Page 5 of Rules of the Heart

“It’s already done. The contract was signed yesterday. She’ll be here in an hour, and I expect you to be civil with her.”

Valerie couldn’t believe this. Running an entire surgical wing was a delicate operation, and Andre had just invited a rampaging rhinoceros into that operation. Dr. Ella Ashton was a wild card and Valeriehatedwild cards.

Valerie stormed into her office and spent the next hour fuming quietly behind her desk, thinking about all the horrible things she wished on Andre for doing this to her. She hoped that his flash drive never went into the computer on the first try ever again, and that every vending machine he met spat his cash back out at him with as much fury as Valerie was feeling right now.

Someone knocked on her door. It was probably Dr. Ella Ashton, assuming she was even serious enough about the rules to bother to be on time to work.

Valerie took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. She wasn’t happy about this, but she was going to do her best to act like an adult. Maybe this Dr. Ashton had decided to turn over a new leaf when she came here. Perhaps everything would be fine.

“Come in.”

The door opened. “Hi. I’m Dr. Ella Ashton. You must be Dr. Bush?”

Valerie gaped at Ella. She had been through Ella’s resume, but that hadn’t had any pictures. Did Ella have to be so stupidly attractive? Valerie’s jaw was just about hitting the floor.

Dr. Ella Ashton’s hair was brown and streaked beautifully with honey blonde. It cascaded over her shoulders in waves. Her bright eyes were somewhere between green and blue; Valerie couldn’t tell which. Her skin was smooth and brown and Valerie wondered where her dazzling looks had been created. Valerie had never seen anyone that looked like Dr. Ella Ashton. She had a lovely hourglass figure with a slim waist, wide hips and generous breasts.

Fuck.

Valerie knew she had to say something. She was gaping at this new surgeon like an idiot. Dr. Ashton was looking expectantly at her, and Valerie did her best to pull herself together.

“Welcome, Dr. Ashton,” she said stiffly. “You’ll be working under Doctor Roth, our head of neurosurgery. His office is down the hall, first door to the left. He’ll tell you where you need to go.”

“Oh, alright then. Is there anything I should know about this place?” Dr. Ashton smiled and her smile was dazzling. Valerie took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. “You know, inside information and such.”

Dr. Ashton’s smile was both cheeky and charming—not a good combination for Valerie, given that it made her even more attractive than she already was.

Ugh, I hate her and I don’t want her here. So why do I find her so goddamn sexy?

Valerie was irrationally angry. It was bad enough that Dr. Ella Ashton was barging into her surgical department uninvited, but did she have to look so stunning doing it?

Valerie couldn’t deny that she wanted her. If she’d met Ella at a bar, the two of them would already be on their way backto Valerie’s place, where she would takeeverythingshe wanted from Ella’s body.

Dr. Ella Ashton wasentirelyValerie’s type, in a sexual way at least.

She felt her eyes roving over Dr. Ashton’s breasts and hips, a pencil skirt and loose blouse doing everything to accentuate them.

Stop it, Valerie. Don’t even go there.

Valerie felt her face going red and quickly forced herself to focus on Dr. Ashton’s question. “Things are pretty straightforward here. Just follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.”

“Sure thing, Dr. Bush.”

Valerie ground her teeth as Dr. Ashton turned and left.

She felt her eyes following Dr. Ashton’s shapely ass and she couldn’t fight the image from her head of Dr. Ashton bent over her desk. That round ass was begging for attention.

Stop it, Valerie.

She had no idea if Dr. Ella Ashton intended to follow the rules, but the very fact that she made Valerie long to break all the rules was already getting under Valerie’s skin.

Valerie had long ago banned relationships—whether sexual or romantic—between employees in her department, and relationships between bosses and underlings even more so. There was absolutely no way she could sleep with this woman. It was against the rules she herself had set.

But dear God, did she want to. She cursed the fact that this woman was working here now and not just some beautiful stranger who Valerie could seduce into bed.

The rules were there for a reason, though. Valerie of all people knew that.

She closed her eyes as the memory washed over her.

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