to forget the shitstorm that was my life at that time.” Lauren hesitated for a moment. “I had . . . my brother had just passed away. I needed something to get my mind off of all that I had just lost.” Lauren sighed heavily before seemingly shaking herself free of her thoughts. “Anyway, I thought he was on board with what I was after.”

Scott vaguely remembered when Lauren’s brother had died. His father had been really upset by it. Scott wanted to ask her more about it, but it wasn’t really his place. However, he did find himself empathizing with Lauren. He knew what it was like to want a break from his emotions—to check out from real life and just let sex be sex. He was relieved that she could relate. “But he fell for you?”

“I don’t think it was love or anything. I mean, he thought it was. But it wasn’t.”

“He didn’t . . . hurt you, did he?” Scott didn’t want to ask this question, but he had to know. Though he was pretty sure he’d be going to prison for a very long time if she answered in the affirmative. Scott had no tolerance for men who felt it was okay to put their hands on women.

“No, he just tried to get involved in every aspect of my life. Started talking to my professors, trying to get them to give me grades I wasn’t earning, cornering my friends and asking how I was. Just weird shit that made my life there really difficult. In the end, it was easier to just leave and start fresh back here.”

“Has he tried to contact you since you left?”

Lauren shook her head. “My dad threatened to expose him to the university. I think he threatened a little more than that, but I never asked and he never told. Now
that
was an awkward conversation, telling your parents that you were being hounded by one of the professors, who you willingly engaged in sexual relations with. I swear, nothing fazes my poor mom and dad anymore. I’ve completely numbed their ability to be shocked about anything.” Lauren laughed again, her eyes
crinkling in amusement. Then she looked down at the table, her face morphing into ill-concealed sadness.

Whatever prompted her to get further involved with someone even after she found out he was a teacher had been rooted in something dark, painful. He could see that much. However, there was one bit of information Scott did need to know more about. “So,” he motioned between the two of them, “our situation isn’t all that new for you?”

Lauren smiled again. “Well, I hope it’s a little different. I’d really prefer to not have to have my dad threaten to break your legs.”

Scott shook his head. “I don’t mean in that way. Just,” he lowered his voice so that only she could hear him, “the no-attachments aspect.”

Lauren tilted her head in what looked like mock sympathy. “Is this your way of making sure that I’m not going to fall hopelessly in love with you, Dr. Scott?”

Scott didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t.

Lauren still smiled, but her eyes lost the crinkle at their edges. “Relax. We’re on the same page. We both want the same things from this. I’m not going to fall in love with you. I promise.”

Her words did relax him. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he trusted Lo. He knew that she was as good as her word. That would have to be enough.

*   *   *

To Lauren’s disappointment, Dr. Scott didn’t make any more office advances, but he stopped actively avoiding her there after she subtly called him out on it. In fact, on Thursday Lauren noticed a shift. Scott started to initiate more physical contact. Small touches, ones that she was sure no
one even noticed, and if they did, they wouldn’t think anything of them. It was a touch to her elbow as he squeezed past her, a hand on the small of her back as he let her walk through a doorway first. But he was ever the professional, never engaging in personal conversations in the office. Their daily lunch meetings were another story.

They never left the office together, but always met up in the cafeteria, with Scott arriving a few minutes behind Lauren. They’d begun sitting at the same table: one in the corner of the room that allowed them relative privacy. Lauren was surprised by their easy conversation. For a man who, at times, seemed hell-bent on not forming any lasting ties to her, he often said things that implied the direct opposite. Whether it was asking her about her friends, her family, or her plans after college, it all gave the appearance of something very close to friendship. And despite herself, Lauren found that she very much wanted to be friends with Scott.

It was with all of this in mind that Lauren sourly began her Friday. Scott would be spending the entire day at the satellite office, while the other doctors in the practice would be at the hospital. She had missed out on meeting them last week, due to her stint in Pediatrics. And while she was interested to see what the other doctors, Florence Atler and James Prescott, were like, she already kind of hated them. Phyllis and her mom had implied all Lauren needed to know: they didn’t like Scott. This made them automatic assholes in Lauren’s book, and she didn’t care how immature that made her.

Scott had sent her an e-mail the previous night, letting her know what she could spend the day doing. So she quickly immersed herself in what Scott had
affectionately begun calling her “Housekeeping List.” She had just begun typing Scott’s schedule for the following week into his Outlook when she heard a throat clear behind her.

“Well, well, who do we have here?”

Lauren spun around to see an older gentleman, perhaps in his late fifties, appraising her with patronizing eyes. “Oh, hello. I’m Lauren.” Lauren stood and stretched her hand toward the doctor, who lifted his hand as though he were too good to even be conversing with her, let alone touch her.

“So you’re Pam’s daughter? The one Scott decided to hire on without consulting the rest of us?”

Lauren’s face contorted in annoyance before she had time to stop it. Not that she would have. This guy was a Grade A prick, and Lauren didn’t care if he knew exactly what she thought of him. Especially since
he
didn’t bother concealing what he thought of
her
. “One and the same,” Lauren replied in a cheery voice that didn’t match the look she was giving him.

“Hmm.” Dr. Prescott stared at Lauren for a minute, obviously either trying to intimidate her, make her uncomfortable, or both. “Guess we’d better give you some
real
work to do then. You can start by vacuuming and dusting the waiting room.”

Lauren stood up a little straighter and returned the glare. It was in this moment, staring into the blank eyes of Dr. Prescott, that Lauren figured out a little more of the Dr. Scott puzzle. Scott pretended to be like this asshat when Lauren first met him—like he was cool, calm, and detached. But there was a light in his eyes that was unmistakable. She’d bet anything that Scott was a better
doctor than the man who currently stood before her. He was obviously a better person, for that matter. It’s what drew Lauren to him even when she shouldn’t have been. Lauren found that she missed Scott more than she should.

“James, you going to see some patients today or stand there staring at the new piece of eye candy?”

Lauren’s eyes darted to the source of the voice that had interrupted her staring contest with Prescott the Pretentious.
This woman’s one to talk
, Lauren thought as she took in the thin, athletic-looking woman with short blond hair. She looked about the same age as Prescott, though without the weary countenance.