Page 390 of The Doctors Will See You Now

No doubt, it needed to be something sexy, maybe even a little skimpy.

Add a shopping trip to the list, I thought to myself as I scrolled through my emails. And when I saw one with a subject line that read, CALL YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER! in all shouty caps, I also added, call Mom and Dad to the list, too.

The last time I’d seen my parents had been about a month before I’d moved back to the East Coast. They’d scheduled a week-long vacation to spend time with me, before they headed back home to Boca Raton in the sunny state of Florida.

Yes, my parents were those retired people. Born and raised in NYC, once my dad was able to retire from his law practice, he and my mother had sold their apartment on Fifth Avenue and moved to a warmer climate with palm trees and early-bird dinner specials.

Sure, it would’ve been nice to have my parents still in the city, especially since I was now here to enjoy time with them, but Dave and Sue were happy in their little bungalow close to the water, and when it came down to it, that was all that mattered.

Plus, there were always some advantages to having several states between you and parental units. I mean, obviously, I loved my parents. Being an only kid, I had a childhood that revolved around both my mother and father doting on me constantly. But there was no denying that when I considered the fact that my mother had a tendency to meddle, the distance had its benefits.

So, being the good daughter I was, I’d make sure I called them before I left the office.

Otherwise, Sue Hollis might call the local police and have them file a missing person’s report.

“You can stop right here,” I instructed the cabbie as he pulled in front of St. Luke’s main entrance.

He slipped the engine into park. “That’ll be fifteen bucks.”

“Thanks. Keep the change.” I handed him a twenty-dollar bill and slid out of the cab. Stilettos safely on flat ground and not in one of twenty cracks in the concrete, I shut the door and headed up the walkway toward the lobby of the hospital.

Dressed to the nines in a slinky little gold sequin dress and nude heels—and not, say, covered in blood—I imagined I was an odd sight for a hospital visit. Hell, I could literally feel people glancing curiously in my direction as I walked through the doors and onto the elevator.

A little after seven, I walked through the reception area of Nick’s office to find absolutely no one still working. Everything was silent as a mouse, and besides the tip-tap of my stilettos against the hardwood floor, no sounds reached my ears until I was within a few feet of his office door. It was partially open, and behind it, the sounds of fingers tapping against a keyboard filtered through the cracks.

He was still working.

I honestly wondered when he actually found the time to sleep.

With a gentle push, I opened the door, the fresh light of his office contrasting with the mostly dark hall and illuminating handsome Nick Raines, sitting behind his desk, sexy reading glasses covering his face, and his full lips pressed into a firm, focused line.

“Knock knock,” I announced my arrival, and he looked up from his laptop.

Waves of satisfaction filled my belly as he took an extra long perusal of my body. His gaze started at my face and slowly, oh so slowly, worked its way down my chest to my hips and on to my legs, and then repeated one more time before finally settling back on my eyes.

“Wow,” he muttered and opened and closed his mouth twice before adding, “You look amazing.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.” He nodded, and then he shook his head. “Wait…where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“A surprise?”

“Uh-huh.” I nodded and bit my lip. “Grab your shit, Nick. I’m ready to show you a good time.”

“Wow. Okay.” He stood up and shut his laptop. “Going by the way you’re dressed, I guess it’s safe to assume this isn’t a Fleetwood Mac’s Sex Pants kind of thing?”

I winked. “That would be a correct assumption.”

For a man who stuck to a schedule that very rarely deviated, I knew it said a lot that he didn't ask any more questions as he shrugged on his suit jacket and tossed his keys, phone, and wallet into his pocket.

“I have a feeling it's a good thing I'm not on call tonight,” he said, and I grinned.

“That is a very good thing.”

Nick rounded his desk and met me near the door. I went to move, ready to get the night under way, but he stopped me with a press of his hand to the bare skin of my back. My front effectively drawn to him, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to my cheek.