Page 126 of Penalty to the Heart

Chapter 23

Roxanne

“Mr. Donovan, you can’t go in there!” I hear Lisa, the receptionist, call out as my office door abruptly swings open, Caleb strutting right in as if he owned the place.

Damn it.

After the conversation we had yesterday morning, I really thought he’d respect the barriers I set in place and not harass me at work. Apparently, I misjudged his stubbornness.

Lisa stayed late tonight to catch up on transcribing some patient files for me, so it’s just bad luck she had to witness the whole event.

“I’m terribly sorry, Dr. Seymour, but he just flew past me,” she tries to explain, giving Caleb the side eye.

“It’s quite alright, Lisa. I’ll take it from here,” I assure while trying to keep my expression as blank as possible so neither one realizes how nerve-racking it is to have Caleb here.

I wait for Lisa to close the door behind her before I place all my attention on my uninvited guest, who is now sprawled out on the chair in front of me.

“Told you she didn’t like me,” Caleb says unrepentantly.

“You did. Though I doubt her dislike of you is for the reasons you think. Usually, people take offense when someone undermines their livelihood,” I retort evenly.

“And how exactly did I do that?”

“Barging into my office when I could have been with a patient, for one.”

“If memory serves right, this is my time slot, no one else’s.”

“It was,” I reply, straightening my spine. “When you were a patient. That no longer stands, as you well know.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he counters with a sly grin.

“Yes, you do. I made it perfectly clear that you’re no longer my patient, and therefore, I’m no longer your therapist.”

“See…” He starts wagging his finger in the air and staring at the ceiling before looking into my eyes. “I don’t remember ever firing you.”

“You didn’t. I fired you.”

He chuckles at that.

“No. You fucked me. You didn’t fire me.”

I feel my cheeks heat up at the way he drawls out the word ‘fuck.’

“And because of that lapse in judgment,” I clear my throat, “a professional relationship between us will no longer work.”

“Again, that’s where you and I disagree. I need to get back to the team, as you well know, and you’re the only one who can make it happen.”

“There are plenty of other qualified professionals that can aid you in your predicament, Mr. Donovan. I will make sure to explain to your GM that I’m the one who can no longer offer you help.”

“Oh, yeah? And just what exactly are you going to tell him, Dr. Seymour ? I would assume the truth would be out of the question.”

How I wish he wasn’t right.

If Rex and Trent were the only ones I had to give justifications to, then I know that both would forgive my indiscretion as long as I made sure never to do it again.

Lawrence Preston III, on the other hand, would not tolerate such indiscretions . Judging from the brief interactions I had with Preston in the past, he wouldn’t hesitate to report me to the medical board, ensuring that I would lose my license without him losing any sleep over it.

“That’s what I thought,” Caleb smirks at my silence.

---