Page 97 of Just (Fake) Married
My phone rang again and I grabbed it.
“Hello?”
“Ethan, it’s Dr. Xio.”
Well, that fully shook off the dream. I pushed myself up to sitting and tried to sound like I wasn’t naked.
“Dr. Xio, it’s good to hear from you, what’s going on?”
“Well, I have some interesting news for you. Remember Dr. Fleming, who toured Sinai a few months ago?”
“Yes,” I said. She’d been working on an artificial tricuspid valve and we’d had lunch together so I could keep asking her questions about the fascinating work she was doing with 3D printing and stem cells.
“Indeed. Well, I got a call from her today.”
I waited for him to continue. “About what?” I finally asked, when he was silent.
“You. She was wondering if you’d ever consider leaving Sinai. She’s been appointed to Chief Medical Officer in Phoenix and she’s looking for a thoracic surgeon with ambitions to head the department.”
I blinked. Blinked again. Head of thoracic surgery? Not Dr. Matthews’ punching bag anymore? The thought was extremely appealing.
“What did you tell her?” I asked.
“That I would have to speak with you, and if you were okay with it, I would give you her number. Are you okay with it?”
“Yeah. I am. I mean…I wouldn’t leave Sinai or you if I didn’t feel like…”
“You’ve gone as far as you can here with Matthews in charge of the department,” Dr. Xio said, basically giving me permission to pursue this opportunity.
“That’s how I feel, too,” I said.
“Then I will forward you her information once we hang up.”
“Thank you, Dr. Xio. You’ve been a tremendous mentor.”
“And you are a tremendous talent. Perhaps in a different environment you will be able to reach your true potential.”
I hung up and felt the boulder of this suspension roll right off my back. It was like being granted a new life.
It was funny too, because the first person I wanted to tell was Harmony. She’d been there when I’d learned about my suspension. My anger that day hadn’t really been directed at her for answering my phone, but rather that I’d been humiliated.
In front of her.
I remembered seeing her on that road with the alpacas and how unimpressed she’d been by me. This might impress her.
My dirty fantasy was that this would impress her so much she’d show up at my door again. Hungry and wet.
My dick twitched at the thought of getting inside of her. Harmony Calloway was so fucking exciting. The way she’d looked at me, like everything was brand fucking new.
Distracted, I got dressed and opened my bedroom door just as she was opening hers. Our eyes met across the long hallway and a blush built up in her cheeks.
This had happened every single morning now.
A few times, I could admit it had been on purpose. But not this morning. This was a happy accident.
“Morning,” I said, smiling at her.
I shut my door and crossed the hardwood floor to where she stood, her animals milling about her feet. Jenny barked in my general direction and Bruce came up and nipped at the knee of my pants and then stroked her face across my thigh.
