Future Investment: (Taboo Romance Series) (Forbidden Fruit Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter 7

Elizabeth

I walked down the hall and tried to catch my breath. I wasn't being saucy or trying to tease him, it just rolled off my tongue without thought. Wrapping my arms around myself, I let out a short yelp as someone turned the corner and plowed into me.

"Oh! Shit. Sorry, Lizzy." Parks.

"It's Elizabeth, and watch where you're going, playboy." I gave him a cheeky grin. I'd never date a guy like him in a million years, but he seemed like the right man to know. He was outgoing from what I could tell, and I had no doubt that he knew everyone in the hospital.

"Now, look... if you get to call me playboy, then I get to call you Lizzy." He extended his hand. "Come on. Shake it. You know you wanna."

I laughed and shook his hand. His energy was contagious, his smile wide and welcoming. With what was sure to be a killer personality and his light green eyes and spiky dark hair, I had no doubt that Steph would be talking about him soon. Him and Aiden.

Aiden. Just the thought of him had my heart racing, my body aching for something I'd never in a million years get.

"Better? Satisfied?" I pulled my hand back and started to move past him.

"I figured your hands were soft." He moved in beside me.

"Why's that? Do I look like a soft type of gal? Fluffy and squishy?" I gave him a sideways glance as he visibly paled. I couldn't help but laugh at his discomfort.

"What? No. Ugh. You girls are so damn difficult." He held the door open for me to the girl’s locker room.

"This one especially." I glanced over my shoulder as he stopped. He wasn't allowed in the girl’s side, which was a perfect getaway for me.

"Come have a drink with me tonight." His eyes moved down me, and where I should have felt something, I didn't.

"I will!" Stephanie moved up beside me and extended her hand. "I'm Stephanie, Elizabeth's best friend."

"Well... this day just keeps getting better." He reached in as far as he could while keeping one foot out in the hallway, and shook Steph's hand. "Come have a drink with me tonight, and bring your uptight friend."

I growled and lifted my eyebrow. "I'm not here to have fun."

"She's always like this. I'll drag her along. Give me your cell and I'll put my number in it." Steph moved away from me, and I turned my back and walked to my locker. She'd be pissy about me not going, but hopefully it would be a good time for her to win Parks over. They'd be cute together, though I was pretty sure the hospital had rules against that sort of thing.

"Give me Lizzy's digits too."

I turned and narrowed my eyes at both of them. "Don't you dare. I'm dating someone. Stop being a flirt, playboy."

"Come on, Lizzy. I just want to be friends." He gave me one of the cutest looks I'd ever seen. He was a panty-melter no doubt. The sound of Steph's girlie sigh had me barking out a sharp laugh.

"You're corrupt. Stay away from me. I'm not available for anything, including a friendship." I turned back to the locker and rolled my eyes, unable to help myself. There was no way in hell I would ever consider dating someone like Parks. He was looking to score, and then he’d be on to the next victim.

"Alright, but don't deny me the right to say that I told you so when you're asking for my digits," he laughed, and I ignored him, giving Steph a chance to hopefully take his attention off of me.

"Don't forget to text me where and what time," Stephanie called after him.

I glanced back and lifted my eyebrow as she approached. "He's nothing but trouble."

"I know. I love it," she giggled and wrapped me in a side hug. "How are you? Working different shifts than you is killing me."

"At least you got the evening shift." I bumped my forehead against hers softly. "I miss you too, though."

"Come with me tonight. This guy is obviously interested in you, but just deny him, and I'll clean up the mess you leave behind." She gave me a silly smile and moved back. "Please?"

"I really can't. I have a dinner at Dr. Crawford's house tonight. It's something I'm not missing." I turned from her and finished putting my stuff up before grabbing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. "I'm running home to shower and change into something a little dressier."

"I'm still jealous over you getting Dr. Crawford as your mentor. Mine's a mean old woman with a thick accent that I can barely understand. Who'd you sleep with to get your good deal?" She pushed against my shoulder with hers.

"No one. I haven't had sex in at least a few months." I glanced over at her and shrugged. "And I'm not sure it was worth talking about the last time I did."

"Oh, Liz. That's horrible." She turned to me, but I diverted. I'd spent too much of my time talking about my relationship with Jackson. It was time to do something about it.

"Yeah. I'm going to swing by and see him on the way home." I pulled my hair into a ponytail and quickly changed. "Have fun tonight. We'll catch up when you get home. I'll try to stay up and wait for you."

"Alright. Good luck with Jack. You know you've tried to break up with him a million times. He's not going to let you go."

I chuckled. "How did you know I was going to try to break up with him?"

"Please. Why else would you stop by to see him?" She cocked her eyebrow at me and put a hand on her hip.

"That predictable?" I groaned and closed my locker.

"Yep, but go take care of it. You'll feel better after you get it over with. It's beyond time for both of you to move on. You're just comfortably stuck together. That's not love, nor is it fair." She rubbed my back soothingly.

"Thanks. You're right." I gave her a quick hug and walked out into the hall, to find Aiden and Parks standing at the far end, laughing about something. It was nice to see Dr. Crawford smiling and relaxed. His laugh was warm, and wrapped around me, pushing me toward them. I forced myself to keep walking, but he glanced at me and waved me over.

"Elizabeth. We're cardiologists. We're here to save hearts, not destroy them." The cheeky grin on his handsome face left me breathless.

"Yeah, Lizzy." Parks clamped his hands over his heart and stumbled back. "You're killing me."

"You should be cupping your crotch, not your heart." I winked at Parks and walked to the door. "I'm not sure it's love you're after."

Aiden's laughter filled the hall, and several of the nurses just ahead of me stopped what they were doing and looked back, smiling much like I was.

"Alright, princess. That's another one for you. You're up by two, but I'm coming after you," Parks called after me.

I turned and winked at him as I stopped by the exit. I was playing so far out of my normal comfort zone that it was comical.

"Bring it, playboy, but you should know that you're not getting anywhere with me." I shrugged, caught Aiden's eye for a second, and turned, walking out into the warm autumn afternoon.

I wanted my teasing to be with the handsome doctor who pretended to be stern and unyielding. He wasn't going to be an easy nut to crack, but I wanted to give it a go. Even if it were just for a fun friendship like he and Parks had.

I was jealous of the younger doctor who had Aiden's attention. I wanted it too.

*

"Wait, what?" Jackson stood in front of me in the parking lot of his office building. His black slacks and white button-down fit him well, and I had no doubt that all of the women on his floor had noticed. He was a handsome guy, and would find someone else in no time. Some part of me was surprised that he hadn't already found several somebodies.

"Jack. You know that we've grown apart. You and I have been trying to hold this thing together for far too long. I'm done. I don't want to keep you from someone who might be a good fit for marriage for you." I reached for him, but he jerked back.

"That's you, Elizabeth. You're supposed to be my wife. I've spent my whole adolescence with you. I don't want another woman. I want you. You know me. You get me. You love me." His eyes filled with tears, breaking my heart. "Please don't do this."

"I have to go. We're better friends than we are lovers. We have been for the last ten years. I love you as I would family, like I do Steph, but I'm not in love with you. Find someone who will be. She's out there." I pulled my keys from my pocket and turned, only to have him jerk me back and wrap his arms around me tightly.

"It's because we haven't been together in a while. Come home with me. Let me make love to you." He brushed his lips by mine, and I wanted so fucking badly to feel something bubbling deep inside of me, but I didn't. It was awkward, borderline disturbing to think of having sex with him again.

"No. Find a woman who's crazy about you. I'm focused on my career, and it's unfair to you. It's not me who is supposed to build a life with you, Jack. You know that." I forced my hands up to his chest and pushed back a little. "Please let me go. I want us to be friends for the rest of our lives. It's not going to happen if we don't start moving on. We're in our late twenties. You should be getting married."

"Yeah, to you." He took a step back and shrugged. "Whatever. If you change your mind, call me."

I started to respond that I wouldn't, but I simply held my tongue. There was no talking sense to him. He wasn't going to move on for a while, and the only way I could force it was by moving on myself. That didn't mean finding someone to replace him, but simply diving even deeper into my career and ignoring him altogether for a while.

After getting in my car and pulling away, I let myself cry. It wasn't for the loss of having someone. I didn't need anyone in my life. It was too convoluted by my career. I hurt for Jackson and what he thought he was losing. It was depressing to see him clinging to a life he thought we could have together instead of the one we did. Maybe he lived in a fantasy where things were great, but I didn't, and the time for a change was long overdue.

I cleared up my tears as I drove home from his office building, forcing myself to think about the dinner that night instead of my regrets where Jack was concerned. I didn't have Aiden's number, but I wished that I did. I had no clue what to wear to the event. Was it dressy or professional? Casual or fancy?

"Ugh." I pulled up to the apartment and got out of the car, walking languidly to the door as the memory of his laughter rolled through me. I needed to mind my actions and silly flirting around him. He was blowing it off beautifully so far, but it was day two of a three-year engagement.

I texted Steph, asking what she thought I should wear as I dug through my closet looking for something that might be attractive and yet still professional.

She was being cheeky, and informed me that the tight red dress I'd worn to a gala we went to a few years back was the winner.

That wasn't happening. It screamed, 'Take me upstairs and fuck me against a wall'. Not that I didn't want that to be the ending to my night with Aiden, but I wasn't so sure my strict mentor would appreciate me much afterward.

I settled on a black skirt and silky blue top. Hopefully I would fit in just enough not to be noticed, and yet stand out to my newest fantasy. He'd yet to give me more than a few brief nods and tight smiles. I wanted more from him that night, and I was praying that I could figure out how to get it.

Chapter 8

Aiden

I walked around the house, trying to think through anything else I might need as the time for everyone to show up drew near. I was glad to find Peter at the door first. He had been my mentor when I started at the hospital, and we'd become solid friends since that time.

"Aiden. How are you?" Peter walked into the large foyer of my home and extended a bottle of wine. "I brought this. It's not much, but you know Martha won't let me out of the house without a gift for whoever I'm visiting."

I smiled. "Good woman. I haven't seen her in forever. How is she doing?"

"Good. Still as pretty as the day I married her." He gave me grin. "Not sure why she's with me."

"Yeah, you are an ugly old goat." I took the wine and walked into the kitchen to the sound of him laughing. "You guys meet in college or what?"

"Actually..." he took a seat at the breakfast nook that ran along the center of the kitchen, "… she was a nurse at the hospital when I first started at St. Mark's."

"Really?" I turned and locked gazes with him. "Were the rules different back then?"

"No." He laughed. "We were just trouble-makers. We kept our relationship under wraps for a year or so, and then she decided to go work for someone in private practice, which was great."

"So you guys snuck around at the hospital?" I worked to open the wine.

"Yep, but don't try it."

"Why's that?" I couldn't help but prod him a little. He seemed to have always been the staunch pillar of integrity in our department. It was nice to hear that it wasn't the entire truth.

"Because I know all the tricks and places to hide out. I'll find you," he chuckled and walked out of the kitchen.

I could imagine that it would be stimulating hiding out in various parts of the hospital, stealing kisses, or making love to a girl who had captivated me enough to do such things. Elizabeth's sweet face moved across my mind's eye, and I couldn't help but wonder if her saucy little comments earlier that day hadn't been exactly what I thought they were. Surely she wasn't that innocent and naïve. She played it off well, either way.

"So this guy is treating you well?" Peter walked back into the kitchen with Elizabeth beside him.

My eyes moved across her, taking in the delicious curve of her breasts and curvy hips, as she wore her skirt and clingy blue top well. My hands itched to move around the counter and run along her sides, tease her resolve to be professional. I growled at myself, but covered it with a cough into my hand.

"He is." She smiled at me. "He's brilliant, and I'm honestly honored to have someone like him to learn from. It's going to propel me far into my future at St. Mark’s."

I nodded. "Keep up the accolades, and I'll put in a good word with the guy who hires for our positions. He's a hard-ass, but I've known him a while. His wife likes me."

Peter chuckled. "Good Lord. It might not be a good idea to have the two of you together. You're both far too intelligent and cheeky for your own good."

The doorbell rang, and Peter made his exit, taking on the job of answering it for me.

"What can I do?" Elizabeth set her purse down on one of the barstools and moved into the kitchen with me.

"Nothing, I don't think. I just put out a few appetizers that I had delivered from the steak house down the way. They're used to me calling last-minute. Dinner is in the oven so that it stays warm." I lifted a glass of wine toward her. "Care to have a drink?"

"I'd love one." She took the glass and lifted it in the air. "To you. To me. To us and all that we could be."

I couldn't help but chuckle. The girl was a complete tease, wrapped in innocence, or she was playing me like a fiddle. Either way, I loved it.

I hit my glass against hers and was almost grateful for the group of people who walked into the kitchen behind Peter. The spell was broken for the moment, but I had no doubt that it would rise up again soon and drag me back under. Elizabeth was the center of my most recent fantasies, and I didn't see that changing in the near future.

*

"So tell us again about the working with Dr. Martin. I've heard she's a bitch." One of the other residents leaned forward at the large dining table we all sat around. There were around twenty of us by the time the servers brought in dinner.

Elizabeth was the center of attention, which she didn't seem to enjoy nearly as much as I thought she might.

"She was great to me, but I have a hard shell, I guess." She shrugged and picked up her wine. "There was no beating around the bush with her. You either did what she expected of you, or she would toss you out on your butt. The M.D. program at NYU might not be the top program in the state, but it worked well for me. Dr. Martin forced me to go as far as I could in my training, and I'm grateful for it."

"Sounds like your old mentor, Dr. Barkley, Aiden," Peter spoke up from the far end of the table, dragging me from my thoughts as I stared at my resident.

"It does. He was a hard bastard to like, but incredibly easy to respect." I brushed my hand over my lips and tried to ignore the desire to turn my attention back to Elizabeth. I could almost feel her staring at me. How she left me unraveled so effectively without me knowing a damn thing about her was upsetting. I would have to talk with her a few minutes after everyone left.

"This is true." Peter patted one of the young male residents to his left on the back. The kid looked like he was ready to go skydiving, not save lives. "Freddy's father is the associate dean at Harvard. He's a good man. I'm hoping this guy can live up to those same standards."

Freddy paled, and I chuckled, unable to help myself. Peter always picked some poor kid to tease in each new class of residents that joined us. I was just glad it wasn't Elizabeth this round. I had no doubt that I would have been be in front of her, defending her, though the old guy meant no harm.

"Who is your father?" I glanced over at Elizabeth as her warm brown eyes moved back to me. We lingered for a moment too long in a shared stare. I forced myself to turn to Freddy as he spoke.

"Vince Barker." Freddy picked up the roll on his plate and took a bite.

"I know Vince. He was a scoundrel back in the day," I laughed. "We didn't go to school together, of course, but he was a professor there when I attended."

"You went to Harvard?" A blond resident on my right asked, her voice airy - flirty.

"Sure did. He graduated valedictorian," Peter piped up, his eyes filled with the same pride he always had when bragging on me. It was embarrassing, though I'd gotten used to it.

"It was easier back then." I smiled and turned my attention back to Freddy. "Tell your father that Aiden Crawford said hello."

"I will, sir." Freddy turned back to his dinner as various conversations rose up around the table. I turned my attention to Elizabeth, who sat on my left.

"So I figured out how I know your advisor. It was driving me crazy the other day when I couldn't place her." I sat back in my chair and let my eyes move across Elizabeth's face as she watched me with open interest.

"Oh yeah? Did you guys date? You'd make a great couple." She smirked.

"Funny. No, her sister was a patient of mine. They would poke fun at me each time I came into the room. I think she wanted to date, or, rather, I knew she did. She's quite aggressive." I widened my eyes and picked up my fork to get another bite or two of my dinner before dessert was served.

"That's interesting." Elizabeth laughed and brushed her wine glass past her impossibly kissable lips.

"Yeah? More than it should be?" I lifted an eyebrow at her, and realized how comfortable it was to have her there beside me, talking quietly together as if we could create our own little world. Something told me we could. Too bad she was dating someone, from what Parks had told me, and that she was my resident.

And that she's ten years younger than me.

"She just warned me that you could be a little difficult when we met for my final assessment before coming to the hospital." Elizabeth's eyes filled with something like excitement. "Now I realize why. She said that the dean wanted you and me paired together, but she didn't."

I smiled, enjoying her honesty. It was refreshing. "Yes, your dean was good friends with my father when I was younger."

"Is your father a doctor too?" She leaned in as the conversation around us quieted.

"No." I glanced down the table at Peter as he stood, clapping his hands and smiling brightly. He was saving me from the story of my parents’ death. I was grateful.

"Alright. Let's go into the living room for dessert. That alright, Aiden?" He moved away from the table and toward me.

"It's perfect. If you spill anything on my carpets, you'll be over here cleaning them for a week. Got it?" I stood as the room dropped into an awkward silence. "I’m kidding. I don't want any of you back until Peter forces me to."

They all laughed, and I reached out, pressing my fingers absently to Elizabeth's back. I hadn't meant to. It was natural to want to guide her around. Her stiffening caused me to jerk my hand back.

"Forgive me," I whispered. "Old habits."

"It's okay." She glanced over her shoulder, and from the angle I got of her pretty face, I could have sworn I saw a hint of the lust that I'd been experiencing for the last week. Surely not, but I coveted the idea of it all the same.

We had dessert in the kitchen, followed by Elizabeth, Peter, and me cleaning things up. We talked about the good old days as Elizabeth laughed and asked questions, egging us on. Peter left just after we finished cleaning up, and I walked Elizabeth to the door and opened it.

"Tonight was fun." I explored her expression, wanting to see a hint of the desire that I could have sworn brushed by her earlier. I couldn't make the first move, but damn if I didn't want to. I'd have to hold myself back if nothing else.

"It was. I loved all the stories of your first few years at the hospital." Her expression changed a little, and it left me wanting to push her.

"What? You have something you want to know?" I pressed my shoulder against the door frame and shoved my hand in my pocket. The need to reach out and touch her was almost consuming. It was something I'd yet to experience in my nearly-forty years.

"Are you lonely?" Her brows pulled in tight, making her impossibly beautiful. "I mean, I'm not asking so I can fill that hole, spot, er..."

I laughed. "Yes. It's lonely at times, but I married my career a long time ago. I love it with every part of me. Saving lives is who I am."

"Thank you." Her cheeks turned pink. "I think I'm headed down that same path."

"I hope not, for your sake. Besides, Parks was lamenting earlier over your boyfriend. You're already headed in the right direction. People need relationships." I was digging and I hated myself for doing it.

"Parks is ridiculous, but I'm going to enjoy becoming friends with him." She shook her head. "Only friends."

"Yes. You have to be careful of him." I shifted and she stepped outside as if sensing that the conversation was drawing to a close. I didn't have a confirmation on her dating anyone, but she'd done that on purpose. I wasn't giving her nearly enough credit.

"Thanks again for tonight. I enjoyed it." She turned to go, and I called out to her.

"Elizabeth."

She glanced back, her face captivating me. "Yes?"

"I think we're going to be great friends as we continue down this path, so remember that I'm a resource to you. If you need something…"

"Thanks, Dr. Crawford." She smiled and turned, leaving me to stare after her.

Not only had she saved me from where the conversation was headed, but had set us back to being mentor and student. I appreciated it, and yet despised the shutdown. It was deserved, though. I'd made it quite clear in my office a few days back that I wasn't interested in anything with anyone, not even her.

"Not even an extended conversation." I rolled my eyes at myself and closed the door after she got in her car and pulled out of my driveway. "Such an asshole at times."

No wonder I was alone.