Curing Doctor Vincent (The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 1) by Renea Mason Page B

you can walk away with no ties, no
connection to all that we’ve done…and have yet to do. This changes our
arrangement. There will be no denying our association. Although the details
will remain our fond secret.”
    He reached down and
picked up a bag at his feet. “Since you weren’t expecting to be going to a
formal occasion tonight…”
    I was going to be
Xavier Vincent’s date. The only thing that could pull me from all possibilities
the night held was the feel of his finger as he rested the bag’s handles in my
outstretched palm.
    He closed my fingers
around the satin cords and stepped in closer. “Are you sure? When this is all
behind you and you are sitting in the conference room are you going to be
comfortable explaining that it wasn’t what they thought? Knowing that when you
board that plane back to America, we go back to the way we were.”
    Disappointment killed
my anticipation. I took a breath and swallowed my frustration. I’d treat it
like a job, diligently plugging away and taking risks in hopes of a bigger pay
off. There was something undeniable between us. But he needed to understand I
wasn’t fragile.
    “Yes, Doctor. I’m
fully capable of pretending to be your date, of enjoying this week, and then
never seeing you again. You’re not that irresistible.” Yes, he was, but he didn’t
need to know it.
    “Fair enough…” He
paused. Cleared his throat and turned. As he walked away he muttered, “See you
in an hour.”
    I closed the door. Not
a moment to spare, but my mind raced. He had a point. It was one thing to have
his attention when it came to sex, but this was something else. In a way, I was
flattered that he wanted to be with me. There were few women who would turn
down his offer, but there was a big difference between fancying a romp with
someone and wanting to be seen with them in public. Hell, since this was a
speaking engagement, there would be photographic evidence. I didn’t want to be
so excited, but I shivered from anticipation. I knew the chances of this living
up to my expectations were minimal, but there was always hope. After all, he
was the one who’d pointed out that I’d suffered enough to deserve it.
    ****
    After putting the
finishing touches of makeup on, I had one final task—zipping the damn
dress. A knock on the door startled me, but it could be serendipity if the
knocker had two hands.
    I turned the handle
expecting to lay eyes on the doctor, but it was Marco and he was stunning. Black,
slicked back hair, tuxedo and a mischievous grin.
    “Hi beautiful, I
stopped by to see if you are about ready.”
    The sleeve of the
black, shimmery gown slipped and I pushed it back into place.
    “I thought you’d
still be headed out.” The sleeve fell again.
    “I asked X if I could
tag along since you might need the company while he hobnobs.” This time he
caught the stubborn garment. “Turn around. Let me zip you up.”
    I did as he asked,
thankful for his help.
    “I need to tell you a
few things.” He pulled the zipper, running a finger along my spine, causing me
to shiver. “Here let me warm you up.” He wrapped his arms around me and
whispered in my ear, “You’re going to meet Roxanne tonight.”
    “Who?”
    “Um… She’s X’s last
love interest.”
    I tried to turn but
his arms held me in place. “Stay here. If he knew I was telling you this, he’d
kill me.”
    “I thought there hadn’t
been anyone since Lydia.” I relaxed knowing that trying to force my way out of
his embrace would be a waste of energy.
    “Yes, well. That is
true. Remember when he said he pretended to date someone to shut Sebastian and
me up? That was Roxanne. But he got tired of answering questions. Roxanne works
in a prominent role as a fundraiser for the Cancer Society. She’s beautiful,
but vicious.”
    “Wonderful.”
    “She was in love with
X. Let me rephrase that… She was in love with the idea of him, but she didn’t know
him. He kept her at arm’s length. She