Page 2 of What She Wants

Days later, Esme LeClaire’s dismissal still bothers me. If I weren’t trying to be professional, I’d go to Karessa’s and Esme’s office and have words with her. Then again, what would that prove? The Founder’s Kids have reputations of being uppity and hard to talk to but since I’ve met most of them I’d have to disagree. Karessa is as sweet as the daughter of a powerful multi-billionaire could be and Imala seems to be very down to earth. Esme is the wild one, according to my mother’s tabloids, with a supposed body count similar to mine.

Yet, the near panic in her eyes at the idea of me examining her as an attractive and single doctor tells me she’s still ripe for some corruption. Plus, I know as well as anyone being seen with someone doesn’t mean you’re fucking them.

That was my first time meeting her, but I’m well aware of her beauty. She’s plastered all over social media and the tabloids more than the entire LeClaire family put together. It’s funny that she didn’t want me to see her body; she must have forgotten that she’d made the news a few months ago because she'd gone to the beach in the smallest thong bikini she could find.

I finish the notes of my last patient and send the authorization to order her prescription. Then I take a moment on my cell to pull up the picture I was just thinking about. The internet is great sometimes. Several pictures of angles I didn’t see on the news fill my screen. I almost drop my phone on my desk because some perverted asshole - bless him or her- took a picture of Esme from behind when she was bending over to wipe sand off her legs.

My grunt echoes a little in the quiet space. The part she didn’t want me to examine is barely covered by the teal and pink patterned material. It’d be so easy to move it aside…pushing away the thought, I stand and gather my things. The gallery opening is in a few hours and I need art for my bare walls. I don’t have time to sit in my office, willing my dick to soften. I grab an empty piece of paper and write some information on it.

My nurse is just outside my door. She’s about ten years older than me because the younger ones like to flirt. Marta flirts as well but it’s in a way that’s amusing for her then she goes home to her husband. The ones I’ve had to fire in the past were trying to make me their husband.

I don’t have a problem getting married but there are too many women to play with on the island for me to go fishing in my practice. If they work for me, they need to show up towork.

“Marta, please look in Esme’s LeClaire’s chart and give her a call. She’d prefer a female doctor so here’s my referral.”

Like a good nurse, she nods and leaves to do my bidding without a word. I’m sure Esme knows as well as I do that their information is for sale. I like Dr. Chen. She’s a great doctor but I’m more experienced and she’ll consult with me if necessary. Esme will be in good hands and Jenny is a vault; she cannot be bought.

Like me, she comes from a prominent family on the island and therefore is not depending on her salary for the finer things in life. Our families aren’t as wealthy as the Founder Families but they’re still in the top three percent. Money doesn’t appeal to us like someone who’s paying off their student loans for medical school.

“Have a good weekend, Dr. Delgado,” Marta calls out after she hangs up the phone.

“We’ll see. I feel like someone goes into labor every other day. Have a good weekend Martha. I go through the front so I pass the rest of the team on the way out. “Everyone have a good weekend.”

I don’t wait for their responses. If I’m lucky, I’ll get two days to myself. The sun is lower in the sky but it’s still a bright, clear day on the island. It’s one of the reasons why I never considered moving. The weather is perfect most of the year and our beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world.

The slightly salty air calms my nerves as I make it to my car without incident. The cognac leather cups my body as it purrs to life.

My music plays low in the background and my mind drifts back to Esme once I pull into traffic. I’ve never been good at lying to myself for long. I know the exact reason she’s stuck in my head. I want her. It goes beyond physical attraction at this point. Esme unknowingly peaked the interest of the man part of me when she rejected me professionally.

Esme issued a challenge and I love a challenge. It is better that she turned down my services because I have other plans for her. It’s perfect. I don’t date patients and she’s not my patient.

With a clear head, I see a clean slate. Seeing her beauty from afar is one thing, but it’s a different experience being in touching distance of her, knowing how good she smells, and seeing the spark of defiance in her eyes.Chispa.

This isn’t over. That wasn’t our last encounter. Resolute in my decision, I turn up the salsa filtering in from the radio and whistle along as I drive home. When we see each other again, she won’t be able to walk away so easily.

The phone ringing cuts into my song and I sigh harder than I should when I see who’s calling.

“Hola, Mamá.”

I have a weird relationship with my mother. She’s busy running the media empire on the island. While it makes her a powerful woman, it makes me view her as a vulture. Not because of her job but how she does it. She has a target on the Founder Kids’ backs and looks for any reason to blast them.

She’s so singular in her focus that I love her as my mother but I can’t stand her as a person. I couldn’t be bribed to be with a woman like her. If I’d sold my soul to the devil and the only way out was to marry a woman exactly like my mother, I’d go to hell.

She shows me affection in her own way but she often acts like a bratty older sister than my mother.

“Hola, mi hijo. How was your day?”

“You don’t care about that, Mom. Get to the real question.”

“First, I do care about your life.” If we were on a video call she'd see from my expression how much I doubt that. “Second, my sources tell me you had a new patient today. Is it chlamydia?”

“First, I’ve told you a million times that my practice and profession is not for your entertainment. I don’t talk about my patients and my staff shouldn’t be talking to you either. Your source better not be on my payroll because that’s grounds for immediate termination. Second, if you are hinting at Esme, it’s a low blow to try to act like she has an STD. Third, she’s not my patient so I don't know anything about her medically.”

“Why was she there?”

“Minding her business. You should try it. I'm sure there's bigger news on the island than what the Founder Kids are doing. How about you report the new gallery or news about the charity that Jagger runs? If you don't want to talk about them specifically, write about how I donated a lot of money to the charity and how I am going to support the opening and local artists.” The line is so silent, I can hear her indignation."See you tonight. Behave."

I press end to get back to my music. For once I'd prefer for her to hound me about getting married and giving her grandchildren like a normal mother.

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