Page 313 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“You dated that guy?” His brown eyes went wide with surprise. “You used to date the fucking mayor?”

A long, heavy sigh left my lungs, but before I could respond to his question, a lady with both arms full of shopping bags bumped into my hip as she passed me. I glanced around the crowded sidewalk and realized this was definitely not the time or place to have an all-out discussion about my past relationship with the goddamn mayor of the city.

Brent had friends in all kinds of places—high, low, even dirty—and the last thing I needed was for a scumbag like him to get the idea that I made a point of telling other people what happened during our relationship.

I stepped toward Scott and gripped his elbow with my hand and led him toward a small alleyway void of any possible eavesdroppers.

“Yes,” I said in a low, defeated voice. “At one point in my life, I did date him,” I explained. “But that was a long time ago. Like, before his political career had really started.”

Scott nodded in understanding, and even though I’d just told him he had absolutely no right to be in the know about my past relationships, I found myself telling him anyway.

“He’s not someone I like to have contact with,” I added. “Our relationship was a really low point in my life.”

“Is he the ex?” he questioned and I nodded.

“Yes. I don’t like to think about it. I don’t like to talk about it. Most days, I pretend it never even happened. I’ve told you more about it than most people, to be honest.”

“Leave the past in the past kind of thing?” His gaze met mine, and he flashed a soft smile.

“Exactly like that.”

Without hesitation, he wrapped his big arms around my shoulders and pulled me in for a tight hug. “I’m sorry I acted like a jealous boyfriend,” he whispered into my ear. “It just took me by surprise is all. And I met the mayor today because I’m trying to get him onboard with making much needed changes to the city’s current public health policy.”

Well, I couldn’t deny it sounded like a good reason to have lunch with the devil. Even quite noble when I really thought about it.

“That’s okay,” I whispered back. “But next time you try to get all territorial and piss circles around me, I’m kicking you right in the dick.”

He barked out a laugh. “I’ll remember that next time,” he said and then added, “Although, I think you enjoy the sex too much to kick me in the dick.”

I fought the urge to giggle. “Shut up.”

He was totally right, though.

I liked his dick too much to actually go through with a threat like that.

“Are you already out of money for the clinic?” I teased Will Cummings’s sweet girlfriend Melody as I gave her a hello hug at the Benefit for Bab(i)es.

She’d been the brain trust behind this charity event with the goal of raising money for the Women’s Clinic of St. Luke’s Hospital—a clinic that had her name in the title as it were—which just so happened to be Melody’s passion and purpose.

I thought the name of the event was cute, Babes and Babies combined, and tonight was the reason I’d been growing a beard for the last two months.

Apparently, at some point during the festivities, they were going to take me up in front of the room and shave it. There was some kind of system where people would bid money on something about it too, but I didn’t have a fucking clue what. I guessed I’d find out while it was happening.

Melody and I had seen each other in the hospital a handful of times, but we were really only acquaintances. Still, I was very impressed with her drive to help the underserved women in New York, and I commended both her and Will for making the Melody Marco Women’s Clinic of St. Luke’s happen.

It hadn’t been an easy feat, and they’d both worked tirelessly until her dream and passion had turned into reality. And because of that, they’d achieved something amazing for the community.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Will knew people with insane wells of money to tap into, but still, the thought was there. I could be impressed with the thought even if he didn’t have to be quite as resourceful as someone without a billionaire brother-in-law.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, as Will pulled her back to his front, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and answered me. “It’s a free clinic, Scott. The costs are constant. Benefits like this are standard practice to keep them running.”

Will hadn’t quite lost his antagonism toward me since I’d made a few jabs at him while he was suffering in the spotlight as Dr. Obscene. But, at this point, I’d done such a good job of pulling the attention from him, putting it on myself, and altogether basking in it, I thought he’d be thanking me by now.

“Easy, Cummings. I was just teasing.”

“Yeah, Will. Lighten up,” Melody encouraged, and I smiled—which, incidentally, didn’t make Will like me more. Go figure.

“Ah, that’s all right, Mel,” I said, figuring it was better to bridge the gap of our differences rather than let them erode even more. “He’s right to be a little aggravated with me. I’ve done a pretty good job of being an asshole these last few months.”