Page 342 of The Doctors Will See You Now

Oh shit. Oh Jesus Christ, why would she do this to me? Why would she make this shit up? For what? A fucking byline?

I’d actually been expecting something about us, her little decree of don’t be mad at me for using you shamelessly last night seeming playful and harmless but telling all the same.

I’d thought maybe she’d finally broken some details about our sex life, the real inside scoop on Dr. Erotic’s erotic moves.

But not this. Never this.

This would fucking ruin me.

“Scott?” Deb said hesitantly from the end of the hall as I stood there shaking my head in disbelief.

“Not now, Deb,” I said as gently as I could for a guy literally coming apart at the seams. I just assumed she left me to my agony until she called my name again—this time from a lot closer.

“Scott,” she murmured in a barely there whisper.

I lifted my eyes to hers, but they didn’t stay there long. Two security guards stood behind her. Good news spreads fast, I see.

“The board wants to see you,” she said sympathetically. I could barely even swallow my saliva without throwing up as I succumbed to my fate.

Just like that, I knew it was over. I was going to lose everything I’d ever had, ever wanted, ever needed, in one fell swoop.

The job and the girl, both a mutilated mess.

I might have been the doctor, but this blood was on Harlow’s hands.

After a week’s worth of stress, mostly because of Stella riding my ass over the fact that I hadn’t been the one to give the personal exclusive on Dr. Erotic’s new relationship with yours truly, I’d managed to write a column I was proud of. One that actually made me smile when I read it versus my normal apathetic meh reaction I gave most of my columns.

And it wasn’t because I thought my writing was shit; it was because I wasn’t passionate about any of it. Until now. Until this column. And I owed it all to one very important person—Scott.

With him on my mind, I grabbed my phone off my desk and typed a quick message to him.

Me: Did you read it? Tell me you read it and loved it! :)

I watched the message box like a hawk, waiting impatiently for text bubbles to appear from his side of the conversation, but it never came. And before I could call him and demand that he stop saving lives and start reading my latest column, an all too familiar voice of doom grabbed my attention.

“Great work on that article.” I glanced up to find Stella standing in the doorway of my office. A proud and even slightly evil smile plastered on her face. “I didn’t think you had it in you, but obviously, you did.”

“You liked my column?” I questioned with a furrowed brow. This was the absolute last reaction I expected to get from her. If I was being honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d still have a job at Gossip after she read it. She’d basically given me an ultimatum and made it more than clear that if I hadn’t come up with something good, I’d be packing my shit and finding a new job.

And well, this week’s column shouldn’t have evoked such an enthusiastic response from her.

She nodded. “It was genius. And devious. And I have no idea how you pulled it off, but I definitely loved it. If you keep going above and beyond to bring material like that to me, you’ll be promoted and writing only exclusives in no time.

“I guess I should’ve known there was more to that whole relationship thing with Scott, huh?” she asked with a smile that made a shiver roll up my spine. “You’re not the type of woman to settle down with a man, but it appears that you are the type of woman who will do whatever it takes for her career. My favorite kind of woman, by the way,” she added with a wink.

The type of woman who will do whatever it takes for her career?

I blinked three times.

What is she talking about?

I didn’t even consider this job my career. It was just a fucking job that paid the bills and achieved that without giving me any sense of satisfaction or purpose. I sure as hell wouldn’t do whatever it took for Gossip.

Something feels real fucking off right now…

The tiny hairs on my arms stood on end. I opened my mouth to ask her what in the fuck was happening, but she chimed in before I could get the words past my suddenly dry and scratchy throat.

“Great work, Harlow. And, for legality purposes, shoot me an email with your various sources for that article. We’re already getting phone calls from the media,” she said.