Page 261 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“Okay. Sounds good.” Tingly needles shot up my legs as I jumped down from the exam table and came to a jarring stop on the ground. Ow. Twenty-nine years young and already ailing. I was going to be fucked when I got older.

“Oh, and tell your dad I’m going to kick his ass next month at the charity event.”

“Will do.” I grinned and grabbed my purse from the floor. Before stepping out of the room, I snagged my phone out of the front pocket and turned it back on. Amanda could send as many “boner texts” as she wanted now that good old Barry wouldn’t be within eye shot. “See ya around, Dr. Williams,” I called over my shoulder as I headed out of the exam room and toward the exit.

Fifth Avenue buzzed with traffic and the smell of grease as I jogged toward the subway entrance en route to my office at Gossip. I panicked briefly as my phone started ringing inside of my purse, thinking it might be my boss calling to ream me for missing some sort of scoop, but I smiled once I saw the caller ID.

“Give me the good stuff, Claude.” His soft chuckles fed some sort of hole deep in my soul.

Claude was my dealer. Well, not of the drug variety, but when it came to juicy pictures for my Gossip column, he was the guy with the goods. Paparazzi weren’t normally a source of good karma and soul replenishment, but Claude was different—likeable. I couldn’t even explain exactly what it was about him, but that intangible something was there all the same.

“Would a certain monsieur on The Doctor Is In be of interest to you?” he asked through his thick French accent.

Jesus. Scott Shepard strikes again. I felt like this guy was following me everywhere, even though the one and only time I’d seen him was over two weeks ago inside of his ER.

Hmm. I guess it could also be Dr. Obscene, but last I heard, he was settled down in a pretty serious relationship.

“Are we talking Dr. ER?” I asked to double-check.

“Oui.”

Immediately I perked up, my eyebrows lifting toward my hairline. “Color me intrigued.”

“Ah, Mademoiselle Harlow,” he responded, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “I have a few shots you’re going to love.”

“Fantastic. What’s the story?”

“Dr. ER at Club Indigo last night enjoying drinks with not one but four lovely women.”

That charming son of a bitch. I grinned. “Do you know who the women are?”

“I believe one is an up-and-coming actress from Spain, two are famous Russian models. The other woman he spent the majority of his evening with, I’m not so sure who she is, but she is quite stunning.”

“Did they leave together?”

“Oui.”

“Sounds like Dr. Erotic is living up to his name, then.”

Claude chuckled. “It appears that way.”

Good God, I was beginning to love Scott Shepard. Well, at least the columnist in me was. If he kept this up, I’d have enough material for months. Maybe even enough to fill a novel with my columns specifically dedicated to him. Dr. ERotic: A Gossip insight.

I’d have to think about the byline, but I had at least fifty Scott Shepard-inspired columns to figure it out.

“How many photos are worth my time, Claude?”

“Five.”

“How much?”

“Five hundred.”

“A piece?” I questioned skeptically. “Oh, c’mon, Claude. You know me better than that.”

He laughed. “Can’t fault a working man for trying, mademoiselle.”

“Yeah, and you can’t fault a working girl for calling you out on your bullshit,” I retorted. “I’ll give you one thousand for all five.”