Page 36 of Sinful in Scrubs

I tugged at the front of my evening gown and switched my hips back and forth. The dress was form-fitting through a corseted bodice that flared at the hips out to a not-full, but still swishy, skirt.

“Oh, I love it. What do you think of mine?” she asked.

“You look amazing,” I said as Sarah made a similar pose and showed off her dress. “Very vintage, very chic.”

“You’re never going to believe how much I paid for it,” she said as she gestured at her own dress. It had a fitted drop waist, puffy sleeves, and a rounded neckline. A specialty dye job turned the white satin into a pale pink at the top, transitioning to a vivid magenta and finally to purple at the hemline.

I knew the details of the dyeing process because Sarah had made sure to tell me when she took on the project. It was a thrift store score and a DIY extravaganza. Her crafting skills were exceptional, and the dress was beyond stunning.

“We are too gorgeous for words,” Sarah pointed out.

I felt obliged to agree with her. We cleaned up nicely, and it was refreshing to get out of scrubs for a hot minute.

“So, who are you dancing with tonight?” she asked, as if I had a dance card strapped to my wrist.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. "Donnie always seems to have good moves.”

“Donnie, the janitor?” Sarah scoffed.

“Donnie, the janitor who can dance,” I reminded her. The administration wanted senior staff to attend, and that was the only reason I was willing to show up at this thing.

“And here I thought you were attending so that you could look that fabulous and rub it in Dr. Kevin’s beady little eyes,” she teased.

“As if!” I snapped as soon as I saw Kevin. “Oh, crap. What is he doing here?” I spun so that if he turned in our direction, all he would see was my back. It wasn’t enough to identify me as me, but it would have to do.

“He’s still friends with the president of the board,” Sarah said.

“Damn it,” I muttered.

“And you didn’t hear this from me, but I understand James has invited him to sit on the hospital’s new internal review board,” she whispered conspiratorially.

“What? Kevin?” I asked incredulously. It wasn’t that Kevin wasn’t qualified. He was just entirely too full of himself. Being on the hospital’s internal review board was going to feed his ego and give him a false sense of superiority.

“Emma,” Sarah muttered. “Holy silver fox. Here comes Dr. Marcus Walker.”

Marcus’s deep voice called my name. “You look lovely, Emma, as do you, Dr. Martinez.”

“And how are you this evening?”

“Well, now that I’ve found some better company, I might tolerate wearing this monkey suit for a few more hours,” he said as he reached for the bow tie at his neck and stretched. His “monkey suit” looked like a designer tuxedo, and he wore it like a super spy, as if it had been custom-made just for him.

“Marcus,” I said. “I almost didn’t recognize you out of scrubs.”

“I could almost say the same for you,” he teased with a wink.

Our flirting game had somehow leveled up, and while I wanted to take it further, I wasn’t sure where his stance on it was. After all, we were both pretending that night between us never happened.

“Do you dance?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, I do. Would you care to take a spin?”

“I don’t dance,” Sarah said, holding up her hand. “But Emma does. You two need to go show off your moves and beautiful clothing.”

“I’m just saving you from Donnie,” Sarah said, as if dancing with Donnie were some horrific torture. I didn’t mind the idea. Donnie always looked like a fun person to dance with, and frankly, I felt the need for some fun.

Marcus looked slightly confused but extended his hand toward me. “I believe we’re being dismissed,” he said with a grin.

“I believe you’re right,” I said as I took his offered hand. I was more than ready to escape, not wanting to risk a chance encounter with my ex. Marcus twirled me onto the dance floor like a competition ballroom dancer.

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