Page 1 of Doctor Billionaire's Surprise Baby

Chapter 1

Simone

It was torture working here.

Dr. Hugo Barone casually strode into the clinic's reception area, past a waiting room half full with anxiously waiting people. It was like he wasn't even aware of the impact he had on basically everyone in the room. Young women would twitter and blink their caterpillar eyelashes a little too quickly. Older women would preen over him like he was their beloved son, and men just want to be seen with him.

Everyone wanted a drop of whatever magic he had.

One thing that was interesting was that clients were usually early for their appointments. They just wanted to see the doctors walk in for their day. Doesn't hurt that our practice had four of the hottest neurosurgeons in the country, of which Dr. Barone was one of them. Drs. Austin Montrose, Dominic Harrington, and Logan Mitchell were the others.

And me? I'm the biggest hidden swooner of them all. I'm his medical assistant, AKA glorified receptionist. And I'm just trying to do my job without trying to stare too long, drool, or rip his medical coat off and then his tie, and then his shirt… or all of the above. He's a fucking magnet to everyone. And yet, he has no clue. Doing my job with a consistently elevated heart rate is almost like a sport.

"Morning, ladies," his baritone voice rasped with just a hint of his native Italian accent as he referenced me and Rachel, the other medical assistant keeping this office humming. We each did general client work but were assigned to specific doctors as well. I was assigned to Dr. Barone.

Deep-set brown eyes met mine and he gave me a warm smile that made this cool early-spring Boston morning feel like the tropics. Or maybe that was just in my panties. He shrugged out of his light jacket and put on his white medical jacket and stethoscope. I couldn’t help but admire the way his shirt stretched across his shoulders, biceps, and chest with the movement.

Shit. That staring thing again. Stop. It. Already.

“Good morning, Dr. Barone.” It was my hardest task of every day: keeping my voice steady when I talked to my boss. We tried to keep it totally professional, where I would call him by his professional name when there were clients around.

"Good morning," echoed Rachel, in her sing-song way.

Hugo had been nothing but kind to me since I started working here two years ago as a medical assistant. He treated me like a friend, always watching out for me and offering encouragement. His caring nature only made my feelings for him grow stronger, though I knew they were completely one-sided. To Hugo, I was nothing more than his best friend’s little sister. Someone who needed looking out for and protection. I was certainly no one he would even remotely be interested in romantically.

I was aware that he had hook-ups in the past, but nobody seemed to stick. I guess long-term relationships and a dedication to your job just didn't go hand in hand.

As a successful neurosurgeon, I admired Hugo's dedication to his patients and his obvious passion for his work. Beyond his tall, lean, athletic build and gorgeous OMG-I-wanna-die face, he was the epitome of professionalism and compassion and represented everything I aspired to in my own career.

"Simone, can you please send me the latest MRI scans for Lewis Thompson?" Hugo asked, bringing me back to the present. "I want to review them before his appointment later today."

"Of course, Dr. Barone," I responded, quickly pulling my gaze away from Hugo’s body and spinning toward my computer. I found the files despite feeling Hugo’s continued presence as he made a cup of coffee from the machine behind me. With one click, I sent them to Hugo’s email.

As much as I enjoyed working alongside Hugo, it was difficult to maintain my composure when I was so aware of his presence. It was like he had a force field around him that continually filled me with tingles. Tingles that were totally distracting.

“Sent,” I announced and was rewarded by another smile from Hugo.

“Thanks, Simone.”

I sighed, silently berating myself for allowing my feelings to distract me from work. This crush had gone on for far too long, and it was time to get a grip on my emotions – if only I knew how.

"Soooo, did you catch the game last night?" I asked, leaning back in my chair looking toward Hugo. Despite my feelings, I wanted to keep up our friendly banter.

Rachel laughed. "Simone, you know he doesn't make time for sports. He was probably up late reviewing case files."

"Bingo," he replied, as he pointed a finger at Rachel, approving of her response. She giggled. He looked at me with a teasing grin. "But let me guess, your beloved Red Sox won?"

"Of course they did!" I exclaimed, feigning offense. "One day, I'll get you to appreciate the beauty of baseball."

"Only if you promise to take me to the real game," he countered, chuckling and giving me a wink. Oh God, help me now. I laughed my most genuine fake laugh (not the one where I was actually dying inside) and pretended that the comment was no biggie.

"Deal," I agreed, laughing along with him, while trying not to jump into his arms and yell, "Let's go right now!" I am so cringe with him, it kills me. It was quite ironic how our fake conversations could be almost about anything, and so friendly, when really I couldn't talk about how I felt.

Just then, Sarah, a young patient in her late twenties, entered the clinic for her appointment. She tossed her long, blonde, curly hair over her shoulder and flashed a seductive smile at Hugo.

"Dr. Barone, I've been looking forward to seeing you again. You're such a lifesaver."

"Thank you, Sarah. It's always a pleasure to see you too," Hugo replied warmly, his professionalism never faltering. But I couldn't help but notice how her gaze lingered just a little too long as they walked into his office together.

---