I was terrible at cooking. Even the omelet I tried to make for myself always burned. That’s why the only food I had in my fridge was beer and various frozen meals that didn’t need much talent to be taken to the microwave oven. There was a café not far away from my apartment building where I stopped every day to have breakfast and then dinner. Its owner and chief cook, Dave, was my old friend, one of a few I had, so whenever I needed to talk to someone, he was my ears.

  I picked up my phone and dialed Dave’s number.

  “What’s up man?” He said, answering the call.

  “Ugh, the usual, you know - another hellish week at work. Operation, stress, appointments, new PA...”

  “Just don’t tell me she’s as ugly as the one I saw in your office the other day.”

  “Definitely not ugly.”

  “Stupid then?”

  “No. Why would you think so?”

  “As far as I remember, all your PAs were either ugly or stupid.”

  “No, this time everything’s different.”

  “Oh…” There was a weird pause on the other end of the line.

  “What’s this ‘oh’ supposed to mean?”

  He ignored my question. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “No. Again, why would you think so?”

  “If she’s not ugly and is not stupid, but you still sound like something’s wrong, then I guess I know what your problem is.”

  “No, shit? Care to enlighten me?”

  “Sure. Come over at nine. We are having a barman show tonight. We can have a drink and talk.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be there.”

  “See ya!”

  I hung up the phone right when Nicola stepped into my office, all dressed up for the night.

  Even wearing a simple sleeveless black dress that went to her knees, she looked fucking gorgeous. Her hair flew down her shoulders, making me want to bury my fingers in it. Her lips were of a sexy as hell blood-red color.

  “It’s almost eight…” She said, shifting from one foot to another. “Do you need anything?”

  “No. You are free to go. It’s been a long day. And a long week.”

  She nodded but didn’t leave.

  “Everything alright, Miss Holt?”

  She hesitated.

  “Nicola, are you okay?” Worried, I stood up and came over to her.

  She looked surprised.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “You just called me Nicola.”

  “So? It’s your name, isn’t it?”

  “But it was not the usual Miss Holt.”

  Right. I didn’t think before I used her first name. In my head, I called her by her first name many times. But now that she mentioned me saying it aloud, I did see the difference.

  I loved the way her name sounded when pronounced aloud.

  “I think there’s nothing wrong with being on a first-name basis. What do you say?”

  She hesitated, again.

  “Come on, I’m just a few years older than you are. You can call me Ashton if you want.”

  “I will think about it.”

  Still, I felt like something was bothering her.

  “Just spit it,” I said.

  “Spit what?”

  “Whatever is it that you can’t find enough courage to say.”

  She sighed. “Do you always have to be so persistent?”

  “Well, it was you who came here, obviously having something in that mind of yours that you wanted to tell me. So what is it?”

  Another sigh followed. “Do we really need to fight every day?”

  I crossed my arms, watching her. “I don’t remember fighting with you today. Or yesterday, or the day before that.” For the biggest part, I acted like she didn’t exist at all. No matter how aware I was of every small move she made in my presence. My dick twitched in my pants whenever her skin touched mine, as if accidentally. And every time I watched those glorious lips of hers moving, I didn’t hear a damn word of what she was saying, because all I could think about was kissing her.

  “For such a brilliant surgeon as you are, you have serious memory problems, Doctor. But my point is – you and I are adult enough to co-exist on the same territory for another twelve months. So why don’t we try being more polite to each other? It won’t kill you to be a little less ‘jerk’ to me, will it?”

  I almost laughed. “I will think about it.”

  “Throwing my words back at me? Fine, I can handle it.”

  “Isn’t it what you love doing too?”

  She studied me for a long minute, no less. “You scared the hell out of all your previous PAs and secretaries, I’m well aware of that fact. But I’m here to improve my knowledge and skills, and not even your attitude will make me change my mind about working with you. So all I’m asking for is a little less unnecessary words, and more work.”

  That’s what I usually wanted from my PAs, but her saying the same thing to me humored me.

  “I got the point.”

  “Good.” She nodded briefly. “Finally, we are on the same page.”

  “Which means next time I want to do something, I’m allowed to go with no warning, right?”

  She gave me a hard look.

  “Just making sure you and I both know what ‘being on the same page’ means.”

  “Have a good night, Doctor.”

  She turned to leave, but I put my palm on the door before she could open it. Standing right behind her, I could hear her breathing quicken. I leaned forward, inhaling the scent of her perfume. Apparently, she used it after she changed into that black dress of hers. The scent was sweet and fresh. Whoever she was going to spend the night with, was one lucky son of a bitch.

  In a whisper, I said, “I can act like an adult, but can you, Miss Holt?”

  She turned around and her breast bumped into my chest. There was no room for her to step back, and well, I didn’t mind her closeness, at all.

  “What exactly do you mean by that, Doctor Bright?”

  Taking their time, my eyes slipped down her face and stopped at her perfectly painted, red lips.

  “You know what I mean,” I said, bowing my head. Inches separated our lips.

  I know I told myself to stay away from her and keep it strictly professional. But goddamn it, the woman was driving me crazy. Since the day she became a permanent resident of my office, having a hard on had become my number one problem.

  She didn’t flinch or try to stop me. But her words did.

  “I’m here to work, not to screw my boss. You’d better remember that.”

  I stepped back and watched her.

  My closeness did affect her: her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was still too quick, and I could see that tiny vein on her neck pulsing with excitement. I was a doctor to the bone, I knew the signs.

  “I will remember that, Miss Holt. Only if you promise to follow your own restrictions…”

  I was not playing fair. But hell, who would think about playing fair with a woman like her? She could have a boyfriend, but I didn’t give a fuck. I never broke anyone’s relationships, but something was telling me that if she and that Jade, Jay, or whatever his name was, were really close, my words and actions wouldn’t bother her that much.

  Without saying another word, she turned to the door, opened it and then shut it behind her. The damn thing trembled again.

  I cursed aloud and went back to my desk. My sucky mood just got even worse, if that was possible.

  Starting Monday morning when I saw Nicola Holt in my waiting room, I should have known that nothing would ever be the same again. Not with her on my territory, not until she was everything I could think about, not until she was everything I wished for but could never have…

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Tell me something, Ash – have you ever thought about having a family?”

  Dave and I were sitting at the bar of his café, watching a barman named AJ swirling a cocktail shaker in his hands. I was on my fifth drink, and something was telling me that by the time our experiments with new drinks were over, I would regret coming to the show.

  “I do have a family, remember?” I said as a cute brunette slipped into the seat next to mine. She was dressed in a purple mini skirt and a matching top that ended right about her navel, exposing her flat stomach. I smiled at her and she smiled back, giving me one of those slow, head-to-toe glances that promised hot troubles.

  “I was asking about a family of your own, with a wife and kids, maybe,” Dave said, his eyes followed mine and he gave the girl on my right his best from ear-to-ear grin. My friend was a womanizer to the core. Desserts were not the only things he enjoyed working on in his kitchen.

  “I’m married to my work,” I said. “You know that. As for the kids… I don’t think I’m made for being a father. With the amount of time I spend in a surgery, they will most likely think their father is an astronaut who had been sent to the moon the day he married their mother. Why would you start asking questions like that anyway? Have I missed something? Are you getting married?”

  “Oh, no. God forbid. But I was wondering…” He looked around the café. “See all those men? Most of them come here two or three times a week, taking off their wedding bands right before entering the café. But as you can see, almost all of them have company. Instead of going home and spending Friday night with their wives and kids. Why would they get married in the first place? Is it really true that marriage is no longer as important as it used to be years ago?”

  I chuckled. “How many drinks have you had before I joined you?”

  “Just a few. AJ is really good. I’m thinking about offering him a permanent job here.”

  I thought about Dave’s words and said. “I don’t think I have a right to talk about the importance of marriage, considering I’m not going to put myself into one. You know my story… I don’t want a woman to suffer because of what she might start feeling for me.”

  “What about Lola?”

  “What about her?”

  “Do you really believe she would keep ‘visiting’ you if she didn’t feel anything for you?”

  “She knows the rules. Besides, sex is the only thing that she and I are good at doing together. We are poles apart. I can’t even begin to imagine her as my wife.” An image of sandy curls and big brown eyes, with barely noticeable gold and green sparks flashed in my head. I blinked twice and looked at the girl, sitting next to me. She was definitely not her…

  The brunette ordered a cocktail – one of those made by AJ, and then she took out her phone and started scrolling down her Facebook app. A few pictures from there caught my attention and I moved closer to her.

  “Nice bikini,” I said, looking at the picture of her and another girl posing near a pool.

  “Thanks. I’m Marla, by the way,” she murmured in a cat-like manner. Her eyes flashed with excitement when I took her hand in mine and kissed it.

  “I’m Ashton.”

  “Bad idea, dude,” Dave said, punching me.

  “Why?” My eyes were sharing silent messages with Marla’s, and the amount of alcohol in my blood reached the point where I didn’t pay much attention to the warning in my friend’s words.

  Dave leaned closer and said into my ear. “She’s married. To the guy who’s sitting at the other end of the bar, flirting with a red head. They are in an open marriage; they come here every Friday, pretending they are strangers, flirt around, enjoy drinks and then go home, together. ”

  “Hmm…” I frowned, thinking about how terribly fucked-up some relationships could be. Maybe Dave had a point and people did lose the feeling of simple happiness. Most wanted something different, something new, like an open marriage. Or, like in my case – sex once every two weeks that didn’t lead to any obligations.

  “Better tell me about your new PA.” Dave just had to start that conversation again.

  I moved away from Marla; I wasn’t sure I was the man she needed tonight. And to be honest, I didn’t want to know that, not after what Dave told me about her.

  “Her name is Nicola,” I said, feeling an inexplicable mixture of emotions running through me. The mere mention of her name did weird things to my body and mind.

  “Nice name.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “What does she look like?”

  I swallowed the rest of my drink and let my thoughts drift to my charming PA. “Like heaven,” I said, imagining her full lips brush against mine, with her perfect body leaning into me. My tongue would give her mouth a precise exploration, before I would wrap my arms around her, lifting her up and pin her to the glass door of my office... Christ, I was ruined in more ways than one.

  “I was right after all,” Dave said, watching me.

  “About what?”

  “She makes a certain piece of you alive, but you don’t know how to fuck her without breaking the rules of her work contract.”

  I smirked. “There are no rules about sleeping with me in her contract.”

  Though maybe I should have added a few…

  “Oh, no? Then what’s stopping you?”

  I wish I knew the answer to Dave’s question.

  “She’s different… Too good for my office desk sex or a one-night stand.” I didn’t realize how true the words were until I said them aloud. Though imagining Nicola spread on my office desk, with me hovering over her would surely make one of my workdays.

  Dave gave me a weird look, but said nothing, and I was too drunk to guess what he was thinking.

  I looked at my watch, it showed midnight. “I guess it’s time to call it a day. I’m tired as hell.”

  “One more drink before you leave?”

  I shook my head, rising to my feet. “No, thanks. I have had enough for tonight.”

  Just then, a vision of sandy hair flashed right before me. I shook my head and blinked, being absolutely sure I was seeing things. But the moment my eyes focused on the red lips that I had been dying to taste for days, I knew the devil was real.

  Nicola and her companion – a tall, blond guy whose face looked somehow familiar – went to one of the tables and asked the waitress to refresh their drinks.

  So she has been here the entire time, and I just now became aware of her presence?

  “What is it, Ash?” Dave stood next to me, trying to understand what was stopping me from leaving the café.

  “Nothing.” I turned away from the sight of Nicola smiling so fucking sweetly at the guy by her side, threw a bill on the bar counter and was just about to say good-bye to my friend, when I heard her laughing at whatever her date was whispering into her ear.

  The sound of her laughter went straight through me, and for a moment, I regretted not being her date now. I wouldn’t even mind coloring my hair to blond, just to make her laugh like that again. Maybe not here, but in my bed, lying beneath me, with her silky curls spread on my pillow…

  Anger boiled inside me. My fists doubled in my trousers pockets and I did the only thing I was capable of doing at the moment. With AJ’s drinks still messing with my head, I headed straight for the table where Nicola and her date were sitting.

  “What a pleasant surprise, Miss Holt,” I said, taking a seat opposite from her companion. The tables were surrounded by the crescent-shaped, blue, velvet couches, so I didn’t need to ask anyone to bring me another chair.

  “Doctor Bright…” Her face flushed. “Indeed, what a surprise.” She left out the word ‘pleasant’. “What are you doing here?”

  I thought she would first introduce me to her date, but obviously the man was forgotten the second her eyes laid on me.

  Serves you right, I thought to myself, giving the guy my best smile.

  Then I looked at her and said, “I spied on you.”

  Pure shock crossed her features. Her eyes switched between the guy and me. “You did what?”

  I chuckled, watching her expression changing from surprised to pissed to the max.

  “I’m just kidding. Relax, Nicola.” I waved at the bar where Dave was still sitting, now chatting with a girl I didn’t know. “It’s my friend’s place. He invited me to the barman show. Did you like it, by the way?”

  “I did.” She stared at me. I could almost feel the wheels turning in that smart head of hers. No doubt, she was trying to figure out something about me. Probably the level of my drunkenness.

  Her date cleared his throat, obviously thinking it was time to remind us of his presence.

  Go home, dude. She and I will be just fine without you.

  “Doctor Bright, I’m Jared Milkoff,” he said, introducing himself. “Nicola’s boyfriend.”

  I almost laughed at his small clarification. The guy obviously felt territorial, and I couldn’t blame him for that. Because for some sick reason, I felt the same way about his girlfriend.

  “Milkoff?” I repeated the name. “The Milkoff?” I knew that name from one of the conferences where the suppliers of medical equipment were telling about what they could offer our hospital. Now I knew why his face looked familiar.

  “That’s right,” Jared said. “My dad is the owner of “Milkoff & Co”.

  I had heard a few things about his Daddy. The man was a one-in-a-thousand bastard. His first wife left him because he had been sleeping with his secretary, and got her pregnant, twice. His second wife was one of his employees and she called her lawyer after he beat her after one of the parties where he saw her talking to another man; he was sure they had been having an affair. As for his third wife – she was almost thirty years younger than him and her parents didn’t come to their wedding because Mr. Milkoff thought they were not intelligent enough to meet his pompous-ass guests.

  I wondered if Nicola knew anything of the above.

  “How long have you two been dating?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “A couple of months,” Nicola said. “Why?” She bored me with her meaningful stare. I bet she couldn’t wait for me to get my ass off the couch and leave the two of them alone. Not that I was going anywhere. Not after I realized who she was on a date with.